Dear Friends of Freedom:
Please read this important message from Jim Condit, Jr. - see below - and be sure to share it with everyone you know who supports the restoration of freedom and liberty - and a return to the rule of law - in America.
Jim traveled from Cincinnati to be in Des Moines on June 30th for the Ron Paul rally. I was there with Jim and 1000+ other very enthusiastic Ron Paul supporters. Ron Paul's campaign predicts/expects 10,000 supporters to show up in Ames Iowa on August 11th for the Iowa Straw Poll.
I would like to go ONE better: WE THE PEOPLE MUST ENVISION AND BELIEVE THAT 100,000+ RON PAUL SUPPORTERS WILL SHOW UP IN AMES IOWA FOR THE IOWA STRAW POLL ON AUGUST 11TH!!!
LET'S ALL BE PART OF ENVISIONING AND ACTING THIS INTO REALITY!!
LET'S CALL IT "RONSTOCK 2007 AMES IOWA!!
We The People of America and the world are at a critical crossroads in the history of mankind. The forces of evil, fraud and corruption that have sought to enslave us through an endless series of wars and acts of terror have less and less darkness to operate in. The light of a New Divine Sun of truth and justice is dawning in our world. A perfect example of this new energy is the very humble servant example set by Ron Paul. Ron Paul admits that We The People are "the receivers" - thanks be to our creator - of this revolution of truth! He's just pleased to accept a very humble role in being a key "receiving servant" to this energy/cause that seeks to restore our Republic of America back to respect for the rule of law and the simple vision of our Founding Fathers.
From here on out we have an incredible opportunity to rise above any and all of these forces that have been trying to divide and polarize us from one another.
How is this going to happen?
Here's just one example of what's happening all across our great country - see below.
"2007 Summer of Freedom" is Manifesting!
I discovered this while reading the Chicago Tribune yesterday:
Peace marchers of the loneliest kindTeens' 3,000-mile trek to D.C. is a rally of 2
By Colleen Mastony
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 9, 2007
LOVELAND, Colo. -- Against the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, in the far eastern corner of Colorado where the land begins to flatten into a vast golden prairie, two teenagers trudge along the weed-bitten edge of an isolated highway. Blistered and sunburned, they endure wind, rain and searing heat. But still, they slog forward in what has become a quixotic journey across the country in an effort to end the Iraq war. Read more here.
THIS RALLY WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE SAME DAY OF THE "LIVE FREE OR DIE CONCERT" IN SUPPORT OF ED AND ELAINE BROWN IN PLAINFIELD NH:
MAP DIRECTIONS WITH ZOOM
CHECK THIS PAGE DAILY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Read more here.Ed and Elaine Brown and these two high school graduates are part of this "New Energy" that's manifesting all around us! It's time for all of us to make similar stands in support of truth and justice in America. It's time for Peace to Reign in our world! It's time for reason, fun, laughter, forgiveness and song to resonate deep within our minds, hearts and souls!
"RonStock 2007 Ames IOWA" is really a vision for a restored humanity. And I firmly believe there are people on the ground in Iowa who are willing and working to make this happen. JUST BELIEVE THAT 100,000+ SUPPORTERS OF RON PAUL CAN AND WILL DESCEND UPON AMES IOWA IN THE FEW DAYS PRIOR TO AUGUST 11TH.
I will be there in Ames - just like I was in Des Moines - chanting "Who You Gonna Call???" against a thunderous response from the crowd...."RON PAUL!!!!"
But we need hundreds of other individuals to shout this chant out all across Ames Iowa while we're gathering to organize and celebrate prior to the Ames Iowa Straw Poll on August 11th. There can be dozens - if not hundreds - of parks and venues where bands, singers and dancers can gather to support Ron Paul's message of freedom, liberty and "Hope For America!!"
Imagine the same power and energy of Sturgis SD motorcycle rally - which attracts hundreds of thousands - descending upon Ames Iowa during the week of August 11th. We have to envision and believe this will happen! It's up to We The People! Now is the time!!
Please read and share Jim Condit, Jr's message below. And please share this vision with others. Together, We The People can take America BACK from the controllers who have sought to enslave and confuse and divert the flow of energy, truth, freedom and justice in our great country. Let's have fun! Let's sing! Let's dance! Rejoice and celebrate this New Sun of Truth/Energy that's spreading like a prairie brushfire across this great land.
One last word: If you'd like to share some of the energy and enthusiasm behind this vision please be sure to join us on our weekly national "Grassroots Support Ron Paul" conference call that takes place every Thursday evening beginning at 9 pm eastern time:
605-475-8500 Code-5092984 9pm eastern each Thursday night
We have been reaching out to Meet-up group leaders and supporters all across the country to build this call during the past 6+ weeks. A special guest from Ron Paul's campaign will be on the call this week and Jim Condit, Jr. will be back to answer any questions you may have about his proposal which you can read below.
