Mediators may be in Contact with Iraqi Captors
By: Sam
Published On: 12/10/2005 2:00:00 AM
New Zealand media is reporting that mediators either were or are in contact with the group holding Tom Fox and the other Christian Peacemakers Team members.
This has not been verified, but I'm looking into it. Please continue to hold the CPT 4 in the light. Thank you.
Comments
Since I made a small (Jonathan Mark - 4/4/2006 11:28:36 PM)
Since I made a small contribution to the Raising Kaine PAC and suggest that others who are able to so as well, I would like to correct one statement.
The International Answer rally in DC a few weeks ago was not an "Anti-War rally."
It was an Anti-Iraq-war/anti-Haiti/anti-Israel/anti-Aquino/pro-Mumia/pro-Chavez/pro-Cuba 5 rally. It sometimes billed itself as an antiwar rally but attached to it were the dregs of the left-wing movement.
These people controlled the podium if not the march. Most speakers most of the time were prattling about something other than the Iraq War. People in the audience may have ignored or even heckled these speakers, but that is what the rally was. Many attendees carried signs with messages like "Workers of the world unite" and other tripe.
I don't object to Raising Kaine being there, but it was a left-wing-causes rally, not an Anti-War one. Personally, I feel such a mixed message does much more harm than good.
Jonathan,
Thank y (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:28:36 PM)
Jonathan,
Thank you very much for your donation. We didn't agree with everyone at the rally, but at least we were able to reach some voters there.
Right, Sam. Follow t (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:29:16 PM)
Right, Sam. Follow through in golf. And in real estate it's follow up. So tomorrow let's folow up those calls and make sure every one of our voters gets to the polls. And keep an eagle out for some final Republican dirty tricks. Those folks are incorrigible. If they can get away with something, they will, and consider us chumps for not thinking of it first.
I just broke the loc (Steve Nelson - 4/4/2006 11:29:16 PM)
I just broke the local Norfolk record for calls in a single day. 315 calls! Wooo.
I might break it again today. Although I have to go pick up vote counts.
Gotcha. Thanks. Is (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:19 PM)
Gotcha. Thanks. Is there any chance that Montgomery might run for Senate?
Sam, the candidates (Ben - 4/4/2006 11:29:19 PM)
Sam, the candidates in italics are the ones running for McDougle's seat, not for Bolling's. It's doubtful the Dems will put up a fight for Bolling's Senate seat because we have such a good shot at McDougle's House seat with John Montgomery.
He's in Henrico, don (Ben - 4/4/2006 11:29:19 PM)
He's in Henrico, don't think he in that Senate district. Doubt he would do it even if he was, that Senate district would be much, much harder to win then McDougle's House district.
You might post diari (Alice Marshall - 4/4/2006 11:29:23 PM)
You might post diaries at MyDD and Kos titled something like
Virginia Voters, did you personally witness any irregularities election day or something like that.
How many precincts a (mia - 4/4/2006 11:29:23 PM)
How many precincts are left? Fairfax was the big one in Creigh's favor.
Josh - I just saw th (Nichole - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Josh - I just saw that. Wow. Wow. Wow.
OK - Nails officiall (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
OK - Nails officially gone - down to fingers!
Really, I hate to say I told you so, but I know of 2 counties that made not one GOTV call for the election. NOT ONE!!! I worked with the campaign for other "Lazy" counties and made thousands of phone calls. When you look at the numbers you can see that it made a difference.
That makes me think! If those people were less concerned about their neightbors knowing they were Democrats, then we would be celebrating a win for Deeds, and perhaps Byrne too! GOTV works!!!!
I know this is counter productive, but the word MUST get out there!!! Please let's learn from this!!!
Now to the 513 - I will contribute to Deeds!
REMEMBER DEEDS NOT WORDS! Get your credit or debit card out and send what you can!
Now it is 446 :(
(Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Now it is 446 :(
Still VERY close!
Sam: Why 74 cents?
