When I saw another diary on how Ohio was "stolen" by Diebold, my first reaction was, "Oh no, not again." And I must admit to being a little disappointed.
Not as disappointed as I was by the poll that found most Americans actually believe
humans were magically created in one day (as they also believe in astrology, devils with pointy horns, ghosts, flying saucers, and unicorns.) But then this diary almost struck me as WAY WORSE than that.
"Worse" because these are the guys on MY SIDE. The guys I'm going into the trenches with to defend a REALITY BASED world, free from ideological wingnuts, Hillary as Hitler reincarnations, and a whole host of reactionary, whacky, bigoted, totally unscientific BELIEF SYSTEMS. More...
But there it was. Up on the recommended list. With lots of fellow outraged believer Kossacks applauding in comments below.
The diary purported to "prove" that "the GAO supported the knowledge that the 2004 election was stolen," by providing a link to an opinion website, that quoted passages from the report noting it was "possible" that the integrity of current electronic voting system could be compromised in the future. You can read the specific GAO report referred to in the diary that "proves fraud" (that doesn't) here. The House Democratic Judicary Committe report here. And the 2004 GAO report on the election here.
I know most sentient beings are bummed at the 2004 election results. It's hard to imagine someone more bummed than me. And if there was a shred of proof there had been a real conspiracy to rig the presidential election I would be polishing an M-16. But neither this GAO report, nor any other report or account of the 2004 election has ever DOCUMENTED SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF ELECTRONIC VOTE TAMPERING OR FRAUD. It's just not there.
I know you guys mean well. I know your hearts are in the right places. But you do not help the "Progressive" cause, or further the quest towards REAL DEMOCRACY in this country by playing by the same rules that the "faith based" crowd does, and promulating all sorts of unproven theories as "facts."
In short, I love you guys, but you are not helping the reality based world by making shit up!
For at least THREE major reasons:
First, the GAO report cited in this case came to no such conclusion. At best, they reported that it was POSSIBLE that the current electronic systems were potentially hackable. The report offered NO DOCUMENTED PROOF OF ELECTRONIC VOTE RESULTS TAMPERING.
Saying something is true because it is POSSIBLE, is the same idiotic logic that "intelligent design" nuts (and Fundamentalists in general) use every day to plunge our nation's children even further into darkness.
Secondly, even IF super secret Diebold operatives managed to peel off a COUPLE HUNDRED THOUAND Kerry votes and switch them to Bush in Ohio, it ignores the THREE MILLION PLUS plurality in the nation-wide vote totals for Bush over Kerry.
People who think most Americans are really smart, and that somehow most of them REALLY voted for Kerry, ought to take a road trip. Get out and meet these enlightened voters that inhabit the vast inner "heartland" of our great nation. I've driven across several times, and you can "trust" me if you really want to "believe" something. Those Kerry voters ain't there.
And thirdly, by going off on grand mythological crusades based on empirical
(personal) beliefs and experiences, you are making it HARDER to get traction for the giant kernal of TRUTH that DOES EXIST in all the "election fraud" believer arguments: namely, THIS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY NEEDS A LOT OF WORK.
Like the boy who cried wolf (or the guy who said he would fire "anybody connected with this leak") you risk people not taking you seriously the next time you make an important statement. Promulating opinions or beliefs without real proof, as "fact," is corrosive to integrity.
If a "reality based" world is ever to come into existence in These United States, WE are the ones who are going to have be the vanguard of that new social construct. By frolicking in the muck of the "faith based" world, we do a disservice to that dream.