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By JD Post on May 14, 2009 | No Comments
Happy as a Pig in...
Turn on any news show and you’ll hear all about the alleged swine flu pandemic. On April 29, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert to a five–the second highest level on its alert scale. While initial outbreaks spread quickly from Mexico to the United States and then to Europe and Canada, the media went into a frenzy predicting astronomical death tolls and forced vaccinations. Some nations have set travel bans. Some areas closed schools. Egypt decreed the murder of all its porcine citizens. But what can we really expect?
As they bandy about the term “pandemic” it is critical to remember that this word actually refers to an epidemic that is geographically widespread. The media is quick to compare the swine flu to the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 that killed approximately 100 million people across the globe, about ten times as many souls as were snuffed out in the then just concluding Great War.
As the pharmaceutical companies scramble to create a vaccine for the swine flu, we must think back to the vaccine that was promoted for the swine flu back in 1976. Time magazine published an article on April 27, 2009, that described how dozens of people died and hundreds were harmed by the vaccine for the 1976 swine flu. At the same time, the article brings up the idea that public officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease.”
Dr. Mercola of mercola.com was just about to begin medical school when the last swine flu was going around. He remembers, “It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign. Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths. However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barre Syndrome after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine… And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized.”
Tamiflu has been touted as the only medication that the swine flu will respond to. This medication has been banned in Japan due to neuropsychiatric problems and deaths due to the drug. Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu, has had its stock rise in value after the news of the new swine flu surfaced. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld owns about $18 million worth of stock in this company. Would the fact that he and many other people stand to benefit from outbreaks have anything at all to do with the ban on liability suits that former President Bush put into place for vaccine companies?
What do you think?
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By Alexa Bexley on February 20, 2009 | 3 Comments
Gardasil, the vaccine seen on commercials with the sales pitch “one less,” gets one more big hit today as Katie Couric addresses serious concerns about the drug .
Katie educates Americans about numerous injuries reported by young girls who trusted that the vaccine was safe and would prevent serious illness, rather than cause it. What makes this new information even more compelling is that just last week, Spain actually withdrew 75, 000 doses of the vaccine from their market after two teens were hospitalized for serious side effects.
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) has compared Gardasil’s adverse events to the meningitis vaccine Menactra, which is the only other vaccine mandated for teens in several states. The NVIC reports that Gardasil injections resulted in three times the number of emergency room visits, causing injury to more than 5,000 young girls. Reports of side effects were up to 30 times higher with Gardasil, than Menactra. Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the NVIC, said, “Now we know from this report that there are more reactions and deaths associated with Gardasil than with another vaccine given in the same age group. It’s irresponsible not to take action.”
According to Dr. Mercola, “Over 10,000 adverse reactions, including 27 deaths, have been reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in relation to Gardasil. Yet, the CDC and FDA are alleging that the vast majority, or even ALL, of these cases are unrelated to the vaccine. Therefore, they claim, Gardasil is safe.”
Barbara Loe Fisher, President and co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), believes that the “tragic story of Gardasil vaccine is one that is playing out real time in the homes of trusting parents, who thought they were doing the right thing to try to make their daughters ‘one less,’ and in the 21st century cyberspace forum of public opinion as well as on television.”
The Gardasil vaccine is one of the most blatant deceptions going on in modern medicine. Well-meaning mothers are being deceived into thinking this shot will protect their daughters from cervical cancer, and some of them are now wondering how and why their young children died or became suddenly paralyzed.
NVIC Petitions White House and Congress to Investigate Gardasil
On February 9, the NVIC launched a petition and issued a national press release calling on President Barack Obama’s administration and Congress to investigate the fast-track licensure and universal use recommendation of Gardasil in 2006, and the dismissal of more than 10,000 reports of Gardasil-related reactions, injuries, and deaths to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System as a “coincidence” by federal health officials.
NVIC’s latest Gardasil risk report, which compares the number and severity of adverse events reported to VAERS through November 30, 2008, reveals that death and serious health problems such as stroke, blood clots, cardiac arrest, seizures, fainting, lupus, and re-challenge cases are reported three to 30 times more frequently after Gardasil vaccination than after meningococcal (Menactra) vaccination.
Barbara Loe Fisher explains the significance of this fact: “If the deaths and serious injuries reported after Gardasil were only a ‘coincidence,’ there would be little or no difference between the frequency and severity of vaccine-related adverse events between two vaccines, if the vaccines were equally reactive, and the number of doses were roughly the same. Gardasil and Menactra vaccines were licensed within a year of each other and recommended by the CDC for universal use in 11-12 year olds.
“Although Menactra is given to boys and girls and has already been mandated in many states for high school and college entry, Gardasil is only given to girls and is not yet mandated. Menactra is given as a one-dose series and, by February 25, 2008, the CDC reported that about 15.5 million doses of Menactra had been distributed in the U.S. Gardasil is given in a three dose series and the CDC reported that, by July 2008, about 16 million doses had been distributed in the U.S. This means that about 15 million doses of Menactra were given to about 15 million boys and/or girls and about 16 million doses of Gardasil - if every girl got three doses - were given to about five million girls.
“It is individuals - not doses of vaccine - who collapse, convulse, become paralyzed, have heart attacks, develop lupus, and other chronic health problems after being vaccinated. The fact that death and serious health problems are reported 3 to 30 times more frequently after Gardasil than after Menactra is highly significant and it is irresponsible for federal health officials and Merck to blow it off as unimportant.”
What Does Merck Have to Say About it?
It’s incomprehensible that the CDC, FDA, and Merck (the makers of Gardasil) cannot see the facts presented in this VAERS analysis, and choose instead to cling to worn-out propaganda slogans and pre-written advertising messages that fly in the face of reason.
In the hours before the CBS News report shown above was broadcast, Merck addressed the differences between adverse events associated with Gardasil and Menactra as follows: “It’s important to remember that the proven benefit of Gardasil is that it helps prevent cervical cancer caused by the two virus types responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.”
Nothing is more important to Merck than the safety of our products and we carefully monitor the safety of GARDASIL on a routine basis. Experts at the FDA and CDC also continue to review data and, as recently as four months ago said, “GARDASIL continues to be safe and effective, and its benefits continue to outweigh its risks. NVIC is not a medical organization and has a long history of raising concerns about vaccines that are in direct conflict with the opinion of leading medical experts. We encourage consumers to get reliable information about the safety of vaccines from www.cdc.gov.”
Spain Already Removed the Vaccine
Last week Spain withdrew 75, 000 doses of the HPV vaccine from their market after two teenagers who received the shots were hospitalized. It seems they aren’t as influenced by the drug company’s rhetoric as U.S. authorities, and are more concerned about the safety of their citizens.
Get Involved and Help Save the Daughters of This Nation
According to Barbara Loe Fisher, “In the past 27 years, the stories of death and brain damage that have been reported to the NVIC have never changed. Whether the vaccine victims are 15 months old or 15 years old, the stories are the same: a trusting parent took a bright, healthy child to a doctor for a routine vaccination and the child was never the same again.
“The Gardasil vaccine was inappropriately fast-tracked and licensed by the FDA and recommended by the CDC with too little attention paid to the reports of brain and immune system dysfunction that developed after vaccination in pre-licensure clinical trials. That same cavalier attitude toward Gardasil-related deaths and serious health problems, which have been experienced by many girls and young women after licensure, is inexcusable.
”Most Americans have blindly placed their trust in the vaccine makers and in federal health agencies, whose responsibility is to ensure that drugs and vaccines licensed for public use are safe, effective and necessary.
However, over the years it has become very clear that those responsible for protecting your health are not looking out for your best interest and that of your children. And if they won’t do it, then it is up to you and me to do it. I urge you to sign the Investigate Gardasil Vaccine Risks Now! petition available on the http://www.NVIC.org web site that my team helped create for them. ”If you believe in NVIC’s effort to bring these issues to the public’s attention, support their cause by donating $25 or more to NVIC and receive Barbara Fisher’s 2008 book Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic as a gift.
Fisher continues: “In 2009, I have a sense of déjà vu as the story of Gardasil vaccine plays out [in] real time. There are striking parallels between how those operating the mass vaccination system reacted in the 1980’s to persistent reports that the DPT vaccine was harming more children than originally assumed, and the way they are reacting now to persistent reports that Gardasil is more reactive than it was originally assumed.
