Following up on his “Whistling Diebold” column last week, Tribune Media Service’s Bob Koehler stays on the case in his nationally syndicated column this week. He begins this way…
But the worry that trumps all others is the state of this proud, imperfect democracy. We may be surrendering our power to change the national direction or demand that government be responsive to us. My fellow Americans, our voting machines don’t work, at least not all the time. The mechanism of our democracy is in chaos, and almost everyone is going along with it.
Thanks to the allegedly well-intentioned, but disastrous, Help America Vote Act, the country is shifting, county by county, to electronic voting machines, which are not only glitch-prone on a spectacular scale (e.g., 100,000 phantom votes were recorded in Tarrant County, Texas, during the state’s primary last week), but work, like God, in mysterious ways, which we’re not supposed to question.
Koehler goes on to describe the astounding situation that Leon County, FL Election Supervisor Ion Sancho — the hero who revealed that Diebold optical-scan machines can be hacked without a trace left behind — finds himself in.
As well, Koehler cites and quotes your humble webmaster (two MSM cites of your friendly neighborhood BRAD BLOG in as many days? What’s happening here?!). Finally, he concludes thusly…
As the power of the vote leaks away, the hissing sound I hear are the words “Trust us, trust us.”
NOTE: I’ll be on the air today with Sancho on Houston’s KPFT 90.1 FM as guest hosted by occasional BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger, Pokey Anderson at 5pm PT (8pm ET). You can listen live online here.
SECOND NOTE: My hourlong interview with Ion Sancho from Feb 28th’s edition of The Young Turks radio show, during one my Guest Host stints, is now available online here [MP3]. It’s an amazing interview methinks, Sancho is awesome in this one, if you didn’t hear it or watch it live at the time.
FINAL NOTE: The Turks have asked me back to Guest Host along with them tomorrow (Friday), and I’m trying to clear the time right now. If I’m able to do so, it’ll be posted in the “Media Appearances” box at the top of the BRAD BLOG front page so you can listen and/or watch along at home (or via Sirius Satellite).
It is a faith based thang. Trust me. From electronic voting machines to "fighting with the army you have".
What is wrong with faith? What is wrong with trust? Isn’t that really, really good stuff?
Well, yes, however, everything has its place and its context.
I mean, take a pile of shit. (Sorry for being graphic and gross … its my hollywood experience and living with the amazing John Barrymore II for awhile).
If you sprinkle sugar on that pile of shit, you are going to have to be faith based if you are going to convince a lot of people that it is a pile of sugar.
And the MSM is "requiring" the democrats to come up with a plan that is better than the republican "plan", if dems are going to call Iraq a pile of shit, or call easily hackable machines piles of shit instead of the apex of democracy.
Excuse me but I do not think so. It was the neoCons who found a home in the republican party, and who convinced the republicans to spread "democracy" into the middle east.
And my record here is clear and I held out a long time and gave the republicans a chance. Like America did. But excuse me, they have abandoned America and have gone looking for faith. Faith in a pile of shit.
But never mind that American democracy is not a pile of shit and is not with them. What is a pile of shit is the invasion and occupation of a nation for no good reason that did not pose a threat to us.
And never mind that our election machines are the product of depraved minds. And never mind that sprinkling sugar (propaganda) on that pile of shit is not going to transform it into a pile of sugar.
I do not think the democrats need to come up with a "better plan" of convincing the American voting public that this pile of shit is really a pile of sugar. No, I think it is time to kick some Big Brother republican ass, and educate them about "trust us".
I think that the pile of shit is a republican pile of shit whether or not anyone can put enough sugar on it to hide or cover up the gross, idiotic, history denying, reality denying, and utter contempt for honesty the republicans single handedly fostered upon America and the world.
Fuck the lame and phoney republican talking points that desperately want to cover up their pile of shit with sprinkels of sugar. And blame others for their own deeds that do not look or smell like sugar.
You republicans want a faith based, sugar loving, shit ignoring, and otherwise morally corrupt doctrine to cram a portload of lies down the throat of good Americans who trusted you.
You gave us a pile of shit with a thin veneer of sugar and asked us to "trust you" cause its a faith thang.
Well it is not sugar, it is shit, and you can stick your faith based government up your faith based ass.
Dredd out.
Hi Bob.
Good Stuff.
Grizzly out.
Dredd, I like the shit anal-ogy (heh)
Nebraska (home of ES&S) has the same law as Florida: It is illegal to use the optical-scan paper ballots for a recount. When I took Nebraska history in college, I learned that this state was founded by political crooks and cronies, and I truly believe the situation has never changed.
Here is a VoteTrustUSA editorial from January of this year:
"Why Are Hand Counts Illegal in Nebraska?
Floridiot #3
I guess I went "anal-ogy" on us … shit happens
"Moments ago, the House of Representatives narrowly defeated an amendment proposed by Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN) that would have provided $1.25 billion in desperately needed funding for port security and disaster preparedness. The Sabo amendment included:
– $300 million to enable U.S. customs agents to inspect high-risk containers at all 140 overseas ports that ship directly to the United States. Current funding only allows U.S. customs agents to operate at 43 of these ports.
– $400 million to place radiation monitors at all U.S. ports of entry. Currently, less than half of U.S. ports have radiation monitors.
– $300 million to provide backup emergency communications equipment for the Gulf Coast.
Meanwhile, the Bush budget – which most of the members who voted against this bill will likely support – contains an increase of $1.7 billion for missile defense, a program that doesn’t even work. (link here)
Dredd, putting a non-working missile defense system over national security just proves that the republicans are more interested in personal profit over the security
of the people (more money in missiles than useful stuff)
It also suggests that Bushs "War of Terror" is a fake
For some reason, they think that the ports are not vulnerable
Sabo always has been a good guy, he has been re-elected for years in a pretty conservative district
If I remember right he has a strange middle name, Olav, I think, must be a good ol Minnesota Swede
Here is Martin Sabo here
Hes a norweigian, no wonder I remember him, he was in MY old district and I used to vote for him (duh)
Hes retiring this year and they’re saying the Fifth MN is one of the most safest districts in the country for Dems
Boy was I screwed-up on that one, must be getting old-timers disease