kmccook's blog

If people cannot read and hear a variety of opinions and have free discussion they have less information on which to make decisions and exercise freedom to vote with full understanding of issues.
Florida's university system was dismantled by governor Jeb Bush who appointed new trustees at each campus. These trustees put loyalty to Bush above intellectual freedom. At Florida Gulf Coast University (Ft.Myers--southwest Florida)the cancellation of speaker Terry Tempest Williams,, who has criticized Bush/Cheney environmental policies is just the latest example.

Vote Suppression in Florida.
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Living in Florida has been a true lesson in the need to stay focused on fair elections. The vote suppression of 2000 continues today,October 2004. African-American voters were visited by state troopers in Orlando (scare tactics); Nader was put on the ballot thanks to the support of republican attorneys; ballots were mis-sent to over 30,000 overseas voters last week.

No full investigation until after elections? Why?
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But under terms of a compromise agreed to by both parties, a full investigation into the matter was put off until after the November election.

Florida newspaper asserts culpability for torture in Iraq lies with SECDEF.

Two inquiries have concluded that the abuses at Abu Ghraib were the result of leadership failures. The secretary of Defense should be held accountable.... But the real culpability lies at the top - all the way to Rumsfeld.

--St. Petersburg Times. Published August 28, 2004

LThe American Library Association's resolution against torture.
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ADOPTED: RESOLUTION AGAINST THE USE OF TORTURE
AS A VIOLATION OF THE ALA'S BASIC VALUES

The ALA Council adopts the RESOLUTION AGAINST THE USE OF TORTURE AS A VIOLATION OF THE AMERICAN

Suppress the Vote?
By BOB HERBERT
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/opinion/16herbert.html?hp
Published: August 16, 2004

The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic
devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story

The state is awash with anxiety about voting machines. Jeb Bush is still governor. The St.Petersburg Times had an article on August 2, 2004 that demonstrates the depth of the state government's involvement in depressing the vote:
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Secretary of state knew of voter list flaws in May
By Associated Press
Published August 2, 2004
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Secretary of State Glenda Hood held out two months before scrapping a database of felons barred from voting, despite knowing about problems with the list and the vendor responsible for compiling it.

A May 2 internal memo requested by Hood details missed deadlines, failed software programs, personnel problems and a long list of mistakes, the Miami Herald reported Sunday.