From the open publishing newswire: This Sunday's Oregonian made the Presidential election and the 72% disappointment rate among Portland area voters front page, second only to a coverage recap of the Ducks and Beavers action from Saturday. I couldn't resist exchanging six quarters for the grid-iron action that must be taking place within in the Commentary pages inside. What's more, I thought I'd give the Karl Rove's of the world my own invisible middle-finger by ordering a mucho grande latte, made more liberal by an extra shot of espresso. Bush may have stolen another election, but this is Portland, Oregon, and our little bastion of free thinking is now getting dug in for its own Christmas in Bastogne.

Unfortunately, The Oregonian continues to sink to new lows in editorial journalism. The Sunday (after the election) Commentary reads like a transcript of Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes," a semi pulp fiction in which the left is so skewed to the right, that the center of the argument essentially ends up being somewhere between moderate Republican and extreme Republican.

Associate Editor Doug Bates mocks Portland's progressive community by calling it an extension of Canada.

From the open publishing newswire: I don't for a moment believe that Kerry actually lost the popular vote. Of all the votes lost -- with partisan scrub lists, at-the-polls shenanigans over IDs, etc., and Diebold hackings, or just plain thrown out -- a majority would undoubtedly have voted for Kerry and put him over the top. What happened was simple: last time, the Republicans stole it by the seat of their pants, so this time they ratcheted up their efforts and stole it big. They got away with it this time because the Democrats never called them on it last time. Instead, the Democratic leadership and their national support groups spent four years building the myth that the blame was with Nader. Considering who was disenfranchised, this lack of action was nothing less than Racist with a capital "R".

...Given a choice between fighting or ignoring a serious injustice, the Democratic Party leadership chose to look the other way (belated mentions near the end of this year's campaign notwithstanding). The Party got what was coming to it on Tuesday when the number of disenfranchised and unrepresented voters grew in number, in just the right states.

I suggest we all devote our energies to reinforcing the political fortress (portland) we are lucky enough to occupy. Become highly involved in local politics. Support our new mayor and goad him to significant action. I call on all artists and creative people to ABANDON RE-STATING again and again THE PROBLEMS we all know so well exist, and instead begin to CRAFT A STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL colllective alternative vision, and then to take every action possible to realize that AMBITIOUS DREAM. We have a responsibility to the rest of the nation to do so. The summer of love all over again, PORTLAND STYLE. What will we accomplish by getting in the streets today? The Democrats have not cried "Fraud!" If we stand in Pioneer Square today and shout "Fraud!" we will appear fanatical, insane, ridiculous; all of the things that we ascribe to the evangelists, the fundamentalists, and Zionists that have an approval rate of about 51%.

This is the time to center. Ground. Focus. Whatever you want to call it... and put your energy into your individual protests. Fight CAFTA. Fight the Forest Service. Fight those who exploit animals. Fight sweatshops. Fight corporate globalization. Fight privatization.

From the open publishing newswire: In an election night action, PPRC marched to The Marriott where the Repugs were celebrating, then hopped MAX and headed to The Convention Center to meet up with Dems


About 50 regulars and others marched with the PPRC No War Drum Corp from across from the federal building downtown to the Marriott where the right wingers were gathering. We had a big, 40' long new banner, "END THE WARS." The day's rain had stopped in the still chilly night air.

Our regular chant leader, Tina, was back from her sabbatical giving birth to twin boys. We were high and enthusiastic to be together, after a day of odd uncertainty. We chanted, danced and drummed right up at the entrance to the Marriott. Michael was doing his cartwheels.

One violent incident took place. Den was bopping up by a door. Repugs were coming out and holding up 4 fingers (Shrub, 4 more years). About 3-4 police were also by the other doors. One of them, Delinko (sp?) stepped in and moved between Den and the Repugs coming out. In a swift swoop, that cop grabbed Den's small green justice flag, broke the stick off, and then took it inside the Marriott.

From the open publishing newswire: 3:49 pm: i really like that we have vote-by-mail here in this part of Cascadia temporarily known as Oregon. i appreciate having lots of time with the ballot to research my choices, discuss them with friends (and otherwise), and fill it out really slowly if i'd like, in the comfort of my own home. But as long as i've lived here, i've never mailed it. i always bike it up to the Multnomah County Elections Office on 10th & Morrison in Portland. i do this for two reasons: a) i want to assure that my ballot arrives safely where it's supposed to go, and b) i enjoy the sense of occasion and excitement of going somewhere in person on sElection Day.

