Which do you believe will choose...

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

Poll question: Which do you believe will choose...

...our next POTUS, the people, or a handful of programmers?

---------------------------------------------------

Election 2008: Who Decides, the People or the Programmers?

By Ernest Partridge
Online Journal Guest Writer

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3937.shtml

---snip---

So let’s cut past the speculation and (alleged) “paranoid fantasies,” and focus instead on four simple, undisputed facts:

1. Next Tuesday, 30 percent of the votes will be cast on paperless “direct electronic recording” (DRE) voting machines, and 80 percent of those votes will be compiled on computers.

2. These voting machines and compiling computers are manufactured, and their software is written, by private corporations with close ties to the Republican Party.

3. These voting machines and compiling computers use “proprietary” (i.e., secret) software.

4. Accordingly, there is no independent means of validating the accuracy of the voting machines or the compiling computers.

Am I mistaken? I have, during the past eight years, read hundreds of pages of reassurances that our elections are “fair and accurate.” In those pages, I have found not one iota of evidence challenging any of the above four assertions. I read of “paranoid fantasies,” “sore losers,” “they wouldn’t dare,” etc., aplenty, but never, no never, any denial of any of the above facts.

So, assuming the above, it comes to this: if the election returns next Tuesday are fair and accurate, it will be because those anonymous programmers have chosen, for whatever reason, not to finagle the election, and not because they face exposure and prosecution -- not, that is, because there is any compelling reason for them not to steal the election.

In short, they might allow the American people to choose their next president, not because they have to, but because they choose to . . . .

[lapfog_1]

1. Realistically, they have to keep it close to steal it

otherwise the theft is too obvious.

If it's 55-45 or better, it can't be stolen by vote flipping, not without a national outcry for a complete investigation and re-vote.

Still, I suspect they will try. But they won't succeed. Not this time.

Later we need to eliminate these machines and go to hand counted paper ballots.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. I think you may be right...

...and I probably should have had the secondary question: "Do you believe all vote switching software is in place and can be used if they choose to steal it?"

There are a number of people, one being myself, who believe they can steal it if they choose to, but that they may not choose to if pre-election polling does not tighten up. Stealing it with an eight to ten point spread for Obama will draw intense scrutiny and have millions screaming bloody murder.

I'm hopeful they have decided to let the people decide the presidency this time.

NOTE:

I voted "the programmers" with the rationale that it is still the programmers making the decision even if they do choose to defer, at the behest of their GOP keepers, to the people.

[crossroads]

9. True that! Thanks...

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. Kick for a larger sample.

[BlooInBloo]

4. HAHAHAAH!!! Way to hedge your bets!!!

:rofl:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

5. Shouldn't you be out trick-o-treating?

[BlooInBloo]

6. Nothing like an unfalsifiable position to argue from! LOLOLOLOL!

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

7. I think you better have your mother look over whatever you've collected...

...this evening before you eat any more of it -- it's for your own good.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

8. Kick for a larger sample.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

10. Kick fo a larger sample.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

11. Kick for a larger sample.

[DainBramaged]

12. We got this, thanks for your concern

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

15. Did Obama have New Hampshire too?

[slackmaster]

13. I was married to a programmer for 10 years, and work with them every day

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

14. And therefore what?

[slackmaster]

23. I don't believe they have the self-discipline or the inclination to run a small, tight conspiracy

There is no systematic rigging of voting machines.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

16. Kick for a larger sample.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

17. Kick for a larger sample.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

18. Kick for a larger sample.

[justiceischeap]

19. I think the people will turn out overwhelmingly and it will be impossible for them to steal this

Maybe I'm naive but as Obama says, we gotta have hope!

[Sebastian Doyle]

20. It's a matter of turnout vs fraud.

Turnout appears to be winning, but that assumes that every one who shows up is actually allowed to vote. These lines in some states for early voting are absolutely ludicrous, and they will probably be just as long if not longer on Tuesday. And they do not DARE close those goddamn polls until every last person in that line has voted, no matter how late it is, or how much it pisses off Leslie Blitzer or Douche Gregory.

[Orsino]

21. We'll never know the whole answer...

...but I am confident that the actual voters will make the decision, overwhelmingly.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

22. Sure hope so -- if they do steal this one, we'll know...

...why the 3rd Infantry Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team was assigned back to the States.

I want to believe they won't do it because of the implausibility given the polls, and the domestic chaos it would bring. But then I can't help but wonder if domestic chaos and some kind of uprising isn't just the pretext they're looking for to accelerate transformation to the authoritarian police state.

I don't guess it serves any purpose to dwell on it at this point -- we'll see soon enough.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

24. Kick for a larger sample.