Who
is Jeannine Ross? She is the author of this. I would be most interested
in her credentials. She is assaulting a Democratic Congressman and former
state legislator who is - so far as I know - one of the more progressive in
Congress. He has a well earned reputation as an effective fundraiser
and he wanted to run for the US Seante a year ago as the progressive guy,
against Bill Nelson. He found that he had not made enough friends, but
he always had big money. Personally, he gave a million dollars of his
funds to help the Gore Campaign. That is impressive to me, and it broke
all historic records.
This message from Jeannine is the kind of stuff that really iritates me because,
I will bet, Jeannine is so out of her mind with rage over the Bush coup that
she will be totally ineffective in moving a single vote. She is beating up
on the ONLY white Congressman in the nation who challenged the electors.
Nobody is good enough for her. Then she attacks completely pleasant
people who are legislative aides as if they were body-guards to Idi
Amin.
I'll also bet that before this year, she was largely politically inactive.
Which people are running on HER party ticket for School Board, County Commission,
Stater House, State Senate, Congress, and Governor and Attorney
General and Treasurer of Florida. I would like her to publish a list
of the people she does support. If Al Gore had been selected, he would be
working much more closely with Peter than with Ms. Ross.
I'll bet additionally be that she has never campaigned at local levels where
nobody would have her because she would scare the voters away.
Doug Head
Dear
Mr. Head:
I received your email address from Elisabeth Owens (through Bob Kunst of Oral
Majority). She suggested I write to you in regards to the article I
published about Peter Deutsch.
Most of what you said about me was untrue. Yes, I haven't been involved much
in politics (except for a M.SC in Political Philosophy from the London
School of Economics) before this disaster of an election. However, I
am not so filled with rage.
I have been working with the Oral Majority since December. I have been
protesting and making a documentary film at the same time. Yes, I do
believe Bush stole the election. I am not a confrontational person though,
and mostly I just stand outside with signs. I am not out to change anyone's
vote or ideology. I leave it up to each person to decide for his or
herself. But, I am determined to get a federal investigation into the
fraud that took place in Florida.
When I received a letter that Peter Deutsch was in town I wanted to see him
to 1. Thank him for standing up against the electors on Jan. 6th and
2. Ask him what is being done now about the fraud that took place. I
really wanted Bob Kunst to ask him, but he was on his way to Quebec. I
was very nervous, as this is not the type of thing I usually do. Bob
coached me about what I should ask Mr. Deutsch. I wrote it down and
read it off to him.
What was so upsetting to me were Deutsch's remarks, that "I think George
W. Bush is a legitimate President," "The election is over,"
and "You're not going to convince me." I was surprised to
hear this coming from him especially and I felt betrayed - who was going to
stand up for us if not him? This is why I wrote the article. I
also talked to Bob before writing it and he encouraged me to do just what
I did.
Yes, Deutsch has done good things. I agree with him on many issues,
but this one is too big to ignore. I did go back and speak to Jennifer Irving
who is a very nice person. I never meant to make her look bad, just
that she and Deutsch were saying different things.
I will be in Orlando for the Gore rally on May 9th. Hopefully we can
meet and see that we're both on the same side.
Regards,
Jeannine Ross
Doug Head's Resonse to Jeannine Ross's Response
Jeannine -
Get involved in the legitimate process. That is the way to change things in my view.
A "federal investigation" which you seek would probably reveal nothing. Who would conduct it? Who would be witnesses? Who would investigate and debrief the witnesses? Democracy is ours, but it takes steady hard work for a long time to make a change. Get involved with electing people locally and you will find it more gratifying than trying to change the outcome of an election which has passed.
Thanks,
Doug
Response to this from Helen
Hi Jeannine and Queen,
Carol, Suni, Myself, Hali, and Mari, have all been taken to task by Mr. Head.... If you go to our March 21 board created for the Bushit protest at Conv ctr. you can read his comments to us. I don't know where he is coming from. Hope it's not the same place as Lepore, Burton , and the traitors ad nauseum... We are loyal to our ELECTED President Al Gore. I refuse to bend over so the rethugs can Kick me, I will stand up like a woman, and a Catholic for the things I believe in. We have the rethugs telling us what "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" think, that 'THEY" are" over it".. News!!! you S.O.B.s.....we will never be "over' the theft of our government..our votes, and our election..MORE NEWS.... No one can pay us off, threaten us or FRIGHTEN us into letting rethugs tell us what we think and feel and DOOOO! AND...... WE DON'T WANT ANYONE IN ANY KIND OF OFFICE WHO SINGS THE RETHUG'S STINKING SONG. period. We are the majority of the "American People" and we can think for ourselves thankyouverymuch.... Let's make signs that say "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ELECTED AL GORE, AL GORE IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT, ETC...
HELEN ----
From Jody Holder (San Francisco VoterMarch Organizer):
To: The Oral Majority Newsletter
You asked her for a list of accomplishments. Now it is your turn. What things that effect society in general, outside a local issue, have you changed? Do the local officials set legal precedent? Do they set environmental policy for the state. Do they pass campaign finance reform? Do they influence who the Senate confirms or rejects? How many bills did you write your Senator in support of were passed in the last 20 years.
