How They Stole The Mid-Term Election

Greg Palast | November 7, 2006

Here's how the 2006 mid-term election was stolen.

Note the past tense. And I'm not kidding.

And shoot me for saying this, but it won't be stolen by jerking with the touch-screen machines (though they'll do their nasty part). While progressives panic over the viral spread of suspect computer black boxes, the Karl Rove-bots have been tunneling into the vote vaults through entirely different means.

For six years now, our investigations team, at first on assignment for BBC TV and the Guardian, has been digging into the nitty-gritty of the gaming of US elections. We've found that November 7, 2006 is a day that will live in infamy. Four and a half million votes have been shoplifted. Here's how they'll do it, in three easy steps:

Theft #1: Registrations gone with the wind

On January 1, 2006, while America slept off New Year's Eve hangovers, a new federal law crept out of the swamps that has devoured 1.9 million votes, overwhelmingly those of African-Americans and Hispanics. The vote-snatching statute is a cankerous codicil slipped into the 2002 Help America Vote Act — strategically timed to go into effect in this mid-term year. It requires every state to reject new would-be voters whose identity can't be verified against a state verification database.

Sounds arcane and not too threatening. But look at the numbers and you won't feel so fine. About 24.3 million Americans attempt to register or re-register each year. The New York University Law School's Brennan Center told me that, under the new law, Republican Secretaries of State began the year by blocking about one in three new voters.

How? To begin with, Mr. Bush's Social Security Administration has failed to verify 47% of registrants. After appeals and new attempts to register, US Elections Assistance Agency statistics indicate 1.9 million would-be voters will still find themselves barred from the ballot on Tuesday.

But don't worry: those holding passports from their ski vacations to Switzerland are doing just fine. And that's the point. It's not the number of voters rejected, it's their color. For example, California's Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson figured out how to block 40% of registrants, mostly Hispanics. In a rare counter-move, Los Angeles, with a Hispanic mayor, contacted these citizens, “verified” them and got almost every single one back on the rolls. But throughout the rest of the West, new Hispanics remain victims of the “Jose Crow” treatment.

In hotly contested Ohio, Kenneth Blackwell, Secretary of State and the Republican's candidate for Governor, remains voter-rejection champ — partly by keeping the rejection criteria a complete secret.

Theft #2: Turned Away - the ID game

A legion of pimple-faced Republicans with Blackberries loaded with lists of new voters is assigned to challenge citizens in heavily Black and Hispanic (i.e. Democratic) precincts to demand photo ID that perfectly matches registration data.

Sounds benign, but it's not. The federal HAVA law and complex new ID requirements in states like New Mexico will easily allow the GOP squads to triple the number of voters turned away. Rather than deny using these voter suppression tactics, Republican spokesmen are claiming they are “protecting the integrity of the vote.”

I've heard that before. In 2004, we got our hands on fifty confidential internal memos from the files of the Republican National Committee. Attached to these were some pretty strange spreadsheets. They called them “caging lists” — and it wasn't about zoo feeding times. They were lists (70,000 for Florida alone) of new Black and Jewish voters — a very Democratic demographic — to challenge on Election Day. The GOP did so with a vengeance: In 2004, for the first time in half a century, more than 3.5 million voters were challenged on Election Day. Worse, nearly half lost their vote: 300,000 were turned away for wrong ID; 1.1 million were allowed a “provisional” ballot — which was then simply tossed out.

Tomorrow, new federal ID requirements and a dozen new state show-me-your-ID laws will permit the GOP challenge campaign to triple their 300,000 record to nearly one million voters blocked.

Theft #3: Votes Spoiled Rotten

The nasty little secret of US elections is that three million ballots are cast in national elections but not counted — 3,600,380 not counted in 2004 according to US Election Commission stats. These are votes lost because a punch card didn't punch (its chad got “hung”), a stray mark voided a paper ballot and other machinery glitches.

