READER COMMENTS ON
"Velvet Revolution Declares 'NO CONFIDENCE' in Busby/Bilbray Election Results"
(54 Responses so far...)
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/15/2006 @ 7:54 am PT...
Brad
I hope Busby's name appears on this petition, along with ours.
Yet I also understand that an urban myth has developed ... which is ... elections are for candidates, election officials, and the MSM.
Not so. Elections are for the people, by the people, and of the people.
Stop stealing our rights and count the votes by hand. Now!!!
COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 8:20 am PT...
My name has been added!
Come on folks, sign on - it takes about 1 minute, maybe a couple for you dial-ups!
COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
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Herman B. Hayes
said on 6/15/2006 @ 8:35 am PT...
Really, now. Why is it that every time a liberal loses an election, they call it "fraud". Just because a Republican recertified suspect machines does not mean it is a fraud. You liberals need to learn to play dirty like we conservatives do.
COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
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STOP George
said on 6/15/2006 @ 8:42 am PT...
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I'll post this again...
Here's a chance to ratchet-up Brad's exposure a bit more. I've now got this a summary of this important story at the Huffington Post's "Contagious Festival". I'm encouraging viewers of this Flash presentation to visit this site.
Please click on this link (and share it with others) in order to improve the rankings. Thanks!
CA Election Can't be Certified
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COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/15/2006 @ 8:44 am PT...
Why do we think it is such a big deal for it to be illegal to break the chain of custody by allowing poll workers to take electronic election machines home prior to the election?
Because it is a first order breach of security:
Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson said that a VA data analyst took home a laptop that contained names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses. The computer was stolen from the analyst's home in a recent burglary.
(link here, bold added). Another situation happened when similar data about Nuclear Energy employees was taken.
And all election officials, such as Haas in San Diego, can say is that there is no security problem because burglary or tampering with election machines is a felony.
At least the person in authority at the VA had the sense to know about accountability, and resigned. Which is what Haas should do unless there is a hand count.
COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/15/2006 @ 8:49 am PT...
Herman B. Hayes #3
You have injected a fallacy. Typical.
We said we have NO CONFIDENCE in the results. No one said anything about fraud in CA-50. That is your fantasy.
You are CON-
trolled by those who think democracy is more trouble than it is worth.
We are not.
COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
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Savantster
said on 6/15/2006 @ 10:17 am PT...
"Just because a Republican recertified suspect machines does not mean it is a fraud."
And how were they "recertified"? Were they restested and the software reverified before the election was commenced? no..
"Why is it that every time a liberal loses an election, they call it "fraud""
I wasn't aware -anyone- said this election was a "fraud".. what's being said is "there's no way to know the election wasn't screwed with because these machines broke the chain of secure custody". Lemme ask you this.. would you trust an ATM you found on a street corner that was clearly ripped out of the bank wall? Some guy sitting next to it with a lap-top hooked in? and a sign that says "no transaction fees today!" ?
Really now. Why is it that the right-wing types have to use false logic and disengenuous arguments to try and sway a conversation? Why can't they just be honest during a debate?
COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
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oldturk
said on 6/15/2006 @ 10:24 am PT...
Stop George - Comment #4
That new flash
with the hand coming across the screen
it is like a slap in the face,..
some might find that a bit rude.
I think it is delightful !
(note: your egregious; you tapped out one extra "G".)
COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
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Skeptic
said on 6/15/2006 @ 10:30 am PT...
Hayes is going to find himself in Civilian Inmate Labor Facility just like everyone else, anyway...It is time to start calling this situation what it really is: Fascism.
My worry is that a call for new elections/no confidence isn't going to make waves compared to the enormous amount of complacent people who, although do not think about it in these terms, actually want a fascist government. I'll vote and sign petitions with you guys, though.
COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
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Laura
said on 6/15/2006 @ 10:54 am PT...
COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
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STOP George
said on 6/15/2006 @ 11:02 am PT...
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oldturk (COMMENT #8)
Yeah. I call it a "Flash slapdown" --- where the useless U.S. corporate media and pundits are hit over the head with important facts that they miss.
Flash slapdown is for the neocons and dinos, too.
I hope everyone finds it "delightful" getting the truth out this way.
Cheers!
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COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
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Laura
said on 6/15/2006 @ 11:38 am PT...
Stop George, Great Idea! Ingenuity like this is what makes America great. By the way Brad,I really like the new software. Its working great.
COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
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Ram
said on 6/15/2006 @ 11:51 am PT...
Why aren't we hearing anything from the DNC on this?!!!
COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/15/2006 @ 12:31 pm PT...
Skeptic #9
The con
troll freak who posted #3 runs a blog that indicates to me he would love to run one of those camps, or even gitmo.
His hypocrisy site is here.
If he is correct that he is a conservative, then conservatives are fascist hypocrits that Dylan saw thru clearly:
... In the home of the brave, Jefferson turnin' over in his grave,
Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan ...
... Big-time negotiators, false healers and woman haters,
Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition
But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency,
All non-believers and men stealers talkin' in the name of religion ...
(link here).
He is the typical preznit blush hate mongering fascism supporter.
COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
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agent99
said on 6/15/2006 @ 12:35 pm PT...
I didn't know people outside Busby's district could demand a recount.
COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 12:48 pm PT...
Agent 99 #15
I don't know either, from a legal standpoint that may be the case, but the text of the letter is broader and is addressed to Busby's campaign as well. If even those of us who are not from her district show our disatisfaction it can help to sway them to do the right thing.
COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
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Blue Shark
said on 6/15/2006 @ 12:52 pm PT...
Brad...
...as someone at DU pointed out, the time between the "election" and a court ordered recount is more than enough time to "come up with" lots more uncounted ballots for Bilbray.
...do we know this is not happening now?
COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
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JUDGE OF JUDGES
said on 6/15/2006 @ 1:09 pm PT...
O.T. "Multitask" We must Never allow the internet become a gated community !
COMMENT #19 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 1:33 pm PT...
Dredd #14
OT
That skeptic #9 comes around here to leave his skat yet when you go to his site you find:
"You may have noticed that we have started moderating all comments on this blog. In the past couple days we have received comments that we didn’t like from people whose views do not mesh with the overall mission of Conservatives for American Values. Those fools have now been silenced."
Then we get his take on other subjects:
"As recently as 1997, only one percent of unmarried persons had experienced a sexual encounter.
I derived this figure from an informal survey of my friends, family, and neighbors, and I consider them to be very representative of society on the whole....
the premarital lust-child will stop eating, stop drinking, stop sleeping, and stop caring about school. Some people chalk this up to “hormones”.
They claim that hormones drive adolescents towards sex, as though it were some primal mission based on thousands of years of evolution. I think this is ridiculous. If hormones existed, they would he mentioned in the Bible. Just try to find that reference....
You need to teach your children. Teach them that God will kill them dead if they have sex before they are married. Let them know that even masturbation will guarantee that Christ will hate them forever. My children are terrified of sex, as they well should be. I simply let them know that sex was a violent, horrible, miserable, depraved, torture-filled experience."
And finaly he gives us a plan to better America:
"With our no nonsense deportation policy in place, the second step of my plan is to introduce a bill that expands the definition of who should be considered an illegal immigrant to include:
* Anyone who speaks Spanish fluently
* Homosexuals
* Non Christians
In doing this we ensure that America is cleansed of its less desirable citizens and is that much closer to the Christian utopia we all pray so loudly for."
Boy This guy is a real jewel!
COMMENT #20 [Permalink]
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Savantster
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:01 pm PT...
"My children are terrified of sex, as they well should be. I simply let them know that sex was a violent, horrible, miserable, depraved, torture-filled experience."
Anyone that tells their children that "sex is violence" and "torture filled" should be a) shot, or b) put in prison for child abuse. What kind of sick fuck encourages their children to be terrified of sex?? Sex has never been a "bad" expierence for me.. this guy must have been horribly abused by his parents/neighbor/someone (probably the 1% he's talking about) to be this screwed up.
1%? Funny, teen pregnancy is higher than that.. I guess there are a lot of Chrits's out there.. immaculate conception and all.
COMMENT #21 [Permalink]
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Skeptic
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:03 pm PT...
EXACTLY! Good job, Bluebear! Isn't that site disgusting? I stole the name because I wanted people to have yet another example of the idiocy in this country..Is the website evidence of my earlier comment, or what? People are not reasonable in this country. They don't know it/or want to call it what it is: Fascism. No surprise to anyone who thinks about history, really. Bush family has connections to Nazis, and they burn their own Reichstag and start a "preemptive war". Ships get 'bombed' in the gulf of Tonkin and then we get escalation in Vietnam. The Maine blows up in the Carribean (how?) and suddenly we are in a war in the Phillipines? The list goes on and on.. yeah the site listed as skeptic.org is scary. Has nothing to do with questioning does it? Has to do with dictating. And thats what we see.
COMMENT #22 [Permalink]
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Skeptic
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:06 pm PT...
Didn't mean to stoke paranoia. Just trying to make a point.
COMMENT #23 [Permalink]
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JUDGE OF JUDGES
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:16 pm PT...
Are you non - repuplicans & non conservatives . . . Squishy the gop says U R ???????????????????????
COMMENT #24 [Permalink]
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JUDGE OF JUDGES
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:20 pm PT...
COMMENT #25 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:48 pm PT...
Skeptic #9
I'm so sorry and embarrassed - I got confused and seemingly attributed that crap to you. I meant #3!
Isn't that site the most disgusting!
When he says: "I am the measure by which all other Christians should be judged."
I can only say, with regards to any person making that statement, "Just try to find that reference…."
COMMENT #26 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 2:55 pm PT...
It would be nice if Velvet Revolution had a counter to let us know how many signatures they are getting.
(I started to call them Velvet Underground) LOL
COMMENT #27 [Permalink]
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Arry
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:00 pm PT...
I looked at a Bible Concordance and didn't find "Herman B. Hayes". He is not mentioned in the Bible!
COMMENT #28 [Permalink]
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oldturk
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:10 pm PT...
I renamed it,..
The SLEDGEHAMMER AND WAR MACE REVOLUTION . US
(is that too harsh?)
COMMENT #29 [Permalink]
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Jeff Deetz
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:47 pm PT...
How can this election be considered fair when the voting machines were unsecured the night before the election?
COMMENT #30 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:49 pm PT...
Arry #27
Did you check under "Anitchrist"?
COMMENT #31 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:50 pm PT...
COMMENT #32 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:52 pm PT...
COMMENT #33 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:52 pm PT...
COMMENT #34 [Permalink]
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oldturk
said on 6/15/2006 @ 3:53 pm PT...
It is not,..
we have been had,..
but this time they will not get away with the nonsense
of gaming and stealing our elections.
We demand a fair,.. free,.. and honest election.
Nothing to debate.
COMMENT #35 [Permalink]
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Soul Rebel
said on 6/15/2006 @ 6:45 pm PT...
I don't know if this is OT at this point but I looked at the website of the troll at #3, posted by Dredd at #14. That has to be a joke, right? I mean, it's sarcasm, it's not real - this guy is taking the piss out of the conservatives (especially the Christian coalition.) Did you read what he wrote about Ann Coulter - it's genius hilarious.
I'm not taking this guy seriously as a conservative troll. Reread his post at #3, the last line. He's obviously (IMHO) poking fun at conservatives.
Anyway, on to signing the petition...
Oh, BTW the thief in chief is up here in Bellevue, WA tomorrow. I took the day off work to go and welcome him to town
COMMENT #36 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 7:17 pm PT...
COMMENT #37 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/15/2006 @ 7:21 pm PT...
I guess the joke's on me! LOL
COMMENT #38 [Permalink]
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oldturk
said on 6/16/2006 @ 12:27 am PT...
This is funny,.. Colbert,..
Christo-Fascist,.. our fearless
defender of the Ten Commandments.
This clown can not list more than three commandments : Link
COMMENT #39 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/16/2006 @ 6:18 am PT...
BlueBear 2 #37
That gives new meaning to being on the edge. And could be further evidence of the fine line between real and unreal sometimes.
Could be a Colbert clone, or for real. Scary huh? Do not think for a moment that such people do not exist. They certainly do (link here).
And some of these types, e.g. Blackwell, are election officials conducting elections in the United States!!!
But if it is a Colbert post #3, bravo, if not get some help post #3.
COMMENT #40 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/16/2006 @ 7:38 am PT...
Dredd #39
Oh I know they do exist, I've met more than a few in my time! Scarey!
COMMENT #41 [Permalink]
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Mike J.
said on 6/16/2006 @ 8:24 am PT...
Dredd #39,
I did not click on that link you provide (I'm at work), but can see the URL it goes to. I think that is the group from Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. They go to the funerals of soldiers and protest with signs saying, "Thank God for IED's" and signs saying that terrorism is God's revenge on America. Those people are nuts! Complete wackos! They are a lunatic fringe and do not speak for the vast majority of Christians.
The 1st Amendment gives them the right to free speech, but they have to the right to be complete idiots too. Several states have passed laws requiring the protesters to be 300 yards away from memorial services and cemetary locations for an hour before and after the service.
In response to their disgusting actions, a group of motorcycle riders have organized to protect the greiving family and friends as well as counter-protest the Kansas group. More power to them!
image
COMMENT #42 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/16/2006 @ 10:47 am PT...
Mike J #41
Yes, I could not figure out how some of those folk can hate in the name of Jesus Christ.
Whether one is christian, islamic, or jewish, when the text of what Jesus is alleged to have spoken is read with an open mind, hatred is not what comes thru.
Love of fellow man is more like it. And the grieving families do not feel good when someone is yelling at them that "God killed your son(or daughter) because he hates you".
I think many people do not really read the text they claim to follow sometimes.
For constitutional law buffs, the Eleventh Amendment jurisprudence of our Supreme Court is another example of reading the text at a first grade, or lower, level.
They have recently admitted (when Riehnquist was Chief Justice) that the Eleventh Amendment text does not say what the court has said it says for two centuries. But he said we can't change it now because we have been wrong for so long.
BS! We changed slavery, women's right to vote, and other things and we could fix it too.
Anyway, sorry for rambling off topic here ... except it may relate to the way election machine laws are looked at.
Even when they are clear they are violated it seems.
COMMENT #43 [Permalink]
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Larry Bergan
said on 6/16/2006 @ 1:24 pm PT...
AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL GATES CONCERNING VOTING MACHINES
Dear Mr. Gates:
I heard you on NPR's "What I believe" series , talking about your hopes and dreams concerning computers and other very important issues facing today's world. I too share your love of computers and have always thought they were the greatest invention of my lifetime. I even taught myself programming and published a little known program called "Cyber Print" for Atari in 1988 just before they went out of business. Don't worry, I now own a PC and find it to be perfect for my needs.
Who could image a machine that could not only allow somebody to compose and orchestrate their own musical score, create incredible works of art, or think of virtually any question that popped into their mind and actually have the answer in the time it takes to boot up their PC and hop on the internet. Wow!
Many years ago I was with some friends, and the subject of computers came up. Somebody I had never met said something that seemed so stupid to me at the time, that for a moment, had put me in a state of rage! He said that computers were the "appliance from hell". I was speechless that somebody could say something so ignorant and literally could not think of a thing to say.
Today, I feel he may have been right! Whether you are a conspiracy nut or not these days, nobody can argue that computers, intentionally or not, are keeping us from knowing our votes are being counted at the polls. Something so horrifying that apparently, people don't want to believe it. This news is traveling slowly to say the least. Not from any lack of notification on my part though. Just ask anybody at the local news hotlines or members of the Voting Equipment Selection Commitee here.
I walked the streets and collected hundreds of signatures for a group of local activists in Utah last year soliciting for paper ballots. I even got to speak at a local rally for my efforts and told of my ease at gathering signatures from both sides of this 21st century political divide we find ourselves in. Although I didn't ask, I assumed most of people I talked to must have been republican. Almost all of these people did not know that these machines were secretly programmed, but nearly everybody I talked to signed up immediately and were very appreciative that somebody was trying to fix this obvious problem.
Despite all my, and many others efforts and money, local officials elected to buy an unverifiable system for the 2006 midterm elections. I also understand the democrats aren't planning to organize an exit poll this year. Maybe they are too busy getting one together for the next Kiev race! We all know how goofy those Russian elections can get!
This is where I hope you might come in. Although I don't think it takes any great knowledge of computers to understand this problem, I'll bet your thoughts on this disturbing matter would promote our cause faster then any thousand computer scientists. And I'll bet those same scientists would be very happy to get back to their regular day jobs, and leave the task of producing verifiable voting procedures to competent professionals who get paid for that sort of thing!
I'm sure that your great American success story could only be enhanced by your bravery to come out against any corporation that would sell, or polling officials that would buy, a machine designed to count votes, without providing complete transparency. Some things are just too important to get all mixed up in a legal conundrum. In other words, they tell us we are lucky to live in the greatest democracy in the world, and I'm just asking for the right to have my ONE vote registered AND counted on election day.
