Posted by Mary Mancini on April 29, 2008 under Uncategorized | 
Tennessee is one of 6 states at “High” risk for voting machine mishaps come November. Can we change that? Yes, we can!
From VoteSafeTN:
We’re close to achieving verifiable elections in Tennessee! We finally have the money, and we have time to switch to paper ballots for this year’s general election. All the pieces are in place. What we need now is to get the paper ballot bill - Voter Confidence Act - out of committee and onto the floor of the legislature to be voted into law. Currently, the bill is in the House Budget Subcommittee. Time is short, but we can do it. Your emails have and will make the difference. Please write today; our Legislators will HEAR you. Thank you so much.
What you can do right now:
Please email or call the House Budget Subcommittee members and ask them to act now, and pass the bill, so it will go to the full Finance Committee. If any of the committee members are your Representative, please let them know and include your zip code in the subject line and your address in the body. The bill, HB 1256, will be heard in committee starting 11:00 am, tomorrow, Wednesday, April 30:
Requires any voting system purchased after the effective date of this act to provide the ballot of record be a paper ballot marked by the voter with appropriate accommodation for persons with disabilities; requires such ballot to be available to voter to verify the vote; requires that secrecy of the voter’s choice be maintained. - Amends TCA Title 2.
House Budget Subcommittee members:
Chairperson Tindell (615-741-2031)
rep.harry.tindell@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-2031
rep.joe.armstrong@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-0768
rep.lois.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-3830
rep.craig.fitzhugh@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-2134
rep.mike.harrison@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-7480
rep.steve.mcdaniel@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-0750
rep.gary.odom@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-4410
rep.doug.overbey@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-0981
rep.randy.rinks@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-2007
rep.dennis.roach@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-2534
rep.johnny.shaw@legislature.state.tn.us
Phone (615) 741-4538
Get on the phone. Send an email.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
On the front page of their website, the Indiana state government is touting National Air Quality Awareness Week. Good thing because something there sure is stinky. Without a shred of evidence of election fraud through identity manipulation in Indiana, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday to bring back the poll tax by upholding the law requiring voters there to present a valid government issue photo id:
…the court acknowledged that the record of the case contained “no evidence” of the type of voter fraud the law was ostensibly devised to detect and deter, the effort by a voter to cast a ballot in another person’s name.
Read that again. No evidence. Yet because of their ruling there is now an undue burden on the poor and elderly to vote. For them, a voter registration card is not enough. But no worries. To help the citizens of Indiana wade through the steps needed to get their government issue photo id, I present a step by step guide.
No driver’s license? No problem. Just bring your birth certificate down to the Bureau of Motor vehicles, fill out the paperwork, pay the fee, and get your id. If you don’t have wheels, take public transportation or get someone to drive you. Here’s what you need:
If you are applying for a new driver license, identification card, learner permit, or driver education permit you must visit a license branch and present the following documents:
- One primary document
- One secondary document; and
- Proof of Social Security number or Social Security ineligibility; and
- Proof of Indiana residency.
OR
- One primary document; and
- Proof of Social Security number or Social Security ineligibility; and
- Proof of Indiana residency.
Primary documents accepted include US Birth Certificate with authenticating stamp or seal containing the applicant’s date of birth, place of birth, and parent’s names issued by a county department or county board of health from the applicant’s state of birth, a state department or state board of health from the applicant’s state of birth, or a verified delayed birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization/Citizenship, Certification of report of birth (DS-1350), U.S. consular report of birth (FS-240), Birth certificate issued by United States territories, including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands, U.S. Veterans Universal Access Identification card with photo, U.S. Military/Merchant Marines identification card with photo, or U.S. Passport.
Don’t have the required documents like a birth certificate or social security card? No problem, just follow these instructions to get your social security replacement card:
You can replace your card for free if it is lost or stolen.
To replace a lost Social Security card:
- Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and
- Show us documents proving your identity.
- Show us documents proving your U.S. citizenship if our records do not already contain that information.
- Show us documents proving your current, lawful, work-authorized status if you are not a U.S. citizen.
In most cases, you can mail or take your application and original documents to your local Social Security office. If you live in the New York City metropolitan area, Las Vegas NV, Orlando FL, or Phoenix AZ you may need to apply in person at your local Social Security Card Center.
All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies of notarized copies of documents.
To get a new birth certificate, just find out how the state in which you were born handles the replacement. Indiana, for instance, allows you to simply mail $10 in to the Vital Records department of the Indiana State Department of Health. As long as you follow this one rule:
Applicant must provide a photocopy of a valid identification with picture and signature along with the application.
Easy. HEY! Wait a minute….
In Indiana you need a valid identification with picture and signature to get the copy of the birth certificate you need to get a valid identification with picture so you can vote? Yo Scalia, chew on that.
No money to a pay for either a copy of your birth certificate - which, did I mention, you can’t get without a valid picture id? - or the government issue photo id? No problem, just go down to your county’s election commission, and fill out the paperwork to get your certificate of indigency. I’m not sure what documentation you need to prove indigency - probably a valid photo id - but nevertheless, once you have it then you can use it to get all the documentation you need to get the valid photo id without having to pay for it all.
If you can’t afford the time away from work for all these trips back and forth to these agencies, or the time on the phone it takes to sort it all out, then you can use your computer like I did to go online to find out what you need to do. See, it’s easy!*
UPDATE: If you are over 65 in Indiana, you can get, without a birth certificate, a plain ID card instead of a Driver’s license. Sweet! From the Indiana.gov site:
Identification card applicants who are 65 years or older, and can attest that they have never been issued a birth certificate because their birth was never recorded with a state office of vital statistics, may present other forms of identification as a primary document of identification, along with the necessary secondary document of identification, for an Indiana identification card.
Individuals who are 65 years or older may present, as primary documents:
- Medicaid/Medicare card
- Social Security benefits statement
- Property deed
- Property tax statement
- Bank statement
- US Veteran’s Access Photo ID card
- Marriage/divorce decree
- Pension statement
Please note that secondary documents, and other documents proving residency, are still required for most transactions. Please view our full identification requirements list to determine whether you have sufficient documentation.
Identification card applicants who are younger than 65 years of age and who do not have an original copy of their birth certificate should bring another document from the primary group of identification documents or contact the health department or department of vital statistics in their county or state of birth to obtain a new copy of their original birth certificate.
To be accepted by the BMV, a birth certificate must be an original copy with a raised seal issued by the health department or department of vital statistics in the applicant’s county or state of birth. Birth certificates issued by hospitals or other organizations will not be accepted.
UPDATE II: Brad Friedman has a step by step guide at Bradblog.com. I bet he’s tired too.
*I need a nap.
Posted by Mary Mancini on April 27, 2008 under Liberate Your Radio from The Right |
Hundreds of thousands dead, maimed and psychologically scared, millions displaced from their homelands, and $700 Billion Dollars of Debt, and we’re back to where we were on 9/11. The GAO issued a report this month stating that “the United States has not met its national security goals to destroy terrorist threats and close the safe haven in Pakistan’s FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas]….” They also found “broad agreement, as documented in the National Intelligence Estimate, State, and embassy documents, as well as Defense officials in Pakistan, that al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack the United States and had succeeded in establishing a safe haven in Pakistan’s FATA.”
I would blame everyone who voted for George Bush in 2000 and 2004 but as Frank Rich reminded us on Sunday, the democratic ticket beat Bush-Cheney in Pennsylvania by 205,000 votes in 2000 and 144,000 votes in 2004. And those were just the votes that were counted. Factor in the millions that weren’t and you have a decidedly Democratic victory. If we want progress in this country and an end to our foreign policy madness, we better keep an eye on who’s counting the votes come November 2008.
But I digress. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will hold a hearing on May 7 to examine the GAO’s findings and “discuss actions that a new U.S. administration can take to reconstitute our foreign policy in this region, to refocus our efforts on eliminating terrorist threats there, and to rebuild our relationship with the Pakistani people.” Find all the members of the committee, including Ron Paul, here.
Posted by Mary Mancini on April 25, 2008 under Liberate Your Radio from The Right |
From the New York Times:
Seizing on her Pennsylvania primary victory, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her surrogates are renewing their efforts to have the disputed Michigan and Florida convention delegates seated and pushing the argument that she now leads in the total number of votes cast when the tallies in those two states are included.
This is striking in its audacity. Last time I checked, BOTH candidates agreed to abide by the rules of the DNC - neither Florida nor Michigan would seat their delegates. Does Hillary Clinton really want to win by cheating? Oh look! Yes she does:
“I’m very proud that, as of today, I have received more votes by the people who have voted than anybody else,” Mrs. Clinton said on Wednesday in a campaign appearance in Indianapolis. “It’s a very close race, but if you count — as I count — the 2.3 million people who voted in Michigan and Florida, then we are going to build on that.”
Psssssssssst. Senator Clinton. Barack Obama wasn’t on the ballot in Michigan.
At least the times correctly reported her lead in the Pennsylvania primary as 9 points instead of “double digits.”
Posted by Mary Mancini on April 22, 2008 under Uncategorized |
“Highest disapproval rating ever guy.”
Could also be Low approval rating guy, Worst president ever guy, President Low Point, and Turd Blossom.
Posted by Mary Mancini on April 21, 2008 under Uncategorized |
From Brad Blog:
This Tuesday’s crucial contest will be primarily run on 100% faith-based, touch-screen e-voting machines across the state. There will be no way to determine after the election whether the computers have accurately recorded, or not, the intent of those voters who voted on them. As VerifiedVoting.org summarizes the crucial contest, it “will be essentially unrecountable, unverifiable, and unauditable.”
How is this still possible? Forget flag pins and guilt by association, why aren’t the American people and both candidates screaming about this from the rooftops?!? We won’t trust machines to run our lotteries but we’ll trust them to handle our elections?
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
My next post was going to be about Phil Valentine’s assertion in the Tennessean that “There is absolutely no evidence that carbon dioxide causes any kind of climate change.” Thanks, Bruce Barry, for saving me some key strokes:
And the nominees for most witless and uninformed assertion about the environment and climate change in a Sunday Tennessean op-ed this week are…
Bob Corker for his performance in “Return Cap-and-Trade Proceeds to People,” featuring this nugget: “No one can quantify how much of global warming is caused by natural cycles vs. man-made greenhouse emissions.”
Phil Valentine for his performance in “Earth Day Extremists were Wrong in the ’70s, and Still Are” featuring this gem: “There is absolutely no evidence that carbon dioxide causes any kind of climate change.”
Bonus! They both win! (And the Tennessean gets an honorable mention for “for outstanding editorial oversight in the pursuit of scientific integrity.”) Read the truth about these assertions here and here.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm…I love the smell of intellectual dishonesty between 4 and 8 pm in the afternoon…
What amazes me about these talk show ideologues like Gill and Valentine is that they continue to cling hopelessly to their tired-old schtick when public opinion on everything from the war to global climate change is clearly evolving. I guess that’s what happens when you base your livelihood on narrowly-focused ideology rather than truth, civil dialogue, and the desire for smart public policy that works for everyone.
UPDATE: Liz Garrigan wants us to be fair to Corker.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
Steve Gill’s latest thesis: Democrats are to blame for high gasoline prices since “The average price of gasoline hit $3.33 a gallon last week, a stunning $1.14 higher than it was when the Democrats took control of the U.S. House and Senate…” in 2006.
So what does it mean that the average price of gas rose a stunning $1.50 between January 2001 and August 2006 when Republicans had control of both Congress and the White House?
Oh, and, according to Gill, Democrats are also to blame for the recession and have “cost homeowners trillions of dollars in equity in their homes, pushed up the unemployment rate and obliterated consumer confidence.” All these pronouncements even though we’ve had almost 7 years of Republican dominated rule and were well on our way to fiscal trouble back in 2006.
Mmmmmm…I love the smell of intellectual dishonesty in the morning…
Posted by Liberadio(!) on April 20, 2008 under Uncategorized |
Summary: Guests include Jose Garcia, senior research and policy associate at Dēmos and author of Up to Our Eyeballs: How Shady Lenders and Failed Economic Policies Are Drowning Americans in Debt and Media Matters for America Research Fellow, Elbert Ventura and the MMFA Smackdown!
Part 1 - It’s the day before tax day and both Liberadio(!) and The Onion’s Weekly Radio Address weigh in. Plus, can all our tax dollars go towards creating a revolutionary approach to public education instead of a stagnating and misdirected “war on terror?” (22:31 37.7MB)-
Part 2 The education discussion continues with a local focus - Nashville’s Full Moon Film Festival. Plus, the Petraeus and Crocker Show, with a little help from their minions, take us on an all too familiar tour
Afghanistan Iraq Iran.(15:47 25.3MB)
- Part 3 - Hey, here are a couple of questions: 1) At a time when both the integrity of the lottery and the integrity of our elections is up for discussion in the state legislature, which do you think is more or a priority And 2) How does the Bush administration spell “top down directive?” T-O-R-T-U-R-E. (09:19 15MB)
- Part 4 John McCain has a problem differentiating between a strong and weak economy AND the Sunni and Shia. Remember when we said things couldn’t get any worse after a GWB presidency? Yikes. (13:25 21.5MB)
- Interview with Jose Garcia We are joined by Jose Garcia, senior research and policy associate at Dēmos (a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization) and author of Up to Our Eyeballs: How Shady Lenders and Failed Economic Policies Are Drowning Americans in Debt. (15:44 25.2MB)
- Media Matters for America Smackdown - Media Matters research fellow Elbert Ventura takes us along as he wallows in the seriously freakish world of Chris Matthews. Be afraid. (21:57 35.2MB)
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Posted by Liberadio(!) on April 18, 2008 under Uncategorized |
Yes, Brainstem, we were jonesin‘….
But NOT ANYMORE!
FOL* A.C. “Adam” Kleinfelter Kleinhalter Kleinheiffer Kleinheider is back and better than ever with Nashville Post Politics. Once left lost and wandering without a smart and sassy hot spot of local commentary and blog postings, we are once again, saved. BOOYAH, WKRN!
*Friend of Liberadio(!)
UPDATE: I almost forgot! Don’t you LOVE what they’ve done with Pith in the Wind over at the Nashville Scene?!? I certainly do….now we have TWO smart and sassy hot spots of local commentary and blog postings!