There IS "Hope For America!" because We The People are ALL part of making this happen!!
Thanks for reading and sharing this message!
Peace and God Bless,
Fred Smart
The Freedom Fellowship
http://www.thefreedomfellowship.com
312-602-2568 w
847-878-8090 c
Our government's sick. Our country needs a doctor ... not a lawyer.
Ron Paul for President 2008!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
================
http://votefraud.org/open_letter_straw_poll_part_1.htm
July 10, 2007 NA (Network America) e-wire
Open Letter to Hon Cong. Ron Paul, His Campaign,
and His Supporters – Part One: The Ames, Iowa Straw Poll
This "Open Letter" has ONE purpose: to make sure that Ron Paul supporters know how to get him a fair count at all stages in Presidential election 2008! We start – in this part ONE – by focusing on the Ames Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa, to be held August 11, 2007.
How serious the situation is! --- And how much our nation needs EVERY HONEST CITIZEN to do something – do as much as he or she can in the months ahead -- to insure a fair count for Ron Paul, for all the other candidates, and – most importantly of all – for the American people.
This is PART ONE of this Open Letter. After working on this e-wire for many hours, I realized that I would have to divide it into four parts – because it is just too much for one e-wire.
And right now, the urgent need is for all Ron Paul supporters to understand what must be done at the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll on August 11, 2007.
QUICK OVERVIEW: LIFTING THE VEIL
THIS PART ONE focuses on the ACTION we need to take for the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa on August 11, 2007. That date is barreling down upon us as this is written. – We have a CHANCE to get an open and fair count at Ames, Iowa, as explained herein.
At the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll -- we can definitely confront the Iowa State GOP, which takes its orders from New York and Washington D.C.
And we can definitely confront AND DEFEAT the five major TV Networks and the rest of the despicable major media which are suppressing the Presidential Campaign of Ron Paul – while issuing fraudulent and warped "public opinion polls" claiming that the GOP base supports their puppets Rudy Giuliani and John McCain – two Republican Quislings who have pulled OUT of the Ames, Iowa Straw poll because they realize they have virtually no support on the ground among the real people – and because they realize that they are going to be trounced by Ron Paul, as well as a few of the other candidates in Ames.
Part Two – the next ewire -- will be on how to get a fair count for Ron Paul in the actual Iowa Caucuses now scheduled for January 2008. (This is where we have absolute proof how the Iowa State GOP and the 4 Big TV Networks – FOX did not exist yet -- worked together to crassly and criminally cheat the Buchanan campaign and the American voters in the Iowa Caucus on February 12, 1996.) – We can definitely get a fair count in the Iowa Caucus of 2008 – if we have eyes and ears in every caucus gathering.
Part Three will be on how to get a fair count in the New Hampshire Primary, also moved up to January, 2008 as of this writing. -- Since one half of New Hampshire still uses paper ballots AND the neighborhood citizens count the ballots by hand immediately upon closing – we can assure a pretty fair count in the New Hampshire Primary, even if they continue to count (?) the areas around Manchester by secret computer codes.
And Part Four will be on how to get a fair count in the rest of the Primary states – and in the General Election on November 5, 2008. – All the other states which have primaries (as opposed to Caucuses or Conventions) are saddled with the computerized votefraud mechanisms. All 49 states, other than NH, are as of now saddled with the computerized votefraud systems for the November elections.
IF THE VOTES ARE NOT COUNTED IN THE OPEN – IT'S A "BLACK BOX" DISHONEST ELECTION
IF WE CANNOT FORCE AN OPEN AND FAIR COUNT in 2007/2008 at any level and – IF – IF -- the crooks behind the 5 Big TV Networks and the National Democratic and Republican Parties insist on – AGAIN -- counting all the votes in all those computerized states in secret again – then we can alert tens of millions of Americans that this is an ILLEGAL election, and that those claiming to be the government in the USA can no longer prove their legitimacy.
This is the ONE THING the New World Order boys fear – that in the United States of America – where a 2nd amendment defense is still an option – that the general population would realize that the current "elected" officials could not prove that they are elected; that the government can no longer prove it is legitmate.
A hard saying – but this is where we are. It's this serious.
WE want the peaceful, constitutional solution – that's why we're urging an honest, open count at every phase of this election, at all levels. But if those holding the levers of power continue to frustrate honest and openly counted elections, and continue to violate almost every facet of the rule of law and of the constitution in sensitive areas when it really counts, and continue to move towards ending the United States as a sovereign nation, and continue to instigate evil and unnecessary wars – WHAT CHOICE WILL THEY LEAVE US IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE?
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ELECTIONS "COUNTED" IN SECRET!
