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jworthingtonreview · 2 months

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Privacy at the Polls: The Critical Importance of Voting Booth Design

When we think of the democratic process, the act of voting stands as the quintessential symbol of citizen power. Yet, there's more to it than just casting a ballot. Voting is an intimate and personal action, one in which an individual's voice is translated into a single, tangible piece of democratic participation. This is why the design of voting booths and the entire voting experience matters immensely. Here, we'll explore how the design of this very personal public space plays a crucial role in maintaining the sanctity and privacy of our electoral process.

An Inside Look at Voting Booths

The humble voting booth is a marvel of discreet design. Once within their confining yet liberating walls, a voter is free to make their choice without fear of judgment or coercion. The materials, the dimensions, and the placement of these booths are intentional. They are meant to shield each voter's choice from prying eyes and to discourage any undue influence.

One often-overlooked factor in voting booth design is the incorporation of accessible features that allow all individuals, regardless of physical ability, to vote in private. This requires innovation in not only the physical structure of the booth but also in the process of voting itself, with advancements in touch-screen technology and braille ballots leading the charge for inclusivity.

The Psychology of Privacy in Voting

The American Psychological Association has long championed the link between physical privacy and psychological autonomy. In the context of voting, the privacy of the voting booth is crucial in promoting a sense of individual empowerment. When people feel safe and unobserved, they are more likely to express their true opinions, aligning with the spirit of democratic ideals.

This psychological underpinning explains why many countries with advanced democracies place such an emphasis on the privacy of the vote. The United States, for example, has stringent laws that prohibit the taking of photographs within polling places, as this could lead to the identification of how an individual voted, undermining the confidence and participation in the voting process.

Ballots in the Balance: Printing and Security

Equally vital to the confidentiality of the vote is the printing and distribution of the ballot itself. A secure printing environment is one in which not only the physical ballots but also the information they contain is protected. The chain of custody for ballot printing must be rigorously protected from the moment they are printed until the moment they are counted.

The rise of electronic voting has led to new challenges and innovations in secure printing and ballot integrity. Several countries use cutting-edge cryptographic techniques to print ballots that are both secure and verifiable. These techniques ensure that the physical and digital representations of the vote remain in perfect alignment, maintaining privacy and ensuring the sanctity of the vote.

A Secure Democracy through Design

Voting booth design and ballot printing might not be the most glamorous topics in democracy discourse, but they are essential to the integrity of the electoral process. Through their thoughtful and purposeful design, these elements of voting infrastructure have the power to deter fraud, uphold the privacy of the vote, and protect the individual's right to express their political will.

Election officials and architects continually strive to improve these designs, keeping pace with the evolving threats and challenges facing modern democracies. From inclusivity to security, the design choices made in the construction of our voting structures and systems reflect the very essence of our commitment to democratic values.

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biocube-technologies-inc · 4 months

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Unveiling Tomorrow: The Evolution of Biometric Technology

Biometric technology refers to the automated recognition and authentication of individuals based on their physical or behavioral traits. Common examples include fingerprints, iris/retina scans, facial recognition, voice recognition, and even vein patterns. As technology continues advancing, biometrics are being integrated into more applications for convenient and secure identity verification.

The Growth and Evolution of Biometrics

The origins of biometrics date back over a century to the late 1800s when law enforcement began using fingerprints and facial photos for criminal identification. However, the past few decades have seen massive evolution and civilian adoption. Some key developments include:

1960s - First commercial biometric tech for fingerprint recognition

1970s - Voice recognition and iris scanning capabilities emerge

1980s/90s - Facial recognition and signature verification software introduced

2000s - Widespread integration into commercial devices and systems

2010s - AI and neural networks propel accuracy and versatility

Today biometric authentication is ubiquitous for everything from unlocking smartphones to passing border security. The global biometric market size is expected to grow from $45 billion in 2022 to over $125 billion by 2028.

Top Applications and Use Cases

Some top practical applications of biometrics include:

Government ID systems - e-passports, national IDs, voter registration

Law enforcement fingerprinting, face matching, and DNA analysis

Banking and financial services for fraud prevention and secure access

Smartphones, laptops, tablets that unlock via fingerprints or face scans

Airport security and border control including extensive biometric checks

Access control systems for facilities like data centers and laboratories

Healthcare organizations to control confidential records access

Cutting Edge Innovations

With constant improvements in sensor technologies and AI algorithms, the capabilities of biometrics are rapidly evolving. Some innovations gaining traction include:

Multi-modal systems combining multiple identifiers for better accuracy

Contactless biometrics like facial recognition or iris scans from a distance

Behavioral biometrics utilizing things like signature dynamics and gait

Expanded mobile applications leveraging built-in sensors

Emerging identifiers such as palm print, vein, and heartbeat recognition

Many expect biometric wearables integrated into clothing, accessories, and implants to eventually help facilitate frictionless interactions and commerce.

Challenges and Concerns

Despite the benefits, the expanded use of biometrics raises important challenges around ethics and privacy:

Mass surveillance and profiling risks from aggregated biometric data sets

Accurately balancing security with convenience and user experience

New spoofing and hacking vulnerabilities to protect against

Establishing strict controls and audit trails for internal users of data

Potential discrimination biases in underlying face/voice algorithms

Maintaining public trust and accentuating cybersecurity will be paramount as biometric prevalence grows. Carefully crafted policy and regulations can help guide responsible development.

The Future of Biometric ID

Many envision a future with biometrics seamlessly authenticating us for daily services ranging from mass transit to retail payments. Our physical identifiers could eliminate remembering passwords, showing ID cards, carrying keys, and more. This will ultimately depend on the technology proving highly reliable, and secure and addressing the ethical pitfalls around privacy erosion. If these conditions are met, biometrics could one day enable frictionless access control and transactions integrated into background processes.

#biometric technogy #biometrics #technology #biometric authentication #biometric identity #biometric verification #biometric identification #face recognition #tech blog #tumblr

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starprolabs · 9 months

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Blockchain Empowerment

Unlocks the potential of Blockchain Empowerment, ensuring unparalleled security and transparency. Learn more about Blockchain Empowerment.

What is Blockchain Technology?

Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger system that records transactions across multiple computers. Each transaction, known as a block, will be linked to the previous one that created a chain of blocks. This decentralized approach eliminates the need for intermediaries and ensures that transactions are transparent, immutable, and secure.

Benefits of Blockchain Empowerment:

Enhanced Security:

Security is a top concern in mobile app development. Blockchain technology provides a robust security framework by encrypting transactions and distributing them across a network of computers. This makes it extremely difficult for hackers to manipulate or compromise data, ensuring the integrity of the app’s transactions.

Smart Contracts:

Blockchain technology supports smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with predefined rules. Smart contracts automate processes and eliminate the need for manual intervention, thereby increasing efficiency. Mobile apps integrated with smart contracts can streamline operations, facilitate secure transactions, and ensure compliance with predefined conditions.

Increased Trust and User Engagement:

Blockchain’s transparent and secure nature instills trust among users. With the assurance of data integrity and privacy, users are more likely to engage with mobile apps.

Challenges of Implementing Blockchain in Mobile App Development:

Scalability:

As the number of transactions grows, the blockchain can become slower, leading to potential bottlenecks. Mobile app developers need to carefully design the architecture to ensure scalability without compromising performance.

Complexity:

Integrating blockchain technology into mobile apps requires specialized knowledge and expertise. Blockchain development involves complex algorithms, cryptographic techniques, and decentralized consensus protocols. Developers need to acquire the necessary skills or collaborate with blockchain experts to successfully implement blockchain in mobile apps.

User Experience:

The learning curve associated with blockchain interactions can affect User experience. Mobile app developers should strive to create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that abstract the complexities of blockchain technology, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Regulatory and Legal Considerations:

Mobile apps leveraging blockchain need to comply with existing regulations and address legal considerations specific to their industry. Developers must ensure compliance with data privacy laws, financial regulations, and other relevant guidelines.

