Wake-Up Ohio web site could use your support.

"Wake-Up Ohio" is a progressive grassroots movement for Ohio Democrats; were less that a year old...... In light of all the voting fraud in Ohio, we have become highly motivated to communicate and energize the outraged base through our web site.

We have a fantastic weekly news letter that say's much, much more than the web site does. The reason for that is the expense to update the site; to pay for a web master to do that stuff. As you know I'm a nurse and could easily keep you alive without brain activity but I can't do web stuff. Stephanie is also in the medical field, she is a veternarian..... She's magnificent with our little family members! O8)

Okay, we are techo-ignorant!


So, if anyone is interested in supporting our endeavors to "Wake-Up Ohio" then please visit the web site and offer a donation. I have enclosed our November 13th news letter in the following reply so that you can get an idea, an example of what we wish to apply to the web site.

It is long, so that is why I made a second reply.....


Thanks for considering our mission.

Liberalnurse....:loveya:

all my best wishes...

sign up for the newsletter......It's getting lots of interest.....

It's long.....Sorry....I'll try to clean it up....


But...I'm ignorant.


November 13, 2004 Volume 1 Issue 10


Lessons Learned?



When the Wake Up Ohio staff woke up on the morning of November 3rd we couldn’t believe our ears when we heard “W”’s minion Andy Card declaring victory on national television. This premature declaration was made before many vote counts were finished, especially in Ohio. At 6:30a.m. we sent a fax to John Kerry:



Dear President Kerry and Vice President Edwards:



Please DO NOT QUIT until all of the votes have been counted in Ohio. THIS IS the most important election in our lifetime. Please fight for this.

YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE! Get your lawyers to Ohio and watch the vote counters like hawks! Secretary of State Blackwell (as I am sure you are well

aware) is extremely partisan.



The importance of fighting for this is now more important than ever with the apparent majority in the Senate and Congress.



A Republican President, a Republican Senate and a Republican Congress spells doom for this country. This President has already done enough damage.

Can you imagine what he will do with the above scenario!



YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!



Sincerely, Wake Up Ohio



But at 1p.m. our candidate conceded. The vote count WAS left unfinished in Ohio. RUMORS of voter disenfranchisement and voter fraud ENSUED. What was KERRY thinking?

“Earlier today, I spoke to President Bush, and I offered him and Laura our congratulations on their victory. We had a good conversation, and we talked about the danger of division in our country and the need, the desperate need for unity, for finding the common ground, coming together.”



We at Wake Up Ohio wondered- just because John Kerry says that we now all need to sing Kumbaya together, does THAT make it so? DIDN’T we learn anything in 2000 with the Florida debacle? We say, “COUNT THE VOTES IN OHIO.” At the very least it might quiet down some of the other 56 million SMART people in our country who actually bothered to vote.



There are some dedicated Ohio citizens and others out there who are pushing for a count/recount. Here are some of the links to the current “going ons’ in Ohio…

http://www.recountohio.org/ http://69.9.171.129/e-fraud.html http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ http://www.caseohio.org/CaseOhio/

http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=18055 http://www.votecobb.org/ http://www.moveon.org/investigatethevote/

NOTE: Please send this Wake Up Ohio newsletter to your friends, family, neighbors and associates. And, if you’d like to submit an editorial, news item or comment, please send all submissions to info@Wake-UpOhio.com .

We need volunteers! If you would like to volunteer to work for Wake Up Ohio, please e-mail us at info@Wake-UpOhio.com

Our web address is www.Wake-UpOhio.com Have a great day!


THINGS YOU CAN DO!

Calendar of Events


DAYTON: November 14, 2004 2-5p.m. Gala Kickoff Event for the Dayton
International Peace Museum
601 W. Riverview Ave.


TOLEDO:

AKRON: December 13, 2004 Summit County Dems Meeting
7p.m.

Democratic Memorial Hall
40 Grant St.



CINCINNATI:


COLUMBUS: November 15, 2004 Public Hearings on Election Irregularities and Voter Suppression

6-9p.m.
Franklin County Court House A 373 S High truth@freepress.org



CLEVELAND:

Please forward submissions for Event Calendar to info@Wake-UpOhio.com





NEWSROOM

Every Vote Will Be Counted!
November 9, 2004
Dan Trevas
Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director



The Ohio Democratic Party shares Sen. John Kerry's insistence that every vote be counted.

Here is where we stand in Ohio:

After the Unofficial Results reported Nov. 2 - George Bush leads John Kerry by 136,483 votes.

Provisional ballots will be counted.

155,000 provisional ballots have been cast and not yet been counted.

County Boards of Elections have until Friday to verify the eligibility of those who cast a provisional vote. Counting will begin, Saturday, November 13. County Boards have until Dec. 1, 2004 to certify their vote totals and report them to the Secretary of State.

Two Democrats and two Republicans sit on each County Board of Elections.

Tabulations of the votes will be done in a bi-partisan manner. Only if there is a tie vote on the board does the decision go to the Secretary of State.

Overseas absentee ballots have not been counted.

Overseas Absentee ballots by civilians may have been received by County Boards of Elections by Nov. 2 that have not yet been counted. The Boards of Elections will count those votes.

Overseas absentee ballots by military have until, Friday, Nov. 12 to arrive and be counted by the Boards of Elections in the final total.

93,000 punch cards were cast, but a vote for president was not counted.

