"...and together we are going to change history." Well, Sen Kerry....

.....here is my proposal for how we can all join with you and, in_deed change history.

The proposal is grounded in a simple reality -- we have no way of knowing if and how each of our votes was counted.

And, we know that many of our fellow citizens confronted unconscionable barriers as they attempted to vote.

And, we have years of evidence that efforts to create a valid election infrastructure have been resisted.

Thus, it is time for unselfish, non-partisan, dramatic action.

In that spirit I offer suggest the following:

-- Either later today or no later than during 'prime time' tomorrow evening:

-- Call a press conference open to the public: Senator Kerry you would be at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and Senator Edwards at the Lincoln Memorial; simulcast;

-- Announce your withdrawal from the ballot;

-- You would then jointly demand a comprehensive audit of the results of the National election, conducted by non-partisan Congressionally appointed special prosecutor and a team of cpa, computer hw/sw/fw and network systems experts, with full subpoena authority;

-- You would urge every American citizen to demand that their State EC members not vote until the audit is complete;

-- You would request the immediate formation and dissemination of a national 'election system literacy program' so that all citizens, during the next two months are thoroughly informed of the reality that the current election infrastructure is so far from supportive of their Constitutional right to a true vote that before we proceed, we must fix it. We must have equal access to a legitimate process of voting;

-- And, upon learning the outcome of the audit you and Senator Edwards you declare at the press conference that the two of you would support one of two outcomes -- that Bush won based on the facts of the audit, or that a re-vote must happen.

I realize it will take great courage for you and Senator Edwards to take these steps, but it would be a magnificent and truly non-partisan service to the validity of our Democracy and of our credibility in efforts to nurture democracy elsewhere.

In a real sense Senator Kerry and Edwards -- 'what do you have to lose?' What matters more to 'making history and saving our Democracy: that you squeak past President Bush in OH, or that you called 'Time out: our franchise is on the verge of collapase and it must be repaired now.'

Senator Kerry, it is truly time to call "Time out."

We need to recognize the mess for what it is, have all our fellow citizens understand just how big a mess it is, and then decide what to do next, collectively in the true spirit of "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, .........."

Thank you Senator Kerry and Edwards for considering this proposal. I realize I am asking you to demonstrate exceptional courage and selflessness; I do so because I think you both are courageous and unselfish and will now fight to save our Democracy.

"Halt and Audit"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear DU readers: I realize this many of you may disagree with the proposal, and I urge you to criticize, but do it with counter-suggestions, and, even better with a bit of wit. Please also understand that I've got so much scar tissue so if all you are capable of doing is flaming, it will accomplish only a waste of your energy.
Thank you.

has my vote.

But remember that this is also a battle about morality. Making it about honest elections, and not about "winning" might, paradoxically, be the only way to win. Think about it.

.....and making this about the grave threat to the integrity of our Constitution and our ability to trust our government is the one approach remaining.

As long as the issue remains at the level of 'them against us' the devolution towards anarchy is only going to accelerate.

"Halt and Audit"

....in the service of Democracy. That the call for a nation-wide audit is not a gimmick to get himself elected; it is to educate all citizens to the reality that gross inadequacies exist and that basing any form of government on such an unstable and invalid foundation is already a source of severe divisiveness at home and a loss of credibility internationally.

Great, unselfish courage is what needs to be displayed, now, by all of us and the one to rally all of us to saving our Democracy is Senator Kerry and Edwards. As to the potential outcomes:

1. Bush won and it is validated by the audit - so be it;

2. Bush did not win and a re-vote occurs as a result of Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards actions -- I think they would have a very solid opportunity of winning and they, and everyone else would know, that the process and outcome would be, perhaps, the most legitimate and transparent election in American history.

Either way, Senator Kerry and Edwards would have led all of us in the 'making of history.'

Thank you for your question.

...Your idea gets two solid thumbs UP!

I am allowed to write-in my choice. If Kerry does this, he has my vote.

:bounce:

And this isn't a question of" I would rather be right than president!"Screw the "making of history!" Reclaim the White House.

Why give B/C another chance to steal it, again?

....could force Bush and Cheney to recognize.

As soon as Senator Kerry were to act, it would be possible to bring intense pressure on Bush and Cheney to face, daily, a steady dose of reports of disenfranchisement from not just OH and FL but Oklahoma, Kansas, North Carolina..... .

