Black Box: Appeal to President Carter

[DEMActivist]

Thanks to the wonderful letter written by our own TruthIsAll, we have several hundred signatures on a letter to President Carter to add his voice to the appeal to stop the Black Boxes from stealing our democracy.

If you haven't already, stop by and sign the letter to President Carter: http://blackboxvoting.org/petition.htm

We'll be faxing and hand delivering copies of this letter on Monday, August 11, 2003.

[ewagner]

1. done

:kick:

[Donna Zen]

33. Done

Also sent out emails to others.

[Gordon25]

2. Excellent idea

Kudos to all involved. :toast:

There are supposed to be 30,000 members of DU. Let's keep this thing kicked :kick: until we have five percent signed on.

Gordon25

[topdog08]

71. verifiedvoting.org has 43,218 signatures on a similar item

Bev, you should be working with these people or at least mentioning their stuff as more proof of the support for a paper trail.

verifiedvoting.org

[Rose Siding]

3. Signed

This oughta be right up his alley.

[ret5hd]

4. done (nt)

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Done!

Thanks for posting it.

[Trajan]

6. Indeed ....

Done ....

[ParanoidPat]

7. Done & done....

.....My wife and I both signed! Thanks TIA and Bev!

:kick:

[DagmarK]

8. Goodness.....is there any way to get this on other big list servs?

Like drop a note over at moveon.org to see if they will do a blast?

[BevHarris]

13. Dagmark: Can you drop moveon.org a note on that?

They have always completely ignored me and anything I have to say.

Bev Harris

[DagmarK]

26. Moveon totally ignores me too!!

BUT......gosh.....there is a DUer who actually wrote an article that appeared on their site. This was right before their electronic election. Who was that????? WHO???

I even emailed with her.....

Starts with a J......

Ugh.....my memory will come back..... hmmmmm

Anyways, I think she can actually CALL the moveon people.

[donsu]

9. done

nt

[grasswire]

10. send to democrats.com

They have a big mailing list.

[dweller]

11. signed on

:kick:

dp

[Wickster]

12. Done.

Thank you.

[alpizzy]

14. Signed &

Passed it on.

[Divernan]

15. Done

nt

[burr]

16. A worthwhile objective, to win over President Carter's support on this...

however I do not think that this is the letter, because of the way it is written, that will make this happen. This letter should be rewritten before the signatures are sent.

"you must speak out NOW in calling for fraud-proof, audited voting machine." Not the best line in the letter.
A former President or his staff will not seriously consider a letter telling him that he MUST DO ANYTHING, former Presidents do not respond to ultimatums or personal challenges to their values.

Finally something like this must focus on the problem that the integrity of every vote cast, regardless of party affilation, is at risk because of the Diebold machines. Until this happens, I believe that the current letter will do more harm than good in the effort of trying to recruit Carter.

[DEMActivist]

17. Thanks, Burr...

We'd be happy to work with you on suggested improvements. PM or email me and we'll get to work.

[shirlden]

18. Done and a kick

This could be the most important thing we do to assure honest voting in this country. Jimmy Carter's integrity is beyond even the reproach of the Repigs. If he speaks....people will listen.

:kick:

[Greyskye]

19. sent this email to my political list

This is what I sent out - feel free to copy at will!

One of the most under-reported yet spectacularly important issues of the day concerns the new touch-screen voting machines (almost all manufactured by one company {Diebold - http://www.diebold.com/dieboldes } which has extremely partisan political ties). These machines are being ordered and installed all across the country. These systems leave absolutely no paper trail, and have demonstrable hardware and software security flaws - including the ability to invisibly alter the audit log. See details at: http://blackboxvoting.org/

These machines were used in the 2002 Senate elections. Over 22,000 Diebold machines were installed in Georgia. The results of the elections raised eyebrows, as the deviations from final polling results were astounding and defied historical precedent. The popular pollster Zogby http://www.zogby.com/ claimed he had never seen last minute turnarounds like those which occurred in a number of hotly contested Senate and Governor races. And all the turnarounds favored the Republicans. The odds of this happening in a fair election are staggeringly low.

Please consider reading and signing this petition http://blackboxvoting.org/petition.htm and pass on this link.

Thanks!

(on edit: I've also sent this link to Buzzflash, if more do the same, it might make it on!)

[Robbien]

20. Done and another kick n/t

[Zan_of_Texas]

21. Done x several hundred

DEMActivist --

Okay, Done! Plus sent out all over the country, and to a list that's already gone out to hundreds.

Crossing fingers and toes.

Zan

[DEMActivist]

24. Thanks Zan! Great job!

Signatures are piling up!

[tom_paine]

22. Already signed. Here's a KICK, though!

:kick:

[KT2000]

23. Done - Excellent idea

and a good letter - thanks.

[peabody71]

25. Done. Thank you sending to all POLLWATCH.org members.

Change is on the horizon folks.
Pat yourself on the back.

[DEMActivist]

29. Thanks peabody!

We just can't stop until change has HAPPENED!

