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Breakthrough News for Leonard Peltier * Re: through the shambles of a pseudo democracy
1) Breakthrough News for Leonard Peltier
2) Re: Going through the shambles of a pseudo democracy
3) Fwd. My mother, Palm Beach County precinct clerk
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The following was received from the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
http://www.FreePeltier.org
You can subscribe directly to them for E-mail updates, (see bottom of their post). This is very good news since Leonard Peltier's petition for Presidential Executive Clemency has been dormant for nearly seven years. Please take actions to ensure justice is served. It is as simple as a telephone call to the White House Comment Line 1(202)456-1111 ext O; and to really support Leonard try to come to NYC on December 10, 2000.
From: "LPDC"
Subject: URGENT PELTIER ACTION!
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 10:50:49 -0600
EXTREMELY URGENT ACTION
From: LPDC
CALL THE WHITE HOUSE FOR LEONARD PELTIER : 202-456-1111
[weekdays, business hours]
CLEMENCY MAY BE DECIDED SOON : IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Dear Friends,
We have some very exciting news for everyone ! President Clinton has publicly confirmed that Leonard's clemency petition has reached his office, and that it will be decided one way or the other in the very near future. Quite possibly, a decision could be made over the Thanksgiving holiday!
It looks like critical decisions are being made in the White House RIGHT NOW.
Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard the last many years for Leonard. You have brought this case right up to Clinton's desk. But now we must work harder than ever for the next few weeks. We are down to the wire and this is literally a matter of life and death. It looks like Bush will be the new President, and you know what that means for clemency for Leonard.
It is now or never for telling the White House how we feel about the case. We are asking people to call every single day to the White House, starting now, and up through December 1. (We will send out new information then). While it is possible that a positive decision might take longer, we must make very sure that Leonard's case is not dropped from the list in the early stages.
The FBI camp has initiated their own phone campaign to the White House protesting clemency. WE MUST DROWN THEM OUT. Leonard's support across country is huge, but we must now make ourselves heard, more than ever.
PLEASE CALL THE WHITE HOUSE COMMENTS LINE EVER DAY THROUGH DECEMBER FIRST!
TRY TO ORGANIZE AS MANY FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE CALLS WITH YOU!
To reach the White House Comments Line just call 202-456-1111. You will geta recording, but you can skip it by dialing "0" for the live people. What counts is that hundreds of calls come in every single day. Clinton needs to know he has our full support for Leonard's release.
You may get an operator who seems very interested in talking, or someone who does not want to talk at all and doesn't care. This doesn't matter at all either. Whoever answers your call, they must tally the total at the end of the day and send the numbers upstairs to Mr. Clinton.
Keep the message courteous and straightforward. Here is a sample :
1. Identify yourself and your state.and any nation you belong to..any job title if you wish.
2. Explain that you want Clinton to immediately and unconditionally release Mr.Peltier.
3. Explain that Mr.Peltier never got a fair trial because the FBI coerced witnesses and concealed the ballistics test reflecting his innocence.
4. Mr.Peltier especially deserves clemency because of his incredible record of good deeds behind bars, like sponsoring a Native scholarship program, adopting children in Central America, supporting battered women's
centers and substance abuse programs, and sponsoring an annual Christmas clothing and toys drive for the children of Pine Ridge.
5. Time is running out to resolve this national tragedy, because Peltier now suffers from diabetes, a heart condition and high blood pressure.
6. Releasing Mr.Peltier will be an important first step in national reconciliation between the United States government and the Native American people of this country.
If you wish to write as well as call, the White House fax number is 202-456-2461
COUNTDOWN TO CLEMENCY : FINAL PHASE : IT'S NOW OR NEVER
--LPDC
Call the White House Comments Line Today
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111
Be in New York City December 10th
Peltier Walk For Freedom!
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
www.freepeltier.org
To subscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-on@mail-list.com >
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2) Going through the shambles of a pseudo democracy
Editorial
1. Going through the shambles of a pseudo democracy
The U.S. election problem is a battle ground between two ruling parties, at everybody else's expense. Though, Ralph Nader made this point perfectly clear, he missed an excellent opportunity to unite with a more significant share of the voters, who support the platform of the Green Party, but also, want a better next four years. This remains, still, in question; yet this situation gives us another opportunity to take actions in support of democratic ideals, call for a Re-Vote in Florida. Let the people decide, rather than "irregularities.".
The following information came from
activate-northeast@egroups.com .
>1. Call the US Department of Justice and demand that there is a re-vote in Palm Beach County, Florida due to the mass confusion of the Butterfly Ballot. The number is (202) 514-2000
>2. Call the US Department of Justice, Voting Section and Civil Rights action demanding that the Butterfly Ballot in Palm Beach County, Florida should be looked at and voice your formal complaint and DEMAND that there
is a re-vote. The number is (800) 253-3931 press option 4.
>3. Call Brian Heffernan at the US Department of Justice who is handling this ALONE and demand that there is a re-vote. The number is (202)514-4755.
>4. Send an e-mail to the Director of Elections in Florida, Clay Roberts. there's a form letter available at
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=9237 . All you have to do is add your name and e-mail address.