They would suddenly be subject to incessant questioning of the legitimacy of their 'win'; questioning of why don't they also place the need for an unambiguous reckoning of what transpired as their top priority. Every time they would try to turn to 'this is just a trick for Kerry to win' or 'this is just sore loser stuff' - they would have to face the hard, cold reality of 'no, this is an effort to verify what happened; isn't that what you are preaching to the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Iraqi's and others.'

As hard as it is to accept, we're at a moment in our history where we either call 'time out' and repair the system or it is going to continue to devolve into chaos. No one can legitimately 'win' in the current system because the system is devoid of the rigorous and unbiased accounting mechanism to assure both losers and winners that a fair process occurred.

Thank you.

"Halt and Audit"

and the corporate whore media is even more deeply entrenched in 2004. Repukes will still belive that they won the election fair and square and that the Democrats are trying to steal the election. The 'Religious' Right want a win at any cost. Unilateral withdrawl will not change that.

....though it would have been much more effective if Gore had challenged every county in FL AND demanded a nation-wide audit. He would have brought intense focus to our failed election system then rather than our being faced with an even more debilitated system now.

The action being proposed has the immediate consequence of declaring the election process insolvent until shown to be otherwise. It matters not a squat to me what anyone 'claims' because all claims regarding this election are unfounded -- the system is not based on a sound mechanisms for unambiguous, unbiased audit and therefore it's outcome is suspect irrespective of the 'popular vote margin.'

The irony of any 'religious' group attempting to claim victory in a system fraught with Constitutional abuse of citizen's rights to vote and to have their vote accounted and verified, is low hanging fruit if we just have the courage to pick it.

By declaring that the current election is a farce until shown to be otherwise, you'd be discredited if you didn't join in the demand for a rigorous, unbiased audit of the results. The most effective person to make that demand is Senator Kerry and the logical first act would be to remove himself from the farce.

Thank you.

"Halt and Audit"

Kerry should not back down, but should rescind his concession and pursue every legal action against the Bush Crime Family. He should allow Jesse Jackson and other Dems with balls to lead the street demonstrations (which Gore should have done in 2000).

No more K-Y Jelly Democrats! We've got to take back our country!

Here's the latest from Ohio:

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/944

....it is taking the fight to where it has to be. This is a fight between those who defend the Constitution, selflessly and those who use it as cover until they have sufficient power to declare it null and void.

We are moments away from the 'null and void'.

What I am proposing is that Senator Kerry declare what the battle actually is. It is not about him vs Bush and as long as he and everyone else keeps it at that level, our Constitution will continue hurtling to destruction.

I am not asking him to back down; I'm asking him to take a giant step above the fray, see it for what it is, declare it to be what it is and, then call all of us to join him in halting the process, auditing comprehensively what has transpired, and only then allow the process to proceed.

No surrogates, no stand-ins, no excuses, no distractions -- we must stop playing 'the election game' and start fighting the threat to our Constitution. This is not just another election; this is a Constitutional crisis of the first order.

"Halt and Audit"

The Fair election petition:
In the interests of fair elections we demand the following standards be instituted immediately for all electronic Ballot boxes and vote counting machines.

All programming instructions shall be written in open source code. That code shall at all times be available for public inspection and pass independent third party certification for accuracy and reliability. After that certification the code and all hardware shall be secured no changes shall be allowed to the code or the hardware after certification.
The vote shall only be counted after a voter verified paper record of the vote has been created and retained.

All vote records and counts shall be transferred by verifiable physical means. Any CD DVD TAPE or other transfer medium shall be labeled with the counts and a date time stamp. All records and counts shall be reviewed and verified for validity and accuracy.

No modems internet connections or telephone connections will be allowed at any stage of the vote/vote counting process.

Slip it into all those omnibus bills !! Look at all the stuff they don't read !! Repubs slip in income tax spying provisions, Dems slip in verified voting !! Yeah !!

Copy it print it get it out there.

...proposing to have at the 'central tabulating centers' in each County and at the State level?

Thanks.

"Halt and Audit"

...the proposal to Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards via their Senate webforms.

If any of you have other mechanisms for getting a proposal to them, please either let me know or just send it.

Also, please note that as with everything I post here and at dKos, I have no pride of authorship or restriction on cut/paste/edit/send -- all each of us citizens can do is try to contribute and make whatever we offer as freely available as possible.

Thank you.

efforts in Ohio. According to Jesse, He does have the support of Kerry and he is questioning the Ohio Tally. According to Jesse < Kerry was "origionally inclined to Believe what he was tols re: Ohio but now has new information. We have already elected Kerry Edwards. There is no reason to elect them again. We can do the investigation of v
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Jackson questions Ohio election tally

By Reid Forgrave
Enquirer staff writer

IF YOU GO
The Rev. Jesse Jackson is to lead rallies in Columbus today and in Cincinnati on Monday to encourage Ohio to seek an investigation of the presidential vote. Jackson is to speak at Integrity Hall, 2081 Seymour Ave., Bond Hill, at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to lead rallies in Columbus this afternoon and in Cincinnati on Monday morning in an effort to seek an investigation into the state's presidential election, which the civil rights leader claims had enough irregularities to warrant a closer look.

Saying the American voting process must regain credibility after the disputed 2000 presidential election, Jackson said the country needs more open, free and fair elections. An investigation of voting and vote-counting procedures in Ohio would be a step toward credibility, he said.

"We were promised this time that every vote would count," said Jackson, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Jackson cited several voting irregularities in Ohio as indicators that voting problems could be more widespread than reported. Among them:

• An error with an electronic voting system that gave President Bush 4,258 votes in a suburban Columbus precinct where only 638 people voted.

• Elections officials in Warren County who cited homeland security concerns for locking the media out of the Board of Elections office while votes were being counted.

• Large gaps between exit polls and actual results.

"We want to know how deep this pattern goes," Jackson said. "We have been continuing to pursue the outcome of the election with disturbing findings. ... We want a full investigation of these irregularities."

When asked why it was him, not the Democratic presidential candidate, who is demanding an investigation and recount, Jackson implied that Sen. John Kerry could become more vocal soon about an investigation on the Ohio vote or a statewide recount.

"Kerry was inclined to believe what he was told, and he was told the election was over," Jackson told a group of reporters in a conference call Saturday afternoon. "But now we're unearthing information that did not surface at first. I suppose the more information Kerry gets, the more you will hear from him."

Although a demand for a recount typically is not made until after the vote has been certified, Jackson and others, including the Green and Libertarian parties who have filed a lawsuit demanding a recount, fear that waiting until certification would not allow enough time for a completed recount before Ohio presidential electors meet Dec. 13.

The Ohio Secretary of State's Office has said certification should occur around Dec. 6.

E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
oter fraud and the audit at the same time as the recount.

....he can't carry this one, alone.

I had already drafted this proposal by the evening of 3 Nov 2004. I shelved it because I thought it best to observe. What is clear to me and I think many of our fellow citizens is that 'who won' is far, far from the core issue.

The core issue begins with the realization that 'we have no idea what happened; how can we have any confidence in the outcome.' We've already heard loudly from various parts of the world 'you guys are running a scam; not a democracy -- forget about telling us what to do.'

So, this afternoon I decided it was time to push even harder on that core issue and without doubt the two individuals who could step forward and, in an immediately recognized courageous and selfless manner, save our Democracy are Senator Kerry and Edwards.

Senator Kerry will truly have to 'turn the boat into the fire' and act, not for himself, but for the validity of our franchise.

In that act he would achieve more stature and achieve more substance for the sake of America than most Presidents achieve in their entire tenure -- he would have forced the recognition that our Constitutional right to participate in the franchise is fundamentally compromised and he would have forced audit, validation, reform, and, perhaps, even a re-vote with a reformed, fair electoral system.

Thank you.

and Bush is elected, You are all right with that? I am not. As long as these people are involved, you can't fix this. The solution has never been for Kerry to concede or withdraw or anything else. And Jackson isn't carrying anything alone. Kerry is supporting him.

i was trying not to be one to dissent. i don't agree at all with them taking themselves off the ballot. the people elected KERRY AND EDWARDS, they should be the ones who win when all is said and done.

.....both bring to the attention of all Americans and force the issue of remedy, reform.

The election system is not just broken, it is the basis of civil discord that can collapse this Nation.

