READER COMMENTS ON
"Diebold Laugh Line of the Moment..."
(23 Responses so far...)
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 11:22 am PT...
Excuse me? But how much innovation is required to count someone's vote? The only innovation he could be referring to, is "Hacking Innovation" or the innovation of "accurately counting votes"...
COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 12:24 pm PT...
COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 12:28 pm PT...
""""""""""Democratic candidate Webb will appear with his first name and nickname only --- or "James H. 'Jim' " --- on summary pages in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville, the only jurisdictions in Virginia that use balloting machines manufactured by Hart InterCivic of Austin."""""""""
IS THAT UNBELIEVABLE? ISN'T THAT ONE OF THE KEY CLOSE SENATE RACES WITH SENATOR MACACAW???
COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 12:36 pm PT...
Worked as a former Bush administration official.
Worked as a former Bushit administration official.
Workes as a Bushit administration criminal.
Working as a Bushit administration criminal with plans to steal all future American elections.
bUSHIT fASCIST cRIMINAL fCKS oWN aND cONTROL Our sYSTEM oF eLECTIONS lIKE tHE mASS mEDIA.
wATCH tHESE gREEDY mURDEROUS aNTI-eNVIRONMENTALIST rUSTERS mISMANAGE oUR pLANET aS tHEIR cORPORATIONS pROFIT fROM tHEIR bUSHIT oIL wAR iN IRAQ.
gOTTA lOVE tHAT uNMANNED pLANE tHAT fLEW iNTO tHE
sIDE oF tHE pENTAGON wITH tHE bIG wHITE mARKER iN fRONT oF iT oN 9/11.
dO yOU kNOW wHERE tHE tITANIAM eNGINES wENT fROM tHEIR 3 sTORY cOMMERCIAL jET sTORY?
tHE pENTAGON vIDEO tAPES wILL eVIDENCE wHERE tHEY aRE nOT...hA hA hA hA hA HAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 1:02 pm PT...
Mark Radke can promise the November elections.
Mark Radke can cause George W. Bush to securely say his party of criminal fascists will win in November.
Mark Radke can deliver the goods to make Dick Shotgun Cheney's heart skip a beat.
Mark Radke will provide life insurance for Senator John McCain. McCain announced last week that if the democrats took back Congress he would commit suicide.
Calling all Hackers: Rig these machines after the initial rigging and watch the slow death of the worst most dangerous criminals ever to take the reigns of the most powerful nation in the world. This ain't some made up dark side from Star Wars..it's the Constitution changing Fascist leadership of the inbreed Bushit Administration.
COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 2:01 pm PT...
Can Lou Dobbs point out on national TV, that this DIEBOLD spokesman is a former BUSH ADMIN GUY???
JESUS F***ING CHRIST!!! DO YOU NEED MORE PROOF THAT DIEBOLD IS IN CAHOOTS WITH THE REPUBLICANS????
ATTENTION EARTHLINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A FORMER BUSH ADMIN GUY IS NOW A SPOKESMAN FOR DIEBOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATTENTION CORPORATE MAINSTREAM MEDIA!!!!!!!
ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A FORMER BUSH ADMIN GUY IS NOW A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMPANY THAT COUNTS OUR F***ING VOTES!!!!!!!!!
ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATTENTION, ALL MEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 2:16 pm PT...
sURPRISE sURPRISE sURPRISE!!!
i got 2 emails to from last minute diebold certifying incumbant Republican Secretary of State from CA , who had no problem with the swearing in of Brian Bilbray even though the vote in the Busby-Bilbray contest were not counted yet and the poll workers took the voting machines home making this San Diego runoff election unCONSTITUTIONAL BY CALIFORNIA LAW.
The following is what Bruce sent me twice today:
Thank you for your recent email regarding the use of paper ballots in
the upcoming November 7, 2006 election.
As Secretary of State, I believe that there is no right more fundamental
and vital than the right to vote. Democracy depends on it.
I would like to clarify a few points so you can have confidence in how
elections are conducted in California.
First, all electronic voting machines used in California elections have
a paper trail that is used for the voter to verify the vote cast and as
the official ballot record. In fact, a 2006 California law, which I
sponsored in the Legislature, permanently requires that all electronic
voting machines used in California elections, must have a voter-verified
paper audit trail of each ballot cast. Further I have implemented the
most rigorous voting systems testing standards and security precautions
in the nation to insure the accuracy and integrity of the each vote
cast. These include:
1. The toughest voting systems testing standards in the nation
(10-step process).
2. Three-tiered testing --- federal, state and local --- with
thorough checks and balances.
3. Each machine has a strict set of use procedures to ensure proper
implementation including custody logs, proper storing, and serialized
security seals.
4. 1% manual recount tally to audit the results to make sure they
are accurate.
5. New paper trail requirement that allows a voter to see how they
voted and to correct any errors prior to casting their ballot.
6. Systems that allow disabled voters to vote independently and
privately statewide for the first time.
In addition, I have directed all county election officials to have an
adequate supply of paper ballots, as determined by the election
official, available at the voting locations on election day for use in
the event of a power failure, temporary loss of the ability to use
electronic equipment, or if a voter chooses not to vote on electronic
equipment. These ballots may be cast on sample or provisional ballots or
other reasonable, available supplies of ballots. If a voter who is
otherwise entitled to cast a regular ballot does so on a paper
provisional ballot, that ballot shall be handled as a regular ballot -
not as a provisional ballot. This directive has been in effect for each
election I have overseen - the 2005 Special Election and for both the
2006 Primary and the upcoming General Election.
Please be assured that I am dedicated to ensuring that all Californians
are able to vote and have their vote counted accurately. No voter
should ever be turned away or told to come back later because a voting
system is not available when the voter appears.
For additional information on voting systems, please visit my web site
at http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vs.htm
Sincerely,
BRUCE McPHERSON
Secretary of State
Thanks for nuthin you criminal lying Fascist bastard attaching yourself and your party to our American system of elections like a terminal cancer.
You will be removed.
COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
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Doug
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:06 pm PT...
Once again, where are the democrats?? They should be loading this guy up with money.
COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
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Doug
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:12 pm PT...
Dammit! wrong thread! sorry I was all pumped about Clint Curtis and hit the wrong story..aargh.
COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:24 pm PT...
Does McPherson address Bilbray being sworn in illegally???
COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:25 pm PT...
Yes, where are the Dems??? Isn't Busby a Dem??? I have zero confidence, that if exit polls and pre-election polls do not match the "machine count", that Dems will say anything...sigh...
COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:31 pm PT...
COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:35 pm PT...
Today must be my lucky day because this criminal bastard just sent me this long winded to email because he concerned. My fcking ass this Republican creep is so concerned. Notice how in response to why there was NEVER a handcount in this election to even justify Bilbray in fact won the election, he does't say 2 words about how the Republican candidate was pushed through will his help by obstructing a meaningful recount at that time. This jerkoff stays away from the topic of the hand recount to creat a form letter how you can trust this corrupt Diebold certifying dirtbag. You represent the problem we face with our elections.
Thank you for your email expressing your concerns regarding voting
machines in San Diego, California. I apologize for the delay in
responding.
Let me assure you that my top priority is ensuring the integrity and
security of every vote cast. I am confident that the system in place
will protect the integrity of the vote and will prevent or detect any
potential or actual tampering with voting systems. Let me share with
you some of what is involved before a voter will ever see a voting
system on Election Day.
Prior to any voting system being used in California, the machines must
undergo the most rigorous testing in the nation. California state
certification requires a three tiered testing process that occurs on the
federal, state and local levels. Voting systems must first be tested to
meet the requirements of the federal Independent Testing Authority (ITA)
and the federal 2002 Voting System Standards. Upon successful
completion of federal testing the voting system undergoes the state
certification process. This includes a review of the system's firmware,
hardware, and software. In addition, all systems must meet strict
standards including the nation's first volume test requirement. The
third and final tier is testing of the voting systems at the county
level. The county conducts acceptance testing, again testing the
system's hardware and software, in addition to logic and accuracy
testing.
Once a system is certified, I require strict pre-Election Day security
measures and use procedures. Prior to a county deploying a system to
the polling places, counties conduct logic and accuracy testing to
ensure that the systems are operating accurately and reliably, and are
correctly programmed for the election. The serialized memory cards are
then immediately inserted into the systems in the presence of two
election officials and a tamper evident seal with a serial number on it
is applied to the protective case covering the serialized memory card.
The tamper evident seals with serial numbers will indicate if the
system's internal mechanisms have been exposed. Only after these steps
have been completed and recorded will the system be placed under the
control of the poll inspector, who is instructed to keep machines in
secure and locked locations until needed on Election Day. Poll
inspectors go through specialized training and certification, sign
oaths, and are paid workers.
I have also implemented strict Election Day security measures to ensure
reliability and accuracy of systems. Prior to a system being used on
Election Day, a review of the system and the serialized tamper evident
seals is conducted by at least two election officials. Upon inspection,
if any of the serialized seals have been tampered with, the system must
be removed and a complete inspection of the system must be conducted.
Additionally, a report must be done on those and submitted to the
Secretary of State's office. Prior to the system being used on Election
Day, a report (commonly referred to as a "zero tape") must be run on
each voting machine to ensure that no activity had been recorded on the
system. The "zero tape" must be established prior to use. The
safeguards of the serialized tamper evident seals, the inspection, and
the zero tape would detect if tampering had occurred.
Then finally, I have established a rigorous set of post election checks
and balances. All electronic voting systems in California are required
to have a voter verified paper audit trail, by which the voter can
confirm their selections prior to finalizing their vote at the polling
place. California is among the first states to require this and many
other states are following suit. These paper records are used for the
mandatory 1% manual recount that occurs in every county and for every
election. This recount will ensure that the votes recorded on the
systems match with what is displayed on the paper trail record. In
addition, after each election, the county elections officials conduct
post election logic and accuracy testing to ensure once again that the
systems have operated accurately and reliably.
Tampering with a voting system is a felony. If and when we receive
credible evidence of tampering, we would immediately open an
investigation and work with law enforcement to gather facts and
prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Currently, there have been
no credible reports of anyone tampering with a voting system. The
voting systems are trusted in the custody of poll inspectors who are
charged with running the election in the polling place. These are the
same people who oversee the elections, open and close the polling places
and certify the accuracy of the results of that polling place.
Additionally, they go through specialized training and certification,
sign oaths, and are paid workers. The strict security measures that we
have in place are designed to prevent or detect any tampering that could
possibly occur in advance of the voting systems being used on Election
Day.
In accordance with California Elections Code Section 15620, which
states, "[f]ollowing completion of the official canvass, any voter may,
within five days thereafter, file with the elections official
responsible for conducting an election in the county wherein the recount
is sought a written request for a recount of the votes cast for
candidates for any office." For further information regarding
requesting a recount please refer to California Elections Code Section
15620 to Section 15634. You may access the California Elections Code in
its entirety at
http://www.leginfo.ca.go...=elec&codebody=&
hits=20.
California has nearly 25,000 functioning polling places on Election Day
and each polling place requires multiple machines. The logistics of
getting the machines to each site (some schools, churches, gyms, private
homes, etc.) can be complicated and each county election official is
charged with determining the best course of action to complete this
task, while holding true to the strict security measures and use
procedures prescribed by the Secretary of State.
The continued reliability and trustworthiness of California elections
will always be one of my greatest priorities as Secretary of State.
California is a leader in this regard as we have a Voting Systems
Technical Advisory Board, conducted a national Voting Systems Summit,
and required additional security reviews on systems above and beyond
what was outlined above. Voting is the foundation of our democracy, and
that is why my staff and I, together with the dedicated election staff
of each county, will continue to explore all measures and technologies
that can make our election systems even more secure.
Sincerely,
BRUCE McPHERSON
Secretary of State
Biggest Loser Party
Vote for Debra Bowen for Secretary of State of CA.
COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:47 pm PT...
Revisiting the 2002 elections, the first widespread use of electronic voting machine...
Excerpt:
"""
American Coup: Mid-Term Election Polls vs Actuals
Tuesday, 12 November 2002, 10:25 am
Article: Alastair Thompson
In the interests of further examining the question of whether the vote in some races in the U.S. midterm elections was fixed by electronic voting machines supplied by republican affiliated companies, Scoop has done some digging. How accurate were the pollsters in advance of the US mid-term elections?
Scoop’s analysis shows that - according to the polls - the Republican Party experienced a pronounced last minute swing in its favour of between 4 and 16 points. Remarkably this last minute swing appears to have been concentrated in its effects in critical Senate races (Georgia and Minnesota) where it secured it's complete control of Congress.
Scoop has compared the results of final week polling in 19 races, with the actual results in those same races.
The full details of the Scoop analysis follow below. In summary Scoop found:
- 14 races showed a post opinion poll swing towards the Republican Party (by between 3 and 16 points);
- 2 races showed a post opinion poll swing towards the Democratic Party (by 2 and 4 points);
- In three races the pollsters were close to correct;
- The largest post opinion poll vote swings occurred in Minnesota and Georgia where pollsters got the final result wrong (see… Pollsters defend their surveys in wake of upsets for more coverage of this issue);
Comments:
- All the post polling swings in favour of the democratic party were within the margin of error.
- Several of the post polling swings in favour of the republican party were well outside the margin of error.
- In the states where the senate races were critical and close the swing was predominantly towards the Republicans, with the exceptions of Arkansas and Missouri. The level of post-poll swing in these races in favour of the Republican Party in each race were: North Carolina 3, Colorado 4, Georgia 9-12, Minnesota 8-11, Texas 3-11, New Hampshire 1.
- The state where the biggest upset occurred, Georgia, is also the state that ran its election with the most electronic voting machines. """
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0211/S00078.htm
COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 3:59 pm PT...