The votes were not counted either because the voter voted for more than one candidate or did not vote for a presidential candidate. These ballots will be reexamined if there is a recount.

Ohio has a uniform, statewide system for recounting punch card ballots. Hanging chads and dimpled chads are treated uniformly throughout the state.

Examination for errors going on in all 88 Ohio counties.

A Vote Error on Election night gave George Bush 3,893 more votes in a Franklin County precinct than actually cast for him. That error was found by comparing the unofficial abstract of votes casts by precinct to votes for each candidate. Officials in all 88 counties have been contacted and requested to review for a similar error.

No Ohio County used Diebold Electronic Voting Machines.

Ohio did not use modern electronic voting machines in this election. Six counties use an older form of electronic voting, which has a means of verifying the accuracy of the vote. In 69 Ohio Counties, punch card ballots were used.

Recount

In Ohio a recount is automatic for statewide election if difference in the vote is within 0.25% of the total votes cast.

For a recount is the presidential race, this is probably about a 19,000-vote margin between Kerry and Bush.

Only a losing candidate can request a recount. A recount may always be requested regardless of the closeness of the race. The recount is requested by the losing candidate. The request for a recount must be made within 5 days of the official announcement of the results by the Secretary of State.

The fee for a recount is set by each Board of Elections and may be between $5 and $10 per precinct. You can limit the recount to specific precincts. The cost is deposited by the person making the recount request at the time of the application based on the number of precincts requested to be recounted. The entire recount and contest procedures are outlined at ORC 3515.

Vote Fraud or Mistakes

Information about fraud or mistake can be reported the Ohio Democratic Party.

You can leave a message at (614) 221-6563 ext. 134 or email dan@ohiodems.org. This information will be shared with our legal counsel as the official election tabulations are being made.

You may also share any concerns about voter fraud or mistakes the Secretary of State by emailing: election@sos.state.oh.us.



Kerry Campaign Scrutinizes Ohio
November 11, 2004
Scott Hassain
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/isvot/110017421866410.xml

A Note on the Presidential Election in Ohio
November 10, 2004
Congressman Dennis Kucinich
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1110-31.htm

Worse Than 2000: Tuesday's Electoral Disaster
November 8, 2004
William Rivers Pitt
Truthout

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110804A.shtml

Bush's 'Incredible' Vote Tallies
November 9, 2004
Sam Parry
Consortium News

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/111004W.shtml

A Stolen Election?
November 9, 2004
David Corn
The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20041129&s=corn

No Surrender
November 5, 2004
Paul Krugman
The New York Times

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110604Y.shtml

We Are All Dubya's Doormat
News flash for ordinary Repubs and born-agains:

Bush doesn't care about you, either

November 10, 2004
Mark Morford
SF Gate

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2004/11/10/notes111004.DTL&nl=fix



When the Personal Shouldn't Be Political
November 8, 2004

Gary Hart
New YorkTimes



If America has entered one of its periodic eras of religious revival and if that revival is having the profound impact on politics that is now presumed, to participate in a discussion of "faith" one must qualify oneself. I was raised in the Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical denomination founded a century ago as an offshoot of American Methodism, which, the church founders believed, had become too liberal. I graduated from Bethany Nazarene College, where I met and married my wife, who was also brought up in the church. I then graduated from the Yale Divinity School as preparation for a life of teaching religion and philosophy. The Nazarene Church abhorred drinking, smoking, dancing, movies and female adornment, believed in salvation through being "born again" and in sanctification as a second act of grace, and resisted most popular culture as the devil's work. In doctrine and practice, it was much more evangelical than fundamentalist.



A neglected thread of church doctrine was the social gospel of John and Charles Wesley, the great reformers of late 18th-century Methodism. The Wesley brothers preached salvation through grace but also preached the duty of Christians, based solidly on Jesus' teachings, to minister to those less fortunate. My political philosophy springs directly from Jesus' teachings and is the reason I became active in the Democratic Party. Finally, in the qualification-to-speak category, I will seek to pre-empt the ad hominem disqualifiers. I am a sinner. I only ask for the same degree of forgiveness from my many critics that they were willing to grant George W. Bush for his transgressions.



As a candidate for public office, I chose not to place my beliefs in the center of my appeal for support because I am also a Jeffersonian; that is to say, I believe that one's religious beliefs - though they will and should affect one's outlook on public policy and life - are personal and that America is a secular, not a theocratic, republic. Because of this, it should concern us that declarations of "faith" are quickly becoming a condition for seeking public office.



Declarations of "faith" are abstractions that permit both voters and candidates to fill in the blanks with their own religious beliefs. There are two dangers here. One is the merging of church and state. The other is rank hypocrisy. Having claimed moral authority to achieve political victory, religious conservatives should be very careful, in their administration of the public trust, to live up to the standards they have claimed for themselves. They should also be called upon to address the teachings of Jesus and the prophets concerning care for the poor, the barriers that wealth presents to entering heaven, the blessings on the peacemakers, and the belief that no person should be left behind.



If we are to insert "faith" into the public dialogue more directly and assertively, let's not be selective. Let's go all the way. Let's not just define "faith" in terms of the law and judgment; let's define it also in terms of love, caring, forgiveness. Compassionate conservatives can believe social ills should be addressed by charity and the private sector; liberals can believe that the government has a role to play in correcting social injustice. But both can agree that human need, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy and sickness must be addressed. Liberals are not against religion. They are against hypocrisy, exclusion and judgmentalism. They resist the notion that one side or the other possesses "the truth" to the exclusion of others. There is a great difference between Cotton Mather and John Wesley.



There is also the disturbing tendency to insert theocratic principles into the vision of America's role in the world. There is evil in the world. Nowhere in our Constitution or founding documents is there support for the proposition that the United States was given a special dispensation to eliminate it. Surely Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator. But there are quite a few of those still around and no one is advocating eliminating them. Neither Washington, Adams, Madison nor Jefferson saw America as the world's avenging angel. Any notion of going abroad seeking demons to destroy concerned them above all else. Mr. Bush's venture into crusaderism frightened not only Muslims, it also frightened a very large number of Americans with a sense of their own history.



The religions of Abraham all teach a sense of personal and collective humility. It was a note briefly struck very early by Mr. Bush and largely abandoned thereafter. It would be well for those in the second Bush term to ponder that attribute. Whether Bush supporters care or not, people around the world now see America as arrogant, self-righteous and superior. These are not qualities of any traditional faith I am aware of.



If faith now drives our politics, at the very least let's make it a faith of inclusion, genuine compassion, humility, justice and accountability. In the words of the prophet Micah: "He hath shown thee, O man, what is good. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" And, instead of "O man," let's insert "O America."



EDITORIALS

POLL MONITORING



I was a poll monitor for the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, a non-partisan group sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Urban League, NAACP, Parity Inc. and others. My job was to hand out Voter Rights flyers to every citizen who came to vote in a predominantly African-American neighborhood of various income levels.



At first, the election officials were gracious and receptive when we introduced ourselves before the poll opened. But later the worm turned!



People came on foot, in wheelchairs, with crutches, canes, wearing house slippers, gym shoes, high heels, boots, rain gear. Some came in old cars and a few new cars. Some looked work-worn and world-weary. But they kept on coming. Determined to vote. Determined to make their votes count. It was raining all the while.



Soon a woman exited the poll and reported that she was prevented from voting. She had moved from a street in a neighboring precinct and hadn't given the Board of Elections her change of address. So, the "presiding judge" told her she could fill out a provisional ballot with another sheet of identifying information. She had NO CLUE what he was talking about. She just knew she wasn't allowed to vote. Obviously, little care was taken in explaining what provisional ballot meant. She was frightened. She had to get home to get her kids on the school bus. She didn't have time or energy or money to mess around, nor the knowledge to debate this so-called "presiding judge." We urged her to come back after the kids got off to school or to go downtown to the Board of Elections to vote. We didn't see her again. Sadly, she may not have voted.



Soon a man came and told us that this was his 2nd stop to find his correct precinct. Shortly he came out and said he had to visit yet another precinct. He was given incorrect information by judges in the polling places he visited despite the fact that Montgomery County Board of Elections was to have a Master Book of Polling Places for each street in the county. The Big Duh Award to this Precinct.



The Incident Prize Winner: A woman approached and asked what she should do because her glasses were broken and she couldn't read. She allowed as how she couldn't read very well anyway. She had an 8 x 10 sheet with the people she wanted to vote for check-marked. I told her that she could ask the presiding judge, a tall black man who was NOT new on the job in this precinct, to either help her or get one of the other poll workers to help her. That's the law in Ohio. In about 5 minutes she came out and ran over to say "the man said she could not vote." Why? Well, because she was unable to read and he wouldn't help her. I asked her if she'd like me to help her. (Ohio law permits a handicapped voter to bring someone they choose to help in the voting process. The only persons they cannot choose are employers and union stewards.) She smiled and said she'd like me to help her. ! ; We went back in. Mr. Judge asks of me in a loud and hostile tone, "What are you doing here?" I responded by telling him I was helping this voter because you refused to let her vote and refused to help her. He said, "Well you can't help her." I begged to differ, and informed him of the law. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn't allowing me to help this lady. I then asked if he would help the lady. He loudly proclaimed that he was too busy, much too busy. I then said "OK, well then I will have to call my lawyers." Whereupon this "judge" said something like "Oh, all right, I'll help her." I left the polling place. In about 20 minutes the lady came out and embraced me and thanked me profusely for helping her to get her right to vote. It was quite a profound moment.



Next, the white landlord of the building appeared and told us to get off his property. We were more than 100 feet from the polls -- and we were on the city sidewalk. We said that we were not moving from the city sidewalk which was clearly not his property. He sputtered and smoke came out of his ears and he said he was going to call the police. "Well, if that's what you gotta do, then go ahead," said I. He turned on his heels and went back inside the "Nursing Center" where the polling place was located. Of course, no police came. This petty little dictator thought he was going to intimidate us. It didn't work.



Early on a car with two white males in it came by and took a flash picture of me standing by the signs which said 100 ft. from the polls. These same white guys came by 3 more times. They'd just go slowly by and stare at me. I went out of my way to stare right back at them. They were so noticeably trying to be macho that they were actually quite funny. I got their license number and turned it in to the Coalition headquarters.



These stories are but the tip of the iceberg. Multiply them by similar events in other precincts and you will begin to fathom the terrible voter prevention tactics that were used in this election, and how unfair this election probably was.



