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...ticket, with the prez and vp candidates working closely together (more so than usual), and open acknowledgment by all of the age issue. Wisdom and youth join forces. In a sense, TWO presidents being elected. Not so much focus on the prez as a monarch, but presidency as a TEAM. And it's about time the oldsters among us got some respect, too. Wisdom, experience, first-hand knowledge of the past events that shaped the current scene, the longer view, the greater perspective, aware of WHAT REALLY MATTERS in this life, much to teach us.
Or...and here is an even more unusual idea (than having a wise older person as president): A Conyers candidacy IN SEARCH of the youngster who will take on his mantle of truly representing the progressive MAJORITY in this country, and speaking the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help him God.
He tells it. He speaks. He raises funds for a progressive candidacy. He anoints the prez and vp candidates whom he thinks best represent the disempowered and DISENFRANCHISED majority.
This would also give him the OPTION of running himself, if he decided to.
I sincerely doubt that he has ambitions to be president, but leading a progressive movement to find and nominate the best candidate, and to get that movement off the ground now--which could bring good energy and focus to the '06 elections--might interest him.
(--and it could be that the right prez candidate is not even in office at the moment, but is running in '06; it could even be someone who has never held public office before. Paul Hackett comes to mind, although...ahem...he's probably too YOUNG!)
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And I have to say this, because IT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW:
Currently, two Bushite corporations (Diebold and ES&S) do the "tabulation" of 80% of the nation's vote using SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code--and, in one third of the country, there is not even a measly "paper trail" for recounts and audits, and, in the rest of the country, miserable auditing and recount requirements.
In short, we do not really HAVE a democracy at the moment. And we MUST change this, if we want to get our country back. We must demand and get TRANSPARENT, VERIFIABLE elections!
We need...
Paper ballots hand-counted at the precinct level (--Canada does it in one day, although speed should not even be a consideration, just accuracy and verifiability)
or, at the least...
Paper ballot (not "paper trail") backup of all electronic voting, a 10% automatic recount, very strict security, and NO SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code! (...jeez!).
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The only venues where this reform is still doable are the state/local jurisdictions, where power over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some influence.
It's a difficult, long term project, but it MUST BE DONE.
Although the BIPARTISAN corruption that exists at the state/local level, with regard to the new electronic voting boondoggle, and the SILENCE of the Democratic leadership on this matter, are daunting obstacles to election system reform, such reform is STILL POSSIBLE at the state/local level and is NOT POSSIBLE at the federal level. (That's how bad things are!)
We must get such reform ASAP wherever possible, and CRY FOUL on every election--including the PRIMARIES--that is not TRANSPARENT and VERIFIABLE. And sue their asses. And protest. And raise a helluva stink. And, if we have to, throw their goddamned election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' (--or a Louisiana levee!).
Because it won't matter how much money we raise in small donations, or how much we blow the Bush Republicans away in new voter registration--as we did in 2004--if we can't SEE how our votes are counted!
'nuff said. PLEASE HEED THIS WARNING AND CALL FOR ACTION!
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Exit polls:
We need INDEPENDENT exit polls in the 2006 and 2008 elections (and forevermore, in this country). On Nov. 2, 2004, the TV networks, acting in concert, DOCTORED their exit poll data (Kerry won) to "fit" the "official result" derived from Diebold's and ES&S's secret formulae (Bush won)--thus depriving the American people of major evidence of election fraud, and squelching protests and calls for investigation.
This must not happen again.
The DNC--or SOMEBODY--MUST FUND independent exit polls in '06. There is not enough time to get these !@#$%'s (Diebold, ES&S and a few others) out of our election system. We absolutely must arrange independent verification. (UScountvotes is working on an independent verification process, but they don't yet have the funding to conduct the comprehensive fraud checks that need to be done.) (See uscountvotes.org.) (--well worth reading their front page, to see what we're up against).
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