Thank you Harvey for this article. It really resonates with me.

I too was awe-struck at the speed with which Kerry conceded, just as Gore had conceded so immediately in 2000.

It makes me think there's something very strange going on.

What I found very odd and disconcerting was how the johnkerry.com website IMMEDIATELY pulled the plug on their blog at the end of November 2.  The vibrant blog which was the place where the Kerry supporters could communicate and strategize together was instantly killed, just when it was needed most.  It just doesn't make any sense.

I get the sense that the Democrats are just a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republicans. Not a real party, but just a prop just to "prove" that we're not a one-party state. It's similar to when a corporation spins off a new brand that makes the identical product they make, just so consumers can feel they're buying something new, when it's really the same old product repackaged.

Thanks for all your great work.

Like you said, it's up to us REAL people to keep the fight alive.

Peace
-Dave Weaver
Portland, Oregon

What is going on today in OH? Is anyone challenging Blackwell's illegal discard of votes based on the date standard?

It is indeed bitterly ironic that Mr. Blackwell, an African American whose forefathers were not allowed to vote, is now engaged in the prevention of voting by others of his same race, and certainly in his same state. It is shameful.

Paul A. Thompson

America,

Is miscounting votes the only way this election could have been manipulated? I was told by filling out a form when my driver's license was renewed, I would be registered to vote. Months later, excited about democracy, I went to the polls, only to be turned away because there was no record of it, nor acknowledgement of the existence of the system for registering that I was led to believe was the simplest and least error-prone. I was also misinformed by the election worker that sprang to action when I asked what recourse I had, that filling out a provisional ballot would have no effect on this election. I do not think there is a coincidence here. Nor is it one that my wife had the same exact experience, independently. The New York Times is quick to legitimize the election and delegitimize news sources that are not itself. I hope your organization can succeed in its mission. I hope this account helps. When I saw this morning, in my usual news source, that someone had already thought of the name for a website that I realized a few days ago would be the perfect one to effect change in this country, I decided to help, rather than dream about

I read your story "Slip-sliding away in Columbus" (http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/850).

I live in Tarrant County, TX, near Fort Worth. Our county used optical scan ballots. Most precincts had only 1 working machine, some may have had zero. However, since the ballots were all paper and could be tabulated at a central location if necessary, it didn't matter - all that mattered was how fast the election judge could check you in. Most places could easily handle a few hundred voters per hour, and lines of longer than 10 minutes were rare outside of peak voting times. Also, we have thousands of voting precincts for a county of less than 2 million people.

I heard horror stories of long lines around the country, but none as bad as yours. I can only hope that the people of the state of Ohio will say "ENOUGH" and demand shorter lines in the future, and ante up the money it takes to have more polling locations.

On an unrelated topic, I hope the planned recount