From the Secretary of State’s Office (also in a blog post, over here) regarding the decision by a federal court judge to keep secret the names of people who signed Referendum 71 positions designed to repeal the recently-enacted “everything but marriage” law:
We support the decision to appeal this case (Doe v. Reed). Our office has followed the state law that says referendum petitions are public records and thus should be made available upon request. We believe in open government and think Judge Settle’s decision is a step away from open government. When people sign a referendum or initiative petition, they are trying to change state law. We believe that changing state law should be open to public view. The petition sheets are the first stage of changing state law that, once submitted to the Secretary of State, become public records subject to the Public Records Act.
We hope the Ninth Circuit will agree with us in this case and allow the petitions to be released. If Judge Settle’s ruling stands, we are very concerned that it could set a dangerous precedent that sponsors of future initiatives or referenda might use to prevent their petition sheets from being made available to the public, even though they are government documents.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:13 AM
I didn’t see a word about the Bellingham 9/11 tribute at Mt Baker theatre last night in the paper. 1400 kindred spirits in a nonpartisan tribute to America our founding ideals and constitution, and with a distast for the overspending and overreaching in Congress by ALL parties. It was very illuminating in many regards from videos to key speakers about We the People. 1400 from 7 to 70 years old!
But, no Mayor Pike. Missed an opportunity to lead the city in a patriotic and dignified way and be an American #1.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Fred, please share the source of your information.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:47 PM
still waiting…
September 12th, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Camille, I don’t think that Fred needs to source a first person account.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Know what John?
I’ll bet Fred can speak for himself.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Since this blog is already off track, this might be a good place to ask if Christine Gregoire and her supporters would like to comment on the exposure of the illegal activities at several ACORN offices, since Gregoire’s 2004 election has been attributed to the efforts of ACORN in WA.
I hear that there are more tapes to come. The Democrats are trying to counter the tapes by accusing the pair who pulled off the sting of criminal conspiracy to defraud the government. As usual the Democrats think that laws and regulations only apply to conservatives. Moral relativity is everything to the left.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:53 PM
From the Teabagger official website: “A nearly sell-out crowd (over 1100 tickets sold) filled Mt. Baker Theatre on Friday evening for We the People, put on by The Bellingham Tea Party.”
Their website claims over 1,100 tickets sold (but says nothing about how many of those seats were occupied) and Fred F claims 1,400. By the next puff piece it will probably be “CAPACITY CROWD! EVERY SEAT FILLED! EVERYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE WAVING A SNAKE FLAG!”
Whatever…
September 12th, 2009 at 3:58 PM
But let’s get the thread back on track, OK? The judge is absolutely wrong to allow the names of those who signed Ref 71 be kept secret! They knew it was a public document but they wanted to hide their endorsement of this homophobic effort. They should be forced to wear a big sign, a la “The Scarlet Letter,” only with a Huge “B” for Bigot!
September 12th, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Galt says: “Gregoire’s 2004 election has been attributed to the efforts of ACORN in WA.”
I have never seen that statement in any credible medium; please cite your source.
September 12th, 2009 at 6:54 PM
Before getting back on track….
AFY!!! admitted that he had purchased 10 tickets.
And everyone knows how he is with numbers.
Michelle Malkin sez 2-MILLION teabaggers showed up at their 9/12 March on DC!
Faux news estimates the crowd at “10’s of thousands”.
Which ain’t bad, but far from 2 million.
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/12/celebrating-the-912-rallies/
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=9479241&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/
Which ain’t bad, but far from 2 million.
~
waiting…
September 12th, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Arthur, thanks very much for the tons of legalese, which we mere mortals cannot possibly understand.
I repeat: The judge is absolutely wrong to allow the names of those who signed Ref 71 to be kept secret! They knew it was a public document but now want to hide their endorsement of this homophobic travesty.
That’s the essence of the argument, IMHO, and I say let’s see the names of all the bigots who signed this horrible referendum, starting at the top with the carpetbagger preacher from Oregon who ran the show, splayed all over the Web!
September 12th, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Galt, I’m waiting for you to offer even a tiny shred of proof of your accusation against Governor Gregoire.
Waiting…….
Waiting….
September 12th, 2009 at 8:26 PM
BhamBill,
You’re mortal?
September 12th, 2009 at 10:13 PM
I’ve actually never heard the Gregoire/ACORN claims either, Bill. I think John is making things up, but maybe he has a source.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Sorry to Bill that I got rid of Arthur’s comment. I consider it spam with the way he wrote it. I hope he won’t do that again.
September 13th, 2009 at 7:49 AM
No biggie, Sam…I couldn’t understand Arthur’s comment anyway!
And I don’t expect to hear from Galt since I think I just called him out on a scurrilous lie.
It’s supposed to be another fantastic day…ENJOY!
September 13th, 2009 at 3:04 PM
For those wondering ‘how many sat in the seats’ for our ‘We the People’ event, you can see videos at http://www.whatcomflagday.com … the ‘Leadup’ part one, shows the theatre progressively filling up … back rows were reserved for volunteers, so were empty as we ran up to the event. Once the program began, there was no way to video the audience … but the theatre was as full as I’ve ever seen it for any program.
As for the 912 march, the mall was jammed the whole way, at least half or more of the 2 million attendance claimed for Obama’s inauguration … and why do folks try to make fun of the Gadsden flag which figures so prominently in our history? … or do they not know our history?
September 13th, 2009 at 3:22 PM
Here’s a link to a story which loosely links ACORN and Gregoire’s ‘elections’ … I do NOT speak for the validity, I’m simply referencing something for ST and others who wish to pursue the question.
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/bc1016df.html
A couple snippets: ‘ … On election night that same year, Washington State voters elected Republican Dino Rossi over Democrat Christine Gregoire. On Christmas Eve, state lawyers overturned the election after a third recount. “Nearly 2,000 more votes were counted in King County than the number of individual voters who appeared on the list of those who had cast a ballot,” Fund reports. In one Seattle precinct—where most of the voters had curiously registered just that past year—70 percent of voters listed a government administration building as their residential address. Election officials found hundreds of “lost” ballots, accepted the votes of hundreds of ineligible felons, and, in a few instances, counted the votes of those residing in graveyards. One ballot punched for Gregoire but listing Rossi in the “write-in” line was strangely added in the recount to the totals for Gregoire. Given the strange methodology employed by ballot counters, it’s not surprising that Gregoire is now Washington’s governor.
‘ … “Once a community organizer, then a foundation grant-maker, and now a lobbyist for direct government funding, Barack Obama has been with Acorn throughout his career,” Fund writes. “In return, Acorn is pledging to spend $35 million this year registering voters—both real and fictive. Should Obama become president, look for Acorn to have a vastly more ambitious legislative agenda, and for Obama to be responsive.” … ‘ I suggest one read through to get the real substance.
September 13th, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Since the Herald won’t do it, here’s a link to World Net Daily’s account of the march:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109628
‘ … A million or more rock Washington
Taxpayer march could be biggest rally ever in capital … ‘
September 13th, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Oh, and you might enjoy this ‘question’ piece from election-time last year … there is no longer any question of the ACORN-Gregoire axis …
http://www.redcounty.com/eastwashington/2008/10/acorn-is-gregoire-nuts
September 13th, 2009 at 3:37 PM
I recall hearing Acorn mentioned a number of times in the coverage of the Gregoire election on all three network Seattle TV channels.
ON A SEPARATE note: Last night NBC News, which could be expected to downgrade the numbers at the gathering on The Mall, said that while “the National Park Service had estimated the crowd in the tens of thousands, our NBC estimate is in the hundreds of thousands.”
Later estimates have been as high as a million from World Net Daily.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
I posted earlier: “Galt says: “Gregoire’s 2004 election has been attributed to the efforts of ACORN in WA.” I have never seen that statement in any credible medium; please cite your source.”
Now that I have checked out the links posted by nwwaguy from a small right wing website called redcounty.com, I repeat: I have still not seen that statement in any CREDIBLE medium. I browsed redcounty; it makes Faux News look responsible by comparison. Pipsqueak players in the right wing echo chamber don’t count.
As for my question as to how many seats were filled relative to the number of tickets sold to Teabaggers On Parade on 9/11, I refer to the common practice of fat cat right wingers such as Richard Mellon Scaiffe buying huge numbers of tickets to such events to give the appearance of broad based support. That’s how they get books by the Coulterbeast on the best seller lists
September 13th, 2009 at 5:45 PM
Fine … the videos shows how many ’sat’ … I guess you think a video of the event is not a credible source, eh?
And I’m sorry your life is so filled with disagreeable stuff …
Please note: I was only showing that Gregoire has connections to ACORN … and I only cited the sources to show that it HAD been mentioned … I made no claims to anything else, except for the Gregoire/ACORN pic just before the elections, or is the photograph not credible either? … LOL … boy, am I glad George Soros and other fat cat left-wingers don’t buy up stuff and spend millions to promote their cause and to give the appearance of broad based support … we can credit anything they post, right?
September 13th, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Oh, Bellingham Bob, I realize that the progressive left wing pads this and pads that and pretends to serve the poor while only using them as pawns to gain power for the rich who are their masters of the purse . So I can see why you would think that everyone else does the same thing. I can see where that would make you very suspicious of everybody else. But all you are doing is projecting your own sad image onto people who are nothing like you.
You offer no arguments for your point of view. You only run from well to well with your vial of poison, committing serial hackery. Give it up.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:15 PM
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!
September 13th, 2009 at 8:49 PM
So glad to hear that you are amused. I shall try to encourage your laughter. It is a healthy sign.
