BUSH TEAM HELPS RULING PARTY “FLORIDIZE” MEXICAN ELECTION-Greg Palast

[kpete]

STEALING MEXICO
Published by Greg Palast June 30th, 2006 in Articles
BUSH TEAM HELPS RULING PARTY “FLORIDIZE” MEXICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

by Greg Palast

Friday, June 30 — GEORGE Bush’s operatives have plans to jigger with the upcoming elections. I’m not talking about the November ‘06 vote in the USA (though they have plans for that, too). I’m talking about the election this Sunday in Mexico for their Presidency.

.......................

Crucial to the surprise victory of the ruling party was the introduction of computer voting machines and the centralization of voter databases. Observer Andrew Reding of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs reported that ruling party operatives had special access codes denied the opposition.

Whether the US “War on Terror” lists will find a use in Sunday’s election, we cannot know. But the use of American government resources to interfere in south-of-the-border campaigns is an open secret. The GOP’s International Republican Institute has run training sessions for the PAN youth wing, funded by US taxpayers through the “National Endowment for Democracy.”

Foreign — that is, American — interference in political campaigns is a crime. That didn’t stop Team Bush. However, when the theft of its citizen files was discovered, Argentina threatened to arrest ChoicePoint contractors until the company returned the tapes — and Mexico’s attorney general did in fact arrest the ChoicePoint data thieves to avoid his party from looking too much the stooge of its Washington patron. Whether George Bush gave back his copy, no one will say.

Wholesale theft is expected on Sunday in forms both subtle and brutal. How the US’ purloined “counterterrorism” lists will be used, we don’t know. We are certain however, that the Administration did not siphon off these Latin voter files to fight a War on Terror. It appears, rather, part of the Bush Administration’s and GOP’s hemispheric War on Democracy — along a battle line which runs from Florida to Ohio to Juarez.

more at:
http://www.gregpalast.com/stealing-mexico#more-1439

[AX10]

1. Kick and Recomended!

[Peace Patriot]

2. Thank you, Greg Palast! I've been wondering about this since I read

the UK Telegraph hit piece on Lopez Obrador (the Leftist former mayor of Mexico City who zoomed ahead in the presidential polls by 5 points a few days ago). They made what I thought was a currious reporting error--that Calderon (the corporate/Fox/Bush candidate) had gone ahead in the polls ever since he began attacking Lopez Obrador for a "messiah complex" (the new corporate meme on anybody who represents the poor majority). I jokingly said--in a post here at DU--that it was an error (the opposite happened--Calderon's attacks had HELPED Lopez Obrador)--unless the Telegraph had been clued in on election fraud, and was pre-writing the corporate victory narrative, like they do here.

Not so funny.

I know the OAS, the Carter Center, EU election monitoring groups, and local civic groups have been very active on insuring transparent elections in Venezuela and other Latin American countries. I hope they have not neglected Mexico.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/28/wmex28.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/28/ixnews.html
Discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2360132

Also of interest, repeating the "Messiah" charge: (NYT to IHT--same day as the Telegraph)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/28/opinion/edkrauze.php
Discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1531104

What the latest polls said: (Lopez Obrado 35.4%, Calderon 30.5%)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2355266

[Az_lefty]

3. This kind of shit can cause an armed rebellion. n/t

:hide:

[Skidmore]

4. Wonder if Lou Dobbs would be interested in this?

[checks-n-balances]

6. If not, then he's got blinders on. Why not?

I've got to get out of town ASAP for a few days, but if you've got the time please send it. He'd have to have Palast as a guest since probably nobody else has brought this up to my knowledge. Thanks in advance if you get to do it!

[donsu]

5. election rigged - neo cons won't give up super highway plans

nt