How did it go? Was there much media coverage? Was Jesse Jackson and Cliff (the lawyer) there?

Look in the Fair Elections forum.

Thanks, I did a search, but nothing came up!

This is all I've seen - target='_blank'>


http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...indpost&p=81922

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http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...?showtopic=8730

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http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...?showtopic=8602

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http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...?showtopic=8607

Mods, can these posts be consolidated?

I heard part of the Rally, while on this site. I believe that it was Radio Left, who gave the live presentation. I later found out that it was on C-Span.

Jesse Jackson did not make it to the Rally, but spoke by phone and did give an inspiring message. He talked about the handful of people, who stood strong, and eventually got the vote for African Americans. He said that he would be in Ohio again, I believe on Tuesday.

I needed to stop listening when a speaker, whose first name was Greg, was giving a very informative talk. He mentioned a list of voters names, which had been presented to Blackwell. Blackwell gave numerous explanations as to what those names represented, evading the real issue: they were all African-American voters, including some from such places as homeless shelters. The significance of this list is that - it represents "racial profiling" which, I believe the said, was a criminal offense.

You might want to try RADIO LEFT to get a transcript.

Anyone know if MSNBC - Keith Olberman talked about it?

I was there, both for the rally in the afternoon and for the symposium indoors at a Middle School in the evening. I couldn't hear Jesse Jackson on the phone, because the sound was too distorted for me to hear. I understand that he may have been tired or sick, but it would have been nice if his remarks were clearer. However, the other speakers very very inspiring.

Greg Palast, an investigative reporter for the BBC (and therefore not censored in the U.S.), covered several points. He had a list of people from the Republican party, of 50,000 names that they planned to challenge, all African-Americans. The names had their race next to the names (illegal racial profiling), and these voters were being accused of felonies for past crimes when they were innocent of any crime (and in one case, for a "past crime" committed in 2007), for not being residents at their addresses even though they had lived in the same place for thirty years, for not being eligible to vote because they were now living in Bagdad (serving in the U.S. military), etc. etc. Greg Palast also had a damning letter from Jeb Bush admitting to fraud. There have been statistical studies: if you are black in Ohio or Florida, or brown in New Mexico, you are 500 times more likely than a white voter to have your name challenged or thrown off the rolls of registered voters. I do not remember if it was Greg Palast or another speaker who said it, but this is truly apartheid in America. In 2000 there were almost 2 million voters denied the right to vote, and in 2004 the SAME NUMBER have been denied the right to vote. Greg Palast opened his remarks with a note that would we trust Bush to "help America to vote?" The "help America to vote" act has been used to throw more votes away, especially "Provisional Ballots," which were often given out to voters who just did not know which table to go to (which table would be for which voting Precinct), and because then the Provisional Ballot would be in the wrong Precinct, it could be thrown away. Greg Palast also said that the New York Times had called him up and, even in the face of carefully researched facts, accused Palast of being a conspiracy theorist and a sore loser. Greg Palast wondered when investigation had turned into conspiracy theory.

Sheila Jackson-Lee, a Member of Congress from Texas, and one of the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee which signed the letter to Blackwell on fraud, flew out especially for the event, and gave a very inspiring speech. Having her present almost made up for Jesse Jackson not being there.
A man from Columbus in a neighborhood where there were very long lines said that he saw a person leaning on a cane for two and a half hours, but when the poll judge was told that under the Americans with Disabilities Act that this disabled person must be accomodated and allowed to vote first, the person with the cane was told to go back in line. Legs shaking, the person went away without voting or casting a provisional ballot, their right to vote being denied because they were disabled and in a black neighborhood.

Lawyers said what they were doing. People were urged to match the lawyers with demonstrations, because judges will not budge without a ground-swell of support for an issue.
During the day, police were friendly, but state troops were not. I handed information to police and military people (some army and navy were there), but the state troops only told people to get their signs off of state property (if any signs were temporarily placed on a fence), etc. At the end of the rally in the afternoon, the state troops also threatened somebody with a $90 fine for something (I didn't find out what).

I am very disappointed that so few people showed up... there were only about 400 people there. I wondered if that is the number of people who cares whether or not America remains a democracy. I thought, maybe all of us should have been heading to the shopping district on Columbus's High Street called "Short North" a couple of miles away to leaflet and wake up those shoppers. Also, on a Saturday, downtown Columbus, like many other downtowns, was almost empty. It was suggested that at least as many people show up today. (I got a chill, and as Columbus is not that close, I couldn't make it today. I want to know how today's demonstration goes, though.)

There needs to be a lot of different groups informed about rallys etc., not only political activists, but all sorts of persons with all sorts of special interests, and we need to be contacting any such group, from environmentalists to various ethnic, women's, etc. organizations. One Reverend at the evening symposium pointed out that, as Frederick Douglas said, power does not give up without a struggle, and we must be willing to make sacrifices for change to occur. There was so much positive energy at the rally, that I see it as only a beginning, something to build on, learn from our mistakes and go forward. There needs to be people who will pledge to go to rallys. There needs to be busses. There needs to be many organizations pulling together... and they must be willing to stand for what they believe in.

i don't know but i keep getting the feeling that john kerry is not wasting his time in ohio....

- perry