Joan Brunwasser, Voting Integrity Editor, OpEdNews.com
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I just checked my records. First time I heard about Joan Brunwasser and Invisible Ballots was in a rather long email she sent to several CASE members on December 17, 2005. She explained her concern about stolen elections and offered to send a loaner copy of a DVD that featured many of the leading activists in a professional production.
We had a few takers in CASE, not nearly as many as hoped for, but I kept advertising and gradually maybe half a dozen people saw it. It is still circulating but slowly.
The big break came when I attended a NLP (Natural Law Party) meeting. We in Ohio seem to be about the last of the NLP movement in the US, but we persist, The few of us who are active are involved in many things from running for office, to election reform, to the peace movement and more. It was a good group to bring the DVD to because we used a part of that meeting to see most of the 60 minute version and several people wanted their own copies.
We requested a couple more copies from Joan to circulate among NLP members and then found that several people wanted their own copy, plus extras for others. Once an activist sees a good video like Invisible Ballots, they seem to immediately recognize it as an invaluable tool that can help them energize others. I just ordered 20 copies; 11 are already spoken for and I don't expect much difficulty in finding homes for the rest.
Sincerely,
Phil Fry
Co-Founder CASE_OH
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Thought you'd like to know that X's son told me at the Seder that "I'm a Republican and I'm scared ****less of Diebold!"
LC, IL
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Invisible Ballots came in yesterday's mail. I watched it this morning. I
feel like I've been kicked in the stomach and I have a splitting
headache. I want to cry. It does NOT matter what side you are on on ANY
issue; if our vote is lost, our democracy is lost, and I don't see enough
people caring. I LIKE disagreement, I like the public discourse, I think
the debate is healthy and brings us to a better place in the
end. Invisible ballots will end the debate.
That said, I think we need more than "viewings" of this video. I think
BEFORE HAND, we need to prepare postcards and address labels (to reps and senators), with a preprinted short message (like that in the epilogue of the movie, "Invisible ballots are a bad idea, VISIBLE ballots are the only
way to guarantee the integrity of our vote and the future of our freedom"),
and a request that they support the legislation already introduced to
require the voter verified paper ballot. (at the federal level, HR 550, and
at the state level, HB 2000 & SB 977. re: SB 977, Senator Madigan informed me "the prime sponsor of the bill asked that the bill be withdrawn fromCommittee consideration and it was agreed that the Committee will conduct a public hearing on the bill in the early part of this year. THE HEARING DATE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED BUT WE ARE PROCEEDING ACCORDINGLY." duh?)
I think IMMEDIATELY after the movie, the audience needs to be engaged in
two ways: 1 - ASK FOR AN IMMEDIATE GUT REACTION - what were the most revealing, startling, and/or concerning things that you just learned? A facilitator should write those down on a large sheet of easel paper. 2 -
offer the post cards and pens, ask them to add their own brief sentence or
two to the pre-printed message, get them to sign, and LETS MAIL THEM!
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