Voting Wrongs: Act

You’re busy, summer’s almost here, the kids are almost out of school, and vacations are being planned. You’ve just got a lot going on, so much so that you almost didn't bother checking in to this site today. You’re also suffering from natural disaster fatigue, political crisis and scandal fatigue, global warming fatigue, and just plain fatigue of our whole seemingly messed-up modern world. So as to not add to your lethargy, I’ll be brief:

Please read Robert F. Kennedy’s article in the June issue of Rolling Stone magazine:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0601-34.htm

I’ll admit to being a Johnny-come-lately to this issue. Maybe as a native Ohioan I just couldn’t believe that men and women in my home state could possibly be complicit in what is quite possibly the largest, and least reported political scandal in American history. No, not that Gore won – that’s old news now! – but that Kerry did.

I and perhaps you have followed this story since the November 2004 election. I’ve tagged along as my hometown alternative newspaper, the most excellent Columbus Free Press, and its editors – Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis, the modern-day Woodward and Bernstein – kept attacking this story and for the past eighteen months never let it go. Others have stood on their shoulders, most notably Congressman John Conyers, and journalist Greg Palast.

But many, myself included, were skeptical. We just could not believe that the 2004 election was almost certainly stolen. More and more, I’m believing it.

Rolling Stone is the first major media source to devote attention to this story, which, until now, has survived only by living off the passion and fury of the liberal blogosphere, as well as in such liberal stalwart publications such as The Nation, In These Times, Mother Jones, and Harper’s. More mainstream media sources need to give this story their full attention. RFK Jr. has lent his national name recognition, and his reputation, to this story in hopes of giving it an unstoppable momentum. It’s up to you and I to keep this momentum going. As his father, the late great Bobby Kennedy, once said:

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope…and, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance”

Thanks, everyone.

What Can YOU Do? A lot!:

*Pass this post along to everyone you know.

*Send an email letter to the following media sources urging them to investigate this story:

ABC News support@abcnews.go.com

NBC News nightly@nbc.com

CBS News scams@cbsnews.com, and evening@cbsnews.com

Associated Press info@ap.org

New York Times nytnews@nytimes.com, and news-tips@nytimes.com

Washington Post national@washpost.com

*In Oregon, consider sending a letter to the editor about this issue, at:

The Eugene Register-Guard: rgletters@guardnet.com (250-word limit)

The Springfield News: news@springfieldnews.com (250-word limit)

The University of Oregon Daily Emerald: editor@dailyemerald.com (150-word limit)

The Eugene Weekly: editor@eugeneweekly.com (250-word limit)

The Portland Oregonian: letters@news.oregonian.com (150-word limit)

The Salem Statesman-Journal: www.statesmanjournal.com (200-word limit)

*In Oregon, consider writing letters to your congressional representatives, at:

The Honorable Senator Gordon Smith, 404 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

(http://gsmith.senate.gov)

The Honorable Ron Wyden, 516 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

(http://wyden.senate.gov)

The Honorable Congressman David Wu (Oregon First District), 1023 Longworth Building, Washington,

D.C. 20515 (www.house.gov/wu)

The Honorable Congressman Greg Walden (Oregon Second District), 1210 Longworth Building,

Washington, D.C. 20515 (www.walden.house.gov)

The Honorable Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Oregon Third District), 2446 Rayburn House Office

Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 (http://blumenauer.house.gov)

The Honorable Congressman Peter DeFazio (Oregon Fourth District), 2134 Rayburn House Office

Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 (www.house.gov/defazio/)

The Honorable Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (Oregon Fifth District), 2430 Rayburn House Office

Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 (www.house.gov/hooley/)

Dr. Todd is a pediatrician and political columnist in Eugene. Comments are welcomed at: doctortodd@att.net