Report on Cincinnati Meeting with Rev. Jackson

I attended the breakfast with Jesse Jackson this morning, along with Betty Edmondson who testified at the last hearing. Also attending the meeting were Bill Woods of Common Cause, and John Burik of CASE. UC Professor at CCM Electronic Media Dept and minister Robin Riley. Evan Davis from Pacifica was taping the audio. Silbey Arnebeck, Cliff's lovely wife sat at our table. It was nice seeing a few of the OHio Vote 2004 members there as well.  Cliff Arnebeck gave a great speech about counting the votes and talked about the lawsuits that he and Jesse were filing on behalf of the plaintiffs in Ohio I will leave you with a portion of what Jesse said that I found remarkable.
We can afford to lose our election; but we cannot afford to lose our vote. Jesse Jackson. Hope to see you at the Meeting/Hearing on Wednesday. Juliet Stewart

Jesse Jackson In Tri-state; Calls For Investigation Of Ohio Election
Reported by: Bill Price
Web produced by: Jennifer Moore
Photographed by: 9News
Last updated: 11/29/04 3:36:35 PM
Veteran civil rights leader Jesse Jackson was in Bond Hill Monday morning urging Tri-state supporters to join him in challenging this month's vote in Ohio.
His group, the Rainbow PUSH coalition, is calling for a constitutional amendment to standardize elections nationwide, in addition to asking for an independent investigation into Ohio voting. 9News Reporter Bill price says local supporters gave Reverend Jackson a warm reception to challenging the vote in court. Reverend Jesse Jackson was treated as a "celebrity" by almost a hundred ministers and political supporters who joined him for a breakfast reception at Integrity Hall. He repeated his call for an investigation into what he says were "strange goings-on" at some Ohio polls. "Warren County, where they had a homeland security alert... Can you imagine a homeland security alert in Warren? Where there are no buildings higher than 3 stories." said Jackson to a laughing crowd. Jackson also questioned why as many as 1-in-5 provisional ballots in hamilton county were not counted. He says voting rules need to be standardized with a constitutional amendment. "We want an amendment to the constitution. Everyone-- all Americans-- should have the individual constitutional right to vote and have federal protection for that vote. Right now, we have no protection of our right to vote as Americans," said Jackson. The reverend made it clear that he wants to build on the voting rights issue here in Ohio. He asked supporters in Cincinnati to organize and join new chapters of the group he already leads -- the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson says the voting lawsuits his Rainbow PUSH is organizing, should motivate new voters. "No, I think lawsuits will spread hope. It will say to people, this vote was not in vain. It will stay this struggle to make this a more perfect union is not a one-round fight... it's a long distance journey," said Jackson. How those voting rights challenges proceed may determine whether any new Rainbow PUSH group becomes a viable political force in Ohio, and whether Reverend Jackson gains more stature as a national political leader. Jackson was also involved in Florida protests when voting problems there held up the presidential election for over a month. The reverend is planning another trip to Columbus on Saturday for a voting rights rally there