On Jul 22, 2006, at 3:51 PM, Charlie Bell wrote:
On 23/07/2006, at 2:50 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
RFK Jr's statement didn't adress this at all. I'd argue that both
Democrats and Republicans give half truths that favor their position.
It's
not that RFK Jr. is a champion of truth against those lying
Republicans.
He certainly isn't. His recent pieces on Thisemero/autisml and on Bush
stealing the election both contained so many factual and analytical
errors that I have to doubt a lot of what he says.
"Stay off my side", in other words.
Charlie,
I've read over RFK's piece in Rolling Stone, " Was the 2004 Election
Stolen?"
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/
was_the_2004_election_stolen and it seems pretty damning against an
honest election this last go around. I'd be curious what factual errors
you cite to cast doubt on his thesis. I went through the exhaustive
footnotes as well and it looks damning. For instance, how can 98% of
these various and many "errors" benefit one candidate over another w/o
someone's hand on the scale? More significantly are the exit polls
which indicate Kerry actually one the popular vote as well as the
electoral college. I know counting votes can quickly enter the nether
nuanced regions where law & database jargon overlap, but I've been
following this topic for some time and it seems very clear we are being
hoaxed. Your a fan of numbers, can you explain to us your issues with
his piece?
I've also heard him speak at length about the lawsuit they are bringing
against the e-voting machine manufacturers. He has spoken several
times, and in depth, on his weekend show Ring of Fire and I've have
found the legal case quite compelling. Here are two of the main shows
available - and with the commercials edited out! - as MP3 download as
well as on iTunes.
http://www.ringoffireradio.com/show.asp?jid=121
http://www.ringoffireradio.com/show.asp?jid=122
Give them a listen, but I'd be covering my ass damn quick if I was one
of those 'xecs. His tenacious partner Papantonio was David-like in
assaulting the Goliath tobacco companies - and the little guy with the
sling won for all of us.
I think privatizing the vote is a crime, certainly as implemented.
The polling system is _supposed_ to be under suspicion, to prove it's
accurate, not for us to investigate unless our public masters, er
servants, fail us as dramatically as they have. It's why the Bush
administration touts exit polls in Ukraine and encouraged crowds to
protest. My favorite quote on this is attributed to Joseph Stalin,
"'It's Not the People Who Vote that Count; It's the People Who Count
the Votes." It is entirely justified to rigorously question the
ownership of these voting machine companies by Republican operatives
and general supporters - particularly as they claim the computer code
is deemed proprietary and not available for any public scrutiny under
any condition. This, one of the cornerstones of our democracy, must
not be allowed to stand.
For those feeling smug that "their" guys may have pulled a fast-one,
because the conservative-ends-justify-any-means, should consider just
who hacks most of the machines on this planet: nerdy misfits with bad
grooming and a penchant for privacy and challenges... not the sort
likely to sign up for Chamber of Commerce work groups and
overwhelmingly liberal, or libertarian. So, if you think your safe
because "your" crooks are doing it now, just wait until a plethora of
new e-virus seep into our various systems. Need I go into detail about
the very-very serious problem of concerted attention by foreign powers
with an interest in meddling in our elections? This should be beyond
political side-swiping and treated seriously.
To thwart the corruption of private money counting our votes I would
like to take the cash away from them. Short of the RFK lawsuit
succeeding I would like to see low/no-cost alternatives take the wind
out of these privateer sails. I've been working up a business plan to
develop open-source voting machines as a viable public service.
Anybody interested?
- JG -
Jonathan Gibson
www.formandfunction.com/word
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