Wash. Post article Carter-Baker Commission, appears to be a good start

[rumpel]

to me. This may ease the non-believers to check into more detail. I have my fingers crossed. We have to contact the commission. Ordinary citizens in mass numbers should have a say!

Defects In 2004 Balloting Described
Panel Hears Pleas For Improvements
By Brian Faler
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, April 19, 2005; Page A17

It did not feature much in the way of butterfly ballots, hanging chads or protracted Supreme Court fights. But the first hearing yesterday of the Commission on Federal Election Reform made it clear that the 2004 election was not without problems.

snip

Those recommendations are not expected until September, which is a good thing because the academics, advocacy group leaders and politicians invited to testify yesterday provided a dizzying list of electoral problems that might make some wonder how any ballots were counted in November.

full article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64518-2005Apr18.html

[libertypirate]

1. Don't even try and imply that ignoring public information...

is a start that's just moronic.


They are ignoring public information... Get it into your think heads ignoring video of vote suppression, testimony of election officials, evidence, and so much more; to get the result they want.

It was over before it began.

[impeachthescoundrel]

2. I agree with you libertypirate

To me it was just one more slap in the face of democracy. .

[rumpel]

4. The MSM have over all these months said the the election was smooth. They

ignored and dismissed all the evidence. This article admits that there were so many problems (surprise, first time the writer hears of it?) that he says "one wonders that any votes were counted".

I tend to think, now is the chance for us to raise hell and be acknowleged by the MSM.



on edit

We have to get Conyers at least to the hearing!

[libertypirate]

6. I agree, Conyers needs to be there....

but I also think we should make a stink about the public information that is out there already.

[ooglymoogly]

3. gee "not without problems"

that just SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMS understatement in dayglo.
lets see.....hitler was unpleasant....pol pot was somewhat disruptive....the inquisition was not absolutely delightful.

[Peace Patriot]

5. rumpel, thanks for the post! Please see my post at...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x359448

I believe that the reason for this private "commission" is to create a "national standard" (Carter's words) for elections that will remove the power over elections, which now resides in state and local jurisdictions, as far away from the People as possible, to head off local/state election reform, and gain the power to dictate all election systems, procedures, and rules.

Further, the "commission" is not only a preemptive strike on emerging election fraud '04 evidence, but also they intend to USE all our evidence to MAKE THE CASE for this federal (Bush Cartel) power grab.

Every bit of evidence that emerges, every coup in news monopoly coverage, will go toward giving the BuSh Cartel more power over our elections.

We are in a Catch-22, my friends. And I'm tearing my hair and beating my breast, having figured this one out.

I was looking for it, in all the Congressional bills we were vetting--the essential thing the Bush Cartel wants, more and more "federal" (Bush Cartel) control over election systems and rules. This "commission" is how they're going to get total control. (They intend to make "recommendations" to Congress.)

We need to expose this purpose, and oppose any "national standard" created by the Bush Cartel. And I mean ANY national standard, even (heaven forfend) a good one. Because they can change it. They will have all the power. Citizen power in state/local jurisdictions will be gone.

I am not a natural states' rightist. I came to political consciousness in the era of "poll taxes" against black voters and legal segregation, perpetrated by individual states. States rightists were the bad guys, the bigots. But I see its value in this case, and the brilliant design of our Republic by its Founders, in their idea of a "balance of powers." The reason the states have certain powers is to prevent federal tyranny. In the case of the civil rights movement, the federal government rightfully acted to protect ordinary citizens (blacks) from unconstitutional state laws (the political residue of the civil war, in truth). The federal gov't thus "balanced the powers" of government over its citizens.

But in the case of election reform, what we are going to end up with is an extremely unbalanced situation, with all power over literally everything of importance in government, invested not just in the federal government, but in one extreme faction of one political party which has illegitmately gained control of the federal governnment.

They now control the White House, the Congress, the courts, the news monopolies, the military, the intelligence apparatus, and have sought total control of the election system through private electronic voting companies owned by major Bush supporters. But people are catching on to this last power grab, and are opposing it, and trying to get election reform, in state and local jurisdictions, which still have power over elections.

The Baker/Carter Commission's "national standard" will end all that. We, the people, will no longer have any power to change or improve our election system. The Bush Cartel will have all the power. And that will be the end of our democracy.

[garybeck]

7. the commission is a total sham!

If you think anything good is going to come out of this think again. the testimony yesterday did nothing but point the finger at illegal democratic registration practices. the commission is stacked with GOPers and voting machine company reps. This is NOTHING but a whitewash attempt. Don't let them fool you into thinking this is a real attempt to fix the problems with our election system.

NONE of the real problems were even presented yesterday. NONE of the experts on electionic voting were asked to testify.

Do not give this commission any false legitimacy. It is a complete sham!