Birthday present for Electrophil

Originally Posted by Electrophil

One of the bottles look like Bicardi, what's the other one?

Give the man a prize! Yup, I'm pretty sure that's Bacardi... not sure what the other one is. I'll take a look next time I'm at the bar and see if I can match a bottle to the pic.

[Electrophil]

I got another present yesterday... Well kinda.

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/363958.html

I'll accept another "Watergate" style impeachment. As long as they go to jail.

One by one, we are getting there.

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Electrophil

I got another present yesterday... Well kinda.

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/363958.html

I'll accept another "Watergate" style impeachment. As long as they go to jail.

One by one, we are getting there.

Ooooh. Someone used the phone... Better get out the electric chair "I didn't go and vote because I never got my phone call reminding me to vote..." Gimme a break.

Surprising they report on this, but not the trial of congresswoman Gwen Moore's son who slashed the tires on dozens of RNC vans on election morning in Milwaukee to prevent the RNC from transporting disabled and elderly voters to the polls.

Oh wait, its no surprise. Its just another day of liberal media manipulation...

Tomorrow's news: "Top Bush aide failed to was his hands after using the bathroom. Democratic inquiry into possible links to the president sought."

[Royal Tiger]

Now you know if we report on that and how the DNC was found to have given cartons of cigarettes to people in LA to board buses to take them to polls it would give the illusion that the Dems are as crooked as the Republicans, and the media won't have any of that.

[Electrophil]

Originally Posted by mohrds

Ooooh. Someone used the phone... Better get out the electric chair "I didn't go and vote because I never got my phone call reminding me to vote..." Gimme a break.

Surprising they report on this, but not the trial of congresswoman Gwen Moore's son who slashed the tires on dozens of RNC vans on election morning in Milwaukee to prevent the RNC from transporting disabled and elderly voters to the polls.

Oh wait, its no surprise. Its just another day of liberal media manipulation...

Tomorrow's news: "Top Bush aide failed to was his hands after using the bathroom. Democratic inquiry into possible links to the president sought."

So you condone and believe in this type of behaviour?

Say.... You really ARE a republican!!

[Electrophil]

Originally Posted by Tigershark

Now you know if we report on that and how the DNC was found to have given cartons of cigarettes to people in LA to board buses to take them to polls it would give the illusion that the Dems are as crooked as the Republicans, and the media won't have any of that.

If this was true, Fox news would still be going on about it. OReilly would have it on a banner behind him.

I dunno.... truthfully I'd have a hard time taking seriously anyone named Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde, who also likes to be called "Supreme Solar Allah". That's the name of congresswoman Gwen Moore's son. "Sowande" is apparently a Nigerian name from the Yoruba ethnic group but he prefers that his friends and teachers call him "Supreme" for short. I suppose that's also an indication of how well she's integrated into mainstream America. Errr... but she was born in Racine, WI and went to highschool and college in Milwaukee.... so perhaps she somehow got un-integrated?

For those who didn't hear, five people were arrested for slashing the tires of 25 (20-30 depending on sources) vans meant to be used to transport Republican voters to the polls on Nov 2, 2004. Damage was estimated at around US$5,300.

There were no eyewitnesses, fingerprints or DNA, but a security guard at the Republican office wrote down the license plate of a suspicious car, which led investigators to five young men working for the Kerry-Edwards campaign. There was also testimony that they bragged to other Democratic workers about slashing the tires. They were facing up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the felony - criminal damage to property. The jury dead-locked on the second day of deliberations which set the stage for a plea-bargain. Four of the five pleaded no contest to misdemeanor criminal damage to property in Jan, 2006. The fifth was later found not guilty.
Sentencing will be Apr 26, 2006.

---------------------------------

Tigershark,
I've had no luck in finding anything about the DNC giving cartons of smokes away to entice voters. Could you point me in the direction of a source? I am not doubting your word, just want to get some more details. Thanks

[Royal Tiger]

Bipa, I do remember it coming to light the night of the election, but I can't remeber where I heard it. I want to say it was on CNBC that night. I watched this election closly as one, it was going to be a real close race, and two, after having provided security for Kerry and having my picture taken with him (I'm not proud of it, but my mother in law has it framed in her house) and also the detail for his wife Teresa Hines-Kerry, I wasn't impressed with either of them. But, it still is a nice memory to have. The press corp told me I was the best media liason they had had up to that point. It must have had something to do with how I got the busses through all the traffic at light speed. I told the drivers stick to the bumper of my cruiser and don't look back!

