Voter smashes touch-screen machine in Allentown

[gatorboy]

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-smashedmachine1107-cn,0,1574203.story?coll=all-news-hed


A man who reportedly believed Republicans were conspiring to steal today's election entered an Allentown polling site, signed in and proceeded to smash the screen of one of the electronic voting machines with a metal cat paperweight, poll volunteers said.

Michael Young, 43, of 375 Auburn St., will be charged with felony criminal mischief and tampering with voting machines, according to Ronald Manescu, chief of investigations for Allentown police.

Police gave no motive, but a source said Young, a registered Independent, believed Republicans had conspired to win the election by using electronic ballots. This is the first time electronic machines are being widely used in a Pennsylvania general election.

"He smashed it with the cat's ears," said volunteer Jim Govostis, who watched the incident unfold at Raker Center, a nursing home owned by Good Shepherd, around 12:30 p.m.

Young, who brought the paperweight with him, then sat down, hung his head and waited for police, who arrested him without incident.

------------------------------------------

See? The Republicans are even driving the independents crazy!

[Greeby]

1. Arrest him? Hell no

Give him a medal for standing up for his democracy :patriot:

[BootinUp]

22. Sorry, but that is wrong.

And he will pay for it too. Its akin to setting a ballot box on fire.

[MGD]

48. I agree on a legal basis; however, on a moral/ethical basis, I consider this guy to be as right

as butter on bread.

[RestoreGore]

54. But he has no proof that machine was rigged.

I can understand his frustration, but it was still wrong. And If Democrats take Pennsylvania it will look like his concerns were unwarranted... or not?

[MGD]

60. The electronic voting machine's record speaks for itself.

Reports are coming in already of votes for Democrats being recorded as Republicans.

[RestoreGore]

69. Then where is the accountability?

And in the documentary Hacking Democracy, it also happened to a Republican. So this is not really a partisan issue and frankly for Democrats to play it up as such is unfair. The truly frightening thing about it is that anyone with the money can make it happen. And where are the arrests? The lawsuits? The protests? Where is the legal process in all of this that could be used to issue a class action lawsuit against the companies that make these machines by the American people and those who claim to have proof that this is happening?

This gets reported in every election, and yet they continue to be used and condoned on BOTH sides by members of Congress with no accountability with the same line that they hope the votes are counted. Well gee, if members of Congress who are Democratic KNOW about these machines and what they are capable of, why haven't they stood up enmasse to get them out instead of allowing them to be used even more? To be honest I don't trust any side when it comes to electronic voting.

I agree that there is great potential for fraud and that it has already happened, and I didn't much like voting on that piece of crap machine I voted on today and made that known... but unless Democrats have a ton of evidence to corroborate that EVERY single electronic voting machine in this entire country is rigged, we will just look discredited unless we present solid proof and really call on those Democrats who are supposedly poised to take the Congress on those same machines that we want THEM to stand up to get them out by 2008. Does anyone think that will really happen?

[MGD]

78. Were our forefathers also wrong when they threw British tea into the sea? eom

[RestoreGore]

107. What does that have to do with what I wrote?

I am talking about ACCOUNTABILITY NOW. Will Democrats in the Congress now stand up to get electronic voting machines out of this process? Or are they acceptable now that they won? And that is what I am asking Congress to do... throw the tea overboard in the form of these machines that are a danger to Democracy.

[elehhhhna]

63. no proof SH had WMD's and Bush did a lot more than smack a machine.

just saying

[RestoreGore]

73. And?

What if he had attacked a poll worker and hit them in the skull with whatever he had? Would people be cheering that too? How about hitting a Republican with it and cracking their skull? Sound good? As I said, I understand the frustration, but violence doesn't solve the problem. And yes, Bush did a lot more than smack a machine, so call on your Democratic representatives who win today to call for his impeachment instead of letting him get away with it for the next two years. I sure know I'm going to do it.

[mhatrw]

97. It was a symbolic act of civil disobedience.

No one was hurt or killed. While I don't condone it, it's completely understandable.

[Bucky]

100. So did his "heroic" act delete all the prior votes stored in that machine?

or do the electronic results get recorded and stored elsewhere? Cause if the machines are closed system/self contained computers, then he may have wiped out the votes of the voters in whose name he was protesting.

Anyone who attacks the apparatus of the people's vote is a criminal and a tool of tyrants. I don't care if he's on our side. If he attacks democracy he's no better than Blackwell.

[mhatrw]

101. Again, if there were hard copies, this wouldn't be an issue.

So, tell me, why aren't there?

[truedelphi]

102. MSM reported that no votes were lost

[RestoreGore]

108. Unless his action kept others from voting n/t

[Last Stand]

31. Time to pass the hat...for the cat.

They will probably charge him with Terrorism.

[truedelphi]

103. I agree - remember it was the Libs and the

Greens that put up a fuss in Ohio in 2004- not the Democratic national Party

[ourvoicescount]

2. This shouldn't be happening in America...

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

3. Give That Guy A Star Next To His Name....

Assuming he's a DUer. :-)

[smalll]

53. Can we figure out who he is?

He'd have to be someone who spends most of his time in the Election Reform Discussion board, with an occasional visit over to the Lounge to post pictures of his cats. ;)

[amitten]

4. !

:rofl:

Of course I don't condone such a thing, but...







:rofl: :rofl:

[meganmonkey]

5. Link?

THanks!

[gatorboy]

9. Link added!

Sorry 'bout that! :hi:

[meganmonkey]

15. Thanks - I want to

share this with some friends :)

[gfnrob]

6. Can you say...

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!":hurts: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[truthisfreedom]

7. i'm glad he did it, and i'm really glad he's an Indie.

give the thugs something to think about without the knee-jerk reaction.

[JeffSanchez]

16. Yup

Best thing about it is that he's an indy.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Now there's a patriot.

[Steven_S]

10. In my eyes that man is a hero...

Now if several thousand more will do the same it might start something historic. And if they put those vote-stealing machines in NYC someones going to smash them as well.

[Jack Rabbit]

11. Please wait until tomorrow to do that kind of thing

If the Republicans hang on to the House, we'll know they've stolen it.

[shadowknows69]

12. This guy is my hero

I'm kind of glad we didn't have the Deibold machines at my polling places because I would have been tempted.

[kansasblue]

13. and the war against the machines begins.

I'd rather we fixed it another way. But I understand his concerns.

[HereSince1628]

14. No doubt after this he'll have a paper trail.

Crikey. Suppose anyone ever attacked a paper ballot?

[Lex]

17. "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!"

nt

[cwydro]

18. damn

wish he coulda used an elephant paperweight....

[Rick Myers]

19. Congratulations to him! He is a patriot.

[Der Blaue Engel]

20. "He smashed it with the cat's ears,"

That's gotta be one of the best quotes ever. :rofl:

[skooooo]

37. A "cat's ear?!" What does that mean? nt

[silverojo]

61. He had a paperweight shaped like a cat

Hence he bashed the machine with the cat's ears (of the paperweight).

I always did love cats. :evilgrin:

[mitchum]

85. Absolutely!

[steve2470]

21. I understand that guy completely

Please, Mr./Ms. Judge, give the guy some rap on the wrist.

[KyndCulture]

23. Awesome!!! nt

[stop the bleeding]

24. Boston Tea Party anyone?

could call it the Philly Voting Machine Party??? :)

[Double T]

25. give THAT man an extended golf clap and a medal for COURAGE

:applause:

[ToolTex]

58. Give him The Medal of Freedom!

n/t

[BuyingThyme]

26. I've pictured myself doing that.

I suspect we'll hear more stories like this.

[fudge stripe cookays]

38. Yep, me too.

And I HOPE we will!

[Toots]

27. So far ONE person in the entire USA has the courage of his convictions

I applaud his actions mightily. I wish everyone could/would behave the same.

[shadowknows69]

29. Someone should keep track of this

and we could arrange donations to his legal fund.

[fudge stripe cookays]

35. I was thinking that too.... n/t

[The Anti-Neo Con]

28. Nice!

Well, I got my laugh for the day! Thanks for posting that.

[rateyes]

30. Had he lived during colonial times...

that patriot would have been tossing tea into Boston Harbor!!

[hippiechick]

32. Oh, HE's being charged with 'tampering' ????

What about all the GOP hackers? :evilfrown:

[bloom]

44. That's what I was thinking nt

[IndyOp]

33. So how many people's votes did he destroy??? Seriously.

If people voted before him and he destroyed the machine -- if there weren't any voter-verifiable paper ballots -- there may be no way to know what votes were on that machine.

That stinks.

:thumbsdown:

[cali]

43. It certainly does and so does

all the cheering for this deranged act. Disenfranchising voters to point out that voters are being disenfranchised, is idiotic.

[MindPilot]

56. Sorry, but sometimes a little collateral damage is unfortunately necessary

And those votes wouldn't be lost if there was a paper trail now would they?

Playing nice and by the rules is exactly what got us to where we are today.

I applaud the man's actions and I only wish I could sit on his jury.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

92. Excuse me?

If some shithead like Rick Santorum wins on the margin of votes lost in that machine, you can be real proud of that stance.

Soory, but don't count me as someone willing to lose my vote for someone else's temper tantrum.

[SOS]

59. If the machines had a paper trail

no-one would be disenfranchised.
But, for some odd reason, the Republicans don't want paper trails...

[hootinholler]

74. The votes will be on the memory card.

Smashing the machine shouldn't harm the card, it's likely no votes were lost, a thing in his favor come sentencing.

-Hoot

[IndyOp]

83. Good point Hoot -- If the memory card is intact,

which is likely, then the votes were not lost. I sincerely understand his desire to destroy the machine, but if Dem votes were destroyed then that is obviously not in our favor.

:hi:

[LordLovesAWorkingMan]

90. Shhhh!

You're interrupting the truth-to-power orgy!


(Suppose that machine had 100 Dem votes on it, from folks who got up early and stood in line to be counted. would this guy's gesture be so noble then?)

[truedelphi]

104. media reported that no votes were destroyed

[Nikki Stone1]

34. We should take up a collection for his bail

:)

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. Ouch! Not sure what to think.

[I_Will]

39. Unfortunately, now there is the pretext...

...to have us go through a TSA-like hassles in order to vote.

No shoes, no bags, open your coat please, stand still for the wand. Metal detectors (1 at a time please) to further impede the flow, and suspicious (i.e., non-anglo) characters pulled aside.

I understand why he did it; I'm just wary of the repurcussions.

It is shameful that it's come to this.

[MindPilot]

65. So should I put a little white powder in with my absentee ballot?

You know, just to cover all the fear bases. :sarcasm:

Actually it's hyperbole, but we don't have an icon for that.

[fudge stripe cookays]

72. You don't need any of that...

to simply toss a machine roughly onto the floor. Just sheer angry will and a few arm muscles.

[Dancing_Dave]

40. Now there's a REAL AMERICAN HERO!

If we had enough savvy patriots like him, we might be able to get our paper ballots back!

[babylonsister]

41. He's mad as hell and wasn't gonna take it anymore! I wonder if

something or someone set him off prior to his whack-a-machine?

[w4rma]

42. There should be a fund started for any legal fees he needs to pay. (nt)

[mesobob]

45. I understand his frustration

But smashing the machines isnt helpful.

it just gets him in serious trouble, and possibly disenfranchies those who now cannot vote because of longer waits due to broken machine

[Chulanowa]

95. Agreed

This man's action has just made the line outside hte polling place that much longer, has given the image of people who on't like the machiens as being crazy vandals, and ultimately his action wouldn't have done jak squat if the machine were rigged because he crushed the screen and not the memory card.

Nothing to cheer for here.

[philly_bob]

46. I'll express on opinion on Young and his metal cat tomorrow...

when I find out whether Republicans really were conspiring to steal today's election.

[vireo]

47. Just forwarded to Mike Malloy

I know he will appreciate this.

[Bobbie Jo]

49. Yep...was waiting for that to happen....so did he get to vote?n/t

[mikeybabe125]

50. poor guy...

This is what "elections" if you can even call it that anymore, are driving people... I'm really worried about about mid terms... if this keeps up, and re-thugs keep winning, there WILL be a rebellion. It's really only a matter of time.

[aquart]

51. I swear I didn't tell him to do it.

I don't even know the man. Never been to Allentown. Don't have his email.

Of course, since people are being arrested for thinking of doing things.........

[Rainscents]

52. This guy is my hero!

I'll donate to get him out of jail!

[BulletproofLandshark]

55. Way to go, jackass!

Breaking shit is NOT the way to fight the system, no matter how great the temptation to give those machines the fate they deserve may be.

[fudge stripe cookays]

75. Who says?

The leaders hadn't stood up for us thusfar, and nothing else has worked.

When is it that we finally decide to stand up to these fuckers and show them we won't tolerate their disgusting, thieving hypocrisy anymore?

[seabeyond]

57. but.... did he VOTE first...... n/t

[Initech]

62. Take that, Diebold!

[Peace Patriot]

64. Poor fellow! Now he'll be tied up with the police and the courts for years,

rather than working for election reform. And Diebold has a lot more machines where that came from (--except maybe in black precincts in Ohio).

I oppose quixotic actions like this--unfocused anger without a support group, without civil disobedience training, and without a movement behind you--as APPEARS to be the case, in this incident. I'll eat my words if Michael Young turns out to be the new Martin Luther King, but on the basis of this report and no other information, this seems like a useless disruption.

I sympathize with Michael. These highly riggable electronic voting machines are an OUTRAGEOUS assault on our democracy, and MUST be gotten rid of. And I've no doubt that many of us have felt that kind of anger and frustration about it. But we really, really must stay calm, and seek a focused and effective strategy for restoring transparent vote counting, in the face of the extensive corruption that has facilitated the installation of these systems. Fascists under siege simply raise and fortify the walls.

I think the huge Absentee Ballot vote--obviously a citizen BOYCOTT of the machines--points to an effective strategy: Mobilize all these AB voters to put pressure on LOCAL election officials, to, a) HAND COUNT the AB votes, and b) POST the results BEFORE any electronics are used. Thus we begin creating a paper ballot system BY DEFAULT.

The election reform movement has been highly successful at raising consciousness about this matter, but has yet to come up with a strategy to achieve our goal. I think the huge increase in AB voting is pointing the way.

And I hope to God we stay focused on this "must do" for getting our country back--I mean, really getting our country back--even if the Dems get a majority in the House, and even if they win big. The election theft capability that Diebold/ES&S and a few others have installed around the country remains a lurking threat, that could strike at any time. And even with a Dem majority--and even a significant Dem majority--in Congress, we STILL won't have adequate representation for the SEVENTY-PERCENT of the American people who oppose the Iraq War, and the 60% to 80% that oppose all major Bushite policies.

[MindPilot]

71. He did more for election reform in 30 seconds than those of us

working within the system have done in six years.

Here is someone willing to stand up and put his freedom at risk for the rest of us by making a statement that will hopefully be heard by the entire country in the next few hours.

I hope there are few more today. I picture some guy rolling back in his control-room chair yelling, "Are they smashing machines in Albany? How about Tulsa? Eugene? Give me the live shot in Denver!"

As I said upthread, playing nice and by the rules is what got us here in the first place.

[fudge stripe cookays]

76. Exactly.

He made a dramatic statement, and the media has to notice it.

Those people who never paid attention to electronic voting machine weirdness will sit up and take notice NOW.

[Bluebear]

66. What's his screen name?

j/k

[blues90]

67. This is what happens when you push to hard

Good for him , it took guts to express being fed up with fraud for 6 years .

[Fleshdancer]

68. This would be funny if it weren't so damn sad n/t

[itsmesgd]

70. hell yes

rage against that f'in machine!!

go brother go

[SF Bay Area Dem]

77. Man... this is not the way... we are better than that.

I can expect this from the Freepers but not form Independents or Dems...

[MGD]

88. Again, were our forefathers wrong when they tossed British tea into the sea? eom

[eliphaslevi]

79. He could have used a small razor with better results

Slicing the thin film on the touchscreen will disable all further input. The film only acts as a mouse and keyboard and without it,.. the machine is useless.

Hypothetically. ;)

[shadowknows69]

81. Keeping that in mind for 2008

Hypothetically.

[Generator]

80. This mad as hell housewife thanks him!

What I could never do but dream of, even as here we don't even have machines but vote by mail. Oh and-I always loved that Billy Joel song-living in Allentown (1981)-the end of the unions, Reagan, the beginning of the end of America. How fitting, all of it. Rage against the machine.

[MGD]

84. "Rage against the machine."

wooow! I mean...WOOOOOWWWWW!

[bigriver]

82. Hooray!

...if Allentown votes Repuuuuuuuuuuuuke.

boo if it votes Democratic.

[demo dutch]

86. Good for him!

[readmoreoften]

87. Patriot. End of Message.

[0rganism]

89. future founder of the American Luddite party

Despite my dislike of these nasty machines, they are public property, and for many, they are the existing mechanism for democracy in America. I guess I wish he could have found another way to express his misgivings...

I'd love to see the damage report on that machine, tho: "smashed by cat's ears" - :rofl:

[Straight Shooter]

91. Collective frustration will eventually manifest itself in one person, one outburst.

I feel sorry for him, but he was just expressing how many of us feel, sort of a conduit for all that suppressed energy of rage against the Repubs for what they've done to this country and what they want to keep doing, destroying our Constitution.

I, for one, have been known to kick a soda machine that would not release my beverage. I have pounded on my steering wheel and cursed when some idiot blocks the road. Et cetera.

A vote is so much more important than a soft drink, or a traffic tie-up. God only knows why he snapped. Must be something extremely personal.

[kestrel91316]

93. This is the day of the founding of the "Youngites"! Just like the

Luddites who smashed the mechanical spinning jennies in the factories in England at the start of the industrial revolution were named for Ned Ludd, their (possibly fictitious) leader.

Young did what, deep in our hearts, we ALL wish we had the courage to do. And we MUST do it, but legally! Make the voting machines illegal. Bring back paper ballots for ALL!!!!

I am a "Youngite" with pride. How about YOU??

[Vidar]

94. Sounds like Paul Revere to me.

[MGD]

96. That's what I'm saying. eom

[AtomicKitten]

98. So, who's going to arrest the Republicans trying to steal the election?

They are the real criminals.

[earth mom]

99. WOW-What a statement!

Wanna bet this story gets around and more people learn about election fraud?!

I'd also bet this guy is a DUer!

[NVMojo]

105. where can we send money for his defense? he's my hero!

[crispini]

106. Wow. Shades of Carrie Nation.

Rock on, dude.