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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:05 AM
Original message
Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Tuesday 04/08/08
Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Tuesday 04/08/08

If you are in Texas, Remember to Vote Today!



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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:06 AM
Response to Original message
1. States n/t
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:32 AM
Response to Reply #1
10. NY- Jaco Electronics Wins Order to Manufacture 4,500 Voting Machines for New York State
Press Release

Jaco Electronics Wins Order to Manufacture 4,500 Voting Machines for New York State

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jaco Electronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: JACO), a global distributor and integrator of electronic components and customized flat panel display solutions, and provider of value-added logistics services, has been awarded a contract by Dominion Voting Systems, who is partnering with Sequoia Voting Systems in New York State, to manufacture approximately 4,500 optical scan voting machines for use throughout New York State. Jaco expects to complete delivery during the summer of 2008, in time for the November presidential election.

Jaco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joel Girsky, added, “We are extremely pleased to once again work with Sequoia, and our new partner Dominion Voting. This agreement represents Jaco’s first voting machine contract utilizing optical scan technology. All of the voting machines will be produced at Jaco’s in-house integration facility at our Hauppauge, New York location. To accommodate this order and meet delivery deadlines, Jaco plans to expand its manufacturing workforce by approximately 40-50 people. We believe this contract is a reflection of the strong capabilities of our integration center and value-add services.”

John Poulos, President and CEO of Dominion Voting Systems Corporation, noted, “We know Jaco has been a strong partner to Sequoia in the past, and look forward to this as the first step in a long and mutually beneficial relationship for Dominion with Jaco.”

Commenting on the new manufacturing agreement with Jaco, Sequoia Voting Systems President and CEO Jack Blaine, added, “We are pleased to once again work with the team at Jaco Electronics. Jaco has done an excellent job building thousands of our voting machines in the past and they possess the expertise and capacity to fulfill this order.”

About Jaco Electronics

Jaco is a leading distributor of electronic components to industrial OEMs and contract manufacturers. Jaco distributes products such as semiconductors, capacitors, resistors, electromechanical devices, flat panel displays (FPD) and power supplies, which are used in the manufacture and assembly of electronic products, including: telecommunications equipment, computers and office equipment, medical devices and instrumentation, industrial equipment and controls, military/aerospace systems and automotive and consumer electronics.

Jaco has two distribution centers, a warehouse in Singapore, and 15 strategically located sales offices throughout the United States. The Company operates an in-house FPD integration center housing its engineering and manufacturing staff and operations. The integration center enhances Jaco’s ability to provide customers with unique value-added display solutions and a “one-stop” source for their FPD supply and integration requirements. In addition to customized FPD solutions, Jaco provides a variety of value-added services including automated inventory management services and assembling stock items for customers into pre-packaged kits.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release provides historical information and includes forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by our management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies which are beyond our control, and upon assumptions with respect to future business decisions which are subject to change. Accordingly, the forward-looking statements are only an estimate, and actual results will vary from the forward-looking statements, and these variations may be material. Consequently, the inclusion of the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by us of results that actually will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are necessarily speculative in nature, and it is usually the case that one or more of the assumptions in the forward-looking statements do not materialize. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. We caution that, among others, the factors below, which are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, as amended, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause our results to differ materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements. These factors include (i) the highly cyclical nature of our industry and the adverse impact of downturns in our industry; (ii) our dependence on a limited number of suppliers for the products we distribute and most of our distribution agreements are cancelable upon short notice; (iii) the market for our products is very competitive and our industry is subject to rapid technological change; (iv) our dependence on individual purchase orders and absence of long-term supply agreements exposes us to customer cancellations, reductions or delays; (v) our substantial leverage and debt service obligations; (vi) a significant and growing portion of our business is in non-U.S. locations, particularly Asia, and failure to expand in Asia could adversely affect our sales while our dependence on foreign manufacturers exposes us generally to political and economic risks; (vii) volatility in the pricing of electronic components; (viii) disruptions in transportation of our products by third party carriers; (ix) potential warranty and/or product liability risks inherent in the products we sell; and (x) our dependence on the continued service of key members of our management and technical personnel.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080408005243&newsLang=en
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:40 AM
Response to Reply #1
11. CA- Riverside County officials on Monday disputed the accuracy of a preliminary report by a watchdog
Riverside County officials on Monday disputed the accuracy of a preliminary report by a watchdog group on how the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday elections were conducted.

"There are a lot of errors here (in the report)," Riverside County Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore said.

"It's going to mislead the voters and the press of how this office operates, and that doesn't move things forward."

SAVE R VOTE, formed by concerned citizens in 2006 to oversee elections in Riverside County, presented the findings of about 50 volunteers who observed more than 100 of the county's 720 precincts on Election Day to Dunmore and the Elections Observation Panel.

snip
Some report findings:

Paperwork in the chain of custody used to protect the voting machines and the vote was incomplete.

Recent changes to precincts and the ballot led to some voters being confused.

Some voting procedures were conducted out of public view.

Some voting machines were left in public break rooms, employee lounges and restrooms.

A felon attempted to work as a precinct worker.

Chief among the group's suggestions in the report is more poll worker training and strengthening the chain of custody process by which votes are handled with the county's 720 voting machines.

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/NEWS0301/804080312/1006/news01
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:47 AM
Response to Reply #1
12. PA- E-vote rejects could pay off
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 09:48 AM by Melissa G
E-vote rejects could pay off
BY DAVID SINGLETON
STAFF WRITER
04/08/2008

Lackawanna County’s old electronic voting machines may yet have a future.

The county said Monday it has agreed to lease 85 of its state-decertified Advanced Voting Solutions touch-screens to a Quakertown company for $12,750 for 90 days.

Elections USA Inc. plans to use the devices in its development of an electronic poll book system, county spokeswoman Lynne Shedlock said.

snip
The Pennsylvania Department of State decertified the AVS devices in December after the manufacturer failed to meet state and federal testing requirements. The move left Lackawanna County with 500-plus machines it could not use.


snip
Lackawanna is the second area county to cash in on the Elections USA development project. The Wayne County commissioners last month agreed to lease 60 of its decertified AVS machines to the company for $9,000.

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19462423&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 10:12 AM
Response to Reply #1
13. WI- Vote recount overturns City Council race result

Vote recount overturns City Council race result
Incumbent Baraboo District Four Alderman Mike Cone holds in his left hand the write-in ballot that broke the tie in his race with challenger Jim Carter when an election recount found the voter wrote in another person's name in the City Council race.


By Brian D. Bridgeford / News Republic

A Baraboo voter's apparent attempt at mockery has changed the results of last week's election, giving an incumbent alderman his seat back, officials determined Monday.

snip
The canvassers tallied up a second tie vote of 46-46 after passing ballots through an optical scan voting machine. Cone received one additional vote when records of the touch-screen machines were checked.

The final ballot canvassers examined had write-in candidates named for almost every office. They included Homer and Marge Simpson for the Supreme Court and Appeals Court races and four porn actresses for the Baraboo School Board.

The voter filled in the oval for Carter, which produced a vote for him when the ballot was counted by machine on election night, Giese said. However, they also filled in the name "Dave Tourdot" in the line for a write-in candidate for District Four alderman.

Reading from the official Wisconsin regulations for recounting ballots, Giese said a write-in vote replaces a marked vote for the same office.

http://www.wiscnews.com/bnr/news/280640
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 11:56 AM
Response to Reply #1
15. WI- Vote device may get push
Vote device may get push
State considers bypassing federal rules, analyzing counting system itself
By ANNYSA JOHNSON
anjohnson@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 7, 2008

In what may be a first nationally, Wisconsin is considering forgoing federal certification of a new vote-counting device and testing it itself in an effort to simplify and speed the tallying of votes in November, the state's top election official says.

The device, known as HAAT for Hybrid Accumulator Activator Transmitter, consolidates totals from the electronic touch-screen voting machines and the optical scanners that read paper ballots, spitting out a single tally - a step local election officials say could significantly speed voter returns on election night.

"We've told clerks to assume it won't be ready for fall," said Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the Government Accountability Board, which oversees Wisconsin election and ethics issues.
But, he said, "we may ignore the federal requirement and test it ourselves before November."

snip

Things have become equally complex at the polling places where, despite advances in technology, there is a considerable amount of hand-sorting of ballots; tabulating and reconciling of votes; and required record-keeping, including chain-of-custody reports for computerized equipment to ensure it hasn't been tampered with.

snip


State testing would be on a smaller scale and less rigorous. For example, "(state testing) won't run 1 million votes, or do the drop testing, the pressure testing, the humidity testing," according to Kennedy.

Because Wisconsin's requirement for federal testing is a rule, not law, it would be easier to amend than in some states, he said. However, Wesolowski, who sits on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, questioned whether the change would affect local clerks' access to federal funding for equipment.

