In Violation of Federal Law, Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election Records Are Destroyed or Missing
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted July 30, 2007.
In 56 of Ohio's 88 counties, ballots and election records from 2004 have been "accidentally" destroyed, despite a federal order to preserve them -- it was crucial evidence which would have revealed whether the election was stolen.
Two-thirds of Ohio counties have destroyed or lost their 2004 presidential ballots and related election records, according to letters from county election officials to the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner.
The lost records violate Ohio law, which states federal election records must be kept for 22 months after Election Day, and a U.S. District Court order issued last September that the 2004 ballots be preserved while the court hears a civil rights lawsuit alleging voter suppression of African-American voters in Columbus.
The destruction of the election records also frustrates efforts by the media and historians to determine the accuracy of Ohio's 2004 vote count, because in county after county the key evidence needed to understand vote count anomalies apparently no longer exists.
"The extent of the destruction of records is consistent with the covering up of the fraud that we believe occurred in the presidential election," said Cliff Arnebeck, a Columbus attorney representing the King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, which filed voter suppression suit. "We're in the process of addressing where to go from here with the Ohio Attorney General's office."
"On the one hand, people will now say you can't prove the fraud," he said, "but the rule of law says that when evidence is destroyed it creates a presumption that the people who destroyed evidence did so because it would have proved the contention of the other side."
Brunner's office confirmed the 2004 ballots were missing, but declined to comment.
"Because this case is still pending, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is unable to comment on this," said Jeff Ortega, a spokesperson. "Ultimately, whether the boards of elections are in violation of a federal court order is a matter for the court to decide."
The missing presidential election records were discovered this past spring by Brunner, a Democrat and former judge who was elected Secretary of State in 2006. Her predecessor, Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell, was sued in August 2006 by a Columbus community organization that alleged the former Secretary of State and other "unnamed" officials "selectively and discriminatorily designed and implemented procedures for the allocation of voting machines in a manner to create a shortage. For certain urban precincts where large numbers of African-Americans resided," according to the complaint.
You can read the entire article on AlterNet.
At least they were "accidentally" destroyed. Alot like the missing E-mails in the US attorney fiasco.
No officer, he fell on the knife!... Seventeen times.
I'm sorry, I did not start posting to be part of a community. I can't stand most of the blogs here on blogstream. I have reached out and commented on the blogs that interest me.
That said, I wish the best to all bloggers. I hope everyone who has a point of view expresses it. I might completely disagree, but good on ya.
I can't stand Bushies, zealots, or republicans. So Fuck You.
Vice President Dick Cheney was in the shop this weekend to repair a malfunctioning motherboard.
Those closest to him said he had been acting strangely this past week. Saying things like "We've got to end this war", and "universal health care might be the way to go". Family and colleagues grew increasingly worried. When the VP asked aloud in an energy task force meeting, "Is there anything we can do to bring down the price of gasoline?", he was rushed to an undisclosed repair shop. There it is reported he underwent emergency re-programming, some upholstery repair(skin), and a lube. Press Secretary Tony Snow said the Vice President was recovering nicely, warming himself by a money fire in one of his homes.
A source that did not wish their name to be used said, "As soon as they plugged him back in and I heard him say Fuck the Constitution, I knew he was going to be fine."
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has lied before congress many times in his tenure. He did it yet again on Tuesday. What kind of country have we become? A country where the highest ranking law enforcement officer has allegiance only to the president, where the AG has no problem lying to congress, and a country where a quarter of it's people think it's OK to do so. This guy is a fucking criminal and he is lying to protect other criminals. He doesn't even do it well. What are we, as a citizenry, supposed to do? What can we do? Signing statements, executive privelage, and ignoring of congressional subpeonas. No one is above the law. That might have been true pre-9/11, but not any more.
To the zombified supporters of this regime I ask this. What would you do if a democrat tried these things? I can hear your outrage now. Your little, pudgy, bodies would be bathed in the sweat of indignation. You would find your allegiance to the constitution again. You would scream foul. You are not patriots, you are partisan lemmings. The party is not the government. You do not deserve to call yourselves Americans.
To you I say...Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
I give you AG Albero Gonzales doing what he does best...lying.
THE WORST, MOST CORRUPT, AND UN-AMERICAN REGIME WE HAVE EVER HAD.
Many Blogstream members are there
already! Quotes from members: "It's like blog lite!" -- "I like the instant
gratification!" -- "Stop spectating, get in the game!"
If you have not joined in, you are really missing out!