Furthermore, we will need to announce that we do NOT accept the results of such secretly "counted" computerized elections, counted behind police guard in the general election in every state (except ½ of NH) by the four mysterious mega-corporations (Diebold, ES & S, Sequoia, and Hart).
(I cut out a section here called, "How We Got To a Computerized Votefraud Monopoly counting 99% of our Votes in the USA" – because it was too much of a diversion of what we must do at the Iowa Straw Poll. That article, and much other documentation, can be found at this link on the votefraud.org website:
http://www.votefraud.org/ron_paul_stop_the_votefraud_page.htm
Next: In case you're wondering, --- citizens, candidates, newsmedia – anyone and everyone who requests a recount under current circumstances – must wait until three weeks AFTER the election to even see the paper ballots -- if any exist in that venue, -- by which time such paper ballots can easily be switched so that the computerized "results" which were announced on election night -- look true.
By snatching the actual ballots from public site before the neighborhood citizens in each precinct can count the votes – the legal chain of evidence is broken, and the true count can never again be proven for sure.
I can understand if people doubt that things are this bad when you're first hearing about it – but, if you live outside of New Hampshire, you can prove how bad things are to yourself by simply calling your local board of elections and asking the natural questions which flow from the above information.
If you, the reader, want further in depth explanations, go to votefraud.org and read "What's Relevant Right Now" near the top of the home page – and then "A House without Doors" by this writer and "Pandora's Black Box: Did it really count your vote?" by Dr. Phil O'Halloran – both of which are linked near the top of the page at this link:
http://www.votefraud.org/primer_archive_articles.html
Before we get into our challenge in the area of the vote count at the Ames Straw Poll, let's deal with a question that you, the reader, might reasonably be asking right now:
WHY SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO THIS GUY? WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS?
A reasonable question.
I'm the guy who organized the effort which PROVED, by the grace of God, that votefraud was perpetrated by the 5 Big TV Networks and the Iowa State GOP – against Pat Buchanan, his supporters, and all of America in Dubuque County, Iowa in the Iowa Presidential Caucuses of February 12, 1996. And . . .
* * * * * The same principles of vote-theft have been used by the crooks at the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll. And I believe they will try to use them again – against Ron Paul -- at the upcoming straw poll. * * * * *
While there's no time to go into it here, we are watching a re-run of 1996. A candidate is on the rise who the Ruling Elite doesn't even want on the stage. In 1996, I lived through the "Establishment" against Buchanan in Louisiana, in the Iowa Caucus, in New Hampshire, in Arizona, and in the Super Tuesday states.
I was there -- watching it all. Since then, I never dreamed that the experience we gained then would become relevant and useful again – because I never thought we would have another pro-American candidate "catch fire", as has Congressman Ron Paul in 2007.
My name is Jim Condit Jr. I have been "crying in the wilderness" since 1979 about the dangers of computerized votefraud, and why we need computer-free and machine free elections; why we need paper ballots, hand-counted by the local neighborhood citizens, in the open, immediately as the polls close.
To expand a little on the above, I am the guy who organized about 45 Buchanan supporters in Dubuque, Iowa at the Iowa Caucuses of 1996 to watch the vote count in Dubuque County on February 12, 1996. And, that is how we got the absolute eye-witness proof that the Buchanan campaign was votefrauded in Dubuque County, Iowa, -- as well as the all important HOW it was done, and WHO did it.
That story is told in an article published in "Chronicles Magazine" in November 1996 under the title, "A House Without Doors"; you can read find that article at a link on this page:
http://www.votefraud.org/ron_paul_stop_the_votefraud_page.htm
This discovery uncovered the KEY as to how the corrupt Ruling Elite commit votefraud against the people in any key election it wishes to do so – if the people are asleep, and not watching.
www.votefraud.org – the website of Citizens for a Fair Vote Count, of which I am the founder and Director, was the first website on the world wide web dealing with the "honest elections vs. computerized votefraud" issue. It appeared on the web in March of 1996, thanks to the expertise and zeal of Linda Muller of Virginia, who was also the webmaster of Buchanan.org, (which is how the two of us had met in that year).
Thanks to the proof of votefraud we found in Dubuque, Iowa – perpetrated by the (then) 4 Big TV Networks (FOX did not exist yet, but they are just as crooked) – concerned citizens got me onto over 60 major radio talk shows between March and October in 1996, and these radio shows were carried on over 700 radio station outlets. (The Chuck Harder Show, for instance, was then on the radio in over 325 medium sized cities, such as Middletown, Ohio, which is halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton.)
In 1981, my father, James J. Condit Sr., filed a public interest lawsuit for our group and the citizens of the United States at large against the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1985 we won a ruling from Judge Richard Niehaus, who said that, "There is no safeguard to prevent the computers from being programmed to distort the election results." Despite that ruling, the crooks running Hamilton County have prevented a redress of grievances for the people to this day.