September 13th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
I hope one could consider the Seattle PI and the Seattle Times some sort of ‘credible sources … The Gregoire elections and ACORN are found in at least one PI story and 2 Times stories … I offfer this only to show there is ‘credible’ mention of the Gregoire/ACORN story:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/otherlocalelectionstories/2008323762_acorn29m.html
(an interesting snippet: Obama, an attorney who once represented ACORN in a 1995 lawsuit, has since requested that a special prosecutor be assigned to determine whether the FBI’s investigations of ACORN are politically motivated, The New York Times reported.)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/325217_registrations27.html
‘ … (There are) questions about ACORN actions in the 2004 gubernatorial election, which Democrat Chris Gregoire won by 133 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast statewide. They’ve suggested ACORN workers may have pressured elections officials into counting bogus provisional ballots or may have forged signatures on post-Election Day affidavits verifying absentee ballots, but no specific allegations surfaced in the Republican court challenge to Gregoire’s victory, nor have any criminal charges been filed against ACORN in the 2004 governor’s race. … ‘
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003760004_webvoterfraud23.html
September 13th, 2009 at 9:36 PM
You’re right, NWW, I wouldn’t link to WND because they’re pretty much always completely wrong, inaccurate or purposely making things up to further their own goals. I’d be fine with it if they didn’t spin it as unbiased news coverage, but that’s not the case.
On the other hand, I did very well intend to post about the D.C. rally, the local health care reform rally as well as the B’ham Tea Party blog account of the “We the People” event once I go to work Monday.
You people are really bringing me down lately. Do you want a blog to chat on or not? I’m confused. It seems like most of you just hate what I post. Why even participate?
September 13th, 2009 at 11:02 PM
OK, so what is demonstrably ‘wrong’ about this particular item? I can see the video and pix … I can read estimates all over the place and I can make my own assumptions. Now, on the other hand … I still can’t find any information at all on how many self-motivated folks showed up or the pro reform march today in DC (or any other city, for that matter).
I’m sorry … I hope I’m not bringing you down, Sam … I DO appreciate the opportunity you give us … this thread SHOULD have stayed on topic, right? I took the bait and responded to what was posted … perhaps I should just let that stuff go and not speak up … I will think about that approach.
Anyway, I hope you peeked at my references to the Greg/election stuff … it DID get a mention or two … the reference above was not made up.
To the topic: I believe public records should be public … let us see the names.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:28 AM
I understand your frustration, Sam. It must be maddening to try to operate an informative blog when some people simply make up stuff according to the latest BS from their poster child Beck, the phase of the moon, etc.
Example: NWW posts an excerpt from the Seattle Times, attempting to “prove” the comment from John Galt that got the thread totally off message from the beginning: But all you have to do is read what he deleted to see that the Times was reporting on RIGHT WING ALLEGATIONS of wrongdoing:
“Local right-wing bloggers and the conservative Business Industry Association of Washington have raised questions about ACORN actions in the 2004 gubernatorial election, which Democrat Chris Gregoire won by 133 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast statewide.”
So there you have it: somebody (in this case John Galt) spews a blatant, scurrilous lie, other rightwingers put their spin generator into overdrive desperately trying to “prove” it, and it’s all downhill from there. No wonder for most of them - like Galt - the cowardly SOP is “when caught in a lie, run away and hide!”
September 14th, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Camille, me and numbers, what’s me problem?
Ok everyone I have to confess, especially since I’s been found out, Camille got the goods on me!,I bought a whole much more than 10 tickets, I actually brought 1,395 tickets, than I rented this bus (it was huge to get this many people in it), I rent down to Seattle found these people where ever I could, mission, parks, plasma donating, etc. gave them all a brand new orange tee shirt and a beer with a hotdog (check out the video’s if you don’t believe me, everyone has a touch of mustard on their top lip), told them there was a party they needed to go to, they would get to hold these neat flags! It WAS me all along!
Then I rented this boat Friday night, it was huge, I went up and down the eastern seaboard, did the same dirty deed as mentioned above, then I delivered all these people up the Potomac on 9/12, I know the actual count because I had everyone sign up before they could get their hot dog, the count was 1,312,098, if anyone doubts this I will turn this list over to ST so that he can confirm each and every signature, so now you know it was all me afterall and I why I had to leave town this weekend. Man I need a couple days off!
I confess to EVERYTHING!!
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 14th, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Am I good or AM I good?
http:www.infowars.com/national-park-service-admits-912-demo-largest-on-record/
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 14th, 2009 at 11:01 AM
NWW - I’m not at work yet but when I get in I definitely will check out your links. Thanks again for those.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Try this:
http://www.infowars.com/national-park-service-admits-912-demo-largest-on-record/
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 14th, 2009 at 5:12 PM
‘ … I do NOT speak for the validity, I’m simply referencing something for ST and others who wish to pursue the question. … ‘
BhamBill: what part of the above do you NOT understand? For the last time: my only purpose in citing references to Greg/ACORN was to show that the question HAD arisen in the past. … not ‘to prove’ anything. You can bloviate all you wish, but you only show you don’t want any slant but your own represented here.
As for how many attended the march? Never mind what you might have ‘heard’, just follow the information as presented: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/how-big-was-the-crowd/
And I still want to see those signatures as public record.
September 15th, 2009 at 1:46 AM
yeh, that’s pretty good AFY!!!
beer and hot dogs, eh?
that would explain all that hot air.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Camille I knew you had a soft spot for hot dogs and beer, but I didn’t say chili, but you know something, chili hot dogs, me loves even more!
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)