--- Richard wrote:
> I am a Greenie and agree with your comments, for the most part. Just curious though why you think Ralph missed the opportunity to unite the Greens. Its a big job and he hasn't given up yet, by no means. However, I
enjoy following the various debates surrounding Ralph and would like to hear your opinion. Please hold no punches. :-)
>
> Thanks,
>
[the following has been grammatically edited from original reply]
Hi Richard,
It was an interesting choice and dilemma for Ralph Nader and the Greens in this election, and your appreciation of the debate surrounding this issue is welcomed. I believe Nader and the Greens took the conventional root of party commitment/development, but missed out in the creative trade scenario to both support gore in 2000 in swing states and to gain a much stronger Nader vote (over 5% possible) in committed states for Bush or Gore. This way the Greens would be responding to the real differences in the next four years to the environment and for social justice issues. Otherwise they could be viewed as supporting a direction of making matters getting worse before things could, if possible, improve. However, they opted for the protest vote for a system that we are stuck with now, and the Greens, in this system, most likely, would take at least eight years to be true contenders for a Presidential race. With this in mind and with the desperate scenario of our declining health in our environment, I believe the Greens would have gained a bigger base, even if they lost some Green (all the way) die hards, because they would be showing concern for the interests of most of people, and not personal party politics that appeal to a limited contingency.
I hope this response is helpful in furthering this debate. With the elections tied up, you can easily see the impact Ralph Nader had on this situation.
Many thanks for writing, Jonathan
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>Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 10:33:15 -0800 (PST)
>From: Ben Austin
>Subject: My mother, Palm Beach County precinct clerk
the plot thickens...
>Dear friends,
>
>I don't normally send emails like this to a large block of people, certainly when it comes to my family, and certainly when the import of the issue makes it seem like the letter might travel far and wide. But so many people have asked about this story that it seems important to send it out. This is the true story of my mother, precinct clerk in Palm Beach county, Florida.
>
>My mother was a precinct clerk in Palm Beach county, Florida, election day of 2000. Mom's very good friend Leah was a precinct clerk as well. Both of them were incredibly upset during and after election day, before anyone knew the import of these specific voters. And my mother was convinced there were serious irregularities long before they gained national prominence, and she called me to say so.
>
>I note this because some Republicans are now asking if there were these irregularities, how come they were not raised until after the election? In fact, my mother and the other precinct clerks raised these issues from the moment that the polls opened in the morning; the problem is that the person they intially called on was Theresa LePore, elections supervisor of Palm Beach county. She was the source of the ballot confusion, and was uninterested in the issue.
>
>First, the paper ballot was extremely confusing to these voters. Although both major parties got a chance to review the card layout, it is not clear if any had a chance to put the actual ballot in an actual machine and punch the holes. The card is laid horizontally as you vote, and it is hard to see the holes as you punch them. And my mother, who supervised the precinct she was in (this is a paid position, and she reported directly to Ms. LePore) said the card did not even fit correctly in the ballot machine, so the holes in the card did not line up with the ballot.
>
>Anyone who thinks this was minor voter confusion has never dealt with retirees in a West Palm Beach retirement village in Florida, I promise you.
>
>My mother, following the rules, said the poll workers had been told not to help people with the cards, as it might bias the voters. My mother witnessed many, many people who voted incorrectly. Some stayed on a second line and had their cards re-done, some punched the second hole (and thus were probably thrown out), and some found out they voted for Buchanan after they had deposited their cards in the ballot box, and there was thus nothing they could do.
>
>Mom called me up to complain about this after the elction, and she called me up again on Thursday, very upset after reading a story in the New York Times (Nov. 9 2000, p. B6). The Times story states:
>
>After numerous complaints were received on Tuesday morning, Ms. LePore issued this directive to the county's 106 precincts: Attention all poll workers. Please remind all voters coming in that they are to vote only for one (1) presidential candidate and that they are to punch the hole next to the arrow next to the number next to the candidate they wish to vote for.
>
>Mom never received this directive, and she believes that if anyone knew they could have helped people vote their preference, the outcome would have been very different. Instead, my mother and the others were trying to do the right thing, and they felt that helping explain the ballot to these people would have been helping them to vote for Gore, something she didn't feel was proper. These women are honest to a fault.
>
>Leah did receive the directive, but not until 4pm on election day, and only by accident; someone was coming to visit from the main office and told her about it. In the mean time, my mother and Leah (and most of the precinct clerks) had been desperately trying to call the county office. They had been given a phone number by Ms. LePore and told that the phone line would be staffed throughout the day. They were told to call if there were any problems.
>
>Mom tried to call starting at 7:30am, calling straight through when polls closed, but she got a busy signal the entire time. But mom was at a polling station with only a pay phone, so she had to deposit coins each time, and with long lines waiting for her, she was becoming increasingly frustrated.
>
>Leah was precinct chief at the retirement village where they live, and ran a polling station at the clubhouse. Having a more modern facility, Leah tried on the phone as well, and when she couldn't get through, she called the operator to ask her why the phone was busy. Leah had the presence of mind to get the operator's number (history is made by people like Leah) when the operator told her the phone was off the hook, meaning nobody was on the line the entire day. Evidently, the supervisor's office just didn't want to hear the complaints.
>
>Leah then faxed the supervisor's office with her concerns at noon and again at 2pm. Nobody called Leah back until 5pm, when she heard from Ms. LePore, with the following words "don't bother me."
>
>So as this news starts to be spun and re-spun, let me tell you a few things I am certain to be true: -I can't argue intent either way, but the supervisorÆ' office in Palm Beach county is at the very least unable to carry out an election in which these people have their say
>
>-These people started trying to fix the problem from the moment polls opened, and were fought along the way. This is not about crying about the election once it is over.
>
>It pains me to see the issue being politicized by both sides. Gore has no place having his advisor Daley make statements that after a recount, Gore will emerge victorious; and Bush has no place saying that he is the victor, or setting up a transition team. In fact, the idea that Bush and his brother were together on election night, with Jeb Bush promising to "deliver Florida," draws a picture at least to me with the semblance of impropriety, especially now that we have seen the results so askew. I hope everyone will pay attention to the facts here, and let the people of South Florida have the same opportunity to vote that the rest of us had.
>
>You are free to send this to anyone you wish.
>
>Ben Austin
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