John, you asked:

Paper-based elections: no better than electronic ones?

The article you linked to was interesting. I say the answer to the question depends on the people conducting the election.

However, under current reality, before we even get to the corruption by hack considerations, lets remember the performance failures of EVMs, which you tirelessly report here.

Even in a better world where all election officials, voters, and precinct workers are honest, these EVM's still fail to perform. Defective performance is a reality even in the absence of hacking corruption.

One could come to different conclusions, depending upon the context, so it is not ultimately helpful to consider these issues purely in the abstract.

Until the EVM makers have a high sense of mission to deliver much higher quality products for use in american elections, by default I have to yield to favoring paper ballot systems.

Having said that, the Ohio example in the linked-to story is about paper ballot system corruption because 56 out of 88 counties rebelled brazenly and destroyed the paper evidence. Even in the face of a court order not to.

Further, the purrfeckt words of the_zapkitty come to mind:

"Stalin and company actually presided over many thousands of perfectly honest elections with untampered ballots"

(Another Bradblog thread). So, these issues are not solved by fundie type simplistic notions.

We must continue the struggle on all fronts, human and machine, and improve every election scenario everywhere.

John,

There were some interesting votes having to do with the priceless 4th Amendment yesterday.

The House held up and the dam did not break, they did not cave in to the Gonzales / Bush demand that they be granted warrantless wiretapping (the FISA court has ruled what Gonzales/ Bush had been doing without warrants was illegal).

The Senate, however, could not shake the shame and alas put a cheap price on the 4th Amendment.

I will list the democrats who voted for the fascist bill, because they know better, and the republicans who voted against it, because they suffer great peer pressure but overcame it as all the dems should have.

... when the results become available ... not yet on Senate websie.

And don't forget Feinstein voting with the Repub's to move the Southwick nomination to the Senate for a full vote.

Bruce #3

Not forgotten.

But worse is that the democrats in the Senate caved in to the republicans there and passed warrantless wiretapping at the whim of Alberto Gonzales.

It looks like the House will do the same.

If they do I assure you that "Stalin and company actually presided will be presideing over many thousands of perfectly honest so called perfectly honest elections with untampered ballots".

And if so American no longer exists.

So Dredd will "retire" to a distant jungle and wish you all happy trails. Do the yoda and wait. The sith are in power and ... well you know the story.

The empire is back.