[gristy]

27. I had talked to the Carter Center a few months ago

asking if they could "monitor" the presidential election next year. They have monitored elections in other countries in the past. The response back was that they don't monitor US elections - I think they stated the reason being that the question of partisanship would be too great to overcome.

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. signed

I love Jimmy Carter. He'll do the right thing. He'll help.

[ParanoidPat]

30. Please Kick!

So that others may click! :evilgrin:

:kick:

[RedEagle]

31. Letter Misses Important Distinction!

OK, I'll try again.

As an activist who has fought this tooth and nail since last October...

You need to be specific and say- Voter-verified paper ballots.

Combine voter-verified, paper, and audit trail TOGETHER.

The way this letter reads, you'll have Carter talking about a voter-verified audit trail, which VoteHere will claim can be satisfied by their system.

Common guys, this letter plays right into the electronic-verification guys hands.

I commend the letter, it's great and heartfelt and I can endorse it if it calls for a voter-verified paper ballot.

:-( :-(

[DEMActivist]

32. Done!

Comments from you and Burr incorporated into the letter.

[Greyskye]

34. Did I miss this the first time I read it?

The last sentence - "Al Gore should be in the White House today; that is beyond question. We were fooled once; we must not be fooled again" - was it there this morning? While I heartily agree with its' sentiments, it lends itself perfectly to the Republican cry of "get over it". I would recommend taking out the parts which could be construed as 'whining' by non-Democrats.

[DEMActivist]

35. Yes, it was there....

and I tend to agree with you, but I hate to change the contents of an article I didn't write.

I agree though, that the sentence makes it very partisan which may prevent parties who might otherwise support the effort to back off. While many may support the cause, they may not be able to support that sentiment.

I do not wish to cause hard feelings by dramatically altering the letter without permission, though.

Input and suggestions, please? (I guess this is AKA "editorial control" huh?) :evilgrin:

[BevHarris]

41. I think it should be edited to become as effective as possible

Vetting it out from the group that is signing it seems to me like a good idea.

Bev

[scarletwoman]

45. I'm glad you feel that way because I'd like to offer a critique.

I signed it, with some hesitation. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the overall emotional tone of the letter. Personally, in order to get the attention of this person who is surely besieged with all manner of appeals, I would rely more heavily on solid facts, and less on rhetoric.

It's not very effective to simply assert that the Georgia election appeared to be compromised, one should offer some sort of data in support of this assertion -- links to published polls, news articles, opinion pieces by respected observers. Otherwise, I think the whole "Georgia" part of the letter ought be left out entirely.

It just seems to me that it's not very good strategy to just tell someone that you yourself are suspicious unless you are offering good solid, fact-based REASONS for your suspicion. You want President Carter to be himself sufficiently moved to suspicion on the basis of the evidence you present, so that he will personally consider the issue worthy of his time and effort.

Concisely lay out some facts and figures, and THEN sum up by offering a plausible interpretation of these facts that he may find compelling.

Leave out the hyperbole: "This is the first time in history that a large segment of the population is expecting that the Presidential election will be stolen. Chaos will reign if nothing is done."

*I* don't know that "a large segment of the population" is expecting a stolen election -- in fact, I think one might more factually assert that right now it is a very small segment of the population who is struggling to increase awareness of this issue in an otherwise unconcerned public.

Nor do I see it as a given that "chaos will reign" -- for all we know, most Americans will blithely go on about their uniformed, mass-consuming lives with nary a thought that votes are being compromised. Less than half the country votes to begin with -- do you think they'll get worked up about this?

Present the case for WHY DRE's are a problem with facts, not emotions. I'd much prefer that my name was signed to a reason-based appeal than an emotion-based one.

sw

[DEMActivist]

51. We will include the Hopkins findings with the letter

But, I assure you that President Carter has kept very up to date on this issue and the facts as they are known.

Do not forget that he has had personal experience with these machines installed in foreign countries where he has monitored elections.

The Diebold machines are already installed in several foreign countries.

[TruthIsAll]

53. A "large" segment could be 20% or 30% or...

What percentage thinks that Bush stole it in 2000? Quite high, as I recall. Don't you think they are also concerned about 2004? Just like you are?

And, yes, if it is stolen again, after all that we now know, chaos will reign - until such time as the protestors are rounded up and sent down to Camp X-Ray.

[DEMActivist]

54. TIA, I think it's simple...

BBV exists because we don't intend to stand for it anymore.

The BBV threads at DU are proof we won't stand for it again.

We'll never forget and we won't go quietly into the night if they allow it to happen again - even if it's not the same.

No, sir - DU proves we'll never stand by quietly and let it happen again.

Every hour of every day DU and the BBV issue makes that clear.

[TruthIsAll]

43. Not whining, just the facts, just the truth..let the thieves get over it.

The point is, they stole it. Period. It's a fact. We must learn our lesson. To be silent is to go along with the Commander in Thief's's agenda.

I thought we learned our lesson in 2000. And again in 2002.

