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RFK Jr. Blows the Whistle on Diebold

By John Ireland, In These Times. Posted July 21, 2006.


The environmental lawyer-turned voting-rights advocate has found Diebold employees who may link the company to election fraud.
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RFK Jr. Blows the Whistle on Diebold

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On July 13, the Pensacola, Fla.-based law firm of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a "qui tam" lawsuit in U.S. District Court, alleging that Diebold and other electronic voting machine (EVM) companies fraudulently represented to state election boards and the federal government that their products were "unhackable."

Kennedy claims to have witnesses "centrally located, deep within the corporations," who will confirm that company officials withheld their knowledge of problems with accuracy, reliability and security of EVMs in order to procure government contracts. Since going into service, many of these machines have been linked to allegations of election fraud.

In the wake of alleged vote count inconsistencies and the "hanging chad" debacle of 2000, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002. HAVA appropriated $3 billion to replace voting equipment and make other improvements in election administration. Diebold, Election Systems & Software and Sequoia Systems secured the lion's share of nearly half that sum in contracts to purchase EVMs. All 50 states have received funds and many are hurriedly spending it on replacing lever and punch card machines in time for November.

According to the Election Assistance Commission, more than 61 percent of votes in the 2004 presidential election were cast and/or tallied by EVMs. Election Data Services, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, estimates that the figure will jump to 80 percent by November, which will see elections for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Matt Schultz, an attorney with Kennedy's law firm, Levin Papantonio, describes the process of competition for HAVA's $300 million of contractor funds as "a race to the bottom." "There is no question in my mind that these companies sacrificed security and accuracy, mass-producing a cheap product to cash in on tons of federal money," Schultz says. "It's an industry-wide problem."

Qui tam lawsuits stem from a provision in the Civil False Claims Act, which Congress passed in 1863 at the behest of President Abraham Lincoln to respond to price gouging, use of defective products and substitution of inferior material by contractors supplying the Union Army. The provision allows private citizens to file a suit in the name of the U.S. government charging fraud by government contractors and other entities that receive or use government funds.

Long known as "Lincoln's Law," it is now commonly referred to as the "Whistleblower Law." Since the mid-'80s, qui tam recoveries have exceeded $1 billion, mostly after exposing medical and defense overcharging.

Mike Papantonio, partner in the law firm and co-host with Kennedy on "Ring of Fire," a weekly radio show on the Air America Network, explains the value of the qui tam approach. "The problem with injunctive relief, or [a writ of] mandamus, or prohibition-type writs, is it all comes down to politics. ... How do you bring injunctive relief with [Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth] Blackwell? How do you get [Florida Governor] Jeb Bush to do anything? They won't. You have to move outside of that political realm."

In 2004, Blackwell was in charge of implementing state and federal election laws, while, at the same time, co-chairing the state's 2004 Bush/Cheney Campaign. Under his watch, election officials neglected to process registration cards from Democratic voter drives, purged tens of thousands of voter registrations and distributed EVMs unevenly, leaving some voters waiting up to 12 hours. According to Kennedy, "at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted." Ohio was decided by 118,601 votes.

The contents of the suit could be under judicial seal for at least 60 days while the U.S. Department of Justice considers whether or not to join the suit. If U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales decides not to join the suit, Levin Papantonio may approach individual state attorneys general. If no one joins, the firm is free to, as Papantonio puts it, "stand in the shoes of the Attorney General and fight on behalf of the taxpayers and the nation."

"The single greatest threat to our democracy is the insecurity of our voting system," warns Kennedy. "Whoever controls the voting machines can control who wins the votes."

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The old-fashioned low-tech way is better
Posted by: andyc on Jul 21, 2006 12:40 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Speaking from outside the US...

It is obvious that the integrity of voting machines is only as good as the integrity of the companies that make them, which is evidently not saying a lot. Mechanical and electronic voting machines are complcated enough that a great many things may not operate as expected.

Why don't you folks do what the rest of us do (in the UK, Oz etc) and stick with reliable, foolproof low tech? Get voters to use a PEN to make a mark in a position on a PAPER FORM, and then fold it up and stick it in a LOCKED BOX for later counting and scrutiny by HUMANS. It's cheap, prevents interference by crooked or in competent machine manufacturers/programmers, and there is a paper trail for later double checking, if needed.

Put Diebold out of business!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Abortions in Europe Posted by: WhuThe?!?
» Imposing Honesty & Morality Posted by: aonghus36
» America:Freedom to Fascism Posted by: Allan Stevo
Spreading shite across the pond
Posted by: Colin on Jul 21, 2006 1:57 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Okay, so this is only loosely based on the story but its recent news and it is kind of relevant so I thought it would be okay to post it.