Future Potential of Blockchain in Mobile App Development:

The potential for blockchain technology in mobile app development is vast and promising. As technology matures and becomes more widely adopted, we can expect to see innovative use cases and advancements. Some potential areas where blockchain can have a significant impact include:

Supply Chain Management:

Blockchain can revolutionize supply chain management by providing end-to-end visibility and traceability. Mobile apps integrated with blockchain can track products, authenticate their origins, and ensure compliance with quality standards.

Healthcare:

Blockchain technology can enhance the security and privacy of medical records, facilitate seamless sharing of patient data between healthcare providers, and enable secure prescription management. At its core, blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger that records and stores data in a secure and tamper-proof manner.

Voting Systems:

Blockchain-based mobile apps can provide secure and transparent voting systems, eliminating concerns of voter fraud and ensuring the integrity of democratic processes.

Intellectual Property Protection:

Mobile apps leveraging blockchain can create a decentralized marketplace for intellectual property, enabling creators to securely register, protect, and monetize their assets.

Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize mobile app development by providing enhanced security, transparency, and efficiency. Integrating blockchain into mobile apps has challenges, and the benefits outweigh the obstacles. As technology continues to evolve, businesses that embrace blockchain in their mobile app development strategies will gain a competitive edge, build trust with users, and unlock new opportunities in the digital landscape. By harnessing the power of blockchain, we can shape a future where mobile apps are more secure, transparent, and user-centric.

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securedvotings · 9 months

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Understanding the Vital Role of Election Service Providers in Ensuring Fair and Transparent Elections

Fair and transparent elections form the cornerstone of any healthy democracy. They empower citizens to exercise their fundamental right to vote and choose their representatives freely. However, organizing successful elections is a complex and challenging task, requiring meticulous planning, coordination, and execution. In recent times, the role of Election Service Providers (ESPs) has become increasingly crucial in ensuring the integrity and fairness of electoral processes. This blog delves into the significance of ESPs and the various ways they contribute to fostering transparent and impartial elections.

What are Election Service Providers (ESPs)?

Election Service Providers are organizations or entities that offer specialized services related to the electoral process. Their primary purpose is to support election management bodies and governments in conducting smooth, efficient, and credible elections. ESPs play a non-partisan role and are committed to upholding the principles of fairness, transparency, and inclusivity.

Ensuring Accessible Voter Registration

Voter registration is the foundation of any electoral process. ESPs play a critical role in developing and implementing voter registration systems that are inclusive and accessible to all eligible citizens. Through innovative technologies and data management systems, ESPs help identify potential voters, prevent duplication, and ensure accurate voter lists.

Implementing Secure Electronic Voting Systems

With technological advancements, electronic voting has emerged as an alternative to traditional paper ballots. ESPs develop secure electronic voting systems that protect against hacking, fraud, and tampering. These systems not only streamline the voting process but also increase voter confidence in the integrity of the elections.

Enhancing Electoral Infrastructure

ESPs assist in the setup and maintenance of robust electoral infrastructure. This includes establishing polling stations, training election officials, and deploying necessary equipment such as electronic voting machines, ballot scanners, and biometric verification systems. By ensuring a smooth and efficient voting experience, ESPs contribute to higher voter turnout and increased public trust in the electoral process.

Voter Education and Awareness Campaigns

To ensure informed voting, ESPs conduct voter education and awareness campaigns. These initiatives aim to educate citizens about their voting rights, the electoral process, and the importance of participating in elections. By promoting civic engagement and political literacy, ESPs empower citizens to make well-informed decisions at the ballot box.

Monitoring and Auditing Election Processes

ESPs play a pivotal role in monitoring and auditing various stages of the electoral process. They observe pre-election preparations, polling day activities, and post-election procedures. Their independent assessments help identify irregularities, discrepancies, or potential instances of electoral malpractice, ensuring that corrective actions can be taken promptly.

Countering Election Fraud and Cybersecurity Threats

Fair elections are susceptible to various threats, including election fraud and cybersecurity breaches. ESPs work closely with election management bodies to implement stringent security measures, protect voter data, and safeguard the electoral infrastructure against cyberattacks. Through constant vigilance, ESPs help maintain the integrity of the electoral process.

The role of Election Service Providers is pivotal in upholding the principles of democracy through fair and transparent elections. Their commitment to impartiality, technological expertise, and dedication to promoting citizen participation ensure that the electoral process remains credible and trustworthy. By collaborating with governments, election management bodies, and civil society organizations, ESPs contribute significantly to strengthening democratic institutions and fostering a vibrant democratic culture worldwide. As citizens, it is crucial to recognize and support the invaluable role of ESPs in preserving the integrity of our electoral systems.

#onlinevotingplatform #onlinevoting #onlinevotingsystem #vote #election #electionplatfrom #Transparent Voting #transparent

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gardenshomemanagement · 10 months

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The Downsides Of Oceanfront Rental Dwelling

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 11, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

On the twentieth anniversary of the day terrorists from the al-Qaeda network used four civilian airplanes as weapons against the United States, the weather was eerily similar to the bright, clear blue sky of what has come to be known as 9/11. George W. Bush, who was president on that horrific day, spoke in Pennsylvania at a memorial for the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, stormed the cockpit and brought their airplane down in a field, killing everyone on board but denying the terrorists a fourth American trophy.

Former president Bush said: “Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans, on a routine flight, to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror. The 33 passengers and 7 crew of Flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. In a sense, they stood in for us all.” And, Bush continued, “The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people. Facing an impossible circumstance, they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evil.”

Recalling his experience that day, Bush talked of “the America I know.”

“On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another…. At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith…. At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees…. At a time when some viewed the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to selfless action.”

Today’s commemorations of that tragic day almost a generation ago seemed to celebrate exactly what Bush did: the selfless heroism and care for others shown by those like Welles Crowther, the man in the red bandana, who helped others out of danger before succumbing himself; the airplane passengers who called their loved ones to say goodbye; neighbors; firefighters; law enforcement officers; the men and women who volunteered for military service after the attack.

That day, and our memories of it, show American democracy at its best: ordinary Americans putting in the work, even at its dirtiest and most dangerous, to take care of each other.

It is this America we commemorate today.

But even in 2001, that America was under siege by those who distrusted the same democracy today’s events commemorated. Those people, concentrated in the Republican Party, worried that permitting all Americans to have a say in their government would lead to “socialism”: minorities and women would demand government programs paid for with tax dollars collected from hardworking people—usually, white men. They wanted to slash taxes and government regulations, giving individuals the “freedom” to do as they wished.

In 1986, they had begun to talk about purifying the vote; when the Democrats in 1993 passed the so-called Motor Voter law permitting people to register to vote at certain government offices, they claimed that Democrats were buying votes. The next year, Republicans began to claim that Democrats won elections through fraud, and in 1998, the Florida legislature passed a voter ID law that led to a purge of as many as 100,000 voters from the system before the election of 2000, resulting in what the United States Commission on Civil Rights called “an extraordinarily high and inexcusable level of disenfranchisement,” particularly of African American voters.

It was that election that put George W. Bush in the White House, despite his losing the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore by more than a half a million votes.

Bush had run on the promise he would be “a uniter, not a divider,” but as soon as he took office, he advanced the worldview of those who distrusted democracy. He slashed government programs and in June pushed a $1.3 trillion cut through Congress. These measures increased the deficit without spurring the economy, and voters were beginning to sour on a presidency that had been precarious since its controversial beginnings.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, hours before the planes hit the Twin Towers, a New York Times editorial announced: “There is a whiff of panic in the air.”

And then the planes hit.

“In our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment,” Bush said. America had seemed to drift since the Cold War had ended twelve years before, but now the country was in a new death struggle, against an even more implacable foe. To defeat the nation’s enemies, America must defend free enterprise and Christianity at all costs.

In the wake of the attacks, Bush’s popularity soared to 90 percent. He and his advisers saw that popularity as a mandate to change America, and the world, according to their own ideology. “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” he announced.

