Miami Herald: Here's a Reporter Who Really GETS IT 3-26-06

Fred Grimm hits a bullseye with this oped, giving FL SOS hell for not being a sentinel or "guardian of democracy", and for not coming to Ion Sancho's defense.

I must say Reporter Fred Grimm appears to be a very fast-learning reporter. Perhaps Grimm "gets it" because he repeatedly uses the "guardians of democracy" frame, in which it is equally clear that the elections officials SHOULD be guardians or sentinels of democracy but at the same time it is clear that they are generally NOT acting like guardians of democracy. Take your pick: guardians, sentinels, or defenders of democracy.

In order to defend these lousy systems, they've got to make excuses, and lots of them. That's why you lead and constantly ask the question "are these officials defending democracy?" Fred Grimm apparently asked himself that question, couldn't find a good answer. Now he's asking state officials that same question, in Florida's largest newspaper. Give 'em hell, Fred!!

This reporter deserves thanks and support. fgrimm@herald.com

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<http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/fred_grimm/14181959.htm>

More election shenanigans in Sunshine State The Miami Herald March 26, 2006 Sunday

The Miami Herald

March 26, 2006 Sunday

SECTION: BR; Pg. 1

BYLINE: FRED GRIMM, fgrimm@herald.com

Not even the toadies on the Florida Public Service Commission {PSCC} would allow their corporate buddies to get away with this. Customers might give the power companies hell. {snip} But power companies don't retaliate against even their fiercest critics. They don't dare. Not even the Public Service Commission abides such behavior.

The Florida Secretary of State's office harbors a different ethic. The guardian of Florida democracy raised not a peep of protest when the only three certified vendors of voting machines retaliated against a critic. Diebold Elections Systems, Election Systems and Software (ES&S) and Sequoia Voting Systems all refused to sell machines to Leon County's Supervisor of Elections.

EASY TO HACK

{History of Hursti hack and Ion Sancho repeated here} This was Sue Cobb's cue to raise hell. This was the time for Jeb Bush's newly appointed secretary of state to grab vendor reps by their ears and inform them that either they serve Florida or they don't. If a company blackballs a Florida county, then Florida blackballs the company. {I guess not!!}

{More Sancho history here}

Unabashed, Cobb summoned Sancho and a member of the Leon County Commission last week to discuss the voting machine impasse. When reporters -- thinking the public might have an interest in how its elections are managed -- tried to attend, she called the Capitol police to toss them out. (Her way of observing Sunshine Week.) ''I've always said I have no objection to the press, but we do make faster progress without people having to look at cameras,'' said our guardian of democracy. Behind closed doors, Cobb made sure that Florida elections remain the exclusive province of three private corporations. It was a performance that would have embarrassed even the PSC.
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Ask yourself the question: Are these guys defending the procedural integrity of democracy? WE need fewer Pollyannas and more defenders of democracy.

Some quotes in recognition of Fred Grimm:

" There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle which does not live by secrecy. Get these things out in the open, describe them, attack them, ridicule them in the press, and sooner or later public opinion will sweep them away."
-- Joseph Pulitzer

"The Press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people."
Justice Hugo Black, New York Times vs. United States, 1971 (Pentagon Papers)

"Openness empowers citizens, weeds out the worst policy proposals, ensures the most efficient flow of information to all levels of law enforcement, makes a little more honest the despots who are our temporary allies against terrorism."
Thomas S. Blanton
executive director, National Security Archive, 2003

This lesson from the history book comes from the suffragette movement. Susan B. Anthony never lived to see women able to vote:

“Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about reform. Those who are really earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.”
-Susan B. Anthony, 19th Century suffragette

There's one at the Miami Herald. But he's not in office.

For my local fishwrapper! Once in a blue moon, something good comes out of it. :)

corruption for the whole world to see?
*** Sue Cobb, in bed with the election rigging companies and proud of it! ***

:eyes:


R'ed

can be interpreted as a sign that it must be "OK"

That's how it appears to me, anyway.

"You don't like what we're doing? Let's see you stop us." Bully/tyrant mentality.

Some one noteworthy or just a run-of-the-mill rethug? That is so appalling that it almost defies comment.

I went around with him pleading with him to consider focusing on this very subject- so it appears that he's now really beginning to "get it". I will drop him a note today...

nobody closes the door, and bars the press from honest government. nobody. yes, sue cobb, it is easier to be a dictator. for the dictator. only. this is still america, i think. open the f'ing door.

Speaking of sunshine, the vendors and elections officials are revealing themselves here so there ought to be a big camera to capture all of this and then to put those pictures into SPOTLIGHTS.

putting much more of a spotlight on it thant we've ever had before. Very good sign.

to the coverage if it exists locally or (2) to provide the WaPO links and inquire about future coverage

;-)

he can't believe that a politician hasn't taken this issue up yet....

Hmmm, maybe the politicos either (1) don't think it's enough of an issue to bother with, and hey, they're incumbents already so the system must be basically good, right?? or (2) they become convinced that these vnedors retaliating against Ion Sancho are not acting in good faith and want to take some action but then realize that they may need to be completely successful some period of months or more BEFORE THEIR NEXT ELECTION.

Cause you just never know. Would that intimidate a politician? I'm not attributing anything to any vendor, just saying that the politicians might have some doubts in their mind to hold them back.

Florida's Attorney General today agreed to investigate the potential anti-trust violations of Diebold, Sequoia and ES&S for possibly colluding to blackball Ion Sancho and deny him voting machines. Interestingly the Attorney General is a Republican who I believe will be running for Governor in Florida in November. ;-)

Nothing like lights, cameras and action to brighten up the swamps though.

... and yes I've been involved with some lights, cameras and a lot of action in various swamps. Florida is particularly swamped at the moment it seems ;-) I've just read the AP reporting on Florida's Attorney General investigating the three big vendors colluding against Ion Sancho....


March 29, 2006, 2:28PM

Fla. AG Subpoenas Voting Machine Companies


© 2006 The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's attorney general said Wednesday his office has issued investigative subpoenas to the three companies certified to sell voting machines in Florida as he reviews a dispute between the firms and Leon County's elections supervisor.

Diebold Inc., Election Systems & Software Inc., and Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. have refused to sell equipment to let disabled voters cast ballots without help in Leon County. Elections supervisor Ion Sancho has been outspoken about his concern that the devices can be easily manipulated to change race outcomes.

The companies' refusal has left Leon County, which is the home of the state Capitol, in violation of the federal Help America Vote Act.

"It is critical for our democratic process to work efficiently and effectively, but of most importance, fairly," Attorney General Charlie Crist said. "These subpoenas are to ensure that the rights of our voters with disabilities as well as all Florida voters are secured."

Crist wants to see copies of documents relating to sales of voting machines by Diebold, Election Systems & Software and Sequoia in Florida since January 2003. Crist's office began the investigation in early February.

"We haven't seen it, but obviously we will review it," said David Bear, spokesman for the elections division at Diebold. Officials at Sequoia and ES&S didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

it seems to me, is that these bloody "certification" units went 0 for 30 in detecting the nuclear bomb of all e-fraud techniques: that an election can be changed leaving no evidence.

I think the number is 30 states that have certification processes. And they went 0 for 30 in failing to spot the grandaddy of all holes.

We should trust certification??

who can become members of a very private club. In 2003 there was a small e-voting company in Tennessee called Tru-Vote which couldn't seem to get certification for its machines even though - or perhaps because - Tru-Vote had designed a very good voter verified paper print out before anyone else.

But which particular security hole do you mean wasn't spotted and is the grandaddy of all holes?

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419605>

in answering that reply. I was surprised he apparently didn't know about Wexler's work to get a paper trial. He's been at it for several years now.

He would probably be in the dark about Clint Curtis of course since I don't think Curtis has even decided whether or not he'll run.

Anyway, his reply did strike me as being sincere. I think he is just now catching on to some of what's going on, the absurdity of it. How can you have an election where the votes are counted by private companies using trade secret, proprietary software, without audits and oftentimes even without paper?

a problem, and he got Sancho'd. Or did Sancho get Shelley'd?

c'mon, guys help me spread this meme around!

GOP = Guardians of Plutocracy

or

GOP = Guardians of Petrodollars

won't work with elections where we want to have both a critique AND a positive suggestion of what the official ought to be doing, all contained within the same phrase "guardian of democracy" or "defender of democracy"

but in other contexts that's a great suggestion for a funny name for GOP