I'm sure you'll all remember the problems Diebold had with a university (can't remember the name), in that some of the students had posted on the internet internal memo's from Diebold staff essentially admitting that the machines they made were crap. Diebold's lawyers were cranked into motion and they attacked the students on breach of copyright law, saying that given the memo's were written on their time, they owned the copyright and therefore they couldn't be published on the internet (or anywhere else). They lost and rightly so I say.

Now, let's skip forward a year or so and pick up the story over in Britain, the protagonist now Mr. Craig Murray. If you've not heard of him, I'd encourage you to check out his website. He's the former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan who rather than acquiescing to the whims of the UK/USA government, actually did his job and started telling the truth about the humanitarian crises that is Uzbekistan. For this he was eventually fired.

Anyway, he sat down and wrote a book about his time there ('Murder in Samarkand') and posted a supporting few documents on the internet. The documents were from the Foreign Office, requested under The Freedom of Information Act and The Data Protection Act, and essentially proved things like the governments stance on using evidence gained under torture.

Since then, the Brit government has been engaged in a campaign to silence Murray since. Eventually, they found a trick that forced him to remove stuff from his website - breach of crown copyright. Ultimately, Craig might be able to beat them in court, but a protracted legal campaign against the Brit government would cost millions which he (unfortunately) hasn't got.

Muck spreads, it seems...

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chuckles
Posted by: coldeye on Jul 21, 2006 3:28 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
so RFK would like paper ballots back? well, they were hackable. ask old JOE Kennedy and his mob associates in Chicago who "hacked" a few ballot boxes in Illinois and stole the 1960 election for Playboy Jack Kennedy.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: chuckles Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: chuckles Posted by: douglashoyt
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: chuckles Posted by: babs
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Conservasaurus
» It didn't say RFK wants paper ballots Posted by: Bic Pentameter
» RE: It didn't say RFK wants paper ballots sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: chuckles Posted by: deo508
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: chuckles Posted by: deo508
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Conservasaurus
» Probably Posted by: russianblue1
» RE: Probably Posted by: Conservasaurus
» If you knew Posted by: russianblue1
» RE: If you knew Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: chuckles Posted by: Gma1
» RE: chuckles Posted by: PeterGrfx
siriuschange
Posted by: siriuschange on Jul 21, 2006 3:40 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's true , according to Seymour Hersh , in "The Dark Side of Camelot " , no question that the '60 election was stolen from Nixon .Maybe he wouldn't have been so suspicious if he ahd won. Remember the days of liberal republicans ? Wake up and realize we're the biggest banana republic of all .

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» "somehow, I cant imagine" Posted by: russianblue1
» RE: "somehow, I cant imagine" Posted by: Conservasaurus
» Consistency Posted by: russianblue1
» RE: Consistency Posted by: Conservasaurus
» Coldeye, Right On Posted by: Lincoln fan
» Times they were a changin. Posted by: coldeye
» RE: siriuschange Posted by: brunowe
» It's Just Business Posted by: coldeye
» RE: It's Just Business sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: siriuschange Posted by: deo508
» Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: deo508
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: deo508
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: deo508
» RE: Kennedy and the Mob! Posted by: Conservasaurus
Oregon
Posted by: rsaxto on Jul 21, 2006 3:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In Oregon we have optically-scanned mail-in ballots which work fine for both voters and election people and which are easy to recount if necessary. If these kinds of machines had been used in every state in the last three elections we would not now have a Republican house, senate and white house. All the last three elections were stolen by collusion of Republican operatives and elected officials with voting machine manufacturers and other fraudsters. RFK jr. is our knight in the shining armor of truth.

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» Optical scanners Posted by: pol
re chuckles sickofsleaze
Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com on Jul 21, 2006 3:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Kennedy maybe USED to be a playboy but thank God that he and not the current playboy drunk idiot was not in the oval office during the Cuban missle crisis with his finger on the nuke button. the world would be shivering in a "nucular" winter. Kennedy and Dean Rusk were able to give Krushchev enough of a face-saving way to turn their ships around and stand down, withdraw their missles and save the world from a nuclear war that could well have destroyed civilization

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» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze Posted by: douglashoyt
» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» JFK: Warmonger Posted by: coldeye
» RE: JFK: Warmonger Posted by: deo508
» Believe Robert McNamara? Posted by: coldeye
» RE: JFK: Warmonger sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: JFK: Warmonger Posted by: PeterGrfx
» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze Posted by: cold2touch
» RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
Go, Bobby, Go!
Posted by: Tom Degan on Jul 21, 2006 3:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I first met Bobby Kennedy twenty years ago through my cousin Tom Cullen. He's also the god-father to my cousin Caitlin Cullen. I always new that boy would come to no good.

But seriously folks.....

This is final proof that these new voting machines should not be used at all. The potential for fraud is immense and Ohio/2004 is all the more reason why they should be put out to pasture. These hideous bastards stole Ohio AND New Mexico and they'll do it again if we're not careful. We cannot afford another republican controlled congress and we certainly can't afford another eight years of this these people in the White House.

To paraphrase Al Smith, let's look at the record of the republican party:

They have cut the throats of the poor and middle class. They have looted our national treasure. They have abandoned their constituancy in favor of a multi-national corporate behemoth and an out-of-control military industrial complex. They have created a geo-political catastrophe in the middle east that will take a century to remedy. They have shoveled a generation of American children into an untenable slaughterhouse in Iraq. They have engendered an economic nightmare so immense that generations yet unborn will still be bearing its burden. They have sold America's soul to the highest corporate bidder. They have made a mockery of the First Ammendment. They have squandered a five trillion dollar surplus witha tax cut for a class of people who didn't need it. They have gutted vital social programs that aid the sick and elderly that have been in place for over seventy years. They have turned emergancy management into a sick joke. They have knocked the teeth out of laws meant to protect working men and women. They have plundered the environment. They have depleted our educational system. They have hijacked this nation's political dialogue. They have destroyed our international reputation. They have handed our domestic agenda over to religious fanatics. They have denied voting rights to people of color in three states. They have stolen two national elections. They have pissed on our constitution. They have sent our Bill of Rights through the sausage grinder...

They must NEVER be allowed to govern our country again.

The grand old party is over.

Way to go, Bobby!

Pray for peace.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Tom Dega's Daily Rant

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» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: custersbud
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: beetruetoyou
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: surfreality
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: surfreality
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» Hey, Convervasaurus... Posted by: bassman
» RE: Hey, Convervasaurus... Posted by: 1984NOW!!!
» RE: Hey, Convervasaurus... Posted by: bassman
» 1984NOW!!! Trying to Play Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Hey, Convervasaurus... Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! sickofsleaze Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! sickofsleaze sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: deo508
» RE: Go, Bobby, Go! Posted by: Gma1
Not a partisan issue.
Posted by: Lincoln fan on Jul 21, 2006 4:23 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Democrats are justifiably worried about the security of the voting machines but this should be a concern to all voters. If there is a way to hack these machines there is no way to keep the method a secret. The Democrats will have the know-how before the election. It'll be a case of he who hacks last hacks best.

More important than honest elections is that we the citizens take control of the political parties. If, as now, both parties work for big business elections have little meaning. Whichever party wins the people lose.

If we can control the platforms of both parties they will both work for the people. The election will still have little meaning. The difference will be that whichever party loses the people win.

I believe that we can take control of both platforms before the next election with a strong grassroots movement. Join The Lincoln Initiative; make "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" a reality. Click on Join Today

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» RE: Not a partisan issue. Posted by: custersbud
» RE: Not a partisan issue. Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Not a partisan issue. Posted by: FedererFan
» RE: Not a partisan issue. Posted by: Peace Patriot
We are headed towards another revolution, is anyone paying attention?
Posted by: deo508 on Jul 21, 2006 5:08 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
BB: In summary, how optimistic or pessimistic are you about our ability to get our country back?

RFK JR.: Well, you know, my attitude is that I don't try to predict the future, I can only say that those of us who care about this country have to keep fighting, and whether you think you're gonna win or lose, you gotta just keep slugging and you gotta be ready to die with your boots on, because that's what our forefathers did, they started a revolution, and they put their fortunes and their lives at stake. And we need to summon the same kind of courage from our generation, and demand that kind of courage from our leadership.

If someone like FFK JR. is ready to die with his boots on then so am I.

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The End Times Are Near
Posted by: robmikejas on Jul 21, 2006 5:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Christian right may have it right. The End Times may indeed be near. The end of the United States as a free, democratic, secular society. Where is the outrage? Where are the youth of today? Why aren't the streets of Washington DC filled with demonstrators against the ever mounting abuses by this administration against the American People? Do we need another stolen election to prove that we are in the end times?Jesus and God have nothing to do with what situation we have blindly created in this country. And obviously they are doing nothing to stop the flow of the life blood of this society into the streets of fascism and the election halls of right wing criminality. People, rise up and take your country back before it is transformed into a totalitary theocracy where your life is worth only what these criminals allow you. Nothing!

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» RE: The End Times Are Near Posted by: Linda50
» RE: The End Times Are Near Posted by: deo508
NOT ANOTHER DIEBOLD AND ESS&S ELECTION TALLY CAN BE ALLOWED TO STAND
Posted by: xbj on Jul 21, 2006 5:47 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I don't care if it's done with pitchforks and tiki torches, or young men facing down tanks, or all these solutions and more, but I do know this:

AMERICA CANNOT TOLERATE ANOTHER DIEBOLD AND ES&S DETERMINED ELECTION.

God bless Robert Kennedy Jr. and God bless Bev at Black Box voting.com and God bless Bradblog and all the others who are busting their asses to get the word out to America that we are screwed if this happens one more time.

Some non-violent ideas? We already know it's a done deal, let's start planning for the aftermath. It's November, the election results have come in, there is a huge sweep of both houses and in all local elections for the GOP. Against all odds, against all exit polls which determined an overwhelming rout of Congress and absolute victory for the Democrats, THE EXACT OPPOSITE OCCURRED, YET AGAIN.

For the THIRD TIME.

Now, THIS TIME when the Mainstream Media shrugs its collective shoulders and says "I guess we got it wrong. AGAIN", here's what you do:

You write down all the sponsors of the nightly news and prime time broadcasts.

Then once you have this info (and it will already be up on the internet, trust me), you turn off your TV. FOR GOOD.

And write all those sponsors to tell them WHY YOU WILL BE BOYCOTTING THEIR PRODUCTS. Because they advertise on the mainstream media, and you can no longer trust them for the truth. And send copies of every e-mail you send out, every letter you send, to the major networks. AND KEEP THAT DAMN TV OFF. GET YOUR NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM THE INTERNET.

That's about the only nonviolent thing I can think of to do; if you have any more ideas, I'm all ears.

Even the government can't legally hand the media as much money as their sponsors. And when it gets them in the bottom line, you'll be amazed at how fast they will start reporting the truth.

Maybe then we can dump these Godddamned machines into the bottom of Boston Harbor where they belong.

Either that or into Mt. St. Helens.

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The bottom line of code
Posted by: HeroesAll on Jul 21, 2006 6:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Folks, for all you say the US has such a complicated system that you can't possibly have paper ballots and hand-counting, you've gotta do something or you're boogered.

"Why's that?" I hear you scream. Well, because any system, any system, that relies on software, is inherently less safe than one that doesn't. And one that relies on software that's accessible over the interwebby thing is pretty much the same as determining the election using the stair method (an old university gag about marking: toss all the assignments from the top of the stairs, and grade them according to how far down they fall).

First up, I've been a code monkey, and I know how arcane and confusing even the smallest piece of working code can be. It can be easy to slip something in there that's not immediately obvious, and to do very naughty things by sleight of hand.

Second, if the thing's accessible over the net, then every man and his dog will be trying to hack it, and many will succeed. Hacking is something they are, not something they do. No code is invulnerable. So if it can be got at, it will.

Third, when you slip your vote into the slot, or push the magic buttons, or whatever, how do you know that it's recording what you wanted? If you're lucky, you get a piece of paper that's also kept, in case of a recount. But how often do they do a recount? Not often, right? So the thing could be blithely making up numbers according to the phase of the moon in there, with you none the wiser.

Fourthly, as other posters have mentioned, in order to tamper with boxes full of ballots, naughty people have to gain access to the boxes, and that tends to be noticed, particularly if they gain access to enough to make a difference. But if you have electronica, you can just code the bias right in beforehand, or whizz around running a 'patch' on all the boxes, and no-one's the wiser.

"Certainly, officer", they can say, hand on heart (or at least breast pocket), "we're using the exact same software that was certified as being squeaky clean and with added vitamins". Do you trust them? I wouldn't.

No, honestly, I haven't been drinking. Perhaps I should have. But we manage quite nicely with paper ballots, so why can't you lot? Do you really have to vote for municipal dogsbody? Or perhaps it makes the pollies feel more important that they're being fraudulently elected with exciting electronic gadgetry and a machine that goes 'bing!', rather than the crusty old-fashioned standby of a couple fridge-shaped men in shiny suits.

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» RE: The bottom line of code Posted by: notinKansas
The Problem Is Not Technology
Posted by: NoPCZone on Jul 21, 2006 7:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Technology has no morality. The problem lies with those who have designed and marketed the products. The products of each of these companies share one thing in common: they are all based upon Microsoft Windows-- the least secure widely distributed operating system ever made.

A voting system needs to be stable, reliable, & secure-- all qualities rarely associated with any Microsoft operating system. There are any number of commercial and open source operating systems available that are more stable, reliable and secure.

Next, each company has put their own proprietary software on top of their chosen flavor of Windows. Rather than be transparent and invite security auditing, they have locked down their hardware and software. This is the exact opposite of what good security practice would suggest.

These machines are cheaply made, poorly developed, unreliable, unauditable, overpriced, proprietary, easily hacked and unstable. One could not design a system more amenable to vote fraud and election theft than this one.

DO NOT TRUST THESE MACHINES. If your polling place will not offer you a paper ballot, file an affidavit of your vote. This has to be done at the time you vote and will be the only paper trail available for recounts and challenges.

