Posted on 10/30/2004 1:17:32 AM PDT by GeronL
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A tribal judge filed an order Friday that, if upheld, may prevent South Dakota Republican Party workers from observing Tuesday's voting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The Four Directions Committee, which bills itself as a nonpartisan group trying to increase American Indian voting, was granted the temporary restraining order against the South Dakota Republican Party and Ryan Knutson. Oglala Sioux Tribe Judge Marina Fast Horse signed the order without telling them about it ahead of time.
In the document, Four Directions accuses Knutson of intimidating its workers on Wednesday at Pine Ridge by videotaping them on private property as they discussed the voting process.
It does not accuse him of intimidating voters going to the polls early.
Four Directions Executive Director Bret Healy said Friday evening the intent is to stop intimidation of tribal members.
"It's a two-by-four upside the head to get the attention of the folks that are causing problems," he said. "We want an election that doesn't have this kind of nonsense going on."
(Excerpt) Read more at aberdeennews.com ...
Daschle wins the dead Indian vote. Uh oh for Thune :(
Do you have a SD ping list?
Hey tribal guys,
Don't wanna follow USA election laws? Maybe we just don't need to accept your votes. How would you like that?
That's bad news! Daschle has been living politically off dead
indians for years.
If we don't watch, then don't let them count any of the votes. Let the Senate determine whom to seat as per the Constitution. Oh I forgot, Republicans don't play hardball. Never mind.
this is nothing new coming from the reservations. voter fraud isn't something that happens once in a while, it is the law of the land. I don't think that it's going to matter this year though, Daschle is out, finally we South Dakotans have removed our heads from our rear ends and are going to send this Daschle clown back home without a Government paycheck every month. Pray for us.
Souix City needs another newspaper from what I can see in the blogs. I live way down in Texas and I know I can't trust my local papers either.
The Indians kept voting until four in the morning last time after they determined how many votes were needed. I know, I watched the votes come in county by county all night. And they voted twice as many as the prior elections and over 90% Dim in Shannon County (Pine Ridge), just enough to make it.
actually Sioux City is in Iowa, you're probably thinking of Sioux Falls. I can see why people mistake them though, they're both liberal bastions about an hour apart.
Poll watching with video cameras is a little off the reservation as far as I'm concerned. I don't blame the tribal judge for throwing that idea in the garbage heap. When it becomes so imperative to win an election that the cheating becomes a deciding factot, democracy is on the verge of collapse.
By now, I'm sure that Thune and the Justice Department must know what is about to happen. I pray that they have a strategy in place to stop the nonsense this time.
But the Dems have always been this way. It is just now getting natinal scrutiny.
General Phil Sheridan ping.
If you don't let poll watchers in, the votes cast in that polling place should not be counted, pure and simple. To allow this, is asking for massive vote fraud. And since Indians claim they are a separate "nation", what the heck are they doing voting in our elections anyway? This needs to be addressed in Congress pronto!
A F,
If you really want to get technical, Sioux City is in three states, North Sioux City, in SD, South Sioux City, in Nebraska, and Sioux City, in Iowa, but my guess is the newspaper resides in greater Sioux City, Iowa. Not being picky just a little morning geography.
Welcome to the South Dakota Freeper list.
I disagree. It is going to come down to video cameras to avoid cheating at the polls, and then a system for avoiding cheating on early, and absentee ballots will also have to be found. Open up voting to the unschooled, uneducated, uninterested, unstable, unwilling, unkempt, unwashed masses and this is what it comes to. Spoken in general about elections in general and no arrows (no pun intended) aimed (no pun intended) at anyone, any group, or any ethnicity, in particular. It is sad, that the voting rolls have become the political football that IMHO, will bear heavily on the survival of the Republic we used to be.
Been my contention for years, one should have to declare ones allegiance, however in their defense, the American Indian has shed his blood in defending this great country from its enemies.
Daschle is deeply happy to cheat.
I guess Daschle is "deeply saddened" that there cannot be "bipartisan" poll watchers on the reservations, but it's "Indian rights," don't you know?
And the people of SD don't understand, or do they?
Thune and the Justice Department knew all about such fraud in 2002, but they had no way to respond. In fact, they followed the biblical admonition to "turn the other cheek." That was a misapplication of justice.
If Tim Johnson could defeat the Republicans in 2002, imagine what Daschle will be "deeply saddened" to have to do on Tuesday?
http://www.neoperspectives.com/NativeAmericans.htm
hmmmmm suspicious...
Wita, I was just looking at my South Dakota Poll Watchers Guide (Election Fairness Committee-June 1, 2004) It states:
"PLEASE NOTE THAT SOUTH DAKOTA LAW REQURES A REPUBLICAN AND
A DEMOCRAT TO ALWAYS BE WITH THE BALLOTS."
My question......are the reservations subject to State law?
Also, did you notice that some incidents of "voting twice" have been reported on the Rez in early voting? (Rapid City Journal, 10/30/04)
Can't help but be glad that I'm working election day in Rockerville instead of Pine Ridge.
Poll watching with a video camera is the only way to collect the evidence. Do you expect to go before the same judge with just tampered ballots and a list of non-citizens voting? Wake up and smell the coffee.
Video tape everything. If you are out of tape, run the camera with no tape but the little red light is on. When the battery goes dead, paint the red light red with a pen. if people think there is a reasonable chance they will be caught their behaviour will change.
No one obeying the law should be afraid of the camera.
The judge needs to say "No Poll Observer Means No Legally Cast Votes".
Diva's Husband
Yes, another unintended consequence of "tribal sovereignty". It's time we ALL lived under the same laws...well, about 100 years ago was time.
Spot on AuntB. Been my contention for years, at the very least 25, about the time I have been living in SD.
>I guess Daschle is "deeply saddened" that there cannot
>be "bipartisan" poll watchers on the reservations, but
>it's "Indian rights," don't you know?
>
>And the people of SD don't understand, or do they?
We tend to be trusting--sometimes even gullible--but we're generally not stupid. This will play in Thune's favor.
>Thune and the Justice Department knew all about
>such fraud in 2002, but they had no way to respond.
>In fact, they followed the biblical admonition to
>"turn the other cheek." That was a misapplication
>of justice.
That's a misapplication of Scripture. Who said it?
>If Tim Johnson could defeat the Republicans in 2002,
>imagine what Daschle will be "deeply saddened" to have
>to do on Tuesday?
Face John Thune in a head-to-head election.
Yes, another unintended consequence of "tribal sovereignty". It's time we ALL lived under the same laws...well, about 100 years ago was time.
We do all live under the same law, -- Constitutional law.
Tribal governments can't violate our Constitution any more than State/local governments.
this was posted already (this is the 3rd thread)
please go to this thread to see what you can do to help.
SD Att Gen's number is listed at the thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1262614/posts?page=20
>Do you have a SD ping list?
No I don't, and I apologize for this very late reply.
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