The Chicago Tribune has published today a provocative, and well-researched article about a number of Election 2004 concerns. All without a single mention of the word "blog", "leftwing" or "conspiracy theory"!

A detailed analysis by the Tribune of voter rolls in a number of states has revealed several notable concerns. (NOTE TO NY TIMES, BOSTON GLOBE and NEWSWEEK: An "analysis" is what investigative reporters sometimes do prior to announcing there is nothing worth investigating. NOTE TO BRAD BLOG READERS: Click on any of those links to find out how you can help encourage those outlets to do their job!)

Among the concerns revealed by the Tribune report published today:

The BRAD BLOG congratulates the Chicago Tribune's Geoff Dougherty, Sarah Frank and the other "Tribune staff reporters" who contributed to this investigative analysis of America's democratic voting system. All are to be commended for doing the job for which they are paid, and for which so many in this country and the world desperately rely upon to provide a check and balance to those in the unchecked and corrupt corridors of power.

(Thanks Fin for the tip!)

A follow-up with updated information on our several previous reports...

A supplement to the letter sent to Ohio Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell by House Judiciary Committee Dems concerning numerous voting irregularities in Ohio was obtained earlier today by The BRAD BLOG. The supplement, which includes an invitation for Blackwell to appear at next week's just-announced committee hearings, has now been posted within the past hour at the House Judiciary Committee Democrats website. We will excerpt details below.

As well, a request has been filed with Warren Mitofsky, head of the news consortium that conducted the Exit Polling on Election Day, to release the "raw data" from that controversial polling. Details follow below on that as well.

Additional information has been provided to Blackwell in a supplemental letter, which also requests explanation for the incidents described. The first item is based on information reported exclusively by BRAD BLOG last Wednesday evening in our report about the judge in Delaware County, OH who had issued a "temporary restraining order" to stop the Green/Libertarian sponsored recount from happening in that county.

Our investigation revealed that the Delaware County Board of Elections website was still publicizing an outdated edict from Blackwell concerning the paper-weight requirements of voter registration forms in Ohio despite the rulings reversal over a month prior to Election Day.

After drawing negative publicity about Blackwell's arcane ruling which mandated that voter registration forms must be submitted only on "white, uncoated paper of not less than 80-pound text weight", the ruling was then lifted on Sept. 29th.

Yet, as we reported Wednesday, the Delaware County Board of Elections website still features the following text, as of this posting, on the front page of the site a full two months since the ruling was lifted, and over a month since Election Day itself:

Here is a screenshot taken last night from the page...

As reported exclusively last night on The BRAD BLOG, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats have minutes ago officially issued a press release announcing public hearings will be held on the Hill next week in regards to Voting Irregularities in Ohio.

Witness to testify (detailed below) include the three names mentioned in our report last evening, along with many other notable players in this saga.

The full text of the "Press Advisory" is at the bottom of this item.

As well, The BRAD BLOG can further report that Judiciary Committee staffers are working on additional investigation concerning matters in Ohio and other states. Details will be forthcoming, including additional supplemental material added to the thorough 15-page letter sent yesterday to Ohio Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell requesting explanations for the many troubling reports of voting irregularities and tabulation in the Buckeye State. (See this previous BRAD BLOG article for detailed excerpts of that original letter.)

DEVELOPING...

PDF of "Press Advisory" now posted at Judiciary Committee Dems website here.

As reported exclusively here last night, a stunning, thorough and well sourced letter was sent yesterday by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats demanding explanations from Ohio Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell concerning numerous voting irregularities, mistabulation errors, voting-machine malfunctions, misallocations and reported voter suppression.

The detailed 15-page letter can be read here in PDF format.

We will be breaking more news momentarily about the Judiciary Committee's investigation and public hearings to be held next week as mentioned last night, along with additional news about that continuing investigation.

In the meantime, several new allegations were included in the 15-page letter to Blackwell, who also served as Co-Chair in Ohio for the Bush/Cheney 2004 Re-Elect Committee.

Many of the allegations to which the committee is seeking explanation from Blackwell have previously been discussed on the BRAD BLOG, though the letter adds some new details to several of them, all thoroughly sourced and footnoted in the original letter.

Here are some of the extended excerpts from the letter which shed additional and new light to some of the most troubling or noteworthy new pieces in the developing Ohio puzzle...

A source inside the House Judiciary Committee has informed The BRAD BLOG that Democratic members of the committee will be announcing public hearings in Washington to begin next Wednesday on Voting Irregularities in Election 2004.

Scheduling is currently under way and the hearings are "99% certain" according to the source, who hopes the official announcement will be made tomorrow.

The hearings will be held by the Democratic members only at this time since all Republican members of the committee have refused to take part in the investigation so far.

The House Democrats hope to hear testimony from a number of witnesses concerning the thousands of reported cases of mistabulated votes, voter suppression and other concerns about electronic voting on Nov. 2nd.

Witnesses being scheduled to testify include Attny. Cliff Arnebeck, who is leading a group of attorneys filing litigation in Ohio to have the election results set aside, Bill Fitrakis, reporter and editor of the Columbus Free Press whose continuing detailed reports cataloging voter suppression and other related matters on the ground in Ohio have set the standard for what real investigative journalism looks like, and possibly Jesse Jackson who has been outspoken of late on all of these matters.

As well, the House Judiciary committee Democrats have today sent a detailed letter [PDF] to Ohio Sec. of State (and Co-Chair of Ohio's Bush/Cheney Re-Elect Committee), J. Kenneth Blackwell, requesting his assistance in responding to some 15 pages of documented allegations and concerns that the committee has compiled to date in regards to Ohio's election.

VERY LATE UPDATE: If you get the chance, read that PDF letter to Blackwell! It's loaded with terrific investigative information and tough questions for the Ohio Sec. of State/Co-Chair Bush-Cheney Re-Elect Committee. Will try to pull out some specifics in a fresh post tomorrow. But read it if you haven't yet! And pass it on!

UPDATE 12/3/04: The Judiciary Committee Hearings are now CONFIRMED and have been announced in a "Press Advisory. See this update for details! Also, for detailed excerpts from the 15-page PDF letter to Blackwell, see this update!

Despite a graphic that would appear to represent many troubling concerns, The Boston Globe yesterday in a 2,000 word report succeeded in adding virtually nothing to the story of Voting Irregularities in Election 2004.

Brian C. Mooney's story which looked an awful lot like "reporting" at first blush, was, in actuality, just "repeating" of everything that most of us following this story already know. In fact, I don't believe they added anything to the story which hasn't already been reported here over the last four weeks.

They did, however, make certain to follow the previous lead of their corporate-owners, The New York Times in assuring readers that --- though there have been thousands and thousands of reported incidents, and tens of thousands of mistabulated votes already discovered --- there is nothing at all worth investigating.

And investigation is precisely what The Boston Globe chose not to do. (Unless one considers reading The BRAD BLOG to be "investigation").

Please feel free to ombud@globe.com?BCC=TheB....com&Subject=Please INVESTIGATE Voter Irregularity, Mistabulation and Fraud NOW!">click here to politely let The Globe know what you think of their lack of investigation into this matter. Include name, address and phone if you wish to have your messages considered for publication. (Only name will be used for publication).

With 2.8 million votes cast in Washington state, a margin of 42 votes (yes, 42!) separates Democratic candidate Christine Gregoire from her Republican opponent.

She is calling for a manual recount of all ballots in the state for accuracy. The previous machine recount changed the margin from 261 to 42, but, accorrding to a MoveOn.org statement, irregularities such as "counties that can't explain where they found additional votes, precincts with more votes recorded than there are registered voters, and voters who were inexplicably purged from the rolls" has prompted the candidate to seek a manual recount of all ballots.

Funds for this recount are needed by today to guarantee the recount occurs! DONATE HERE!

In a stunning flip-flop from their pre-election rhetoric, the Bush Administration appears to have begun a new appeasement policy for Taliban rebels in Afghanistan.