Immediately, the administration focused on strengthening business. It shored up the airline industry and, at the advice of oil industry executives, deregulated the oil industry and increased drilling. By the end of the year, Congress had appropriated more than $350 billion for the military and homeland security, but that money would not go to established state and local organizations; it would go to new federal programs run by administration loyalists. Bush’s proposed $2.13 trillion 2003 budget increased military spending by $48 billion while slashing highway funding, environmental initiatives, job training, and other domestic spending. It would throw the budget $401 billion in the red. Republicans attacked any opposition as an attack on “the homeland.”

The military response to the attacks also turned ideological quickly. As soon as he heard about the attacks, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked his aides to see if there was enough evidence to “hit” Iraqi president Saddam Hussein as well as al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. In fact, Saddam had not been involved in the attack on America: the al-Qaeda terrorists of 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Rumsfeld was trying to fit the events of 911 into the worldview of the so-called neocons who had come together in 1997 to complain that President Bill Clinton’s foreign policy was “incoherent” and to demand that the U.S. take international preeminence in the wake of the Cold War. They demanded significantly increased defense spending and American-backed “regime change” in countries that did not have “political and economic freedom.” They wanted to see a world order “friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles.”

After 9/11, Bush launched rocket attacks on the Taliban government of Afghanistan that had provided a safe haven for al-Qaeda, successfully overthrowing it before the end of the year. But then the administration undertook to reorder the Middle East in America's image. In 2002, it announced that the U.S. would no longer simply try to contain our enemies as President Harry S. Truman had planned, or to fund their opponents as President Ronald Reagan had done, but to strike nations suspected of planning attacks on the U.S. preemptively: the so-called Bush Doctrine. In 2003, after setting up a pro-American government in Afghanistan, the administration invaded Iraq.

By 2004, the administration was so deeply entrenched in its own ideology that a senior adviser to Bush told journalist Ron Suskind that people like him—Suskind—were in “the reality-based community”: they believed people could find solutions based on their observations and careful study of discernible reality. But, the aide continued, such a worldview was obsolete. “That’s not the way the world really works anymore.… We are an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”

The 9/11 attacks enabled Republicans to tar those who questioned the administration's economic or foreign policies as un-American: either socialists or traitors making the nation vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Surely, such people should not have a voice at the polls. Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression began to shut Democratic voices out of our government, aided by a series of Supreme Court decisions. In 2010, the court opened the floodgates of corporate money into our elections to sway voters; in 2013, it gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act; in 2021, it said that election laws that affected different groups of voters unevenly were not unconstitutional.

And now we grapple with the logical extension of that argument as a former Republican president claims he won the 2020 election because, all evidence to the contrary, Democratic votes were fraudulent.

Today, former president Bush called out the similarities between today’s domestic terrorists who attacked our Capitol to overthrow our government on January 6 and the terrorists of 9/11. “There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, “he said. “But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.”

In doing so, we can take guidance from the passengers on Flight 93, who demonstrated as profoundly as it is possible to do what confronting such an ideology means. While we cannot know for certain what happened on that plane on that fateful day, investigators believe that before the passengers of Flight 93 stormed the cockpit, throwing themselves between the terrorists and our government, and downed the plane, they all took a vote.

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Notes:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/11/politics/transcript-george-w-bush-speech-09-11-2021/index.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050205041635/http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm

http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=project_for_the_new_american_century

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#9/11 #September 11th #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #GWOT #G.W. Bush #forever wars #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP

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alexsmitposts · 3 years

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The Nasty Truth About America’s Love Affair with Narcissism and Self Pity

Column: Society Region: USA in the World

📷There is a saying, “the crazy people have taken over the asylum.” They did that in the United States in 2016, a nation ruled by grifters, petty criminals and the delusional.The sane and decent became the “silent majority” as the not just America but the world learned that the darkness of the American soul depicted so often by Hollywood is not fiction at all and that a reality TV actor had tapped into a cesspit of sewage that has seeped into every American community.Then came 2020.By sheer luck along and, yes, the votes of 81 million Americans lucky enough to survive voter suppression and intimidation financed by a worldwide organized crime cartel, the insane are now out of power.The new “captain’’ of America’s “ship of state” may well, however, have something on his hands worse than the Titanic. The Titanic had the courtesy to actually sink while America, under this analogy, drifts lifelessly along.Extremism is big money in America, climate denialism, race hatred, social discord and civil war, hate is both a product and an addiction.It is also one of America’s biggest businesses. There would be no social media, no Google, no news organizations, no underbelly of device driven ecstasy, without fear and hate being marketed like cigarettes and CBD gummies.Roots of America’s Politics of Fear and Hate 2.0American extremism is not the result of poverty or oppression. It originates among the privileged, the “haves” who adhere to insane beliefs driven by boredom and generalized dissatisfaction at lives the rest of the word would envy, overpaid jobs, gas guzzling cars and trucks and fast food laden with fats and poisonous additives.If you asked many millions of Americans to define “reality,” their brains would grind to a halt. Reality is based, not on experience or observation but on “beliefs” and strongly held “opinions” which are invariably those scripted for them.Beliefs and opinions untested by the feedback loop of life has created a generation of Americans who are, essentially, living in a video game. This makes Qanon a AI program.Collective delusion has become the norm for many, and by “many” we mean up to 150 million lost souls, caught in an RPG game or, for some, a “first person shooter.”What does it make those who play? But then we have seen all this before, just without a population softened up to this degree by chaos theory conditioning. Some background:The Roots of Fascist AmericaIn 1940, Adolf Hitler was Time Magazine’s man of the year. The parents and grandparents of Trump’s supporters, following Huey Long, Gerald L.K. Smith, Father Coughlin and Charles Lindbergh sought to establish a “whites only” America based on the German model with carefully selected military leaders run by Wall Street pulling the strings.There is something magical, even today, about being “white folks.” That magic originated in the 18th and 19th centuries with the “Sturm and Drang” movement. Extremes of emotion and subjectivity were exalted above rationalism.Childish temper tantrums became a philosophy and eventually a political movement.The movement, which failed in Europe, found fertile ground in the United States in a society that increasingly defined itself though ritualized slavery and degradation and oppression of “coloured races.”This was a society built on the genocide that wiped out millions of indigenous peoples with the survivors now living on “reservations.”Imagine land where nothing grows, and no one could live. This is an “Indian reservation.” From time-to-time oil is found or minerals or there is a need to build a pipeline. Then even the worst land on earth is taken away.This was done in South Africa. It was done in Rhodesia. It used to be called “colonialism.”By the 20th century there were no indigenous people left to imprison. America then turned to warring against the freed slaves and millions of “undesirable” European immigrants, Catholics and Jews in particular.Curiously, this war was centered on banking issues, blocking trade unions, sustaining child labor and controlling farm prices. This created the alignments that