Officials call it “spoilage.” I call it, “inaugurating Republicans.” Why? According to statisticians working with the US Civil Rights Commission, the chance your vote will “spoil” this way is 900% higher for Black folk and 500% higher for Hispanics than for white voters. When we do the arithmetic, we find that well over half of all votes spoiled or “blank” are cast by voters of color. On balance, this spoilage game produces a million-vote edge for the GOP.

That's where the Black Boxes come into play. Forget about Karl Rove messing with the software to change your vote. Rather, the big losses occur when computers crash, fail to start or simply don't respond to your touch. They are the new spoilage machines of choice with, statistically, the same racial bias as the old vote-snatching lever machines. (Funny, but paper ballots with in-precinct scanners don't go rotten on Black voters. Maybe that's why Republican Secretaries of State have installed so few of them.)

So Let's Add it Up

Two million legitimate voters will be turned away because of wrongly rejected or purged registrations.

Add another one million voters challenged and turned away for “improper ID.”

Then add yet another million for Democratic votes “spoiled” by busted black boxes and by bad ballots.

And let's not forget to include the one million “provisional” ballots which will never get counted. Based on the experience of 2004, we know that, overwhelmingly, minority voters are the ones shunted to these baloney ballots.

And there's one more group of votes that won't be counted: absentee ballots challenged and discarded. Elections Assistance Agency data tell us a half million of these absentee votes will go down the drain.

Driving this massive suppression of the vote are sophisticated challenge operations. And here I must note that the Democrats have no national challenge campaign. That's morally laudable; electorally suicidal.

Add it all up — all those Democratic-leaning votes rejected, barred and spoiled — and the Republican Party begins Election Day with a 4.5 million-vote thumb on the vote-tally scale.

So, what are you going to do about it? May I suggest you… steal back your vote.

It's true you can't win with 51% of the vote anymore. So just get over it. The regime's sneak attack via vote suppression will only net them 4.5 million votes, about 5% of the total. You should be able to beat that blindfolded. If you can't get 55%, then you're just a bunch of crybaby pussycats who don't deserve to win back America.

Voter Fraud Across the Board

Human Events | November 8, 2006
Ivy J. Sellers

Not surprisingly, there's been cases of voter fraud reported across the country today, with more pouring in by the hour. Here's a rundown of the reports gathered so far, with the states appearing in alphabetical.

Of note are problems in tight races such as Corker vs. Ford in Tennessee, Stabenow vs. Bouchard in Michigan, and Talent vs. McCaskill in Missouri.

Florida:


Hundreds Of Voters In Volusia And Osceola Counties Were Given The Wrong Ballots. -- Local 6 Website, "Hundreds Get Wrong Ballots In Central Florida," Local6.com, 11/7/06, Accessed 11/7/06

Hawaii:


Six Polling Places Failed To Open On Time Because Precinct Chairs Or Managers Were Late Or Did Not Show Up. -- "Six Hawaii Polling Places Fail To Open On Time," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Indiana:


In Delaware County, Computer Errors Prevented Voting In 75 Precincts; Voting Extended To 8:40 P.M., Instead Of Scheduled 6 P.M. Close. -- Cliff Brunt, "Early Voting Problems In At Least 2 Indiana Counties," The Associated Press, 11/7/06


Poll Workers Forgot How To Start Touch-Screen Machines In Marion County; Paper Ballots Used Instead. -- Cliff Brunt, "Early Voting Problems In At Least 2 Indiana Counties," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Kentucky:


Jefferson County Poll Worker Was Arrested And Charged With Assault After Allegedly Choking And Pushing Voter Out The Door. -- "Ky. Poll Worker Charged With Assault," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Maryland:


Some Polling Places Opened Half An Hour Late In Baltimore City. -- Stephen Manning, "Md. Officials Report Primary Voting Problems Appear Fixed," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Michigan:


Senate Candidate Mike Bouchard's Website Was Hacked And Shut Down On Election Day. -- Bouchard For U.S. Senate, "Hackers Shut Down Bouchard Campaign Website On Election Day," Press Release, 11/7/06

Minnesota:


Windows Of Rep. Gil Gutknecht's (R-MN) Office Were Smeared With Broken Eggs. -- "U.S. Rep. Gutknecht's Office Hit With Broken Eggs," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Missouri:


Claire McCaskill And ACORN Plan Election Night Rally At Same Location; ACORN Workers Have Been Indicted For Fraud And Accused Of Illegally Campaigning For McCaskill. -- Missouri Republican Party, "McCaskill, Proposition B Supporters Share Venue: A Coincidence? We Think Not," Press Release, 11/7/06

Montana:


Voters Have Been Receiving Calls From People Identifying Themselves As Being Associated With Montana Democrats; Callers Falsely Claimed That Voters Are On Record Requesting Absentee Ballots And Must Cast Provisional Ballots That Will Be Open To Challenge If They Attempt To Vote In Person. -- Montana Republican Party, "MT GOP Files Motion To Stop Democrat's Calls," Press Release, 11/6/06; Secretary Of State Brad Johnson, "Don't Believe The Calls -- Voting Is Easy And Your Right," Press Release, 11/6/06

New Jersey:


About 25 Machines Failed To Work Properly In Irvington, East Orange, Montclair, Newark And West Orange In Essex County. -- Tom Hester Jr., "NJ Voting Machine Woes Reported, But No Major Problems," The Associated Press, 11/7/06


Vandals Attacked Kean For Senate Headquarters, Chaining Closed The Entrance And Braking Off Keys In Door Entrances. -- Kean For U.S. Senate, "Vandals Strike Kean Campaign," Press Release, 11/7/06

Ohio:


Columbus Polling Location Opened Late Because Of A Break-In At The School Where The Precinct Is Located. -- Connie Mabin, "Long Lines, Problems With Voting Machines Reported Across Ohio," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

Pennsylvania:


Philadelphia 19th Ward Democrat Leader Carlos Matos Said There Is No Need For GOP Poll Watchers In His Ward, Since Everyone Is A Democrat. -- Pennsylvania Republican Party, "In Case You Missed It ..." Press Release, 11/7/06


Democrat Campaign Literature Was Found In Philadelphia Polling Places. (Pennsylvania Republican Party, "In Case You Missed It ..." -- Press Release, 11/7/06


Programming Errors On Voting Machines In Lebanon County Forced County To Extend Voting By An Hour To 9 P.M. -- Genaro C. Armas, "Early 'Minor Glitches' Reported With New Voting Machines," The Associated Press, 11/7/06


Supporters Of Joe Sestak Defaced Store And Overpass With Anti-Curt Weldon Graffiti, Spray-Painting Weldon's Name With A Communist Hammer And Sickle. -- Rep. Curt Weldon For Congress, "Sestak Supporters Sink To New Low With Defacement Of Private, Public Property," Press Release, 11/7/06


Technical Glitches Prevented Voters From Casting Ballots In At Least 13 Voting Locations. -- KDKA Website, "Voters Experiencing Difficulty With New Machines," KDKA.com, 11/7/06, Accessed 11/7/06

Tennessee:


Three Poll Workers Charged With Faking Votes From Dead People To Elect Ophelia Ford, Rep. Harold Ford's Aunt, To TN State Senate, Are Scheduled To Appear In Court On Election Day. -- Marc Perrusquia, "Dead-Voter Scandal Rears Its Ugly Head," The [Memphis] Commercial Appeal, 11/7/06


Shelby County Election Commissioners Claimed Voters Likely Walked Off With Smartcards Used To Activate Voting Machines. -- Brooke Sanders, "Election Commission Says Voters Walked Off With Smart Cards," WMCTV.com, 11/6/06


Voter Used Identity Of Person Who Died In 2003 To Cast A Ballot During Early Voting In Shelby County, TN. -My Fox Memphis Website, "Accusations Of Voter Fraud Surface," www.myfoxmemphis.com , 11/6/06, Accessed 11/7/06

Utah:


Utah County Poll Workers Failed To Properly Encode Cards To Activate Touch-Screen Ballots. -- Anick Jesdanun, "Poll Workers Struggle With Vote Machines," The Associated Press, 11/7/06

WE THE PEOPLE will be heard...

The facts are undeniable, the American people know the truth about our government.. Our government 'will' listen to us, they are bounded by the Constitution to do so, that is there job, and there place... Americans though fear there government... This will not stop US from speaking out though, there are still those of US who are brave, and will stand up for what is right and just, and will not let our good name be destroyed by a handful that speak as if the represent us, for they do not.. The represent there own greed, there own agenda, not the American publics... Although there is much apathy, and indifference on the part of ourselves as Americans, this is changing... Many today think the youth in the country dont care about the situation here, nor the events in the world today.. However this is not true, as this young person shows in his videos...

WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS ANY LONGER, THE SLEEPING GIANT IS RISING!!!!!!

The fact is that WE DO CARE, something that someone in another country might not realize, when they see, and hear the president speaking in behalf of the American people.. His approval ratings are currently at 37%...

Also, a side note. The reason that there is a picture in the middle of the first video, is because on youtube, one of the only ways to get important information like this into the 'mainstream' on youtube, is the inject an "eye catching image" to attract the attention of people... There also have been some censorship issues of the 1st amendment on youtube as of late as well... That is the reason why the image is there..

Voting Expert: Widespread Election Fraud Again

Voting Expert: Widespread Election Fraud Again
Harris tells Alex Jones Show she has acquired software for big three companies, stories of mass voter intimidation, arrests, machine meltdowns proliferate

Prison Planet | November 7, 2006
Paul Joseph Watson

Vote fraud crusader and rights activist Bev Harris has told the nationally syndicated Alex Jones Show that she is in possession of voting software used by the big three voting systems companies and is now in a position to completely expose the true scale of electronic vote fraud, as a cascade of stories about voter intimidation, arrests and machine meltdowns arrived on election day.

"They aren't even being sneaky about it now," said Harris in summarizing the widespread voting machine failures and election fraud that unfolded throughout the day, referring to policies whereby voting precincts have imposed complete blackouts on any indication of their results until the official confirmation from headquarters is given.

Precinct reports are now being treated as illegal and individuals are being charged for even suggesting that precincts keep tally counts of votes so comparison checks can be conducted later.

Harris also related stories of arrests of those merely trying to ensure checks and balances are taking place as voting machines fail nationwide, including an entire county blackout in Indiana.

Harris also discussed dirty tricks in Los Angeles, whereby polling precincts remain closed anything to an hour after they were supposed to open and election workers are putting green lines through ballot papers to denote the location of voting, knowing full well that this invalidates the paper during the subsequent optical scan. Pollsters were caught telling colleagues in hushed tones not to let voters know about this scam.

Widespread reports of scanning machines rejecting ballots are also flooding in, with voters told to "go home" if their ballot is rejected three times by the machine.

Harris featured in the recent blockbuster HBO documentary Hacking Democracy and said that since appearing in the program she has received death threats warning "we are going to get you," and "I hope you die a horrible awful slow death."

She has also been the target of anonymous Internet bloggers who slander voting activists. In one instance further research uncovered the fact that one of these "agent provocateurs" was a Diebold employee.

But Harris remains undeterred and is now in a position to expose the length and breadth of the fraud after acquiring the software programs for the other big three voting systems companies aside from Diebold.

Harris exclusively told the Alex Jones Show, "I have now got a hold of the software of the other three major vendors and won't be releasing it," stating she was in possession of the code used by Election Systems & Software, Sequoia and Hart Intercivics.

"We're going to be able to compare what they give us with very specific information - dates, times, and serial numbers of the machines," said Harris.

-------------------------------------------

New Law: NO FLY FOR ALL AMERICANS!

You wanted it now you've got it!

This only applies to those Useful Idiots (TM) sheeple who believe everything Zionist Media Brainwashes them with.

If this law comes into effect, ALL AMERICANS beginning Jan 14, 2007 -- That's next year, in 2 months or so -- will have their freedom of movement taken away (as if it's not already severely limited).

Read below for more info:

Think about the ramifications...

They are treating us like sheep, herding us up, readying for the slaughter.... :( >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We're All Prisoners,

Now: US Citizens to be Required ''Clearance'' to Leave USA International Politics October 26, 2006 Forget no-fly lists.

If Uncle Sam gets its way, beginning on Jan. 14, 2007, we'll all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us permission to leave-or re-enter-the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSA) has proposed that all airlines, cruise lines-even fishing boats-be required to obtain clearance for each passenger they propose taking into or out of the United States.

It doesn't matter if you have a U.S. Passport - a "travel document" that now, absent a court order to the contrary, gives you a virtually unqualified right to enter or leave the United States, any time you want.

When the DHS system comes into effect next January, if the agency says "no" to a clearance request, or doesn't answer the request at all, you won't be permitted to enter-or leave-the United States.

Consider what might happen if you're a U.S. passport holder on assignment in a country like Saudi Arabia. Your visa is about to expire, so you board your flight back to the United States.

But wait! You can't get on, because you don't have permission from the HSA. Saudi immigration officials are on hand to escort you to a squalid detention center, where you and others who are now effectively "stateless persons" are detained, potentially indefinitely, until their immigration status is sorted out.

Why might the HSA deny you permission to leave-or enter-the United States?

No one knows, because the entire clearance procedure would be an administrative determination made secretly, with no right of appeal.

Naturally, the decision would be made without a warrant, without probable cause and without even any particular degree of suspicion.

Basically, if the HSA decides it doesn't like you, you're a prisoner - either outside, or inside, the United States, whether or not you hold a U.S. passport.

The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized there is a constitutional right to travel internationally. Indeed, it has declared that the right to travel is "a virtually unconditional personal right." The United States has also signed treaties guaranteeing "freedom of travel."

So if these regulations do go into effect, you can expect a lengthy court battle, both nationally and internationally.

Think this can't happen? Think again.

It's ALREADY happening.

Earlier this year, HSA forbade airlines from transporting an 18-year-old a native-born U.S. citizen, back to the United States. The prohibition lasted nearly six months until it was finally lifted a few weeks ago.

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are two countries in recent history that didn't allow their citizens to travel abroad without permission.

If these regulations go into effect, you can add the United States to this list. For more information on this proposed regulation, see http:// hasbrouck.org/IDP/IDP-APIS-comments.pdf

Comments?

The Science behind Nikoli Tesla- Interview with Tom Bearden

Tom Bearden exsplains the Science behind the work of Nikoli Tesla. The are many Scientist today who are starting to see the great work of Tesla, for what it is, pure Genius.. Free energy, weather modification, the Woodpecker Project, etc. Tesla was hundreds of years before his time, Science today has yet to realize what Tesla did almost a hundred years ago... Much of his work has been worked on and hidden by the governments, at the will of the corperations, for free energy would put many out of business, one reason Tesla lost his funding so many years ago.. Will Humans ever grow up??

NAFTA Super Highway Debate Inflames Texas Governor's Race

Human Events | November 03, 2006
by Jerome R. Corsi

In Texas, the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC-35) has become a major issue in the gubernatorial campaign where incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry is viewed as a chief proponent for building this new, giant toll road parallel to Interstate-35.

