{Blogged by Brad from the road…}
In a speech today to a “Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Symposium”, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, lauded himself, John Ashcroft and the Department of Justice for having made “enforcement of election fraud and corruption offenses a top priority.”
Gonzales claimed, without any apparent irony, that “We will not tolerate the infringement of voting rights.”
He also seems to have contained the instinct to laugh out loud at his very own words when he said, “The results speak for themselves; you’re getting the job done and we are making progress.”
Progress, indeed. Here are some of the not-ironic-at-all highlights (or lowlights) from his speech today… (Complete text here)
…
I want to use the power of this Department — and the cause of justice — to achieve lasting progress in all of our work. That includes, of course, our efforts to protect the vital elements of our free and democratic elections. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.
…
In the past, some Americans have struggled to have their voices heard – and their votes counted on Election Day.
We must never forget that for hundreds of years things were very different for people who looked like many of us here in this room. The journey to suffrage has not been an easy one.
…
We cannot erase a history of poll taxes, literacy tests, violence, and overt discrimination at the voting booth. But we can make a promise to this and future generations: Never again. Not on our watch.
The very fiber of our Nation rests with the zealous protection of certain inalienable rights for every citizen – and we cannot grow complacent in the safeguarding of those rights.
You are making good on that promise every single day by enforcing the laws that prevent election fraud and preserve voting rights.
Those are the two separate but equally important law enforcement responsibilities for the Department in this area. First, we must ensure that all qualified voters have access to the ballot box. Second, we must preserve the integrity of the overall election process. You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but it bears repeating: Our goal is to make voting easier and cheating harder.
That sounds simple but I know that it requires a great deal of hard work by you and your colleagues. As prosecutors and investigators, you are on the front lines battling those who would corrupt our election process and corrode our democratic system.
The results speak for themselves; you’re getting the job done and we are making progress.
…
Since Attorney General John Ashcroft created the Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative three years ago, we’ve made enforcement of election fraud and corruption offenses a top priority
…
Every prosecution, settlement, or other public resolution puts would-be wrong doers on notice: We will not tolerate the infringement of voting rights.
…
I share your belief that just one instance of fraud or one citizen who cannot vote, or is deterred from voting…is too many. Our work continues until every qualified citizen in every community in America has an equal chance to vote – and to have that vote count.
"Since Attorney General John Ashcroft created the Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative three years ago, we’ve made enforcement of election fraud and corruption offenses a top priority"
Huh? LMAO!
"I share your belief that just one instance of fraud or one citizen who cannot vote, or is deterred from voting…is too many. Our work continues until every qualified citizen in every community in America has an equal chance to vote – and to have that vote count."
Say what? Since when!
"it requires a great deal of hard work"
There they go again – the Bushco Mantra: It’s hard work – we’re working hard.
WMGO (Wretching my guts out)
Looks like Bush is well into the second .5L of Jack Daniels.
"In the past, some Americans have struggled to have their voices heard – and their votes counted on Election Day."
Damn! You’re so right, Alberto! In fact, I seem to recall it was just about a year ago …..
But it’s ok now, because you’re on the case!
Whew! What a load off my mind!!
Alberto Torture Gonzales forgot one thing in his speech…..
"Our goal is to make cheating easier and voting harder."
Hence the need for a full-on TWENTIETH CENTURY POLLTAX, mandatory Voter IDs…..
Tell this man to go fuck himself because that’s exactly what he’s doing here!
WE NEED TO ENSURE DIEBOLD GOES DOWN FOR GOOD, AND IS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN……FULL ON COURT PRESS TO GET THEM KICKED OUT!!!!!
NO MORE UNVERIFIED ELECTIONS!
Force your congress to sponsor and vote on HR-550, Rush Holt’s bill RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! Should be number#1 priority!!!!!
Remember nothing else, and I mean NOTHING else matters until this Bill is voted upon!!!!! Forget Delay and Downing Street, NOTHING will ever change unless DIEBOLD/SEQUOIA is DEALT WITH PERMANENTLY!!!!!!!!
Get on the ball and make sure these go up for vote, and FIGHT every single legislature to force them to vote on this action!!!!
Doug Eldritch
Gonzales, you are a fricking joke.
We have to organize for this battle to reverse the privatization of the vote, which was institutionalized by HAVA in 2002. I just attended the Election Fraud Summit in Portland this weekend and learned that, as Doug said above, our democracy is done for unless we eliminate the use of voting machines that use proprietary software and take back citizen control of our election processes.
HAVA was a conniving GOP step to wrest control of the election process behind the guise of making our elections more efficient. Though HAVA only helps fund counties that want to get rid of punch card systems, and in no way requires the use of voting machines, GOP-owned and directed vendors, like Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia push the idea that HAVA requires that counties get rid of punch card systems.
I believe that HAVA has led to the development of non-competitive behavior in the elections and vote-counting industry. I am wondering if these vendors, who may have been in collusion since the early stages of the development of the vote-flipping software, and are certainly in collusion to eliminate competition from traditional vote tabulation device manufacturers, might be in violation of antitrust regulations.
As a non-political way to limit, or stamp out the election fraud that has led to Bush stealing both the 2000 and 2004 elections, we need to commence antitrust and/or class-action lawsuits against Diebold et.al.