And give an extra 74 (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
And give an extra 74 cents to show that the donation came from a Raising Kaine reader!
Nails gone fingers t (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Nails gone fingers to nubs... Time for the knuckles! Really CONTRIBUTE!!!
http://www.creighdeeds.com/
LAWYERS ARE NOT CHEAP!!! Every single vote must be counted!
Yeah i noticed that (Steve Nelson - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Yeah i noticed that too on dailykos. i wanted to post my irregularity on the diary. I'll post it here instead.
One of the schools that I picked up vote counts from for the Dems (Taylor Elementary in Norfolk, VA) was funneling people through the back door instead of the normal front door of the school. When I asked Eleanor, the woman running the voting operation, she said that some guy from the election board told her to do that. She was concerned that older voters would be turned away because of the extra walking.
Did they get turned away? Who knows. But it might be worth looking into.
No idea... that is j (another dem - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
No idea... that is just weird. Either a bug or someone messing with it, because I clicked on it FROM the Rec list and then after reading for 15 minutes or so, I tried to comment and couldn't... went back to the main page and there was a blank spot on the rec list. I thought you had deleted it at first.
Do you know how to u (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Do you know how to unarchive a diary?
Um, what happened to (another dem - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Um, what happened to the diary on dailykos? First it was on the recommended list, now it's not. You can't comment on it (it says "can't comment in archive") or recommend it. WTF?
That's the Raising K (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
That's the Raising Kaine "tag" for political contributions from a blog (DailyKos.com, for example is 1 cent). The 74 was randomly chosen.
Mark: All precints h (Sam Penney - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Mark: All precints have turned in numbers, but a lot of them are editing them as more votes are found.
410! he may win wit (RickyD - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
410! he may win without a recount!
Oh My! 620! That ki (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Oh My! 620! That kills me! Really people ANYTHING! Report it!
Alice: Good idea. I (Sam Penney - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Alice: Good idea. I'll do it tomorrow when more people will see it. Thanks.
More votes found???
(Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
More votes found???
Where the hell were they?
Under the couch cushion?
WOW - I would check Willie Mae Kilgore's again!
Creigh needs $$$$$$$ (Inside Baseball - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Creigh needs $$$$$$$ ... $5, $10, $100,000 whatever you can afford, please give it to him. Lawyers are not cheap.
Errors like this hap (Tom Joad (Kevin) - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
Errors like this happen all the time...
For instance, I was precinct captain in Fairfax last year and I was a poll watcher for most of the day. They allowed me to stay in after the poll had closed to watch the vote counts. As this was going on, I noticed that the vote talley they were going to put on the envelope was 320 votes less than what was being reported by all of the tickets. They did not add one of the machines totals to the numbers and wouldn't you know it had a total of 320 votes.
They would have found it later and in the end it didn't make a difference in THAT election. If errors like that happened in a few places, that's where you can FIND votes.
So would Publius lik (Craig - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
So would Publius like to come back and eat his toasted Crow with cayenne pepper? I believe he said something along the lines of: "McDonnell will beta Deeds by 15 points, it'll be the first race called..."
Well Publius?
It's down to 513 as (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:29:24 PM)
It's down to 513 as of now.
Mein eyes glaze over (Richard L. Biby - 4/4/2006 11:29:25 PM)
Mein eyes glaze over! Where do I send a contribution to help Craig Deeds come out of the campaign whole (moneywise, I mean)?
Thanks
I tell you let the v (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:31 PM)
I tell you let the votes be counted, and then work from there. Sure I would so much prefer that Creigh be the one that ends up on top, but the votes need to be certified. Then we see. Hell, McDonnell could be crying for the recount - Notice it is McDonnell that has the web ad on the site! Why put it there now, other than to raise $$... Can't fool me!
Let's see the second (Timothy Seeley - 4/4/2006 11:29:32 PM)
Let's see the second tape reveals that they are indeed excellent actors.
True, but not what I (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:32 PM)
True, but not what I'm looking for. You're close in a way, though.
The one about Kilgor (Matusleo - 4/4/2006 11:29:32 PM)
The one about Kilgore making a great Governor? ;-)
I was honestly quite impressed with these ads. Those are great. You cannot help but like him after seeing those ads. If he'd run stuff like this instead of all that negative advertising, he would have had a better chance.
Watch closer. (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:32 PM)
Have you noticed on (David Lang - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Have you noticed on the first ad, they used some old films. What surprised me is that I never knew republicans can save money.
Genevieve is also cl (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Genevieve is also close, in a way. You're looking at the right thing. Try watching both ads again.
Maybe I was a bit un (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Maybe I was a bit unclear. Try looking for a discrepancy between the two ads.
David, you are soooo (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
David, you are soooo close....
That's true! I hadn (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
That's true! I hadn't noticed it, but that's still not the issue we're after.
I don't know, but I' (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
I don't know, but I'm sick of watching Jerry Kilgore in these commercials!! :)
I'll take a stab at (eileen - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
I'll take a stab at it... Terry Kilgore is taped separately saying what he does and he was never taped live as if he were actually in proximity to JK and the two supposed "farmers". He was spliced in. So the lie is Jerry looking at Terry to chuckle when there was actually no Terry there to chuckle at. ???
Eileen: Exactly! No (Sam Penney - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Eileen: Exactly! Now go look at the first ad again, and you'll find the lie/issue.
Is it that the two m (UVA Admit - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Is it that the two men in the backgroud were superimposed and are not really there?
I thought of that bu (UVA Admit - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
I thought of that but the only thing that seemed to give it away from Terry not relexively acknowleding Jerry saying "Ah heard dat"..but to prove it, Terry would have to be positioned different enought in both ads to give it away..oh..well..it was fun..got another good one from either campaign?
Not quite an irregul (Corey - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
Not quite an irregularity but a problem in our County was the following as told to me by a local electroal board member. I can't remember whether he said it was the Federal or State government but a law was passed last year that required local registrars to mail absentee ballots (even if not requested) for the 2005 election to every member of the military that voted absentee in the 2004 election. The only problem was many of these members were either no longer in the service or on leave and the absentee ballots were sent to their military address. So, unexepectingly, these voters showed up at our polls on election day ready to vote and were told they had already voted absentee and could not vote.
Fortunately, we live in a small County and the poll worker was able to call the local Regsitrar and straighten out the problems and they were able to vote.
I imagine this happened elsewhere? Where the voters as fortunate?
The laugh from Jerry (fmr-VA-Hack - 4/4/2006 11:29:33 PM)
The laugh from Jerry in the second ad is seen as an outtake or mistake in the first ad
Great work, Sam, kee (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
Great work, Sam, keep it up!! :)
352 now (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
The count now has De (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
The count now has Deeds down by 353 votes.
Teddy: Great, thanks (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
Teddy: Great, thanks. Its the house we used to live in a few years ago, so we're "returning home" in more than one way!
Corey: Thank you. It's a mix of SBE data and my own info. Right now, the SBE is one update (net of ten Deeds votes) ahead of my detailed stuff, but I do the best I can.
Thanks, I like the u (Corey - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
Thanks, I like the update details. Where did you get the info, are you keeping track on your own? I thought about doing that but it got to be cumbersome.
You are doing a grea (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
You are doing a great job, Sam. Keep up the good work. How's your new abode?
NOTE FROM SA (COMMENT DELETED - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
NOTE FROM SAM: Unlike some other blogs, on RK you may
not post under various screen names in a effort to create an echo chamber with yourself. This comment has been deleted, as will any other comments from someone with various screen names or someone who fails to provide a real email address.
I've seen and read d (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
I've seen and read different things, so I'm not sure. Anyone know the answer?
RickyD: There have b (Sam Penney - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
RickyD: There have been a few small things, but so far no huge issues that I'm aware of.
no fingernails left. (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
no fingernails left. It's just bloody stubby cuticle now. Time to take a walk outside.
Have there been any (RickyD - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
Have there been any reports of election irregularities. I have been scouring the news and have not been able to find any reports of any irregularities other than the Roanoake voting machines. Even those seemed to be getting played down in the news? I would be interested to see if anything has been reported and what the Party is doing remedy them.
I read that today (N (Jonathan Mark - 4/4/2006 11:29:34 PM)
I read that today (Nov. 15) is the last day for localities to submit their corrected vote totals.
Does that mean that after today there will be no further changes in the vote totals until there is a recount?
THIS THREAD IS NOW C (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:29:35 PM)
THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE GO TO
http://www.raisingkaine.com/1255 TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION. THANKS.
Wow, 352 votes and s (Justin Fleenor - 4/4/2006 11:29:35 PM)
Wow, 352 votes and still going! Awesome! Creigh for AG!
I think the state-mandated recount will be interesting to watch.
http://virginialeftwing.blogspot.com
---
Quoted by GOTV as "Another great Virginia Democratic blog
Virginia Left Wing, who knew we had one?"
Check out a Democrat's view from the hills of Southwest Virginia!
341!
OH MY!
Sam (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:29:36 PM)
341!
OH MY!
Sam thanks so much for your concern. You are very sweet! Not freaking out! No men in white coats, yet!
This vote back and forth is way beyond stressful, though.
To be this close to the plus side! Since I cannot work hard to make the votes appear, and the entire situation is outside of my control, something must haunt me.
That haunting is something I like to call: ?the what if's??
I can just remember times at the phone bank when I went to the bathroom, or chatted, or stopped on the way for food - all that time accumulated could very well equal significant missed call time. I am sure at least 351 calls! I was there a lot!
Perhaps I needed a VC who could properly discipline me!
When the numbers are this close, at least for me, I start to think I could have done more!
I know that I worked my ass off, did not have one beach weekend all summer, and have never in all my life (including after child birth) been as tired as I was November 9th...
But just what if????
Really makes me sick to my stomach! So I can no longer handle the nail gnawing anyway!
Deeds only trails by (Matusleo - 4/4/2006 11:29:36 PM)
Deeds only trails by 341 votes now! I hope it keeps getting closer. I hope we can overtake McDonnell before the vote is certified.
The question is, are (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:29:43 PM)
The question is, are there any more additional votes on the way for Creigh? Seems to me that most of the gains -- 90% or so -- were in the first day or two after the election, and that recently it's just been a trickle. Is that about it? Will Creigh fall slightly short? Thoughts?
Go Creigh!
Republ (Josh - 4/4/2006 11:29:43 PM)
Go Creigh!
Republicans must be terrified.
I hope not. Using e (RickyD - 4/4/2006 11:29:43 PM)
I hope not. Using electronic machines means that there won't be a lot of additional votes uncovered, but the trend has been to Criegh's favor and I hope it continues with an additonal 323 for him. Because 50% plus one is a mandate! (according to McDonell even though he no longer has 50% of the vote)
We have GOT to prior (Scott Nolan - 4/4/2006 11:29:43 PM)
We have GOT to prioritize on voting systems that have a paper trail that can be closely and publicly examined. These
black box voting machines are really scary, and we know they have election skewing code written into them.
Neal, just a gentle (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:29:52 PM)
Neal, just a gentle reminder, it's DEMOCRATIC teacher and DEMOCRATIC viewpoints. The word "Democrat" as an adjective is a pernicious Republican sneer word, and not grammatically correct. A Democrat is a person who is Democratic, but not a Democrat person. And it is the Democratic Party, NOT the Democrat Party. Republicans always twist language if they can get away with it, just don't you fall for it, please. Got that? :-)
I don't think the te (David Lang - 4/4/2006 11:29:52 PM)
I don't think the teacher should get in trouble for that.
But, I think it's wrong for him to show his bias in front of the students.