Assumption of safety is no substitute for proof of safety. And turning away from human suffering in order to protect the status quo is not the way to run a government that needs the trust and support of the people. In the 18th century, Queen Marie Antoinette [allegedly] looked down at a starving people pleading for bread to stay alive and said ‘Let them eat cake.’ It is time for everyone in government, industry and medicine to take a different approach to persistent reports of vaccine injuries and deaths or risk metaphorically suffering the same fate that ended the monarchy in France. In the 21st century, today’s peasants don’t have pitchforks - they have laptops, desktops, smartphones and the internet.”
I strongly urge you to join in petitioning our new U.S. administration and Congress to take a close, hard look at the HPV vaccine, to end the needless suffering of tens of thousands of young, bright, innocent girls.
To stay up to date on vaccine news and safety concerns, visit the newly updated website of NVIC.org, the premier vaccine watch dog organization.
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Well, will we or won’t we? The House Republicans have already stood fast against change to the tune of Nero’s fiddle. Will the Senate follow suit? Obama’s recovery package may not be perfect, but it is a reasonably comprehensive effort that will create jobs and transform this nation for the common good. Which is exactly what this country, and the world, needs right now. Otherwise, we may be heading into a black hole, and where the bottom lies no one seems to know. Or maybe we should just scrap it. The Great Depression instilled excellent moral fiber in its victims. That could be just what America needs!
What do you think?
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By Abigail Rhodes on December 8, 2008 | 1 Comment
Lead. Chromium. Arsenic. Cadmium. Phthalates. Bromine. Mercury. That’s just the “short list” of chemicals that can be found in many of the children’s toys being sold to parents all over the country this holiday season. This may not come as a shock to those of us who are already suspicious about the chemical composition of products intended for our children, especially considering the consumer warnings earlier this year about BPA in baby bottles or melamine-contaminated chocolates from China.
Still there are parents who trust that the regulatory agencies in our government wouldn’t allow toys containing toxic chemicals to be sold by US retailers. I can’t blame them. Our government has tried to convince us that its institutions exist to serve and protect the people. If ever this were true in the past, it surely does not seem to be the case today. We can see on a daily basis how insufficient our product regulations are and how the agencies meant to enforce them are failing at this task. Take the FDA for example, and consider the many pharmaceutical drugs the administration has approved that have since been declared unsafe.
In what we can only hope will be a leap forward in regard to the safety of children’s products, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. This act aims to reduce the amount of Lead and several Phthalates which is legally acceptable, to ban any children’s products containing more than the allowable amount, and to generally test and regulate these toxins more closely.
The act doesn’t actually take effect until February of 2009 however, so this Christmas it is vital that we all take measures to protect our families where our government has failed us. It is our responsibility as parents to ensure we’re not wrapping up bundles of toxic chemicals to bring a smile to our kid’s faces on Christmas morning.
You certainly won’t find any warning labels on your children’s toys, but websites like HealthyToys.org can help you choose Christmas gifts that are safe. For this particular website, researchers used an X-ray Florescence device to inspect 1,500 different toys for levels of lead, chlorine, arsenic, mercury, tin and other harmful chemicals. Many of the most popular toys and children’s products were selected for inspection, and were purchased from popular retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us, at locations across the country.
When you visit the website, you can search for a specific toy or manufacturer, or you can just browse the HealthyToys.org list of the products that received their best ratings for the lowest amounts of harmful toxins to get some safe gift ideas. They also offer an astounding list of the most harmful children’s products they’ve tested, which includes Disney products containing lead and bromine, and Little Tikes products containing mercury. Arm yourself with knowledge and protect your family from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals. Let’s hope the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 will mean a wider variety of truly kid-safe toys in 2009.
We wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday!
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By Alexa Bexley on November 12, 2008 | 1 Comment
I recently witnessed something quite uncommon in the mainstream media. On MSNBC, in a Special Comment, Keith Olbermann shared his sincere feelings about Proposition 8 in California, seemingly to inspire viewers to rethink their position on the subject of gay marriage.
Although the California Supreme Court officially declared same-sex marriage a fundamental right on May 15, 2008, the proposition to eliminate gay marriage by amending the state constitution to define marriage as strictly between a man and a woman was actually favored by a majority of voters, about 5% more than those who opposed it.
