By Brad Friedman, from on the road (again)…
A representative of Republican Albert Howard’s New Hampshire hand count called this morning to say that, without giving any specific details, the NH SoS office informed them today that “We’re gonna have to stop the recount for a couple of days” next week. No reason, other than “legislative business” was given.
A few minutes ago, Howard, who had patiently waited for nearly two weeks while NH SoS Bill Gardner began the counting for the Democratic request, claiming they couldn’t count the two different primaries at one time (though it seems they couldn’t even count one primary at the same time!), sent us the following note, objecting to the delay in counting. The letter was hand delivered to Gardner moments ago…
HAND DELIVERED
Secretary of State
State of New Hampshire
Dept. of State
107 N. Main St. Rm 204
Concord, NH 03301
Re: RECESS
Dear Mr. Gardner:
This letter is being prepared for delivery to you following today’s lunch break.
Earlier today, Assistant Secretary of State David Scanlan asked me for my consent to a recess in the recount, the recess to span Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
This is to inform you that I strenuously object to any suspension of the recount process.
I can think of no more important business for the State than the completion of the recount process.
The nation is in the early stages of the 2008 Presidential electoral process. The performance of the machines used in New Hampshire is of vital importance. The sooner the results are known and available to the People and to other units of government charged with conducting Primaries and General Elections, the better for the nation.
In addition, with the sudden start of the recount process, I and the observers have made costly arrangements for transportation, housing and personal time away from their places of employment that cannot be changed without personal harm.
Before any decision is made to suspend the recount over my objection I am respectfully requesting that you cite your legal authority to suspend the recount over my objections and under the current facts and circumstances; it was bad enough that the recount was not started on the date explicitly required by New Hampshire law.
Very truly yours,
Albert B. Howard
Howard had requested the hand count after noting that results reported by C-SPAN on Election Night allegedly showed him as having many more votes than were finally reported in the official results after the polls closed. He gave a check for $57,600, raised by supporters, to the SoS on January 16th. His hand count finally began yesterday, after Kucinich’s stopped when the funds submitted so far had apparently been spent.
Yesterday, we pointed to Gardner’s apparent lie to the media, claiming that Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich was “satisfied at the integrity of the recount” despite a letter from Kucinich to Gardner the day before (posted exclusively by The BRAD BLOG here), clearly revealing Kucinich to be anything but “satisfied,” and, in fact, having requested “a complete and accurate recount of all ballots” to be carried out at state expense, given the “significant variances” discovered so far during the counting of just one NH county.
We had left a message with the SoS office seeking comment and/or clarification for Gardner’s statement to the media. He has yet to return our call.
UPDATE 1/26/08, 1:35am PT: We’ve been on the road, and in a media conference all day, so haven’t been able to follow up ourselves, but an emailer writes to tell us, “the NH SOS told Albert Howard that there would be NO recess in the counting of ballots next week”.
Bev Harris reports in comments (along with additional thoughts on the dynamics of SoS Gardner and Dept. SoS David Scanlan) that she has received a similar report from someone else on the ground in NH, that the count will proceed without hold up. Though the reasons for the initially attempted halt remain a mystery for now.
What’s clear is that standing up, and pushing back loudly and publicly by Howard has made a difference. If Democrats did the same, we’d probably not be in this fine mess in the first place…
The fix is in. They need the weekend to make sure that the ballots match their electronic count of them, so that means a whole lot of paper boxes to slit open and pull out and shove things into. Hoppy and his friend are gonna be real busy.
Or, it just shows how very UNIMPORTANT a recount is to those empowered to run our elections. They really don’t care.
CharlieL #1
That would be my suspicion too …
Brad, if you start selling those Enemies of Democracy playing cards, please put me on the reserve list of buyers. These democracy haters will forever have their anti-democracy legacies immortalized. Which card will democracy-obstructionist Bill Gardner, Secretary of State of New Hampshire, be? I was thinking Jack (as in Jack-Ass)but he’s such a minor player in the criminal cabal, so…
How can anyone in their right mind not think that this stinks to high heaven.
I wonder how long this has really been going on
…those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable – JFK
…Only by recapturing the spirit of independence can we ensure our
government never resembles the one from which the American States
declared their separation – Ron Paul
Who didn’t see this coming? It’s obvious they don’t follow NH law, or any other law for that matter. We are the frog in the water that is getting warmer, and if we don’t learn how to jump, we are to be served next to the escargot and caviar these *ssholes are having. Civil disobedience is the answer.
This makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Ready arms.
Why do credible elections come down to MONEY?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Doesn’t our Constitution specifically state that our vote shall not be counted in secret and the responsibilty of the government itself?
Hey,
that’s my teapot.
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance” isn’t taught in the schools anymore so……
So true Bruce.
