Shouting down okay (free speech). Cursing and spitting not okay. I hope the reports I heard on this are bogus. I have heard that some of the worst-behaved demonstrators identified themselves as Black Box Voting. We sent no one to the event, nor do we organize such events.

More power to the citizens shouting for their rights. However --- it's been done before --- movements can be discredited by fake demonstrators who act like jerks. I'm interested in any feedback from someone who was there.

Bev Harris

For now on John I suggest taking a video camera and an expert to these events (lawyer or law official) so that you can get these interesting exploits on tape should there be any questions....

Especially for further incidents when Diebold goes into court.

Doug E.

Bev
Notice what I mean about the bill just passed called "HB-3" in Ohio.

Its a trojan horse. It will restrict various kind of IDs to make it harder to vote, while eliminating the secretary of state from ballot issues. Such that Blackwell can't oversee election problems himself, neither could the new secretary of state.

Finally and most idiotically, it will mandate machines in every polling location of which there is no machines needed and further, in which there is no verified paper ballot.

HB-3 has only a few "reform" parts to it, the rest is a neocon piece of dung laced with perfume. The ONLY way to get fair elections in Ohio is going to be through the court system now, as thats also where this company is based and where Blackwell stores "memory cards"...

Doug E.

Spitting and cursing? I hope that's not true.

Pukes use monikers like "anarchist", because when spelled, it looks like "antichrist" to a dyslexic churchy, DemocRAT, because the last syllable has "rat" in it

Better than being a Fascist though
(SEIG HEIL or GOT MIT UNS)

OFF TOPIC??

The problem with Democracy is, We need more Democracy.
The problem with C-SPAN is, We need more C-SPAN.

(Found this blog doing a google search for " c-span blog forum")

To: U.S. Congress and the FCC

We, the undersigned, while believing in the importance of a Free Market and Freedom of Speech, also believe in the importance of The Public Airwaves to be used as mandated by the FCC "...In the Public Interest, Necessity, and Convenience." We believe the use of The Public Airwaves is crucial to spread knowledge, culture, and civics. We therefore write to petition you to consider major changes in the allocation of the Broadcast Spectrum.

The Public Airwaves are a Vast Toxic Wasteland.
Congress needs to hold hearing on THE STATE OF THE AIRWAVES.
They would find:

1) That the Broadcast and Cable companies have not lived up to using the Public Airwaves, as the FCC mandated "... in the spirit of Public Interest, Necessity, and Convenience."

2) That the FCC and Congress have " given away, rent free", the Public Airwaves.

3) That the Broadcast and Cable companies have "... made so much money doing IT'S worst, IT can't afford to do better."

In the 1990's the FCC, with much support from the Congress, auctioned off portions of the Broadcast Spectrum. One portion of the Spectrum that was being auctioned would potentially reach 16 million customers (citizens). Almost as many people as the population of the state of Texas.

That particular portion sold for $3.00. Three dollars! When former FCC chairman Reed was asked to comment, he said "...I wish I had three dollars".

This cavalier policy and stewardship of the Public Airwaves has been good for the Broadcast and Cable companies, and their stock holders. And absolutely hideous for Civics, Public Affairs, and Democracy.

Before 2009, the FCC will give away more of the Public Airwaves, worth between 80-100 billion dollars. Once again, the Public will be outside, looking in, as the Broadcast Spectrum goes to the highest campaign contributors.

What does the Public receive from the License holders, for their use of the Broadcast Spectrum? Inexpensive Cable and Satellite packages? Intellectually stimulating programs broadcast into our homes at no charge? Choices and Diversity? Event coverage and programming with redeemable qualities? Or is it "...500 channels and still there's nothing worth watching".

There are many Independent, Grassroots, and Localized ways to use the Broadcast Spectrum. But on the National level, the Country needs more Public affairs, more Civics. The unedited, undefiled paradigm C-SPAN has perfected, is the only thing We can all agree on. It promotes Democracy and Participation. Not even the corporate media conglomerates can be against Democracy.

We therefore call on the Congress, and the FCC, to hold hearings on the benefits of more C-SPAN. And to take steps to move forward with the endeavor of creating more C-SPAN Companion Networks. When there is more than enough Broadcast Spectrum to dedicate to Civics, Culture, History and Democracy, We should not allow greed to get in the way of the Public Interest, Necessity and Convenience.

Put the Public back in the Public Airwaves.

http://www.petitiononline.com/cspannow/

Hey Cspanner, go to the red boxes at the top of the main page and get yourself caught up as to whats been going on around here, it's very enlightening

Doug,

Very wise advise you gave to John about bringing a video camera to such events as this one. You just never know what you'll get on tape that will come in handy later. More importantly, you are building an archive of events and people that could be used for educational purposes, as well as keeping an accurate account of the history of election reform for those who come after us.

Since I started working with BBV back in July 2004, I've made it a habit of always bringing my video camera along in our investigations. As a result, I was fortunate enough to have caught some very interesting moments on film that really did come in handy later.

The first time I used my video camera was in Volucia County, Florida and I captured Bev and Volucia County election official fighting over the bag filled with polls tapes and sample ballots that were about to be sent to the shredder, when we rescued them.

Another example, was in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. I filmed 3 seperate events involving election officials and election employees before, during and after the Recount of the 2004 Presidential election in that county. At the time, I had no idea that the footage I collected would, a year later, become the "best evidence" against these election officials, who were caught on tape lying to the observers at the Recount about the previous handling of the ballots and then later admitting at the Certification of the Recount that they had indeed counted the ballots for the Recount in private, without observers present, thus violating Ohio election law.

If these various events hadn't been caught on film, these election officials would never have been indicted and now face felony charges for their actions.

Like I said, the video camera is a great tool in helping to achieve election reform...so don't leave home without it!

Kathleen Wynne

Shouting someone down isnt a respectible form of protest. Its intimidation by a large group. Its wrong and I would be embarrassed to ever speak of it not to mention blog it.

#9
"Shouting someone down isnt a respectible form of protest. Its intimidation by a large group. Its wrong and I would be embarrassed to ever speak of it not to mention blog it."

Oh, you mean like all those Tom Delay staffers-pretending-to-be-voters who shouted & banged on the door in Florida to stop the counting of votes?

Like that, Ricky?

Hey Brad,

How hard would it be to develop our own open-source voting machines, then market them as 100% transparent, with paper trail and everything? It seems to me like it would be easy to come up with a reliable, verifiable, low-cost prototype using off-the-shelf technololgy. I think it would be unambiguously telling (and politically damaging) if elected representatives still chose Diebold even when there was an alternative that was obviously more reliable and less expensive.

Yes. Exactly like that and John should be ashamed.

Adrift #11

Good idea.

John

If those kinds of protests were not helpful they would not be putting trolls there to cause problems. Kinda like Ricky and the troll gang showing up here.

Kathleen Wynne #8

The ACLU is doing that too ... giving out video cameras so illegality can be documented.

Note that it might not be a bad idea also to have election machines camera monitored. Not the ones at election time ... but the ones in the back room that tally votes and what-not.

Hell, if 7-11 can do it for candy bars, why can't we do it for voting?

Ricky comment 9:

Then, you must've been against the GOP shouting down and protesting the people counting the chads during the 2000 Florida counting, right? More rightwing hypocrisy!!!!!!!!!!!!

#'s 12 & 13

Ummm...who's John?

...and why should he be ashamed?

Oh right! John Gideon! *blush* My bad.

Dredd,

Glad to hear about the ACLU taking measures to document wrongdoing. Now if we can just get citizens involved in doing this too, we will become a force powerful enough to demand not only change in the election process itself, but one that will put the people back in charge.

Also, like your idea about video cameras monitoring the central count machines. Unfortumately, there are still far too many election officials who consider these machines off limits to such scrutiny for "security" reasons. Ironic, isn't it?

Kathleen Wynne

So...he should be ashamed for shouting that we want transparancy & a legal & legitimate voting system?

Maybe it's Opposite Day in your world.

Thank you, John!

I just added my name via your link on the Action Alert from VoteTrustUSA.

http://www.huffingtonpos...ore/branded_b_13272.html

James Moore is an Emmy-winning former television news correspondent and the co-author of the bestselling, Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential. He has been writing and reporting from Texas for the past 25 years on the rise of Rove and Bush and has traveled extensively on every presidential campaign since 1976.
This author was placed on the no fly list. Two points: there's nothing you or I can do to help him but make this public, and two- we are all targets here.
**********************************************************
This week last year I was preparing for a trip to Ohio to conduct interviews and research for a new book I was writing. My airline tickets had been purchased on line and the morning of departure I went to the Internet to print out my boarding pass. I got a message that said, "Not Allowed." Several subsequent tries failed. Surely, I thought, it's just a glitch within the airline's servers or software.

I made it a point to arrive very early at the airport. My reservation was confirmed before I left home. I went to the electronic kiosk and punched in my confirmation number to print out my boarding pass and luggage tags. Another error message appeared, "Please see agent."

I did. She took my Texas driver's license and punched in the relevant information to her computer system.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said. "There seems to be a problem. You've been placed on the No Fly Watch List."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much more that I can tell you," she explained. "It's just the list that's maintained by TSA to check for people who might have terrorist connections."
"You're serious?"
"I'm afraid so, sir. Here's an 800 number in Washington. You need to call them before I can clear you for the flight."

Exasperated, I dialed the number from my cell, determined to clear up what I was sure was a clerical error. The woman who answered offered me no more information than the ticket agent.

"Mam, I'd like to know how I got on the No Fly Watch List."
"I'm not really authorized to tell you that, sir," she explained after taking down my social security and Texas driver's license numbers.
"What can you tell me?"
"All I can tell you is that there is something in your background that in some way is similar to someone they are looking for."

"Well, let me get this straight then," I said. "Our government is looking for a guy who may have a mundane Anglo name, who pays tens of thousands of dollars every year in taxes, has never been arrested or even late on a credit card payment, is more uninteresting than a Tupperware party, and cries after the first two notes of the national anthem? We need to find this guy. He sounds dangerous to me."
"I'm sorry, sir, I've already told you everything I can."
"Oh, wait," I said. "One last thing: this guy they are looking for? Did he write books critical of the Bush administration, too?"

I have been on the No Fly Watch List for a year. I will never be told the official reason. No one ever is. You cannot sue to get the information. Nothing I have done has moved me any closer to getting off the list. There were 35,000 Americans in that database last year. According to a European government that screens hundreds of thousands of American travelers every year, the list they have been given to work from has since grown to 80,000.

BJ #21

That happened with Senator Kennedy too.

I am not so sure you have no legal recourse, however, because even people at Guantanamo have had legal access thru proxy group filings.

Contact the ACLU to see if they have a class action case in the works.

No reply from Ricky on the GOP shouting down the chad counters. Typical!

John

One thing that may impact our efforts, especially in the "underfunded" (Bev's word) EAC, is the value of the dollar.

I mean funding. Money. Tax dollars.

It seems that China has fired one over our economic bow (link here), and that may eventually have an adverse effect on how much election officials have to spend on good machines.

China is a large purchaser of US debt, and seems to be indicating a departure from buying US Dollars ... which may cause some pause in the voting rights and wrongs movement.

The neocons hate you now BJ, they have targeted you. Carry protection and get those bastards on tape, they are an enemy to all republicans and democrats.

I can't BELIEVE they would lock you out of Ohio.....UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Doug E