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RFK - A BLAST FROM THE PAST
Posted by: VZEQICVA on Jul 21, 2006 7:23 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We all know that the only advantage to electronic voting is that we save our precious time. Or, do we? Think of the time spent on the last two elections and the fact that many are not convinced of either outcome. There's no way to check it out . We still vote with a paper ballot where I live. Let's start now rounding up volunteers to count ballots. Stop making something so simple seem overwhelming. It's not. Let't get it right. Thanks, ANNA

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RE: RFK and Diebold
Posted by: Mikii on Jul 21, 2006 8:29 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I see that RFK Jr. is a real advocate much as his dad was and I was beginning to wonder where the young advocates with clout were. Hats off to Bobby Jr. for stepping up to the plate. The old voting way might be slower, and in some ways vulnerable but it didn't centralize the results via machines and fwd to folks unlike local election officials whom you could easily castigate for wrong doing. What next the stamping of hands when you go to vote or will we place our palms on a machine screen. High tech is many times low tech and Diebold Company and it's machines are classical examples. Nuf sed.

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» This Circle is Unbroken Posted by: coldeye
We should push for honest elections to salvage what we can...
Posted by: fool-on-the-hill on Jul 21, 2006 8:46 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...of our honor as a free people. But make no mistake: the U.S. has entered an irreversible decline. No one alive today will live long enough to pay the bills for the folly of our current government---much less to see a recovery of our international prestige!

If elections continue to be commodities, as they have been in the recent past, then our end will be catastrosphic.

If we reclaim our country's democratic processes, we will at least have a chance to elect responsible leaders who may guide us toward a "soft" landing---perhaps akin to the collapse of the British Empire that left Great Britain pretty much intact, albeit greatly reduced in world influence.

Sad to think that the latter scenario is the best we can hope for our children. But it is a far better future that the one that will result if we continue in our folly and bring about the former possibility!

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RFK is putting his life on the line
Posted by: SufiLizard on Jul 21, 2006 9:17 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Wow, I'm glad RFK is willing to stand up and take the hit for us. Somebody needs to do it.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid he'll be dying soon in a plane crash or something (ala cousin John John and Paul Wellstone). I hope some committed people are prepared to carry the torch after he's gone.

Here's a real example of courage.

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» RE: FK is putting his life on the line sickofsleaze Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: What about Bush? Posted by: deo508
first vote
Posted by: raven5 on Jul 21, 2006 9:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
my son registered to vote (!) at the DMV in CA a good eight months ahead of the election and when it came to election day, he wasnt allowed to vote. After the election, the postcard came saying he could now vote.

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» RE: first vote Posted by: leighsure
» RE: first vote Posted by: civilbehavior
» RE: first vote Posted by: Maryanne
» RE: first vote Posted by: leighsure
» RE: first vote Posted by: Maryanne
If Venezuela can do it...
Posted by: babs on Jul 21, 2006 10:47 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why can America?

Hugo Chavez's government have AVMs as well (Diebold, I think) but he insisted on setting them up to produce verifiable paper records (or they didn't get the contract). Diebold says they can't do it in America (!) but they can down south... I guess voting is more important there... who knew?

No wonder Bush hates Chavez.

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» RE: If Venezuela can do it... Posted by: Conservasaurus
» Move Posted by: coldeye
» RE: If Venezuela can do it... Posted by: aonghus36
» Cahvez's election wasnt fixed?????. Posted by: Conservasaurus
It's about time
Posted by: popsicle67 on Jul 21, 2006 11:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It doesn't matter to me who holds these jackasses over a flaming pit just as long as they get thrown in. As a republican
I am appalled at the lack of anger on the republican side of the isle. Surely one or two realize that their asses could be chopped down with these "inconvenient little quirks" that Diebold is trying to cover up. I shouldn't be surprised though,
they are performing the single most assinine stunt I have ever
heard of in going after librarians for not turning over records.
I learned some time ago that librarians are not people to mess with. They are the human equivalent of Google. They don't know all the dirty little secrets but they do know where to look which is just as dangerous. It would be a pity for all of those illustrious persons in this administration to have an accurate history of their lives set before the world to ponder.
When I was a kid a man was removed as vice president because of a past that included some mental health issues.
I find it disquieting that drug abuse and sheer stupidity seem to be job qualifications now. When I vote this year I hope I have legitimate choices.

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» RE: It's about time Posted by: NormaC
Speed over accuracy
Posted by: leighsure on Jul 21, 2006 11:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is no Constitutional requirement to have all the votes counted by the next day, the next week, or even the next month. The world will NOT fall apart if the results are not known instantaneously.
Here in the Fast Food Nation, we have another name for those type of comestibles, Junk Food. Fast Vote Counts produce Junk Election Results. Get rid of the bells and whistles and all the other unnecessary technological geegaws. Newer does not mean better.