That’s a good reason we should take a stand to have it taught in school again, or for some instances the first time. All the same…just like every BOX OF BALLOTS should be counted by alert citizens.
But don’t let those F ing repugs take over the organization of that.
Word is, the halt was called by Ass. Secretary of State David Scanlan, and I have just gotten a report from Vickie Karp that Gardner plans to reinstate the recount.
Every time something inappropriate was going on, I was seeing Scanlan in a huddle. He needs a much closer look. While I’ve been in the office, he does a lot of guiding of the process. Gardner seems to me to be the affable friendly face of NH elections, while Scanlan is making things happen. Scanlan is aggressive and is on record in the past defying or ignoring voting rights-friendly directives from Gardner.
I’m not defending Gardner, because the buck stops with him. But no one will get to the bottom of what’s really going on in NH without learning the truth about Dave Scanlan.
It would be particularly bad if Gardner bites the dust and Scanlan keeps his job.
So, what do you suppose they needed the extra 2 days for? More behind the scenes info — Karp and others have been pushing Gardner to allow Albert Howard to pick the areas he wants to count, and count them as soon as the ballot van arrives, before they go into the back warehouse. Some headway was apparently being made with this.
Then Scanlan decides they need to halt the recount for a couple days. For what?
Bev, you rock by the way…
Speculation about why is irrelevant. The point is they are blatantly breaking the law.
“I am respectfully requesting that you cite your legal authority to suspend the recount over my objections and under the current facts and circumstances;”
They have no legal authority to do so. Howard, you need to find some council, and contact the Attorney General. Go ahead and sue Gardner and Scanlan, and then find out what charges should be brought against them. There was a reason Gardner was so nervous in that video; he knew what he was doing is a felony. He may have pictured himself sitting in a cell next to his new boyfriends. Let’s play matchmaker and hook him up right.
It is apparent to any half wit that the system is not only broken, but its being “molded and designed” to accommodate whatever the Joe Blow in charge latest whim is!! How deeply sad it is to realize that the country you are so proud of has been reduced to these types of third world trickery. It has become increasingly clear why the internet is such an enemy to the government. American citizens are being educated though the internet about the truth of leaders and their practices, their latest spins and of our broken system. The government hasn’t been able to do damage control utilizing the traditionally established avenues that they used to be able to use. American citizens have learned the how these spin masters work and they have access to the real truth of our corrupt governments ways. Citizens have become immuned to our governments propaganda. This has caused the government to think of the internet as “an invisible adversary”, and that is a terrifying thought to the powers that be, when they need to perform damage control. The internet has been the American citizens BEST advocate! Thanks for letting us know these important facts.
Cindy…trust me, if they get their way (and they are very much at work already) the internets will be filtered and sites like this will be considered dangerous and as funny as it sounds “a thorn in the side of democracy”, or made out to be considered “hate speech” by this draconian bill.
The State Secretary and his gang are unAmerican scum. They need to do jail time.
He even looks WAY WAY guilty, especialy given the information at this point in time! Oh yeah, where are those memory cards? Maybe somebody told him to go get cheneyed or sumpin. It will just blow over anyway…unless we keep asking!
I sure hope everybody here has email Senator Dodd, on how you feel about his FISA fili BUSTER. Then get ten more people to call. At least!
Well, at least some debate, or WHAT!
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/4226
I agree with Bev Harris, what about David Scanlan’s motivations? Was the NH SOS setup?
Beyond that, I find myself asking.
How do you put a potential oath breaker under oath? Just asking a question here.
I mean does a Satanist when he puts his hand on the bible need to care? I say no. If I was a Satanist, I wouldn’t care about no damn bible. If I was a Wiccan I wouldn’t care either. If I was an Atheist I wouldn’t care either. So how do you put an oath breaker under oath?
We gonna use this book today that book of shadows tomorrow? The oath breaker laughs at us. There can’t be accountability until there can be evidence, and there can’t be evidence when there’s no chain of custody.
I hope that Albert Howard tears even deeper into these mysteries, because in my honest opionion we are all just about out of time.
There has to be some serious consequences for this corruption. It’s in everyone’s interest. (Cept maybe the oath breaker’s.)
This post is to remove the bold tags, that I didn’t leave open, but by this post will now close.
(this seems to be a bug on wp — report it already)
#19 Ancient {Ed Note: Fixed typo. –99}
Done. Here’s the link for others to do it right there on the website…
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
… Ancient said on 1/25/2008 @ 5:17 pm PT…
But don’t let those F ing repugs take over the organization of that.
Or demNazi’s.In fact maybe the independent should handle the counts.
Both Florida and Ohio welcome you to club of vote fraud…wait ’till November, it’s only just begun, unless King George and Little Dick Cheney find a way to stop the elections and remain on their throne. I imagine the CFR will object to that, since they want to ensure that Hitlery is crowned in January ’09. Get your beans, bandaids and bullits ready, the end is near!
Vote fraud, yet another infringement on our rights by the gov’t. Add it to the ever-growing list of violations:
They violate the 1st Amendment by opening mail, caging demonstrators and banning books like America Deceived (book) from Amazon.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns during Katrina.
They violate the 4th Amendment by conducting warrant-less wiretaps.
They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment by suspending habeas corpus.
They violate the 8th Amendment by torturing.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on behalf of a foriegn gov’t.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this country.
With this kind of continuing criminal enterprise to steal the elections yet once again there is obviosly only one real solution and that is to tear down the government via revolution and start again. Alternatively gather via film and recordings as much evidence of fraud esp. re ‘machines’. Istrongly believe there is a multi billion RICO lawsuit that could be filed. Either way ‘they’ will do what Israel did when the Palestinians elected HAMAS- they will simply void the people’s choice for the corporations choice.
It is their game and they play it as they like. The question must be WHY in the world do we want to participate in their crooked games. It is time we started to create parallel institutions and abandon their system on mass. Let’s start preparing on how best to accomplish that. As far as elections are concerned, don’t participate in them, so doing only legitimizes their criminality.
stop the recount. I’m sure no republican or democrat or republicrat or rino elitist or functionary would ever lie to, misinform or do anything dishonorable to the electorate. Besides public distrust hurts the feelings of these career politicians who are already sensitive about their being millionaires also.
Besides , I am sure if anything untowards were happening, our independent press would report it.
I hope the fence sitters here, mainly the ones still considering themselves Democrats, take notice of these games being played. You see there is something to the conspiracy theories after all. This one in broad daylight, which begs the question, where is the Mainstream Press on this? They are busy deflecting this from the masses. There is no difference in the parties at the establishment level. Obama may be preferable to Clinton to the people but he still has Zbigniew Brzezinski(CFR, Bilderberg)(what do Zbig, Michael Ledeen, Bin Laden have in common?) as his foreign policy advisor. This should send red flags to his supporters regarding his establishment credentials. I have voted Republican, Democrat, and Independent in the past and would be disgusted to be considered any of the three if most candidates running or considering running are an indication of what these parties, non parties stand for. I urge you to reconsider the “Conspiracy Theories” you previously disregarded. Now we can discuss whether tin foil hats will be uniform or self administered.
Here is a quote from a Counterpunch article
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff01112008.html
If memory serves me correctly didn’t the SoS say they have no idea where the memory cards went?
Also I would like to add this You Tube of a interview with Scanlan the night before the primaries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGKWDUhHHFs
What law? What constitution? http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18236.htm
And to think, all we have to do is wake up and vote for Paul. The prison is in our own mind. In typical dual fashion, as we live in 2D plus and are also locked out of our mind at the same time, at least the subconscious where all the real thinking gets done to see the paterns. We have to continue King and Christ’s examples as it’s a deep psych.
I believe again and again…we do not have enough passion in our people to stop what we do and physically remove these felons and do a peoples court on them. Since when also do we permit the government to have a corporation count our votes? Thats traitorous! Those in Congress are equally guilty over and over again…because they answer to someone higher than us people. Appears we are in the same boat as the German people were with the Nazi and nobody recognizes it whatsoever. Therefore we are doomed. Really what we need is a law protecting us from all politicians and we all need to sign up for the firing squad. How else do we teach those politicians to stop selling us down the road all the time and be honest? HONESTY??? Where is that word in their ethics? We have the very and I mean VERY RIGHT to be ANGRY!!!
Hey GB…it’s the people who are supposed to represent us that don’t understand integrity. No matter whether they are NeoCrats or NeoCons. This whole mess of the past 95 years could have been avoided if certain people would have just done their jobs. To hold that much power would terrify me, as it should. Those who do not fear it are the ones that seek it.
…And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the heart ~ Neil Peart
I think that most of the population remains blissfuly unaware, and in a state of absolute trust. They believe these things cannot be happening, or it would be on channel “7”. If it did happen it would be immediately righted.. This is America those type of things dont happen in America! They remain blissfuly ignorant. A young man was tasered in public while handcuffed by the authorities, for asking a question!!!!!!!! This occurred in America!!!! In America!!!! obviously we cant count on the media to address these issuse..main stream media that is,. the masses dont read subscribe or log on to alternative news outlets… so what do we do??? We talk, We tell, any and every person who will listen for just a moment..plant the notion.. give them something to ponder… SPEAK OUT!! pick one autrocity, for the day and tell everybody you can about it and ways they can verify the facts you tell them. Each day a different topic, WE the people Speak out to the People!!
Does someone in NH know a state police officer. There are many violations of NH state law. The State Police can arrest those responsible. We need some patriot police!
Bob