Dear Dianne Feinstein ------ > THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO FIX U.S. DEMOCRACY [View All]

[althecat]

------ > THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO FIX U.S. DEMOCRACY <--------

OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN

Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, said she had already decided against seeking any major changes in voting equipment before 2010.

“My sense is there’s no way to get this thing in place by the election of 2008,” Ms. Feinstein said. “Without adequate time, we could cause real problems in the election.”

---- NYT: Overhaul Plan for Vote System Will Be Delayed - Friday 20 July 2007.

Dear Dianne,

The idea that the self-proclaimed "greatest democracy in the world" is unable to prepare to hold a "legitimate" election by November 2008 fifteen and a half months out from the day is one of the most appalling assertions I have had the misfortune to hear uttered by any politician period.

It is absolutely extraordinary that this remark should be made from someone who is clearly in the wing of the Democratic party most sympathetic to the need to fix the US Democracy apparatus.

Your colleague from Califoria Barbara Boxer's brave challenge to the 2004 election result is one of the defining moments of recent American political history, as was Senate's failure to challenge the 2000 result highlighted in Fahrenheit 911.

If you and your colleagues hold to this opinion and simply give up on US Democracy more than 15 months out from one of the most important elections in history - then today will become another defining moment.

If your opinion is based on advice from Democratic Party officials and campaign chairs then that advice is flawed and those officials and campaign chairs should be directed to adopt an open mind to the IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING A VALID LEGITIMATE VOTE COUNT.

If your opinion is based on advice from lobbyists you should ask them if they think ENSURING A VALID LEGITIMATE VOTE COUNT is an overarching requirement for democracy to function.

If they respond in anything other than the affirmative you should not listen to a word they say as they are clearly ABJECT MORONS. This is no longer a question of political practicality, pork and hypothetical threats.

The US voting public are losing faith in US Democracy. If these votes hear a message from the people charged with protecting it at the highest level that 16 months is not long enough to prepare to hold A VALID LEGITIMATE VOTE COUNT then they will have every reason to relinquish what remaining faith in democracy they have.

It is vital to the very maintenance of the US Constitution that the 2008 primary elections for the Presidential Candidates is not subject to the degree of doubt that is now associated with the 2000,2002,2004 and 2006 Federal elections. 8 years of broken democracy is more than enough. 12 years is plain careless.

It is now JULY 2007.

The election is not due till NOVEMBER 2008.

If the United States can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to go fight an expensive war half the way around the globe then it can hold an election.

How you ask?

In nearly every democracy in the world ballots are counted by hand at a precinct (booth) level. All you have to do is ask for their assistance and they will be more than willing to show you how to hold an election.

Congress can outlaw all machine based vote counting methods with some very simple legislation. It is not rocket science. "for the 2008 elections the use of machines for the casting and counting of votes in US elections is forbidden".

In the place of the counting machines your nation will clearly need a ARMY OF VOTE COUNTERS to be mobilised for the elections.

But if you start now this will be easy. And it will be good for democracy as millions of people get up close and personal with their ballots.

I am certain that your party and the GOP as well would have MILLIONS OF VOLUNTEERS ready and willing to assist with making sure there is an accurate count of paper ballots for both the Primary and the Federal Elections in 2008. It is even possible that the vote counting will be faster than it is at present.

Dianne, you and your party need to act now to preserve US Democracy.

If you fail to do so then your party will be betraying its very name.

If you fail to do so then today 20th July 2007 will become the day you wrote your political epitaph.

Alastair Thompson
New Zealand
Co-Editor
http://Scoop.co.nz