I am interested in hearing from lawyers with relevant experience/knowledge to learn if this might be a possible way to attack these bastards. As Brad said at the conference over the weekend, and I have long thought, "WE HAVE TO FIGHT THEM ON EVERY DAMN FRONT AVAILABLE, FOR WE ARE DAVID, AND THEY ARE GOLIATH!!" We know who won that battle!!
Styve
I love these comments by the AG. We can really put his and the administration’s feet to the fire now.
"We will not tolerate the infringement of voting rights" HELLO, starting when??? What an insult!
Found this:
Great organizer, sends to all your congress represenatives at once. Need still 26 states to pass verified paper ballot bill and mandatory audits!
Doug E.
Condaleeza Rice: "Starting in 2008 when I become president of the united states, and Diebold swears me in. That’s when boys and girls!"
You know what you have to do….
Doug
Sorry for the OT
Miers Briefed Bush on Bin Laden PDB, But Papers Handle Photo From That Day Quite Differently. (Editor & Publisher)
Thanks Doug E, i sent mine in through Velvet Revolution, it’s up there and you can sign up for alerts, too.
BUSHw@cker, ‘qualifications non-existent’, must be a fad , lots of that going around with bush & crew. Didn’t see the pic, are they hiding it?
NANA
I can only find this tiny pic.
Caesar Chavez would be rolling in his grave.
No really this AG gives latinos a bad name. He’s like the character in the TV show, "The Shield" you know when the police chief gets down on his knees at gunpoint, and gets a mouthfull.
Yeah that’s this Bush cronie. Just don’t get too close when he’s speaking, not only does his breath reek, the spatter will stain your blue dress.
It’s hard work! We’re working hard!
Say ,Alberto, you’re doing a great job! C’mon over to the White House and get some Columbian dude!
They’re working us hard!
It’s amazing Gonzalez could deliver that speech with a straight face! (And obviously George couldn’t keep it together in that photo.) This is another example of how lies flow from their mouths more naturally than the truth after years and years of conditioning. How do they sleep at night?
OT Alert
U.S. Police and Intelligence Hit by Spy Network.
CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. locks its electronic voting machines away and goes back to the future with Paper Ballots!
Non-sequiturs are not the way to start, or further a discussion of a topic. First it’s something about the Miers/PDB matter, then a random, lengthy article from who knows where about an Israeli spy network, and then a link to something about some NC county…WTF dude?! Go somewhere else if you need to talk to yourself. The topic is Gonzalez’s duplicitous support of "election fraud enforcement," not the other 3 topics, and apologizing for being OT is weak.
Sorry to be harsh, but you are essentially anon, so I cannot just send you an email.
Thanks,
S
Lynn Landes carries Brad’s Dieb-Throat story.
Sorry STYVE, I need an open thread! I’ll stay off this particular one.
The Justice Department is eager to fight voter fraud and voter suppression and pornography. Do you imagine there is a connection—a nexis of evil—linking these things? Is the Justice Department being enabled or hobbled by the Office of Homeland Security in its newly defined role of "law enforcement"? It was Bush and the Neocons who ridiculed the previous administration for treating terrorism as a matter of law enforcement. We were told we needed a "war president" (actually, I think they meant "war vice-president") to take terrorism in its proper context: war–global war–a mere steppingstone to global thermonuclear war. So what’s left for the Justice Department to do? The answer is: concentrate on mundane law enforcement matters like pornography and caging of voters. That is all they are good for in the eyes of Neocons. Leave the war to warriors. WHen was the last time you heard someone tell a police officer–"move along, there’s nothing to see here" ?
yech! barf! keep these guys as far away from "voting rights" as possible. i wonder what terrible plan these lying sacks of ^%$#*(! are about to foist upon us?
The fox has decided that certain chickens have voted illegally, and isn’t that awful?
Now it’s up to us to show that the fox himself is the greater crook, even if it sounds like a chicken-shit proposition.
His speech has made me angry. I see it as a mockery, to all the EARNEST work done this past year. Using some of the same phrases that i have read here so many times!
More than 100,000 employees, 3 years, and this ‘hard working’ dept has ‘secured more than fifty convictions’, as opposed to how many voters being disinfranchised in 2004? Sorry, no praise due.
Amazing, isn’t it, how we are subjected to one diversion after another – DNC report, the AVR – whatever, the Baker-Carter report, the Gonzales speech — Why are people so intent on avoiding the facing the real problem? (Well, of course we know why Gonzales and certain other folks are.) It is really not a tough problem; pretty straightforward.
The whole "establishment" is obviously scared of our citizen movement. Why? It’s the million-dollar question. Why do we have to "work so hard"?
Well then, ARRY, maybe we can take a little comfort in knowing we are ‘keeping them on their toes’. Worth the hard work, imo.
By the way STYVE we all(most of the regulars) post off topic and OT is the convention to warn people who can not multitask ,keep up the good work BUSHW@CKER fellow downunderlander…regards mick
NANA said — "Well then, ARRY, maybe we can take a little comfort in knowing we are ‘keeping them on their toes’."
Yes, it’s clear that we are getting their attention. That’s very good! Worth the hard work? Heck, yes. We don’t have a choice.
MMIIXX re: #29
Mick, thanks mate for your kind words of support.
Do you think bush calls him ‘bertie’ or ‘gonzo’?
🙂