It’s the worst time in the world for this. Except for any other. I’ve got to hit the road again, and will be on that road for the balance of the summer. Will be working from the road as usual, but if I’m lucky, I’ll find some folks to cover for me here for extended periods, as I much need it. Heading to Atlanta for a start, to speak at the BackboneCampaign.org’s Progessive Shadow Cabinet summit convening at the Carter Center next week. I’m proud to accept their nomination as “Secretary of Democracy.”
Before I go, however, quick pointers to three must read recent ACVR/Thor Hearne exposés. At Columbus FreePress, TPMCafe, and National Journal. No time, for the moment, to give much more than quick pointers. But, as one recent emailer wrote when I mentioned I was leaving: “Why not leave out the middleman and let Thor Hearne write about himself at BRAD BLOG while you’re gone?” 🙂
Touché. But until I’m gone, here’s the latest.
At Columbus FreePress…
FreePress‘s democracy champion in Ohio, Bob Fitrakis — who was one of the first, if not the first to pick up on the ACVR story after we broke it all in 2005 — gives us “Ohio, the DOJ scandal and ‘Thor’ – the god of voter suppression” today. It begins this way…
…and continues to quote us hither and yon and otherwise give a terrific overview, including a timeline, of the brief, but storied, history of Thor and the American Center for Voting Rights scam. In particular, Fitrakis offers fresh details on the local ACVR corollary, referring to themselves as the “Free Enterprise Coalition” (FEC) a name that will be familiar to those who caught Howard Beale’s article late last week on the Thor’s local Missouri group calling themselves the “Center for Ethics and the Free Market” (CEFM).
The pedigree for Ohio’s FEC front group was similar to those of both ACVR and CEFM — set up by some of the same folks, including Alex Vogel (more on him in a moment) — and is described familiarly by TMPCafe blogger “Mrs. Panstreppon” as having:
Sound familiar? Fitrakis also offers a fresh sidebar on Columbus’s current Republican mayoral candidate William Todd, who is neck deep in ACVR and FEC doodoo.
A quick note of thanks to Bob for recognizing us as “the first to reveal Hearne’s masquerade as a voting rights advocate.”
At TPMCafe…
As well, in another must read for ACVR junkies, “Mrs. Panstreppon” offered a fresh piece over the weekend on ACVR’s “de facto executive director,” Alex Vogel.
“With so much media attention focused on Mark ‘Thor’ Hearne,” Mrs. P reports, “Alex Vogel’s role in the operations of the American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR) is being overlooked.”
Overlooked indeed. She goes into well-researched detail on Vogel, ACVR, and their connections to former RNC Chair Ken Melhman’s lawfirm, where Vogel is now based.
At National Journal…
In a scathing exposé filed several weeks ago, including a bunch of fresh Hearne details, Murray Waas at the National Journal opened up the ACVR can of worms for the first time in a serious way at a mainstream outlet. He’s got so much great Hearne stuff that I had hoped to devote an entire blog item here to his coverage, but was unable to as other news kept pre-empting over the last two weeks.
In either case, if you’ve yet to read his piece, headlined “The Scales of Justice,” go do it now.
I’ll be back soon, from the road, along with (hopefully) some more top-flight guest bloggers to fill my shoes while I’m away, on several super secret, and other not-so super secret missions…
For more information on the “non-partisan” tax-exempt ACVR “Voter Fraud” scam and the snakeoil salesmen who invented it, Bush/Cheney ’04 National General Counsel Mark F. “Thor” Hearne and RNC Communications Director Jim Dyke, please see BRAD BLOG’s full Special Coverage of the “American Center for Voting Rights” at https://BradBlog.com/ACVR.
Best of luck in your travels Brad.
Bon voyage – have fun – travel safely – hurry back.
What is next on your agenda,.. the next recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize – For the Continuation of Freedom, Justice, and the Preservation of Democracy ?
Safe trip Brad.
Wave to me in southern Tennessee when you fly over – and if you ever have a layover in Huntsville, AL, give me a heads up!
The Wikipedia page for ACVR has been restored, but in
the meantime, while no one is paying attention, Mark F. “Thor” Hearne has had his Wikipedia biography disappeared. It’s been re-directed to the Wikipedia page for ACVR.
Mark “Thor” Hearne’s wikipedia page has been nicely preserved before it was re-written, re-directed and scrubbed here:
http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Talk:Mark_Hearne
In the summer issue of Shelterforce I have written a piece on the connection between US Attorneygate, ACORN and the GOP voter fraud scam. Karl Rove’s strategy has been to make it much more difficult for poor and minority people to register to vote and to vote, particularly in key swing states. Harassing groups like ACORN that register and mobilize the poor, on trumped up charges of “voter fraud,” has been a major tactic of Rove, with implications for the 2008 races. You can read a shorter version at Tompaine.com
http://www.nhi.org/online/issue...ckthevote.html http://www.tompaine.com/article..._get_acorn.php
Excellent article, Mr. Atlas, but you did not mention the role played by ACVR director and secretary, Patrick L. “Pat” Rogers, in getting David Iglesias fired. For one, Rogers met with Monica Goodling in Washington last year to complain about Iglesias
KBE –
Who’s flying? We’re on the road baby! 🙂
Thanks, Milo!
“on the road again, gotta get on the road again”
Safe travels Brad. I’ve been waiting for a reason to cut myself off from this. This, sometimes depressing shit, so now I have an excuse. I am beginning to feel like , was it Emma or Erma or something like that. I think it’s become like swiping at the air… no one’s there. It’s all talk, talk, talk. All good intentions by wonderful, hardworking folks going no where because you no longer have an honest government, no one to really stand up for you.
It’s always one step ahead and two steps back. I’ll check back in ten years 🙂
They are starting a “no f@#king fly list in Canada now…I hope I am on it cause I want to make a fuss and shout and scream and get hauled off to jail.
If Canadians vote this f@#kin Harper in again I’m moving to Singapore.
second attempt at posting!!!
“Voter fraud” is no bull shit. I was very active in politics in Alameda County, California, and uncovered may fraudulent voter programs, ranging from the registration of phantom voters by organized teams which subsequently cast the ballots, to stuffing ballot boxes with blank ballots and turning in false counts, to destroying the ballots within a few days after the election.
Voting fraud is real all right, and is practiced wherever either major party has control of the governmental electoral processes. Politics is a dirty business.
I’m all for voter ID cards, tamper proof with pictures and encoded data. Those who deny there isn’t rampant voter fraud are part of the problem.
Lew Warden
Santa Maria, CA
… lewwarden regurgitated thusly…
“I was very active in politics in Alameda County, California, and uncovered may fraudulent voter programs…”
“… but my dog ate all the evidence so you’ll just have to take my word that we need yet even more disenfranchising police-state laws, ‘k?”
Hmmm… this is going to be nauseating… the RNC apologists of both parties astroturfing multiple “anti-CMSM” and “anti-corporate” groups while simultaneously lapping at the corporate trough…
Patrick J. Rogers has been involved in these shady right wing practices for decades.
Glad someone finally outted him.