The decision has obviously struck a chord with Olbermann and, after a few days of contemplating the issue, Keith prepared a rational, philosophical, and heartfelt statement to viewers who voted in favor of Proposition 8, as well as anyone who opposes gay marriage in general.
I believe that Keith has made some very good points. Every issue in America seems to be judged on the basis of “Us vs. Them”, creating barriers between us and dividing our society. We are all just people on the same journey, shouldn’t we each have the same opportunity to experience marriage if it’s something that we desire?
Those who believe so have been scrambling to fight the amendment. On November 5th, following Election Day, three separate lawsuits were filed in an attempt to cause the state’s Supreme Court to overturn it, while supporters of Proposition 8 endeavor to become part of its defense.
This is not a battle for California alone; the ruling will undoubtedly have an impact on the issue of same-sex marriage across the nation. But as Keith Olbermann so eloquently pointed out, this is not a political or religious issue, this is an issue regarding the quality of life for many American citizens. It is not only about our constitutional rights, but our fundamental right to happiness. By granting homosexuals the right to have their marriages recognized officially, the rest of us will lose nothing, while many others will be given the opportunity to have an experience that they probably never should have been restricted from to begin with.
You can keep yourself updated on the progress of this controversial issue and get informed about other current news topics with more Keith Olbermann videos on the official Countdown with Keith Olbermann website or read his thoughts at The News Hole.
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By Alexa Bexley on November 7, 2008 | No Comments
Since the advent of vaccines, there have been parents who’ve questioned them or even refused to let their children be given the shots. In recent years, this number has grown exponentially and the rates seem to get higher and higher as parents choose to research it for themselves. They are a small but vocal minority. Thanks to the internet, parents no longer have to wonder what their children are being injected with, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a list of ingredients for every vaccine offered in America, as well as lists of possible side effects.
This information has many parents almost scared to death, especially when the immunization schedule is taken into consideration. Often, parents who do choose to educate themselves on the subject decide to selectively vaccinate or not vaccinate at all. This growing number of concerned parents has been publicly criticized by several experts in the field. One of the most passionate vaccination supporters is Dr. Paul Offit, often referred to as ”Dr. Profit” in light of the many books he has authored or co-authored to “educate” parents and convince them not to educate themselves.
That’s correct. Not only does Dr. Offit criticize parents who do not vaccinate their children, he also insists that there is no cause for concern and no reason that parents should ask questions about the shots before letting their children be injected with them. There is rarely a story about vaccinations published without including a quote from Dr. Offit; after all he does have extensive experience in the field. He is a pediatrician (non-practicing, I’d imagine) and has been studying vaccines for 30 years, in fact he’s even got a patent on the new RotaTeq vaccine for rotavirus, for which he was given a $350,000 grant from Merck to develop. He also founded the Vaccine Education Center and distributes educational materials to pediatricians’ offices all over the country, like the handy vaccine printouts that do little more than tell parents how important it is for their children to get the shots.
It seems to me that he may be a bit too invested in the industry personally, and I am not the first to question his motives. A few months ago, CBS News aired a story about possible conflicts of interest regarding people and groups who adamantly support immunization.
Dr. Offit is now becoming a martyr for his cause, trying to make non-vaccinating parents look like villains. Apparently he dislikes the negative attention his position on the issue has drawn to him; or at least he claims to, but is still as vocal as ever on the subject, despite an anonymous call from a man who knew where Dr. Offit’s children go to school.
I don’t suggest that we abolish vaccinations in this country, but I do believe it’s a parent’s right to make that choice for their own children. If a parent is concerned about giving their children shots, the information is available and they can do research themselves to decide what is right for their family; whether the risk of contracting an infectious disease is higher and more dangerous than the risks of possible side effects caused by vaccinating them. Paul Offit, however, would rather deprive parents of this right to choose entirely.
If you are concerned about vaccinations, please visit the National Vaccine Information Center website to get informed and get involved in the fight to preserve parental rights regarding immunization.
