Strangechord

Tomorrow at 1 pm EST, Rep. John Conyers (D) of Michigan will take the floor and formally object to the counting of the Ohio electoral vote in the 2004 presidential election. Remember that scene from in Fahrenheit 9/11 from January 2000 when members of the Black Congressional Caucus took the podium seeking one - just one - senator to enable discussion on the matter? Well, it’s deja-vu time. Will a senator join Conyers tomorrow so that formal objections can be filed? Keep in mind, Bush is President no matter what for the next four years because obviously the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will vote against the objections. However, what’s important about tomorrow’s stand is that attention be drawn to the matters of election fraud and vote suppression that have been so evidenced. Call your Senator at (800) 839-5276 OR send an email at www.senate.gov and encourage him/her to stand with Conyers and other Reps tomorrow.

(See also: Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College and Seven key reasons why the vote must be challenged at the electoral college)

In other news, we all know by now that over $40 million is being spent on Bush’s inaugural (coronation) celebration on January 20th. There will be demonstrations in D.C. and in other major cities. This short NY Times interview (login: strangechord; password: readnyt) with Jeanne L. Phillips, the chairwoman of the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee and a staunch Bush fan, is inadvertently a sad riot:

I hear one of the balls will be reserved for troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Yes, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. That is new. It will be about 2,000 servicemen and their guests. And that should be a really fun event for them.

As an alternative way of honoring them, did you or the president ever discuss canceling the nine balls and using the $40 million inaugural budget to purchase better equipment for the troops?

I think we felt like we would have a traditional set of events and we would focus on honoring the people who are serving our country right now…

How do any of them benefit from the inaugural balls?

I’m not sure that they do benefit from them.

Then how, exactly, are you honoring them?

Honoring service is what our theme is about.

$40 million to throw a few balls in “honor” of people who serve… I love the interviewer’s question, Then how, exactly, are you honoring them? It’s a terrific question I’m glad to see a mainstream newspaper ask. Seriously, why is the administration spending money on window dressing “honors” like inaugural balls when troops are under-protected, deceived, and dying practically daily in Iraq? It’s a rhetorical question, of course. As if we’d get a straight answer (when the answer is all about propaganda, anyway).