Jan 3: Emergency Pro-Democracy Rally in Ohio

["UFPJ Action Alerts" <listmaster at unitedforpeace.org>]

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
===========================================
JAN. 3: DEFEND DEMOCRACY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO
UFPJ joins Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in
organizing Jan. 3 Pro-Democracy/Count Every Vote Rally
**Details being finalized, check http://www.unitedforpeace.org***
===========================================

On Election Day, problems throughout Ohio were reported all day long. In
the days and weeks that followed, people throughout the state continued to
point to many irregularities in the presidential vote. The voting machines
were susceptible to glitches, mistakes and hacking, and even the Ohio
Secretary of State Blackwell (who chaired the Ohio Bush-Cheney election
campaign) admitted there were "missteps" in the election process. As was
the case in the 2000 election, these problems disproportionately affected
African-American and low-income voters.

There are a host of outstanding questions about the November 2nd election,
in Ohio and other states:

·	Why were there 92,000 unprocessed votes, over and under counts? And
what was the basis for accepting or denying these ballots?
·	Why were 155,000 people forced to vote provisionally, and what was
the basis for accepting or denying these ballots?
·	Why did election officials in one county inform staff on the
Thursday before the election that there would be a Homeland Security alert
on Election Day, and then take ballots to a warehouse for a secret count
which resulted on a 14,000 vote increase for Bush from his 2000 total?

Congressmembers John Conyers, Maxine Water and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones all
led a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee in Columbus, OH in
mid-December, where yet more concerns and questions were made public.
Lawsuits have been filed, people have protested, and the work to secure a
thorough recount of every vote cast in Ohio continues.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. has initiated a call for a Pro-Democracy - Count
Every Vote Rally to be held in Columbus, Ohio (the state capital) on
Monday, January, 3, 2005. The rally will pull together people from all
around Ohio, as well as others who can make the trip.

United for Peace and Justice is one of several national coalitions and
organizations lending support to this effort. We call on everyone who can
to join this important rally, just days before the U.S. Congress will
convene to accept the results of the votes cast by the Electoral College
delegates on Dec. 13th.

The details of the rally are still be worked on, and we will be updating
the information on our web site as soon as possible. In the meantime, if
you are in Ohio, or can find a way to travel there, make plans now to
participate in the Pro-Democracy Rally on Jan. 3rd.

Whether or not you can be with us in Columbus, please think about people
you know who might be able to make the trip and pass this message along to
them.

On a related note: please take a moment to read the memo below for the No
Stolen Election Campaign and United Progressives for Democracy. It explains
a nationwide effort to get at least one Senator to stand up with their
colleagues from the House of Representatives who are ready and willing to
call for an open Congressional discussion about this election on January
6th.

*************************************

January 6, 2005:
Take Action on Election Violations as Congress Meets to Certify the Vote!

More than a month has passed since voters cast votes for the President and
Vice-President of the United States -- but every day, more and more stories
surface that call into question the election's integrity.

Machines broke down, counted backwards, eliminated votes, and registered
votes for the wrong candidate. Progressive and African-American
neighborhoods experienced by far the longest lines on election day, the
most vote spoilage, the most elimination of provisional ballots, and the
most victimization by precinct manipulation.

Four hundred thousand callers phoned voter protection hotlines, with
complaints ranging from absentee ballots lost in the mail, to outright
voter intimidation and disenfranchisement. And partisan election officials
with conflicts of interest undermined voting rights in states from Ohio to
Florida to New Mexico.  Even progressive Democrats on the House Judiciary
Committee have questioned the elections' legitimacy, in a series of
rigorous, painstakingly detailed letters documenting the unprecedented
extent and scope of vote suppression, available at
http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/

How can we have confidence in American democracy when so many questions
about this election remain unanswered?  In addition to the long-standing
issues subtly undermining democracy -- corporate domination of the two
major parties, plurality elections, and corporate media bias - the recent
election betrayed democratic principles overtly.

Despite the efforts of a few valiant members of Congress, most of our
Senators and Representatives have ignored our pleas for serious
investigation into the "irregularities" that surrounded the 2004 election.
But one more opportunity remains for these government officials to stand
for democracy.

URGE PROGRESSIVE SENATORS TO TAKE A STAND ON JAN. 6, WHEN CONGRESS MEETS TO
CERTIFY THE VOTE

On January 6, 2005, Congress will meet in joint session to certify the 2004
presidential election. On that day, if one member of the House and one
member of the Senate object to the certification of the vote, then all
members of Congress will finally discuss these issues. On January 6, 2001,
not a single Senator would join with the Representatives who demanded an
inquiry into the Florida recount. This year, let's make our Senators take a
stand!

The following seven Senators are some of the most progressive members of
the Senate. Please call them immediately, and urge them to defend democracy
on January 6.

*SPREAD THE WORD TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO KEEP DOING THE SAME UNTIL JANUARY 6.*

Senator Barbara Boxer, (202) 224-3553,
senator at boxer.senate.gov

Senator Dick Durbin, (202) 224-2152,
dick at durbin.senate.gov

Senator Russ Feingold, (202) 224-5323,
russ_feingold at feingold.senate.gov

Senator Tom Harkin, (202) 224-3254,
tom_harkin at harkin.senate.gov

Senator Jim Jeffords, (202) 224-5141,
Vermont at jeffords.senate.gov

Senator Edward Kennedy, 202/224-4543,
senator at kennedy.senate.gov

Senator Patrick Leahy, (202) 224-4242,
senator_leahy at leahy.senate.gov

ON JANUARY 6, PROTEST IN WASHINGTON, DC AND AT SENATORS' OFFICES IN YOUR
OWN COMMUNITIES

While our Senators and Representatives are inside Congress, tallying the
electoral college vote, We the People must have a presence outside,
bringing attention to the disenfranchisement, suppression and fraud that
pervaded the  2004 election - and demanding real reforms to extend and
protect democracy in America. Please join us on January 6 in Washington,
DC. Details on the DC protest TBA. Check
http://www.Nov3.US or http://www.counter-inaugural.org for more information.

If you can't come to DC, we urge you to organize a protest outside a
Senator's office in your community, and list your event at
http://www.Nov3.US

This call to action is initiated by No Stolen Elections! and United
Progressives for Democracy.

===========================================
JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS...
New anti-war buttons, t-shirts, and car magnets from UFPJ
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/merchandise
===========================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
===========================================



--
To unsubscribe from this list visit
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email4.php?p=unsubscribe&uid=1391321449

To update your preferences visit
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email4.php?p=preferences&uid=1391321449



--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --