Minority Report

Hail to the Victors!

Congratulations to the Michigan Wolverines for playing their hearts out to defeat the Michigan State Spartans 45-37 in triple overtime in the Big House.

Call this one the greatest in the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. Twelfth-ranked Michigan, trailing 27-10 with a little less than nine minutes left in the game, stormed back to win in thrilling, edge-of-your-seat fashion, 45-37 in triple overtime Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

“I almost cried — it was magnificent,” said U-M senior receiver Braylon Edwards, who had 189 yards receiving and three touchdowns, including the 24-yard winner in the third overtime.

“We never quit. They stood strong in the fourth quarter, and we just had a will. We imposed our will on Michigan State in the fourth (quarter), and we had a never-say-die attitude. We refused to lose this game.”

Go Blue!

(Also congrats to the Redskins for losing - this means that John Kerry wins!)

UPDATE: Proof that Ohio State serves the bottom of the gene pool:

"Jesus! Jesus!" screamed 26-year-old Joe Robles, pointing to his Bush-Cheney sign. "The man stands for God," he said of the president. "We want somebody who stands for Jesus. I always vote my Christian morals." Robles, a student at Ohio State University, told me that Kerry's daughter is a lesbian. I said I thought that was Dick Cheney's daughter, but he shook his head no with confidence.

Robles said that Kerry would make it illegal for preachers to say that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. In California, he informed me gravely, such preaching has been deemed a hate crime, and pastors who indulge in it are fined $25,000, which "goes to lesbians."

Get on a No-C.A.R.B. Diet

Went to a favorite restaurant with my wife last night, the Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Village. (First time I've been in New York in two months - it was difficult to tell which New Yorkers were in Halloween costumes and which were not!).

Cornelia Street Cafe was advertising a No-C.A.R.B. menu - No Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, or Bush!

Just thought I'd share and plug the restaurant - it's worthwhile...

Will We Ever Trust Them Again?

I don't know about you but the reporting on voting irregularities, suppression efforts, and related stories has me very concerned about the current and future state of our democracy.

In Pittsburgh,

increasing complaints by University of Pittsburgh students that their party registrations and, in some cases, their polling places, were switched after they signed what they believed were petitions on topics ranging from medical marijuana to auto insurance rates.

Among those who found themselves on the Allegheny County voting rolls as registered Republicans were clearly ineligible would-be voters, including a 17-year-old Squirrel Hill student and a Chilean graduate student who is not a citizen of the United States. Among those scammed was the son of the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

...To date, officials in Indiana, Montgomery and Allegheny counties have indicated that hundreds of college students were tricked by teams of petition canvassers who did not identify their employer, except for one who said he was being paid by the Republican Party. A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee has denied any connection to the petitions and suggested they were part of a Democratic plot to discredit the RNC.

Victims of the scam don't know who was behind it, but some now wonder where they should vote, if their votes will count and, in at least two cases, why they're registered to vote in the first place.

In Ohio,

Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has issued an order governing the presence of "challengers" inside Ohio polling places.

State law allows political parties to place representatives inside the polls to challenge the legitimacy of voters' registrations before they are issued ballots. Although the law says each group can have one challenger per polling place, Blackwell said each group can have one challenger per precinct - meaning some voters could see a crowd at the many polling places serving more than one precinct.

The dirty tricks campaign continues. The Lake County sheriff fielded complaints about a flier purportedly issued by the county election board. The flier, which is bogus, tells those registered to vote by the NAACP, by Democratic campaigns or certain progressive groups that their registrations are invalid.

The Ohio Republican Party will now dispatch thousands of poll observers to challenge voters as they enter the polls. Most of the challengers will be lawyers, who will bring their challenge to the local polling official. That person will have to make a on-the-spot decision as to the legitimacy of the challenge. The voter has no recourse or appeal if they are disqualified from voting.

Reading all this - and if you google voting challenge - you will come across dozens of articles that provide a shocking glimpse at the depths of deceipt and intimidation have been employed to manipulate this election. Whether they can disqualify, prevent, or even just delay voting, the goal is clear: the discouragement of voting.