Thank You!
COMMENT #44 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/16/2006 @ 8:42 pm PT...
Larry Bergan #43
When I look at the long long list of security patches I've had to apply to my computer over the years, and the sinkling feeling I get in my gut every time I'm forced to use Internet Explorer, I'm not sure Bill can be of much help.
But then I guess he can't be any worse!
Mozzilla Forever
COMMENT #45 [Permalink]
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Larry Bergan
said on 6/17/2006 @ 2:06 am PT...
Bluebear2:
I just figured that since computer scientists that support the voting machines are as hard to find as water on mars, this might work.
I actually don't have much trouble with Windows XP, but I love Firefox as my browser. Is that what you mean by Mozzilla forever?
COMMENT #46 [Permalink]
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Robert Lockwood Mills
said on 6/17/2006 @ 7:25 am PT...
For Larry Bergan: Good letter to Bill Gates. If he were to come out and say, "Computer software is being used for the most corrupt purpose imaginable, election fraud," it would have a gigantic impact. That's the good news. The bad news is that Gates understands this.
I wouldn't hold my breath. Gates isn't afraid to take on the establishment (he fought tooth and nail to avoid settling the only serious antitrust case since Ronald Reagan's first inauguration), but he also shuns the spotlight and keeps a low profile politically. If Gates were to pull an RFK, Jr., he'd become the story, not the fraud itself. The media do adore controversy, but they focus on personalities, because it's easier to do a Gates profile than to discuss complexities like, "How does one rig a central tabulator?"
COMMENT #47 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/17/2006 @ 9:12 am PT...
DIEBOLD ELECTION MACHINESmade by Republicans
for Republicans
because "God is on our Side"
COMMENT #48 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/17/2006 @ 9:19 am PT...
the preview is not working as "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG)
COMMENT #49 [Permalink]
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Dredd
said on 6/17/2006 @ 9:24 am PT...
DIEBOLD ELECTION MACHINES
made by Republicans
for Republicans
because "God is on our Side"
COMMENT #50 [Permalink]
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Bluebear2
said on 6/17/2006 @ 11:28 am PT...
Larry Bergan #45 said:
"I just figured that since computer scientists that support the voting machines are as hard to find as water on mars, this might work."
I never looked at it that way - I guess the few computer scientists that do support the voting machines are also responsible for the "blueberries".
Larry also said: "Firefox... Is that what you mean by Mozzilla forever?" - Netscape actually.
COMMENT #51 [Permalink]
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JUDGE OF JUDGES
said on 6/17/2006 @ 10:15 pm PT...
49.0 Dredd
"because "God is on our Side""...... Sources say they are Constucting A New Addition to HELL for these folks !!!
P.S. Haliburton did not get the contract. . .
COMMENT #52 [Permalink]
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Larry Bergan
said on 6/18/2006 @ 12:27 am PT...
I wish I could afford to buy a full page ad in the New York Times for my letter.
COMMENT #53 [Permalink]
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Anonymous Coward
said on 6/19/2006 @ 5:27 pm PT...
Why do you think Bill Gates would be on our side? He stole billions of dollars from the computer buying public, starting in the early 1980s, arranging illegal deals to prevent fair competition and keep the price of operating systems far above a fair market price. By illegally destroying many other software companies, he was able to cannibalize most of the PC software industry into his own company.
Reagan and Bush41 refused to enforce the laws Microsoft was breaking. The Clinton administration finally started enforcing the laws, Microsoft was convicted in court and was about to be broken up. Microsoft used delaying tactics to keep the trial going until Bush43 was "elected". The government lost interest in the case, and Microsoft got off with a slap on the wrist.
Microsoft is up there with Halliburton, on the list of companies that benefited from the "election" of 2000.
COMMENT #54 [Permalink]
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Larry Bergan
said on 6/20/2006 @ 12:32 am PT...
I don't think Bill Gates is on our side, but he does seem to be concerned about his legacy lately. And as someone who became the world's richest man for being a "computer genius", it would be very hard for him to contradict 99.9% of all computer scientists and say that computers can't be programmed to steal votes. He's not stupid!
I'm positive he will ignore my letter, even if it ends up on his desk!