Methinks ye haven't really reformed that much a'tall.
Posted on 08/08/2004 6:36:51 PM PDT by repub32
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A team of international observers will monitor the presidential election in November, according to the U.S. State Department.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was invited to monitor the election by the State Department. The observers will come from the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
It will be the first time such a team has been present for a U.S. presidential election.
"The U.S. is obliged to invite us, as all OSCE countries should," spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir said. "It's not legally binding, but it's a political commitment. They signed a document 10 years ago to ask OSCE to observe elections."
Thirteen Democratic members of the House of Representatives, raising the specter of possible civil rights violations that they said took place in Florida and elsewhere in the 2000 election, wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in July, asking him to send observers.
After Annan rejected their request, saying the administration must make the application, the Democrats asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to do so.
The issue was hotly debated in the House, and Republicans got an amendment to a foreign aid bill that barred federal funds from being used for the United Nations to monitor U.S. elections, The Associated Press reported.
In a letter dated July 30 and released last week, Assistant Secretary of State Paul Kelly told the Democrats about the invitation to OSCE, without mentioning the U.N. issue.
"I am pleased that Secretary Powell is as committed as I am to a fair and democratic process," said Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, who spearheaded the effort to get U.N. observers.
"The presence of monitors will assure Americans that America cares about their votes and it cares about its standing in the world," she said in a news release.
Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California agreed.
"This represents a step in the right direction toward ensuring that this year's elections are fair and transparent," she said.
"I am pleased that the State Department responded by acting on this need for international monitors. We sincerely hope that the presence of the monitors will make certain that every person's voice is heard, every person's vote is counted."
OSCE, the world's largest regional security organization, will send a preliminary mission to Washington in September to assess the size, scope, logistics and cost of the mission, Gunnarsdottir said.
The organization, which counts among its missions conflict prevention and postconflict rehabilitation, will then determine how many observers are required and where in the United States they will be sent.
"OSCE-participating [nations] agreed in 1990 to observe elections in one another's countries. The OSCE routinely monitors elections within its 55-state membership, including Europe, Eurasia, Canada and the United States," a State Department spokesman said.
The spokesman said the United States does not have any details on the size and composition of the observers or what countries will provide them.
OSCE, based in Vienna, Austria, has sent more than 10,000 personnel to monitor more than 150 elections and referenda in more than 30 countries during the past decade, Gunnarsdottir said.
In November 2002, OSCE sent 10 observers on a weeklong mission to monitor the U.S. midterm elections. OSCE also sent observers to monitor the California gubernatorial recall election last year.
More recently, OSCE monitored the elections in Northern Ireland in November and in Spain in March.
To quote Armybrat Proud:
"Does not matter how they act when they are here.
If States decide they don't want them.....they should not be allowed. The States have authority of how elections are set in their State.
Article 2 Section 1 [2] seems to be an indicator of that."
This is the real issue....the only issue here.
Democrat scare tactics may come and go, but the bottom line is do these election monitors line up with the Constitution?
This is all that matters.
Aye, so the Constitution is more like just guidelines than actual rules? Good to know.
I guess our inalienable rights are more like just privileges than actual rights.
Methinks ye haven't really reformed that much a'tall.
I don't care what you say or how much you want to belittle my opinion. I still don't think we need foreigners to monitor our elections.
I hope they come to Philly! They can watch the dead vote.
I apologize if someone has already said this...
But has anyone thought that maybe the GOP is silent on this and allowing it to happen because this whole thing has a 99% chance of blowing up on the RATS?
Look at where all the alleged corruption ocurred. In RAT controlled areas.
The voter fraud in the South Dakota Indian reservations.
The polling areas forced to remain open in E. St Louis
The problems in Broward and Palm Beach counties
The cigarettes given to the homeless in exchange for votes scam in Milwaukee.
Not a single one of those voter fraud cases I mentioned or the others that have been doccumented involved the GOP.
The RNC KNOWS this and I bet they are counting on the "monitors" to see this too and hopefully expose the dishonesty of the RATS on this ploy.
The problem is that the "monitors" in conjunction with the "mainstream" media won't report this if that is how it actually goes down.
"its a meaningless beauracratic function. there are other threads on it, what do you think they are going to do, start ripping up ballots? changing votes?"
No, What I do expect of them is a Hans Blix. Offer up commentary where none is required. Then while the world takes an even dimmer(or is that Demmer) view of this country, the RAT legal machine kicks full into gear and throws the election into a tiz.
