Needed: Ideas for election reform rally: I.e. Black Box, etc. Thanks.

[jazzjunkysue]

My local chapter of PDA wants to stage a rally with a theatrical spoof of Black Box Voting. We're thinking about the Tea Party idea, or something like what Code Pink and Billiionaires for Bush does.

Got any good ideas? It's about paper ballots and open source code.

[The_Warmth]

1. Voting Machines

Wouldn't it be beautiful to see masses of people storm voting booths to destroy any and all electronic voting machines? Demand a fair system with multiple trails. A true vote from the people, for the people.

[Syrinx]

2. how about an American Idol spoof?

You have three singers come on. Two that can really sing. And a third one that sings like William Hung. And the Hung guy wins.

The good singers would be singing truly life-affirming anthems. The Hung guy singing the Soviet anthem or something.

I didn't say it was a good idea. Just giving what I have left before going to bed. ;)

[EFerrari]

3. You need to talk to GuvWorld. He's got a great program.

:hi:

[Stevepol]

4. Great idea and it would have a broad reach I think.

The percentage of Dems aware of the machine con game that has stolen our democracy is about 65% I think, tho I cd be wrong. It's not far from that in any case. If it's well-publicized, you'd get a pretty good turnout and if you keep it as a spoof using effigies of voting machines w/ GWB heads on them or something, whatever you think would be most effective, maybe with a New Orleans type jazz band in on the march to Boston Harbor or wherever, then when the effigy or effities are dumped, you can break into Dixieland and dance your way back down some avenues in Boston or wherever you choose to have it, should be a great success.

Of course notify the media of the tossing of the "computer tea" in the harbor.

[Peace Patriot]

5. The Wizard of Oz is perfect for Black Box voting,

with the famous line "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." You could have the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man saying they want their government to have Courage, Brains and Heart, and Dorothy, she just wants her country back. They hear about a thing called "democracy" (in the Emerald City) where they can go and VOTE for a good government. They write their votes on pieces of paper and hand them in, but the "man behind the curtain" just tears them up, and comes out with some Doohickey kind of electronics whizding with "lightbulbs" that "vote" against Courage, Brains, Heart and giving the country back to the people.

On the Tea Party--I was just thinking you could combine the Mad Tea Party from Alice and Wonderland with the Boston Tea Party. Alice leads an insurgency to vote the Red Queen off the throne. The Red Queen is the one who makes her minions paint all the white roses RED, and is famous for the line, "Off with their heads!". Say, the Queen is chosen by tea leaves. (har, har). Alice--instead of being the little dingbat logician that she is--could ORGANIZE the citizens of Wonderland to have REAL elections, not by tea leaves, but by writing their votes on paper ballots. She dumps all the tea into the sea. I can't quite get the analogy to the black boxes, but it's in here somewhere.

Painting white roses RED. Hm-m-m. Bush or Diebold painting blue states red.

The Mad Tea Party is a precinct. The purpose of the assemblage is to swirl their tea leaves in their cups for who gets to be Queen, and they're supposed to deliver their tea leaves to the Authorities (the Cheshire Cat?) for an 'interpretation', which always turns out to be a vote for the Red Queen, even though it wasn't. They complain about the Red Queen's madness and huge deficits and illegal wars (and tendency to kill those she disagrees with), but they can't figure out how to have an honest election system. Maybe they talk to a Diebold salesperson, who speaks jabberwocky to them. Alice uses logic: "We just write it on a piece of paper, and then we count the votes!". It seems to me you could have great conversation between a logical child and Diebold/ES&S--one of the items being all the money they want to make with their whizding machines, and of course all the power it gives them to dictate the Queenship. "How can you just vote? You have to think of our bottom line, and power relationships!"

Well, to bed...to dream of the White Rabbit.

:smoke: :silly: :smoke:

[paineinthearse]

6. try posting in the election reform forum

But why cause needless friction with BBV? Let dead dogs lie.

Instead focus on characters like Kathleen Harris & Ken Blackwell.