Wisconsin's decision would be watched closely across the country, said Chapin, as the states grow weary of the slow pace of federal testing.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=736564
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 12:34 PM
Response to Reply #1
16. TN- Paper Ballots for TN Voters
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 12:35 PM by Melissa G
Woot for DUer Fly By Night!
We Love Ya, Bernie!


Paper Ballots for TN Voters

The push is on to get paper ballots back in Tennessee, and some want them in place before the November presidential election.

A group called Common Vision Network is backing legislation to require verifiable paper ballots in all 95 Tennessee counties by the Nov. 4 election.

The group wants to scrap the current touch screen voting machines used in most counties.

They say the newer optical scan machines provide a reliable backup in the event electronic records are lost or damaged.

Bernie Ellis of the Common Vision Network says, "We don't have anything to recount in the event of a problem whether its accidental or intentional. We think those voting machines turned out to be $3,000 pens with disappearing ink. We can't afford that with something as important as our vote."

The group says Tennessee has $36 million in federal money available to buy new voting machines.

http://www.wztv.com/newsroom/top_stories/vid_1433.shtml
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 03:38 PM
Response to Reply #1
21. TX- Fort Bend Voters Could Opt For Paper Ballots By November Election
Fort Bend Voters Could Opt For Paper Ballots By November Election
by Bob Dunn

Fort Bend County residents might have the option of voting on paper ballots again by November – at a cost to taxpapers of $1.5 million.

County Commissioners Court members voted Tuesday to buy 250 “eScan” devices from Hart Intercivic – enough for two per voting precinct, plus backups. The devices, priced at $1,486,000, read and tabulate paper ballots. The cost of the paper and of having the ballots printed was not included in the price.

There’s a caveat, however. The Texas secretary of state has not yet approved the use of software that allows the scanning devices to tabulate multi-page ballots. County Judge Bob Hebert said that because of Fort Bend County’s multiple taxing districts, including Municipal Utility Districts and other entities, local ballots commonly are two pages long.

Secretary of state approval is anticipated, according to Hart officials present at Tuesday’s meeting. But if it doesn’t come, commissioners indicated they’re prepared to pay for 400 more eSlate voting machines of the type the county already uses. Hart Intercivic would charge the county $1,275,000 for the additional machines.

http://www.fortbendnow.com/pages/full_story?article-Fort-Bend-Voters-Could-Opt-For-Paper-Ballots-By-November-Election%20=&page_label=home&id=56808-Fort-Bend-Voters-Could-Opt-For-Paper-Ballots-By-November-Election&widget=push&instance=home_news_lead_story&open=&
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tbyg52 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 05:47 PM
Response to Reply #21
24. Oh dear - my first reaction was "WOO HOO!!!!"
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 05:48 PM by tbyg52
But then I looked at the cloud inside the silver lining - they'll probably wind up with more eSlates instead. But hope springs eternal.....

Edited to add - K,R,&thanks!
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 04:27 PM
Response to Reply #1
22. OH- Butler County missed 105 votes
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 04:29 PM by Melissa G
Butler County missed 105 votes
BY GREGORY KORTE | GKORTE@ENQUIRER.COM
DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

A recently discovered computer glitch caused at least 105 votes in West Chester to go missing after the March 4 primary election, Butler County election officials said.

Two computer cards containing votes from touch-screen voting machines were not uploaded on election night – even though the computer reported that all cards had been read. Those votes have since been counted and were included in final, official results approved last week.

Officials say they don’t yet know whether the same glitch may have affected results from previous elections in Butler County or elsewhere. Forty-four of Ohio’s 88 counties – including the urban counties of Lucas (Toledo), Montgomery (Dayton) and Stark (Canton) also use the same software – from Premier Election Solutions – as their primary vote-counting system.

And Butler County Elections Director Betty L. McGary said she’s concerned because normal auditing procedures might not have discovered the error – at least not right away.

“Quite frankly, if it’s off by five votes or 105 votes, I want to know what’s causing it. Especially if it’s a close election,” McGary said, “If we cannot produce accurate and reliable numbers, then it throws the entire process in question, and that’s not something we want to have happen.”

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/NEWS01/304080092
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 04:57 PM
Response to Reply #1
23. NJ- Subpoenas issued to re-examine voting machines
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 05:00 PM by Melissa G
Subpoenas issued to re-examine voting machines
by Diane C. Walsh/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday April 08, 2008, 4:59 PM

DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x500253

Subpoenas were issued in six New Jersey counties today, demanding that officials turn over for testing all voting machines where discrepancies were found in the presidential primary tallies.

