Long ago, in a galaxy far away–that is, in 1990 or so, when I was
doing an oral history of math for the Institute for Advanced Study–I
coaxed lots of the Institute’s math and physics types into a softball
team that I christened the Princeton Eulers.

Despite weekly practice and gallons of Gatorade, we had an unspeckled
record of gallant defeat–one year by a ragtag team of historians, the
next by a pick-up team from Princeton University. We did have the best
Tshirts and the best pizza party, which we financed by selling An Abelian Grape,
my $1.50  photocopied collection of math-and-physics jokes I’d
heard over lunch, literally cut-and-pasted from dot-matrix printouts.

Mathematical biologist Joel Cohen
was our most generous patron–he bought 10 copies! Then he suggested
that he and I should merge science-joke collections for a real book.
Two years later, Simon and Schuster’s Fireside (paperback) house
published Absolute Zero Gravity, by Betsy Devine and Joel E. Cohen.

Within months, our editor left Simon and Schuster, leaving our book an
orphan, soon out of print. Of course you can still get copies on the
web–but I urge would-be-readers to avoid sellers who want $25 or more.
It’s a little paperback book that originally sold for $8–and the jokes
that went into it have been widely told elsewhere since then. I still
get people emailing me “great science jokes” that are word-for-word the
version I wrote down for AZG.

Today alone, more than 20 new “members” signed up using fake names like “cheap phentermine” and “online poker”, then left comment spam on many posts.

If you are a real person rather than a bot, please just send me email” bdevine at hotmailpancake dot com, minus the popular breakfast food.

Sorry about this.

I’m remembering some of my crazy kid thought processes this morning, thanks to a funny blog story by Lisa Williams about a dead rabbit.

I grew up in the era of long, slow, neighborhood-and-family
summers. My pals and I had a “clubhouse” on some scrub land,
and one day somebody arrived with a still-warm dead squirrel. We all
petted its soft fur, admiring its many tiny perfections. Tears in our
eyes, we held a solemn funeral. One of our group treasures–a handsome
cardboard cigar
box–was sacrificed for a coffin. Freeze frame on our sad and
thoughtful faces then.

Now cut to the same group, same clubhouse, a few evenings later,
digging up the same squirrel, with dialog like, “Yeah, good. It
stinks.” “Oh boy, it really, really stinks!” “This is going to be
perfect for Eddie’s father.”* We gleefully carried the now sodden and
smelly cigar box to Eddie’s house, put it on the front doorstep, rang
the bell, and raced home to the safety of our own houses.  We ran
fast because Eddie’s father was a big mean guy and we sure didn’t want
him to run after us and catch us.

We got
home to find our mother on the phone with Eddie’s father–one of
the scariest moments of my life.  Going over a cliff in a Ford
convertible when I was in college was nothing compared to hearing my
mother say, “Oh, hello, Mr. Ozkelewski.”**  In the Ford, I just figured I
was about to die. That night of the squirrel, I’m not sure what I expected.

The conversation continued–we could hear only one side of it.
“Oh my, Mr. Ozkelewski–really? How awful.” [Our mother turned to scowl
at us four kids, now standing huddled together and looking terrified.] “Of
course, you must be very upset. I’m glad you called me.” [Our mother
was glad? She didn’t look glad–she was really glaring at us.] “But it
must have been some other children who did it. My kids have all
been home tonight, ever since dinner.”

Once she got off the phone, she gave us a huge scolding and I hope I
looked suitably sorry for what we’d done. But hearing my mother lie to
save my skin–and I don’t think I’d ever heard her lie before–was one
of the happiest moments of my childhood.

Fortified with the experience obtained immediately after the first
World War, the American Legion, in the so-called G. I. Bill, considered
not only what would be beneficial to the veterans of World War II, but also what would be helpful to the nation. [italics added by me, Betsy Devine]

In considering this legislation, it was estimated that before the close
of the war some 15 million men and women would have been members of our
armed forces, the majority of them having been recruited through
Selective Service. It was also considered that this is the youngest
Army and Navy that our country has ever formed, and that millions of
these men and women were under the age of twenty-one; that many more
had never held a job of any sort. It was also believed that a large
segment of our defense industries, such as the manufacture of airplanes
and accessories, and the building of ships could not be continued after
the war, and that when demobilization took place many millions of
civilian war workers would also be demobilized and would of necessity
be seeking employment.

Back Into National Economy

The Legion felt that the citizens of this country would agree that the
veterans of this war were entitled to all the consideration which the
country could give to them, but the Committee which wrote the bill also
felt that a way must be devised by which returning veterans could be
channeled into the civilian economy of the nation with the least
disruption to the orderly flow of commerce and civilian production, so
that the influx of millions of people looking for employment would not
cause serious unemployment, or at least that such a condition could be
minimized. It was felt that opportunities should be provided to
veterans either to resume their interrupted educations or to be able to
find their niches in the communities of this country.

That is why the Legion believes that, while this bill is of great
benefit to veterans of World War II, it is also of great benefit to the
country and that in protecting the economy of the country, the passage
of this legislation may be of even greater service to our citizens than
to the veterans themselves.

Carrying out the loan provisions of this legislation places a heavy
obligation upon the bankers of this country. That obligation is to
protect the veterans from unwise and improvident investments, whether
it be a home, farm, or business loan. It is the intention of the
Veterans’ Administration that the contemplated terms of payment should
bear a ‘proper relationship to the veterans present and anticipated
income and expenses, and in the case of farm loans that the veteran’s
record should indicate some suitability or experience for agricultural
pursuits.

The Banker’s Problem

When men return from the serv:ice, they will naturally want “to get
going.” They will be enthusiastic and that very enthusiasm may warp
their judgment. Many of them are totally inexperienced in business
affairs and will be obliged to depend on you of the banking profession
for counsel and advice. You may often be called upon to advise against
a loan, either because the property is over-priced or because the
veteran is so inexperienced in agriculture or in business that his
prospects of success appear to be dubious. We, of the American Legion,
believe that it is your duty under such circumstances to explain to the
veteran that he should not either purchase real estate or engage in an
enterprise where he may lose not only his guaranty, but his equity.

He may not appreciate your refusal to make a loan at that particular
time, but we must look to the future, because we do not want the
bankers of this country, ten years from now, to be publicized in the
newspapers as taking veterans’ homes away from them when in many cases
it will be the insistence of the veterans themselves which may have
been the initial source of the trouble.