Since I live in the suburbs where I have not witnessed anything remotely resembling intimidation ever at my precinct, it was mind-blowing to witness how this Jim Crow crap works. It will never leave my mind or my heart! I wonder how we think we can promote democracy around the world when we don't have it here -- except for some! Shame on US !



Madeline Breslin maddi.bres@sbcglobal.net Precinct Captain for one of Montgomery County’s many precincts.



Should We Go Back to the “Good” Old Days?



The idea of restoring “moral values” was a powerful force in the recent election. There’s no doubt President Bush’s stand against gays, his opposition to abortion, and his self-proclaimed religiosity, brought him a lot of support, even though most voters had serious doubts about the war in Iraq, the economy, and even the President’s intelligence.



It’s not really surprising that people would want “moral” leaders and someone who appears to be on God’s side, in the aftermath of the attack of 9/11 and during a bloody war, whether or not the war was justified.



When people are under the severe stress of war and turmoil, it’s natural to want a President who will “keep us safe,” and to long for an idealized time in the past before we were affected by terrorism, before gay people were so open, when religion was more prominent in the schools, women’s roles were distinguished from men’s, and our leaders seemed to be above ordinary vices.



But the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for,” should be applied here, especially by younger folks and those who skipped their history lessons. They may not be aware of how it really was in the “good” old days we seem to be headed back to, say the 1950’s. As an old duffer who lived through that time, I can tell you it was not necessarily better.



True, we never talked about abortion, and “gay” meant happy. But thousands of abortions still took place. Wealthy women flew to Europe, while their poorer sisters sought out an undercover doctor or a friend who would help them, often with disastrous results. I’m not arguing the morality, just pointing out the reality. Working women were largely restricted to nursing, secretarial work, and elementary teaching. They couldn’t get credit in their own names, tend bar in Michigan, or own property in Texas. Divorce was difficult and messy, even if the husband was abusive.



Gay people were called “queers” and were subject to discrimination and violence. Movies and TV were censored. Numerous books were banned, even some considered works of art, and media stars could get cut off for phrases that we wouldn’t even notice today. Case in point, Tonight Show host Jack Paar had the words “water closet”---British for toilet---bleeped, and he walked off his live show in protest.



We had prayer in school, and religious services, too, for everyone, whether they wanted them or not. Many public schools started the day with a Protestant prayer, and some had regular sessions called “Chapel,” featuring Protestant ministers. If you were Catholic, Jewish, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, agnostic, or atheist, tough. Kids were sent to the office for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We had corporal punishment, too, upheld by the courts. Kids were regularly paddled, slapped, and thrown up against the wall. They were better behaved in school, but after school they formed gangs, and fought with chains, clubs, and switch blades. Half of them dropped out before their junior year.



We didn’t have Medicare, Medicaid, environmental laws, seat belts, or much in the way of sports for girls. Our African American friends couldn’t vote in the South, choose their own neighborhoods, get into most professions, or just go to the movies with white friends. Right here in Ohio, they had to sit in the balcony, while whites sat downstairs.



Of course, if we go back to the 1800’s it was even worse---or better, depending on your point of view. Corporations could do as they darn well pleased, there was no income tax, and very few governmental services. No meat inspection, worker safety laws, Social Security, or votes for women.



Then, those awful “liberals” and “activist” judges came along and changed everything. Before we let ultra-conservatives turn back the clock, we might consider the wise words of that nuanced old liberal, Abraham Lincoln: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves.”


Jack Burgess 4burgess@adelphia.net Jack is a retired teacher of American and Global Studies, who lives in Chillicothe. He has also been the Executive Director
of the Columbus Education Association, President of the Central Ohio Industrial Relations Research Assn., Ohio Council
Coordinator for SEIU, and Chief of Arbitration Services in the administration of Governor Celeste. He was labor coordinator
Ohio’s Dean volunteers.



A View from a Democratic Observer in Cleveland

Although the press REPORTED few problems at the polls, my experience TELLS ME that attempts to intimidate voters in African-American areas
of Cleveland and East Cleveland were widespread.

On Election Day, I served as a Democratic challenger in East Cleveland. No Republican challenger was present.

A group of young Republicans arrived early with dozens of Bush/Cheney yard signs. They were placed within the 100 foot no sign zone from the polling
place. Residents became angry, asking that the signs be removed. After they left, residents removed the signs.

Shortly after noon, two white men came into the polling place, asking for the Presiding Judge. First they asked whether a Republican observer
was present. Then they asked that I, THE DEMOCRATIC OBSERVER, leave. They SHOWED no papers justifying their presence in the polling place.
After some questioning, one identified himself by name as a Republican lawyer from a prominent Cleveland law firm. He asked for my identification, but
refused to show his identification to the Presiding Judge. He continued to demand that I leave. I reminded him that he had not shown the Presiding Judge
any evidence he had a right to be present in a polling place where he was not voting. Both men eventually left.

About an hour later, one man and two women, all white, came into the polling place identifying themselves as members of the GOP legal team. THEY REFUSED to identify themselves further when asked by polling officials. They were also looking for a GOP observer. After continuing to refuse to identify
themselves, they were asked to leave by polling officials. One of the women offered to show some identification, but had to retrieve it from her car.

I followed them to where they were parked. The man who was with them asked me to move and accused me of entrapment? I reminded him that they had entered the polling place illegally and I was simply interested in looking at the identification card that the woman promised. He threatened to call the police until I got out my cell phone and offered to call for him. This apparently shook him as he offered up a name. He told me to call Mr. Fritz at GOP headquarters to verify their identities. Unfortunately he never gave me a phone number or location of this so-called GOP headquarters. After more conversation he finally let me see his ID. He was from Washington, D.C.