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Tigershark

Bipa, I do remember it coming to light the night of the election, but I can't remeber where I heard it. I want to say it was on CNBC that night. I watched this election closly as one, it was going to be a real close race, and two, after having provided security for Kerry and having my picture taken with him (I'm not proud of it, but my mother in law has it framed in her house) and also the detail for his wife Teresa Hines-Kerry, I wasn't impressed with either of them. But, it still is a nice memory to have. The press corp told me I was the best media liason they had had up to that point. It must have had something to do with how I got the busses through all the traffic at light speed. I told the drivers stick to the bumper of my cruiser and don't look back!

It was the 2000 election and Gore's campaign that did that. I do not beleive it was in LA, though.

Well, this isn't quite what Tigershark was talking about, but I thought just about everyone would get a chuckle out of the election shenanigans in Appalachia, Virginia. Can't really blame the Republicans or the Democrats for this one, though. Looks more like the "Sharret Party" to me

(I couldn't make up stuff like this if I tried! )


Fourteen indicted in Appalachia election fraud probe
Friday, March 03, 2006
By STEPHEN IGO
Times-News

WISE - Fourteen individuals, including the mayor/town manager of Appalachia, a town councilman, and two law enforcement officials, were indicted by a Wise County grand jury on multiple counts stemming from an alleged conspiracy to conduct election fraud during the 2004 town elections.

The indictments show the investigation hasn't been just about pork rinds, Special Prosecutor Tim McAfee said during a press conference at the Wise County Courthouse. The investigation into allegations of voter fraud evolved from early reports of attempted vote buying before town elections that reportedly involved items like bags of pork rinds, packs of cigarettes, and six-packs of beer.

While the entire affair may have been sparked by rumors of "votes being sold for pork rinds," said McAfee, "I think it would be a fair statement to say it is not about pork rinds, and never was about pork rinds."

The grand jury handed down a total of nearly 1,000 felony counts leveled against the 14 individuals on 269 alleged violations of law ranging from conspiracy, to tampering with absentee ballots, to forgery, to illegal seizure of private property by law enforcement officials for their own personal use. Drug trafficking by some individuals has also been alleged.

McAfee said the 300-page indictment document and the investigation details "a pattern of misconduct" before, during and after the May 4, 2004, town elections that boils down to "corruption" that permeated Town Hall.

Those indicted include Appalachia Mayor/Town Manager Ben Cooper; Town Councilman Owen Anderson "Andy" Sharrett III; Sharrett's father, Appalachia Parks and Recreation Director Owen Anderson "Dude" Sharrett Jr.; Sharrett's brother, Adam Brody Sharrett; wife to Dude and mother of Andy and Adam Sharrett, Belinda Carolyn Sharrett, employed in a clerk position in Town Hall; Dude Sharrett's aunt, Betty Chloe Sharrett Bolling; Dude Sharrett's brother, Kevin Lee Sharrett of Indiana; and Dennis Martin "Boogie" Sharrett, another of Dude Sharrett's brothers.

more
(the comments are also worth taking a look at! )

---------------------------------------------------------------
Top cop, mayor indicted
The indictment lists about two crimes for every vote cast in the May 2004 elections in the Wise County town of Appalachia.
By Laurence Hammack

APPALACHIA -- A sweeping indictment alleges a town election fraught with fraud, with two candidates and their supporters buying votes with beer and cigarettes, stealing mail-in ballots and voting repeatedly for themselves in the name of a deceived electorate.

The indictment returned Thursday by a Wise County grand jury contained more than 1,000 violations of election laws -- about two crimes for every vote cast in the May 2004 election in Appalachia.

more

[Electrophil]

Bipa, that was excellent! I got a speeding ticket there some 20 years ago on my way to Cleveland OH. They sent me a form saying if I signed it, and sent a money order for $112, it would be reduced to a parking citation, and I wouldn't have to go back. The short statement was an admission of guilt of their parking policies over 3 consecutive days... ? Kind of weird.

I signed it, and sent them a money order.... Like.. the next morning. I called about 5 days later to assure it showed up.

As for which party they subscribe to, that would be kind of obvious for the Appalachia chain. Hard core religious, and hard core redneck equals neo-conservative style republican. Anyone else is immediately kicked out of town. Reminds me of Monty Python's "I'm a logger!!".

But... Disclaimer here: Party affiliation just ain't got a thing to do with what those boys do up there. They got their own world.

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Bipa

I dunno.... truthfully I'd have a hard time taking seriously anyone named Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde, who also likes to be called "Supreme Solar Allah". That's the name of congresswoman Gwen Moore's son. "Sowande" is apparently a Nigerian name from the Yoruba ethnic group but he prefers that his friends and teachers call him "Supreme" for short. I suppose that's also an indication of how well she's integrated into mainstream America. Errr... but she was born in Racine, WI and went to high school and college in Milwaukee.... so perhaps she somehow got un-integrated?

For those who didn't hear, five people were arrested for slashing the tires of 25 (20-30 depending on sources) vans meant to be used to transport Republican voters to the polls on Nov 2, 2004. Damage was estimated at around US$5,300.

There were no eyewitnesses, fingerprints or DNA, but a security guard at the Republican office wrote down the license plate of a suspicious car, which led investigators to five young men working for the Kerry-Edwards campaign. There was also testimony that they bragged to other Democratic workers about slashing the tires. They were facing up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the felony - criminal damage to property. The jury dead-locked on the second day of deliberations which set the stage for a plea-bargain. Four of the five pleaded no contest to misdemeanor criminal damage to property in Jan, 2006. The fifth was later found not guilty.
Sentencing will be Apr 26, 2006.

Well, let me give you an inside angle. Gwen Moore's sister Jackie lived next to me. She was in a low income apartment raising her grandson Van who's mother had passed away. Gwen would occasionally visit and so would her brother Geoffrey. Jackie was in kidney failure and had dialysis 2 to 3 times a week. Van was a teen and was a handful. He was given a scholarship to attend a Lutheran School half a block from his apartment. That school has a large, wealthy base and provides free tuition to low income neighborhood kids. About 50% of the kids attending St. Marcus are from the local neighborhood even though their families don't attend church there. Within a year he was turned around. Excellent grades, actually helpful around the house and started taking care of his grandmother. Gwen was furious that he was going to a "white" school even though he had been kicked out of three public schools. Van had become a responsible citizen and lost his "heritage" according to Gwen.

I never met Andy (what Jackie called Sowande) but I did see him around once in a while.

Anyway, Jackie's apartment was poorly managed and the building was sold during a bankruptcy. It was no longer going to be low income and Jackie couldn't afford the new rent. She and Van had to move because Gwen and Geoff were too involved with themselves to chip in $175/mo. each to cover her increased rent. Even though they both made excellent livings. Geoff drove a brand new Cadillac and Gwen drove a brand new Lexus. This was their way of letting Jackie know that they didn't approve of the way Van was being raised (her words). They didn't even hire movers for her. Neighbors (including us) had to help her move. She was very sad and very worried about Van going to a different school as they were moving too far away to be able to get Van back to St. Marcus.

Gwen used that story during her campaign about how her sick sister was evicted from her house to make way for higher income whites. Nice people, eh?

As for the others involved in the vandalism, One was the son of Milwaukee's Mayor at the time, Marvin Pratt. One was the nephew of the city's police chief at the time. The other two I don't remember who they were, but I think one was the brother of a prominent pastor.

Now, why this isn't national news is simple. The media doesn't want to make a big deal out of it because it makes their party look bad. I can guarantee you that if the roles had been reversed, the media would keep this story alive with special investigations every day.

How hard to you think the police were going to look for fingerprints and DNA when they worked for one of the suspect's dad and the mayor was the uncle of another suspect? Talk about a conspiracy to hide evidence. If this were Republicans, Dateline would to a series of shows on the corruption and collusion to steer a criminal investigation.