Activists trying to persuade a Superior Court judge to scrap the electronic voting machines, issued the subpoenas in Bergen, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Ocean and Union counties. "We're entitled to this," argued Penny Venetis, a Rutgers University law clinic attorney representing the activists.

"In order to succeed in our case and show Sequoia machines are insecure and can be hacked into, we need to look at these machines," Venetis argued. Clerks in the six counties uncovered discrepancies in 60 machines when they doubled check the vote tallies after the Feb. 5 presidential primary.

Michelle Shafer, a spokeswoman for Sequoia in California, said her company would try to have the subpoenas quashed. But no motions were filed today with Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg, who is presiding over the case in Trenton.

Sequoia maintained the errors found in the presidential primary were due to poll workers pushing the wrong buttons on the control panels. The company resisted calls for independent testing of the machines.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/subpoenas_issued_to_reexamine.html
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:06 AM
Response to Original message
2. National n/t
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 12:39 PM
Response to Reply #2
18. Karl Rove's Attorney Says Client Would Testify If Subpoenaed By Congress In Siegelman Case
April 7th, 2008


VIDEO: Karl Rove's Attorney Says Client Would Testify If Subpoenaed By Congress In Siegelman Case
Revelation Comes During Dan Abrams Interview Of The Former Alabama Governor
Siegelman: 'This Case And These Circumstances Will Make Watergate Look Like Child's Play'

Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer

Part 1 (9:40)


Part 2 (9:06)

Please go to link 'cuz I don't know how to post You Tube links...
http://www.bradblog.com/





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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:07 AM
Response to Original message
3. International n/t
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:15 AM
Response to Reply #3
7. Brazil migrates voting machines to GNU/Linux
Edited on Tue Apr-08-08 09:18 AM by Melissa G
Brazil migrates voting machines to GNU/Linux
All 430,000 of them

DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x500232


By Egan Orion: Tuesday, 08 April 2008, 12:52 PM

THE BRAZILIAN Electoral Supreme Court announced last Friday that Brazil's 2008 elections will use 430,000 electronic voting machines running GNU/Linux and open sauce (source) voting applications.

The voting machines will be migrated from VirtuOS and Microsoft Windows CE to GNU/Linux and open sauce (source) software in order to meet legal requirements for security and auditability.

snip
All software loaded onto the machines will be digitally signed to guard against unauthorised modifications, with official authentication verifiable by inspectors at voting places at any time to detect tampering.

Precautions such as blocking all network connectivity will be taken to prevent hacking, and randomly selected machines will be audited by representatives of the Electoral Supreme Court, political parties and external auditors.

When Brazil's election is over, maybe the US should invite a few Brazilians up north to show North American elections officials how to set up a truly honest, secure, transparent and trustworthy touch screen electronic voting system.
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/08/brazil-migrates-voting-machines
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:29 AM
Response to Reply #3
9. All the King’s men
WORLD AFFAIRS

All the King’s men

S.D. MUNI

Bhutan becomes the newest democracy as its unwilling voters elect the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa to power with an overwhelming majority.


SOUTH ASIA is passing through an election season: Pakistan’s February 18 parliamentary elections were followed by Bhutan’s National Assembly elections on March 24, and now Nepal is all set to hold its first ever elections to the Constituent Assembly on April 10. All these exercises are a manifestation of the strong upsurge of sentiment for democracy and against the erstwhile autocratic governance in these countries; except that the Bhutanese elections were held in a unique political context. Unlike the situation in Nepal and Pakistan, there was no grassroots upsurge in interest in political change and the establishment of representative institutions. The Bhutanese people were happy to be governed by their traditional monarchy, whose criteria for development were defined within the parameters of the “Gross National Happiness” felt and enjoyed, not only materially but also “spiritually”, by the people.

Bhutan’s call for democracy was a top-down sermon by the King himself, Jigme Singhye Wangchuk, much against the unwillingness of and initial resistance by the people. While, in his neighbourhood, the Nepal King was hell-bent on going to any length to cling to power and the military regimes in Pakistan and Myanmar were most unwilling to abandon autocracy, the King of Bhutan decided in 2005 to institute democracy by handing over executive power to elected representatives. He got a new Constitution drafted accordingly, and went around his country discussing the draft Constitution and pleading with his people to learn to rule themselves through their elected representatives. The new Constitution makes it mandatory for future Kings of Bhutan to retire at the age of 65. The King can also be removed by a two-thirds vote in Parliament. King Jigme Singhye Wangchuk himself abdicated in favour of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, who is in his twenties, in 2006. Political parties were reintroduced in April 2007 by lifting a 50-year-old ban on them and elections to the Lower House of Parliament were scheduled for March 2008.

