[tblc-diversity] (Fwd) Re: news-releases NOW President Patricia Ireland Rallies
kmccook@chuma.cas.usf.edu
kmccook@chuma.cas.usf.edu
Tue, 5 Dec 2000 20:13:26 -0500
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</color>To: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Atlanta GAIA =
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From: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>"J.M. Prince" <<jmpri=
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Date sent: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Tue, 05 Dec 2000 20:1=
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Send reply to: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>internetdemocrats1@eg=
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<bold>Subject: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param>Re: news-releas=
es NOW President Patricia Ireland Rallies Outside Florida Capitol </color>=
to Make Every Vote Count</bold>
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J.M. Prince wrote:
<color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>>
> Some notes on rallies in FL. Please forward where possible. Thanks!
> Cheers, Joe, Ga.
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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> =3D=3D=3D=3D
>
> NOW Press Department wrote:
> >
> > >From the National Organization for Women Action Center:
> >
> > NOW Press Office
> > 202-628-8669 Rebecca Farmer, x 116
> > 202-785-8576 (fax)
> >
> > "In this Alice-through-the-Looking-Glass election, the political
> > is personal for me. My own vote may very well have been
> > discounted," said National Organization for Women (NOW) President
> > Patricia Ireland, a Floridian who cast her vote in Miami-Dade
> > County. "The Florida votes in question are largely those of women
> > and African Americans. We fought hard for our right to vote and
> > we deserve better than to have these votes rejected."
> >
> > Fresh from emergency deliberations by the national NOW Board,
> > Ireland made plans to join activists in Tallahassee, Fla. to
> > demand that all of the South Florida votes be counted. Ireland
> > will join the protest on the steps of the Florida State Capitol
> > and brief activists on NOW's continuing campaign for justice in
> > the elections.
> >
> > Who: NOW President Patricia Ireland,
> > AFL-CIO President John Sweeney,
> > Rev. Jesse Jackson,
> > Other women's, labor and civil rights leaders
> >
> > What: Make Every Vote Count Rally
> >
> > When: 1:00 PM
> > Wednesday, December 6
> >
> > Where: Florida State Capitol Steps
> > Tallahassee, Fla.
> >
> > "Voting rights must be rigorously enforced," Ireland said. "We
> > will not rest until every vote cast is counted, and every vote in
> > question is examined by a living, breathing person."
> > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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=3D now@now.org To
> > unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@now.org with the text:
> > unsubscribe news-releases
> > Please *do* unsubscribe before cancelling an e-mail account.
> >
> > Visit the NOW Web site at <<http://www.now.org/> . Back press
> > releases and action information can be found there.
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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> =3D=3D=3D=3D The following is a message from the Ga. Rural Urban Summit.
> Please feel free to forward this message. Thank you.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Subject: Civil Rights Workers Demand Voting Rights Investigation
>
> For Immediate Release
> December 4, 2000
>
> For further information: Mendy Samstein, 607-263-2476 or
> Msamstein@aol.com
>
> FORMER CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS DEMAND FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS
> INVESTIGATION
>
> Dozens of civil rights activists who worked in the South in the
> 1960s for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee today called
> for an official investigation into evidence that thousands of blacks
> were denied the right to vote in the 2000 presidential election.
>
> In a collective statement, the activists, who were many times beaten
> and arrested while helping black citizens to register and vote,
> wrote: "We still mourn the colleagues and friends who lost their
> lives in the struggle. What is at stake here is precisely what we
> fought for in the Sixties-the right of everyone to vote and for
> everyone's vote to be counted."
>
> Among the signatories of the statement are Julian Bond, a longtime
> SNCC activist and now chairman of the NAACP and Bob Moses who led
> the voting rights struggle in Mississippi and is founder of the
> National Algebra Project.
>
> The statement cites accumulating evidence that a disproportionate
> number of blacks weren't permitted to vote because their names were
> not listed on voter lists, or because the polls closed while they
> were waiting on line; and that a disproportionate number of blacks
> voted in precincts with antiquated equipment so that their votes
> were not counted. Especially disturbing to these civil rights
> workers, many of whom in the 1960s experienced abuse and
> intimidation firsthand, was the odd coincidence of a roadblock set
> up by state police near a black Tallahassee precinct. This statement
> concludes with a demand for a federal investigation and a national
> call that the exclusion of black voters must never happen again. The
> SNCC statement was also endorsed by 300 participants in attendance
> on Dec. 2 at the Southern Human Rights Organizers' Conference, as
> well as the Southern Regional Council and the American Friends
> Service Committee.
>
> Mendy Samstein, a SNCC veteran of Jackson and McComb, Mississippi,
> said: "It's encouraging that the Justice Department is apparently
> starting an inquiry in Florida. We want a full-fledged Justice
> Department investigation into the many charges of voting exclusion.
> Mindful of the courage shown by journalists in the Deep South during
> the 1960s, we also hope that the press will vigorously investigate
> these charges."
>
> ***
>
> The full statement and list of signers follow:
> As activists in the 1960s struggle of black Americans to achieve
> voting rights, we believe that far more is at stake in Florida than
> choosing whether George Bush or Al Gore is to be our next president.
> In the sixties we fought to overcome a century of systematic and
> brutal disenfranchisement. Our cry was One Man, One Vote, a cry that
> resonated throughout this country because it appealed to the basic
> American sense of justice and fairness. Today we need to remember
> the importance of that concept and the sacrifices that were made to
> ensure its realization. We still mourn the colleagues and friends
> who lost their lives in the struggle. What is at stake here is
> precisely what we fought for in the sixties-the right of everyone to
> vote and for everyone's vote to be counted. One Citizen, One Vote!