The standards of the banking profession are very high. We know that
banking will not tolerate the approval of loans just because the
government guaranty might cover potential losses. If the loan
provisions of this bill are administered with an overwhelming desire to
protect the veterans, we feel that these men will have a stake in their
community, will be a distinct asset to their cities and towns, and will
form a stable portion of our population. [In closing Mr. Devine
promised the aid of the Legion in helping veterans to understand that
the banks must aid veterans to avoid improvident use of the guaranties
authorized by the bill.]
******
These remarks by Maurice F. Devine, chairman,
National Legislative Committee of the American Legion, were made to a
meeting of US bankers held January 15, 1945, at the Federal Reserve
Bank. I found them in the January 20, 1945 issue of a journal called United States Investor, while going through an old box of my grandfather’s photographs and papers.

According to family legend, my grandfather and the American Legion
played a big role in creating the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, more
popularly known as the GI Bill of Rights.

GOP phone jammer won’t lose right to vote

August 24, 2004, Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH) PAGE: B10

CONCORD (AP) — A former state Republican Party official who tried to
stop Democrats from getting to the polls two years ago won’t lose his
right to vote under New Hampshire’s constitution.

Chuck McGee, the party’s former executive director, pleaded guilty last
month to jamming Democratic phone banks on Election Day 2002.

The state constitution contains a provision that disenfranchises anyone
convicted of violating state or federal election laws. But Secretary of
State William Gardner has ruled that McGee pleaded guilty to federal
statues that are “generally” criminal offenses, not election law
violations.

His ruling was in response to a letter from David Fischer, a state
prison inmate who unsuccessfully challenged his own loss of voting
rights while incarcerated. Fischer had asked for clarification of how
the provision applied to McGee.

McGee could lose his right to vote under other laws. He’s expected to
be sentenced in October. If he must serve time in prison, then he won’t
be allowed to vote while behind bars.

McGee was accused of arranging to have hundreds of hang-up calls made
to phone lines installed to help voters get rides to the polls on Nov.
5, 2002. Among the contests decided that day was the close U.S. Senate
race in which Republican Rep. John Sununu beat outgoing Democratic Gov.
Jeanne Shaheen.

McGee, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiring to make anonymous calls with
the intent to “annoy or harass” the recipients, a felony that carries a
maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

McGee admitted paying $15,600 to a Virginia telemarketing firm that
hired another vendor to call Democratic Party offices in Manchester,
Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. Phone lines at the Manchester
firefighters’ union also were affected.

Allen Raymond, the former president of GOP Marketplace in Alexandria,
Va., pleaded guilty June 30 to hiring another firm, Milo Enterprises of
Idaho, to make the calls.

A small group of Democrats protested outside the courthouse on the day
McGee pleaded guilty. Several held signs reading “Chuck McGee and the
GOP jammed my right to vote.”

Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.
The information on this site is copyrighted and cannot be reused
without the permission of The Union Leader.

///////////
Spokesman: Bedford CSE disowned

BYLINE:    SCOTT DOLAN Union Leader Correspondent
DATE: August 23, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)

BEDFORD — The local chapter of Citizens for a Sound Economy, once a
model group for the national organization by the same name, found
itself quickly disowned and stripped of its title last week after
coming under political fire on several local fronts.

The head spokesman for CSE national confirmed the content of a letter
circulated at the beginning of the week that severed all ties between
the Washington, D.C., based organization and the Bedford group.

CSE Public Relations Director Chris Kinnan said the letter sent to
Bedford Town Manager Keith Hickey was official and he refuted the local
group’s contention that the author of the letter had no real standing.

Kinnan’s flat statement that the relationship is over was a marked
change from national press announcements he released at the beginning
of the year trumpeting the Bedford group’s political successes.

“This sounds more serious than it is,” he said. “There are other local
chapters. There is a staff here that works with state and local
chapters.”

Kinnan said the severance is as much about the Bedford group’s fight
with the town over fines for posting signs as it is about a change in
focus throughout the CSE organization.

“On July 22, we announced the merger of the national CSE with Empower
America. The result is a new organization called Freedom Works,” Kinnan
said.

While the group’s message remains the same — “lower taxes, less
government and more freedom” — it is now working under the joint
leadership of former Presidential candidate Jack Kemp, Dick Armey and
C. Boyden Gray. The group is seeking to concentrate on fewer and more
specific agenda items, such as trying to replace Social Security with
personal retirement funds and to replace the current system of taxation
with a flat tax.

“I think our view on this is to refocus on the larger national issues.
It’s not about picking sides in a local fight,” Kinnan said. “I think
the attempt is to be above the fray.”

Kinnan said he knew little about the local issue, about the Bedford
group’s attempt to appeal a $4,950 fine for posting signs promoting
Taxpayer Radio leading up to the March election. CSE national paid the
bill and did not want to get further involved, he said.

Until now, the Bedford chapter of CSE was the most vocal member of the
organization remaining in the state. The state CSE director Chuck McGee
resigned earlier this year and his position has remained vacant since.

Kinnan said CSE is looking for a new state director and will continue
to work on state issues. He was unsure about the status of other CSE
affiliates in New Hampshire, he said.

Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.
The information on this site is copyrighted and cannot be reused
without the permission of The Union Leader.

//////////

NewsBank Search
Dems cry foul as Nader submits petitions

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO
DATE: August 12, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
EDITION: State
SECTION: Politics
PAGE: A2
COLUMN: GRANITE STATUS

THE COMPLAINT. Ralph Nader’s campaign filed more than the 3,000
petitions necessary to get him on the New Hampshire Presidential ballot
yesterday as state Democrats filed a legal challenge to Republican
operative David Carney’s well-publicized efforts to help out.

Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese said 5,844 Nader petitions were turned in
at city and town halls — 3,043 in the 1st Congressional District and
2,801 in the 2nd District. A total of 1,500 in each district were
required.

“And I’m sure the Democrats will find some way to challenge them, since
they are doing that in so many other states,” said Zeese.

New Hampshire Democrats filed a complaint with the Federal Election
Commission charging that Carney’s Hancock-based Norway Hill Associates,
by paying people to gather Nader petitions without being paid itself,
made an illegal corporate in-kind contribution to that campaign

The complaint also says that if Norway Hill ends up getting paid later
by the non-profit Choices for America, for which Carney’s firm worked,
then Choices for America made an illegal contribution.

Ralph Nader for President 2004 broke the law by accepting a corporate contribution, the Dems say.

Norway Hill hired 10 to 15 people at $12 an hour to gather the
petitions outside last Friday’s picnic for President George W. Bush in
Stratham.

“John Kerry is going to win New Hampshire regardless of whether Ralph
Nader is on the ballot,” Democratic Chair Kathy Sullivan said. “I have
no problem with him on the ballot if they are able to collect
signatures without help from the Republicans.” But, she said, “The
integrity of the election process is critically important to our
democracy.”

Carney said earlier this week he hadn’t “figured out” if his firm would
be paid by Choices for America, or whether the work would be his
“personal contribution” or “an in-kind contribution to the (Choices)
foundation.”