Thanks Dan. Those boys at the Ohio Free Press were all over the stolen 2004 Presidential election evidencing the theft as the Democrats crashed and burned like only a willing accomplice could.
America's only chance is for a rebellion against these warmongering anti-environmental fascists reversing over 200 environmental laws who only support big corporate interests. A rebel who is a real man of WE THE PEOPLE as opposed to these corrupt phonies.
Vote for Robin Williams! Anyone could do better than treasonous murderous bush and his group of lying criminals.
COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
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Send $$$ to BRADBLOG - to STOP the FRAUD - oldturk
said on 10/24/2006 @ 4:39 pm PT...
This new Diebold blabber-box has no conflict with bu$$hco,.. but his interests conflict with everybody else in America.
COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
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Charlie L
said on 10/24/2006 @ 4:45 pm PT...
Big Dan, I hate to break it to you, but Chuck Hagel was stealing his Senate seat in 1998 with electronic voting equipment that the company he had been running only months before created.
If that don't beat all.
I'm telling you, crooked politicians from the past are spinning in their graves at the missed opportunities. If only Nixon had lived when a few big corporations beholden to their party controlled all the media --- he could have finished his war in Cambodia without anybody knowing, and laughed off the tapes about Watergate, and gone on to win a few Nobel Peace Prizes.
COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
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Grizzly Bear Dancer
said on 10/24/2006 @ 5:34 pm PT...
#17 Yeh Bush and his group of greedy vampires sucking the life out of our country and our planet pale in comparison to tricky dick. A man in the wrong place at the wrong time in retrospect. The fact that commedians often goof on Bush for being stupid is funny but incorrect. He talks and answers question like they are stupid which is what draws one to the forgone conclusion.
Wish Letterman and Co. would work in material about:
1. His executive signing orders he attached to all laws absolving him and placing him above the law.
2. Selling off the Western Wild lands.
3. Changing the Constitution to give his administration more power and reducing and eroding the right of American Citizens.
4. The Bushit administration must be tried for their pre-emp attack an outright case of war crimes.
5. The Suspected Terrorist Act - a treasonous law of Fascism taking away habious corpus (right to a speedy trial) allowing for torture where the Bushit administration is never held accountable. Fascism not Freedom and Liberty. All the world is watching these bastards who just lowered the bar 250 years.
6. All Bushit Foreign policy. Look at places like Columbia where the majority there is living in poverty and are being poisoned, screwed and their rainforests being are being defoliated with American weapons.
The Bushit administration and their Democratic enabler will fall like Building #7 of the World Trade Center controlled demolition style in their own footprint and we will get our country back.
COMMENT #19 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 8:21 pm PT...
Yes, I knew about Chuck Hagel. He was a Ceo for ES&S, stepped down after his machines were in place, and became the first Republican Senator from Nebraska in a while (I'm going strictly by memory here)...correct? But when I noticed lots of swings on electronic machines in important races, were the 2002 Senate races...Hagel was surely a pioneer, much like Feeney was a pioneer of commissioning software to flip votes.
COMMENT #20 [Permalink]
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big dan
said on 10/24/2006 @ 8:26 pm PT...
COMMENT #21 [Permalink]
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Send $$$ to BRADBLOG - to STOP the FRAUD - oldturk
said on 10/25/2006 @ 2:57 am PT...
The message is getting out there folks,.. it only took the MSM four years.
This AOL News rerun of an ABC News segment on trash-box,.. black-box voting machines.
Good job BradBloggers for relentlessly shaking the (BU$$H'S),.. the jeopardy these black-box,.. junk-box electronic vote counting machines bring to our democracy is now becoming evident to the general population. Our politicians no longer stand in fear to bring up or discuss the subject and seek remedy to this atrocity.
Video link to AOL News/recast of ABC News - black-box,.. junk-box vote counting machines.
COMMENT #22 [Permalink]
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TomR
said on 10/25/2006 @ 10:50 am PT...
Send in the clones. Don't bother, they're here.
- Tom
COMMENT #23 [Permalink]
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jackalope
said on 10/28/2006 @ 12:34 pm PT...
Radke said [quote]"...the company was not averse to disclosing its code if the law were changed to require it. But he said disclosure would dampen innovation in the field."[/quote]
This is a field where "innovation" is NOT desirable. This is a field where RELIABILITY is the mandate.
They are making a simple bit of programming much more complicated (and less secure) than it needs to be.
Proprietary voting machine programming code is BAD for "We the People". It's like having a secret committee count all the votes, report their findings, and then burn all the ballots saying "trust us"...we wouldn't lie to you.
Write and call your state and congressional representatives to require OPEN SOURCE voting machine programming, and requiring independent, random, unannounced, machine physical and software audits. Machines must also use a single standardized operating system such as a specific Linux core.