 |
Home
Views
January 2005
Fraud 2004
By Ray Molzon
HANCOCK -- A little over two months have passed since Election Day 2004, and the numbness has barely subsided. For most of the past four years, I found solace in the fact that our appointed president was so blunt and crude that his behaviors would be checked this past November. However, as 2004 whittled away, the events leading up to our predicament returned to the fore of my memory, with despair and the aforementioned numbness to follow.
That Gore actually beat Bush in Florida back in 2000 is, for the most part, a widely accepted fact. Yet, for the most part, Bush's assumption of the presidency (giving a whole new meaning to judicial appointment) is accepted as an accident of history. If only it
weren't for those hanging chads, things might be different now, right? Hardly anywhere in the mainstream press was the possibility of intentional and fraudulent vote tampering mentioned, despite the thousands of complaints suggesting such. No national discussion about the legitimacy of purging ex-felons from voter rolls, no questioning of paperless voting machines, not even a peep about state elections officials being directly involved in a candidate's campaign.
Instead we got the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), as aptly named as the Leave No Child Behind or PATRIOT
acts. HAVA completely sidesteps the major issues of election fraud. Granted, it would be nice to have some national standards set for national elections, but what does it matter that everyone can vote on modern machines if the votes aren't recorded or counted accurately? Like most any bit of legalese, the text of HAVA is rife with loopholes which any experienced lawyer could tease out without breaking a sweat.
Perhaps the reader thinks this talk of election fraud is a bunch of paranoid hogwash without a shred of solid evidence to support it. Perhaps Jimmy Hoffa is living it up in Rio as well; no body was ever found. In actuality, however, there is a growing amount of physical evidence suggesting that a number of steps were taken to rig this last election in favor of Republican candidates. I won't go into the details (they are easily found on credible and legitimate news sites), but the notion is moving out of the fringe conspiracy theory realm into the major media outlets from which most people garner their worldly knowledge.
Ohio recount flawed
I find it rather ironic that the recount in Ohio was initiated, not by the Democrats who stand the most to gain from such action, but by the Green and Libertarian parties, both of which seem to be more dedicated to the principle of fair and open elections than any other political party in recent memory. Yet the recount was just as flawed as the original tallying, with officials keeping the whole process as secretive as possible. Regardless of whatever the true outcome of the elections should be, such behavior from our representatives is suspicious. Would our national security be threatened by allowing the citizens of this nation to participate in what could be considered the cornerstone of a free society?
The acceptance of this very real horror can open a floodgate of rather depressing revelations. We could very well be witnessing the death throes of the American republic. While I am not suggesting that all of the recent election results were flawed, how long can it be before they are? Can we realistically expect our "elected" representatives and their bureaucratic appointees to wake up one day and realize they are supposed to be public servants and not our masters? Should a smoking gun appear which undeniably points to fraudulent activities,
would the Supreme Court step in and appoint Kerry to be our next president? And, should pigs sprout wings and Kerry step up to bat,
would that actually make a difference in the long run? Most of the people I know who supported Kerry did so grudgingly, as if swallowing some bitter medicine which only masks the symptoms of an ailment.
Yet hope still exists. For the first time in over a hundred years, the Senate's certification of the presidential election was not a mere formality. Senator Boxer's challenge to the Ohio vote and the ensuing debate touched on some important issues that need to be addressed if freedom will survive. Our history lessons show us that, in nearly all societies, great injustices have been wrought by those in power. Despite
the injustice, progress has been made by the people fighting tooth and nail for ideals which may seem lofty, yet attainable nonetheless.
What is chiefly required is a bit of patience and sacrifice, which I believe most people are capable of producing. For now, we'll just have to wait until 2006 to see what real kinds of changes occur.
Editor's Note: Read more about guest author Ray
Molzon.
Visit the Keweenaw Now discussion forums to comment on this
article.
 |
|
| Note: Views expressed by our guest columnists are not necessarily the views of Keweenaw Now. |
|
|
|
|
|
Support K-NOW!
Want to stay in the K-NOW? Don't miss out on the whole story. Find out how you can help.
Hire a Writing Pro
Does the writing on your Web site leave something to be desired? Thesis grammar getting you down? Find out how we can help.
Lure Our Readers to You
Our readers share your passion for the Keweenaw Peninsula. Lure them to
you through banners, sponsorships, and more.
|
 |
 |