The BBC is reporting the U.S. amabassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has announced in a recent Kabul press conference that Taliban fighters who give up their arms and pledge their allegiance would be allowed to go free:

The "wildly successful" war in Afghanistan, where 18,000 U.S. troops are still stationed, began well over three years ago.

Neither Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban regime at the time of the U.S.-lead invasion, nor Osama bin Laden, the purported target of that attack have been either captured or killed as of this posting.

Appeaser George W. Bush, who once claimed that we would capture bin Laden "dead or alive", has more recently stated that he is "truly...not that concerned about him".

Friend and occasional guest-blogger here, Jaime, had this to say in regards to yesterday's item on the banning of the United Church of Christ's 30-second spot by NBC and CBS because it's message of tolerance and anti-bigotry was simply "too controversial"...especially, as the CBS press-release points out, in light of their need to kowtow to the ominous totalitarian fear tactics of an Executive Branch Gone Wild.

Jaime give us a quick look at how the wingnuts over at FreeRepublic.com are displaying their "Christian Values":

By the way, the good folks at Act For Change are submitting a petition to NBC and CBS asking them to air this anti-bigotry ad. Click here to sign their petition.

Think they wouldn't do it? Think again.

Bush/Cheney's 2004 Northeast Regional Campaign Director is indicted:

Please note that Josh Marshall reported way back in October on Tobin and his involvement in the 2002 campaign phone-jamming scandal.

Which, Marshall pointed out back then, meant that the Bush/Cheney campaign knew full-well about Tobin's involvement in the scandal for at least three and a half months before he was forced to resign due to Democrat complaints about his position in the Bush/Cheney campaign.

Still think they wouldn't do it? If they'd go to such lengths for a mid-term senate race, after all...Why would they have stopped attempting to fix elections in 2004, the fight of their lives?

Following up on a report posted here last night concerning the activist Judge in Delaware County, OH who has issued a "temporary restraining order" against the Green/Libertarian Party's lawfully sought recount in Ohio, the BRAD BLOG has learned a few more EXCLUSIVE troubling details about the Republican operatives seeking to subvert the democratic process in the Buckeye State.

The restraining order was issued quietly on Nov. 23rd "without contacting or seeking any input from the candidates or their attorneys." according to a statement issued yesterday on Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb's website.

A continuing BRAD BLOG investigation has learned --- thanks to this posting at the extremist rightwing website FreeRepublic.com --- that the activist judge who issued this questionable order is Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge, W. Duncan Whitney (pictured at right). Judge Whitney is an elected Republican whose term will not expire until 2009.

As previously reported, the lawful request by a presidential candidate (two in this case) for a recount in Ohio has been agreed to by Ohio Secretary of State and Co-Chair of Ohio's Bush/Cheney Re-Elect Committee, J. Kenneth Blackwell. Furthermore, as confirmed today by The Washington Post, the Kerry/Edwards campaign has joined "The Glibs" in filing court papers asking for "a full, fair and accurate recount" and for the restraining order to be immediately lifted.

Judge Whitney, by his order, seems to be overriding the intentions of election laws as duly created by the Ohio State Legislature, prompting this blog to wonder what constitutional legal grounds Judge Whitney has used to declare his apparent "legislation from the bench".

As this information has come in after the Delaware County Courthouse has closed for the evening, the BRAD BLOG has, as yet, been unable to discover that information.

However, according to the FreeRepublic.com posting (copied from a now-expired Columbus Dispatch article) appointed Republican county prosecutor David A. Yost, a legal advisor for the Delware County board of elections (pictured at left), is quoted as indicating that re-counting the votes of American citizens in his Ohio county in order to ensure accuracy is simply too expensive...

I've got many items on the drawing board today concerning GRAND THEFT AMERICA, including many tips, news items, and other developments that I'm currently looking into. I hope to be back with more news on that shortly.

For the moment though, this particular item is so chilling to me that I need to mention it here quickly.

You may have seen this on other blogs today, but if you've ever had any questions about the chilling effect of this Administration and its FCC's latest, intrusive and increasingly-hardline stance on those who broadcast over our public airwaves, please have a look at this item!