From 1985 to 1998, I worked with the late Collier brothers, Jim and Ken, who wrote the book, "Votescam: The Stealing of America." Chapter 12 of that book is a brief sketch of the first time we worked together around a court order we obtained for inspect the voting process in Cincinnati, Ohio in November, 1985.
On the new documentary, THE RIGHT TO COUNT, at www.TheRightToCount.com – I am one of the spokesman for the honest elections movement featured in the documentary. There is a free 4 minute trailer at that website, and I am the last person on the 4 minute trailer.
It is more than a little unseemly to "brag" this way – but I need to tell you why I am probably the only person who has this set of experiences, who has the conviction about what needs to be done which came from living through these things, and who has the time right now to work somewhat continuously, -- to tell all the Ron Paul supporters how we can and must act at Ames and beyond -- TO GET A FAIR COUNT FOR RON PAUL at all levels and in all contests in 2007 in 2008.
THE AMES STRAW POLL: A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
The Ames Straw Poll takes place this year in Ames, Iowa on August 11, 2007. This is the first contest that has always gotten national attention in Presidential elections since the 1988 campaign.
In 1987, Pat Robertson was running for President as a pro-life and anti-New World Order candidate. He hired a lady by the name of Marlene Elwell, an expert and committed organizer, to bring out the pro-life Evangelical and Catholic vote for him at the Ames Straw poll.
President Reagan was coming to the end of his 8 years. Vice-President Bush (Bush 41) was running. And so was Senator Robert Dole of Kansas.
Marlene Elwell and Pat Robertson stunned the political world when he won the Ames Straw Poll, soundly defeating the sitting Vice-President and the Senator from neighboring Kansas. (The GOP then crassly and blatantly stole the Michigan primary from Robertson to stop his momentum. After New Hampshire, the computer-counted Super Tuesday states saw VP Bush bury all the others in landslides (?), even in all the southern states.)
Anyway, this is when the Ames Straw Poll was put "on the map."
In 1992, President Bush was the incumbent, and Pat Buchanan did not decide to challenge him in New Hampshire until late 1991, so there was no contest at the Ames Straw poll on the Republican side in 1991.
In August, 1995, those of us present witnessed some very odd happenings at the Ames Straw Poll. About 10 candidates were running and attended, including Senator Bob Dole, Senator Phil Graham, Patrick Buchanan, Congressman Robert Dornan, Lamar Alexander, Alan Keyes, and so on.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TO THE AMES, IOWA STRAW POLL
When we got to the sprawling grounds of the Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa on the morning of the Ames Straw Poll – activity was everywhere. Tents were up. Food was being served. Music was playing here and there. Campaigning was going on everywhere, mostly the candidate supporters. Al Franken of Saturday Night Live fame, now beginning to turn to politics as a reporter for somebody, was milling around the Buchanan tent, -- I guess trying to size up what kind of people don't live in New York City.
As we went inside (about 1:30 PM), the atmosphere was electric. The establishment Republicans were trying to hold the line against the Buchanan forces, and the Buchanan forces were excited to have a candidate they could get behind, but feeling behind the "eight ball" – because the national press had been telling them for months that they and their candidate WERE behind the 8 ball.
There was tremendous screaming and cheering when all the candidates came out on stage before the candidate talks began (each candidate would be allotted about 12 minutes). But then, when Senator Bob Dole spoke, -- the man the Big National Media had been telling us for months was the front runner in the race for the 1996 GOP nomination – there was absolute, dead silence. You could hear a pin drop. Dole droned on. No one was impolite. I think everyone was catching various phases of a quick nap after the exhausting screaming and cheering.
At the end, polite to robust applause. But then – when Buchanan, Keyes, Dornan took the stage – raucous, uncontrolled cheering and screaming again – when each speaker hit the "red meat" conservative and pro-freedom applause lines. (The reader may be getting an inkling of why the Iowa State GOP always wants to "count" the Ames Straw Poll vote in secret – but more on that soon.)
As an aside, there was candidate there who's only purpose was to be the left-leaning, counter-balance to Buchanan in the early going – and that was the despicable New World Order operative, Senator Arlen Specter – he who began his political rise in 1964 when he thought up the preposterous single-bullet theory to try and save the official version of the JFK assassination story. (The Ruling Elite has awarded him ever since THAT piece of fiction he came up with.)
Anyway, when Specter spoke – EVERYTHING he said was wrong, wrong, wrong from a Republican and American point of view. AND – with a little help from some of us scattered throughout the hall – the entire crowd began booing him at the top of their lungs every time he let loose with a Socialist-leftist line. This was great fun – and it showed the powers-that-be that the people in the heartland were American first, -- and Republican WAY second. (May no candidate get away with calling for police state measures in the USA, or calling for a "pre-emptive" strike on another nation – without being give the "Arlen Specter" treatment at the upcoming Ames Straw Poll.)
The Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa is a first class facility. While the candidate speeches were going on in the arena, the voting was taking place in the upper level of the coliseum – out where the refreshment stands were for basketball games. As I recall, there were about 100 voting booths set up, more or less evenly spaced, around the top level of the arena, which circled the main arena.
The voting, as I recall, took place between about 1 PM and 5 PM, but that time frame should be double-checked for this year's event. About 20,000 people paid and voted that year.
As I recall, ANYONE who paid $20 at that time could vote – you did not have to be from Iowa. THAT HAS NOW CHANGED. I believe anyone who pays the fee, which is now $35, can get in the arena – but only people with proof of an Iowa drivers license, or other form of state of Iowa ID – will be allowed to vote in the 2007 Ames Straw Poll.
HOW THEY "COUNTED" THE VOTE – AND THE IMPOSSIBLE "RESULT"
Even though I had been fighting unverifiable elections for 16 years at that point, it didn't occur to me to pay much attention to how the vote was being counted. The people of Iowa are very down to earth and friendly. I forgot that the GOP Iowa officials would be dancing to the tune of the dark financial and political forces in New York City and Washington D.C.
It turned out, even at this small event, -- where only about 200 voters were voting at each polling station – the state GOP officials were using a machine that registered (?) the votes on a little computer inside each voting station. THIS WAS SO UNNECESSARY – if you wanted an open and fair count.
There were NO PAPER BALLOTS. You marked or punched something on the machine – and the computer inside the machine supposedly prepared a ticker tape that would be printed out at the end. (This is straight out of the standard playbook for any election "counted" by the New World Order criminal computerized votefraud syndicate.)
When the voting period ended at 5 PM, a designated GOP official did something to the machine which caused a ticker tape (an adding machine tape) to print out. Then the official scurried amidst great solemnity to a room where only Iowa GOP officials were allowed. This meant that only (Senator) Bob Dole and (Senator) Phil Graham people were in that room. And they locked the door – so that all would go on -- in the ALL IMPORTANT counting phase -- completely out of public view. (This is ALSO straight out of the standard playbook for any election "counted" by the New World Order criminal computerized votefraud syndicate.)
A TIE? . . . DID YOU SAY A TIE? . . . YEP! THEY'RE CLAIMING IT'S A TIE!
One hour went by. Two hours went by. . . . Now keep in mind – all they had to do in that locked room was add up about 200 ticker tapes with the results for 10 candidates on each ticker tape. If you had ten guys with a calculator adding up twenty of the ticker tapes each – that should take about 45 minutes at most – including the double checking.
Anyway, two hours goes by. I was sitting in the quickly emptying out Ames arena with the Buchanan forces, still not imagining that the state of Iowa GOP crooks would try to pull anything -- stupid me! (Don't feel bad, Citizens of Iowa, at the state and national levels – my best guess is that EVERY GOP – and Democratic -- organization is crooked from top to bottom. Certainly such is the case in my state of Ohio.)
At this point, even I began to become suspicious as word reach us in the arena that candidate Alan Keyes was down at the locked room, knocking on the door and asking what was going on. And then . . .
And then, a number of minutes later, two Republican officials emerged and went up to the microphone to address the arena – now about only 10% full.
Sheepishly, one of them announced that – "believe it not" – we have an EXACT tie. Yes, it was, they told us, (as I recall) 4501 to 4501. Bob Dole and Phil Graham – the two "establishment" candidates – had TIED EXACTLY! Out of 20,000 votes cast – they had tied – exactly!
The others were announced. Pat Buchanan got about 3925 votes or so as I recall – and the rest far behind. The Buchanan campaign officials seemed to be happy, because it had been hammered for months by the national media that Buchanan was a "fringe candidate" with "no support."
After this almost-impossible announcement, my feeling was that the straw poll had been fixed. And I was not alone. On CNN the next morning – commentator Robert Novak challenged swarmy GOP operative Charlie Black, suggesting that the GOP had cooked the numbers of the Iowa Straw Poll to get that so-unlikely exact tie between Dole and Graham. Black flashed his plastic smile, and talked about something else.
WHAT COMMON SENSE TELLS ME ABOUT THE 1995 IOWA STAW POLL
There are two places the Iowa Straw Poll of 1995 could have been rigged. The first is in the little computers in the voting machines themselves. The computers could have been rigged to just tabulate how many votes were cast – and then divide them by a pre-programmed percentage, i.e., 28% for Dole, 25% for Graham, 16% for Buchanan, 3% for Keyes, etc.
Anybody under 25 years of age – my kids' generation – will guffaw uncontrollably if someone tries to tell them that computers cannot be easily rigged.
