Thursday, November 04, 2004

 

There are a few facts that have been misleading us all over the last few days. Not to mention some old news stories that were un-remembered. I present them to you.

First: While the world awaited Ohio to decide whether or not to vote in the devil they knew or the devil anew, I remembered a story from August 28, 2003. It read as follows:

Published on Thursday, August 28, 2003 by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Voting Machine Controversy
by Julie Carr Smyth


COLUMBUS - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.

O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.

The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.

Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems.

In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates - money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell.


read the whole story here.

Second: There are plenty of reports stating that President Bush won this election by performing an amazing feat. That is, he got more of the popular vote than any other president elect, ever. BUT, if you look closely at the numbers, you'll find that Kerry (had he won) also would have had more votes than any other president elect, simply because this election had the most voters the nation has ever seen.

finally, if you want to read more from a blog, read Ken Layne'sblog. He is a well rounded guy who also happens to be a great songwriter as well.

posted by Hog 7:50 AM