If not now, when? In 2006, when it will be too late?

[DagmarK]

46. Hey TIA.......sounds like you want the Gore reference to stay.......

(in your original letter!)

But hey.....the focus of our cry for help is NOT to go back to 2000. The focus right here and right now is to ensure that future elections are fair and honest.

It does not make sense to make it a partisan issue with this initial plea to Carter.

The thing is -- AFTER we get all this election fraud stuff out and in the open (with the help of Carter, I hope), THAT is when we go back and ask for a complete review of former elections. And THAT's when we make our cries re Gore having won.

There is a time for every battle......

And if the Gore comment doesn't come out (TIA - you are the author of that letter, so I should think you have a bigger vote in it)..... but if you say NO to the change, then I think someone else should write a similar letter and we should start from the top with getting signatures.

Let me repeat: A reference to Gore having lost the election because of election fraud will not take us where we need to go with this. The letter should omit this reference. We can take up that battle later.

[TruthIsAll]

50. To BEV et al: I don't OWN this letter..Yes, take out the Gore reference

It's all TRUE, too TRUE, perhaps..

[Pobeka]

69. How about saying it like this?

There will be doubt about the outcome of the election by many, and there is no convincing way to have a recount, since the vote could have be changed by the machine before it was "recorded".

[Cheswick2.0]

79. why be affraid of the truth?

Gore should be in the whitehouse. To ignore that is to certify the results of 2000. Don't you get it yet? They will acuse us of whining no matter what. They get to be partisan and we have to kiss ass.

[tnlefty]

36. signed and thanks for all of the work that all of you are doing!

n/t

[Melinda]

37. Sent thru my email lists too.

Thanks for the opportunity to add my voice, and for your hard work, determination, and diligence. I admire all of you very, very much. :)

[deek]

38. superb idea

Carter is the perfect person for this plea, also.
Thank you, TruthIsAll.

[Melinda]

39. Deserved 30 minute *kick*

:kick:

[Gordon25]

40. Still a ways to go

:kick:

Gordon25

[Booberdawg]

42. done n/t

[BadGimp]

44. done

[cmd]

47. done, n/t

[Generic Other]

48. Done

Jimmy can do it if anyone can!

[angka]

49. done

president carter, the only president who promised not to lie to us (and he didn't). a man dedicated to free, fair elections all over the world. a very good man to educate on this matter.

i would also support scarletwoman's comments about editing this particular letter to tone down the emotional underscoring of the very salient points made in it. as much our alarms have been set off, and as passionate as we may feel about this issue, it must be communicated to others—particularly people like carter who in a position to wield tremendous influence—in a reasoned, dispassionate manner.

which is not to say that i don't agree with every excellent point made in this letter. i absolutely do. these are only suggestions for delivery.

[Pobeka]

52. done

[4dog]

55. Done, nt

[ILeft]

56. signed....do it Jimmy!.......eom

[DEMActivist]

57. Thanks all!

Let's keep it going...

[ParanoidPat]

58. OK!

:)

[RedEagle]

59. Keep the Letter going...

kick

[otohara]

60. done

will pass around, great idea

[seventhson]

61. done Lotta DUers there

Good idea

[DEMActivist]

62. 426 signatures so far

kick it up

[TruthIsAll]

63. Kick for Saturday sigs..

Go for at least 1000..

[DagmarK]

64. We need to borrow Dean's BAT!!!!

:-)

[ILeft]

65. kick>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>eom

[phoebe]

66. kickin' again

:kick:

signed up and passed along..

[govegan]

67. Signed.........................Gracias..........................

"My uniform experience has convinced me that there is no other God than Truth." MK Gandhi

[Misinformed01]

68. Done and Kicked

nt

[TruthIsAll]

70. Kicked for those Sat. night sexaholics

..now that you are spent, spend some time with this..

[nuxvomica]

72. ...and done and kicked...

:kick:

[scipan]

73. done

:kick:

[RedEagle]

74. More signatures!

Kick!

[kimchi]

75. done.

[RedEagle]

76. Sign the Letter- Demand Accountable Voting

Kick

[shanti]

77. signed!

n/t

[TruthIsAll]

78. A question for Arnie: what about those Diebold machines?

Does he even know who they are?

And what about Enron? Does he know what they did in Cal.?

And the Clinton impeachment: Arnie said it was a bad thing to do. But Arnie, who was behind it?

[ParanoidPat]

80. Look what I found!

860 others have signed, have you?

:shrug:
:evilgrin: :kick:

[RedEagle]

81. Come On, Over a Thousand by Monday!

We can do it!

Kick!

[ParanoidPat]

82. Woo Hooo! 1066 people have signed since friday!

Have YOU? :shrug:

:evilgrin: :kick:

[Zan_of_Texas]

83. Woo Hoo

Delivery report? DEMActivist?

[DEMActivist]

84. We were asked to delay it for a day...

One big activist group just got the notice today and wanted to give their subscribers a chance to sign it.

Maybe we'll reach 1500!