Later in the day another white male and white female entered the polling place, again without identifying themselves. They promptly left as we rose to greet them.

The next day I found out that the Republican lawyer from the prominent Cleveland law firm had not only paid a visit to my polling place, but apparently went to additional polling places in East Cleveland and Cleveland. He contested voter registrations at these polling places, and additionally attempted to prevent the sealing of a ballot box. The police were promptly called.

One of our most sacred rights, the right to vote, does not need to be fraught with heckling, haranguing and harassment. I am embarrassed to live in a country in which officials from the party of the sitting President would participate in illegal and threatening behavior during an election.


Dr. Patricia Blochowiak patrbl@attglobal.net Cleveland, Ohio




GOD HELP AMERICA
British Daily Mirror

THEY say that in life you get what you deserve. Well, today America has deservedly got a lawless cowboy to lead them further into carnage
and isolation and the unreserved contempt of most of the rest of the world.

This once-great country has pulled up its drawbridge for another four years and stuck a finger up to the billions of us forced to share the
same air. A! nd in doing so, it has shown itself to be a fearful, backward-looking and very small nation.

This should have been the day when Americans finally answered their critics by raising their eyes from their own sidewalks and looking
outward towards the rest of humanity.

And for a few hours early yesterday, when the exit polls predicted a John Kerry victory, it seemed they had.

But then the horrible, inevitable truth hit home. They had somehow managed to re-elect the most devious, blinkered and reckless leader
ever put before them. The Yellow Rogue of Texas.

A self-serving, dim-witted, draft-dodging, gung-ho little rich boy, whose idea of courage is to yell: "I feel good," as he unleashes an
awesome fury which slaughters 100,000 innocents for no other reason than greed and vanity.

A dangerous chameleon, his charming exterior provides cover for a power-crazed clique of Doctor Strangeloves whose goal is to increase
America's grip on the world's economies and natural resources.

And in foolishly backing him, Americans have given the go-ahead for more unilateral pre-emptive strikes, m! ore world instability and most
probably another 9/11.

Why else do you think bin Laden was so happy to scare them to the polls, then made no attempt to scupper the outcome?

There's only one headline in town today, folks: "It Was Osama Wot Won It."

And soon he'll expect pay-back. Well, he can't allow Bush to have his folks whoopin' and a-hollerin' without his own getting a share of the
fun, can he?

Heck, guys, I hope you're feeling proud today.

To the tens of millions who voted for John Kerry, my commiserations.

To the overwhelming majority of you who didn't, I simply ask: Have you learnt nothing? Do you despise your own image that much?

Do you care so little about the world beyond your shores? How could you do this to yourselves?

How appalling must one man's record at home and abroad be for you to reject him?

Kerry wasn't the best presidential candidate the Democrats have ever fielded (and he did deserve a kicking for that "reporting for doo-dee"
moment), but at least he understood the complexity of the world outside America, and domestic disgraces like the 45 million of his
fellow citizens without health coverage.

He would have done something to make that country fairer and re-connected it with the wider world...

Instead America chose a man without morals or vision. An economic incompetent who inherited a $2billion surplus from Clinton, gave it in
tax cuts to the rich and turned the US into the world's largest debtor nation.

A man who sneers at the rights of other nations. Who has withdrawn from interna! tional treaties on the environment and chemical weapons.

A man who flattens sovereign states then hands the rebuilding contracts to his own billionaire party backers.

A man who promotes trade protectionism and backs an Israeli government which continually flouts UN resolutions.

America has chosen a menacingly immature buffoon who likened the pursuit of the 9/11 terrorists to a Wild West, Wanted Dead or Alive
man-hunt and, during the Afghanistan war, kept a baseball scorecard in his drawer, notching up hits when news came through of enemy deaths.

A RADICAL Christian fanatic who decided the world was made up of the forces of good and evil, who invented a war on terror, and thus as
author of it, believed he had the right to set the rules of engagement.

Which translates to telling his troops to do what the hell they want to the bad guys. As he has at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and countless
towns across Iraq.

You have to feel sorry for the millions of Yanks in the big cities like New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and San
Francisco who voted to kick him out.

These are the sophisticated side of the electorate who recognise a gibbon when they see one.

As for the ones who put him in, across the Bible Belt and the South, us outsiders can only feel pity.

Were I a Kerry voter, though, I'd feel deep anger, not only at them returning Bush to power, but for allowing the outside world to lump us
all into the same category of moronic muppets.

The self-righteous, gun-totin', military lovin', sister marryin', abortion-hatin', gay-loathin', foreigner-despisin', non-passport ownin'
re! d-necks, who believe God gave America the biggest dick in the world
so it could urinate on the rest of us and make their land "free and strong".

You probably won't be surprised to learn of would-be Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn who, on Tuesday, promised to ban
abortion and execute any doctors who carried them out.

He also told voters that lesbianism is so rampant in the state's schools that girls were being sent to toilets on their own. Not that
any principal could be found to back him up.

These are the people who hijack the word pa! triot and liken compassion to child-molesting. And they are unknowingly bin Laden's chief
recruiting officers.