I don't care which party is responsible (although it does appear clear that one party is more engaged in this than the other), voting is sacred business. There is an incredible danger in allowing organizations to engage in fraudlent registrations, to challenge the legitimacy of voters on the basis of flimsy evidence, even if, ultimately, that challenge fails.

These activities serve to increase the transactional costs of democracy and therefore discourage participation. I think this has a disproportionate impact on minorities and working class voters. Who has time to wait all day to vote? Who wants their legitimate right to participate questioned?

That's the goal, right? Increase the transactional costs of democracy on the underclass and minorities to discourage them from voting. This is happening because the transactional costs of challenging voters are too low. In Pennsylvania, any voter can challenge any other voter. In order to respond to the challenge, the challenged voter must have another voter vouch for them. If they can't, the challenged voter must use a provisional ballot which is then cleared up later.

What are the costs for Republicans to challenge voters - thus far, it appears to be minimal beyond legal, some human resource costs, and a few mailings. We should, as a society, be adding heavy penalties for interfering with a citizen's rights to vote. There should be enormous transactional costs such that individuals and organziations are discouraged from interfering. While there's appears to be some of this at work, it's clearly not widespread or at least enforced enough otherwise there'd be a lot less stories on voter disenfranchisement. But take this court transcript from Ohio. A Ms. Miller has challenged the vote of Ms. Herrod. Miller is represented by attorney Morrison.:

Mr. PRY:               Ms. Miller, you filed a challenge to the voting residence of

Catherine Ann Herold, who lives at xxx xxth Street Northwest, Barberton, Summit County, Ohio; is that correct?

MS. MILLER:       I did.

MR. PRY:              And have you ever been to that residence?

MS. MILLER:       No.

MR. PRY:               Do you know Catherine Ann Herrold?

MS. MILLER:       No, I don't.

MR. PRY:              You have indicated in this challenge form that the person - that you believe that she does not live at that residence; is that correct?

MS. MILLER:       That's correct.

MR. PRY:              And what is the basis for you making this challenge?

MS. MILLER:       That was my impression that these items that I signed were for people whose mail had been undeliverable for several times, and that they did not live at the residence.

MR. PRY:              Did you personally send any mail to Ms. Herrold?

MS. MILLER:       No, I did not.

MR. PRY:               Have you seen any mail that was returned to Ms. Herrold?

MS. MILLER:       No, I have not.

MR. PRY:              Do you have any personal knowledge as we stand here today that Ms. Herrold does not live at the address at 238 30th Street Northwest?

MS. MILLER:       Only that which was my impression; that their mail had not been able to be delivered.

MR. PRY:              And who gave you that impression?

MS. MILLER:       Attorney Jim Simon.

MR. PRY:              And what did --

MS. MILLER:       He's an officer of the party.

MR. PRY:              An officer of which party?

MS. MILLER:       Republican party.

MR. PRY:              Where did you complete this challenge form at?

MS. MILLER:       My home.

MR. PRY:              What did Mr. Simon tell you with respect to Ms. Herrold's residence?

MS. MILLER:       That the mail had come back undeliverable several times from that residence.

MR. PRY:              And you never saw the returned mail?

MS. MILLER:       No, I did not.

MR. PRY:              Now, you've indicated that you signed this based on some personal knowledge.

MR. HUTCHINSON:        (Joseph F. Hutchinson, Jr. Summit County Board of Elections) No

MR. ARSHINKOFF:        (Alex R. Arshinkoff, Summit County Board of Elections)   Reason to believe. It says, "I have reason to believe."  It says it on the form.

MR. JONES:               It says, "I hereby declare under penalty of election falsification, that the statements above are true as I verily believe."

MR. ARSHINKOFF:        It says here, "I have reason to believe."

MR. HUTCHINSON:        It says what it says.

MR. ARSHINKOFF:        You want her indicted, get her indicted.

MR. PRY:                            That may be where it goes next.

MR. HUTCHINSON:        Yeah, give it a try.

MR. MORRISON:            I'm going to enter an objection.

MR. JONES:                     Can we have you name?