This year, three major candidates are contesting Perry: Democrat candidate Chris Bell , Republican-turned-independent Comptroller Carole Keaton Strayhorn , and independent Kinky Friedman . Moving outside traditional party lines, the typically colorful Strayhorn presents herself as “One Tough Grandma.” Strayhorn's children include Scott McClellan, the former press secretary to President Bush. Kinky Friedman, who aspires to be the Lone Star state's first Jewish governor, is a 61-year-old country-and-western troubadour who is known by his trademark cowboy hat, mustache with limited goatee, and ever-present cigar.

All three contenders have slammed Perry for advancing TTC-35, a new toll road to be built four football fields wide from Laredo on the Mexican border to the Texas-Oklahoma border south of Oklahoma City. As disclosed by the Texas Department of Transportation , this road, characterized by this author as a “ NAFTA Super Highway ,” will be financed by Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transport , a Spanish investment consortium with ties to Juan Carlos and the ruling family of Spain, and built by San Antonio-based Zachry Construction Co. I have previously documented the extensive campaign contributions made by Cintra-Zachry to the Perry campaign.

Incumbent Under Attack

Each of Perry's contenders is attacking him (as well as each other), campaigning on a platform opposing TTC-35 construction. Democrat Bell notes that in 2001 as comptroller, Strayhorn recommended that Texas build new toll roads. Bell's campaign website rails against TTC-35, noting that the road would “destroy almost 1.5 million acres of prime farmland and strip Texas landowners of over 150 square miles of privately owned property.” Bell's argument strongly suggests graft:

The Trans Texas Corridor is a case study in corruption and cronyism, and one of my first acts as governor would be slamming the brakes on the whole plan and dragging it back into the public light.

Strayhorn's website is equally emphatic that TTC-35 is a politician's dream and a citizen's nightmare:

In this election, there are two sides and one choice – the Austin political establishment and its land-grabbing, secret, foreign-owned tolls versus the people and their desire for freeways. I stand with the people. I will shake Austin up.

A video clip of Strayhorn speaking at a vocal rally opposing TTC-35 can be viewed on the Internet. Here Strayhorn connected TTC-35 to NAFTA by claiming Perry's super-highway plan amounted to turning “Texas DOT into Euro-DOT.” In her speech to the rally, she also renamed the “Trans Texas Corridor” as “Trans Texas Catastrophe.” Strayhorn called for putting TTC-35 to a referendum, which prompted participants at the rally begin chanting, “Let the People Vote!”

Friedman's campaign website joins the anti-TTC chorus:

Kinky is opposed to the Trans-Texas Corridor since it relies on toll road construction. He feels that the TTC is a land grab of the ugliest kind, with land being taken from hard-working ranchers and farmers in little towns and villages all over Texas. The people who will ultimately own that land are the same people who own the governor.

Typically, Perry's campaign website defends TTC-35 as business as normal, just another highway needed to accommodate the state's growing population and burgeoning economy:

Texas' rapid population and commerce growth has strained our highway and rail systems to their limit. Rather than taking decades to expand these important corridors a little bit at a time, Governor Perry developed the Trans Texas Corridor plan. The Corridor plan allows the state to build needed corridors much more quickly and without a tax increase.

This past summer, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) held a series of final public hearings proposing the final route choices for TTC-35. Thousands of Texas residents showed up at these hearings to protest TTC-35, not realizing that the only question at issue was the specific route, not whether the super highway would be built. TxDOT has proceeded with a resolve to begin construction in 2007, as if TTC-35 were a “done deal,” regardless how much public outcry is heard in opposition. Ironically, since the Texas gubernatorial race is a plurality contest, Perry could win even if a majority of the votes go to a combination of his three opposition candidates. Thus, unless Texas voters opposed to TTC-35 are able to focus on one opposition candidate, Perry could win even if his TTC-35 plan is opposed by a majority of Texas voters.

Sal Costello , founder of the TexasTollParty.com and vocal opponent of TTC-35, has led the Internet charge against the proposed super highway. The TexasTollParty.com has produced two television commercials supporting the group's endorsement of Strayhorn in the governor's race. One commercial proclaims, “If you liked the Dubai Ports deal, you will love the TTC land grab,” while the other presents a cartoon figure of Perry who announces, “You will love my TTC land grab. It turns your property into foreign profits.” The ads have been aired thanks to People for Efficient Transportation PAC , a group which Costello also founded .

David Stall, another opponent of TTC-35, has created CorridorWatch.org , a website dedicated to disclosing information that TxDOT has not fully disclosed, including arguments contesting the ability of TxDOT to utilize eminent domain under the recent Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London to grab more than half a million acres of Texas private property and displace up to 1 million Texans from their homes, businesses, ranches, and farms in the process of building out the full 4,000-mile TTC network planned to crisscross the landscape throughout Texas.

A documentary opposing TTC-35, titled “ Truth Be Tolled ,” was premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 26. Austin talk-radio host Alex Jones, an outspoken opponent of TTC-35, has archived videos of his in-studio radio interviews with both Sal Costello and David Stall .

A group of citizens in central Texas have formed an organization known as the Blackland Coalition , which has also created a PAC that is running newspaper ads in Texas opposing TTC-35.

Bloggers Ask Questions

While the mainstream media have largely ignored the issue super highway toll roads, bloggers in Texas have even picked up an issue HUMAN EVENTS first developed , namely that trade organizations such as North America's SuperCorridor Coalition (NASCO) have been supporting NAFTA super highways through endorsing the activity of their members, including TxDOT.

In an interview with the author, Todd Spencer, the executive vice president of the 145,000 member Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association , openly opposes TTC-35 on behalf of the group's 145,000 members who operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty tucks and small truck fleets throughout the U.S. and Canada. Spencer argues that the real purpose of the TTC-35 project is to open Mexican ports, such as Lázaro Cárdenas, so Mexican trucks can transport Chinese under-market goods into the U.S. at a reduced transportation cost.

“We are also concerned about security. There's no reason to think that just because there's a Mexican customs office in Kansas City that all Mexican drivers on the Trans Texas Corridor will stay on the route. The Mexican trucks will get off the TTC and go lots of other places and there won't be anything meaningful to stop them.”

Spencer fully expects TxDOT to make the TTC-35 toll road attractive by setting high speed limits, in the range of 75 to 80 miles per hour. Noting that TxDOT is planning on charging up to 40 cents per mile as a toll for trucks, Spencer commented that this was equivalent to charging an extra $2.40 a gallon in additional fuel taxes.

“Once the TTC is built,” Mr. Spencer commented, “TxDOT will attempt to force people to use the toll road.” How? “Simple,” Spencer responded, “just watch, once TTC-35 is completed, TxDOT will begin maintaining I-35 a lot less. You can count on Cintra to enforce a ‘no-compete clause' that is designed to prevent TxDOT from building an alternative road or even improving I-35.”

Congress Gets Involved

Just this week, Rep. Ron Paul (R.-Tex.) entered the TTC-35 debate, writing in his weekly column to express his opposition to the super highway. Paul expressed constitutional concerns over TTC-35:

By now many Texans have heard about the proposed “NAFTA Superhighway,” which is also referred to as the trans-Texas corridor. What you may not know is the extent to which plans for such a superhighway are moving forward without congressional oversight or media attention.

Paul has decided to co-sponsor H.C. Res. 487, introduced in the House by Rep. Virgil Goode (R.-Va.) on September 28. The resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.) and Walter Jones (R.-N.C.). It asks the House to not engage in the construction of NAFTA super-highways and to oppose entering into a European Union-style North American Union (NAU) with Mexico and Canada.

At a National Press Club news conference held in Washington, D.C., on October 25, I joined in forming a coalition co-sponsored by Howard Phillips, chairman of the Conservative Caucus, and Phyllis Schlafly, president of Eagle Forum, to support the House resolution. An online petition is available for readers to sign to indicate their support of this coalition in the battle to secure America's borders.