Al-Qaeda's existence is fuelled by the outpourings of America's Christian right. Bush is its commander-in-chief. And he and bin Laden
need each other to survive.

Both need to play Lex Luther to each others' Superman with their own fanatical people. Maybe that's why the mightiest military machine ever
assembled has failed to catch the world's most wanted man.

Or is the reason simply that America is incompetent? That behind the bluff they are frightened and clueless, which is why they've stayed
with the devil they know.

VISITORS from another planet watching this election would surely not credit the amateurism.

The queues for hours to register a tick; the 17,000 lawyers needed to ensure there was no cheating; the $1.2bn wasted by parties trying to
discredit the enemy; the allegations of fraud, intimidation and dirty tricks; the exit polls which were so wildly inaccurate; an Electoral
College voting system that makes the Eurovision Song Contest look like a beacon of democracy and efficiency; and the delays and the legal
wrangles in announcing the victor.

Yet America would have us believe theirs is the finest democracy in the world. Well, that fine democracy has got the man it deserved
George W Bush.

But is America safer today without Kerry in charge? A man who overnight would have given back to the UN some credibility and
authority. Who would have worked out the best way to undo the Iraq authority. Who would have worked out the best way to undo the Iraq
mess without fear of losing face.

Instead, the questions! facing America today are - how many more thousands of their sons will die as Iraq descends into a new Vietnam?
And how many more Vietnams are on the horizon now they have given Bush the mandate to go after Iran, Syria, North Korea or Cuba...?

Today is a sad day for the world, but it's even sadder for the millions of intelligent Americans embarrassed by a gung-ho leader and
backed by a banal electorate, half of whom still believe Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11.

Yanks had the chance to show the world a better way this week, instead they made a t! huggish cowboy ride off into the sunset bathed in glory.

And in doing so it brought Armageddon that little bit closer and re-christened their beloved nation The Home Of The Knave and the Land
Of The Freak.


Letter To The Red States



Sorry, I try not to deluge people with my ramblings. But I had to write this and, having written it, had to send it. Even though I don't know anyone I can

send it to (without alienating my Republican in-laws, who are the only "middle country" people I know.) I am writing this letter to the people in the red

states in the middle of the country -- the people who voted for George W. Bush.

I am writing this letter because I don't think we know each other. So I'll make an introduction. I am a New Yorker who voted for John Kerry.

I used to live in California, and if I still lived there, I would vote for Kerry. I used to live in Washington, DC, and if I still lived there, I would vote for Kerry.

Kerry won in all three of those regions. Maybe you want to know more about me. Or maybe not; maybe you think you know me already. You think I am some

anti-American anarchist because I dislike George W. Bush. You think that I am immoral and anti-family, because I support women's reproductive freedom and gay

rights. You think that I am dangerous, and even evil, because I do not abide by your religious beliefs. Maybe you are content to think that, to write me off as a

"liberal" -- the dreaded "L" word -- and rejoice that your candidate has triumphed over evil, immoral, anti-American, anti-family people like me. But maybe

you are still curious. So here goes: this is who I am.



I am a New Yorker. I was here, in my apartment downtown, on September 11th. I watched the Towers burn from the roof of my building. I went inside so that I

couldn't see them when they fell. I had friends who were inside. I have a friend who still has nightmares about watching people jump and fall from the Towers. He will never be the same. How many people like him do you know? People that can't sit in a restaurant without plotting an escape route, in case it

blows up?



I am a worker. I work across the street from the Citigroup Center, which the government told us is a "target" of terrorism. Later, we found out they were

relaying very old information, but it was already too late. They had given me bad dreams again. The subway stop near my office was crowded with bomb-sniffing

dogs, policemen in heavy protective gear, soldiers. Now, every time I enter or exit my office, all of my possessions are X-rayed to make sure I don't have

any weapons. How often are you stopped by a soldier with a bomb-sniffing dog outside your office?



I am a neighbor. I have a neighbor who is a 9/11 widow. She has two children. My husband does odd jobs for her now, like building bookshelves. Things her

husband should do. He uses her husband's tools, and the two little girls tell him, "Those are our daddy's tools." How many 9/11 widows and orphans do you

know? How often do you fill in for their dead loved ones?



I am a taxpayer. I worked my butt off to get where I did, and so did my parents. My parents saved and borrowed and sent me to college. I worked my way through graduate school. I won a full tuition scholarship to law school. All for the privilege of working 2,600 hours last year. That works out to a 50 hour

week, every week, without any vacation days at all. I get to work by 9 am and rarely leave before 9 pm. I eat dinner at my office much more often than I eat

dinner at home. My husband and I paid over $70,000 in federal income tax last year. At some point in the future, we will have to pay much more -- once this

country faces its deficit and the impossible burden of Social Security. In fact, the areas of the country that supported Kerry -- New York, California,

Illinois, Massachusetts -- they are the financial centers of the nation. They are the tax base of this country. How much did you pay, Kansas? How much did you

contribute to this government you support, Alabama? How much of this war in Iraq did you pay for?



I am a liberal. The funny part is, liberals have this reputation for living in Never-Neverland, being idealists, not being sensible. But let me tell you

how I see the world: I see America as one nation in a world of nations. Therefore, I think we should try to get along with other nations. I see that gay

people exist. Therefore, I think they should be allowed to exist, and be treated the same as other people. I see ways in which women are not allowed to control their own bodies. Therefore, I think we should give women more control over their bodies. I see that people have awful diseases. Therefore, I think we should

enable scientists to try to cure them. I see that we have a Constitution.