The Bhutan elections are unique not only because they were ordered by the King but also because, unlike in other South Asian countries, educational qualification was made an important factor. Under the newly framed election laws, no one can contest parliamentary elections without having a graduate degree. Bhutan has a small graduate community of just 3,000 persons. This is also indicative of the fact that in a country where the rate of literacy is still around 42 per cent, the graduate community may mostly come from the upper and elite sections of society.

snip


It was a keenly contested election. As many as 74.4 per cent of the more than 318,000 registered voters cast their votes. Even the King appealed to voters to exercise the franchise. People walked long distances to cast their votes. Some expatriate Bhutanese also returned home to participate in the elections. The Election Commission gave one lakh Bhutanese rupees, in addition to essential election material, to each candidate towards poll expenses. A candidate could also spend one lakh Bhutanese rupees of his/her own to boost his/her electoral prospects. The Commission also organised a television debate between the leaders of the contending parties. The DPT levelled corruption charges against the PDP, saying that the latter was bribing voters, but these were stoutly countered by the PDP.

The election results upset all calculations. Analysts in Bhutan and India had expected a close fight, with a difference of not more than five to 10 seats between the winner and the loser. Even the DPT, which emerged victorious with an overwhelming majority, had not expected to win more than 30 of the 47 seats it contested. It won 45 seats. The PDP, which was routed, has asked for a re-poll or at least a serious investigation into the factors that caused such a landslide in favour of the DPT. This heavily lopsided outcome has been attributed to various factors.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20080425250804900.htm
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:07 AM
Response to Original message
4. Editorial n/t
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:22 AM
Response to Reply #4
8. Fun, verging on paranoia
Globe editorial
Fun, verging on paranoia

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

April 8, 2008 at 7:43 AM EDT

If someone had written down a large number of items of folklore about American politics on little pieces of paper, thrown these up into the air, randomly reassembled them and added a Canadian angle, the result would have been very like the four-hour CBC miniseries The Trojan Horse, which concluded on Sunday. Paul Gross is the co-writer (with John Krizanc) as well as the star who plays the title role, as the horse: a Canadian elected as the president of the United States.

Voting machines rigged by untraceable software, a sinister Kissinger-like presidential adviser, a staged assassination in Texas with a Lee Harvey Oswald-like "patsy," Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton figures, a wicked media mogul, a heroic investigative journalist, an evangelical Christian incumbent president (a closeted homosexual), a great thirst for Canadian water and consequently for annexation of this country, American hostages in a Middle Eastern desert, a celebrity evangelist who hangs out with the rich and powerful and baptizes a seemingly resurrected assassination victim, a U.S.-engineered Islamic terrorist attack to provoke a war for oil, the threat from China as an emerging superpower, a White House aide named Lewinsky (this one male, though) and a telltale stain on a blue shirt - all this, and much more, can be found in The Trojan Horse.

Though the multiple plot lines are dizzying, the miniseries is enjoyable in its very preposterousness. Sadly, however, the script takes its semi-paranoid theories seriously. Mr. Gross showed in Due South that he could successfully parody Canadian anti-Americanism, but viewers get a strong impression that The Trojan Horse is no mere satire of our own chauvinism.

On the contrary, Mr. Gross made clear in an interview with The Globe and Mail before the miniseries aired that he thinks the plot is not far-fetched, that the invasion of Iraq, the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California and the current primary campaign are all events as bizarre as those in The Trojan Horse.

more at...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080408.wetrojan08/BNStory/specialComment/home
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 10:18 AM
Response to Reply #4
14. Toon

Thanks to annie BW for the toon and the DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3122365
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:08 AM
Response to Original message
5. Action n/t
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 09:12 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. Volunteer with the Election Daily News Thread!
We Need Daily News Editors and Asst Daily News Editors!
Open Slots include Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Asst Editors neeeded every day of the week!

We give lessons and mentor any interested newbies!

Check in here for more details...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x500208
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rumpel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #5
17. Los Angeles: LA Full Public Funding Project in Full Swing
Great news! The LA Full Public Funding Education and Feedback Project is up and running! Judy Branfman is directing the project.

