Dear George,

You may have read about the Supreme Court's application of the Equal Protection of the 14th Amendment in their 5-4 decision, re: Bush vs.Gore. I strongly disagree with that decision!

Equal protection? Let me express my deep concern with this lame excuse for awarding "W" the election! All over Florida there were disparities in "Equal Protection."

For example: Obsolete, defective and poorly maintained punch card voting machines in heavily Democratic, minority districts had a failure rate some 400% higher than the scanning devices used in affluent,largely white predominantly Republican districts. Punch card ballots, generally were less reliable than the more modern machines used throughout the state. In all counties where they were used. The ballot in Palm Beach County was different in its' layout than the one illustrated in the local press (I think printing companies call it "out of register".)

When Duval County canvassing board reexamined previously rejected overseas military ballots, the board refused to accept ballots received after the November 17th deadline.On the other hand, canvassing boards in Clay and Santa Rosa counties accepted those ballots received after the Nov.17th deadline, obviously treating them different and unequally to Duval County and they were largely certified for Bush.

This was a pure political payback play and to distort and bend the Constitution to make it all come out right is a SHAM and the American voters need to know it!

Harry Tenney (electronic mail, December 14, 2000).