We must find ways to individually renew ourselves--rest, take a break, let others do it for a while--and keep restoring our collective energy.
There is nothing more important than transparent elections. Without them, our country cannot correct its wrong course. Without them, we do not have a democracy.
Our corporate rulers have struck at the heart of our democracy, and have stripped us of our most fundamental right: our right to vote. They have done that for a reason--because our vote is potentially very powerful. Theoretically, we have the right, as a sovereign people, to dismantle these corporations--to pull their corporate charters and seize their assets--and, at the least, to regulate and tax them, and prosecute their crimes, here and abroad. And American votes are particularly potent, because U.S.-based global corporate predators are the ones doing the most damage to other people and to our planetary environment. They could not permit us honest votes any more--because we might just join the rest of the world in seeking justice and peace. (It's happening, you know, ELSEWHERE. The U.S. is the most backward of nations now.)
We, of course, don't just have the problem of restoring our right to vote--of seizing it back from private corporations--we have the problem of our filthy campaign contribution system, our war profiteering corporate news monopolies, and the ever-increasing squeeze on the poor and middle class, which limits citizen action.
But we can do nothing about any of our critical problems and wrong directions without an honest vote count. It is fundamental. And we cannot let ourselves get tired of seeking it, no matter how hard it is.
How tired did Nelson Mandela get, during 30 years of imprisonment? How tired did our black citizens get, during hundreds of years of slavery, prejudice, segregation and second class citizenship?
Of course they're making it hard, because it is SO IMPORTANT to them that we NOT BE PERMITTED free and fair elections.
Keep that in mind. How hard it is a MEASURE of its importance to the fascists who have seized control of our government.
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It is a NO-BRAINER that Diebold should be driven out of the election business--and ES&S and Sequoia also. Elections shouldn't BE a private business! The Diebold election theft machines in question, in California right now, are the WORST of the lot--the most hackable, the most unaccountable. We shouldn't even have to have this fight. This is CALIFORNIA! This is AMERICA!
But we DO have this fight. Here we are. And, one step at time--with citizen renewing citizen, in an ever growing movement--we will throw off Diebold's touchscreens, and, after that, all of the election systems by which private corporations can fiddle our vote counts.
Word is getting out. The climate around this issue is changing dramatically for the better. Soon it will become obvious to everyone that these electronic voting systems are intolerable. Then, we, the people--not one hero, not one activist or group, but all of us, collectively--will make it impossible for our rulers and their lapdog press to ignore this "no brainer" any longer, and to foist fraudulent votes upon us.
Then we activists--after acting to insure that election system reform is adequate and there are no more tricks--can maybe move on to the campaign contribution system.
DO realize, re: the California situation, that THIS IS WHY former Dem Sec of State Kevin Shelley was gotten rid of, and Schwarzenegger's appointee, Bruce McPherson, was installed. Shelley had sued Diebold and decertified these very machines (and had demanded Diebold's source code!) We would not have this problem if Shelley were Sec of State. McPherson is a Diebold shill. He was installed IN ORDER TO CHANGE Shelley's policy of high skepticism and vigilance over our right to vote, ESPECIALLY with regard to Diebold.
And one of the things we must be aware of is WHO got rid of Shelley. It wasn't just the SF Chronicle and the other corporate news monopolies. It was collusive Democrats in the legislature--the new Dem leadership--who strongarmed Dem members NOT to support Shelley. So either they are already bought and paid for, or they are afraid--possibly of people like Connie McCormack, head of L.A. elections, and another Diebold shill (and a Democrat, so-called), who led the campaign against Shelley, or they are afraid of the kind of "black op" smear campaign that was pulled on Shelley, by whoever did the smear part (I'm not sure--I suspect the Bush Cartel).
If it was fear (and I suspect that it was), then we have to make it safe for Dems to support transparent elections, by their doing it en masse, and by rousing the public to support them for it. I think CEPN and others are doing a great job in that respect, getting hundreds of public commenters to Sacto for the hearings, and sending out alerts for letters and calls. It's working. It's putting great pressure on McPherson, and it's getting noticed. Debra Bowen (state senator) showed up at the recent hearing (she's apparently running for Sec of State in the next election). That's very unusual.
Ohio vs. California: Touchscreens were the difference
There was a huge difference between what happened in the Ohio initiative election, recently, and what happened in California, with Schwarzenegger's initiatives, and the difference was Diebold touchscreens! In Ohio, they had four election reform initiatives on the ballot--which got Diebolded. The reforms were winning 60/40 in pre-elections polls, then got flipped over to a 60/40 LOSS by the machines on election day. A blatant and outrageous flip. In California, however, WITHOUT TOUCHSCREENS, we were able to defeat Schwarzenegger's initiatives to punish the unions, pass his own budget and redistrict the state to favor Republicans.
Their ability to flip our elections is greatly enhanced by Diebold and other touchscreens. Without the touchscreens, we can overcome whatever fiddle they're doing, and win, by our sheer numbers. (A lot of people don't realize that MOST Americans are actually quite progressive in their views--it's true!)
We should use this contrast to educate the Dem leaders. In fact, I'm going to write to them about it today, because I just thought of it. What a contrast! And touchscreens ARE the difference!
See Bob Koehler's recent column on the Ohio initiatives:
http://www.tmsfeatures.com/tmsfeatures/subcategory.jsp?custid=67&catid=1824
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