Yesterday, he said that gathering signatures “has always been about
ballot access and has never been a political activity. It is a personal
contribution to the foundation.”

Regarding the complaint, he said, “I just hope Kathy Sullivan practices
better law for her paying clients than she does for John Kerry. In the
real world, frivolous lawsuits bring sanctions.”

He said the Dem outrage is “a design by the Kerry campaign” to draw
attention from Kerry’s “lying” about Mary Ann Knowles’ plight, and what
turns out to be her adequate health insurance coverage.

“The fact that the Kerry campaign is squealing like pigs validates
everything people across the state have done to help get Ralph Nader on
the ballot,” said Carney. “I only wish I had started earlier.”

Nader spokesman Zeese shrugged off the complaint. “As far as we know,
we have never dealt with Norway Hill. All we know is what we read in
the press.”

Dem spokesman Kathleen Strand said that due to the “desperate tactics”
the GOP has taken, her party’s attorneys “are going to closely monitor
the checking of signatures.”

Some in the GOP were not unhappy with the Nader petition effort, but
Bush event organizers wish it never happened. They learned the night
before that someone would try to gather petitions, but they didn’t know
of Norway Hill’s role until it was reported in the media.

PHONE JAM UPDATE. The Election Day 2002 phone-jamming drama continues.
After two GOP officials pleaded guilty to conspiracy, the Democrats
filed a civil suit in Hillsborough County Superior Court charging the
GOP with violations of constitutional guarantees that all citizens have
an equal right to vote and equal access to the polls.

A preliminary hearing on the suit scheduled for tomorrow has now been postponed with no new date set.

The missing link in the conspiracy is the identity of the national
political operative who referred former state GOP executive director
Chuck McGee to Virginia-based GOP Marketplace former president Allen
Raymond to set up the phone jam at Democratic offices.

We can’t tell you who it is or whether he broke any laws, but we can
tell you the person questioned by the feds has a significant role in
the Bush-Cheney campaign.

…
— John DiStaso is senior political reporter of The Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News.

//////////
Dowd denies authorizing GOP jamming

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO

Senior Political Reporter
DATE: July 30, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
By JOHN DiSTASO, Senior Political Reporter

Two former top state Republican officials are at odds over what led to
the Election Day 2002 phone-jamming operation that prompted a federal
investigation and two guilty pleas to felony charges.

An attorney for Chuck McGee, the party’s former executive director,
told The Union Leader yesterday that McGee believed he had
authorization from former party chair John Dowd to go ahead with
McGee’s plan to have repeated hang-up calls jam get-out-the-vote
telephone banks at state Democratic and Manchester firefighters union
headquarters.

But Dowd said yesterday that although he discussed the plan with McGee
the day before the election, he did not authorize it and ordered it
halted on Election Day morning.

McGee on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge that he
conspired to break a federal law prohibiting anyone from using
telephone lines to “annoy or harass” the person who receives the call.

He admitted that it was his idea to have the telephones jammed to
disrupt the opposition’s efforts to encourage people to get out and
vote and to offer rides to the polls. He will be sentenced on Oct. 29.

On June 30, Allen Raymond, the former head of a Virginia-based
Republican-oriented marketing firm, pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
He admitted receiving a $15,600 Republican State Committee check from
then-executive director McGee to arrange the phone- jamming operation.

Raymond subcontracted with a now-defunct Idaho firm, Mylo Enterprises,
to make the computerized calls. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct.
4.

Federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen said the investigation is continuing.

In U.S. District Court on Wednesday, Hinnen said McGee “discussed the
phone jam plan with a then-high-ranking official of the New Hampshire
Republican State Committee.” McGee swore under oath that Hinnen’s
statement was accurate.

Late Wednesday, Dowd said in a prepared statement, “I absolutely did
not authorize the phone jamming in any way, at any time. On the
contrary, I ordered it stopped before it was to have started.”

In an interview yesterday, Dowd said McGee told him about the
phone-jamming operation on the afternoon of Nov. 4, 2002, the day
before the election.

“He and I talked about it and went back and forth on it a little bit,”
said Dowd. “I said that I’d have to think about this and would have to
get back to him, and we left it right there.”

Dowd said he had “no idea, when we had that conversation, that we were
talking about anything illegal. I was troubled by the idea, but I
didn’t know it was illegal.”

He said he received legal advice the next morning, “and then I
instantly told him (McGee), ‘Don’t start.'” Sources told The Union
Leader last week that Dowd had a conversation about the plan with
then-party legal counsel David Vicinanzo, a former assistant U.S.
attorney.

According to prosecutor Hinnen, by the time McGee received Dowd’s order
and told Raymond to stop the operation, and by the time the message was
relayed to the Idaho callers, the operation had been under way for
about 90 minutes. The original plan called for the jamming to continue
throughout Election Day.

McGee’s attorney, Patrick Donovan, said his client differs with Dowd.

“Chuck McGee wouldn’t have gone through with this if he didn’t believe
that he had been authorized to do so by his boss, John Dowd,” Donovan
said.

Donovan said McGee is a former military man and operates under a “chain of command” regimen. He declined further comment.

Dowd has said that he spoke with federal investigators “about a year
ago, and told them all that I know about this incident. I have not
heard from them since.”

Also yesterday, Republican Gov. Craig Benson said the phone-jamming
operation “personally affected me, and my election could have been
damaged by ill-advised and reckless behavior by members of my own
party.”

Benson noted that a “ride-to-the-polls” phone bank by the Manchester
Professional Fire Fighters Association, a nonpartisan group that had
endorsed him for governor, were among those jammed.

“I expect more from our political leaders than this attempt to
interfere with the people’s will in an election,” said Benson. “This
also taints the image of the entire political and election system.

“Our political, governmental and community leaders need to remember
that we are all being viewed by the younger generation who will learn
from us how this great system of government should run. I don’t think
this is the kind of lessons we should be teaching,” Benson said,
calling for the completion of a “thorough investigation.”

Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.
The information on this site is copyrighted and cannot be reused
without the permission of The Union Leader.

//////////
McGee: Others in GOP involved

BYLINE:    From Staff Reports
DATE: July 29, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)

CONCORD — The state Republican Party’s former executive director said
yesterday that before an illegal Election Day 2002 scheme to jam
opposition get-out-the-vote phone banks began, he discussed it with two
other top GOP officials.

The admission came as Chuck McGee pleaded guilty to a federal felony
conspiracy charge. His attorney, Patrick Donovan, said McGee would now
help investigators in the continuing probe.

McGee, 34, of Concord, was the second GOP operative to admit conspiring
to violate a federal law that prohibits the use of phone lines to
“annoy or harass” the person who receives a call. Federal prosecutor
Todd Hinnen told the judge McGee had discussed the plan with “a
high-ranking official of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee”
shortly before the election.

Hinnen said McGee “then drew a check” for $15,600 to pay GOP
Marketplace, a Virginia firm then headed by Allen Raymond. Raymond
found a subcontractor to make nonstop computerized calls disrupting
get-out-the-vote phone banks at five Democratic Party offices and the
headquarters of the Manchester Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Raymond pleaded guilty to a similar charge last month.

Hinnen did not say during his presentation to the judge, or afterward,
if the high-ranking state GOP official had authorized the plan. Nor
would Hinnen identify the official.

In court yesterday, Hinnen said McGee envisioned and developed the
plan, “recalling a lesson learned during his military service, that the
best way to disrupt the enemy” is to cut off his ability to communicate.

Hinnen said McGee tried to hire several consultants in late October
2002 to take care of the operation but was unsuccessful. Hinnen said
that “an official of a national political organization” suggested GOP
Marketplace and told McGee “to mention the official’s name” when
contacting Raymond, a former colleague.

Raymond agreed to participate and hired a now-defunct Idaho telephone calling firm, Mylo Enterprises.

The plan was for computerized calls to jam the Democratic and
firefighters’ lines throughout election day. Hinnen said that on the
morning of the election, the high-ranking state GOP official directed
McGee “to halt the phone jam.” The operation continued for about 90
minutes before it was stopped at 9:10 a.m.

During Raymond’s plea hearing on June 30, Hinnen was more specific,
saying “the chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee”
ordered McGee to stop the operation because he was concerned that it
was illegal.

John Dowd of North Hampton, who chaired the committee at that time, has
denied approving or condoning the plan. Dowd said in a statement
yesterday, “I absolutely did not authorize the phone jamming in any
way, at any time. On the contrary, I ordered it stopped before it was
to have started. I spoke with the United States Department of Justice
more than a year ago, and told them all that I know about this
incident. I have not heard from them since, although based on newspaper
reports they seem to be doing a thorough job.”

Dowd added, “I want to also set the record straight in regard to recent
press reports that tried to tie the phone jamming to a $6,000 bonus to
Chuck in January 2003 that was approved by me. There is no connection
whatsoever. The bonus was tied to the November 2002 election results.
In January 2003, I believed the phone jamming had been stopped before
it started. I did not learn otherwise until a month or so later, when
the incident was covered in the press. I feel badly for Chuck and his
family.”

By pleading guilty, McGee gave up his right to have a federal grand
jury review the government’s case against him and to a trial. He was
released without bail on personal recognizance.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico Jr., said McGee will be
sentenced on Oct. 29. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a
$250,000 fine for planning and playing a key role in the scheme. His
prison time and fine, if any, could depend in part on how cooperative
he is with investigators. Donovan said a probation report will play a
role in McGee’s sentence. Prosecutor Hinnen reserved the right to seek
an “enhancement” of the sentence under the guidelines of a recent U.S.
Supreme Court ruling.

Outside the federal court, a small group of young Democratic Party
volunteers protested against McGee and the state Republicans, holding
signs asking the GOP for full accountability.

The current state GOP chairman, Jayne Millerick, said in a statement
that McGee’s actions were “offensive and abhorrent” and that the state
committee has “fully and actively cooperated with federal
investigators.”

Democratic State Committee legal counsel Finis Williams watched the
proceeding. He is representing his party in a separate civil suit filed
in Hillsborough County Superior Court, charging that the state GOP,
McGee, Raymond and Mylo Enterprises violated their constitutional right
to participate in a free election. A preliminary hearing is scheduled
for Aug. 13.

The 2002 election saw a hotly contested U.S. Senate race won by
Republican then-U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu over then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Craig Benson won a landslide victory over Democrat Mark Fernald.
Ironically, the firefighters union had endorsed Benson.

Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.
The information on this site is copyrighted and cannot be reused
without the permission of The Union Leader.

////////////
Guilty plea expected in phone-jamming case

BYLINE:    HOLLY RAMER The Associated Press
DATE: July 28, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
EDITION: State
SECTION: News
PAGE: A9

CONCORD — A former Republican Party official accused of plotting to
jam Democratic phone banks on Election Day 2002 will plead guilty
today, according to a federal prosecutor.

Chuck McGee, former executive director of the state GOP, is accused of
hiring a Virginia firm to make repeated hang-up calls to six phone
banks on Nov. 5, 2002. Among the contests decided that day was the U.S.
Senate race in which Republican Rep. John Sununu beat outgoing
Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

McGee was charged earlier this month with conspiring to make anonymous
calls with the intent to “annoy or harass” the recipients, though it
was unclear whether he would plead guilty to that exact charge, which
carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutor Todd Hinnen confirmed that McGee would be pleading guilty
but wouldn’t comment on the terms of the agreement, which a judge will
review in U.S. District Court today.

McGee is accused of hiring GOP Marketplace of Alexandria, Va., to find
a company to make the calls to Democratic Party offices that had set up
lines for voters who needed rides to the polls. The Manchester
firefighters’ union phone lines also were affected.

He allegedly paid GOP Marketplace $15,600 on Nov. 4 and gave them the
phone numbers to the offices in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and
Claremont. The calls — more than 800 total — lasted for about an hour
and a half before then-Republican State Committee Chairman John Dowd
ordered them halted, Hinnen has said.

McGee resigned in early 2003 after Manchester police said they had
alerted federal prosecutors to the phone-jamming operation. At the
time, he denied any wrongdoing, and current GOP chairman Jayne
Millerick said the money went to telemarketing services to encourage
people to vote Republican, not to jam the lines.

McGee’s lawyer did not return a call seeking comment yesterday.

Allen Raymond, the former president of GOP Marketplace, pleaded guilty
June 30 to hiring another firm, Milo Enterprises of Idaho, to make the
calls.

Democrats planned to protest outside the courthouse today.

“I do not think that Chuck McGee acted alone,” Democratic Party
Chairman Kathy Sullivan said in a statement. “There are still questions
that need answering and persons that need to be held accountable.”

Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.
The information on this site is copyrighted and cannot be reused
without the permission of The Union Leader.
/////
Heed feels he was led astray

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO
DATE: July 15, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
EDITION: State
SECTION: News
PAGE: A2
COLUMN: GRANITE STATUS

THE IDAHO CONNECTION. The U.S. Justice Department’s probe into the
election day 2002 Republican phone jamming of Democratic Party and
Manchester firefighters’ union get-out-the-vote efforts has broadened
to Idaho.

The Idaho State Journal in Pocatello reported yesterday that the former
owner of a now-defunct for-profit phone bank company has been notified
by the feds that he is a target in the continuing investigation. The
probe has already prompted charges against former New Hampshire
Republican State Committee Executive Director Chuck McGee and Allen
Raymond, former head of Virginia-based telemarketer/consultant GOP
Marketplace.

Shaun Hansen, who owned the former Mylo Enterprises of Sandpoint,
Idaho, told the Journal his firm was contracted by GOP Marketplace to
make those darn “hang-up” calls.

“We know that we were calling and hanging up on numbers,” said Hansen. “We didn’t know what it was for.”

Hansen said he and former co-owner Lee LeBlanc thought the instructions
were odd, but GOP Marketplace attorneys told them not to worry.

Hansen said he has been interviewed several times by the feds.

“At first, they said they weren’t looking at coming after me, but now,
all of a sudden, that’s changing,” he told the Journal. “I personally
feel like I’m going to be used as a scapegoat.”

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, David Lang, president of the Professional
Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, said his union “will not support or
contribute to the New Hampshire Republican State Committee until
someone steps forward and apologizes.”

NO LONGER WITH CSE. McGee is no longer a paid employee of Citizens for
a Sound Economy, according to the group’s national public affairs
director. Christopher Kinnan said McGee was hired on a contract basis
to promote Social Security reform and hasn’t had an official role with
the group since March.

If so (and we have no reason to doubt Mr. Kinnan), the New Hampshire
CSE may want to update its web site, which as of yesterday continued to
list (and even picture) McGee as its state director.

STILL NO NOMINATION. Back in the firefighting community, some remain
perplexed by mixed signals regarding the future of acting State Fire
Marshal Bill Degnan.

Some firefighting officials were told that Degnan was all set to have
the “acting” removed from his title and to expect a nomination by the
governor yesterday.

That didn’t happen. Executive Councilor Peter Spaulding said the topic
came up at the pre-meeting breakfast, but that no recommendation has
yet been made — as required by law — by Safety Commissioner Flynn.

— John DiStaso is senior political reporter of The Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News.

////////
‘Dirty politics’ lawsuit filed against GOP

DATE: July 14, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)

CONCORD (AP) — The state Democratic Party is suing the Republican
State Committee and its former executive director over the jamming of
six phone banks on Election Day 2002.

“Dirty politics has no place in our electoral process,” Democratic
state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro said at a news conference yesterday.

Democrats called on their Republican counterparts to “come clean” and
reveal who did it, who knew about it and how much money was spent.

The computer-generated calls went to lines set up for voters who needed
rides to the polls. More than 800 hang-up calls were made to volunteers
offering rides, tying up phones for about 1½ hours, according to a
federal prosecutor.

Lawyer Finis Williams said the Democrats mailed their lawsuit yesterday
to Hillsborough County Superior Court seeking an injunction ordering
the state GOP not to engage in illegal activities in the upcoming
election. It also seeks monetary damages for the cost of setting up
offices and phone lines for the get-out-the-vote effort that day.

The suit names the state committee, former party Executive Director
Charles McGee and former Virginia telemarketer Allen Raymond. McGee and
Raymond have been charged by the federal Justice Department in
connection with the operation.

/////////

Democrats to sue GOP over phone-jamming

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO

Senior Political Reporter
DATE: July 13, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
EDITION: State
SECTION: News
PAGE: a3

By JOHN DiSTASO

Senior Political Reporter

CONCORD — The state Democratic Party says it will file a civil suit
against the Republican State Committee and its former executive
director this week over a telephone-jamming operation that interfered
with their election day 2002 get-out-the-vote drive.

Democratic party legal counsel Finis Williams said the party will seek
an injunction in Merrimack County Superior Court ordering the state GOP
“not to engage in illegal activities” in the upcoming election. It will
also seek monetary damages.

Democratic State Chair Kathleen Sullivan said the suit will name the
Republican State Committee, Allen Raymond and Charles McGee. The two
men have been charged by the U.S. Justice Department with conspiring to
jam the telephone lines at five Democratic Party offices and the
headquarters of the non-partisan Manchester Professional Fire Fighters
Association, in violation of federal law.

Raymond, the former head of Virginia-based telemarketer GOP Marketplace, pleaded guilty to the federal charge on June 30.

McGee, the current director of the state chapter of the lobby group
Citizens for a Sound Economy, is scheduled to enter a plea on July 28.
He has declined comment.

The federal government alleges that McGee, in his role as the GOP’s top
state staffer, had the state committee pay Raymond’s firm $15,600
specifically to jam the Democrats and firefighters’ telephone lines.
Federal law says it is a crime to conspire to make harassing interstate
calls “without disclosing the caller’s identity and with the intent to
annoy. . .or harass any person at the called number. . .”

McGee resigned as state GOP executive director the day after The Union
Leader first reported in February 2003 that Manchester police had
alerted the U.S. Justice Department to the operation.

State GOP Chair Jayne Millerick said at the time that the state
committee had hired GOP Marketplace for $15,600, but for telemarketing
services to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam opponents’
telephones.

The alleged scheme occurred prior to Millerick assuming the state GOP
chairmanship. During the 2002 campaign, she headed the party’s own
end-of-campaign, 72-hour get-out-the-vote drive.

According to federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen, Raymond subcontracted with
a firm in Sandpoint, Idaho, to make continuous computerized calls. The
calls were intended to last all day, but were curtailed after two
hours, at the insistence of then-state GOP Chair John Dowd, Hinnen said.

At Raymond’s plea hearing on June 30, Hinnen told U.S. District Court
Judge Joseph DiClerico Jr., that in late October 2002, Raymond
“received a call from a former colleague who was then an official in a
national political organization. The official indicated that he had
been approached . . . by an employee of the New Hampshire Republican
State Committee with an idea that might give New Hampshire Republican
candidates an edge over New Hampshire Democratic candidates in the
upcoming election” — jamming their phone banks.

The employee was identified by the government last week as McGee.

Hinnen alleged that McGee and Raymond spoke several times by telephone
and planned the operation. He said GOP Marketplace spent $2,500 of the
$15,600 it had received from the GOP to hire the Idaho firm to actually
carry out the computerized calling.

Hinnen told the court that after about 90 minutes of phone jamming
early on the morning of Nov. 5, 2002, Raymond returned an urgent call
from McGee, “who informed him that the chairman of the New Hampshire
Republican State Committee (Dowd) had directed the employee to halt the
phone jam operation. . .” because the chairman “had been concerned that
it was illegal.”

Contacted yesterday, Dowd said he was interviewed by justice department
officials last year, and, on their recommendation, declined all comment.

At the Raymond plea hearing, Hinnen then added to the mystery
surrounding the scheme. He told the judge that the day after the
election, Raymond called the official who had initially contacted him
“and was informed that the check that had been made out to GOP
Marketplace and drawn on the New Hampshire Republican State Committee
had been forged.” Raymond, at the hearing, agreed to the accuracy of
all of Hinnen’s statements.