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» RE: Speed over accuracy Posted by: Maryanne
Aussies know better.
Posted by: chimpy on Jul 21, 2006 12:41 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Several states in Australia use electronic voting, but they do it right. First the voting machine isn't a costly single-purpose gadget, but an ordinary PC with a simple keypad plug-in which moves a cursor on the monitor to enter a voter's choices. It runs a voting program written in Linux, and the source code is publicly posted for review of its accuracy and security by experts as well as the general public. The PC voting stations are linked by a closed local network to a central tabulating computer, also with open source programming. There is no outside connection to a phone line or network of any kind. Vote totals are written to storage media which are hand-carried to central locations. Between elections the PC's are available for other useful purposes in schools and libraries.

Here in US the voting machine companies refuse to publish their code, are obviously partial to a particular outcome of the election, and make millions selling machines that are used once every 2 years.

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» RE: Aussies know better. Posted by: sirossisofliver
» RE: Aussies know better. Posted by: rinpochet
» RE: Aussies know better. Posted by: krose
hadashito
Posted by: hadashito on Jul 21, 2006 2:26 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Diebold machines have failed repeatedly in tests and are suspected of having produced false counts on voting in the last election in at least two states. So where is the federal election commission hiding through all this ? It has been made clear that the Bush administration has loaded up each of the federal agencies, commissions, and cabinet posts with its own flunkies in order to control all aspects of the government. We may now suppose that the election commission is included, and is under orders to stonewall any investigation so that the Dieblold machines may do their dirty work again in November, 2006 - - and beyond. The CEO (a major contributor the the Bush a campaign and the Republican Party) of Diebold in Canton, Ohio has pledged to deliver elections to the Republican party - - apparently by hook or crook, if necessary. It looks like Rove and Diebold are trying to pull off more fraudulent election counts. If the feds won't clean up the fraud and remove the touch screen machines, PATRIOTIC AMERICAN VOTERS, remembering the British stamp and tea taxes in the 1770's, ought to enter the polling places and smash the machines. Another Boston Tea Party would be in order for Americans who knows their duty to save our democracy.

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» RE: hadashito Posted by: FedererFan
WTH is 'sickofsleaze' anyway?
Posted by: sln70 on Jul 21, 2006 3:30 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
at first I thought it was someone's screen name... but that doesn't seem right.

So what IS it? I'm personally sickofsickofsleaze showing up everywhere.

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» RE: WTH is 'sickofsleaze' anyway? Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: WTH is 'sickofsleaze' anyway? Posted by: FedererFan
Is Kennedy off drugs yet?
Posted by: Gun Bunny on Jul 21, 2006 5:31 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's more than appropriate that the idiot makes the comment a day after the 35th anniversaty of Chappaquiddick. The whole family is rotten.

DF

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» Rotten but dead right Posted by: chief of okeefe
» RE: Is Kennedy off drugs yet? Posted by: 1984NOW!!!
» RE: Is Kennedy off drugs yet? Posted by: FedererFan
"THE DECIDER" IS THE ONE WHO IS "THE USER!"
Posted by: krose on Jul 21, 2006 6:45 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
RATHER THAN BEING "IN RECOVERY," JUST TAKE A LOOK. He has all of the "tell-tale" signs. This is the reason our country is in such a mess, and we stand on the brink of disaster. So, never mind spreading tales about Bobby Kennedy, Jr. He is trying to SAVE our Democracy! It is G. W. Bush, who is "Killing" it, and he is "USING," to boot!

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America Needs True Electoral Reform
Posted by: Gazza126 on Jul 21, 2006 8:50 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
While knocking out 'corrupt' voting machines is a start, America needs to go further if it is to again become a real democracy.

Notably, it has to ban the current practice of having politicians and their paid officers running elections. The story above shows how Democrat voters in Ohio were disadvantaged by a biased Republican state attorney-general. Yet most Americans see nothing wrong with this. However it is a fair bet that if Mr Milosvitch had done in Yugoslavia what the Ohio Attorney-General did in the last election, the American government would have been screaming blue murder. And calling the election result a fraud.

The same can be said of Tom DeLay's gerrymandering of the Texas electorate.

The answer: federal legislation creating an independant - and permanent - electoral comission under the leadership of a retired senior judge.

This commission would be responsible for organising, conducting and counting election results, and be charged with setting electoral boundaries.

This is the system now in place in Australia and while Australians still find instances of dead people somehow arising from their graves to cast just one more vote before permanently retiring from the scene, the country has never considered its election results to be truly suspect. And despite winning four elections in a row, no one believes John Howard won office by fraudulent means.

America's big problem will be getting those same elected officials (Republican and Democrat) to change the rules that benefit them when they are in office.

The problem is yours, and only you can fix it. Good luck America, and all who sail with her.

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Election theft im Ohio
Posted by: willymack on Jul 21, 2006 9:52 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Yeah, we all know the 2000 and 2004 "elections" were stolen, and that the "president" turned out to be an evil turd-along with the rest of his scumbag buddies. Since NOBODY, including the ones the elections were stolen from did a goddam thing about it, it'll happen again, you can bet on it. It's going to take a lot of Kennedys to unscrew what's been so thoroughly screwed up by this evil gang and its mountains of lies, bribes, intimidation, and who knows what else, but it's got to start somewhere. The worst thing Americans can do is ignore the (tiny) voice of truth. These evil bastards have much to answer for. For instance: what REALLY happened on 9/11? One thing at a time.

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Some more causes for RFK
Posted by: Reader11722 on Jul 21, 2006 10:17 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Perhaps, he should look into illegal spying on all Americans. Or he can ask why Amazon and Wikipedia were pressured to remove the book "America Deceived" by E.A. Blayre III from their sites. Or RFK can examine 9/11 as a false-flag attack. At least he's trying but he better not tackle too tough an issue or he may end up like most of his namesakes.
Last link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
America Deceived - Book

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Of chandeliers, nukes and bears...
Posted by: Ian MacLeod on Jul 22, 2006 3:12 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
“I think that tales of Kennedy's sex exploits are just bragging. He was far from an athlete as he liked to be portrayed *SNIP* he would have had trouble with a video game, let alone the real thing. Even Bill apparently had a back problem *SNIP*"

What makes you think a man has to be able to hang from a chandelier to be decent in bed? For info, I’M 51, in constant nerve pain with multiple surgeries, am a type II diabetic, hypothyroid, etc, etc, and nobody throws rocks at me. Knowledge, practice, enthusiasm and empathy go a l o n g way! And if there is a problem, well, humans are very good at getting around problems, as you mentioned. Where there’s a will, as they say… As for Bill, HE’S the one started the comparison to Jack, and no one else ever really bought it.

As for destroying civilization with nukes, global temperature alterations are FAR and away more likely. Almost inevitable. And about feeding the bears as per your suggestion – I’d be glad to help. I’ve already offered to be part of a duly constituted firing squad after the trial and guilty verdict Never been out of the kill zone in under 150 yards… Screw the bears – they can have what’s left.

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Oops - Sorry 'Bout That
Posted by: Ian MacLeod on Jul 22, 2006 3:17 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Above reply was intended for "RE: re chuckles sickofsleaze ", upstream a 'ways. Looks like I hit "Post a New Comment" instead of "Reply to This Comment"

Ian

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Bust the Machines--Vote Absentee!
Posted by: Peace Patriot on Jul 22, 2006 5:04 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Absent Voting is not safe, but it IS a PROTEST against use of the rigged voting machines. If enough people do it (and many are--it's up to 50% in Los Angeles), the machines will be made obsolete, the election officials who purchased them will be made to look like the corrupt fools they are, and we will have the massive citizen rebellion we need to reform the system.

This is an indigenous protest, devised by ordinary American citizens who don't trust the machines, and want a paper ballot, hand-counted. Election officials often just scan AB ballots into the rigged electronic system, so it doesn't make your vote safer, but by AB voting you take a stand against this rigged system, and refuse to cooperate with it as far as you are able to (while yet voting).

It's like the Montgomery bus boycott. Rosa Parks REFUSED to sit at the back of the bus. She REFUSED to participate in the system of segregation. It was then reinforced by a boycott of the segregated buses, and combined with other types of protests to end segregation.

In this case, we MUST participate. We MUST vote. Big turnout is our only hope of overcoming the "thumb on the scales" that these machines are giving to Bushites, warmongers and corporatists. We shouldn't boycott voting. But we SHOULD boycott the machines! Make them gather dust! Don't use them! What good are all these expensive, shiny, new, election theft machines, if nobody will vote on them?

With an AB vote, we can add a meaningful protest of the rigged election system, throw a big monkeywrench into it, and, if it gets big enough, have a huge impact on future elections.

The AB voting protest will also HELP turnout. To people who say it's all rigged and don't vote, we can say, "But this is a PROTEST aimed at UN-rigging the system." Voting will also become less of a passive act, and more of an active protest against election fraud and against the frauds it has put in office. It's easy. Everybody can do it. It's a maximum participation protest!

This protest will not result in accurate counts this time. That is not possible. The corruption and rigged machines are too entrenched. But a big AB voting protest in November WILL lay the groundwork for getting rid of the machines and other needed election reform, and may get us a transparent election in '08.