MR. MORRISON:            Yes.  Jack Morrison.  I've just been informed by Mr. Pry that an indictment may flow out of this, and therefore I'm instructing Ms. Miller to exercise her privilege against self-incrimination.  She will not answer any further questions.

Note how the threat of indictment and criminal penalties shut them up real fast. These are the kind of penalties that ought to be in place for EACH wrongful challenge. The message ought to be sent that it's serious business to challenge the rights of voters.

Otherwise, I'm for Bill Maher's suggestion yesterday that if it's okay to send white voters into minority districts to intimidate them from voting, it is equally okay to send black and other minorities into white districts to intimidate them back. Maher was showing a photo of some very mean-looking gang members. I think we'd win the war on who's more intimidating.

Contributing to the Delinquincy of Michael Moore

Michael Moore came to campus Wednesday. Although my legs were still killing me after standing for seven hours for the Kerry rally, I really felt the need to go. Good thing I did - front row in a standing room only crowd of 1200! Here are the highlights:

I contributed to the delinquincy of Moore - although clearly he relished the opportunity. He was telling us about reaction to his next documentary - about the pharmaceutical industry and HMOs. Apparently, word has gotten out and the pharmaceutical industry has panicked. They've begun to develop Moore training manuals and drills to help their employees deal with Moore when he shows up at their buildings. Apparently, Pfizer is so nervous that they sent out a memo to their employees warning them to be on the lookout for "a bearded, heavyset man wearing rumpled clothing ... and holding a microphone." They've even set up a hotline for employees according to Mike, who received a copy of the memo from a Pfizer employee.

Of course, I asked the natural question - "What's the number?" At first, Mike seemed really hesitant about giving us the number - he said, "I'm already in enough trouble." But I think the mischief-maker that is inherent in Moore's personality got giddy at the thought and he read aloud the number on the condition that we call it immediately afterwards and utilize the following script:

"He's here... He's here in the building... I'm hiding under the desk. Send reinforcements. Oh my god - He's - AAAAAAGH!"

Someone in the audience actually called the number on their cell phone and got a voicemail so Moore got us all to say in unison, "He's here!" Incidentally, if you'd like the number, it's 212-573-1226.

The next highlight for me was Michael scolding me about getting a life. The context was Moore talking about Bush's performance during the debates. He commented about how often Bush said the words "hard work" and asked rhetorically how many times Bush had said it. Of course, I knew this information.Moore looked at me in disbelief when I told him 11 times - he asked me how did I know - did I count? Of course, I nodded yes at which point he told me I "needed to get out more."

Other highlights were the pro-Bush commercials he shot for the Republican party. He screened a whole bunch of commercials he edited that took the Swift Boat ads to the next level, such as:

"58,000 Americans died in Vietnam -- John Kerry wasn't one of them. If he truly loved his country, he would've died," said a stern voice-over amid images of the war in Vietnam.

"John Kerry used to have long hair. Then he had shorter hair," said the voice-over as a picture of a young Kerry testifying on Capitol Hill against the Vietnam War flashed on the screen. "Two words: Flip flop. Vote Bush."

Later, he read from Bill O'Reilly's new children's book, "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids" where Moore noted with irony includes advice on how to deal with bullies. The section that Moore focused on was the chapter on sex in which O'Reilly informed girls that they should hold out because boys would say anything to sleep with them and warned boys against girls that would try to sleep with them in order to capture and control them. Priceless was Moore's pointing out the section on O'Reilly's first sexual experience (a short two paragraphs) and Moore's impersonation of O'Reilly having sex: "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!"

Aside from that, Moore shared the stage with a number of local military families with loved ones in Iraq. They spoke earnestly and passionately about why they distrusted Bush and how strongly they hoped that people would vote for Kerry. One man in particular spoke about how he had tried fruitlessly to get President Bush to attend the funeral of his brother, who died when a building exploded nearby his patrol in Iraq. He asked the president to face the unfinished business of his brother - his two children whom are now fatherless.