Therefore, I think it should be upheld. I see that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Therefore, I think that Iraq was not an imminent

danger to me. It seems so pragmatic to me. How do you see the world? Do you really think voting against gay marriage will keep people from being gay?



Would you really prefer that people continue to die from Parkinson's disease? Do you really not care about the Constitutional rights of political

detainees? Would you really have supported the war if you knew the truth, or would you have wanted to spend more of our money on health care, job training, terrorism, preparedness?



I am an American. I have an American flag flying outside my home. I love my home more than anything. I love that I grew up right outside New York City. I

first went to the Statue of Liberty with my 5th grade class, and my mom and dad took me to the Empire State Building when I was 8. I love taking the subway

to Yankee Stadium. I loved living in Washington DC and going on dates to the Lincoln Memorial. It is because I love this country so much that I argue with my

political opponents as much I do.



I am not safe. I never feel safe. My in-laws live in a small town in Ohio, and that town has received more federal funding, per capita, for terrorism

preparedness than New York City has. I take subways and buses every day. I work in a skyscraper across the street from a "target." I have emergency supplies and

a spare pair of sneakers in my desk, in case somethng happens while I'm at work. Do you? How many times a month do you worry that your subway is going to

blow up? When you hear sirens on the street, do you run to the window to make sure everything is okay?



When you hear an airplane, do you flinch? Do you dread beautiful, blue-skied September days? I don't know a single New Yorker who doesn't spend the month

of September on tip-toes, superstitiously praying for rain so we don't have to relive that beautiful, blue-skied day.



I am lonely. I feel that we, as a nation, have alienated all our friends and further provoked our enemies. I feel unprotected. Most of all I feel alienated

from my fellow citizens, because I don't understand what you are thinking. You voted for a man who started a war in Iraq for no reason, against the wishes

of the entire world. You voted for a man whose lack of foresight and inability to plan has led to massive insurgencies in Iraq, where weapons are

disappearing into the hands of terrorists. You voted for a man who let Osama Bin Laden escape into the hills of Afghanistan so that he could start that war in Iraq.

You voted for a man who doesn't want to let people love who they want to love; doesn't want to let doctors cure their patients; doesn't want to let women

rule their destinies. I don't understand why you voted for this man. For me, it is not enough that he is personable; it is not enough that he seems like one

of the guys.



Why did you vote for him? Why did you elect a man that lied to us in order to convince us to go to war? (Ten years ago you were incensed when our

president lied about his sex life; you thought it was an impeachable offense.) Why did you elect a leader who thinks that strength cannot include diplomacy or

international cooperaton? Why did you elect a man who did nothing except run away and hide on September 11?



Most of all, I am terrified. I mean daily, I am afraid that I will not survive this. I am afraid that I will lose my husband, that I will never have

children, that I will never grow old and watch the sunset in a backyard of my own. I am afraid that my career -- which should end with a triumphant and

good-natured roast at a retirement party in 2035 -- will be cut short by an attack on me and my colleagues, as we sit sending emails and making phone calls one

ordinary afternoon. Is your life at stake? Are you terrified? I don't think you are. I don't think you realize what you have done. And if anything happens to me

or the people I love, I blame you. I wanted you to know that.

Anonymous New York



"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt.... If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."



Thomas Jefferson




* Editorials published in our newsletter may or may not reflect our values. If you would like to submit a piece for publication, please e-mail us at
info@Wake-UpOhio.com



INTERESTING TID BITS

What Kerry should have said on Wednesday November 3, 2004

CONCESSION SPEECH
Adam Felber

NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me"



My fellow Americans, the people of this nation have spoken, and spoken with a clear voice so I am here to offer my concession.

I concede that I overestimated the intelligence of the American people.



Though the people disagree with the President on almost every issue, you saw fit to vote for him. I never saw that coming.

That's really special. And I mean "special" in the sense that we use it to describe those kids who ride the short school

bus and find ways to injure themselves while eating pudding with rubber spoons. That kind of special.



I concede that I misjudged the power of hate. That's pretty powerful stuff, and I didn't see it. So let me take a moment to congratulate the

President's strategists: Putting the gay marriage amendments on the ballot in various swing states like Ohio... well, that was just genius.

Genius. It got people, a certain kind of people, to the polls. The unprecedented number of folks who showed up and cited "moral values" as

their biggest issue, those people changed history. The folks who consider same sex marriage a more important issue than war, or

terrorism, or the economy... Who'd have thought the election would belong to them? Well, Karl Rove did. Gotta give it up to him for that.



I concede that I put too much faith in America's youth. With 8 out of 10 of you opposing the President, with your friends and classmates dying

daily in a war you disapprove of, with your future being mortgaged to pay for rich old peoples' tax breaks, you somehow managed to sit on your

asses and watch the Cartoon Network while aging homophobic hillbillies carried the day. You voted with the exact same anemic percentage that

you did in 2000. You suck. Seriously, y'do.