NBC and CBS have both refused to air a 30 second spot about tolerance and inclusion --- from the United Church of Christ, of all organizations! --- because it is "too controversial". Apparently, the response from CBS tells us, it is the oblique references to homosexuality that is the reason for the censorship. References, I might add, that are difficult to even notice without a prior heads-up that that's what the ad refers to in the first place!

Most chilling, is this part of the statement by CBS, as quoted in a statement from the UCC, on why CBS is refusing to carry the commercial on either of Viacom-owned CBS or UPN [emphasis mine]...

From the BBC World News (via Raw Story):

Top 10 words of 2004 according to Merriam-Webster:

Perhaps #10 there was looked up by folks wondering what ever came of democracy in America.

Wow...big news day, huh? I knew there was a reason I held off on the siren for the previous two items here (which, by all rights, each might have warranted one of their own!)

Two statements have been released today on the Green Party's Cobb-LaMarche Website in regard to the impending joint Green/Libertarian recount in Ohio.

The first statement reports that a Delaware County, Ohio judge has issued a temporary restraining order "attempting to prevent Cobb from seeking a recount of the presidential ballots cast in that county."

The order, according to the statement, was issued "without contacting or seeking any input from the candidates or their attorneys."

I'm no legal eagle myself, but if true, that fact alone is certainly curious.

The Cobb-Lamarche media director, Blair Bobier, was more direct in a comment included in the release: "It makes you wonder if Delaware County has something to hide. Why else would they try to prevent a recount and issue an injunction without giving the candidates any notice to participate?"

The Green/Libertarian coalition (dubbed "The Glibs" by Olbermann, in a phrase that seems to be catching on) has asked a federal court to take jurisdiction of the matter, and "ultimately dissolve" the temporary restraining order.

I'd the expect the restraining order will in fact be eventually set aside, particularly given Ohio Sec. of State (and coincidentally Ohio's Co-Chair for the Bush/Cheney Re-elect Committee) J. Kenneth Blackwell's point-blank statement on MSNBC last night that "The Glibs'" recount would definitely be moving forward.

But guess who showed up in court today to come to "The Glibs" defense?!

That's right! You may remember them from some of their well-publicized work earlier this year, the Kerry/Edwards campaign --- it was announced in the second statement at the Cobb-Lamarche site --- has filed briefs with the court intervening in defense of "The Glibs"!

Perhaps rumors of the Kerry/Edwards campaign has been slightly exaggerated after all!

Nah...

In any case, they showed up long enough for now to let us know they're still breathing and paying attention, as Jesse Jackson indicated in several interviews over the weekend.

It's also worth noting, by the way, as long as "The Glibs" have already won the American Patriots of the Year Award, that their press spokesman may also now be in line for the 2004 Chutzpah Medal of Honor due in no small part to this statement:

"We welcome the support of the Kerry-Edwards campaign for the recount and we call upon the Bush-Cheney ticket to offer their support for this multi-partisan effort as well."

Touché, Ms. (or Mr.) Bobier! I welcome it as well!

Seeing as how this is clearly a case of yet another "activist judge" outrageously "legislating from the bench", I have little doubt that the Bush-Cheney attorney's limo should be arriving at the courthouse any minute to put their legal money where their faux-outraged political mouth is!

But for some reason, I shan't be holding my breath.

(Thanks to BRAD BLOG tipster Tracy H for the heads-up!)

UPDATE 12/1/04: The Washington Post has now picked up this story!

LATER UPDATE 12/1/04: EXCLUSIVE details have been uncovered by the BRAD BLOG about activist Delware County, OH Judge W. Duncan Whitney! Click here for the new story!

Just in from BlackBoxVoting.org:

UPDATE: Hysterical! Read the report of how BBV served Ms. LaPore this morning in front of a crowd of 200 Florida elections officials at LaPore's "farewell" event. Too brilliant.

Some have been critical (including yours truly on occassion) of Bev Harris' frequently less-than-professional demeanor and flair for the dramatic. But ya know what? Sometimes that's what actual citizens reclaiming their democracy looks like! Bravo, sez me. I wish we could get more folks like her to hit the streets and cause some trouble!