This became the focal point of the evening - the inequity of the situation in which poor, working class families are serving in the unnecessary war while the children of the priviledged have escaped. Moore questioned why Bush supporters in the audience weren't in Iraq if they were so supportive of the Bush Administration's policies. Someone fell for it by suggesting that those in the military were volunteers. Michael leapt on them, pointing out that probably for many in Pittsburgh, volunteering for the military isn't likely to be much of a choice but one of few options available to them.

This is where Michael Moore is at his strongest - he has a way of correctly framing the moral issue that lets us see the inequity. It is powerful stuff to think about young men and women - roughly the same age as the students in the room - who are out in Iraq dying because they have no other options to make a living. Surely, they have signed up to put their lives up for their country - but is this war worth their lives and the loss to their families?

Sometimes, however, it can be a risky strategy with those that he's trying to convince because he is essentially trying to guilt them. Lots of people, especially children of priviledge, don't like to be guilted and reminded of their priviledge. I'm not sure whether Michael's plea that students get involved in turning out the vote succeeded in convincing many but MoveOn, ACT, and a couple of organizations did have people sign up.

Although it's his slacker tour, it seems like Michael forgot. He didn't pass out the ramen and underwear - that was left to a stagehand afterwards. I'm pleased to report that I was one of the lucky recipients of three pairs of clean, Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear. Don't worry, Mike. I'll be out there voting. I'm also thinking of filming polling stations. We'll see how that goes.

Overall, having Moore was great - he's truly a unique individual who has carved a unique role for himself as a moralist in our society.

UPDATE: Apparently, there's some pics on Michael Moore's website. There's a photo taken from behind and you can see me standing in the front row. I'm the little figure closest to the podium in the front row wearing a white shirt and yellow tie. (Yeah, I know, not much of a slacker but I had come directly from work)

Why Does "The American Conservative" Hate America?

According to the editorial board of the American Conservative, "Kerry's the One:"

Bush has behaved like a caricature of what a right-wing president is supposed to be, and his continuation in office will discredit any sort of conservatism for generations. The launching of an invasion against a country that posed no threat to the U.S., the doling out of war profits and concessions to politically favored corporations, the financing of the war by ballooning the deficit to be passed on to the nation’s children, the ceaseless drive to cut taxes for those outside the middle class and working poor: it is as if Bush sought to resurrect every false 1960s-era left-wing cliché about predatory imperialism and turn it into administration policy.

...The hatred Bush has generated has helped immeasurably those trying to recruit anti-American terrorists—indeed his policies are the gift to terrorism that keeps on giving, as the sons and brothers of slain Iraqis think how they may eventually take their own revenge. Only the seriously deluded could fail to see that a policy so central to America’s survival as a free country as getting hold of loose nuclear materials and controlling nuclear proliferation requires the willingness of foreign countries to provide full, 100 percent co-operation. Making yourself into the world’s most hated country is not an obvious way to secure that help.

...This election is all about George W. Bush, and those issues are enough to render him unworthy of any conservative support.

I think a pig just flew past my window! I guess this means that the American Conservative is actually a reality-based community liberal media conspiracy that hates America. (For those who missed what I thought was obvious sarcasm here and in my Brent Scowcroft piece, I am satirizing many Republicans' outrageous denunciation of Administration critics as 'unpatriotic' 'America-haters' who 'lent comfort to the enemy.'

Clearly, the American Conservative (and hopefully other conservatives as well) are beginning to realize that the Bush Administration does not present a thoughtful and well-reasoned approach to policy making. They have been disastrously short-sighted to the point that it's just too difficult to ignore. I would guess that this means that there will be a small chunk of moderate and traditional conservatives that will either switch sides or fail to show up at the polls.

Keep the faith, people. Those polls don't begin to show this kind of stuff...

Karl Rove Strikes Pittsburgh!

Josh Marshall's been watching out for the dirty tricks of Karl Rove, who appears to have struck again:

An unknown number of University of Pittsburgh students who signed a petition to legalize medical marijuana have had their party registrations and polling places switched -- adding to the number of college students apparently targeted by a voter registration scam.

In the latest cases to come to light, students say they never filled out voter registration forms and that they believe their names, addresses and other details were simply copied onto a form by someone else.

"My polling place was switched to the basement of an apartment building in south Oakland," said Margaret Talarico, who usually votes at home in Upper St. Clair. She was among dozens of students approached as they walked across the campus last month and asked to sign a petition to legalize medical marijuana.

On other campuses, students have said they signed such a petition but were then asked to fill out the signature and address portions of voter registration forms in order to verify their identities. Those forms were later filled out to register the students as Republicans. In the latest case, students say they never saw a registration form.

This is in addition to efforts by the Republicans to otherwise prevent legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote. And this is the party that claims to value freedom and democracy?

Can I Interest You in Some Swamp Land in Florida?

I've got friends and family who adamantly believe that this administration would like you to believe they've been very effective at fighting terrorism. Not only has Dubya not caught Osama nor found any of the WMDs that posed an "imminent threat" to the US, apparently, they've not even been able to convict a single terrorist in three years:

In early November 2001, with Americans still staggered by the Sept. 11 attacks, a small group of White House officials worked in great secrecy to devise a new system of justice for the new war they had declared on terrorism.

Determined to deal aggressively with the terrorists they expected to capture, the officials bypassed the federal courts and their constitutional guarantees, giving the military the authority to detain foreign suspects indefinitely and prosecute them in tribunals not used since World War II.

The plan was considered so sensitive that senior White House officials kept its final details hidden from the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and the secretary of state, Colin L. Powell, officials said. It was so urgent, some of those involved said, that they hardly thought of consulting Congress.

White House officials said their use of extraordinary powers would allow the Pentagon to collect crucial intelligence and mete out swift, unmerciful justice. "We think it guarantees that we'll have the kind of treatment of these individuals that we believe they deserve," said Vice President Dick Cheney, who was a driving force behind the policy.

But three years later, not a single terrorist has been prosecuted. Of the roughly 560 men being held at the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, only 4 have been formally charged. Preliminary hearings for those suspects brought such a barrage of procedural challenges and public criticism that verdicts could still be months away. And since a Supreme Court decision in June that gave the detainees the right to challenge their imprisonment in federal court, the Pentagon has stepped up efforts to send home hundreds of men whom it once branded as dangerous terrorists.

Maybe the charge of fighting the war on terror is best left to a President that has both experience in fighting wars and as a criminal prosecutor.

Hard to be Angry

It's been a little hard to get angry this week - it's mid-semester break, so I got to go home and see my wife and we've spent the last few days celebrating the new arrival of our first nephew, Vishal.

I'm hoping that the first four (dare I say eight?) years of Vishal's life give him less to be angry about with a Democratic administration in the White House. Of course, given the comic level of scare tactics that the Republicans seem to be employing, it might be a funny next four years if Dubya manages to win.

Given the speed and sharpness of the Democratic response, I don't think so. (You're looking for the "Wolves" ad on the Bush-Cheney site and the "Eagle" ad on the DNC site).

My First Kerry Rally

The Kerry campaign decided to make a stop on campus and I figured it was the most opportune time to see the future president of the United States. As I've mentioned in the past, I've been much less pro-Kerry as much as I am anti-Bush. My long-standing concern has been that Kerry - the safer choice - might lead Democrats to become less aggressive about responding and attacking the absurdities of the Republican party. So this was my first Kerry rally - in fact, the first political rally I've been to this year.

About ten thousand people came out to see him - to give you an idea of the scale, there are only about 8,000 students at Carnegie Mellon in total - I can guarantee you that not every student went since we're in the midst of our mid-terms. While the crowd was pretty good-natured, I did have an incident that caught me off guard, momentarily.

As we were approaching the metal detectors, a group of white women were commenting on one of the security people letting people through. He was a big, burly guy with something of a swarthy complexion. One woman, commenting loudly, said "I don't like these dark-skinned men. They really firghten me." At that point, she noticed that I was standing right there and let out an embarrassed "Oh!" I'd been standing in line next to them for about two hours, so it's not like she hadn't known I was there.

I have to admit it caught me a little off guard. I've been living on the East Coast for almost ten years - people either are very careful about what they say in public (DC) or they are pretty blunt and open about racial differences (NY). I haven't had to deal with Midwestern racism personally in a while.

I imagine that many people who live in or near Pittsburgh - with its stark lack of diversity - have internalized the terrorist threat as being those of darker or swarthier complexions. My sister, who was here during the 9/11 attacks, told me that people were very open about their racism after the attacks to the point that she was intimidated at living in such a homogenous city.

Aside from a glare, I didn't really have a response. What kind of people harbor these kinds of feelings and support John Kerry? Then again, it's not like the campaign presents a very diverse face - two white men, after all. Still, it was interesting to catch people express what they really feel. It just goes to show that no matter how much progress we think we've made, there is still a long road to go. For people who look like me though, it's also a warning that the feelings of fear and intimidation caused by constant repetition of the terror threat lingers near the surface. It's not hard for that fear to turn into anger and hate.

In addition to ignorant white people were stupid Secret Service agents. There were 10,000 people lined up starting from about 1pm (doors were scheduled to open at 3pm). By 3pm, the line extended for about six or seven city blocks. For some inexplicable reason the Secret Service kept trying to get people up front to back up, completely ignoring the mass of humanity behind them. At 4pm, they still hadn't opened the doors but began threatening people that if they didn't back up no one would get in. At this point, the CMU students started getting a little pissy. It made no sense at all - backing up 10,000 people or simply backing up their security equipment. Bottom line, get a badge and a gun, and you get a big head and get really lazy. The Secret Service guys were really obnoxious.

Ted Danson and Jon Bon Jovi opened up for Kerry. Danson spent his entire speech railing on the Bush Administration's environmental policies, decrying them as a departure from his father's brand of Republicanism. Danson came off pretty serious and knowledgeable and it was hard to imagine him as Sam Malone. Bon Jovi did two numbers, including an acoustic version of "Living on a Prayer" which just doesn't have the same energy as the original. Actually, I'm surprised by the choice of musical guests who've been opening for Kerry. If the point is to help get out the youth vote, why do they keep brining out these dinosaurs from the 80s? I heard the concert they did at MCI arena with Bruce Springsteen as the headline drew more people over 40 than under. I'd like to see Outkast, the Black-Eyed Peas, or even Eminem.

Kerry was introduced by his wife, Teresa, who happens to be a trustee of the school. I've never heard her speak before and she seems very together from the brief glimpse that we got. They're definitely pretty close and I have a feeling that Kerry is the less serious of the two in their personal relationship.
(He was grabbing hands while she was introducing him which I think she found a little distracting)

Kerry himself seemed to be in fine form. He delivered a stump speech that seemed to lack any real organization - mostly throwing out talking points in seemingly random order. They focused on health care and the environment but did make mention of the economy, diplomacy, and the war on terror. Still too much defensive talk about how he wouldn't let any country decide the US's security although he did make a successful effort to explain why working with allies makes America safer.

Overall, I'd have to say that I'm impressed. During the primaries, Kerry was not my choice and I've been supportive mostly because he's not Bush. He does come off, however, as eminently presidential in a way that is very different from Clinton. He's certainly more presidential than Bush. I think if anyone came to the rally undecided yesterday - which doesn't appear likely - Kerry might have helped to convince them that he's a better choice. In any case, let's hope the signs are right:

The Blogosphere Pokes Back

I've been doing this for almost six months and it's been a grand experiment. Not quite the "Meet the Press" requests for interviews (yet!) but satisfying in its own right. Inexplicably, 4000 people have visited these pages. More than that, however, are links from other blogs by people who are total strangers to me and not among my bribed friends and family.

I'm not sure who they are beyond the detail that can be pieced from their blogs, or what it was about Minority Report that attracted their attention, but I am grateful to have their links to my site. So many thanks to:

As I Please Self-described as "random musings from the mind of a troubled medical student. Sometimes amusing, often perverse, but always pointless."

Loblogamy Another medical student who also happens to have a master's degree in philosophy.

Monkeysee Self described as "Loud, unafraid of conflict, a little headstrong... I cuss like I'm 12 and just learning the words.Literate but not terribly intelligent, liberal but not that open-minded, and champagne tastes on a specialty beer budget."

Take a visit when you get a chance.