A "federal investigation" which you seek would probably reveal nothing. Who would conduct it? Who would be witnesses? Who would investigate and debrief the witnesses? this statement makes me really question your credentials and knowledge. In case you didn't know it the US Civil Rights Commission (is that federal enough) just spent a month in Florida "conducting" an investigation, calling "witnesses" (of which there were many), and "debriefing" witnesses. they issued a preliminary report in March and should be issuing their final report in May or June. Of course the prosecution of any wrong doers is supposed to be decided upon by the very person appointed by the person who was enthroned by the his brother of your "politically legitimate" state. Kind of like asking the bank robber to be investigated by his brother and judged by his kinfolk. But of course we need to stay within the "system".
Democracy is ours, but it takes steady hard work for a long time to make a change. You can say it as often and loud as you want, but it doesn't make it so. Democracy has never really been "ours". Not with an electoral college. What semblance of a democracy we had was then arbitrarily, illegally, and partisanly removed from us by the actions of the Supreme Gang of Five. For two hundred years the court had consistently found that the constitution required that election laws were the province of the states and the final arbiter of state laws was the individual state Supreme Courts.
Rather than using "steady hard work" the court in 3 days overturned the precedent of the last 200 years, the Consitutuional principle of separation of powers, and involved themselves in a political question and appointed the President. Kind of gives a lie to your principle of "steady hard work for a long time to make a change". Get involved with electing people locally and you will find it more gratifying than trying to change the outcome of an election which has passed. Even if that election was based upon fraud? Even if that election was conducted against the laws of the State of Florida? Even if the Supreme Court took actions that betrayed their oath of office? Even if there were actions taken that were clearly against the law? If there is no consequences then why do we prosecute car thieves, bank robbers, burglers, embezzlers, etc. Couldn't we say all those deeds are past. There are specific laws , both Federal and State, saying that elections can and should be reversed if there is found to be fraud or other illegality involved. Otherwise where is the deterrent effect keeping it from happening again? Thanks,
Doug Your response to Jeannine is ill-conceived, derogatory, contradictory, irrational, condescending, and simplistic. It also reveals an ignorance of history (both past and current), and denies reality. There have been people in our history who have been executed for treason for doing less than what the Supreme Court did against the American people. To take away the right of the people to vote for who shall be their President is high treason. By their complicity in denying the citizens of their state the opportunity to elect their President, Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris are also guilty of treason, dereliction of duty, betrayal of their oaths of office, and conspiracy. If it is your position that the many crimes of Election 2000 should be forgotten and we should get on with it, then you do not have any moral leg to stand on to ever decry any other illegal act by anyone. The prisons and jails should be emptied. Each day shall be a new day and everyone given another opportunity to either go straight or repeat their criminal deeds again.
It is because of attitudes of people like you that humanity seems destined to repeat the past. Fortunately the world has activists and reformers. Otherwise we would still be in the Dark Ages. There must be justice for the actions taken by Jeb Bush and others in Florida. The Gang of Five should be impeached. Bush needs to be opposed at every opportunity, especially over judicial appointments, and if Doug Head is the head of the Democratic Party in Orange County Florida he needs to be replaced with someone who stands for something and will lead. If the Democrats won't take the lead in opposing Bush and his extreme agenda then they better get out of the way and let the grassroots lead.
In support of Jeannine and The Oral Majority efforts: Jody
FROM KIM:
Dear Mr. Head, You asked Jeanine Ross some questions which I'd like to answer to the best of my abilities.
A federal investigation would reveal if any criminal wrongdoing actually took place or if it was gross negligence which resulted in massive voter disenfranchisement. I would think it would be conducted by senatorial hearings just like during iran-contra in collaboration with the attorney general's office. Witnesses would consist of Florida voters, Florida state legislature members, Jeb Bush, the Secretary of State's office including Harris and Roberts, Choicepoint and Greg Palast, the investigative reporter who uncovered the erroneous felon purge list. Much of the work involving investigations and debriefing has already been conducted by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission which will release their final report in June.
Yes, it takes steady, hard work to make change. That's why those of us in this fight to reveal the corruption we believe took place during the election will continue to do so long after the media and those who, like you, have resigned themselves that the election is over. Electing Democrats locally and nationally who can repel Bush's onslaught against the environment, abortion rights, etc. is a major key, but not the only one. I have found it intensely gratifying to protest against Bush. Perhaps we won't be able to oust W from office but there's only one way to find out and that's if we try. Remaining silent and giving him legitimacy when he has none would be an injustice on top of injustice.
I leave you with this from David Lytel: If we permit the Congress to move on to other business and turn a blind eye to these violations of the law we are dishonoring ourselves and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died so that a government of the people, for the people and by the people would not perish.
If the United States is to endure as a nation and carry the torch of democracy and freedom into a new millennium, then we must again show the world democracy's greatest single strength -- its capacity for self-correction. We cannot allow our children and our grandchildren to see us turn away from justice if we ever hope to teach them to love and honor it. As freedom is our birthright, so must we honor it by renewing it in each generation. This stolen presidential election is our generation's opportunity to rekindle the spirit and the practice of democracy. America, it has been said, is not a place. America is an idea. If we truly love the idea of America we cannot learn to tolerate widespread injustice, or we risk setting our country on the course to a future in which power is valued more than truth.
Kim Tarner