Hinnen said the official who acted as the intermediary “initially
denied any knowledge of the scheme, but finally admitted” that he had
recommended the Republican State Committee call Raymond and had
“encouraged” Raymond to “help the employee execute the election day
phone jam.”

Democratic Party attorney Williams charged yesterday the GOP violated
the state constitution, “which says that you have a right to vote and
no one can interfere with that right. And there is something called a
civil conspiracy here, where, together, people can conspire to do
unlawful acts.”

He said the monetary damage sustained by the Democrats “is not major.
The suit is more to address the fact that we don’t want them doing this
again in the future and we want them to find out who is involved and
who ordered this done.” Sullivan said the suit will be formally
announced at a news conference, perhaps as early as today.

“It is time for political integrity to return to our state once again,”
Sullivan said. She said the GOP should explain “why it interfered” with
“countless” Granite Staters’ right to vote.

///////////
Democratic leader urges GOP to resolve phone jamming

DATE: July 11, 2004
PUBLICATION: New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH)

CONCORD — New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Kathy Sullivan
yesterday called on Republicans to do the right thing in light of
recent charges of illegal phone jamming against their party’s former
executive director, Chuck McGee.

“McGee’s arrest does not close the door on this issue. It is time for
the leaders of the Republican Party to do the right thing and find out
who ordered the phone banks, who was involved and where the money came
from to pay for them. This November, we are facing one of the most
historically significant elections. Safeguarding the integrity of the
electoral process is essential,” Sullivan said.

McGee, of Concord, was formally charged last week with conspiring in an
illegal telephone jamming operation at Democratic Party offices and the
Manchester firefighters union headquarters on Election Day 2002.

He is due in U.S. District Court July 28 to answer the charges.

“The Republican Party owes countless New Hampshire voters who couldn’t
get to the polls on November 5, 2002, an explanation why it interfered
with their right to vote and it owes all of us a specific plan that
will ensure something like this never happens again,” Sullivan said.

////////
McGee faces charges of jamming Democrats

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO

Senior Political Reporter
DATE: July 10, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
EDITION: State
SECTION: News
PAGE: a1

By JOHN DiSTASO

Senior Political Reporter

CONCORD — The state Republican Party’s former executive director has
been charged with conspiring in an illegal telephone jamming operation
at Democratic Party offices and the Manchester firefighters union
headquarters on election day, 2002.

Chuck McGee of Concord, through his attorney, declined comment
yesterday on U.S. Justice Department charges that he hired
Virginia-based GOP Marketplace specifically to make repeated hang-up
calls on the morning of Nov. 5, 2002, to sabotage “get-out-the-vote”
phone banks at six locations.

Federal law says it is a crime to conspire to make harassing interstate
calls “without disclosing the caller’s identity and with the intent to
annoy . . . or harass any person at the called number. . . .”

McGee is due in U.S. District Court on July 28 to enter a plea.

GOP Marketplace’s former president, Allen Raymond, pleaded guilty on
June 30 to conspiring to jam the lines by hiring another firm to make
the repeated calls. Manchester police last year identified the firm
subcontracted by GOP Marketplace to make the calls as Milo Enterprises
of Idaho.

At Raymond’s plea hearing, federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen told Judge
Joseph DiClerico that a Republican State Committee employee had told
Raymond what numbers to jam. He did not identify the employee at the
time.

This week, McGee was formally accused of being that employee.

McGee resigned as executive director of the New Hampshire Republican
State Committee the day after The Union Leader first reported in
February 2003 that Manchester police had alerted the U.S. Justice
Department to the phone jamming operation.

State Republican Chairman Jayne Millerick said at the time the state
committee had in fact hired GOP Marketplace, but for telemarketing
services to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam opponent’s
phones.

The Justice Department is now charging the opposite is true.

The federal information filed at the court says McGee knew that jamming
phone lines was the reason GOP Marketplace was being hired.

The charge says McGee “caused to be drawn on one of the accounts of the
New Hampshire Republican State Committee, and caused to be delivered to
the Virginia-based political consulting company a check in the amount
of $15,600 in exchange for the service of identifying and engaging”
another firm to make the calls at “the identified telephone numbers.”

The federal charge also says McGee “caused to be delivered” to GOP
Marketplace “a list of the identified telephone numbers” that were to
be called at five Democratic Party offices and the headquarters of the
Manchester Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Last year, Millerick said that despite McGee’s resignation, she and
McGee maintained that neither he nor the state committee had anything
to do with the operation. She said he had resigned because he had
become a distraction to overall work of the party.

Millerick could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Two months after resigning from the party, McGee was named state
director of the fiscally conservative lobby group Citizens for a Sound
Economy.

In that role, he became involved in Bedford’s squabble over whether to
build a high school or continue a tuition contract with Manchester. In
the fall of 2003, he escorted national CSE co-chairman Dick Armey, the
former U.S. House Majority Leader, on a media tour of the state.

/////////
Election tampering; GOP should resolve this scandal now

DATE: July 4, 2004
 PUBLICATION: New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH)
 EDITION: State
 SECTION: Opinion
 PAGE: B2
 COLUMN: EDITORIAL

THE REPUBLICAN State Committee may soon face a scandalous revelation in
court. It should beat prosecutors to the punch and come clean now.

 Last week Allen Raymond, a Republican telemarketer from Virginia,
pleaded guilty to jamming Democratic Party phones in New Hampshire on
Election Day, 2002. He said he also jammed the lines of the Manchester
Professional Fire Fighters Association, which was working closely with
the Democrats.

 Prosecutors say that an as-yet-unidentified employee of New
Hampshire’s Republican State Committee gave Raymond the list of numbers
to be jammed.

 Would a rank-and-file state committee employee have dared act on
his own to order the opposition’s phones jammed? Or would such a
decision have been made at a higher level of party leadership? New
Hampshire’s voters deserve to know.

 In a press release last week, state GOP chairman Jayne Millerick
said the party’s state committee was “pleased to cooperate fully” with
the federal investigation. Anything short of that would be a mistake.
Even that difficult step might not be enough; a full and public
explanation of what happened is warranted. Such steps might be painful,
but they could save the taxpayers the expense of a lengthy
investigation before trial, and would allow the party organization to
begin repairing its battered reputation.

 There is no excuse for tampering with elections. That goes double
when you have all the power and advantages that the GOP has in this
state. What happened was a disgraceful act that is inconsistent with
the values of the Republican Party. Coming clean now, both with
prosecutors and with the citizens of New Hampshire, would underscore
that point.

///////
Telemarketer told which numbers to jam

BYLINE:    JOHN DiSTASO Senior Political Reporter
DATE: July 2, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)

CONCORD — A Republican State Committee employee told a telemarketer
what telephone numbers to jam to stop Democratic and firefighters’
“get-out-the-vote” efforts on Election Day 2002, according to a federal
prosecutor.

