Archive for January 19th, 2008
New Hampshire Primary Recount
January 19th, 2008
For those who like to follow primary election news,here is a link with information on the New Hampshire recount.
I took a look after this was emailed to me and found the site to have lots of info not only in the main post but on the right sidebar.
There are a few interesting facts I suppose. Most of what I read are incidents which possibly could take place in any major recount in America.
This little bit of information did jump out at me however:
The sensitive memory cards containing the programming and tabulation from the Diebold optical-scanners are apparently “missing in action” for the moment. Those cards, as viewers of HBO’s Hacking Democracy know by now, may be used to hack an election, such that only a proper hand-count of the paper ballots afterwards will reveal the hack. (See the video of that hack for yourself right here. The same exact machine being hacked in that film was used across the state to count 80% of the ballots in NH in last week’s primary.)
And yet, says Bonifaz who spent time today speaking with New Hampshire Secretary of State, Assistant Secretary of State and Deputy Attorney General, nobody seems to have any idea where those cards are and what has become of them.
He says he was told by Secretary of State William Gardner that his office doesn’t get involved in tracking what happens to those memory cards. Some have reportedly been returned to LHS, and may have had their memory erased already.
“When you have a private company counting 80% of the votes, and you later learn that the memory cards are unaccounted for, you have a serious question about the transparency and accountability in that process,” Bonifaz said.
He notes that federal law requires all materials from elections be preserved for 22 months after the election. So if those materials have already been lost, destroyed, or over-written, there are legal questions that must be addressed.
Not being a conspiracy theorist, or an expert on voting machine mechanisms, I would not know if this memory card issue would be enough to call into question the validity of the NH Primary.
Posted in 
Searching and Searching
January 19th, 2008
As for the endorsement made by ~J~ today, I do happen to agree that Fred Thompson is the best of the candidates available for selection in South Carolina.
That being said, after reading this post it answered a question I have asked of myself many times.
What is it that I am looking for and not finding this time around that convinces me these folks are fit to be Commander in Chief?
After watching debates, (on both sides of the aisle), listening to stump, concession and acceptance speeches, and generally observing all candidates, I have been left feeling uninspired. Worse yet, I find myself weary of the entire process.
After reading Rick Moran’s piece containing some of the finest words ever spoken by such a diverse group, I think I found the answer to my question.
What’s missing is patriotism. Not the rah-rah kind. And no, I am not infering that any one of these individuals is not a patriot. I don’t want someone to wrap themselves in the flag and sing God Bless America at every campaign stop.
Listen to these candidates. Not just right or left, conservative or liberal. Where is the spirit in any which has the ability to unite an entire population not only in this Presidential race but well beyond?
What has happened to promoting America’s strengths and not just harping on her weaknesses? Why in the world is there so much negativity constantly spewn by these men and one woman? I have to fix this, I have to fix that. This is wrong, that is wrong. No answers to any of the negatives of which they speak..just empty words.
We’ve all heard this phrase in most all presidential elections, “When I am elected President………..I will……….Nice words..but just that. Showing you have the ability to affect those ideas once elected..whole different ball game.
For me, I think I am still searching for that genuine patriot. The one who puts this country above his or her own politics.
Right now, Fred Thompson is the closest I can find. He, at least attempts to show the United States of America in a positive light, problems and all. Hope and Change are nice words. Congress will have much to say about either.
Believing in this country and its population are quite another.
If You Live In South Carolina or Nevada…
January 19th, 2008
Please consider voting or caucusing for Fred Thompson. He is the most conservative candidate in the race and we need to give his campaign a lift.
Check for when the polls open and when the caucuses begin and please give serious consideration to voting for Fred.
There’s not much more to be said at this late hour. You know where he stands on abortion, taxes, national security, and you know he has been a conservative all his adult life.
If that’s not enough to make you consider voting for Fred, then I don’t know what will. What I do know is if Fred doesn’t come in at least second in South Carolina we might as well say good-bye to his candidacy. This is our stand to take or not. It’s up to us to put him back on the right track in this primary race.
Show the pollsters they can be as wrong with Republican voters as they were with Democratic voters in New Hampshire last week.
This is my endorsement only and does not necessarily reflect how Sue feels about this candidate.