So it's high school, (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:29:52 PM)
So it's high school, which assumes children have the basics of literacy, and so it was either social studies or English. He called it a study in hyperbolic landguage. He wasn't asking them to fill in "I am saved if I believe in (blank)" or "Intelligent Design, like evolution is an acceptable (blank)" or some such. We'd have complained at that, so I suppose what he did was a bit over the top, even for high school (at least in today's political climate). As you know, P.C. (Politically Correct) no longer means what it used to mean, and we must coform to the new realities of public discourse under the stern eye of the conservative Inquisition. So, he shouldn't have done it,even although he made a disclaimer before hand. But just how is he going to teach hyperbole without offending some one, eh?
First, at least it's (Neal2028 - 4/4/2006 11:29:52 PM)
First, at least it's good to know he's not afraid to say it.
We have teachers at my school who regularly discuss their right-wing views (occasionaly we luck up and hear a Democrat teacher). It bothers me, but hey, we all get over it.
I cannot help but la (CR UVa - 4/4/2006 11:29:57 PM)
I cannot help but laugh while reading this. Many liberals go beserk when religion... I mean Judaism or Christianity, are brought up in schools. Now, when conservatives have an issue with something going on in public schools, you basically just look at their concerns as irrational? Put the shoe on the other foot and there is no doubt in my mind that I would be reading complaints about how the school is indoctrinating students.
Let's see, now: is t (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:30:00 PM)
Let's see, now: is there any so-called "sex education" offered in this high school? If so, does it go beyond simply preaching abstinence? I'll bet the editors of the paper were simply filling a huge educational gap in the curriculuum. Remember Romeo and Juliet were 14 years old, and young human beings today mature at an earlier age than kids in 15th or 16th century Italy did. Get over it, parents and Superintendant in Tennessee. If you taught your offspring what you ought to be teaching them at this stage of their lives, the kids wouldn't have to take on subjects on their own in their own newspaper. What is it about those 3-letter words that drive conservatives up the wall: SEX, TAX, GOD.
I sure will. (Chris from ASL - 4/4/2006 11:30:01 PM)
Damn it, this war is (Steve Nelson - 4/4/2006 11:30:01 PM)
Damn it, this war is so frustrating. I'm sorry Sam.
Sam, I will certainl (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:30:01 PM)
Sam, I will certainly do so. Others have done the same for my son, who is also a civilian with KBR in Iraq, and has been for over 15 months. Hopefully, I'll see him over Christmas when he returns Stateside for R&R.
I'm so sorry about t (summercat - 4/4/2006 11:30:01 PM)
I'm so sorry about this situation. I will be keeping Tom and the others in my thoughts and prayers for a safe resolution.
CrUva: But it won't (Sam - 4/4/2006 11:30:11 PM)
CrUva: But it won't hurt.
Teddy: Tom Fox is, but I don't know about the others.
Sam, I signed. Are t (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:30:11 PM)
Sam, I signed. Are these Quakers, by any chance?
Not to sound disresp (CR UVa - 4/4/2006 11:30:11 PM)
Not to sound disrespectful, but you do realize who it is these peace protesters are dealing with, don't you? If they listened to reasoning, they would not be taking hostages in the first place, particularly those who were also looking to pull Americans out of Iraq. Petitions rarely work here in America, and I seriously doubt that the terrorists who have abducted these four will listen to a bunch of "infidels".
To CR UVa: As it hap (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:30:11 PM)
To CR UVa: As it happens, I agree with your comment, but I also believe that is not exactly the point, nor is it the point "here in America" when I sign a petition (for redress of grievances).
The point is two-fold: public relations, and re-inforcing one's own commitment to whatever "the cause" is. Even irrational jihadists, even arrogant and self-important dictators, even self-appointed smart-ass psychos get the message eventually: people are watching. That is the premise of Amnesty International, and, surprisingly, it does work. Not always, but work it does, and the more you bring pressure to bear, the more often it works. Keep the faith, baby!
Sam, I signed. Are t (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:30:11 PM)
Sam, I signed. Are these Quakers, by any chance?