A New Role for Defense Contractors?: Counting Votes

[Melissa G]

The editorial board of the New York Times did a lovely opinion piece below...




A New Role for Defense Contractors?: Counting Votes
By The Editorial Board

There has long been good reason to worry about Diebold voting machines. Many are “black box” electronic machines that do not produce paper records, so voters have to accept the results they report on faith.
snip
(The Onion has a hilarious video up on Youtube, a mock news report about Diebold accidently releasing the results of the 2008 presidential election before the voting occurs. View it here.)
Now, there’s a new reason to worry that Diebold plays such a large role in presidential elections. United Technologies has made an unsolicited $3 billion bid to take over Diebold.
United Technologies is one of the nation’s leading defense contractors, which means it has an enormous corporate interest in who gets elected President.

When we heard the news, we couldn’t help thinking of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous warning, in his farewell address, about the dangerously increasing influence of the “military-industrial complex.” (Watch a video of a key part of the speech here.)

Eisenhower told the American people that
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

Given his blunt warning, we suspect that Eisenhower would be appalled to learn that a defense contractor could be counting the votes in the next presidential election.

http://tinyurl.com/2sjkf3

[razors edge]

1. The votes haven't been counted

for a long time, the DOD knows this and is just making sure they are the ones who get to announce the winner.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

2. Rec'd nt

[DianaForRussFeingold]

3. K&R

"In his farewell address to the nation after spending 8 years as president, in 1961 Eisenhower warns of a growing danger." From "Why We Fight."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdrGKwkmxAU&feature=related

Electronic Elections: Vote Fraud in the 21st Century
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9nKSMCSKEw

Uncounted trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPa4fiEMWuw
Uncounted - The New Math of American Elections-1hr.20min.-
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2053171972904749134

[Lorien]

4. K & R

This is unreal. And just when you thought it couldn't get worse...

[elleng]

5. It ALWAYS

gets worse!

[L. Coyote]

6. LOBBYING DATABASE Top Spenders #9 Northrop Grumman = $101,390,474

New political role for defense spending too, reinforcing R strongholds and sending them BILLIONS and BILLIONS of taxpayer $$$$$$.
Redirecting defense spending to corrupt cronies in Red states is apparently legal now (and an urgent issue before they lose the control):

opensecrets.org LOBBYING DATABASE Top Spenders #9 Northrop Grumman = $101,390,474

RANDY "DUKE" CUNNINGHAM: Top Contributor #3 = Northrop Grumman $74,250
JERRY LEWIS: Top Contributor #4 = Northrop Grumman $78,250

Sens. Shelby, Sessions, = TOP Senate Recipients of Funding From Missile Defense Contractors

MORE:
U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2947419

THIS IS A POLITICAL COUP! to send big bucks to Red states (for decades after the election)!