Since 2000 the specter of election fraud has haunted America's elections. There is little question that things have gone wrong in our elections in recent years, from gun toting rednecks threatening Hispanic voters to voter caging to what appears to be manipulation of voting machines by Republican biased companies. It is unclear if this kind of activity has actually affected the outcomes of elections, and if so how many elections, but problems have been frequent and almost always favoring Republicans. It should be noted that this year, to date, accusations of fraud that favor Democrats has been largely debunked, while accusations of fraud favoring Republicans has led to actual arrests in at least two cases.

Since 2000 the reaction to apparent election fraud has ranged from denial to panic. Panic is NEVER appropriate. And I will deal with the denial end when I have more time. But the truth is, neither panic nor denial are terribly effective strategies. What is effective is preparation and action. Barack Obama's unprecedented legal team is one example of this. But there is a much quieter example that is already paying dividends: the Secretary of State Project. The Secretary of State Project (SoS) was created by concerned citizens to provide an easy-to-use, low-cost vehicle for online donations to key Secretary of State races. They got started in 2006 and won five key races. You want to hear preparation, compare the list of states that the SoS project won in 2006 to our key swing states this year: Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa and...yep, Ohio. This success in 2006 should be reassuring to America in 2008, as recently pointed out by the Secretary of State Project:
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Looks like there is new verseion of republican racism: pitting Hispanics against blacks. Divide and conquer has always been the only way the Republicans could win, and too often it works. They are at it again but this time it is NOT working and, in fact, has led to the downfall of a racist republican.

From the racist GOP chairman in New Mexico's Bernalillo County:

"The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors," he said. "African-Americans came here as slaves.

"Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won't vote for a black president."

Of course this is a complete lie, as the polls have consistently shown. I have reported before that Hispanics overwhelingly support Obama over McCain. That trend continues not just nationally, but in New Mexico as well:

SurveyUSA, 9/14-16:

New Mexico Latinos:

McCain (R) 28
Obama (D) 69

Nationally, according to the Research 2000 daily tracking poll for Daily Kos:

McCain (R) 27
Obama (D) 68

Thanks to Daily Kos for this info.
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Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Tribal Officials

Type of Event: Training
Hosted By: Falmouth Institute
Event Dates: 4/21/2008 - 4/22/2008
Event Location: Albuquerque, NM
Cost: $755
Contact: Falmouth Institute
Email: information@falmouthinstitute.com
Contact Phone:800-992-4489
Contact Fax:703-352-2323
Website: http://www.falmouthinstitute.com

Course Description:Though the vast majority of tribal officials conduct their business with flawless ethical standards, many decisions that they make are fraught with ethical dilemmas, either real or perceived. The fact is, when it comes to ethics, appearance is everything. Public scrutiny of tribal government activities and an increased awareness of ethics laws and regulations mandate that all tribal officials be above reproach. Find out how to develop a code of ethics, from the code structure to purpose and objectives to rules and guidelines. This class will teach you how to distinguish between legal and ethical considerations. Real-life case studies, ethical dilemmas and conflicts will be explored to help you develop a sense of what is legal, ethical or both. Self-assessment exercises will allow you to examine your organization’s current status and future needs.

How to Register: Falmouth Institute class sizes are limited. Registrations MUST be received at least 10 business days before the class start date.
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Annual Native Amercian Education Summit

Type of Event: Training
Hosted By: J. Dalton Institute
Event Dates: 4/24/2008 - 4/26/2008
Event Location: Albuquerque, NM
Contact: J. Dalton Institute
Email: jdalton98@aol.com
Contact Phone:1-888-886-0664
Contact Fax:920-338-8683
Website: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com

Course Description:Six Essential Strategies for an Effective Prevention Model, Community Resource Assessment, Critical Elements of Effective Prevention and Community Readiness, Ethics, Professional Networking

How to Register: http://www.jdaltoninstitute.com/registration.html

Yesterday Bill Richardson vetoed legislation that would have made Gardasil vaccination of 6 year-old girls compulsory. Here's the story :

"While everyone recognizes the benefits of this vaccine, there is insufficient time to educate parents, schools and health care providers," he said.

The measure would have taken effect June 15, requiring girls entering sixth grade this fall to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, before they enter public or private school.

The bill would have allowed parents to opt out of the vaccination requirement.

Merck, the company that produces Gardasil, needed a homerun drug after the legal mess and PR nightmare of the Vioxx cases. The company lost a $235 million lawsuit for knowingly suppressing documentation about the potential lethal cardiovascular effects of Vioxx and for "tweaking" clinical studies evidence to support their false claims of safety.

The company knew as far back as 2000 the painkillers could kill people with cardiovascular problems but it took them a warning from the FDA, requests for new trials by American Heart Association, the National Stroke Association, the Arthritis Foundation and 4,000 lawsuits for the company to conduct another round of clinical trials that would further the minimum of testing they submitted to the FDA in order to get their drug approved.

On September 30, 2004 Merck finally pulled the drug off the market after the second round of trials did confirm Vioxx was not safe. In 2005 they lost the landmark Ernst v. Merck product liability case --which granted a record $253 million in damages to the plaintiff. The company's stock fell almost 8% minutes after the verdict and, given the drug accounted for 10% of the company's revenue, Merck has been losing since 2004 a record $2.5 billion annually in revenue.
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