[Royal Tiger]

As for the Gore or Kerry cigarette scandal, my bad if I had it bacwards. As for the Gwen issue, it figures. You can call a white politition a baby killer, but if you INFER a black one isn't legit, Jesse jackson shows up at your house. How is that fair? The one I remember is the some what respected black democrat from Chicago getting sworn in and his wife introduced him on national media live as her babby's daddy. I guess you have to reach your constituants some how. I'm not playing the race card, the other side runs with that usually.

On a side, but related note, it's an intresting history lesson on how the Republican's lost the black vote anyway since they freed the slaves, passed the amendments allowing them to vote, removed the troops from the south, ended segregation, and ruled in favor of Brown V Topeka that overuled Dredd Scott. Some mismanagement in the middle, and high powered Dems run radio ads like the one I heard last October that have a black boy talking to his father about why don't republicans like black people? I can't believe they allow that trash on the radio.

This is my third attempt at replying to your post, Mohrds. The first went too long into too much detail; the second ended up a full-blown rant. This time I'm aiming for just a moderate "short story", not a "novel"

Well, I've been reading up about congresswoman Gwen Moore. Not just her official web site, but also various other sources of differing perspectives. I've also taken a closer look at the 4th congressional district, its history and its demographics.

To be blunt, I've concluded that any semi-humanoid waving a Democratic Party banner would have won that election. Every single incumbent in the state won (regardless of Party), and in the 4th district, the previous rep had been a Dem. Don't believe me? Take a look at the 2004 results:

U.S. House - District 4 - 346 of 346 Precincts Reporting

The district itself is also not a reflection of "mainstream middle America" so it shouldn't be surprising that its representative reflects that differing perspective. According to census figures I found, 49.6% of the population is considered "minority". Wait a few years and given current projections the minority will become the majority in the district. They'll have to come up with new nomenclature.

As for Ms. Moore, I'm having a tough time trying to stay calm and keep my language clean. I tend to get very exasperated at folks who in my view have become so entangled with special interest groups and issues, that they lose track of the bigger picture called humanity.

Unfortunately, what you've described, Mohrds, seems to be ocurring with more and more frequency not only in the USA but throughout the Western World. People are torn between voting for the Party, and voting for the individual representative. Choosing a Party affiliation is the path of least resistance. You don't have to know anything about the person running in your area, just their Party membership. Thus people of dubious character and questionable ethics get voted in with little real scrutiny by the average voter. The "blessing" of the Party is good enough.

Well, it isn't good enough for me, and for many other people like me who insist on taking the time and learning about the actual individuals campaigning for office. I don't care how closely a candidate's political views align with my own - if I don't like the way they behave with their families, friends, co-workers, sales clerks, Capitol Hill police officers (Rep. Cynthia McKinney D-Ga.) or contractors (Randy "Duke" Cunningham, former R-Ca.) then that person won't get any support from me. I differentiate between the individual candidate and the political Party under whose banner the campaign is conducted. The two are not identical reflections, nor should they be. Granted, the basic paradigm should remain consistant, yet some room to maneuver must exist. Geographically specific needs, local socio-cultural differences, even something as basic as urban vs. rural, requires that each representative take appropriate positions on gov't policies which may be quite different from their fellow Party members in another region. Thus party cohesion in such a large country as the United States is difficult to maintain, let alone enforce.

On another note, at one time, we could look on people who attained high positions of importance and be certain that their achievements were through hard work, native intelligence, and perhaps a little luck thrown in for good measure. Today, though few will admit it, an incessant little voice in the back of our heads questions whether the person actually merited the position or is instead a showpiece to demonstrate the modern benevolence of the greater organization. Horrifying though it may sound, the result of many "forward-thinking" modern government policies is to cast doubt on the abilities of people in responsible positions. Let's just say that my little voice is screaming quite loudly at the moment.

[Electrophil]

I don't care for people running around playing the race card. Especially that McKinney character and her bucketful of crap.

The whole nation probably rolled their eyes when she yanked that card out...regardless of political background.... or race for that matter.