My twin mission: overhaul MEDIA. KILL e-voting or fix it.

[PretzelWarrior]

I've decided one person can only focus on so many issues effectively.

Some people will choose preserving our environmental health.

Other people will choose raising minimum wage, etc.

Here is what I think. NONE OF THIS MATTERS OR WILL CHANGE unless we pound relentlessly on the rightwing ascendancy in media and the corporate focused risk-averse, over sensational under-analytical news media and even print journalism...we are in serious trouble.

How we truly accomplish gains there? I'm still working on that, but I am sure a key will be continued pressure on FCC (we may have to work with some strange constituencies to partner up and work this issue relentlessly).

Now, the other issue that we got NO ACTION on this last time around is how the FUCK an internet centric nation with banking transactions flying around at billions of dollars a minute cannot produce a verifiable election result.

Well, I think we know why. But we absolutely must not allow the feeling to creep over us that it is fait accompli. WE CAN MAKE SURE STATE BY STATE that we put forward lawsuits, investigate the other manufacturers out there with more secure systems, and finally...ensure more and more people have the opportunity to get registered and the whole election apparatus is handled by nonpartisan people.

--on edit: we need to include the proposition that ALL PRECINCTS IN ALL STATES SHOULD HAVE THE SAME PROCESS AND MECHANISMS. what is so hard about that? Do like every other federally mandated standard. Make sure state money is tied to it.--

If these 2 things aren't resolved and resolved decisively, we'll be playing a rigged game and losing every time out.

[Jade Fox]

1. Yes, those are the two biggies, aren't they?

[highplainsdem]

2. I agree completely. And we'll probably need changes in the media first,

to get enough attention put on the BBV problem.

[Lorien]

20. Cancel your cable, stop buying stuff you don't need

the media is a beast fed by corporate profits. Starve it, and it will be ready for reform.

[Lefta Dissenter]

3. huh

that's exactly what I said this morning. Well, then a little later I added BRING OUR TROOPS THE HELL HOME to my little list of goals to work toward.

If I don't get involved right away in something where I feel I can make a difference, I'll go nuts and probably kill someone. :eyes:

[PretzelWarrior]

4. hey. I think a LOT of us need to adopt these pillars/goals.

not kidding. I'm glad I'm nowhere near alone.

SPeaking of which, the things that pissed me off today in the coverage besides the overly simplistic mantra of : people voted values. people voted values. people voted values, the next thing they were talking about is....so who will the Dems run in 2008. Kerry? no he's toast. Hillary? sure. no way. blah blah blah.

nothing to say about the intricacies of how the vote went. nothing about specifics for how this fits into the context of the war we are in...how Bush will go forward in the next years...

it is really sick. it has to change.

[K-W]

5. We need the government.

It is the best tool available. Corporations have taken over the government, but we can take it back, and once we do we will have all the power we need play tough with corporations, give power to labor, fight for the enviroment and everything else.

[PretzelWarrior]

6. what do you suggest? I believe the path to what you suggest is

control how votes are counted and verifiable....and make the media actually do its job.

My question is whether the media will keep harping on Bush or if their balls will shrink back into their pelvis again.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PretzelWarrior]

12. wow. I see you embrace this motherfucker and his misanthropic ways.

for your freepers, Misanthrope means hater of man or hater of society. Bush clearly hates people.

[K-W]

9. Here is my suggestion.

We need to build a progressive grassroots movement, and that processs has already started. We need to focus on state and local elections at first. The secret to political dominance is strong local and state organizations. This is also where the control over elections comes in. Things are not yet so bad that we couldnt do this. Local and state elections are ALOT harder to fix than the presidential election. But we have to start working immediately to get progressives elected in blue and moderate states. If we dont, they will, and that is exactly how they have done what they have done.

We should definately be able to build a much stronger base in the blue states to match the turnout numbers in the south and midwest and we could then use that base of power to build it into a national force. A democratic party built off a progressive grassroots movement.

[socalover]

8. Hate radio is killing us!!!! nt

[GettysbergII]

10. I agree too.

Those are my top two priorities as well.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. This is a good agenda. eom

[aePrime]

13. I'm a computer scientist

and I think somebody needs to start a company to make voting machines with open source voting software. I think that if the company makes the hardware, that, and support, is from where the money will come.

I think states will buy these machines over those of Diebold et al. because people will be more comfortable if anybody can take a look at the source code.

I'm no lawyer, but I think it'd be even possible to publish the source code, but have a license that makes it illegal for somebody else to use it.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. Hardware and software all open source.

Machines print a paper ballot which goes into lock boxes for auditing and potential recount.

MANDATORY RANDOM audits of paper ballot vote count vs. electronic count in a certain percentage (say 10 percent) of polling locations. Audits done by nonpartisan election group.

FULL auditing of all votes, paper ballot vs. electronic count in the event of major controversy or "close vote" triggers...

How hard could it be?



We also need spies looking for evidence of collusion/conspiracy with regard to the electronic vote in 2004...

[aePrime]

15. Oh, yes, good point

I forgot to mention it, but hard copy paper ballots should also be produced.

[Lefta Dissenter]

18. I love our optical scan machines

You only need one machine per polling place (depending on traffic, of course), the paper ballots are clear and easy to read and use, you have your boxes of ballots at the end of the day that are incredibly easy to review... it's a lot CHEAPER than the electronic machines, and no matter what the turnout, you can just add privacy booths (our clerk was very creative in building extra 'booths' at tables) and people keep moving through the lines.

At the end of the day we reconciled the number that the machine (and printout tape) reported with what our books showed, and not one vote was 'lost' or 'unaccounted for.' After working at our polling place from the minute it opened till the time we all signed the last statement and went home, I won't accept any other system!

[PretzelWarrior]

16. what's interesting is the INDIAN election. They have cheap machines

that are voted on...then paper result spit out. The whole kit and kaboodle is loaded under guard from election workers over to the election supervisor office and then results all tabulated. Every single vote in the country is lodged and counted the same way.

The machines are more reliable, less expensive, and you'd get economies of scale for every single aspect of executing an election, doing recounts, and servicing the equipment.

You don't need to be an Einstein to figure this out.

[mcg]

17. Someone told me that in Germany there are open source voting machines

[PretzelWarrior]

19. kick to see what others think

anyone?