Election Erections

How to Host a Kick Ass Brunch

--by The Leage of Pissed Off Voters

[cartographer's note: this page disappeared early on in the League's campaign, perhaps for political reasons (shows the shallow non-vision of political 'reasoners', and the old link now has a redirect to Microsoft.com). Contact the Leage of Pissed Off Voters and ask them why. I have loaded the google cache link in the citation below. The full text of the original document can be reached through the "continue readin" link. --QR/RRE]

"...The League of Pissed Off Voters was formed to create spirited environments for our generation to learn the nitty-gritty of politics and invent fresh ways to play the game on OUR terms. Our intention is to help transform thousands of young adults nationwide, who have never messed with politics before, into savvy political players who can shake some shit up in this country. ... With that in mind, we have a long term vision of folks getting together to learn and teach each other in the environments we hang in anyway, then taking the next steps together -- REMEMBER, IT'S JUST BRUNCH!!! - The League of Pissed-Off Voters; read more on cite

Government 101

Project Vote Smart

"Are you fearful that you might one day be "that guy" on The Tonight Show who becomes perplexed by the question, "How many U.S. Senators are there?" Do you think of mudslinging as something you and your little brother used to do in the backyard on rainy afternoons? Is your knowledge of American Government, well, a bit rusty? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, Project Vote Smart's Government 101 is designed especially for you. This tutorial is informative, practical and easy, and is intended to help refresh your knowledge of American politics by providing useful information about Congress, political parties, campaign finance, the Constitution, elections, state government and much more. ..." Project Vote Smart; read more on cite

Granny D: Waking Up the Vote

----Granny D Haddock

"...We live the free, creative, just and sustainable life we would hope will spread to others. Our events and our words and our campaigns must be expressions of this better world. Our politics must be grounded in the joyful present moment, not dragged from a fearful future. Even our most progressive candidates project fear of the future when they should operate from the joy of the present. That is who we are. We are about life, in all its flowering forms, and we are about love. We celebrate this. We are fearless of the future, for if we make too much space in our hearts for fear, we lose the joy that is the energy we need to move our people forward..." --Granny D Haddock, Truthout; read more on cite

How Redistricting Protected Incumbents in 2001-2002

--Center for Voting and Democracy, Project Fair Vote

"Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 were dramatically less competitive than elections after the last round of redistricting in 1991-1992. By forcing most incumbents to run in districts that have new voters or perhaps against another incumbent, redistricting typically results in the two elections immediately following redistricting (such as 1992 and 1994) being the most competitive elections of a given decade.

But by many measures, the 2002 U.S. House elections were the least competitive elections since 1988, which makes it quite possible that House elections toward the end of the decade will likely be far less competitive than any in history..." --Center for Voting and Democracy, Project Fair Vote, read more on cite

Why Don't We Vote?

--Leila Rouhi, Grand Prize Winner. "Why Don't We Vote?" 2000 Essay Contest

"...The current electoral system in the United States is not one that fosters voter participation, but instead often discourages voting altogether. This is evidenced through the lackluster voter turnout in the United States, which is amongst the lowest of any democratic nation. While it is convenient to blame this lack of democratic participation on a lazy and apathetic public, the root of the problem lies elsewhere. The current system of winner-take-all elections, strategic gerrymandering, incumbency advantage and governmental unresponsiveness to constituent desires is enough to deter even the most politically conscience person from voting. For many young voters, the realization that their vote is likely to have little impact on the outcome of elections, not surprisingly, prevents them from becoming involved in the electoral process altogether..." -- Leila Rouhi, Grand Prize Winner. "Why Don't We Vote?" 2000 Essay Contest read more on cite

Treaty Busting by the United States

--2003 Project Censored

"The United States is a signatory to nine multilateral treaties that it has either blatantly violated or gradually subverted. The Bush Administration is now outright rejecting a number of those treaties, and in doing so places global security in jeopardy as other nations feel entitled to do the same. The rejected treaties include: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Treaty Banning Antipersonnel Mines, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a protocol to create a compliance regime for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM). The U.S. is also not complying with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Chemical Weapons Commission (CWC), the BWC, and the UN framework Convention on Climate Change.

"The ABM Treaty alone is a crucial factor in national security; letting Bush get away with facilitating its demise will destroy the balance of powers carefully crafted in our Constitution. ..." --Project Censored, 2003 selection; read more on cite

NORML: Campaign 2004 Presidential Candidate Report Card

"NORML presents an analysis of the presidential candidates' positions on marijuana policy. Here we indicate their support for decriminalizing marijuana penalties, legalizing medical marijuana and industrial hemp, and repealing the HEA provision that prevents convicted marijuana offenders from receiving student financial aid. ..." --NORML - National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; read more on cite

Un-Shopping: Introduction

--Co-Op America

"How much stuff is enough? That's a personal decision each of us has to make, but our ultimate decision impacts our friends, neighbors - basically everyone on our planet and the earth itself. This section gives you new ways to look at consumption and explore alternatives. As you gradually incorporate these concepts into your life they will soon become second nature.

"Many of us have realized that overconsumption is a major problem in the United States. It can be overwhelming when one thinks of all the ramifications of all the products that this country produces and consumes. Instead of trying to solve the entire problem at once, start simple. Look at our list of 10 Things You Should Never Buy Again and try to implement those changes in your life. Then look at our UnShopping List and ask yourself those questions before every purchase. ..." Co-Op America; read more on cite