But this does not seem to be done in Ames in 1995 – or there wouldn't have been the two hour crisis behind the locked doors once the Iowa State GOP Poobas looked at the ticker tapes. (However, things could be fixed at this level in the 2007 Straw poll – so machines that "count" ? the votes in the dark – with no paper trail – are completely unacceptable.)
The fixing at the Iowa Straw Poll of 1995 – common sense dictates – happened behind the locked doors in the two hours that transpired between the end of the voting period and the announcement of the "results."
If the Iowa GOP officials were playing it straight – they would have added up the 100 ticker tapes with ten guys on calculators – double checked the results for each candidate – and been out in 45 minutes to an hour with the results.
No. Common sense tells us that something else was going on.
The only thing I can figure is that Buchanan won; that once the decision was made to suppress this result, that neither the Graham people nor the Dole people would give way to cede first place to the other --- so the whole rotten bunch came up with the preposterous first place "tie" scenario.
BUT – REMEMBER – if they had counted the votes right – no "black box" machines – and maneuvering behind locked doors – then we wouldn't have to be speculating on what the true vote count was way back there in the 1995 Iowa Straw Poll at Ames.
HOW THE VOTES SHOULD HAVE BEEN COUNTED THEN – AND NOW
Instead of having computerized machines at each of the 100 or so stations at the Iowa Straw Poll, the Iowa State GOP could have clear plastic boxes at each of these 100 stations.
As each voter casts his ballot, the paper ballot should go in the clear plastic box, and the clear plastic box should remain visible throughout the voting period, -- which, again, usually lasts from about 1 PM to 5 PM.
Each ballot will have about the name of each GOP Presidential candidate who is participating, with one candidate marked on each ballot by the voter.
As the voting period ends about 5 PM or so, then the ballots could be pulled out of the boxes to be counted immediately by two people pre-designated by the Iowa GOP at each voting station.
A representative from each Presidential campaign would be permitted to WITNESS the vote count at each of the 100 stations.
(This is the way they still count the votes in half of New Hampshire, Great Britain, much of France, India, etc. -- It's the way all Americans used to count the votes from the founding of our country to a few decades ago. This is the FAIR way to count the vote; the open way, the honest way.
With each two persno team counting about 200 or 300 votes at each of the 100 voting stations – each station would be done counting in 45 minutes or so. Then all of the counters AND WITNESSES FOR EACH CAMPAIGN could congregate in an UNLOCKED room in the Ames Stadium – such as on the stage where the candidates spoke – and hand their counts to several designated people, each armed with a calculator.
The vote for each candidate is then added up and double checked. All the campaigns could be doing the same thing – since each had a witness at every station.
Finally, the result would be announced to everyone in the coliseum.
That would be the honest and open way to count the Iowa Straw Poll vote.
When someone wants to count your votes on secret computer programs, in the dark, so that no one can see what's happening – it is a fair bet that such a "someone" wants to do that so they can FIX THE VOTE. What other reason would there be? (Any excuse that computers are easier to use may have flown in 1973 – but is completely discredited by now in 2007, especially at an event as manageable and straight-forward as the Iowa Straw Poll.
As stated above, EVERY person under 25 knows how easy it is to rig computer programs – and so do many of the rest of us.)
BUT WE GO TO AMES FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE IN 2007 – BECAUSE THE IOWA GOP HAS ALREADY DECREED THEY ARE GOING TO USE THE COMPUTERIZED MACHINES AGAIN!
When in Des Moines last weekend, I was told by someone who was there, that the state GOP has already voted to use the "black box" computer machines again, without a paper ballot trail.
A Ron Paul supporter present expressed an objection to this – and he was told not to worry because a REPUBLICAN would be overseeing the machines.
The Ron Paul man appropriately responded, "I'd rather have a Democrat."
It is unconscionable for the Iowa GOP to take $35 from all participants – and then count the vote in the dark, where no one can see if the count is accurate or not.
However, it's not over yet.
We must go to Ames, Iowa to make sure that Ron Paul is not cheated at this year's Iowa Straw Poll.
WHAT MUST BE DONE AT THE AMES STRAW POLL BY RON PAUL SUPPORTERS ON AUGUST 11, 2007
* For those who have the time and energy, calls to the GOP state headquarters demanding an open count could be helpful; and calls to the news media in Iowa, especially radio talk shows, should ask why the GOP is not counting the vote in the open at the Straw Poll, where people are presumably paying $35 to participate in an HONEST event, not an easily rigged event. The more people that can put any Republican or newsmedia person on the spot – the better. (However, like letters to your congressman – we CANNOT count on this to force the Iowa GOP or the media to do anything.)
* A CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CAN FORCE RADIO ADS ON THE BIG TALK RADIO STATIONS AND REACH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. We desperately need a pro-Ron Paul congressional candidate to get on the ballot in Iowa. Any person over 25 years of age can get on the ballot as a congressional candidate in the Republican or Democratic primary by gathering only 50 valid signatures and paying a small fee.
