December 2004 (I): Ukraine, Ohio

Grand Lake Theater

Late last month:

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on [November 24] said the United States does not accept the results of Ukraine's presidential elections as legitimate, citing "credible reports of fraud and abuse."

Powell has said plenty of other things with a straight face throughout his career.

But the irony is not lost on Columbus-based The Free Press, as it continues ongoing election coverage, including numerous county by county reports of November 2 vote-rigging, undercounting, and withholding of voting machines.

Citizens groups file legal action to force a recount—which will be conducted largely in precincts picked by a key figure in the fraud, Ohio Secretary of State and Bush campaign co-chair, J. Kenneth Blackwell. As The Free Press describes in its final report of the month, Ohio's official non-recount ends amidst new evidence of fraud, theft and judicial contempt mirrored in New Mexico.

Clever Sister forwards this, from the Ukraine—

A third exit poll, by Frank Luntz, a pollster for the U.S. Republican Party, and Douglas Schoen, of the Washington based market research company Penn, Schoen & Berland, showed Yushchenko winning with 56 to Yanukovych's 41 percent, Schoen said. The margin of error was 2 percentage points.

"Crap - that was Kerry's problem," adds CS, but "Yuschenko's American wife worked for Reagan & Bush Daddy."

It happens that the Columbus area is the site of an actual prosecution of charges connected to the Iraq war. The nature of the prosecution—

At a time when some U.S. troops in Iraq are complaining they have to scrounge for equipment, six Ohio based reservists were court martialed for taking Army vehicles abandoned in Kuwait by other units so they could carry out their own unit's mission to Iraq.

The six receive six-month sentences for theft, destruction of Army property and conspiracy to cover up the crimes.

The sentence comes just a few days after Rumsfeld's encounter with some other guardsmen. Also reported by whitehouse.org: MEDIA ALERT: CORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF SECRETARY RUMSFELD'S FRIENDLY, NON-CONTENTIOUS BULL SESSION WITH JOYOUS, 100% GUNG-HO NATIONAL GUARDSMEN IN KUWAIT.

After a few weeks at boot camp, the son of Jesus' Best Administrative Assistant has left the marines. It was a medical discharge: Sonny, Jr. injured himself wearing a pack.

I've spoken to Sonny, Jr. when he's phoned Jesus' BAA. As I've spoken to Sonny, Sr., and the daughter: they're all mouth-breathers.

It comes as no surprise that Sonny, Jr. couldn't march and carry a pack at the same time—really not a cheap joke, just a fact. And I'm happy for Jesus' BAA, that her son will not be In Harm's Way. But I also know how puffed up she will be that Sonny, Jr. "served in the Marines." While he's safe, and other people's sons die for her Leader.