exist today, the strong tie between Wall Street and homegrown extremism built of bigotry and race hatred.You see, too many of the undesirables that fled autocratic Europe found that the long hand of international banking that maintained serfdom for millions, even in supposedly advanced Western Europe, had institutionalized the same in the United States under the guise of representative democracy.Leading the way was the resurgent Ku Klux Klan.By the 1920s national membership was estimated at over 8 million. Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and a dozen other northern and western states were governed by Klan controlled politicians who used the state militias and National Guard as a private army and local police as armed enforcers.Behind it all, the banks that brought Hitler to power and the American corporations that made millions financing Nazi Germany’s war machine, General Motors, Dupont-Remington, Lockheed, Alcoa and General Motors.Even Hitler Would Cringe…The new American revolution, driven by Donald Trump and his televangelist backers, is the result of as social anthropologists note, generations being allowed to live the life of spoiled children, steeped in narcissism and self-pity.The events of January 6, 2020 and how it tied to many American religious leaders has emptied churches across the US, with millions finding themselves humiliated with having followed “false prophets” in support of hatred and tyranny. From Salon:“…these religious figures (Trump’s powerful televangelist backers) and the institutions they led (have become) hyper-political, the outward mission (has)seemed to be almost exclusively in service of oppressing others. The religious right is not nearly as interested in feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless as much as using religion as an all-purpose excuse to abuse women and LGBTQ people. In an age of growing wealth inequalities, with more and more Americans living hand-to-mouth, many visible religious authorities were using their power to support politicians and laws to take health care access from women and fight against marriage between same-sex couples. And then Donald Trump happened.Trump was a thrice-married chronic adulterer who routinely exposed how ignorant he was of religion, and who reportedly — and let’s face it, obviously — made fun of religious leaders behind their backs. But religious right leaders did not care. They continually pumped Trump up like he was the second coming, showily praying over him and extorting their followers to have faith in a man who literally could not have better conformed to the prophecies of the Antichrist. It was comically over the top, how extensively Christian right leaders exposed themselves as motivated by power, not faith.”Jerry Falwell Jr., who introduced Donald Trump to America’s evangelical Christians, is himself an enigmatic figure.Falwell is typical of America’s religious leaders and stories such as this, from Fox News, are daily fodder for Americans:“Jerry Falwell Jr. allegedly played games with his wife Becki where they’d rank Liberty University students, they most wanted to have sex with, according to one pupil who claimed to have been intimate with Becki.The ex-student — who claims Becki initiated oral sex with him 10 years ago — told Politico that she bragged about playing the sex-ranking game while walking around the Virginia campus with her evangelical-leader husband.‘Her and Jerry would eye people down on campus,’ the former student of the conservative school told the outlet.Social Engineering Through PandemicAnyone who really lives in America will make this perfectly clear, this country has turned into a lunatic asylum. Our previous president told us COVID was a hoax, allowed over 40,000 from China enter the US while the threat of COVID was well known and turned his back while, today’s figure, 570,264 Americans died. Experts now cite that Trump was personally responsible for over 400,000 of those deaths. He is quite simply a mass murderer.Do remember that only 900 died in Australia. Canada lost 23,000. 35 died in Vietnam. 440 died in

Cuba.One might wonder how a Hitleresque figure such as Donald Trump could have millions of followers while the legal mechanisms in the US are amassing evidence for both criminal and civil prosecutions which quite probably will never come to bear.Groundhog Day, an Unending NightmareLet me tell you how I began my morning. As a journalist and intelligence briefer, I review incoming material, both open source and private intel. The big story overnight involves a revelation on a religious talk show involving theories on COVID 19 and vaccines.The show is by Jim Bakker, an important religious leader and political advisor. In 1989, Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison for mail and wire fraud but served on 5 of those years. He has stolen tens of million of dollars from his congregation to support a wild and lavish lifestyle of utter debauchery.In this area, he is typical of America’s evangelical Christian leaders.The guest on Bakker’s show was Steve Quayle. I know Quayle as an advisor to President George ‘W’ Bush on Middle East affairs. I know of no qualifications for this post.I do know of Quayle. After 9/11 he approached my staff in Amman, Jordan offering them generous payments to “launder” otherwise sourceless intelligence on Iraq into the Bush White House to justify an American invasion of that nation.Two million people died, maybe many more, due to fake US intelligence on Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found.Groundhog Day TwoLet us take the clock back a few years. I remember traveling to Kentucky, then and still a very backward area of the country, in 1956 to visit relatives. This was a presidential election year, and my father was working for Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate that was opposing Dwight Eisenhower.Even I, at a fairly young age, was flabbergasted at the dinner table discussion that day as my “hillbilly” relatives expounded on their political opinions and version of historical fact. This is how they laid it out:We should support “Ike” because he killed Hitler personally after storming Berlin. They described a sword fight. What they described reminded me of the death of the Sheriff of Nottingham played by Basil Rathbone in the 1938 film Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. They then went out to describe how the US beat both Russia and Germany who were at war with the US. It seems Russia did not fight Hitler at all but was actually Germany’s ally. My father, a reasonably educated person and longtime friend of Russia, found this somewhat disturbing. Next, we heard about how “godless communists” were going to take away our freedoms and destroy our standard of living. I might remind you that my relatives in Hazard, Kentucky had no electricity or plumbing. One of my cousins lived in an abandoned car parked in a slag field.During that trip, we visited my grandfather, a retired coal miner. He lived in a shack covered with tar paper along a railroad track. I loved my grandfather.Life Lessons Do not Come Over the InternetOver the next 60 plus years, I had shared tea with farmers in Vietnam, military veterans living in a small shack in the Khyber Pass and everything from heads of state to struggling farmers all over Africa and the Middle East. None would have guessed that there are Americans that live in not just utter poverty but steeped not only in delusional ignorance but far worse than that.A current obsession with American “conservatives” is the fear of being overrun with transexuals, who, according to many, represent a threat to our freedoms. I have never met a transsexual. From what I understand, up to 10,000 currently serve in America’s armed forces.Back during the 1960s when I served with a Marine combat unit in Vietnam, we probably had no transexuals, only gay or “homosexual” Marines and Navy. Absolutely nothing was thought of it as these individuals invariably served with honor and courage.They existed in significant numbers.Today aging “conservatives” who avoided military service in Vietnam continually harp about saving the rest of us from “homosexuals in the military.”Voting and

“Jim Crow”Let us take another look at efforts by the Hitleresque racists and bigots to save the rest of us from ourselves, against our will of course. In Georgia, the legislature recently passed a law that makes it a felony to offer water to someone waiting in line to vote.Water is an issue because, in Georgia and many GOP (Trump’s party) run states, polling places in areas where people of color vote have been closed causing day long lines. In 2020, volunteers offered food and water to those who would otherwise have either collapsed or left without voting. Now offering food and water can lead to being executed by racist police, quite literally, or spending 5 years in prison.In 2020, voters in many key urban areas were threatened by armed neo-Nazi militias or openly threated in emails from Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, organizations deemed terrorist in Canada and now citied by the US Department of Justice as trying to overthrow the US government.In January, during a US Senate runoff election in Georgia, 364,000 voters were challenged by the GOP in Georgia as “illegal.” All of them were African American. All 364,000 were qualified to vote and their votes were eventually counted, giving Georgia two Democratic US Senators.The Federal Elections Commission is now investigating that this effort to rig the Georgia senate elections was secretly financed by illegal contributions from members of organized crime.Groundhog Day ThreeI live in a rural and primarily Republican area. I parked my car less than 30 feet from the door of a polling place, a local church, and voted in less than 3 minutes with no lines or ID check.In order to limit mail voting, Trump ordered mail sorting machines destroyed with sledgehammers and over 40,000 mailboxes picked up and junked as scrap metal. Mail service in many cities simply ended. One letter I sent to Washington DC from Michigan took 45 days to arrive.Hundreds of millions of pieces of mail, starting in late September 2020 simply disappeared, not just votes but government checks, Christmas presents and medications from pharmacies sent to Veterans.All of this was not just publicly known, things are far worse than that. Those who so many decades ago believed the United States fought Russia in World War Two, would raise children and grandchildren with no respect for human rights, no understanding of democracy, no ethical norms nor any remote understanding of right or wrong.This is the reality for those living in America, a reality that those who watch America from afar through the distorted lens of Google Corporation and the press, can never fathom.Ah, but things are so much worse than that. It is not just having spent 4 years with a president who told us you could cure covid by drinking bleach or eating flashlights. It gets worse.Groundhog Day FourA few days ago, former Trump advisor Cirsten Welcon claimed that President Biden had been paid billions of dollars by China to let them test their newest “weather weapons” on Texas. Power outages there, now attributed to corrupt backroom deals by Republican politicians, led to many deaths and considerable suffering.Little did any of us know of the role of the magic Chinese weather machines.In another vignette, it has been a years since Trump advisor and televangelist Kenneth Copeland stood before a television audience raving like a lunatic. He then pursed his lips and blew at the television camera, the “wind of god” which he claimed destroyed COVID forever.This effort by Reverend Copeland, who has millions of followers and a vast financial empire, led President Trump to announce that COVID 19 was going to disappear.ConclusionSome would like to believe that the institutionalized insanity of America’s right is restricted to the “Untermensch” substrata of rural poor whites. However, for decades now, the most radicalized and extremist elements of America’s society, the most ignorant, the most warlike yet cowardly, have gained control of the US military through service academies which espouse their conspiracy theories.With the onset of Trump, they gained much