A congressional candidate has the right to run radio ads on any FCC licensed station under the Reasonable Access Law. The station is NOT allowed to modify or change the content of the message. We need such a candidate to put on radio ads over WHO in Des Moines and other big talk radio stations. (We have used this strategy in Cincinnati, Ohio for years.) A radio ad to put the Iowa GOP on the spot before hundreds of thousands of Iowans regarding the vote count at the Ames straw poll -- could say something like this:
"Hello, my name is XXX XXXX. There is a sordid history associated with the vote count at the Iowa Straw Poll, which is coming up again in Ames on August 11th. The vote was counted in secret in 1995 and 1999. In 1995 things looked so bad that reporter Robert Novak suggested on CNN that the results had been cooked by the Iowa State GOP. I support Ron Paul for President, but I'm afraid the Iowa State GOP is counting the vote in secret so they can suppress Ron Paul's vote. Win or lose, honest citizens in Iowa want an open and fair count at the Ames Straw Poll. Get rid of the machines, and count paper ballots by hand, in the open -- where observers from each campaign can watch. Paid for by XXX XXXXX for Congress. (Then play a portion of "Hope for America" by Steve Dore as follows) "There's a great man we can count on, who stands far above the crowd, leading the cause for freedom, we have someone on our side now, in this time of great trouble, our nation really needs Ron Paul, He's Hope For America . . ." (And that would fill the 60 second radio ad.) (End of proposed radio ad text)
By the way, I've been listening to "Hope for America" by Steve Dore as I've been writing this e-wire, and I believe it is really an inspired song – especially the line, "We have someone on our side now." But all the words are right on target and get a comprehensive message across, hitting all the right notes, so to speak.
* About $7,000 to $10,000 would get saturation play on major Talk radio stations around Des Moines and a few other cities in the week preceding the Iowa Straw Poll on August 11, 2007.
This method of using radio ads to reach hundreds of thousands of people over the large AM Talk radio stations – over major AM talk shows like Hannity and Rush – gets the message outside of the dedicated internet and activist crowd – and gets the message to the less engaged Americans who are riding back and forth to work everyday.
Such radio ads over major stations serve to put those in positions of power on the spot – so they cannot work in the dark at the Straw Poll without looking real, real bad.
* At the Ames Straw Poll, we must have buttons and signs which Ron Paul supporters can wear and carry around. The signs could say: WHY is the GOP Counting the Ames Straw Poll in secret? I'm for Ron Paul, and I want an open count. (This same message would probably take two buttons.) We must also have business cards to pass out to everyone at the event, especially before the event, explaining how the vote is being counted in secret – and how we fear this is happening so that Ron Paul's vote can be suppressed. (Hopefully, downloadable PDF's for signs, buttons, and business cards will be made available on votefraud.org – or another website – which can be duplicated by individuals and brought to the Ames Straw Poll.)
* We need a website or a system on the internet whereby everyone going to Ames can communicate by email with anyone else who signs on. (Maybe the meet-up system already does this – I don't yet understand it well enough.)
* We must identify and organize at least 100 of us inside and outside the coliseum at Ames to be actively carrying the signs calling for an open count, and condemning the "black box" count – so that everyone at the event knows that the GOP of Iowa is not acting honorably.
* In a conference call last night, Fred Smart of Chicago said we need to have chants going outside and inside the coliseum which get the point across if the vote is still going to be counted in the dark, such as "Who's counting the vote?" "Let's count the vote in the open instead of in the dark." Etc. etc. – This is critical – we must have a visible and audible presence inside and outside of the Coliseum on the issue of a Fair Count for Ron Paul.
With these actions, we can make sure that, -- if the GOP doesn't change to an open, computer-free, machine-free count – then everyone in the hall will KNOW that they are conducting a secret count.
And – with YouTube – everyone in the USA will know that they conducted a secret count.
* The campaign itself should, and undoubtedly will, have all the Ron Paul voters also register with the campaign, so that we will at least have a double check on the minimum amount of votes that Ron Paul will get at the Ames Iowa Straw poll. Perhaps, the campaign could station someone at each voting station asking Ron Paul voters to also make their vote known to the campaign – which would provide, in effect, a double check on the minimum votes that Ron Paul should get that day.
* Hopefully, we will have many video cameras outside and inside the hall to capture any attempts by the GOP of Iowa to stop participants from wearing buttons, carrying signs, etc. And also the video cameras can capture what is happening at the voting stations, and what happens afterwards, such as the ticker tapes being taken behind locked doors for the final "count", if that happens again.
All this needs to go up on YouTube – if an open count is not held.