> Substantial evidence is accumulating that many people were denied
> the right to vote. Was it just a coincidence that a State Police
> roadblock was set up near a predominately black precinct in
> Tallahassee that stopped voters going to the polls? We know that
> thousands of ballots were not counted in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach
> counties because machine counts of hand ballots are grossly
> inaccurate--despite partisan claims to the contrary. We have
> increasing documentation of thousands of registered voters being
> turned away because their names were not listed or because their
> polls closed while they were waiting on line. These are voting
> injustices that must not be ignored. We are horrified at the
> prospect that in the year 2000, we Americans would resign ourselves
> to the results of an election achieved by questionable and
> undemocratic means. We urge all Americans who believe in the
> sacredness of honest elections to support the legal battle for a
> full and fair counting of the votes in Florida and to demand a
> Justice Department investigation into incidents of voter
> irregularities. We must not let this happen again!
>
> Sandra Adickes
> Elaine Baker
> Debbie Amis Bell
> James Bond
> Julian Bond
> Joan Browning
> Dorothy Dawson Burlage
> Candie Carawan
> Guy Carawan
> Ron Carver
> Gloria Xifaras Clark
> Charlie Cobb
> Nancy Cooper Samstein
> Connie Curry
> Dave Dennis
> Marie Falbo
> Tom Gardner
> Joanne Grant
> Betty Garman
> Janice Goodman
> Ira Grupper
> Gene Guerrero
> Ed Hamlett
> Bruce Hartford
> Casey Hayden
> Faith S. Holsaert
> Matt Jones
> Marsha R. Joyner
> Mary King
> Dorie Ladner Churnet
> Joyce Ladner
> Julius Lester
> Bill Light
> Fred Mangrum
> Sheila Michaels
> Mike Miller
> Bob Moses
> Janet Moses
> Linda Moses Dehnad
> John O'Neal
> Penny Patch
> Bill Perlman
> Martha Prescod
> Bernice Johnson Reagan
> Judy Richardson
> Wally Roberts
> Howard Romaine
> Dinky Romilly
> Mendy Samstein
> Cleve Sellers
> Judy D. Simmons
> Nancy Stearns
> Marsha Steinberg
> Bill Strickland
> Barbara Summers
> Mike Thewell
> Susan Thrasher
> Maria Varela
> Penny Weaver
> Carl Imiola Young
> Jean Smith Young
> Dorothy M. Zellner
> Zoya Zeman
> Mitchell Zimmerman
>
> ***
>
> Don't forget to check <<http://www.garus.org> for the latest updates
> and information.
>
> -End Message--
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> =3D=3D=3D=3D Dear Friend of MoveOn,
>
> While the Florida courts continue to evaluate the need for
> manual recount in this incredibly close election, the Florida
> legislature is preparing to call a special session and name electors
> themselves, ignoring the popular vote.
>
> Having a partisan body override the voices of millions of voters
> would undermine the legitimacy of our next President. The state
> Democratic party is organizing an orange ribbon campaign to protest
> this outrageous plan.
>
> If you think that every vote should count and that the American
> people, not the Florida State Legislature, should choose our next
> President, then go to:
>
> <<http://www.CountOurVotes.com>
>
> Attached below is a message from Florida resident Elinore Simon,
> about the campaign. Act now -- the "Democracy Wall of Ribbons" will
> be erected at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> - Wes Boyd
> MoveOn.org
>
> ********************
> COUNT OUR VOTES
>
> My name is Elinore Simon. I have lived in Florida most of my life. I
> raised my children here, and have voted in the Sunshine State for as
> long as I can remember.
>
> This Election Day, I went to my polling place in my hometown of
> Jupiter, Florida. I got my punch card ballot and went to put it into
> the voting machine. I had to bend and twist it to get the ballot in
> the machine. Once I finally got it lined up, I took the stylus to
> punch my vote for Al Gore. The stylus didn=92t seem to punch all the
> way through, so I punched a couple of times to make sure.
>
> I hope that my vote counted. But like thousands of Floridians here
> in Palm Beach County and across the state, I can not be certain.
> Out-dated voting machines, confusing ballots, and misdirection at
> the polls led to a huge number of ballots left uncounted. That is
> why we have been pushing for a full, fair, and accurate hand count
> of every vote.
>
> Already, the Republicans have used every trick in the book to delay
> this hand count. Now, the Republican-controlled state legislature
> wants to throw out all our votes and pick the electors themselves.
>
> They want to railroad the wishes of the more than 50 million
> Americans across the country who voted for Al Gore and Joe Lieberman
> as well as the millions who voted for their opponents.
>
> If you believe, as I do, that the people of America -- not the
> Florida State Legislature -- should be the ones who pick the next
> president, then make your voice heard.
>
> 1. Go to CountOurVotes.com to send an e-mail to the Florida State
> Legislature, and learn how you can help in Florida.
>
> <<http://www.CountOurVotes.com/>
>
> 2. Go to a rally at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee on
> Wednesday, December 6th at 1 PM (call 1-800-327-4499 for more
> information).
>
> 3. Wear an orange ribbon to show that you demand that the Florida
> State Legislature not muzzle the voices of millions of voters.
>
> 4. Forward this e-mail to your family, friends, and anyone who
> shares our commitment to democracy.
>
> With your help, we can keep the Florida State Legislature from
> stealing our votes, and keep our democracy strong.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Elinore Simon
>
> __________
> This is a message from <<http://MoveOn.org>
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--
Kathleen de la Pe=F1a McCook
Coordinator of Community Outreach, College of Arts & Sciences
Professor, School of Library & Information Science,
University of South Florida, CIS 1040,
Tampa, FL 33620 813-974-9182
http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/faculty/mccook.html kmccook@chuma.cas.usf.e=
du