more than a foothold in American politics, they now control many states “lock, stock and barrel,” and are involved in not just voter suppression but a general quashing of human rights and free speech.The door to this turn of events began well into the 19th century. Laws, still on the books, are now being employed against Donald Trump, from CNN:The Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump that cites a little-known federal statute that was first passed after the Civil War.The complaint, filed Tuesday by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, accuses Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers of violating the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. The lawsuit accuses them of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election.These same extremist elements and calling them “extremist” insults al Qaeda and ISIS (banned in Russia) who are moderate in their beliefs and practices in comparison. These statements might sound extreme in themselves were it not for so many Americans, religious and military leaders, members of government and business leaders calling for wholesale murder of their political opponents citing their personal communication with a non-corporeal authority they said is “god.”Americans hear this all day every day, the emails are unending, TV networks like Fox, OAN or Newsmax say little else, and that message is carried not just through media but lawn signs dotting the countryside.Hundreds of thousands of American homes are festooned with paraphernalia espousing murder of public officials and their families. Americans see it every day driving to work. What they ask themselves when they see things like this is how many others hold these beliefs but keep it to themselves?What if academics wrote papers on the issues, we discuss here? What if the BBC produced a documentary? Would things get better? The problem dates back not just generations but centuries.It is not a moral problem; it is not a political problem. It is one of degeneracy. At some point we may be required to reassess our definition of sentience.

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iersei · 5 months

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Hey! Discovered this poll because of you, so I threw my vote in.

I have a soft spot for Amity getting to see Titan!Luz. Could I get that for the sketch?

[VOTE GLENN CLOSE IN THE GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP -> GET A SKETCH REQUEST]

amity would have DIED if she saw titan luz, she was kept out of that fight for her own safety -

and i'm so glad that this campaign reached you! means that it's working! thank you for supporting voter fraud!

#the owl house #toh #lumity #amity blight #luz noceda #titan luz #tossing my art into the void #clockwork-garden #draw me like one of your close boys #The Advanced Voter Fraud Experience

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jorahssquire · 3 years

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Whether or not Trump successfully steals this election, he’s already stolen Biden’s victory -What it feels like to watch the challenge to Joe Biden becoming President Elect.

BY JOE BERKOWITZ

8 MINUTE READ

In my mind, the calendar always ended on November 3. Beyond some potential events and projects, that’s as far ahead as I dared imagine.

Whatever happened afterward would either be too horrible to contemplate in any depth, or would bring such tremendous healing relief that to consider the possibilities for even one second when they could still be taken away would be torture.

Only after the election would I allow myself to open the mental Pandora’s Box of what it would feel like to suddenly wake up each day in a world where Donald Trump is out of power and we could all take a breath and undo some of the harm he’d inflicted and maybe try to do some good.

I didn’t kid myself that a Biden administration would instantly solve the pandemic puzzle or bring the country together. At the very least, though, it would deliver consecutive days without a constitutional crisis.

It took until Friday, November 6, to understand that it was actually happening; that Biden was ahead by so much in Pennsylvania, his victory was all but assured. Some publications like Vox even called the election, though legacy outlets remained cautious. At that moment, I finally let myself comprehend the enormity of the moment and its attendant implications, but only a little.

I dipped a toe into a creek to test the water and ended up falling in entirely. All of what this victory meant finally started to truly dawn on me at once, and an ecstatic energy animated my very being. I let out an involuntary holler, and ran around my apartment, ending up on the balcony, where my joyous screams ripped through the calm of the day.

On Saturday, when the news finally broke that the win was official, my wife and I jumped and danced and made calls to family. We watched videos of New Yorkers and Philadelphians celebrating in the streets, and we went outside in Minneapolis to experience it ourselves, greeted by a cacophonous call-and-response of honking cars and applauding passersby. People were walking around in groups of five, brandishing glib and glittery homemade posters, drinking champagne straight from the bottle. There were the spontaneous revelers, mini-parades, and block parties of a rare religiously festive occasion. World leaders started congratulating Biden, who made a very normal if not particularly inspiring victory speech. It was a moment for the ages, complete with Rudy Giuliani’s Four Seasons Total Landscaping fiasco unfolding in the background, a reminder of just how ridiculous Trumpworld could be, and how it might feel to laugh at them now that they would no longer be in charge.

It was an ending and a beginning and it felt so amazing, I was glad I hadn’t allowed myself to imagine it when there was still a chance I might lose it. Then, by Tuesday, November 10—a week after the election—it was gone.

The victory hadn’t vanished entirely, but it was now tainted by the all too familiar crisis mode, another existential threat suddenly looming. I had expected Trump to be surly and uncooperative, and that he might not concede, so when those things happened, it was almost a relief to see how low and small it made him look. But my mistake was in thinking that the GOP didn’t really need him any more and would just let him twist in the wind.

Instead, by Monday it became clear that the bulk of the Republican party, including its leadership, were fully unified behind Trump. Everyone from Mitch McConnell to Ivanka Trump to Ted Cruz on down, all claimed a peculiar form of voter fraud that only affects the top of the ticket, and not the down ballot section, where Democrats lost as many as 10 House seats and failed to win the Senate. They’re all using the line that “every legal vote must be counted,” implying a surplus of illegal votes, only from Democrat voters. Bill Barr authorized an investigation into alleged electoral irregularities, causing a top lawyer at the Department of Justice to resign in protest. And finally, on November 10, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured the country that, in the end, Donald Trump would prevail and remain president.

It was as if America had survived the climax of a horror move only to find out it was actually the beginning of a two-season Netflix series. That release of tension was instantly reversed, replaced with a deep spiritual exhaustion, and the feeling of being turned inside out and wrung dry.

No matter what happens now, whether Trump and the GOP succeed at stealing this election, under the paradoxical guise of preventing it from being stolen, they’ve already stolen our victory, and so much more.

One of the most excruciating aspects of witnessing this attempted theft is that it’s unfolding in exactly the way that experts predicted. Trump alleged in advance that any outcome in which he didn’t win would be the result of voter fraud, something he also suggested back in 2016. He also discouraged his own supporters from using mail-in ballots, despite the pandemic, because in his framing, they were so easy to manipulate. Democrats called out Trump’s maneuvering, and the fact that his appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy happened to be slowing down deliveries just before the pandemic election. Pundits speculated that Trump would claim victory based on the early, in-person votes, and that mail-in ballots would later erode his victory and that he would refuse to concede.

It was all so predictable that Bernie Sanders called every shot in advance exactly.

Considering all the Trump-inflamed scrutiny on would-be voter fraud, the election was heavily and thoroughly observed, including by an international panel Trump invited (which is now calling his accusations baseless.)

This broadly embraced charade relies upon tremendous bad faith. No legitimate evidence of voter fraud has been found—aside from the one Trump supporter in Pennsylvania who got busted requesting a ballot for his dead mom—let alone enough fraud to account for anything near the margins by which Trump lost. All claims to the contrary tend to be based on hearsay and shadowy evidence to support a preordained hypothesis.

The GOP is acting only on unearned suspicions and hostility. They clearly started with the conclusion that Democrats stole the election, and are now working backwards, throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. They make broad statements that their observers weren’t allowed in, when they were, and that droves of dead people voted, when they didn’t. Disgraced scam artist James O’Keefe, who got busted in 2018 for trying to run a #MeToo sting operation on the Washington Post, is offering $25,000 rewards for testimony. All any takers have to do is lie and their voice will be worth more than the people’s voice, as long as enough soulless GOP jackals believe them.

So far, though, all of Team Trump’s cases are being laughed out of court. Either the judges outright toss them, or the hearings end with Trump’s defense admitting that they have nothing and are wasting everyone’s time.

Even the one “whistleblower” O’Keefe unearthed, and who set up a GoFundMe that raised over $120,000, has now recanted his testimony. (The personal fundraising appeal has since been removed.)

How on earth are we expected to accept, after four years of a presidency known for its dishonesty, that high-level officials can contest a legitimate election win on the basis of such amateur hour, fake fraud b.s.? Or that the GOP is owed the opportunity to kick the tires because of how unfairly they’ve been treated? Or that Democrats are just inherently suspicious and, according to Senator Lindsey Graham, can only win by cheating?

The nihilistic cynicism on display here is breathtaking. Trump decided the only way he could save face is to shroud his decisive loss in indecision, and delegitimize it in the eyes of his 70 million supporters. It’s the Birther conspiracy all over again, minus the racism.

The goal at this point might not even be to overturn the results, so much as just inject enough doubt into the proceedings that Trump voters refuse to believe the election wasn’t stolen. (Also, to raise money for Trump’s new leadership PAC and chip away at his debt.) Why would those voters accept the truth, when their leadership angrily swears otherwise? The best-case scenario now is that Trump supporters ultimately forego an actual street-level revolution for just angrily assuming the next administration is utterly fraudulent.

Some of their response depends on how this tumultuous post-game phase of the election ends. At the moment, Rupert Murdoch is dangling rumors of a historic book deal payday in front of Trump, which could cushion the blow enough to get him to go quietly. Or maybe he—in collaboration with McConnell, Graham, O’Keefe, and the rest—will find a way to invalidate the results. Or maybe the fraud allegations will only persist until a lawyer gives a damn compelling speech in a courtroom, and we get the full Aaron Sorkin ending.

Either way, Trump has stolen something from us that he can’t give back.

In addition to the fleeting feeling of victory, which already feels so long ago, and the sheen of legitimacy, he has stolen any naïve hope of Biden or anyone else uniting the country any time soon.

For a brief instant, I thought maybe if Trump was revealed as a bitter, sulking wannabe tyrant for all to see, we might start to agree on some things again. I had a modicum of optimism, which was bound to get crushed by the reality of a Biden presidency, but which felt incredibly refreshing.

It’s all gone now.

For the indefinite future, all those days in the calendar beyond November 3 now look identical to the days that preceded them: Constant chaos, frustration, lies, and irresolvable polarization.

Trump and his cohort have stolen this victory, stolen our optimism, and stolen Biden’s legitimacy.

Some of it can be restored, some of it cannot.

None of it can be forgiven.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Berkowitz is an opinion columnist at Fast Company. His latest book, American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World, is available from Harper Perennial.

#GREAT Article #I'm not quite this cynical #YET #Trump completely sucks though #and the GOP absolutely disturb and disgust me #criminals and liars

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foreverlogical · 4 years

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RALEIGH, N.C. — As the pandemic prompts a surge in voting by mail, voters in a handful of states, including the presidential battlegrounds of North Carolina and Wisconsin, are facing a requirement that already is tripping up thousands — the need to have a witness sign their ballot envelope.

A lack of a witness signature or other witness information has emerged as the leading cause of ballots being set aside before being counted in North Carolina, with problems disproportionately affecting Black voters in the state, according to an Associated Press analysis of state election data.

While there is a process for fixing the omissions, voting rights advocates say the numbers are an early warning sign that the extra step is becoming a barrier that could disenfranchise voters — and a potential source of legal battles in a tight race.

“People are confused by this whole witness requirement,” said Barbara Beckert, an advocate for Disability Rights Wisconsin, which was part of a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the witness mandate. “Voting absentee is complicated. To get it right, you have to follow a lot of very specific rules.”

There are early signs that voters are struggling to follow those rules. In North Carolina, over 200,000 ballots have been returned and processed since early voting began almost three weeks ago. At least 1,700 couldn’t be counted because of lack of a witness name, signature or address. That number accounted for nearly half of all ballots that couldn’t be accepted through Tuesday, according to State Board of Elections data.

As of Tuesday, Black voters cast 43 percent of the ballot classified as having incomplete witness information, according to the state elections data. Yet Black voters have cast roughly 16 percent of overall ballots returned to date.

Pat Gannon, a spokesman for the state elections board, attributed the mistakes to inexperience with the process. North Carolina is one of several states where relatively few voters cast mail-in ballots in past elections.

“Many of these voters are voting by mail for the first time and may not fully understand the requirements of the law,” Gannon said.

As part of a legal settlement this week, the state board agreed to make it easier for voters to fix the issues, streamlining the process for curing ballots.

The witness requirement is relatively rare. Before the pandemic, 12 states required voters to have notary or witness signatures with their ballots. However, several changed their laws to make it easier for voters to cast ballots remotely and avoid the risk of contracting the virus, leaving the total now at eight, including Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

A witness signature is not required in any of the five all-mail voting states in the West.

Proponents of the requirement say it’s designed to prevent voter fraud by holding others accountable for vouching for a voter.

Absentee ballot applications played a prominent role in the investigation of a 2018 congressional election in the state that required a new election. Workers for a political operative in a rural county testified they were directed to collect blank or incomplete ballots, forge signatures on them and even fill in votes for local candidates. It happened during a time when North Carolina required two signatures or one notary public as a witness.

But advocacy groups say the rules unnecessarily complicate a process for older people, people who live alone and those with disabilities or chronic health problems. Several groups and Democrats are among those who have sued over rules in states with the requirement.

In Wisconsin, a federal judge this week upheld the requirement for the November election. A judge in South Carolina struck down the state’s witness mandate, writing it would only “increase the risk of contracting COVID-19” for vulnerable populations. On Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated it, at least temporarily.

In Wisconsin, where about 80% of votes cast in the August primary were absentee, voting groups are focused on coaching people on how to fill it out and educating voters in advance.

Even U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, said she empathizes with the challenge.

“I live alone and I actually went outside and waited for the first person I saw walking their dog and asked if they could stop for a moment and be my witness,” Baldwin said, describing her experience voting in the April presidential primary. “Imagine living in a rural community and living alone where that wouldn’t an option. Or living alone and being afraid to let someone in because we’re in a pandemic.”

Until this week, the lack of witness information on a North Carolina absentee ballot meant the ballot was essentially canceled, and a second ballot was sent to the voter to fill out, with a witness still required. Liberal and union-advocacy groups, bankrolled by Democratic groups to challenge absentee rules in court, argued that re-vote unfairly burdened voters during the pandemic.

Under a settlement unveiled Tuesday between the board and some plaintiffs, voters now will be able to fix the problem by returning an affidavit the voter signs affirming under penalty of a felony that they actually filled out the original ballot.

“This agreement is a victory for all eligible older voters in North Carolina,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, whose North Carolina affiliate sued over the rules.

Republican legislative leaders are incensed by this change and others in the agreement, which they intend to oppose in court. The affidavit fail-safe essentially eliminates the witness requirement, said GOP state Sen. Ralph Hise. Democrats in charge of the state board have “rewritten election laws while the election is actively underway,” Hise said.

Still, the trouble of emailing, faxing or mailing an affidavit is something voters would prefer to avoid. North Carolina’s election board is highlighting the witness requirement online.

In Wisconsin, election officials in Madison also planned to be in all city parks for the next two weekends to accept absentee ballots and serve as witnesses if needed.

The North Carolina NAACP is assisting Black voters work through the process by suggesting family and friends as options for witnesses, said the Rev. C. Bradley Hunt of Greensboro, the group’s political chair. The NAACP is emphasizing a can-do attitude, no matter the obstacles.

“The message to our folks is that we have to be resolute and we have to deliberate...in order to get the vote out,” Hunt said.

Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writer Jonathan Drew in Durham, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

#2020 Elections #us elections 2020 #voter suppression

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toshootforthestars · 3 years

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...what is the root cause of this sad, delusional explosion?

It is the same thing that caused a narcissist like Donald Trump to run for president in the first place. It is the same thing that caused him to lie and lie and lie without compunction.

It is the same thing that led the entire hierarchy of the Republican Party, composed of so many well-respected business leaders and civic officials, to fall in line behind such an obviously dangerous and disgraceful maniac.

It is the same thing that allowed him to govern for four years with utter contempt for anything except his own glory, and that tempted a good part of his allies in Congress and the media to wink and smile and participate in the stupid and transparent charade of voter fraud, and that set up the entire raving conspiracy-addled scene in Congress yesterday of grasping careerists hinting darkly at cabals that they knew full well do not exist.