YOUTUBE NATION – REPORTING ON THE REPORTERS
* Also, citizen journalists should interview any and all big-time press people from the Big Media who come to the Iowa event. In times past, all the big media outlets were there.
These Big Media "reporters" should be asked – on camera -- why their stations never discuss Ron Paul as a serious candidate when they talk about the Presidential election; and why they never report on the secret computer vote counts that are giving us these funny, un-American leaders we now have in Washington D.C., and why they are comfortable with a secretive count at the Ames Straw Poll, if the current policy remains in place.
Get these "Reporters" on camera smirking and running away – and put it on YouTube. Or put there responses on, good or bad. – Let's either make these alleged reporters do their job – or be afraid to come to such events for the embarrassment they will suffer at the hands of the New Media.
MAY I SUGGEST A NATIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE RIGHT BEFORE THE AMES, IOWA STRAW POLL BEGINS -- LED BY RON PAUL – WITH THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS STANDING BEHIND HIM?
In this last section of this Open Letter, Part One – I wish to respectively address the Ron Paul campaign, and Congressman Ron Paul himself.
This is a suggestion, and in making it – let me say -- I believe in leaving the Point Man, the Candidate, room to do what is comfortable for his personality and for his strategy.
What I would like to suggest is that at the Ames Straw Poll, -- if the vote is still at that point going to be "counted" on the computerized machines and without paper ballots – that right before the event, maybe at 12 noon, Congressman Ron Paul hold a brief, national press conference on the subject of fair and open vote counts.
With thousands of supporters standing behind him, -- perhaps all holding signs calling for "paper ballots counted in the open" – we would altogether create a stunning visual image.
Congressman Paul could state that citizens across the nation are calling for open elections – for paper ballots counted immediately in the open – before the ballots leave the public sight. Congressman Paul could state that his campaign does not think it lends confidence to the final results when the votes are counted by "black box" methods, or without citizen participation. If he wishes, he could add that two major documentaries are now out on the honest election issue: HACKING DEMOCRACY which was aired on HBO last November and is now available on DVD; and The Right To Count, which is available on DVD.
This press conference could be filmed by us and put up immediately on YouTube – and on other pro-Ron Paul websites. If the Big TV Networks don't cover it – SHAME ON THEM – and they will pay with a further erosion of whatever credibility they have left – when people see what really happened on YouTube, and honest websites.
**** AND – if the GOP of Iowa is still stubbornly refusing by the time of this proposed press conference to have an open count – then we will have 30,000 pieces of white paper, 8 ½ x 11, and 100 boxes present at the press conference – so that even at that point the computerized machines with their "black box" count could be scrapped by the Iowa GOP leaders– and replaced with the white pieces of paper. Then each of the Straw Poll voters could simply writing their choice for President on a blank piece of paper – to be counted in the open, before witnesses from every campaign, right as the voting closes later that afternoon. Even at that late moment, we could offer the Iowa GOP the option of doing the right thing and counting the votes in the open.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This is no longer a fringe issue. Just about everyone is aware that honest elections are a pre-requisite of a free society.
Remember the quote attributed to Communist Tyrant Joseph Stalin: "Those who CAST the votes decide nothing; those who COUNT the votes decide everything."
Millions of our fellow Americans have fought, and bled, and died over the last 235 years to secure your right, and my right to cast a ballot that COUNTS.
The Supreme Count ruled TWICE not so many years ago, that the right to vote includes the right to have your vote honestly counted. (United States v. Mosley, 1915: found in 238 US 383 at p. 384; and Reynolds v Sims, 1964; found at 377 US 533 at p. 534).
The Iowa Straw Poll on August 11, 2007 in Ames, Iowa is the first big confrontation of the 2008 Presidential election cycle.
At this event we have the chance to meaningfully do battle with the other campaigns, with the GOP of Iowa over how the votes are counted – and with the Big Media that has been suppressing the real support for the Ron Paul campaign, while hyping and inflating the non-existent support for the Giuliani campaign. (That's why Giuliani pulled out of the Straw Poll, obviously. The despicable, dishonest Big TV Networks, instead of saying that Giuliani looks bad because he can't find any warm bodies that support him in Iowa, they turned reality on its head and are trying to say that Giuliani's pull out is make the Iowa Straw Poll a less meaningful event. It already has communicated one meaning to sane people: Giuliani can't compete with Ron Paul on the ground in Iowa.)
The Founding Fathers went to GREAT inconvenience to "attend" many of the battles that led to the founding of our nation.
It will be a great inconvenience for many to make the trip to Ames, Iowa this August 11th. But now is the time. If you possibly can – get there. Whether we wish it or not, the first big battle is upon us.
See you at Ames, Iowa for the Iowa Straw Poll of 2007 – and for the "Hope for America": Presidential candidate Ron Paul.
Jim Condit Jr.
Director, Citizens for a Fair Vote Count
Network America E-wire