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By Alexa Bexley on November 7, 2008 | 1 Comment
Not all Americans cast their votes easily on Election Day, many had to wait in line for hours. Others were even turned away at the polls (sound familiar?). Among them was Tim Robbins. Less than a month after being given his own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, this world-famous actor, director, and producer joined the ranks of disenfranchised American voters on November 4th, but he did not just go home in frustration and disappointment.
Instead, the busy celebrity went to the office of the Board of Elections to request a court order that would allow him to vote. He reported that in five hours, 30 people had been turned away from the polls just the way he was and he estimates that (if that rate is similar elsewhere across the country) six people every hour in each district may have had the same trouble. That is quite a lot of registered American voters.
He told reporters that not only is he registered to vote in the state of New York, he has been voting at the same YMCA in downtown Manhattan for years and there was no reason he should not have been able to cast his vote there. Apparently, the judge agreed with him since he was in fact issued a court order stating he could do so.
Now, I don’t mean to be a conspiracy theorist, but Robbins has been in the public eye plenty in recent years voicing his concerns about our current system and specifically about George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. He does not consider himself to be a “political activist”, but he has been described as such many times. So I think it’s reasonable to wonder if his political opinions had something to do with his experience at the polls.
At any rate, Tim Robbins would not be intimidated from voting and he went out of his way to make his voice heard in the election, in spite of the powers that be. I think that makes him an American dedicated to real democracy in this country and determined to do his part to contribute to it.
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By Alexa Bexley on November 5, 2008 | No Comments
Yesterday America spoke up loudly and proudly against the last eight years of corrupt and tyrannical Republican rule. We gathered in vast numbers to let our collective voice be heard, in a resounding cry for change, and it was. Not only have we taken a huge leap forward in electing our first black president, Barack Obama, the candidate that has inspired hope in the hearts and minds of so many of us; but we’ve also dramatically increased the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate!Like thousands of Americans across the great land, I believe a celebration is in order. We will soon be rid of Bush and his crew; something for which many (if not most) of us have been waiting eight long years! This new development in the political situation of the US certainly merits enthusiastic jubilation, but let us not forget that this is only the beginning.
It is a definitive step toward positive change for our country, but it is only the first. A lot of work must be done to clean up the mess of the Bush administration. Even after her house landed on the Wicked Witch of the West, there were still many obstacles for Dorothy to overcome on the yellow brick road before she could make it home again. We will not see tangible change overnight, but I believe there has been a dramatic transformation in the psyche of the public, a boost in morale, and a shift in the dichotomy of the country.
Last night as Obama stood in Chicago delivering his speech to thousands of Americans who contributed their time and energy to his campaign, he expressed hope for the future, but tempered it with the realization that difficult days lie ahead. As he said himself, what developments will our children and grandchildren witness throughout the 21st century? We will certainly witness both amazing victories and demoralizing setbacks, yet we must carry on as a nation and as a people. Obviously, this is a weight that he feels on his own shoulders, but it is a burden that we all must share. Now is the time to create a new image for America and chart a new course. He has his work cut out for him and his task is surely not an easy one, but I have faith in his ability to pull our country back together as he has succeeded in bringing together the people of this country despite the barriers of race, gender, age, and political affiliation.
Our new President-elect has motivated so many of us to be an active force for change during this election, especially the new generation of voters. According to CNN, 18% of the voters who contributed to this election were under 30–quite a bit more than past elections. While this is impressive and encouraging by itself, consider that about 119 million of us voted; one of the largest amounts ever. Even better, the percentage of eligible Americans who voted is currently estimated at about 65%, the highest turnout since 1960 and possibly since 1908! That’s an amazing accomplishment, America!
Yes, we can!
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By JD Post on November 3, 2008 | No Comments
Low rates on the super-rich don’t necessarily result in prosperity. As income inequality grows, the economy slows down because the middle and poor classes have less and less disposable income to spend. Progressive income tax rates are good for everybody, not just the middle class.
Any form of income tax is income redistribution, but for most of the last one hundred years it has been general consensus that this is part of the social contract among Americans. Something the elites call noblesse oblige. Most successful businesses build wealth on the sweat of the masses and so it is only fair that the masses share at least modestly in the prosperity is it not? What incentive is there for the working class and middle class to strive if they are forever falling behind while CEOs live like sultans? Corporate success depends on the contentedness and strong work ethic of the middle class. If they begin to feel like they can’t ever win and are locked out of the upper income brackets permanently, why should they continue to break their backs so someone else can buy a yacht?
