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The Bush Administration                                                                                                                                                                                                         



The Sure Vote


by Sophia Barkat


 


With November just months away, and a poor record to run on George Bush is getting desperate.  He desperately needs a terror attack.  An attack plot, a few arrest -- anything could help.


With a wavering commitment to Homeland Security needs, the Bush Administration has nothing to show for themselves apart from thousands of false arrests and detainments of Muslims and Arabs and periodic terror alerts by the Homeland Security Department. Indeed the Homeland Security Budget fell from $19.5 billion in 2002 to $9.8 billion in 2003, while the request for the 2004 Budget miraculously rose to $37.5 billion
(See Whitehouse.gov for the Homeland Security Report.(1)  It appears to have taken a back-seat in Bush's plan of securing America, next to the more effective plan of giving out sweetheart contracts to everyone from Halliburton, Cheney's former company, to SAIC, David Kay's former company, to GE, NBC's holding company is simply not working. (2)


But with elections three months too soon, Bush reminds people that he is fighting a War on Terror, and raised the figures for the 2004 Homeland Security Budget. To those in various State governments previously appalled by the 2003 cutbacks, this is a reminder that George Bush is getting ready for Election year.



But does he want to win?




Still fighting in Iraq



The War on Iraq is over. Bush declared this when he landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 2nd, 2003, so that he could
quiet conveniently cut off all US Military overtime pays (See AFLCIO.org) even though American soldiers are working overtime and losing limbs and lives to this day and will for years to come.
But we all know that US soldiers and Iraqis are dying every day.


To deal with a tired troops, who have been in Iraq since March 2003, Bush recently ordered all 70,000 US troops from Europe and Asia to head to Iraq (See AP News). A sign that the war is still on and heading for the worse it seems that Bush's once strongest suit -- the WAR business -- is just not looking too good. It would seem that Bush may not win in November, even with Kerry's lack of appeal to the liberals.


But there's just too much at stake!




The Bush-Kerry Ticket


Indeed, the contracts to a large number of US corporations are at stake, as is the US-Iraq pipeline, if the war in Iraq ends up like Vietnam.  But perhaps Kerry's Government has already made promises to the power that be that he won't change the status quo?  


Indeed, Kerry has a wishy washy attitude about the War. He's angry that Bush lied about WMD's in Iraq, but happy Saddam is gone and proud too that he gave the President the authority to use force on Iraq if necessary. But in the end, Kerry doesn't want to pull troops out of Iraq as he thinks it's too high a national security risk to do so (See Johnkerry.com for his stance on National Security). Last night on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" host Bill Maher joked about how similar Kerry wants to appear to Bush. At a recent rally for Kerry in Flagstaff Arizona, some liberals demonstrated with the Anti-Corporation slogan, making fun of the Kush-Berry ticket. Indeed, the likeness is a matter of reality and not just in the eyes of a few.  


Perhaps, Bush is in the process of being replaced and he knows it? In any case, Bush has some cards up his sleeve and they work all the time.





The recent FBI Memo


A July 8, 2004 an FBI memo titled, "Dept. of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation Reinforce Commitment to working with leaders of Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American Communities" was sent to it's 56 offices (See fbi.gov).


"Recent meetings focused on Director Mueller's directive given to the leaders of the FBI's 56 field offices to increase contacts with Muslim, Sikh and Arab- American leaders within their territories beginning July 9, 2004 and to personally address concerns and issues in the community during the 2004 threat period. "


The Press Release quotes Ashcroft:

"Credible reporting indicates that al Qaeda is planning a large-scale attack in America in an effort to disrupt our democratic process. While we currently lack precise knowledge about when, where and how they are planning to attack, we are actively working to gain that knowledge. As part of that effort, we are again reaching out to our partners in the Muslim and Arab-American communities for any information they may have. Their assistance has proven valuable in the past, and we continue to seek their help in this time of enhanced threat," said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "In addition, our outreach to those perceived to be of Muslim, Arab and Sikh descent is part of our strong ongoing campaign to prosecute bias-motivated attacks. American ideals and values are not limited by race or religion, and freedom-loving people are our greatest allies in the war on terrorism. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to working with and protecting those who love freedom."


It seems as though Bush will use the Terror Card to the best of his abilities. And it will work. No one doubts the seriousness that the war in Iraq and Afghanistan have created, coupled with an already existant fear of the al-Qaeda. If terror alerts and arrests are made right before elections it can only rattle the right-wing's tails.


But what about the negative vote?  Remember the backlash in Spain and in the recent parliamentary elections in the UK?  The Spanish Primeminister Aznar's defeat following the train explosion in Madrid, and the loss of Labour Party seats in the UK Parliament remind us that any actual terrorist event in the US might create a large negative vote towards Bush and lead to a Democratic victory in 2004.




The Trump Card


The real battle in 2004 is apparently not at the polls but after. On August 8, 2004, Black Box Voting Director, Bev Harris, appeared on CNBC and taught Gov. Howard Dean to hack the vote on Diebold's election software. It took him 90 seconds. Thanks to the Republican Congress and George Bush, who passed the Election Reform Act of 2002, such Diebold machines will now be the primary method of casting votes in 2004. Dana Bash of CNN reports:

"By a vote of 92 to 2, the Senate Wednesday approved spending nearly $4 billion dollars over the next three years to buy equipment and hire workers to meet new nationwide voting standards in time for the next presidential election in 2004. The final bill, passed 357-48 by the House last week, will be the first major overhaul of election law since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and is touted by a key sponsor as the "first civil rights bill of the 21st century. The measure would require states to:

  • Replace outdated voting machines.
  • Allow voters to correct errors in casting their votes.
  • Provide a provisional ballot if a voter's eligibility is in doubt; the ballot would be counted later, after proof of eligibility is found.
  • Establish a central computerized registration data base in each state to gather accurate voter lists.
  • Provide at least one voting machine per precinct for disabled voters."

It seems as though Bush's trump card isn't Fear, after all.  Indeed, the only thing standing between Bush and 2004 is an American public uprising demanding free and fair elections without the $4 billion Diebold machines or any hackable software for that matter.




Do you dare?

Write your local Congressmen and women and demand that your State and election districts not use Diebold or any other electronic voting machine.

US Representative

US Senator.







Notes:

1.  The White House is so shady, they made the pie-chart for Homeland Security Distribution of FY2003 Request by Activity virtually unreadable. 

2.  See The Center for Public Integrity for full list of US Contractors in Iraq.

3.   Bill Maher, "Real Time with Bill Maher", HBO, August 13th Original Air Date.







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