This is an email message i recieved tonight.....
Plea for help from an Ohio activist
by Renee in Ohio
Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 14:56:36 PST
This was posted in the Blog for America comments. I was amazed at how well Gary expressed what so many of us in Ohio (or involved with the Ohio issues) are feeling, and what we need from all of you...
(please pass it around)
From Voteprotection@voicelists.org which is moderated by Mark Ritchie in Ohio. They are the source of most of the post-election vote information:
From: Gary Polvinale [mailto:garyp@dentonatd.com]
Yesterday in 30 degree temperature with winds that knocked me over while I
was filming the Ohio Statehouse Rally, Ohioans and people from all over America who came to Ohio to help us, listened to Joan and Eve tell how they were denied access to those public records in Greene County Ohio.
Yes, those of us in Ohio ARE on the front lines - and it feels like we are defending the Alamo. We are doing our part. A handful of determined people are working themselves to exhaustion. Yes, we ARE out there in the streets.
And we ARE at the statehouse. And we ARE at the hearings. And we ARE filing
the lawsuits. And we ARE out there doing the recount. And we ARE out there
knocking on doors to investigate, verify and gather the facts.People all over the country who are web-tracking what's happening want to help, who feel helpless, frustrated, and sorry for us in Ohio, are offering good wishes and words of encourgement.
And believe me, we appreciate the encouragement. We do, and thank you for
that. But we here in Ohio need more than a "You can do it" pat on the back.
We ARE doing it. But nobody knows. Ohio is screaming the truth at the top of its lungs, literally, and no one hears us because of all the noise of the media silence.
If you want to do something, here's what you can do to help.I am asking the rest of the country to please get out there and find well-known people who's voices are loud enought to be heard by the press who will stand up for us. Get a Senator or a media personality or anyone of very high profile to come out about this.
The media blackout is killing us.
Very few members of Congress, and no one in the Democratic Party has even
seriously acknowledged the recount.
This is still looked at as the "sour grapes" effort of a couple of disgruntled 3rd party candidates who can't win anyway. It couldn't be further from that. The civil rights of every man, woman and child in America are at stake here.I don't care what it takes, convince somebody to break our story, to back us and give us the credibility we need and to let the world know we're here doing this. Redford, Sting, Kennedy, Fonda, Kerry... I don't care who, somebody, anybody who can attract the attention of the media (evidently John Conyers' and Jesse Jackson's brave voices are not loud enough.)
We've kinda got our hands full here, or we'd be doing that ourselves too.
Give us a voice and we will deliver Ohio. Otherwise SOS Blackwell and the BOE will continue to slap us around like we don't matter a lick, at every turn. We are being squelched by a state government that is willing to violate our rights and even break the law as often as necessary to stand in our way and prevent us from exposing what they've done.I watched 100 of the greatest people I've ever met freeze their butts off for three hours Sunday, and 1500 the week before. And today people are out there at the Conyers hearing at the Columbus Statehouse again freezing, supporting the hearing, the investigation and the recount. And the Ohio recount has begun this morning.
If you want to help, please turn over every rock to find someone big who can get the media's attention who is willing to speak up for us. We need that. And we need it now. We'll take care of the rest. You'll have to pardon the tone of this message - I'm tired, I'm pissed and I'm still cold from yesterday.
Thanks for anything you can do toward this.
Democracy = the vote,
Gary Polvinale Sandusky, Ohio
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Blackout
I've written many letters to local and national media, keep thinking some new development will break the silence. Not sure what it will take to shake this loose. We're spreading the word on the million emails for Conyers as well as other petitions, etc.
Any other specific suggestions/requests for non-connected citizens?
Thanks so much, Renee.
Join the Rapid Response Network! http://rapidresponsenetwork.org/
by Ruth in OR on Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 15:07:18 PST
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Blackout
I have also been writing and doing petitions. Also sending things on to my lists.
What else can we do.
I have written Keith O several times and even heard back from him but he is so casual about the whole thing.
Surely there is more we can do I write Kerry often because if he would join, the media would be all over the story.
by sukey on Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 16:37:07 PST
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Me too.
I've written letters. They don't get published. I've written my state senators and congressmen, which include Edwards. Silence.
Three of us drove four hours yesterday to Raleigh to go to the voting rights protest. Only 100 people from the whole state of NC were there.
It gets discouraging. But we have to keep going. The Civil Rights movement took years and there was much head bashing on the part of the angry racist mobs and the police. Same with Vietnam.
I think we are making progress, because think about a month ago --there
was NOTHING at all happening. Now we have Jesse Jackson, Conyers, Keith
Olbermann, the Greens and Libertarians and all those volunteers. Even Kerry
is tiptoeing around it (what a wuss!). But everyone has to step up to the plate and soon. If we don't have media to let people know, we have to use the internet and our voices. Tell people and email them. Keep the pressure on the news organizations. Write them even if they don't publish you or respond. At least they will know we are out here and mad. I think if enough people do this, it will eventually work.
However, it would help a lot if more people would show up for protests.
by derridog on Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 19:08:19 PST
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I agree...
It's time people started getting more vocal, more active, more enraged...
I've been patient up to now, but the MSM won't pick it up, despite more and
more evidence coming to light, not to mention the stonewalling going on.
What does it take, I wonder? It's only our democracy at stake, for crying
out loud...
by beemerr90s on Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 15:10:07 PST
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What about
One of the celebrities who was out campaigning with Kerry? Do you think
Bruce has a couple of free minutes to stop by in Ohio? Does anyone know
anyone who knows someone?
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups
by Catriana on Tue Dec 14th, 2004 at 15:34:01 PST
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Email the New York Times at these Addresses:
Email any or all of the following addresses below at the New York Times and
INSIST (politely) that they start covering what's going on in Ohio.
(I just looked at the NYT online and the lead photo on the homepage was of Regis Philbin and how he was filling in this year for Dick Clark on new year's eve - very important story, I know, but they should actually be covering real news as well).
Email them!!!
nytnews@nytimes.com
The Editors
executive-editor@nytimes.com
managing-editor@nytimes.com
The Newsroom
news-tips@nytimes.com
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/14/175636/78