The STATE is in cahoots with the Bush junta to impose these election theft machines. That's the bad news. They are having cozy little "talks" with junta DoJ lawyers to find a way around the state constitution's requirement that voters okay new election systems. This is so frigging corrupt, I can't believe it. The state is in fact INVITING a junta (DoJ) lawsuit. And what the junta is doing is using the $4 billion HAVA boondoggle that Tom Delay and Bob Ney arranged for this purpose, as a club, and a bribe, to bludgeon/entice state/county election officials to break their own state's laws.
We've seen this HAVA boondoggle club/bribe before--all across the country. But here it directly conflicts with a state constitutional election law on voting systems. It is in fact the state of PA's and Westmoreland County's fault that they are now in the position of losing that filthy HAVA money. They surely knew of their own state law. They went ahead anyway with conversion to election theft machinery without voter approval, because, as we all know, if the voters are ever given a choice, they will choose TRANSPARENT, VERIFIABLE elections, with votes counted in a way that everyone can see and understand.
The good news is that it's just "talks" so far. The DoJ hasn't acted yet. They'll likely make their move (file suit against the state) if the PA Supreme Court rules in favor of the citizens and the state constitution. (The US Constitution clearly gives power over election systems to the states--but with the SCOTUS now packed with junta justices, it's questionable that SCOTUS will uphold the Constitution against the junta Congress and its goddamned HAVA election theft scheme.)
Here's another article on it, Feb. 14 (re the first judge's ruling, in favor of the citizens):
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06045/654962.stmIt contains several important details. As it stands--in the judge's ruling--Westmoreland County must use PAPER BALLOTS in federal elections, until the VOTERS have had a chance to vote on the electronic voting system. (They may use old punchcards for lower level elections--HAVA doesn't apply to lower elections.) Imagine! Honest old PAPER BALLOTS in the '06 federal elections!
It's ES&S TOUCHSCREENS that are the issue. ES&S, a spinoff of Diebold, was initially funded by rightwing billionaire Howard Ahmanson, who also gave one million dollars to the nutso "Christian" Chalcedon Foundation (which, among other things, touts the death penalty for homosexuals). Diebold and ES&S election theft machines have similar computer architecture, and the two companies have an incestuous relationship. They are run by two brothers, Todd and Bob Urosevich. Until recently, Diebold had a CEO (Wally O'Dell) who was a Bush/Cheney campaign chair, major donor and fundraiser (he promised in writing to "deliver" Ohio's electoral votes to Bush/Cheney in 2004).
These are the people "counting" all our votes under a veil of secrecy. (I mean, come on, DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS! This is just un-frigging-believable!)
ES&S is BAD NEWS--as bad as Diebold. And the touchscreens are the baddest news of all (after "trade secret," proprietary programming code, true of all current electronic voting systems). It was the touchscreens that were found to be switching Kerry votes to Bush votes in 2004, right within the voting machine itself (as opposed to percentage theft programs in the central tabulators). Use a touchscreen = vote Republican (whether you want to or not).
I can't find the name of the citizen group that sued--to find their web site (if they have one)--but one of the citizen plaintiffs is state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park. I'll go look him up now.
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