although I must say that evidence of the "deep state" emerged long before that (JFK assassination, and even further back, Eisenhower "military-industrial complex" speech). It's just that that phony s/election in 2004 made it crystal clear that we, as a people, have been stripped of remedies, including the most fundamental remedy in a democracy--voting. The e-voting system rushed into place, all over the country, between 2002 and 2004, was not the first but the final coup d'etat. All our votes are now 'counted' largely by one, private, far-rightwing-connected corporation--ES&S, which bought out Diebold--using 'TRADE SECRET' programming code--code that the public is forbidden to review--with virtually no auditing controls. Half the states do NO AUDIT AT ALL, of these machine results, and the other half do a miserably inadequate 1% audit!*
I believe that this is where we must start. We must restore vote counting to the PUBLIC VENUE!
And I will give you just one more fact that points to direct "deep government" control of voting results. Guess who started ES&S, and whose first Senate s/election was conducted by his own voting machine company? Chuck Hagel, current Secretary of Defense!
'TRADE SECRET' vote counting is not only the easiest coup to peal back--since the Federal front people have not taken sole control of voting system choices (it's still up to states and counties)--it is the essential first step to restoring our democracy. Without even the ability to 'choose' between Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, we can't BEGIN to reform our democracy. We need to restore SOME control over who is vested with government power. Added to the political money system, and the controlled corporate media, we are helpless against things like one of the most progressive states in the nation--Wisconsin--getting steam-rolled by the far right, and states like North Carolina going off the deep end into fascism. We are being PLAYED. And the mechanism for it is 'TRADE SECRET' vote counting. It's not just the money. It's not just the corporate media. It's the actual vote counts! And THAT we can do something about--we have theoretical control of the mechanism--if we put our minds to it.
And if 'Congress' then takes the power to choose voting systems away from a level of government that we can, theoretically, influence--states, counties--the gauntlet will be thrown, between the people and the "deep government." More people will begin to understand how important 'TRADE SECRET' vote counting is to them. Our situation will be much clearer, on a much more widespread basis.
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*(Venezuela, which has an electronic voting system--one that Jimmy Carter has called "the best in the world"--does a whopping 55% audit--automatic comparison of machine totals to ballots. 10% is the MINIMUM needed to detect fraud in electronic systems. This is why Venezuela has a socialist government and we do not. They are electing the people whom the vast majority of voters really want as their government officials. We are not. Here, money and media insure that only the rich and the compromised can even become candidates for office, and the 'TRADE SECRET' control of the vote counting 'chooses' between these 'players,' lately often 'choosing' far rightwingers/fascists; and the "deep government" additionally insures that no one who cannot be controlled can be elected to high office. The 'TRADE SECRET' voting system plays a critical role in these anti-democratic decisions, which is why it was rushed into place, all across the land, with federal funding and almost no public discussion-- first to keep Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld in power--while we were fleeced and militarized--and then to take control of future s/elections.)
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