For starters, the issue is not finding that Senator Kerry received more votes than President Bush; the issue is that the system is equivalently not credible to whomever 'loses.' That is how broken the system is.

Please realize that those who scream fraud on Senator Kerry's behalf, now; will immediately be replaced by those who most certainly will scream fraud on President Bush's behalf if, indeed, upon auditing the results a shift occurs.

Even worse, the most obvious consequence of a nation-wide audit is the realization that as many as 30 % of those who voted used systems with no independent method of confirmation of what happened -- 'no paper trail.'

What I am advocating is a stance that immediately elevates Senator Kerry and Edwards to a position of leadership and authority and one that forces every citizen to focus on the election system. Once a national audit is done and we have, as a Nation gone through that process, it is highly likely that a re-vote would be the only acceptable outcome.

But, no matter what the outcome, for those who want reform the path will have been blazed in a way that will not happen if the status quo is not dramatically challenged, now.

And, no matter what the outcome, the process will have been led in a selfless spirit of saving our Democracy.

Thank you for your comments.

If Kerry is not going to be President I honsetly don't give a sh-t about the so called "reform "of the system because if he isn't president it will NEVER happen. And If Kerry isn't president there is no democracy to save. You don't actually believe your little effort would be allowed to go forward if there was an apparent Kerry win ,do you? Now is not the time to be "reasonable" and to play intellectual games.We already have a president.We must just prove it and install him. NOW. Thank you for your response.

....in a system that currently is so ambiguous as to likely be beyond any reasonable verification.

What I am proposing is far from an 'intellectual exercise' -- it is a request that Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards uphold the Constitution, call for an audit, and do so in a way that leaves no question as to motive.

The motive is to prove beyond any reasonable person's doubt that we do not have a fair, verifiable election system. How can anyone claim to 'win' in such a system; how can we claim to have a legitimate President or other official when they are standing in the quicksand of disenfranchisement.

Thank you for the dialogue; it's much appreciated.

"prove" such a thing and I don't believe that this administration will allow any such thing to be done if it is not to their advantage. They have just as much ability to distort this as they did the original elections of 2000 and 2001.If anything they now have more power. Kerry and Edwards "sacrificing themselves on the pyre of history" would accomplish nothing. And on another topic, I am perhaps not as ethical as you in that I don't even particularly care if Kerry and Edwards weren't really elected. I think having Bush out of the White House is MORE important than who actually won. But we all have our priorities. I happen to think surviving is right up there and I wouldn't place any bets that we are going to under this regime.One must be, unless one lives in Chicago, alive to vote!;) Thanks for your patience!

...."one must be, unless one lives in Chicago, alive to vote!"

Thanks for the ;-)

"Halt and Audit"

We'd be viewed as sore losers, and, assuming the exit polls were right (which they were!) I think the sore loser factor would easily swing 5% and create a Bush blowout. That course of action severely overestimates the average voter...:eyes:

1. The issue being brought into focus is that everyone is participating in a system that is incapable of being verified, is discriminatory and is a major embarrassment. 'Loser,' 'winner' mean nothing in the current system for the simple reason that if all those who voted requested an unambiguous accounting of what happened to their vote, they would not be satisfied with the answer. Whether they'd like it or not, they would be forced to confront the reality that they have no way of knowing if they elected their government or not.

2. We are all looking for courageous, honest leadership -- including the many Republicans who endorsed Senator Kerry.

3. The events of the past three weeks have been way more revealing of how unstable and reckless the current administration is.

4. The events in the Ukraine have reminded many Americans of our lost role as an effective leader in nurturing and defending other democracies.

Thank you.

'Halt and Audit'

wasn't counted than any backlash from the sour grapes crowd, IMO.

I like this plan. It eliminates any criticism that K/E are pushing this for self-serving reasons and, as you noted, elevates the integrity of our elections into the spotlight.

The momentum from a surprising move like withdrawing from the ticket just might create enough pressure to make a real investigation happen. Might.

And if it did, and we all know what they'd find, finally it would be front page and people would learn the truth, the majority of whom voted for the group -not- in power.

I don't think that fact would sit well with the majority, to say the least.

...that to break away from the 10G force devolving us to civil chaos, we need a dramatic and truly selfless act. The one that is most immediately available is for Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards to proclaim 'Constitution first' and prove they mean it by withdrawing from what is already obvious to many to be not only a lethal threat to our Constitution but a farce.

