While we were immersed in the health care vote, two (at least) important maneuvers occurred

[Samantha]

https://www.thenation.com/article/house-republicans-just-voted-to-eliminate-the-only-federal-agency-that-makes-sure-voting-machines-cant-be-hacked/

In a little-noticed 6-3 vote today, the House Administration Committee voted along party lines to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, which helps states run elections and is the only federal agency charged with making sure voting machines can’t be hacked. The EAC was created after the disastrous 2000 election in Florida as part of the Help America Vote Act to rectify problems like butterfly ballots and hanging chads. (Republicans have tried to kill the agency for years.) The Committee also voted to eliminate the public-financing system for presidential elections dating back to the 1970s.

I find the audacity of this overwhelming, in light of the recent revelations -- but wait a minute, let's also include the past since this commission was founded as a result of the 2000 Florida election debacle -- but why should I be surprised? Take a look at the this next quote.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/white-house-chief-information-security-officer-departs/

The chief information security officer for the White House's Executive Office of the President has been removed from his position, sources have confirmed.

Cory Louie was appointed to the position by former President Obama in 2015, charged with keeping safe the staff closest to the president -- including the president himself -- from cyber-threats posed by hackers and nation-state attackers.

But circumstances surrounding his departure, weeks after President Donald Trump took office, remain unclear.

It's thought he was either fired or asked to resign last Thursday evening, and he was escorted out from his office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street from the West Wing.

I actually was inspired to look up those who had been dismissed from our current administration who worked in cyber security via the Rachel Maddow show this evening. I googled the subject and found so many different stories, I was not sure which to reference. But I ended up choosing this one even though this happened in February. Since then, there have been a myriad of changes made in that arena by the Trump administration. Google the subject yourself and you will be amazed at some of the stories.

In light of all of the invasions of our election voter rolls and concerns about the integrity of the 2016 election, this weakening of our cyber security experts seems hair raising to me.

I just cannot understand how we as U.S. citizens are expected to sit by and watch as our government is taken down plank by plank by those on the right. It is painful to watch and impossible to comprehend why it can happen. Where is the public outcry? What is the plan to halt this dismemberment?

This is all I have to say this evening because I need to get some rest. I hope to get up tomorrow morning and find responses to this thread reflecting cogent outrage at the collective deterioration of our government and thoughts on what our role should be to help stop it.

Sam

[rpannier]

1. They strike again

[lostnfound]

2. Also the Barbara Lee amendment to strip AUMF powers from trump got undone in middle of night

And blocking sanctions.

Barbara Lee had gotten the end to AUMF after years of trying.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029343321

[Ilsa]

3. Say goodbye to our democracy.

Going forward, victories will be claimed, even though 60-70% will obviously have voted for the other side.

With other divisions of the State Dept and Executive branch being dissolved or un-staffed, another major armed conflict is almost inevitable, it seems. We are truly fucked.

[brer cat]

4. Excellent OP, Sam.

I share your outrage, but all I know to do is keep calling/writing my congresscritters although they are all republicans who are all in for destroying any voting integrity. After all, how can they continue to win if they don't cheat?

[Samantha]

6. It used to be that in order to steal an election, one had to keep the win less than 7 points

Anything over that would be an obvious manipulation. I do not know if that number still holds. But I do know the Secretaries of State are in charge of conducting elections. It seems to me that we need to raise a hue and cry to convert to paper ballots among all of the states. Maryland now has it, and it works great. Some do point out the scanners can be corrupted, but I am putting that possibility on the back burner right now.

The Constitution delegates the right to run Presidential elections to the states. They must have their election law clearly spelled out in their state constitution prior to the election. It is beyond my comprehension to see how the Federal Government has usurped the data found on states' election rosters and take it upon themselves to delete names and/or further make changes in these rolls. That is beyond the Federal Government's purview, and perhaps contacting our Secretaries of States to ask if our state information has been furnished to this Federal commission. If the answer is yes, then we challenge it state by state.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

And thank you for posting on my thread.

Sam

[spanone]

5. Jesus.