The LA City Council has been considering whether to implement a system of voluntary full public funding of elections. They have asked us to work with LA's Neighborhood Councils to facilitate a citywide dialogue on Full Public Funding and discuss what kind of system would be best for LA. So we have developed a workshop, designed workshop materials, trained a number of our wonderful volunteers to lead the workshops, and we now have a number of workshops set up across the city (see the end of this message).

We hope you will join us at one of the workshops listed below. We will be going over the key elements of a full public funding system and deciding what we think will make the best system for LA. As supporters of clean money elections, you know the importance of ending the dominance of big money on politics and it is important that your voice be heard in this process.

We will be scheduling more workshops over the next two months and will keep you up to date. In fact, we will contact you when the Neighborhood Council in your community is planning a workshop. So please keep an eye out!

You can take a look at the beautiful booklet that we use in the workshops on our LA Project webpage: www.CAclean.org/laproject

After the workshops are complete (in June) we will present the feedback to the City Council as they deliberate on the issue. This is a unique opportunity for all of us to have a direct voice in creating city policy, and on an issue that could profoundly shift the way candidates are elected as well as who elected officials feel accountable to.

Join Our Volunteer Team

We would also love to have you participate in the project in other ways too if you have the time. Please let Judy know (Judy.Branfman@CAclean.org) if you would like to:

· Take a training to become a workshop facilitator;
· Volunteer with other LA Project-related tasks, either in the office or from home;
· Join us for tabling at outreach events we will be attending;

If you are a member of a Neighborhood Council and would like to have us give a presentation about the LA Project and/or facilitate a workshop, please get in touch as well.
We are very excited about this project and the prospect of Full Public Funding of elections in Los Angeles - and we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming workshop. Please call us at 310/481-0814 with any questions or ideas.

Best wishes,

Judy Branfman
Director
LA Full Public Funding Project

Workshop Dates:
Thursday, April 10 - Mar Vista Community Council and Venice Neighborhood Council - 6:30-8:30 pm
Walgrove Elementary School Auditorium
1630 Walgrove, LA
RSVP: Dennis Hathaway <venicedd@gmail.com>

Thursday, April 10 - Pacific Palisades Community Council - 7-8pm
861 Alma Real Drive
Pacific Palisades 90272
RSVP: Lou Del Pozzo <lodel@verizon.net> or 310/454-3306

Thursday, April 17 - Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council - 7-8:30 pm - pizza at 6:30
Franklin High School - 820 N. Avenue 54, Los Angeles 90042 - In Cafeteria
RSVP: Dr Richard Dyke - 323/256-3157 or <to_dr_dyke@yahoo.com>

Saturday, April 19 - Downtown LA Neighborhood Council - 10am - noon
Little Tokyo Library, 2nd and Los Angeles, 203 S Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
RSVP: Tobi 213-304-5206

Monday, April 21 - Empowerment Congress Southwest Area NDC - 6:30 pm
Mark Ridley Thomas Constituent Service Center
8475 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles 90044 - Snacks served
RSVP: Breandra Mitchell 323/789-1434 - Swndcsecretary@aol.com

Tentative: April 26 - Van Nuys Neighborhood Council

Wednesday, May 7 - Empowerment Congress West Area NDC - 6:30 pm
Community Build - 4305 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles 90008
Free Parking in lot in the rear - Light snacks will be provided
RSVP: Reatha Simon 213-709-1003 or <reathas@aol.com>

Wednesday, May 7 -Northridge United Methodist Church - 7 pm
Kendall Building - 9650 Reseda Blvd.
(Welcome for dinner at 6 pm in the Fellowship Hall)
Open to community members from across LA
RSVP: Martin Early - 818/360-5919 or <earlya@earthlink.net>

TOOLS FOR CHANGE
Become a member.
www.CAclean.org/join

Become a member by mail or phone. Call (800) 566-3780 for questions and options.
California Clean Money Campaign
11844 W. Pico Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Ask your friends to join too, because they care as much as you.
www.CAclean.org/tellafriend/

Learn more.
www.CAclean.org
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Kurovski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 02:22 PM
Response to Original message
19. Lucky #5.
Thanks, Melissa G, you sweetikins, you! :D
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Melissa G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 02:39 PM
Response to Reply #19
20. Thank you, Love!
:loveya:
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Kurovski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Apr-08-08 07:35 PM
Response to Original message
25. Kick to the top.
Too much on the down-low. So to speak.
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