I think the stature and enthusiasm for a leader who would take such action would surpass anything any of us have experienced from an American President, excepting those who lived during FDR's tenure in the White House.

Thank you.

"Halt and Audit"

What is so hard to understand? Reform the Election Process. every thing else is just meaningless crap. We want our Constitution back. Stop trying to Double Speak us out of it!!!!!

...to take the action of writing Senator Kerry and request that he step above the farce, and bring everyone to that vantage so that all can see what the true, Constitutional threat we are confronting, is.

Let's focus on two comments I received in another venue:

1. If Kerry, as you say, is "selfless", then Bush will be inaugurated and the public will not even blink (regard him as fully legitimate).
Incorrect.

Firstly, let's reflect for a moment on what Senator Kerry would confront if, perchance, he squeaks into office by 'winning' OH. He would face the vast mess that Bush has created in Iraq, in our fiscal policy, in our lack of standing in the international community and he would face it alone. Specifically, he would have a hostile HR and Senate, both controlled by Republicans. He would have the very same 'election system' in place come 2006. He would be destroyed, and with him, any hope of reform of our electoral system and any hope of regaining our stature and, during the process our economy would be out-of-control and Iraq would be a nightmare on a scale to render Vietnam a pleasant memory.

Senator Kerry CAN NOT Win; no matter what happens in OH or FL or anywhere else. In fact, the grand illusion is that even if he had won the EC and the 'popular vote' he would still have confronted precisely the situation noted above.

We have a much more fundamental crisis and it must be confronted, now. Our Democracy and our credibility are trashed unless he and all of us have the fortitude and intelligence to step above the farce and call it what it is - a farce, an attempted lethal attack on our franchise of 'one citizen, one vote; the government represents and works for all of us.'

2. Silence and capitulation can never WIN you anything. Not against this crowd. The only way to defeat a bully is to finally stand-up to him and put a little fear into him yourself.

One defeats any enemy by being smarter, more agile and most importantly, knowing what the enemy is. Bush is not the enemy; he is a functionary in an anti-Constitutional scam. What I propose is the inverse of 'silence and capitulation.' What I propose is smart because it immediately forces everyone to focus on the real threat; the real bully -- those who are usurping our Constitutional rights to a fair and valid process of choosing our government. The real bully will persist until someone has the courage to shout "Halt and Audit"; until someone has the courage to say, 'this is not about me winning' because NO ONE wins in this election system because the winners are supposed to be the citizens not the individuals whom the citizens assign specific governing tasks by electing them to those tasks.

I am advocating a courageous, cogent, persistent, set of actions. Those actions begin by Senator Kerry calling 'bullshit' and refusing to be a party to it. Those actions begin by all of us calling 'bullshit' and supporting Senator Kerry in the Constitutionally justified demand to audit the electoral system, determine exactly what has happened and absolutely refuse to assign anyone to any place of government until we know.

What I propose takes the same courage demonstrated by those folk who gathered in Philadelphia 228 years ago. They were far from the majority; in fact, they were 'revolutionaries' least anyone forget. They refused to participate any longer in the farce of a government that was not controlled by the citizens. They called 'bullshit.' And they made their words stick. Those words and the ideals they define are currently under unrelenting attack, not from some foreign government but from a small, elite group of fanatics. The only response is to step above the farce and call massive attention to it.

The only response is to say 'you, citizen, you can't choose a winner because you have know idea what has happened to your vote -- you must demand "Halt, Audit, and Prove My Vote Counts, Now."

Thank you.

Machines and there must be Auditing. Voter Varifyable Auditing.

A Kick because you need to know. All Americans are with you. Election Reform should be your number one issue.

Please breath Life back into Democracy.

Please Up-Hold the 14th Amendment of our Constitution!!!

Is to live. If not for 04 it better be fixed by 08. or democracy truly is dead. Use the 14th Amendment. it is what the American people are fighting for. It is what you Fought for. If nothing else we must have confidence in our Election system. That means Standardized machines with Voter Verifiable paper trails. Don't give our votes to the "Super Voters" who lock them selves behind closed doors with no press access with the tabulating machines so that they can rig the vote if necessary. Stand Up for the American People.

Stand up for Democracy. Give our vote back to us.