What it will take to change elections....

After reading article upon article, post upon post, about election reform and how desperately it's needed, I have come to the following conclusion, FWIW:

Either in the 2006 or, more likely, in the 2008 elections, a medium- to large-scale hack of the vote will have to occur. A group will have to take over the vote so that it can no longer be denied that the system is totally worthless and has to be rebuilt from the ground up. IMO, the group would be serving their patriotic duty to the country, though they'll be prosecuted and jailed for the acts.

Otherwise, the only changes made while the neocons are in control will be made for their advantage. They may act like they are making changes to "better" the system, but they'll always leave a backdoor somewhere of which they can take advantage.
KJ

No offense and I understand what you're saying but it will never happen.

When the stupid people of this country wake up and actually start learning of the obvious frauds taking place during elections is when things will change. When we grab those dick heads by the collars of their shirts and drag their asses out of our govt building will we then have real elections.

They STILL are losing elections you know.
And when they do, they get all worked up over fraud, we need to use this to our own advantage!

I wish I could expect the "stupid people in this country" to wake up, but, frankly, the apathy and smallmindedness so prolific makes the likelihood of that happening on par with Bush confessing his sins and resigning in the next year. Unless something happens of such significant magnitude that it becomes undeniable, as we've seen, nothing will change in any manner that will be transparent and significant.

There are so many battles that we have to fight: correcting election methods, cleaning up who may oversee elections, establishing a media that is free from corporate/government pressures (becoming one and the same, at this point), getting the Democratic party back on track. But stupid people will maintain their ignorance because (1) it's easier, (2) it fits with their lives as they've built them, and (3) not knowing means no responsibility (in their eyes)....

KJ

If every single person who normally sticks to electronic activism actually got out into the local community and became an advocate for change on these issues by joining existing organizations, lobbying people at the state level, getting on to county commissions and boards who buy and approve the equipment, stuff like that.... wow, then we'd have something, eh?

That'd be something. And because that isn't happening, those electronic activists are no better a contributor to righting the ills of our nation than those "stupid people" that are asleep at the wheel (cf my earlier comment re: apathy).
KJ

It only takes one person to start a revolution! Find and join, or start, a local organization today! League of Women voters is quite good, they have a lot of cred, and you don't have to be a woman to join. Or there might be another election activism group in your area.

forgive me if you already have, and I'm preaching to the choir here. ;)

No sweat. I do want to pull my weight, and the effects I have on the world from Helena, Montana are limited, but they are there nonetheless. And I don't mean to demean the importance of discussions, but, like you say, words without action are like faith without works - DEAD.....

KJ

And I'm planning a trip to lobby my state lege about our anti-BBV bill.

Why don't you find some likeminded friends and an amenable election lawyer and try to cook up your own state-level anti-BBV bill?

You don't have to change the world, just your corner of it. the rest of the world will change from that.

James Madison said:

"The people, who are its authors and its guardians, must be prepared to take up arms and defend it when it is threatened."

Exactly what the people did in 1861.

These coups d'etat via stolen elections are a shameful assault on our Constitution and on the people.

David O. Russell and Michael Moore come to mine as people who might be interested in putting together such a project. It would have to be done in a way that got people off their butts to be effective, though, and that's of course trickier than simply educating them.

It's going to have to be grassroots activism that does it, because the congresscritters in D.C. have their heads totally up their butts about election fraud, for the most part. In fact, I don't think but a tiny handful of them have ANY idea what's going on in the real world anymore....they're hiding in the pockets of the big money corporations.

If we're going to get rid of rigged/riggable vote counting machines, we're going to have to look our local legislators and officials right in the eye, and educate them. If that doesn't work, we're eventually going to have to take to the streets in our own counties and states.

One thing for sure, we're going to get our Democracy back, and this time we're going to make sure it sticks.

:kick::kick::kick: