SOME SIMPLE MATHEMATICS
Magic numbers:
270 = Number of Electoral votes needed to win the Presidency
55 = Number of Electoral votes in the state of California
20 ½ = Percentage of required Electoral votes California represents
55 = Number or Electoral votes of Wisconsin, Virginia, Kansas, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico and Colorado--all combined
21 = Number of days until California Primary elections
1 = Number of Secretary of State candidates who will fiercely protect CA's 55 Electoral votes--Senator Debra Bowen
5 = Number of dollars for your basic Latte...
2.6 = Number of millions of dollars Diebold paid out in the California settlement
8 = Number of members on California's
Voting Systems and Procedures Panel who voted in '04 to cease usage of Diebold systems in the state and requested the Attorney General to consider criminal charges against Diebold
0 = Number of members on California's
Voting Systems and Procedures Panel who voted in '04 to retain Diebold systems in California
Do the math.
___________
Whether you`re from Iowa, Texas, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, California or anywhere in the US -- the California Primary vote on June 6th directly affects YOU and your family... and the entire country.
I am not being melodramatic.
(Well... maybe just a little. Indulge me. I live for election reform. I miss my vote.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHO IS DEBRA BOWEN-- and what does she have to do with my Latte?
State Senator Bowen- http://www.debrabowen.com/ - is running for Secretary of State, Bruce McPherson's seat. Secretary of State is of course the office overseeing all things electoral. McFearsome was appointed by Ahhnold, after the sudden resignation of former SOS Kevin Shelley following allegations of misappropriated funds. Right after we had been pronounced free and clear of the uncertified, hackable, illegally installed Diebold election systems. But McMuffin decided to blithely ignore the will of the people, the preponderance of the evidence, the systems' multiple dismal test failures, the stunning software flaws, and the State's Voting Panel verdict-- He promptly re-invited the Diebold boys back to town. No hard feelings. Kiss and make up.
Debra Bowen is the legislator who's been working around the clock to try to rectify the sordid situation and restore the state's right to a fair and accurate vote count. No easy task. She is passionate and uber-informed about election integrity, and she rides the crest of the wave towards reform.
Recently in Sacramento, Bowen garnered over 80% of the delegate votes--higher than any other Democrat running statewide this year. She's endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee-- go browse her site to see more, http://www.debrabowen.com/ click on "Issues".
Ironically, the other Dem running for the office is also a "Deb".... Debra Ortiz.
A snip from Mercury News on the Dueling Debs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Battle of the Deb's"
< snip >
Bowen, 50, the first California legislator to get an e-mail address, co-authorized a 1993 bill to unlock the Legislature's computer files to give access to information about bills and legislators' voting records. She has also fought for campaign finance reform and consumer privacy. Bowen's supporters say her role as chair of the Senate Elections Committee makes her more of a natural fit for the secretary of state's job.
Bowen vows to fight for open government, privacy rights and fair and open campaigns. ``The most important issue is the integrity of the democratic process,'' said Bowen, who noted that a Pew Research Center survey found that only 48 percent of voters were very confident that ballots were accurately counted in the November 2004 election.
In general, Bowen has been more critical of the new machines than Ortiz, who has taken more of a ``trust but verify'' approach.
The two have roughly the same amount of money. As of the last filing period ending March 17, Bowen had $322,412 cash on hand, Ortiz $384,133.
http://www.mercurynews.com/...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Myself, I'd prefer the "verify" approach, without the "trust" faction this time around-- after having lived through the nightmares of 2000, 2002 and 2004...let's just say my trust has not been earned by Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia, et al. It was the 2004 anomalies specifically that had me handcuffed to the keyboard for one year, pounding out a 16 chapter online treatise on elections in a Post HAVA nation titled Who's Counting? at http://www.whoscounting.net From listening to her and talking to her on the subject, I can assure you...Bowen gets it.
Senator Bowen is an avid blogger, who can be found tapping away in the wee hours at Kos, Clark Community Network (http://securingamerica.com/... ) or any number of progressive sites--she's proud of her burgeoning grassroots/ netroots support base which comprises a healthy share of her contributions. Her campaign has just launched a grassroots fundraising drive with a $25,000 goal by May 31st to help her reach 80,000 Democratic voters with a direct mail piece in the days preceding the June 6th primary. More magic numbers.
And that's what she has to do with your latte. Read on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHY SHOULD I HELP HER?
If you don't--you can bet your sweet bippy that California and her coveted 55 electorals will travel down the precise route that the Terminator, Karl Rove, Bruce `McMuffin' and his Diebold buddies have mapped out for her....
RED
--as red as the American blood now being spilt in Iraq. Don't think they aren't connected... that war, the vote, election protection. Don't think it can't happen again.... even with poll numbers at abysmally low 29% approval. You've seen how they can discredit polls with the flash of a CNN witching-hour rewrite. You've witnessed how wedge issues and Terra threats that materialize at the 11th hour are used to explain away the most inexplicable switches of affiliations at the polls. This is no longer breaking news. Don't even act surprised this time. Don't scratch your heads. This is predictable strateegery-- by the numbers..
How about being ready for it this time around?
How about anticipating?
Having some artillery with which to fight the beast-- pre-emptively this time. There are times when preemption can be a good thing.
California does not have the complexion to wear RED. It clashes with her Pacific BLUE eyes and her baby BLUE soul.
If you have even 3 ounces of concern about who will inherit this cesspool the bush administration will be leaving for their successors--If you care even one infinitesimally tiny, little, teeny, weeny whit about who might win the Presidency in 2008 --If you relish the thought of an elected President this time around, instead of a custom corporate selected one.... then you care about the success of Debra Bowen in California in the next 3 weeks. Enough to sacrifice your latte this week for liberty and a return to real democracy-- the good old fashioned 20th century kind-- that sends you lapsing into in a dizzying cloud of nostalgia. The kind where your votes get counted. Oh my. Just the thought of it sends shivers down my democratic spine.
The time to act is now. May 31st is only 2 weeks away.
So what's it gonna be? Latte or Liberty?
Put your money where your froth is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, I SURRENDER MY LATTE --What do I do now?
Give $5. Or give me a damn good reason why you can't. I'll listen. There are some valid ones, I'll accept that.
Give $10. Or stop your whimpering about not being in control of Congress, the Senate or Executive branch. Shut up or put up.
Give $25. Or use it to subscribe to that Nuclear Survival Club you've been checking out on the web, it's a new world with the new world leaders in charge of your votes. Better safe than sorry.
Give $50 and go to bed tonight knowing you really are participating in saving the last remnants of a democracy from extinction, and you did your part to help it endure.
http://www.debrabowen.com/ Click 'Contribute'
It's one mouse click you won't regret.
Just do it.
Keep the Bear Blue --Sybil Liberty