#81 May/June 2006
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
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TOP STORIES

Misguided Medication
Federally sponsored research now indicates it's dangerous to many people, but fluoridation still gets the nod from WA officials
by Doug Collins
see related articles in HEALTH section

Drug-free zones fail to protect youth, worsen racial disparity
Key failures of drug-free zones

Movement to change ineffective laws finds growing support in WA and other states
two articles from the Justice Policy Institute
cartoon by John Jonik "War on Pot"

Vote-By-Mail: Expensive & Easier to Manipulate
opinion by Richard Borkowski
see related article in ELECTIONS section

FREE THOUGHTS

READER MAIL
Next stop, bus improvements; Bush on way out
cartoon by Tristan Hobson "State of Denial"
cartoon by David Logan "Republican Balloon"

Searching for Common Ground
by Todd Huffman, MD

ELECTIONS

Voter's Absentee Ballots Not Counted--Twice in Two Months!
by Doug Collins

Court Strikes Down WA Ex-con Poll Tax
from the ACLU of WA
cartoon by David Logan "Give me your tired..."

CONTACTS/ACTIVISM

NORTHWEST NEIGHBORS
contact list of subscribers who like to talk with you

DO SOMETHING! CALENDAR
Northwest activist events

WAR

Spying in Seattle
Surveillance and retaliation for the U.S. Navy
by Glen Milner

Questions in Iraq
opinion by Joseph Sonntag

Bush Seeks Funds for Laser Space Weapon
from Global Network

HEALTH

National Academy of Sciences: Fluoridation Can Be Unhealthy
No Milligrams are Good Milligrams

Oregon newspaper helps expose the risks
two articles by Robert Carton, PhD
cartoon by John Jonik "Parasito Insurance"

Fluoridation and Cancer
It's been known for a long time
from NY State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

Toxic Flame Retardants Still Unregulated in WA
from WA Toxics Coalition

TRANSPORTATION

Wanna Faster Bus Ride?
Driver champions transit change
by Andrew Jeromsky

More Causes of Slow Busses
by Doug Collins

BOB'S RANDOM LEGAL WISDOM by Bob Anderton
WA Bike Laws: They may be different from what you think

ENVIRONMENT

UW Plagued by Biosafety Problems
from Labwatch Seattle

TRASH TALK by Dave & Lillian Brummet
Growing Green Kids
Extend the Life of Books & Magazines

RIGHT BRAIN

Tires
short story by Vincent Spada

"When Not in Victory"
"The Patient"

two poems by Raymond Cavanaugh

About Family:
"Uncle Teddy Pekrul"
"Family Portrait 1920"
"We Three"

three poems by Robert Pavlik

POLITICS

MEDIA BEAT by Norman Solomon
The Lobby and the Bulldozer: Mearsheimer, Walt, and Corrie

BOOK NOTICE: "What Democracy Looks Like"
New book argues that 1999 Seattle WTO protests were a cultural turning point
from the publisher

The Puzzle of Jack Abramoff and Quid Pro Quo
The basic problem with US politics is that it's a pyramid scheme
by Steven Hill

Voter's absentee ballots not counted--twice in two months!

Armen Yousoufian's mail-in absentee ballot in the September 2005 primary was rejected because of a signature mismatch. His signature had changed substantially since the 1970s, when he first voted in King County. The Elections office sent Yousoufian a notice of the problem, but it came too late for his vote to be counted.

In the November elections, Yousoufian submitted his absentee ballot along with an updated registration form and a note. The King County canvassing board voted to accept the ballot and instructed the staff to count the ballot, but the staff never counted the ballot.

Upon learning of his second disenfranchisement, Yousoufian complained to the canvassing board. He received an apology letter from canvassing board head Dean Logan. Although Yousoufian's votes were not counted in last fall's elections, Logan made sure that the records would credit Yousoufian for voting.

Says Yousoufian, "It happened to King County Council Chair Larry Phillips in fall 2004, and now to me, and who knows how many more voters it has happened to who don't realize it?" With regard to a plan spearheaded by Dean Logan to move toward all-mail voting in King County, Yousoufian calls it "fraught with problems."

Yousoufian is involved in an ongoing lawsuit against King County Executive Ron Sims over violations of public disclosure law. He has been especially interested in researching corporate-welfare issues related to the Seahawks stadium deal and the destruction of the old Kingdome. He has been an outspoken critic of Sims as well as of Dow Constantine, who is now one of the three members of the canvassing board.

Seattle conservative blogger Stefan Sharkansky has provided a detailed account of Yousoufian's uncounted ballot experience at www.soundpolitics.com/archives/005923.html#005923.

Doug Collins


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