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<DIV>
<DIV>Hello Bill,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Supporting a individual paper record (ballot) for each vote is a worthwhile
endeavor that I cannot understand anyone opposing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would however really appreciate if you would explain to the uneducated
among us (it may be only me) what "non-partisan enough" means. Is it
like being only a little pregnant? Or is it an application of the
word of the year, "truthiness." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Wait wait don't tell me,............................. I know, "non partisan
enough" must be today's word.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>When I read a message of October 22, a portion of which is inserted below,
suggesting that everyone vote straight Democratic, I certainly believe this
is an example being "non partisan enough" ..............to be considered
"non partisan"?. I believe, I believe that George Orwell couldn't have
said it better.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When I read an advertisement calling for the impeachment of the president
sponsored by the PAA that referred to the president as a liar, torturer,
criminal and other negative judgments, while my dark side may
agree with the thoughts, I certainly don't believe it to
be partisan because perhaps my dark side believes the leaders of the
democratic party want to do much of the same thing,....... but the
advertisement didn't say that. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When I see the wording of the advertisement is developed by a small cabal
and when the draft, that some donated input and money to, is not offered to
the remainder of the PAA prior to publication, I know this bears no
resemblance to ideology and control mechanisms that drives partisan
politics.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When I read a message from a member of this list serve listing progressive
candidates throughout this country and they are all democrats, I believe that is
"non-partisan enough". Right? I believe! If it is true
that all progressives are democrats and there are no republicans, no greens, no
libertarians, no independents and no other party
candidates considered progressive, isn't that obviously "non partisan
enough"? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When I read here republicans commonly referred to using almost every
profane word adjective known to mankind, that is certain no reason to even
consider the PAA as partisan. It is "non partisan enough."
Right?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Are these examples considered "non partisan enough"? Why
sure, even Steven Colbert when in character on the "Colbert Report" would have
to agree.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>I like to consider myself non partisan and just someone who has looked at
the, Fox news, C-Span, CNN, network news, domestic/foreign press and more and
decided that what my country is doing does not meet my needs.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I wonder why I see the same "non partisan enough" behavior here that I see
from other supporters of both the republicans and the democrats?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I really don't believe there is anything right or wrong with someone being
"partisan", but why embrace today's word, "non partisan enough," when, in fact,
yesterday's word is indeed "partisan," while some of "us" can only hope and
pray that tomorrow's word is "non partisan"?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Paul</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> ps - The quote mentioned above:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">Quote "----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>From:</B> <A title=about:blank href="">Bill
Crosier</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=about:blank href="">PAA
Discussion List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 22, 2006 11:07
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [PAA-Discuss] My Endorsements.
Early Voting starts Monday.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 23.<BR><BR>My
suggestions/endorsements:<BR><BR>1. Vote straight
Democrat.<BR><BR>2. Write-in Charles Waterbury for Texas Supreme Court
Chief Justice......."</DIV>
<DIV>Unquote </DIV></DIV></DIV> <BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>From:</B> <A
title=mailto:paa@crosierbiomed.com href="mailto:paa@crosierbiomed.com">Bill
Crosier</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=mailto:discuss@paa-tx.org
href="mailto:discuss@paa-tx.org">PAA Discussion List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=mailto:pokeyink@aol.com
href="mailto:pokeyink@aol.com">Pokey Anderson</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 14, 2006 2:27
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [PAA-Discuss] Ditch DREs! Paper
Ballot Campaign-Election ReformCoalition</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Update on the open letter to Congress that I asked y'all about earlier
this week.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks to Pokey Anderson for telling us about this. (Listen to her
show, "The Monitor", on KPFT each Sunday, 6-7 PM, when she talks about issues
like this.)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Note that we got PAA listed as a signer/endorser even though they
initially told us they felt we were too "partisan" (even though PAA does not
actually endorse candidates as we aren't a PAC). Thanks to Kris for
convincing them that we were non-partisan enough to be listed.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Bill</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">From: Pokeyink@aol.com<BR>Date: Thu, 14 Dec
2006 13:46:21 EST</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Subject: Ditch DREs! Paper
Ballot Campaign</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><BR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000
size=-1><I>12/14/06: </I></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000 size=+1><I><B>Election
Reform Coalition Launches Paper Ballot Campaign</B></I></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000></FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000><B>A coalition of more
than 30 election reform organizations</B> today launched a new campaign to
urge the new Congress to quickly pass legislation requiring paper ballots
for every vote cast. A copy of the complete letter to Congress is
below. We are asking everyone to sign it and to pass it along to your
friends. We have seen what problems paperless vote machines cause and want
to reform our elections before the next election. Moreover, we do not want
paper trails or paper records -- we want<B> paper ballots</B>. Please
sign the petition</FONT> <A
title=http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php
href="http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php"><FONT
color=#000000><B>here</B></FONT></A><FONT color=#000000>.</FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><A
title=http://www.velvetrevolution.us/#121406
href="http://www.velvetrevolution.us/#121406"><FONT
color=#000000>http://www.velvetrevolution.us/#121406</FONT></A><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000></FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>Here is the
letter. </FONT> <A
title=http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/
href="http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/"><FONT
color=#000000>http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/</FONT></A><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000></FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>December 14,
2006<BR><BR><B>Open Letter to all Members of the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives:</B><BR><BR>We, the undersigned non-partisan election
integrity organizations, strongly urge you, as a first order of business in
the 110th Congress, to enact new federal legislation to protect the
integrity of our elections. While there are many areas of concern for any
such legislation, none is more essential to the accuracy of our elections
and the confidence among our electorate than for there to be a paper<I>
ballot</I> for every vote cast. Not a paper "trail" or a paper "record," but
a paper<I><B> ballot</B></I>.</FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>In light of lessons
learned during the 2006 primary and general elections -- with myriad
contests resulting in uncertainty and thousands of voters in state after
state turned away from the polls unable to cast a vote on DRE systems which
failed throughout the day -- we now hold that a paper<I> ballot</I>, whether
counted by optical-scan system or hand, is the minimum requirement for any
Election Reform legislation in which voters may have confidence. Such a
requirement is needed to help ensure Americans that every legally registered
voter can vote, that every vote is recorded precisely as the voter intends,
and that every vote is counted and, if necessary, re-counted
accurately.</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>This year's elections
have made crystal clear that electronic voting machines -- both those<I>
without</I> paper ballots, such as Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
touch-screen systems, and even those with so-called "Voter Verified Paper
Audit Trails" -- caused massive disruptions, undermined the results of
crucial elections, and forced thousands of voters to leave the polls without
being able to exercise their franchise.</FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>Paper<B> trails</B> and
paper<B> records</B> are not sufficient to safeguard elections and restore
confidence among the electorate. Unless there is a paper<B> ballot</B> for
every vote cast, three fundamental principles of democratic elections are
violated:</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT color=#000000>1.<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><B>Observable tallies</B>. It is impossible for citizens to
observe the counting of electronic ballots and audit the
results.</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT color=#000000>2.<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><B>Equal access</B>. Requiring voters to cast votes on computers
discriminates against those who are not familiar with the
technology.</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT color=#000000>3.<X-TAB>
</X-TAB><B>Accurate results</B>. It is impossible to ensure that the
reported results are accurate. In fact, a voter-verifiable paper audit
trail cannot be depended on to provide the certainty lacking in electronic
tallies. Clear evidence from several recent elections reveals instances in
which:</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT color=#000000><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<UL type=square>
<LI><FONT color=#000000>The electronic screen record did not reflect the
voter's intent.
<LI>The electronic count did not match the paper trail produced by the
e-voting machine.
<LI>The summary review screen did not match the paper trail produced by
the e-voting machine.
<LI>Voters did not know to verify the paper trail or were prevented from
doing so by improper design, incorrect setup, or malfunction of the
printer.
<LI>Computer systems introduced unnecessary complexity into the entire
election process and therefore increased the likelihood of errors by
voters, poll workers, and election officials.
<LI>Computerized voting relinquished control of the final outcome to the
technical skills of those who programmed the
software.</FONT></LI></UL></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>While it is not easy to
reconcile the money already spent on new DRE systems, it would be worse to
continue using election equipment that is not accomplishing its critical
task. If this were a public safety matter, no one would question the ban on
the continued use of a dangerous product, even if it had been funded by
billions of public dollars. Why should we act any differently when it comes
to protecting the safety of our electoral process?</FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>Ultimately, the true
price of free, fair, reliable, accurate, and transparent elections in
America cannot be judged by dollars alone.</FONT><BR><FONT
color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>We therefore urge you to
immediately enact legislation which requires a<B> paper<U>
ballot</U></B></FONT><FONT color=#000000> for every vote cast. Now is the
moment for action, in time to take effect for the 2008 primaries and general
election.</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>Respectfully
yours,</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000><I>The
Undersigned</I></FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT
color=#000000>VoterAction.org<BR>VotersUnite.org<BR>VelvetRevolution.us<BR>National
Voting Rights Institute<BR>Demos<BR>TrueMajorityAction<BR>Dolores Huerta
Foundation</FONT><BR><FONT color=#000000></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT color=#000000>Broward Election Reform
Coalition<BR>California Election Protection Network<BR>Citizens for Election
Integrity Minnesota<BR>Coalition for Voting Integrity -
Pennsylvania<BR>Coloradoans For Voting Integrity<BR>Commonweal
Institute<BR>Election Defense Alliance<BR>Florida Fair Elections
Coalition<BR>Gathering To Save Our Democracy - TennesseeVotePA<BR>Georgians
for Verified Voting<BR>Iowans for Voting Integrity<BR>Mainstreet Moms
(theMMOB.org)<BR>N.C. Coalition for Verified Voting<BR>Network of
Citizens<BR>New Yorkers for Verified Voting<BR>Oregon Voter Rights
Coalition<BR>ProgressiveActionAlliance.org<BR>Palm Beach Coalition for
Election Reform<BR>Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections -
Florida<BR>SAVEOurVotes.org - Maryland<BR>Texas Safe
Voting<BR>TrueVoteMD<BR>Verifiable Voting Coalition of Virginia<BR>Verify
The Vote Indiana<BR>Virginia Verified Voting<BR>VoteAllegheny<BR>VoteRescue
of Texas<BR>Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>--
</PRE></X-SIGSEP>
<DIV>Bill Crosier<BR>paa@crosierbiomed.com
713-641-4941<BR>Progressive Action
Alliance
http://progressiveactionalliance.org/<BR>Lying, Spying, Torture...
IMPEACH!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/</DIV>---------------<BR>Progressive Action
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