If Obama is a socialist, then every president who has held office since 1913 is also a socialist– even Theodore Roosevelt (who advocated the adoption of the Federal Income Tax which passed after he left office), John McCain’s personal hero. Maybe he was the hero of the John McCain who voted against Bush’s tax cuts because they are inherently unfair, but he could not be the hero of the shameless right-wing reactionary sleaze merchant McCain of 2008. I agree going dirty was the only possible way he could win this year, but the odds are he is going to lose regardless, so why not lose with dignity?
Take a hard look at U. S. personal income tax rate history. For the majority of the 20th Century, the tax on the top bracket hovered around 75%. Under Eisenhower, it was 91%. Top-tier folks should stop belly-aching and start thinking about what is best for the nation as a whole. The rates you enjoy now and would enjoy under an Obama administration are quite generous. Notice also the parallel between high tax rates on the wealthy during years of great prosperity and low rates predominating right before periods of major decline. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don’t think history bears that out.
Trickle-down economics has never worked and will never work. Greater inequality breeds social unrest and slows down consumption. Why would Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and the CEO of Google endorse Obama if he were bad for business? A cash-rich middle class helps grow the economy. The more people have enough disposable income to buy your wares the more you sell and the greater your wealth will grow as a business owner.
Why are hard-core fiscal conservatives willing to let the country go to ruin even temporarily just for the sake of some misguided principle which harms the greater majority of Americans?
Why has median income stagnated and even fallen in the years since Reagan took the helm while, yes, as a whole, on average, prosperity has sky-rocketed? Regressive oppressive tax policies instituted by the Great Communicator and his ilk, that’s why.
If Barack wins tomorrow it will be the final nail in the coffin on this failed policy, not to mention the failed foreign policy of naked ambition, heedless aggression and “preventative war.” Nixon, Goldwater, and maybe even Reagan, are spinning in their graves right now. The party of Lincoln is not the same as today’s Republican Party. Honest Abe would most assuredly be a Democrat in 2008.
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By Alexa Bexley on November 2, 2008 | No Comments
When it comes to voter disenfranchisement, the 2004 presidential election offers many prime examples of the heinous acts of our government and in Ohio it was most remarkable. The media, of course, ignored the facts and avoided the issue, defending George W’s supposed win. While many of us were outraged, the media shrugged, called us “conspiracy theorists” and completely disregarded our concerns.
What was (and is) our cause for such concern and our skepticism of W’s win? Well, thanks to our wonderful 24-hour news, we have full coverage of our elections and up-to-the-minute reporting of the situation across the nation. And quite simply, the exit polls showed Kerry winning by a comfortable margin, 8.8% in Ohio for instance. However, when all was said and done, Bush won by 2.1% in Ohio.
How did this happen? According to the media, the exit polls must have been wrong. How could the exit polls be wrong? People lied about how they really voted?! What a blatant insult to the American people! Sure, people in general may not always tell the truth, but why would anyone lie about how they voted immediately after voting? I don’t buy it. It was also supposed that fewer Republicans agreed to take part in the exit polls, but that has been proven inaccurate. On the contrary, there were actually more Democrats who refused to answer questions.
In addition, the GOP illegally and unethically prevented many Ohio voters from casting their ballots. As many as 1 in 4 people who went to cast their vote found they weren’t even listed. A frustrating fiasco for many passionate individuals, which caused others to wait in line for up to 12 hours in cities that were overwhelmingly Democratic. How did they manage this? The secretary of state in Ohio at the time, Kenneth Blackwell, was a co-chairman of W’s re-election committee. Not only did he have authority over the election in Ohio, but 4 years earlier he’d served as an electoral system advisor during the recount in Florida.
Now more than ever, it’s important for us to understand how our election works and who has the power to manipulate it. We need to pay attention, note the inconsistencies on Election Day, and stand up to be counted. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote an in-depth article for Rolling Stone detailing the 2004 election and the atrocities that victimized voters all over the country. It’s quite a long read, so have some coffee (or herbal tea) ready and arm yourself with the information you need so we won’t get fooled again!