So today i biked up there in the rain with my ballot, and the ballots of my roommates, and i was not disappointed. It was quite a scene up there.

Additional updates & photos: [ 6:35 pm | 6:50 pm | 8:42 pm ]

From the open publishing newswire: Colin Fodenvenzil reported on Measure 33 this morning. He talked with supporters and advocates then he interviewed the opposition by talking to head of the Oregon District Attorney's Association (Brad Berry?). The head of the ODAA claimed that if Measure 33 passed, the provisions in the Measure allow sick people to have up to 6Lbs of Marijuana. Then he claimed the federal DEA 6Lbs is enough marijuana for a sick person to smoke 2 joints, 24 hours per day, every day for a year.

Math check = 2 x 24 x 365 = 17,520 joints
Gram check = 28.25 (grams/ounce) x 16 (ounces/LB) x 6 = 2712 grams
2712 grams / 17520 joints = .15 grams / joint or more than 6 joints per gram.

I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO COULD POSSIBLY MAKE A JOINT SO SMALL.

I just watched Stolen Honor, and it was ridiculous! If I were an undecided voter, this film would make me want to vote for Kerry. Really old footage of him shows that he at least had a conscience back then! The major premise of the film was that Kerry and others protesting the Vietnam war dragged the war out and made life harder for the servicemen, especially POWs. This is positively absurd. What is better for servicemen than bringing them home to their wives and children?

It goes on to insinuate that POWs were treated even more badly BECAUSE of coverage of war protests.... And that the POWs suffered a brutal blow to their morale from people protesting the war.

From the open publishing newswire: We've lost our light.
That's the first reality of American Politics. We no longer are carrying the torch of our forbears. The people who stood tall to abolish slavery, to fight for a woman's right to vote, to fight for millions of workers in dungeon factories and mines to have the right to form trade unions, to increase their standard of living and their safety, the farmers who came out of east Texas in 1887 and started the populist progressive revolt - the greatest reform movement in American history, that we are still benefiting from although at a depreciating level. Consider what they gave up. What did they risk? They risked their livelihoods.

There was no welfare pay, there was no unemployment compensation, no social security, no disability payments - NOTHING. They put their families lives on the line for dignity, safety, for a decent wage in the coal mines, and in the auto plants and the steel mills.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. All we have to do is turn off the television and start focusing on some serious pursuits of justice, so we can pursue happiness.
You cannot pursue happiness without pursuing justice. That's what the Declaration of Independence was all about. The pursuit of happiness was preceded by the inalienable rights of human beings.

You know what's interesting. What's interesting is what television has done to all of us. We can't begin to exaggerate the numbing, mind closing trivialization of the human mind that occurs when starting at age two the television becomes our electronic baby sitter. Through ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - 30, 40 hours a week we are sitting on couches when we should be exercising our young bodies. Being persuaded to buy junk food, to nag the parents to buy junk food, being persuaded that violence is the solution to life's problems, being persuaded that just sitting there, watching, frying our little brains, reducing our attention span, shrinking our vocabulary, de-socializing our interactions with other human beings including our own family.... is a good thing.

From the open publishing newswire: I just got polled on the phone. Questions like how much you think Bush and Kerry are "tough enough to fight terrorism". They asked if I'd vote for Bush, Kerry, Badnarik, Cobb or undecided. I said I'd write in Nader. They insisted I choose one of the above or be excluded from the poll. They then promised I'd get to choose Nader in a later question if I chose undecided, but that question never came.

When I agreed to say "undecided" ONLY after he promised I would get to have my preference for Nader registered in the poll in a later question, he then asked if I was leaning Bush or Kerry, and after threatening to exclude me from the poll because I insisted that none of the options was accurate at all, and refusing to let me just skip the question, and saying there was no "other" option, he then said, "so did you say you're leaning Badnarik"? I said I'm voting for Nader and that there's an active write-in campaign for Nader and he should expect to find other voters like me responding in this way.

The poll was conducted by "Pacific Crest Research" according to the poll-taker. But I can't find any such entity on the web that would be doing polls. They asked about Measure 36 but mentioned no other ballot initiative. I wonder if it was a push poll of some kind, trying to pressure Nader voters to choose someone else, or would-be Nader voters to believe that there is no official write-in campaign for Nader, which of course there is.

From the open publishing newswire: My name is Kathleen Juergens, and this article consists of my response to an online "Nader Voter Survey" conducted by Greg Bates of Common Courage Press. I am posting it as a contribution to the public discourse around the election, not as an attack on anybody who is voting for Kerry, a decision which is their right to make. I request that anybody who is forwarding or republishing these remarks do so in their entirety, and not quote me out of context. Blessed be!

From the open publishing newswire: I thought that Karl Rove would have made his adjustments by now, but tonight Bush got his butt kicked even worse than in debate #1. Like his Dad, W has gone globetrotting in tanks and destroyers, and his domestic agenda is pathetic. George W. Bush put in another lame performance on national TV. It's no wonder that his dad once supported not having presidential debates, because the apple never falls far from the tree, as Tony Blair praised W. Ear pieces and dirty politics can disguise stupidity and deception in a candidate, but on live TV, may the better man win.

It makes it even more difficult to believe how Al Gore could have blown it so bad in 2000...

related: [ Transcript of the Third Presidential Debate ]

previous debate coverage: [ Posters to indymedia share their thoughts on the pResidential Debate (Sept. 30) | Edwards survives--and that's saying something (Oct. 6) | Some Hits in Debate, but a Big MISS (Oct. 8) | Candidates Badnarik (Libertarian) and Cobb (Green) arrested attempting to enter pResidential Debate in St. Louis (Oct. 8) | Report-back from October 8th pResidential Debate Protest (Oct. 9) | Corporate media picks up on internet speculation that Bush was "wired" during debates (Oct. 11) ]

From the open publishing newswire: Here are a few photos of this evenings visit from John Edwards @ Pioneer Square.I have tried to attend Bush speeches,but I have been denied entry because of lack of tickets or my refusal to sign a loyalty oath.Notice,there are no ninja cops or republican enforcers to turn me away.This guy is the real deal and the crowd was great.Afterwards,the debate between John Kerry and the Crawford Cowboy was broadcast on two wide screen tv's.It was a fun event to attend.

From the open publishing newswire: This Republican Party mouthpiece pretends to mock Democrat complaints of Nader's impact in 2000 and 2004, but is clearly designed to convince the website's GOP readership of two basic lies:

1) The lie that it is plausible to think 90% of Nader voters would have voted Gore if forced to choose Bush or Gore, when all the data that exists show no more than 45% at best would have voted Gore. This lie is meant to steer Republican and conservative Independent readers away from giving Nader a fair hearing by painting Nader as a left fringe candidate, when in fact Nader is a far better conservative candidate than Bush ever was.

2) The lie that Nader is a "fringe" candidate in terms of his platform, agenda and potential appeal to the mainstream electorate, as opposed to being "fringe" in terms of corporate monopoly media coverage and concomitant poll percentages.

[ Read More ]

related stories: [ Today's Republicans Are So Not | Do anti-Nader Progressives know who writing their scripted letters? ]

From the open publishing newswire: Reports from the BBC News agency say that a bulge in the back of President Bush's jacket has triggered rumors that he was wired to receive audio instruction during the TV debate with John Kerry in Miami. The Seattle Times has a story on it too and has been following up on it.

Many websites present evidence which allege that the apparent bulge is a radio receiver feeding him answers from an aide offstage. Of course, the Bush campaign dismissed the claims out of hand, stating only that it was just a wrinkle in the jacket. Campaign officials also denied web reports that he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Take www.isbushwired.com for instance, it's a website relentlessly devoted to exposing the facts for what they seem to be, that Mr. Bush is cheating during this debate and was getting his info while wired for sound bytes. There is actually some pretty compelling evidence available on the web to support those claims.

One commenter writes: The Knoxville Times called me at 6am this morning asking me to confirm or deny the "Bush is Wired" story they read here at Portland IMC. My immediate response was, "What is the Portland IMC?"

flurry of related posts: [ BUSH WIRED DURING DEBATE!!!! | Bush was Wired in Debate | Is Bush Wired? | BRITISH NEWS says Bush wired/cheating in Bush-Kerry 'debate' & @ Repub. Convention | "No Comment" on Bush earpiece from white house, Kerry campaign: Salon | Bush Wired | Bush is a little puppet: prompted by earpiece long before the non-debate with Kerry ]

From the open publishing newswire: St. Louis IMC is down so there are very few details but according to a portland indymedia reporter in St. Louis both David Cobb (Green Party) and Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) demanded to be let into the debates. After marching to the front of the University they faced off against the riot cops and it was reported that they pushed their way through the police line and were promptly arrested.

related: [ Green party Press Release on Cobb Arrest ]