Todd Hinnen of the U.S. Justice Department’s Computer Crime and
Intellectual Property Section did not identify the employee in federal
court this week.

Former Republican State Committee Executive Director Chuck McGee and
state GOP chairman Jayne Millerick yesterday declined comment on the
continuing federal investigation into the phone-jamming incident.

Allen Raymond, former president of GOP Marketplace in Alexandria, Va.,
on Wednesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Concord to
jamming the lines of Democratic party offices in Manchester, Rochester,
Claremont and Nashua, as well as the headquarters of the non-partisan
Manchester Professional Fire Fighters Association.

According to court documents, Raymond’s firm was paid $15,600 by the
Republican State Committee “for his services in identifying and
engaging” a “vendor co-conspirator repeatedly to call without
disclosing its identify with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten and
harass persons at the identified telephone numbers.”

Manchester police have said Raymond’s firm hired Idaho-based Milo
Enterprises to make the calls, but federal court documents did not
identify the caller hired by Raymond.

Court documents say the vendor was paid $2,500 by GOP Marketplace “in
exchange for providing the service of repeatedly calling without
disclosing its identity . . .”

Federal law says it is unlawful to conspire in “making harassing
telephone calls in interstate communications without disclosing the
caller’s identity and with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or
harass any person at the called number or who receives the
communications.”

McGee resigned the day after The Union Leader first reported in
February 2003 that Manchester police had alerted the U.S. Justice
Department to the phone-jamming operation.

Millerick said at the time the party had in fact hired GOP Marketplace.
But she said it was hired for telemarketing services to encourage
people to vote Republican, not to jam telephone lines.

She also said that despite McGee’s resignation, they maintained that
neither he nor the state committee had anything to do with the
operation. She said he resigned because the had become a distraction.

Millerick yesterday had no comment when asked about the prosecutor’s
charge that a state committee employee was in fact involved.

Hinnen told Judge Joseph A. DiClerico Jr. on Wednesday that Raymond
received an e-mail from the Republican State Committee containing six
telephone numbers that should be jammed on Election Day.

McGee referred a Union Leader reporter to his attorney, who did not
return calls seeking comment. Former GOP state chair John Dowd, who was
chairman during the 2002 election cycle, also did not return a
reporter’s call.

DiClerico released Raymond on his own recognizance pending sentencing
in November. Raymond faces up to a 5-year prison term, a $250,000 fine,
or both.

The Justice Department said the investigation is continuing. It said
the jamming involved more than 800 computer-generated calls and lasted
for about 1½ hours on Nov. 5, 2002, the day New Hampshire voters
decided many state and federal races, including the U.S. Senate race
between outgoing Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Rep. John E.
Sununu, who won.

William Clayton, president of the Manchester firefighters union, said he was pleased that investigators were pursuing the case.

“Sometimes, we get blended in with the Democratic Party,” said Clayton.
“We are non-partisan and have endorsed Republicans in the past.”

In 2002, the union endorsed Republican Craig Benson for governor over Democrat Mark Fernald.

Clayton said the union has been providing rides to the polls for 14
years, “and we have repeat customers in the elderly high-rises. We
never ask them who they are voting for, and ultimately, it was those
people who got hurt.

“When you start taking votes from the elderly, who work hard to get to
the polls, it’s unfortunate,” said Clayton. “And it made us look bad.
Some got the feeling we let them down. I just hope (investigators) keep
pursuing this and bring those responsible to justice.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
/////////

Consultant for GOP admits to jamming lines

BYLINE:    MARK HAYWARD Union Leader Staff
DATE: July 1, 2004
PUBLICATION: Union Leader, The (Manchester, NH)
The former head a Republican consulting group pleaded guilty yesterday
to jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities
during the 2002 general election.

Allen Raymond, former president of the Virginia-based GOP Marketplace
LLC, waived indictment and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in
Concord yesterday. Judge Joseph A. DiClerico Jr. released Raymond him
on his own recognizance pending sentencing and ordered him not to apply
for a passport.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department, which prosecuted the case, said an investigation into the telephone jamming continues.

According to court papers released yesterday, Raymond plotted with
unidentified co-conspirators to jam Democratic Party telephone lines
established so voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester,
Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. Manchester firefighters’ union phone
lines also were affected.

The jamming involved more than 800 calls and lasted for about 1½ hours
on Nov. 5, 2002, the day New Hampshire voters went to the polls to
decide many state and federal races, including the closely watched U.S.
Senate race between outgoing Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and then Congressman
John Sununu. Sununu, a Republican, won the race.

Democrats, who pushed for an investigation for two years, said they were glad to see a prosecution has begun.

“There is, short of murder, not much that is more horrific in America
than purposely trying to stop people from voting,” said Raymond
Buckley, vice chairman of the state Democratic Party. He said the
jamming was obviously an organized effort, taking place across the
state.

He expects to see more charges.

“Somebody hired them, somebody paid them to do this crime,” Buckley
said. “I do not believe this investigation should stop until every
single person who had knowledge of this and paid for this is
prosecuted.”

In early 2003, state Republicans acknowledged they hired GOP
Marketplace of Alexandria, Va., for telemarketing services in the 2002
election. But Republican Party Chairman Jayne Millerick has maintained
the company was paid $15,600 for telemarketing services to encourage
people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.

Chuck McGee, who was executive director of the state Republican Party
at the time, resigned his post after news broke of the matter. McGee
had told The Union Leader he had only vaguely heard of the company;
Millerick has said McGee was mistaken.

“The New Hampshire Republican State Committee was pleased to cooperate
fully with the Department of Justice investigation,” Millerick said in
a statement released late yesterday. “These allegations have been
extremely troubling and we are happy that it appears they are coming to
a just conclusion.”

Raymond pleaded guilty to a crime that prohibits “harassing telephone
calls in interstate communication without disclosing the caller’s
identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person
at the called number ….”

A criminal information complaint filed in court yesterday charges that
Raymond worked with “co-conspirators known to the government,” but did
not identify them.

The complaint said he paid a “vendor co-conspirator” $2,500 to make the
actual calls. In previous articles, Manchester police have said that
GOP Marketplace hired Idaho-based telemarketer Milo Enterprises to jam
the lines.

///
Copyright 2004 Union Leader Corp.

GOP donors double dipping with Nader
Contributors deny that financial support is designed to hurt Kerry

10:29 PM CST on Friday, March 26, 2004 by WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is getting a
little help from his friends – and from George W. Bush’s friends.

Nearly 10 percent of the Nader contributors who have given him at least
$250 each have a history of supporting the Republican president,
national GOP candidates or the party, according to computer-assisted
review of financial records by The Dallas Morning News.

Among the new crop of Nader donors: actor and former Nixon speechwriter
Ben Stein, Florida frozen-food magnate Jeno Paulucci and Pennsylvania
oil company executive Terrence Jacobs. All have strong ties to the GOP.

Democrats have warned that Mr. Nader’s entry in the race could help Mr.
Bush by drawing votes from John Kerry. Some analysts say Mr. Nader’s
third-party candidacy four years ago siphoned off Democratic voters and
cost Vice President Al Gore the White House.

“Republicans are well aware that Ralph Nader played a spoiler role in
the 2000 election. And there is no reason why they wouldn’t want to
encourage and help him do so again in 2004,” said Jano Cabrera, a
spokesman for the Democrat National Committee.

A spokesman for the Bush campaign declined to comment on Mr. Nader.

“We’re focused on our campaign. We’re focused on generating support for
Republican candidates,” said Danny Diaz, referring inquiries about Nader
fund raising to his donors.

Republicans who have given to Mr. Nader offered a variety of
explanations, including a desire to provide voters a choice in November
and to highlight the consumer advocate’s issues. Some donors said they
were miffed by efforts, primarily Democrats, to keep Mr. Nader off the
ballot.

None said their donations were designed to boost Mr. Bush’s chances in
the fall.

“Did I give $1,000 to Ralph Nader because I hope and believe he will be
president? No,” said California business executive Charles Ashman. “I
don’t believe that any more than Ralph Nader does. But I was offended to
see this campaign to squelch him from being a candidate.”

Mr. Ashman said he remains a staunch Republican. He contributed $2,000
to the Bush campaign, the maximum allowed for the general election,
according to records.

“I proudly made a contribution to the re-election of President Bush
because I support him 100 percent,” he said. “I hope and believe he will
be re-elected.”

Somehow a virtual cowboy hat and shirt have attached themselves to my mental image of always-surprising Joi. What will he do next? Note the subtle product placement for Pepsi–could this be a hint?

Thanks to Jon Lebkowsky for the original photo.

Iraqi Rewards Program

January 22, 2004 is my first bloggiversary!

OK, I was posting some links and comments in my Slashdot journal a bit before that.

What happened a year ago was that I wanted my links to start getting counted by Blogdex. The Republican Astroturf scandal was big in the blogworld, but hadn’t yet been picked up by dead tree newspapers. Paul Boutin of Wired and Slate was blogging the story, but I pictured Blogdex as our ticket to feature treatment from CNN.

I wanted to add one more to the Blogdex-count of people who linked to any Astroturf story, helping to keep it on the front burner until the New York Times woke up and got into the act.

So a year ago, I signed up for weblogger (because that’s where Paul Boutin’s blog was), got a template as much like Paul Boutin’s template as I thought was decent (I changed the color), put up my first post, and registered my blog to be counted by Blogdex…..

At first, my blog was all politics, all the time. In fact, it was all Astroturf stories all the time. But before all my hypothetical readers dropped dead of boredom, I went to Dave Winer’s first Harvard blogging meeting and discovered there was more fun in blogging than getting your links enumerated by Blogdex.

Other big inspirations:

• Jeneane and Kalilily and Blogsisters.
• Getting a sudden boatload of traffic from Russell Crowe fansites after I blogged a gladiator sound effects striptease.
• Halley’s May 10 Boston Blogger Beach party where I met Feedster’s Scott Johnson and we all got sandy after eating fried clams.
• Bloggercon, where I met so many great people, and I want to thank Dave Winer and Harvard for comping me to the first day!
• Getting invited by Scott to start working for Feedster, which I have been loving doing.
• Learning how to use IRC for my new job, and meeting all the wonderful people in #joiito as a result–thanks, Joi!
• Reading a million new blogs and news feeds to pick out Feedster’s Feed of the Day.
• Having Feedster picked as a finalist for the Bloggies! (“Best web application for weblogs”)

Now, if you read my Fable of Three Bloggerconners, you know I don’t make blogging some kind of religion. But I surely wish, for myself and also for anyone who read this far, that next year will be as much fun for all of us as this year’s been for me.

(The beginning of the story)

“I don’t want to waste a whole hour in this dump,” repeated President Jenna Bush with a louder yawn.

“We’re having a little problem with so-called free speech,” said Cheney’s computer. “We’ve tried to be tolerant, but now terrorists are using our tolerance against the American people.”

‘I thought you and Daddy took care of that one,” said Bush. “I mean, sticking protestors and creeps in ‘Free-Speech Zones’ where nobody has to see them–we don’t still do that?”

The Cheney computer harrumphed with embarassment. “Er, well, yes. Of course, the number of Free Speech Zones has shrunk since your father’s time. We got it down to one Free-Speech Zone per state, but the terrorists kept on trying to take advantage. And god-fearing Americans didn’t need those zones anyway.”

Bush sighed. She was really very sleepy. “OK, 50 is too many. Close some more of them down.”

“Good thinking, Madame President,” said the computer. “Really excellent. And in fact, anticipating your thought we did that, about five years ago. There’s only one left.”

The president opened her eyes. “One Free Speech Zone?”

“The US Capitol,” said the computer sadly. “A proud monument to free speech and our Constitution. We kept it orderly, of course–each group was assigned its own stall in one of the restrooms–of course, only restrooms on the Minority Side were used. But terrorists crept in, taking advantage of our generosity. In fact, echoes of these so-called ‘protests’ have been creeping into the speeches of Democrats in both the House and the Senate.”

The background music soared to a crescendo that seemed to call for some kind of response. “Oh,” said the President. “That’s terrible.”

“Terrorists around the globe are being heartened,” said the computer. Behind the plastic curtains around his respirator, Cheney himself seemed to be moving his head, slowly and sadly, from side to side.

“If we don’t act, the terrorists will win,” said the President. She’d found this was a line that worked in most situations.

“Exactly,” said the computer. “So, if you just sign the Emergency Executive Order here–I think we’ll call this one ‘True Free Speech Respects American Values, Fights Terror, and Doesn’t Kill Cute Little Kittens.’ “

“Nice,” said the President, signing with a flourish. “And after you get those terrorists out of the Capitol, what will you put in there instead.”

“What would you like, Madame President?” asked the computer. “A squash court? An multi-screen cinema? Separate quarters for the children?”

“More back-up generators,” said the President. “I have a feeling that we’re going to need them.”

Anti-Bush protesters are now relegated to what are euphemistically called Free Speech Zones. These areas are cordoned off as far as a mile away from the president and the main thoroughfares, so that Bush cannot see the demonstrators, or their signs of protest, nor hear their chants.

The free speech enclosures are only for those who disagree with the administration’s current policies. Those citizens who carry pro-Bush signs are allowed to line the street where the president’s motorcade passes.

Charles Levendosky of the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune