I keep getting a few stragglers about the vote fraud issues -- the election integrity issues -- but now it dawns on me that these may actually be a few TROLLS. If you look at what I posted about public "street" attitudes about vote fraud,
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/27/7401/05000
you will see a persistent commenter saying first that it's the past and get over it, to which I responded that NO, unfortunately, it's the future -- if we do nothing about it.
Then the commenter comes up with, and I quote --
"election rigging charges are anything but solid, substantial and material"
and I am asking myself, is this really a Kossack? It isn't like there hasn't been enormous documentation here at DKos! Somewhere, from the dark recesses of my mind, the word "TROLL" appears.
Then, this same commenter comes up with a real beaut --
"Voting machines in my county are in the hands of a Dem. She was elected to the position 30 years ago. We do rather like her. Are you saying she is on the take?"
NOTHING BUT NOTHING HAD BEEN SAID IN THE DIARY OR IN ANY COMMENTS TO JUSTIFY SUCH A RED HERRING BEING THROWN OUT ! ! It was totally undocumented and rhetorical and WITHOUT BASIS IN THE DIALOG! I don't like to call "TROLL" -- but I find today yet another comment claiming that there isn't a single piece of evidence to support the allegations of election fraud !
So, okay, I have put together a piece of boilerplate for this character -- that I believe to be a troll -- and for anyone else who remains unconvinced that there is a problem.
First, let's look at the technical evidence as to the numerous problems with existing e-vote systems --
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TUESDAY MAR. 8, 2005: Investigation Update (Submitted to members of the House Judiciary Committee on Mar. 4 and Mar. 8, 2005.)
In mid-February, 2005, Black Box Voting, together with computer experts and videographers, under the supervision of appropriate officials, proved that a real Diebold system can be hacked. This was not theoretical or a "potential" vulnerability. Votes were hacked on a real system in a real location using the actual setup used on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2004.
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
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Presumably the "mother machines" Teresa [Heinz Kerry has been] talking about are the "central tabulator" computers, like the Windows-based Diebold central tabulator PC that Howard Dean hacked into and untraceably changed an election on - in 90 seconds - live on the "Topic A With Tina Brown" CNBC TV show late last year.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0310-32.htm
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COLUMBUS (Ohio) -- Preaching to a packed, wildly cheering central Ohio citizen congregation, Rev. Jesse Jackson blasted the presidential election back into the national headlines Sunday. Jackson said new findings cast serious doubt on the idea that George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Ohio November 2. A GOP "pattern of intentionality" was behind a suspect outcome, he said. At stake is "the integrity of the vote" for which "too many have died." "We can live with losing an election," he said. "We cannot live with fraud and stealing."
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/947
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"In October, Black Box Voting published an article . . . about remote access into the Diebold system. After examining the Diebold software and related internal e-mails, local security professionals were able to demonstrate a hack into a simulated system.
[Two methods were tried] The hack that did work was unsophisticated enough that many high school students would be able to achieve it. This hack altered the election by 100,000 votes, leaving no trace at all in the central tabulator program. It did not appear in any audit log. The hack could have been executed in the November 2004 election by just one person.
This hack stunned the officials who were observing the test. It calls into question the results of as many as 40 million votes in 30 states. We are awaiting the response of the House Judiciary Committee to this new development for their investigation."
http://www.argusleaderonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1928&page=1
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Let's look at a test that was done for the State of Maryland on the Diebold equipment. The testers used actual Diebold election equipment and, after a week's study, attempted to hack and manipulate it. The newspaper report said they were nearly "giddy" with their success.
"My guess is we've only scratched the surface," said Michael A. Wertheimer, who spent 21 years as a cryptologic mathematician at the National Security Agency.--"Md. computer testers cast a vote: Election boxes easy to mess with," by Stephanie Desmon, Sun Staff (Maryland), January 30, 2004 AND the RABA TECHNOLOGIES REPORT on Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting System, January 20, 2004
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/010705Anderson/010705anderson.html
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Washington Post interview (January 23, 2004) with Dr. Avi Rubin, Professor of Computer Science and Technical Director, Information Security Institute, at John Hopkins University:
washingtonpost.com: Avi, thank you for joining us. Would you briefly outline the scope of your review and your findings?
Avi Rubin: We were invited by the DoD's FVAP (Federal Voting Assistance Program} to evaluate their absentee voting system for military and overseas civilians. . . .
Arlington, Va.: What steps, if any, can be taken to secure the system? How much would it cost? How long would it take?
Avi Rubin: I don't believe that the system can be secured the way it is. We describe an alternative in our paper in appendix C at servesecurityreport.org. The idea there is that you would use kiosk machines in secure locations, such as embassies to receive your local ballot, you would print it out, and then mail it in. It's not perfect, but it's much more secure than what is currently being proposed. IT IS DEFINITELY TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTION. (Caps added to original story for emphasis.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38236-2004Jan22.html
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Finally, right here at Daily Kos -- check out --
!!! BREAKING - DIEBOLD SOURCE CODE !!! Findings of Dr. Avi Rubin, Professor of Computer Science and Technical Director, Information Security Institute, at John Hopkins University.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/10/1172/9052
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PART II
NOW look at the evidence that the 2004 elections were IN FACT fixed and Bush would not be president today were it not for the fixing by corporate voting machine companies manipulating the results in favor of Republicans. Taking it state by state --
Ohio
http://www.solarbus.org/election/articles/facts-ohio.pdf
Florida
http://www.solarbus.org/election/articles/facts-florida.pdf
New Mexico
http://www.solarbus.org/election/articles/facts-newmexico.pdf
Washington
http://www.solarbus.org/election/articles/facts-washington.pdf
Also check out numerous items available here at Daily Kos, starting with something from the dkosopedia --
http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/2004_Ohio_Irregularities
AND "Election Fraud Digest" by "wont get fooled again"
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/15/0810/9477
AND "The Informed Citizen's Guide To The 2004 Election" by "georgia10"
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/5/84732/37166
And look at the article available on November 2, 2004,
"Presidential Votes Miscast on E-Voting Machines Across the Country"
by the non-partisan Election Science organization --
http://www.electionscience.org/Members/awolf/mediaclipping.2004-11-02.3193526403/view?searchterm=Non
e
also available at
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/4154/
AND FOR THE HEAVY SCHOLARLY STUFF --
Voter Suppression: STEALING VOTES IN OHIO URBAN AREAS (full documentation)
by Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D. (December 3, 2004)
http://freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/972
AND
"Stealing Votes in Cleveland"
http://freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/972
ALSO, excellent balanced review by RetroVMetro --
http://www.retrovsmetro.org/blog/id/348
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PART III
NOW we deal with the opinion that we must "get past" our hang-up about 2004 and that we will somehow "get past" the problems that showed up in 2004 by pretending that they never happened! The greatest election integrity problems are IN THE FUTURE, not the past. The only reason for discussing the past is that we have some wierdo whacko idea that we can and should learn from the past so as to avoid disaster in the future -- ever heard of that?
As well stated by the International Labor Communications Association --
The question that both activists and the media should be asking is not whether there was enough fraud and errors to decide the election, nor even whether there was more than is usual, but whether there was any fraud or errors, where the problems occurred, HOW THEY CAN BE PREVENTED IN THE FUTURE, and -- in particular -- whether NEW KINDS OF FRAUD WERE PERMITTED BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND BY THE PRIVATIZATION of our election process.
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950
ALSO,
"The Voting-Machine Industrial Complex" by Bob Fitrakis
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/09/271736.shtml
ALSO, you should read about what our situation is in 2005 and why we MUST ACT NOW --
"GOP Doing All It Can to Keep Minorities from Voting" (by Jesse Jackson)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/printer_110304V.shtml
AND
http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse081.html
AND
http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse011.html
AND FOR A GREAT STATEMENT OF WHERE WE STAND TODAY --
"Our Voting System Needs A New Constitutional Foundation"
by Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr (Floor Statement during Challenge to Ohio Election, January, 6, 2005)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0106-35.htm
AND FINALLY here's a brief statement by "A. Citizen" (who recently posted the PDF fact sheets for the four states) that summarizes all of it --
"Election reform is the most important issue we face as a nation today. if we do not take back our right to vote and have it counted properly, nothing else matters and we do not live in a democratic republic."
A. Citizen adds this:
http://www.solarbus.org/election/links.shtml#bethemedia
If you don't know what I'm talking about, click on the above link and inform yourself.
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/03/313920.shtml