It is the same thing that has been the base, driving principle of the Republican Party for decades. It is, as a matter of fact, the same thing that drives many in the Democratic Party as well.

It is the cause of the failures of America’s great, self-congratulatory society, which is always destined to melt down if you give it enough time and space.

It is the belief that the purpose of life is to gain the maximum amount of benefit for yourself.

I say this not to advance some Hallmark Card alternative, but to point out that this is the organizing principle of our society, and the atrocities we perpetrate and experience are ultimately traceable back to this. Donald Trump may clearly be a half-insane racist lunatic, but his life embodies this organizing principle, and for that reason he has had great success. Ted Cruz may look like he is always drinking a cup of urine, but he acts in accordance with this principle, and now he is a powerful man.

Our most respected heroes, to whom we grant the greatest deference and prestige, are people who hoard coffers of wealth that they could never spend in ten lifetimes, and people who arrange things so that they can do so. To set out to do nothing but help yourself is the American dream, and we love those who achieve it so much that we elect them president even if we, personally, are sick, poor and ignored.

Capitalism is the theory that everyone acting for their own naked good will produce social benefit in the aggregate.

America in 2021 is a counterexample.

This orientation, sunk deep into our collective bones, naturally produces a legal, political, and social structure to support itself. That structure looks like what we have now. It makes it permissible to lie about climate change in order to make money, to lie about government health care in order to make money, to lie about scary hordes of immigrants in order to make money, to lie about progressive taxation in order to make money, to lie about public education in order to make money, to lie about anything to make money, or to build a career as a functionary who smooths the way for all of these lies. It is what determined that slavery is good, because it makes money, and then built an entire racial mythology to justify that position that was so powerful it still afflicts us to this day. It is what has determined that moral bankruptcy is okay as long as it wears a nice suit. And what does that crowd of brain-fried “patriots” storming the Capitol have to do with any of this? They are the detritus of this system, the weird mutant fish swimming in a lake polluted with industrial runoff so that the factory owner can live on a nice hill far away. Our toxic system has toxic byproducts, which poison many people. But never the winners.

There are other ways to organize society, you know. We have never tried them. Maybe we will one day. Or maybe we’ll just keep on passing out from that poison periodically, until the time comes when we can’t recover.

Hamilton Nolan: America Is Built to Feed Us Poison

In These TImes / 7 Jan 2021

#us coup #america in crisis #news #hamilton nolan #in these times #capitalism #the united states is a failed state and a failed society #the way things work #45 #trump legacy #the conservative movement

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sarcasticcynic · 4 years

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Andrew Sullivan is a lifelong conservative and author of (among other books) The Conservative Soul. Nonetheless, he has reluctantly concluded that “the only proper constitutional response to this [Trump’s] abuse of executive power is impeachment.”

Sullivan begins with a review of some of the worst “ways in which Trump has attacked and undermined the core legitimacy of our democracy”:

“He is the only candidate in American history who refused to say that he would abide by the results of the vote.”

“Even after winning the 2016 election, he still claimed that ‘millions’ of voters — undocumented aliens — perpetrated massive electoral fraud in the last election, and voted for his opponent.”

“He has repeatedly and publicly toyed with the idea that he could violate the 22nd Amendment, and get elected for three terms, or more.”

“He consistently described a perfectly defensible inquiry into Russia’s role in the 2016 election as a ‘witch hunt’ and a ‘hoax,’ demonizing Robert Mueller ... Trump ordered no cooperation, and refused to testify under oath.”

“He lies and misleads the American public constantly, in an outright attempt to so confuse Americans that they forget or reject the concept of truth altogether. Lies are part of politics, but we have never before seen such a fire hose of often contradictory or inflammatory bald-faced lies from the Oval Office.”

“He has obstructed justice countless times, by witness tampering, forbidding his subordinates from complying with legal subpoenas, and by ‘using the powers of his high office, engaged personally and through his close subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or plan designed to delay, impede, and obstruct’ both the Mueller and now the Ukraine investigations.”

“Trump has also ‘failed without lawful cause or excuse to produce papers and things as directed by duly authorized subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives … and willfully disobeyed such subpoenas.’”

“He has declared legal processes illegitimate if they interfere with or constrain his whims and impulses.”

Sullivan provides an excellent summary of the nature of Trump’s current impeachable offense, and why it matters:

“In the current scandal over Ukraine, Trump is insisting that he did ‘nothing wrong’ in demanding that Ukraine announce investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden, or forfeit desperately needed military aid. If that is the president’s position — that he can constitutionally ask any other country to intervene on his behalf in a U.S. election — it represents a view of executive power that is the equivalent of a mob boss’s. It is best summed up in Trump’s own words: Article 2 of the Constitution permits him to do ‘anything I want.’ ...

“He seems to think in the Ukraine context that ‘l’état c’est moi’ is the core American truth, rather than a French monarch’s claims to absolute power. He believes in the kind of executive power the Founders designed the U.S. Constitution to prevent. It therefore did not occur to Trump that blackmailing a foreign country to investigate his political opponents is a classic abuse of power, because he is incapable of viewing his own interests and the interests of the United States as in any way distinct. But it is a core premise of our liberal democracy that the powers of the presidency are merely on loan, and that using them to advance a personal interest is a definition of an abuse of power.”

And Sullivan’s disturbing conclusion is that, if Trump is not impeached and convicted, it will signal the end of the American experiment in democracy:

“If the Senate exonerates Trump, it will not just enable the most lawless president in our history to even greater abuses. ... It will cast into doubt the fairness of the upcoming election. It will foment the conspiracy theory that our current laws and institutions are manifestations of a ‘deep state’ engineering a ‘coup.’ It will prove that a president can indeed abuse his power for his personal advantage without consequence; and it will set a precedent that fundamentally changes the American system from a liberal democracy to a form of elected monarchy, above the other two branches of government.”

Unfortunately, Sullivan should have begun with a different word: “When the Senate exonerates Trump...”

#interesting times #impeachment #donald trump #politics #brexit #Trump #President Trump #Trump impeachment #abuse of power #Ukraine #opinion #Sullivan #Andrew Sullivan #Republicans #GOP #Senate #checks and balances #separation of powers

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securedvotings · 9 months

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The Evolution of Online Voting Systems: From E-Voting to Blockchain

Introduction

As technology continues to advance, the traditional methods of voting are being challenged by the promise of more efficient, accessible, and secure online voting systems. Over the years, we have witnessed a significant evolution in the way electronic voting (e-voting) systems have been developed and deployed. One of the most promising innovations in this field is the integration of blockchain technology into the voting process. In this blog post, we will explore the key milestones in the evolution of online voting systems, from the early days of e-voting to the emergence of blockchain-based voting platforms.

E-Voting: The Dawn of Digital Voting

The concept of electronic voting, or e-voting, can be traced back to the 1960s, when punch-card systems were first introduced in some parts of the United States. These early attempts at digitalizing the voting process aimed to streamline the counting of votes and reduce human errors. However, it soon became evident that e-voting systems had several vulnerabilities, leading to concerns about the accuracy and integrity of election results.

DRE (Direct Recording Electronic) Voting Systems

In the late 20th century, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting systems emerged as a popular alternative to traditional paper-based voting. DRE systems allowed voters to cast their ballots electronically by interacting with a touchscreen or push-button interface. While DRE systems offered faster results and improved accessibility for voters with disabilities, they faced serious criticism due to their lack of a paper trail, making them susceptible to hacking and manipulation.

Online Voting: Convenience and Challenges

The internet age brought with it the possibility of remote online voting, promising unparalleled convenience for voters. In the early 2000s, several countries and organizations experimented with online voting systems, primarily for low-stakes elections or to enable overseas citizens to cast their ballots. However, security concerns remained a significant challenge, with the potential for cyberattacks and voter authentication issues.

