49 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 10 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Beware Smoke and Mirrors

By the web  Posted by Joan Brunwasser (about the submitter)       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   1 comment
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Joan Brunwasser
BEWARE SMOKE AND MIRRORS
Posted by: peacemom528 on Sep 26, 2008 6:11 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
 
This candidate (Palin) may seem like a joke but the joke may be on us if the Republicans don't care who's running because they have no intention of allowing the voters to decide our leadership regardless!

While we're all paying attention to the McPain train wreck, there are systematic efforts being launched or continued in Democratic districts around the county to suppress, intimidate, or disable the voting process. Paperless and other computerized voting machines are proven insecure and I'll bet there will be fewer machines than needed in Democratic districts in Ohio, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Nevada- ensuring long lines and short tempers at the polls.

The attempts to throw valid Democratic voters off the rolls in each of the battleground states is also already underway, too, with challenges being prepared against voters who face foreclosure in Ohio, people with names similar to felons (or just black-sounding) in Florida, and those without "proper ID" (even if there is no ID requirement).

We have a bunch of power-drunk criminals in the White House who are not going to go easily from "untouchability" to vulnerability. I, for one, don't trust the electoral process to work after the last two Presidential elections- certainly not without serious oversight and a healthy dose of skepticism on the part of the American electorate! Do you seriously think Cheney has any intention of ending his reign as shadow dictator? Or that Karl Rove is no longer the primary architect of Republican dirty trick politics? Keep your eyes on the ball, people!

What citizens can and should do:

Especially if you live in any of the swing states, please consider being a poll worker or watcher! Check out your local election board's website for information on how.

Go early and DO NOT leave the polls if the lines are long. Call in sick to work, don't go to class, arrange for child care- do whatever it takes! Bring a snack, a book, and 3-5 friends with you to the polls and make sure you record your vote in some way.

If you are suspicious about conduct at the polls, document the incident(s), have the local election board's number handy and call them. Also have numbers for local voting rights organization and your chapter of the ACLU.

Be prepared to protest the result if it does not reflect our will as a people. We must not allow our democracy to be subverted again!
Valuable 2   Must Read 1   Well Said 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Joan Brunwasser Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which since 2005 existed for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. Our goal: to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Because the problems with electronic (computerized) voting systems include a lack of (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Interview with Dr. Margaret Flowers, Arrested Tuesday at Senate Roundtable on Health Care

Renowned Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck on "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success"

Howard Zinn on "The People Speak," the Supreme Court and Haiti

Snopes confirms danger of Straight Ticket Voting (STV)

Fed Up With Corporate Tax Dodgers? Check Out PayUpNow.org!

Literary Agent Shares Trade Secrets With New Writers

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend