And Larry David Thinks He's Frightened?
As usual, Larry's brilliance and humor shine and at its core always the truth. But his essay made me even more frightened and hence I am forced to share my own terror.
Of course I'm like a little child next to the political brain power by almost everyone who writes on this site. Thank God.
I was about to write a piece a few days back after seeing something on TV very early morning West Coast time then realized who cares what I think, especially when I hardly do. I'd prefer to rip the GOPs in my own self-deprecating way as I have for decades in front of millions on TV, radio and in print interviews without posting that much on this incredibly erudite web site.
Plus, most who would read what was scaring me yet again would be read mostly by my own base. I haven't written that many essays this year as not unlike Larry David's recent piece who himself also has been so frightened if Obama would lose, I have felt that writing, especially in the past few years, (and not unlike what Larry said, and I'm paraphrasing), "might hex one of the Dems." Moreover, for me, in my own bleak scenario, I considered the very real chance that my words would give some lunatic, separation of church and state blurring anti-Semitic fringe writer, some great comment to spin and help lose a state and the election for Senator Obama.
That said, this afternoon, I decided to publicly humiliate myself with my good intentions and political naiveté. Obviously, I can't watch or listen to every show or read every article -- few can. I think I'm enlightened enough to see though all the bullshit and clearly realize that the Bush administration has turned this country into the Invasion of the Body Snatchers by our own government.
I'll cut to the chase. There is some folklore in baseball that "the shot heard round the world" home run hit by Giants ball player, Bobby Thompson, was not 100% kosher as he got signs from some Giants coach hiding in center field behind the scoreboard, and alerted Bobby that a curve was coming. That said, hitting a home run is still hard but he did and they beat the Dodgers in one of the most historic games in history.
The GOP easily, poor campaigns run by the Dems aside, stole the elections in 2000 for sure and probably in '04.
Rachel Maddow had RFK Jr.on her show early this week talking about the purging and the suppressing of the votes and the "matches" that make it so hard for people to vote and not surprisingly these concerns (as written in the piece in Rolling Stone) only seem to come from The Democratic side. Duh.
Anyway, I couldn't sleep and for me to watch MSNBC's Morning Joe takes me back to my drug days before 1994, being up at 3 AM, though I do catch some of the shows and go back to sleep. So, at about 9:25-9:30 AM EST I believe on Oct 23rd on CNN, while clicking around the TV, there was a piece about the "touch screens" and voting early. The news of record early turnouts seems like great news but when the piece on West Virginia came on, and at least in this story, 2 counties in that state had been reporting problems I started shaking again. It wasn't like that I don't expect voter shenanigans yet again this year but to see some sweet, 81-year-old man describe how he touched the voting screen four times for Obama and McCain's name came up and then other similar personal stories, my mind went wildly negative thinking of all the votes that will be lost that way and not just with all the other historic ways to make sure the GOP ticket wins as was so articulately discussed by RFK Jr.
I'm writing because as much as I know you know this exists, prior to Nov 4th all the talking heads will spit out their talking points and a huge invisible elephant will most certainly be behind some scoreboard in many counties laughing through his trunk as he changes enough Obama votes to assure this country will go down a path so scary and so right wing that it squeezes almost every ounce of hope in my body that things will ever be what the Founding Fathers wanted us to to be.
I'm rambling and I'm sorry but I guess I am hopeful that the voting machines and the purging and the actual process is big news -- and not finger-pointing as much as "news."
The GOP would spin it faster than those plate spinners on the old Ed Sullivan show that we are paranoid about of losing a tight race while they quietly know they will manipulate their victory. The GOP voter registration "pod" (forget the actual title -- like Elvira in FL in 2000) in West Virginia, when asked how could this happen, said to the reporter with a really scary smile, something like, "I wouldn't know how to make this machine screw up if I wanted to."
Great, so the manufacturer can.
And then CNN reported (to make it like it was being evenhanded) that there are ways to clear what you voted if you voted wrong. Gimme a break! How many people would actually check to make sure when they touched Obama's name that McCain's wouldn't come up instead before leaving the booth? I'm sure enough don't double check and will keep that elephant laughing until the "End of Days."
Not to mention, we never hear about a story like that from Republicans who are registering to vote, attempting to vote, perfect match, rigging machines etc... this just doesn't happen. We don't hear that from Republican voters. Never have. Just those who are registered Democrats or likely to be voting Democrat. Period.
I can't imagine that Obama's staff will not be 1000% more proactive on this versus Gore who just basically caved in 2000 under so much pressure and ultimately letting "the Supreme Court from Hell" ruin us. If it happens again... oh my God.
And speaking of Hell, I simply will not tolerate another stolen vote and election, tantamount to a sentence of another four-to-eight years of Hell, because we all haven't been vigilant, on the ball and done our jobs. This time, there is no excuse. We're aware of all of the tactics going on. We're aware that they will do and say anything to win and stop at nothing. How many times can we say we're surprised?
As our bone-headed current leader put it so effectively: "Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."
I hope the voting situation is BIG NEWS now on the networks and airwaves to prevent a potential political nightmare for this country and not just all of us crying on Nov 5th, as we stand on our roof tops weeping and trying in a daze to wave to Russia as our country goes down the drain.
Richard Lewis
An American Patriot
Related: Larry David: Waiting for Nov. 4th
Related: Albert Brooks: Not to Worry
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EVERY polling station is required by law to have paper ballots available, as well as extra paper registration lists.
Anyone who is voting for OBAMA is going to make sure that vote is tallied as such.
The last two elections, and all the events up until now, opened our eyes.
They're a one-trick pony and we can see them coming a mile away.
We have the system in place to examine any red flags that arise.
It is our American right to have a recount and verification process and the American people will accept nothing less.
There isn't a chance in this dimension or any other that McCain actually has support competitive to Obama. Any indication of a true lead by McCain will be false and the causes will be easily traced.
I too saw CNN's coverage/disinformation of voter problems this weekend - CNN completely breezed over every issue and in the end made it look like a bunch of seniors with shakey fingers were to blame, aren't we so silly for worrying!? Brad Friedman at the Bradblog has been reporting on voting problems for some time now - at least the past year that I've been following AND a guy named Clint Curtis actually testified before congress (not recently either) about the diebold hack he was asked to create by Tom Feeney --why now with days to go are we finally discussing this--is everything chaotic enough?--can't wait to hear corporate new's take on all this November 5th--
-------------------------------------------------
"How would your mind perceive the following sequence of events if you were watching this unfold in another country? "
http://www.opednews.com/articles/What-Do-You-See-by-Nikki-Alexander-081016-74.html
Use you phone to video tape you voting experience.
We may need that legal evidence.
I like this idea. Unlike the senior who tried three times and each time it cast a vote for McCain; if it happens ONCE, pull out your cellphone; try again and capture the experience on video. Then demand that your vote be counted as you intended; that whatever is wrong with the machine is fixed.
Everyone should have the video recorder on the moment they go into the booth, sooner if you can do it subtly. If we find even a few of these, we can demand a new election without the corporate voting machines.
Almost everyday there is another story about systematic election theft. Is this really the United States of America? Perhaps it has always been this way but is finally being revealed.
Read this;
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/26/voter.suppression/index.html
Something stunk in Denmark. This is stinking in America.
when I saw the story on CNN about the 81 year old man in West Virginia who tried four times to get his vote to register for Sen. Obama and the county clerk trying to prove that it was simply voter error.
I was surprised that the CNN reporter did not as the county clerk why the machine would be calibrated in a manner that would create such a problem.
I was also surprised at how little time CNN and the main stream media has spent on this issue.
why do i keep thinking that the final vote tally will declare mccain the winner by the same margin that obama leads with at the start of election night.the easiest w3ay for mccain to win is for some entity to switch his vot counter with obamas.
That's not how it's going to happen, if it does. The GOP has already begun to lay the story line out: this past week even Huff Post was headlining "McCain Searching for Narrow Victory Strategy." That's how we will all know it's been stolen: it will be the narrowest of narrow margins and the tag line will be, "America just isn't ready to elect a Black man president." They will manipulate the vote count in just enough swing states to give McCain the Electoral College magic 270. If the '00 election didn't already convince you, they don't care if the popular vote is carried by Obama, so long as McCain miraculously gets the 270 needed in the EC. In case you didn't think it could get closer than Bush/Gore, wait until next week.
I'm with SirReal1: I'm making plans to head to DC.
Read Mark Crispin Miller's blog: http://markcrispinmiller.blogspot.com/
We need to talk about this and keep talking about it until the polls close on Nov. 4. I voted early this weekend and, because I had already heard of the reports from West VA., I carefully checked my selections before I "cast" my ballot. In fact, I checked them 3 times. If even one selection had been off I would have called for help and done my best to shut the polls down until the voting machines were all checked and fixed. I mean to tell you, I went to the polls loaded for bear! And we all need to do that. If each and every one of us stays on guard and demands that our votes are processed correctly, we have a greater chance of keeping this election from being stolen.
Richard,
I feel you! I can only promise that I, for one, will not let it happen again. This time out, if there are ANY irregularities, ANY AT ALL, and it looks like those irregularities will cost the election; I, and as many people as I can convince to join me, will MARCH TO WASHINGTON to demand that WE HAVE JUSTICE!
I suspect that I can convince a significant number. I also would expect to meet the newly installed U.S. Brigade of the U.S. Army, en route. I'm fine with that.
I served for 20 years and I'm willing to talk reasonably with them as long as they are willing to talk reasonably with me.
In the end, I'm still going to Washington, or my journey ends where we meet. The nation from time to time needs to be replenished with the blood of PATRIOTS, and demanding that EVERY CITIZENS VOTE COUNTS is the greatest act of Patriotism I can envision.
I served in the hope that my service could keep our nation out of war. I am no fan of it. But, I also acknowledge that when someone declares WAR ON YOU, YOU MUST ANSWER THE CALL.
I'll be right there with you, SirReal1. And I'll be bringing friends.
The "perfect match" requirement under the Help America Vote Act - drafted in by the Republicans - is a nightmare waiting to happen.
I recently married and had to change everything. Believe it or not, Social Security was the easiest of all!
BUT - when I went to change my Paypal account - they have the exact match requirment. It took me weeks of being "rejected" by Paypal because my name didn't match my bank account - which I simply couldn't figure out.
Turns out when I type my name I use a middle initial, followed by a period - Like Jane G. Doe. The bank clerk had changed my name and left the period off after the initial. That caused my information to be rejected because it wasn't an exact match.
A freakin period - that's it! And you know the level of education in some banks, motor vehicle depts., etc.
Why, think of all the typos we make just posting here!
"Exact Match" is a great way to ensure voter purging.
Richard: though well-founded, the cause for concern goes far deeper. On Wed.'s "Democracy Now!" NYU Professor Mark Crispin Miller detailed the how and why of the vote fraud scheme:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/22/votes
HOW?
"A kind of architecture that’s called Man in the Middle, it involves shunting election returns data through a separate computer somewhere else...the setup is extremely effective and basically undetectable as a way to change election results...this Man in the Middle setup has only one purpose, and that is fraud. There’s no other reason to do it...such a system is still in place in Ohio, it’s in place in a number of other states. And the crucial fact to bear in mind here...is that Mike Connell is now working for John McCain."
WHY?
"The scariest thing is that Connell told Spoonamore that the reason why he has helped Bush-Cheney still [sic] these elections for the last eight years has been to save the babies. See? We have to understand that there’s a very powerful component of religious fanaticism at work in the election fraud conspiracy...because the majority is a majority of unbelievers. They’re pro-choice...corrupt...evil. They don’t get it. It’s therefore necessary to fix election results in order to prevent the unjust and the unrighteous from taking over."
The big question: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
FELLOW CITIZENS: BE VIGILANT! PREPARE TO DEFEND OUR REPUBLIC FROM RELIGIOUS THEOCRATS!
Richard, I'm just as scared as you are. I believe that the elections of 2000 and 2004 were stolen, and hearing about problems with voting in West Virginia and other places makes me worry about it happening again, with even more disastrous results. However, there are some things that do make me think there is hope: 1) The polls indicate that Obama is further ahead at this point than Gore in 2000 or Kerry in 2004, which means that a) it's less likely to come down to one state whose results can be manipulated in favor of the Republicans and b) I think people will go crazy if McCain somehow comes out the winner when it goes against what every poll has been saying. They will be unlikely to just let this die. 2) The media seems to be all over this. CNN even has a toll-free number you can call if you have problems voting, and there is also a website you can go to: http://www.866.ourvote.org. 3) I think Obama's campaign is all over this and he won't just passively accept the results of the election if he thinks injustice has been done and the will of the people hasn't been served. 4) There are a lot more registered Democrats in America than there were in 2000 and 2004, so that would be a lot more votes to try to suppress. So I try not to be naive, but to keep the faith.
Thanks Richard!
Yes it is scary and I am also afraid that we still don't take it seriously enough.
THEY WILL DO ANYTHING TO WIN!
ANYTHING.
But in the midst of all this, it's still comforting to know there are so many of us that are not mindless idiots.
I am so over the "press", they are a joke. I wonder if there is a way for President Obama to demand that "News" organizations tell the truth?
Yes, vibarama -- Appoint new commissioners at the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) from DAY ONE. Then Billo and Rusho and Savage-o, and the bible-thumpers will have to go to the end of the line on the radio spectrum, instead of dominating OUR (publicly-owned) airwaves. And the FCC can pressure the supposed MSM to tell the truth or be sued for propagating propaganda.
Great post Richard!
There are a few ways to not feel quite so helpless, come November 4th. Start now by visiting the Robert Kennedy, Jr. / Greg Palast site, Steal Back Your Vote: http://www.stealbackyourvote.org/
Check out the film and buy the comic book if you can. The comic book is a helpful handbook to read before election day and to keep on hand at the polls. One such tidbit from the comic book is this:
Come November 4th, should you find you’ve been caged or purged or challenged - call Election Protection at 1-(866) OURVOTE (1-866-687-8683). The line is supposed to be manned to help with such things. Also, canarypapers has more info on protecting yourself from voter fraud.
I can't conceive how this country will be able to make it through another stolen election. If it happens -- God forbid - it will be the ultimate confirmation that we no longer live in a free country. I've had a bad accident and have been on my back for the last six weeks. But I can't stand by and do nothing. So next weekend, I'm traveling to my closest swing state to volunteer my time to the Obama campaign. I hope everyone does their part in this way. Strength really is in numbers, and together we can make it impossible for the GOP to try and pull one over again. We can do it because we must. So please get out there and volunteer. Start by visiting the Obama/Biden campaign site. and see what opportunities there are in your community. If I can do it with a broken back, so can you.
Thanks Richard-
I'm proud as always that you're a Buckeye too! (I just wish we were both registered there!)
Best wishes!
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