Blockchain-Based Voting: A New Paradigm

The advent of blockchain technology introduced a potential game-changer for online voting systems. Blockchain's decentralized, immutable, and transparent nature addresses many of the security and trust issues faced by traditional e-voting systems. In a blockchain-based voting platform, each vote is recorded as a transaction on the blockchain, making it tamper-proof and ensuring a verifiable, auditable trail of all votes.

Key Benefits of Blockchain-Based Voting Systems

Security: Blockchain's cryptographic features make it extremely difficult for malicious actors to tamper with votes or compromise the integrity of the election.

Transparency: The transparent nature of the blockchain allows all stakeholders to audit and verify the voting process, enhancing trust in the system.

Anonymity and Privacy: Blockchain-based voting systems can be designed to ensure voter anonymity while still maintaining the accuracy of the overall vote count.

Accessibility: Online voting using blockchain can enable greater participation, particularly for remote or physically challenged voters.

Resistance to Fraud: Blockchain's decentralized architecture reduces the risk of single points of failure and mitigates the potential for fraudulent activities.

Challenges and Considerations

Technical Barriers: The implementation of blockchain-based voting systems requires robust technical expertise and careful consideration of scalability and performance.

Voter Authentication: Ensuring secure voter identification and authentication is crucial to preventing unauthorized access and fraudulent voting.

Regulatory and Legal Issues: The adoption of online voting, especially with blockchain, necessitates addressing legal and regulatory concerns related to elections and data privacy.

Public Trust and Acceptance: Convincing the general public and electoral authorities about the security and reliability of blockchain-based voting is a crucial aspect of widespread adoption.

Conclusion

The evolution of online voting systems from e-voting to blockchain represents a significant leap towards more secure, accessible, and transparent elections. While challenges remain, the potential benefits of blockchain-based voting systems hold the promise of revolutionizing democratic processes worldwide. As technology continues to advance, finding the right balance between convenience and security will be paramount in creating the voting systems of the future.

#Online Voting Platform #Online election #Online election service providers #Election platform #Voting platform #Online Voting #Online Survey #blockchain #blockchainvoting

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chsamuseum · 4 years

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Right to Vote

This year has been momentous: we are in the middle of a pandemic and civil rights movement. It’s also a census and an election year. This weekend marks American Independence, a holiday that is supposed to represent American ideals of equality and representation for all. In that spirit, I want to write about a civil rights issue that has the potential to impact many members of our community: voter disenfranchisement.

My Experience: Becoming Aware

I first became aware of the threat to Americans’ right to vote in February 2012. I saw a headline about voter ID laws being problematic and that Minnesota shouldn’t pass the proposed Voter ID amendment. I didn’t read the article but my passing thought was, “of course Minnesota should have a Voter ID law! We have to protect the integrity of voting.” A few months later, I was interning for the YWCA-USA, and I was asked to research Voter ID legislation. That’s when I learned the truth: Voter ID laws were not about protecting voter integrity. Instead, the rampant passage of Voter ID legislation was hurting the integrity of American democracy by targeting communities of color, people in poverty, students, and the elderly. I was devastated to learn that these laws were being championed across the country, and I was disappointed in myself for once supporting Voter ID laws, even if it was just a passing thought. I would spend the rest of my summer and the 2012 election cycle focused on making sure the Voter ID amendment didn’t pass in Minnesota. Through grassroots organization and spreading awareness, the amendment failed and there was a victory for voter protection.

Later, I would learn that Voter ID laws are just one tactic that is being used to manipulate election outcomes and restrict access to voting. The practice of voting is sacred in American history: our country was founded on the idea that everyone has the right to vote and exercise their voice. Voting is supposed to be an equalizer, a chance for every adult American to choose representation. Americans have fought hard to open up voting to people of color and those lacking resources. However, despite numerous laws and civil rights movements, voting is treated like a privilege and not a right, particularly a privilege to those who are white and have wealth.

The Problem: Voter Protection Laws Don’t Protect

Since voting has a special place in American democracy, protecting the right to vote is a concern for many Americans. We want our vote to mean something, and we don’t want anyone to have an unfair advantage. However, the concern for protecting voting integrity has been manipulated in order to disenfranchise certain voters. I first thought voter ID laws were needed in order to prevent voter fraud. However, studies have found that the frequency of voter fraud is about 0.0025%. It’s more likely that you will be struck by lightning (twice) or eaten by a shark than for voter fraud to occur in the US. So, why are there all these new laws preventing voter fraud? The answer: voter ID laws and other legislation are disguised as protecting voter integrity, but are actually disenfranchising voters.

How is this being done? The book One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson goes into detail about the tactics that are used to disenfranchise voters, particularly those who are Black, Asian American, and Latinx. For example, the former Interstate Crosscheck program (suspended in 2019 due to security issues) was established to prevent voters from registering in multiple states. At its peak in 2014, 29 states were a part of the Crosscheck coalition. The Crosscheck algorithm checked for duplicate voter records using three criteria only: first name, last name, and date of birth. Other factors, such as social security numbers and middle names, were not used because many states don’t require them when registering voters. The result? Researchers found that the Crosscheck algorithm had a 99% error rate, flagging 7.2 million voters as suspect. One million voters were then removed from the voter rolls, without notification, and thereby became ineligible to vote unless they re-registered.

These numbers tell a darker story: people of color tend to have common last names. In fact, 85% of the most common names are associated with minorities. That means, if your last name is Kim, there’s a 95% chance that you are Asian. This creates an inherent bias in the crosscheck program, as it singles out people of color based on their names. Therefore, as the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Education Fund explains, “the false positives generated by crosscheck are disproportionately likely to be voters of color…” and therefore “it is more likely disportionately to impede the constitutional rights of voters of color.” Journalist Greg Palpast describes the Crosscheck as “Jim Crow [trading] in his white sheets for spreadsheets.”

The Interstate Crosscheck program was suspended in December 2019 because it did not secure personal information, but this program can return once security measures are enacted. The U.S. government hasn’t condemned Crosscheck for the impact it has had on U.S. citizens and registered voters. If this program resumes operation, millions of voters will be at risk of losing their registration. Unfortunately, Crosscheck and Voter ID laws are just the tip of the iceberg of tactics used to prevent minorities from voting in elections. In 2013, the Supreme Court eliminated section 4 of the Voter Rights Act that called for preclearance, or federal approval of local and state governments changing election laws. This provision massively increased access to voting, now that section 4 is no longer the law of the land, new changes to voting have been increasingly introduced.

The Takeaway: What You Can Do

I wanted to write about voter suppression tactics because there has been a lot of criticism leveled against those who don’t vote and how that has led to less than agreeable politicians being elected. Anderson writes that between 2012 and 2016, the black voter turnout dropped by 7%, while less than half of Latinx and Asian American voters casted votes. Younger voters are also criticized for not voting in 2016. Anderson argues that it’s not that “minority voters…[refused] to show up; [they were] systematically blocked...from the polls.” Unfortunately, voter suppression tactics are doing their job and Americans are the fools who believe that these laws are actually protecting the integrity of democracy.

It’s a little disheartening to learn about all the obstacles in play that undermine voting rights. But, there’s hope: in the 2017 special election in Alabama, grassroots organizations mobilized to ensure that voters were able to register to vote and were aware of their rights to do so. Their efforts completely turned the tide of the election. In the middle of a pandemic, those methods may be hard to replicate but, we can encourage our community to spread the news that every American has the right to vote and should vote. If you are already registered, make sure your voter registration is up-to-date, offer support to those in a less-privileged position by helping them register, and share resources. Below are a few organizations that have dedicated resources to registering people to vote and helping voters get to the polls. If you have resources that will help voters share with CHSA, please comment on this post or contact us at [email protected] so that we can share with our community. November may be a few months away, but it is never too early to mobilize the vote.

American Civil Liberties Union

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Brennan Center for Justice

Let America Vote

National Association of the Advancement of Colored People

Voter Riders

Submitted by CHSA’s Education and Programs Coordinator Maggie Pence

#communityconnections #voterrights #voteridlaws #votersuppression #asian americans #vote2020 #onepersonnonvote

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