There are some who would say that I sound bitter, that now is the time for healing, to bring the nation together. Let me tell you a little

story. Last night, I watched the returns come in with some friends here in Los Angeles. As the night progressed, people began to talk

half-seriously about secession, a red state /blue state split. The reasoning was this: We in blue states produce the vast majority of the

wealth in this country and pay the most taxes, and you in the red states receive the majority of the money from those taxes while complaining

about 'em. We in the blue states are the only ones who've been attacked by foreign terrorists, yet you in the red states are gung ho to fight a

war in our name. We in the blue states produce the entertainment that you consume so greedily each day, while you in the red states show open

disdain for us and our values. Blue state civilians are the actual victims and targets of the war on terror, while red state civilians are

the ones standing behind us and yelling "Oh, yeah!? Bring it on!"



More than 40% of you Bush voters still believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11. I'm impressed by that, truly I am. Your sons

and daughters who might die in this war know it's not true, the people in the urban centers where al Qaeda wants to attack know it's not true,

but those of you who are at practically no risk believe this easy lie because you can. As part of my concession speech, let me say that I really envy

that luxury. I concede that. Healing? We, the people at risk from terrorists, the people who subsidize you, the people who speak in

glowing and respectful terms about the heartland of America while that heartland insults and excoriates us... we wanted some healing. We spoke

loud and clear. And you refused to give it to us, largely because of your high moral values. You knew better: America doesn't need its allies, doesn't need

to share the burden, doesn't need to unite the world, doesn't need to provide for its future. Hell no. Not when it's got a human shield of

pointy-headed, atheistic, unconfrontational breadwinners who are willing to pay the bills and play nice in the vain hope of winning a vote that

we can never have. Because we're "morally inferior," I suppose, we are supposed to respect your values while you insult ours. And the big joke

here is that for 20 years, we've done just that.


Is Our President Out of Touch with Reality?

(An advertisement that appeared in the Dayton Daily News on 10/26/04)



President Bush told us that liberated Iraqis can enjoy their freedom as we expand prosperity



Colin Powell said the insurgency is getting worse and heavier engagement lies ahead.



Donald Rumsfeld reported that elections in 20-25% of Iraq might not be possible as planned.



The President’s own National Intelligence Estimate states that the best-case scenario for Iraq’s immediate future is

a tenuous political and economic stability with violence continuing at current levels.



Our troops are more vulnerable than ever more than a year after Bush posed in front of a “Mission Accomplished” sign.

Iraqis are increasingly resentful of our presence, angry at the destruction of their infrastructure, loss of safety, or jobs.

Others say they are fighting to protect their families and neighborhoods or to avenge the loss of loved ones to cross fire

or bombings. Al Qaeda, or their sympathizers, are infiltrating Iraq’s porous borders, eager to join local militants.



The war on Iraq has diverted vast resources away from homeland security; Iran and North Korea are producing nuclear

material that could fall into the hands of terrorists, and only 5-10% of cargo shipped into our country is inspected.



Our National Guard and Army ground troops are already over-extended. And we cannot supply enough bullet-proof

vests or vehicle protection plates as they perform duties in harm’s way.



Bush disregarded intelligence that warned of the extreme risks of invading Iraq, preferring instead to stick by the rigid

ideology of his advisors. Invasion plans were made years ago, and 9/11 provided a pretext for their implementation.



After 9/11 many of our finest young men and women joined the military to protect our country. When the American

Friends Service Committee launched its “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit in January 2004, volunteers arranged 504 pairs of

boots, each representing the death of an American soldier in Iraq. On Sept. 27, as the exhibit was being disassembled

in Dayton, OH, for travel to a new location, the number of pairs of boots had become 1050.



Bush says he would still have put American lives at risk to invade Iraq, even knowing what we now know. No WMD.

No al Qaeda connection. No evidence of programs that could have produced nuclear weapons in the foreseeable future.

No stockpiles of biological or chemical agents. No evidence that Saddam would ever support bin Laden or al Qaeda.

Throughout the world most people rejected Bush’s arguments for war on Iraq. Greg Thielmann, former State Department

intelligence expert, speaking in Dayton on September 24, said that his analysts got it right. But intelligence information

was misused, prompting Thielmann to call Bush’s actions “culpable negligence” or “deliberate deception.

Ron Katsuyamaout of touch with reality?

Military Families and Friends for Truth

MFFT@voyager.net


THANK YOU

A Wake Up Ohio Thank You goes out to all of our generous donors!



Two out of our four Recommended Candidates were successful in their bids for election!!!

Ohio State House District 61

* John Boccieri (I) Dem 32,988 66%
Randy Pope Rep 17,367 34%

Judge Franklin County Common Pleas Court

* Eric Brown 174, 994 57.44%
Gregory Peterson 129,653 42.56%


Ohio State House District 72

Merle Grace Kearns (I) Rep 27,976 60%
Richard Spangler Dem 18,657 40%

Ohio State Senate District 16

Steve Stivers (I) Rep 92,863 58%
Katie Thomsen Dem 54,020 34%
Dan Eckhart NP 14,115 9%



Thank you for your support of my successful campaign for Common Pleas Court Judge. I won by a very solid margin throughout Franklin County. My six year term of office as Judge commences July 1, 2005, and I plan to continue my service as a Magistrate until then.



I know that the enthusiasm and good work of many good friends I met last year during the Dean campaign made a difference throughout my campaign. Marilyn and I are honored and blessed by these friendships. I am sincerely thankful to all who helped and supported my campaign for judge. I am eager to begin service next year as judge.

Thank you, with profound appreciation,


Eric Brown

I think this is a valuable tool.....and it id from Dayton!

I hope we get some more support.....