In advance of an upcoming screening of the new documentary film, UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections (Feb. 21 at Sojourner’s Church in Charlottesville, VA), David Swanson covers the problems with the electronic Hart Intercivic DRE voting systems in his own home town for the Charlottesville Weekly, and unearths the following gem…
[H]ere is where the City of Charlottesville’s website asks us to place our faith:
Q: How do I know that my vote has been cast and counted?
A: Whenever a voter presses the CAST BALLOT button and the waving American flag appears, the vote is cast and counted.
Ah, well. Glad that’s settled. God bless American faith-based democracy. Long may she wave. You folks in Charlottesville can now rest easy.
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It is nice to know when my vote is cast and counted, but it would be even nicer to have some clue as to who my vote might be counted for. Is there any way to determine who my vote might be counted for David??? 😉
Yes, the flag will either be American or Confederate. Draw your own conclusions.
/snark
The American flag waves “bye bye” as your vote floats off into the ether.
Man, they think all Americans are dim-wits.
I hope these electronic vote machine companies who make false promises about accuracy are held accountable by our legal system.
– Tom
Well
if the flag is waving you voted republican
if the flag looks like a soviet union flag then you voted democrat
if the flag turns black and has a skull and cross bones on it you voted for Ron Paul, better move cause that taser’s about to get you.
American flag waived, Amurkan flag appears on electronic voting machines. who-rah …
In wonder what flag this judge had on?
A little web searching reveals that “A: Whenever a voter presses the CAST BALLOT button and the waving American flag appears, the vote is cast and counted.” is the standard non answer to that question. Either that or their are a whole lot of illogical minds out there that all think exactly alike! 😉
Bob Young –
That would suggest that “FAQ” that comes from, comes straight from the friendly folks at Hart Intercivic. While looking for some photos of the flag waving in action, I came across several county election sites that seem to use the same materials from Hart.
Your corporatized, privatized, public election officials at work.
THANK YOU DAVID SWANSON AND BRAD FOR ALL YOU DO!!!
In response to Dredd #6, I know this is quite off topic, but I feel the need to defend Judge Robert Somma from the ignorant remarks that many people on the right and the left have been making about him.
I worked at the same firm as Bob Somma more than 20 years ago when I was a new law school graduate. I had little contact with him, but it was obvious to me that he was extremely intelligent and knew his subject cold. He also treated me with a lot more respect than some of his partners, and far more than too many other lawyers I worked with at other firms.
I do not practice bankruptcy law, but I have heard from someone who does at a very high level that Judge Somma is highly regarded and that he is known for doing his best to find the best solution for everyone, both the bankrupt and the creditors, and that he is willing to be creative to reach that result.
I have no idea what Bob Somma’s politics are. It is important to note that bankruptcy judges are appointed by the court, not by the president, because they are not Article III judges, who have lifetime tenure, but rather serve for a term of 14 years, and are not subject to Senate approval. My experience working with him, however little contact we had, was extremely positive. He was a sharp contrast with many of the other lawyers, who made me suspect that this was as close as I was ever going to come to working in a men’s locker room. I thoroughly doubt that he deserves the ridicule and bile that he is getting. We on the left should know better.
CambridgeKnitter — you are right that no matter what the allegations, Somma does not deserve sniggers and ridicule for being a cross-dresser, or gay, or anything of the sort.
Bush is the punchline here. The truly sad part is that Somma would never have been appointed (according to the Boston Herald, he was appointed) to any position if Bush and his loyal bushies had any idea he periodically stepped out to experience an alternative lifestyle.
Now I feel as though I have hijacked this thread, but I repeat that Bush did NOT appoint him. He was appointed by the judges of the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The Herald is mostly a rightwing rag, especially in the editorial department. The Globe reported correctly that he was appointed by the First Circuit. To my knowledge, the First Circuit is not yet the province of loyal Bushies.
In fact, the comments to the linked Pensito Review piece show that his political contributions went to Democrats, except for Mitt Romney when he was running against Teddy Kennedy for Senate in 1994, claiming that he would be better for gay people than Senator Kennedy. I do not know what motivated that contribution, but we all know that Mitt Romney now is not Mitt Romney then.
In fact, we don’t even know he’s gay. Cross dressing does not in any way equal gay.
What I do know is that he was a decent person when I knew him and was until this week a highly respected judge. He in no way deserves the jeers of both the right and the left that he has been getting. It is unworthy of us.
Now, back to the topic of this thread, I am old enough to remember how to treat the flag. I remember when all of the “America Love it or Leave it” crowd was aghast at the dirty hippies wearing the flag on their clothes or carrying flag handkerchiefs. The tables are completely turned now, with the righties sporting threadbare flags on their car antennas and using the flag for every commercial purpose you can think of, including stealing your civil rights and your vote.
I think the Jehovah’s Witnesses might be right about the graven image stuff.
My point is that KNOW MATTER WHAT YOU ARE, I think people should look at what you do. And as we make our case about those bushies…he’s just another victim. Christ, who’ll believe their crap at this point? How many have been compromised by them? How many HUMAM BEINGS ARE DEAD NOW? They are intimidators, let’s talk and give Nancy some breathing space, about it ALL! Get on the Right side of the FIGHT FOR ALL, ALL!
#10 #11
Cross dressers, cross wearers, cross burners, and the rest, must comply with the law, and a higher standard applies when one becomes a judge.
Otherwise they are wearing their own flag, just like a phony electronic election machine.
American flag waived …
Brad #8:
I have a little correction for the Hart Intercivic FAQ handout:
Please replace:
“Q: How do I know that my vote has been cast and counted?
A: Whenever a voter presses the CAST BALLOT button and the waving American flag appears, the vote is cast and counted.”
With:
“Q: How do I know that my vote has been stolen and counted?
A: Whenever a voter presses the CAST BALLOT button and the waving American flag appears, the waving flag signals that the secret Fascist neoCon software is in the process of adjusting your vote as the programmer sees fit before adding it to the “count” these machines will later report as the “election results”. ”
.
If any Texan wants to wave their right to have their vote counted as cast goodbye they can wave back at the waving flag of Fascism presented to them by the Hart Intercivic machine that now dictates their “democracy”.
Isn’t this one of the most important parts of both communism and fascism? Make sure the “national symbol” is prominently displayed every chance you can, and in places where it’s obvious your efforts are futile, but an attempt is being made to give the -appearance- of you doing your “duty” to your country?
Seems like more brainwashing to me.. And the “answer” they provide is text book obfuscation and avoiding the question.. but most people hear a “definitive response” and accept it, regardless of if it makes sense or not. Our pride coupled with our deep rooted ignorance is what’s killing this country.
FYI – Judge Somma was not appointed by Bush (that is not how a bankruptcy judge is appointed) and is not a republican. Read some cases (pro-consumer, liberal) and he donates to demacrates. Some facts for those who are fact-checking before pontificating.