The RATS are doing everything in their power to ensure one way or another the election results get thrown out. Then again, congress picks the Pres and it will be Bush. But then again, the lawyers will come back with it is in violation against the COnstitution. In one very swift move, the very document that created this country will be called into question.
Tin foil hat? There are people in this world that are betting that are society collapses. Funny how it is always people with money that benefitted.
Who will watch these 'watchers'?
Monitors mean more government, US taxpayer paid.
Government is supposed to be a temporary fix for a temporary loss in personal ownership or sovereignty.
I do not see how we have lost ownership or are losing ownership of the situation here. The fix should be temporary, but as any bureaucratic populist move, it will become permanent.
Nothing to worry about? I doubt it. We have lost completely track that government and bureaucracy, when installed for too long or present as an idea for too long, screws up too. The mechanism for a fix has to be internal if any mechanism is to hold up.
America is losing confidence that it can do it.
This is just one more brick taken out of our foundation. I would not be happy to see a rat digging holes in mine, just as I am not happy about this going on. IT needs to be fumigated.
bump
At a time when most counties nearly have to draft people to work at the polls as clerks and judges, you can make a difference in your community by signing up to work on Election Day. Another investment in preserving the liberties and freedoms we enjoy.
Truely the Democratic Party has reduced America to third world status. The Mockery of Democracy by the bungled ballot stuffing con job in Florida is a Legacy that will be long remembered by the world.
And we have quite a few who do not, even with eyewitness accounts. In the 1700's you would have stood on the side of the road scoffing at Paul Revere because "The Red Coats" can't be coming, cause nobody would have so little fashion sense to wear coats of red!
For what it is worth I have seen a dreaded "black helo" from less than 50 feet. Not impressive. I was staring at the pilot, who was staring at me. He lost interest before I did and flew off. Comes from driving where few ever go. Having some military experiences I can tell you that it has no "step here" or other normal markings, it is all black with infra-red resistant paint with no external markings. It was also a very old US model, the pilot was not wearing any identifiable flight suit and there were no guns or interesting pods mounted on the copter. The only antenna I could see was a odd looking v antenna mounted on the lower third of the nose with about an 18 inch array with a about a 30-45 degree divergence.
The existence of "black helo's" is not a tin foil subject in the towns that they are based in, it is a ho-hum... They fly out of the local airport where they have a hanger of their own. Some times when they take off they carry troops without markings on their uniforms. It is hardly a secret that they are UN folks, after all the National Parks are not owned by America any more.
I never worried about it too much, their "secret" base in the backwoods is known about by the US Govt as jolly green giants fly in there about once a week. I got a hankering to see if I could spot their base one evening and got the helo treatment for my troubles. Never did spot the base but I must have been pretty close.
De-Nile ain't just a river in Egypt I see.
While living in Silver City NM I met several people who were familiar with "black helos." Not just backwoods "cranks" either. They are known to the sherriffs, businessmen and city officials. One guy I talked to had an enounter similar to yours. He had a camera and almost got a picture. He did see blue helmets on some of the crew though. They saw him and immediately dropped below a ridge and left.
That's a thought. Why wouldn't a UN sponsored team of "observers" representing the socialist EU take the side of American conservatives against the interests of the Democrat pols who invited them here? Just because most of those Dems belong to DSA and Bernie's Progressive Caucus and, like Kerry, openly want to cede foreign policy and domestic social policy decisions to the UN and the ICC. It could happen!
"I am pleased that Secretary Powell is as committed as I am to a fair and democratic process," said Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, who spearheaded the effort to get U.N. observers. "
Yes, well, Ms. Johnson sure isn't concerned about human rights violations in Sudan, is she??
Hey, this may not be all bad. Let 'em come and observe, and maybe all this whining will finally stop.
The Rats show their true colors.
Don't be...while I do understand your anger(I do feel the same as you), the whole brouhaha is all about political correctness and showmanship to prove to the Euro weenies we are as open society as we can be.
We are not bound by any treaty(as they mentioned) and nobody but nobody will ever interfere with our system the way was intended to function.
Think about it...do you really think that they will have monitors on ALL voting precincts in the USofA?!...impossible.
Further more we might just gain some mileage from those Democrat loud mouths complaining about voter fraud.(blacks in specific)
On the bright side we might just might show the Euro weenies how a REAL democracy works...maybe they will learn a thing or two.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.