Imagine if, say, 70% of the American people dumped Absentee Ballots on elections officials this fall--a mountain of paper ballots to deal with--with some delivering letters about why, and others contacting media.

THAT is a huge citizen rebellion! Now we have something. Now we have momentum for change!

Advice: Photocopy your Absentee Ballot after you fill it out. Hand-deliver it if possible (it is in California), or send it registered mail, return receipt requested. Also, if you can, write a letter to election officials stating your opposition to TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code in the voting machines and central tabulators (throughout the system), private corporate control of our elections, and insecure, unreliable, hackable voting machines (which they all are), and demand a full hand count of AB and all other paper ballot votes including optiscan ballots, and a ban on paperless voting machines (the touchscreens-DREs--completely unverifiable and unrecountable).

Bumper sticker: "Bust the Machines--Vote Absentee!"

Or: "Join other Americans in busting the machines--VOTE ABSENTEE!"

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And How Does This Help?
Posted by: birdman on Jul 22, 2006 6:13 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Even with honest ballots, we still mostly don't have anyone worth voting for. Especially at the national level. Hillary, anyone?

I find it instructive that Kennedy is going after Diebold, et al, instead of the Bush machine. Sounds like Kennedy doesn't want to taint politicians, as such. Seems more like partisan politics than a fight for the people.

Bleh.

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Diebold is an accessory to Atrocity
Posted by: pjrsullivan on Jul 22, 2006 8:36 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The current fraud in Chief is strictly a stooge placed into the office by the Zionist war criminal elite.

Diebold is one arm of the "Shit you and shoot you crowd."

You don't like their shit, then they send somebody around to shoot you instead.

Mention was made that JFK nearly brought us into a nuclear war with the Russians during the missile crisis over Cuba; In fact, there were several attempts to begin a full blown nuclear war at that time.

At the peak of the crisi, and Unknown to JFK, a U-2 spy plane was sent to overfly Russia's military installations. The plane was ordered to be shot down by the Russian high command. At the same time a nuclear armed jet fighter plane was sent up from America with instructions to defend the U-2 plane from a Russian attack.

For 15 minutes the Russians attempted to launch their missiles at the U-2, and they were not able to get one shot off. The weapons panel would not engage. The U-2 returned to base as did the Russian plane.

At that stressed time if a nuclear shot would have been fired, from the American jet fighter that was armed with nuclear tipped missiles, and at Defcon 3 alert status, all hell would of broken out and we would have been "Accidentally" exterminated with a full blown nuclear war. JFK would not have been able to do anything about, it had all been determined previously.

Examining it now with the knowledge of the continuing Extraterrestrial intervention into our world, it seems likely that "ET" shut down the Russian fighters weapons pane, and prevented the Russian pilot from beginning World War 3.

Our nuclear war criminals are still at it folks.

When you think of the crimes that Diebold executives have perpetrated against us, think also of the crimes that our nuclear war criminals in the Suites have perpetrated against us.

.

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» RE: Diebold is an accessory to Atrocity Posted by: sirossisofliver
Try reading some science
Posted by: Ian MacLeod on Jul 23, 2006 12:55 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Then some history about how little change it takes to destroy a civilization

Ian

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Conflict of interest!
Posted by: TheMatrix on Jul 26, 2006 7:18 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"In 2004, Blackwell was in charge of implementing state and federal election laws, while, at the same time, co-chairing the state's 2004 Bush/Cheney Campaign."
Speaking of conflict of interests!!! How is this possible that the guy could have both positions at the same time? Is that legal? Scary.

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America:Freedom to Fascism
Posted by: Allan Stevo on Jul 28, 2006 1:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This week, I saw the movie Freedom to Fascism, and it is powerful. The thing is pertinent to just about everything I read on Alternet, especially those regarding unchecked government growth. It's a documentary dealing with the Constitution, taxes, and the federal reserve bank, among other things. The director's quote of "Stop being a good Democrat. Stop being a good Republican. Start being a good American." is especially poignant to me. This weekend it opens in Chicago, Kansas City, New York, Tampa, and Austin. If enough folks see this, it's going to start a debate that, I'm convinced, will bring change from all corners of society.
Allan Stevo

You can find more info at: www.freedomtofascism.com

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Where is Bobby Jr in Maryland?
Posted by: coldeye on Jul 28, 2006 8:35 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Republican gov Bob ehrlich has unsuccessfully fought against the use od Diebold machines that the liberal Dems in the Dem legislature have foisted on the people. His veto of legislation to allow Diebold to do business without a paper trail of course is ignored by the Lefty Wash Post and Baltimore Sun which hates Ehrlich. Gee, where is Kathleen Kennedy Townshend, RFK jr. first cousin who was the Dem nominee for governor in 2004?

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