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But wait, if the iVotronic machines have problems and the South Carolina Constitution prohibits counting votes in secret, why on Earth did South Carolina’s State Election Commission decide to use these machines to conduct elections? Didn’t anyone on the Commission, or on its staff, bother to read the Constitution or research the reliability of these machines before deciding to use them? Didn’t anyone in the press bother to look into this? Well, apparently not. Apparently, they all just failed to pay any attention to the law and the facts. They wouldn’t knowingly undermine our power to control our government, would they? There have been many press reports about problems with the voting machines in South Carolina’s Republican Presidential primary this past Saturday, but have any mentioned that using computers to secretly count the votes in South Carolina is unconstitutional? Many of the candidates have said that they would make sure our votes are counted, but did they mention that using computers to count the votes in secret is unconstitutional? Many understood that laws which deprived minorities of their right to vote were unjust and unconstitutional, but no one did much about it. Sure, people tried from time to time, but they were usually ignored or silenced until Dr. King said that now is the time for action. The courage of Dr. King sparked the civil rights movement, but those in power are once again taking away our power to control our government. What would Dr. King do now? What would those who had the courage and intelligence to march with Dr. King in the civil rights movement do now? Would they stand by while the law was ignored, while our power to control our government was taken from us, or would they take action to retain the power to control our government and prevent tyranny and injustice? I have been asking people what Dr. King would do about this for a while now, and almost everyone says that he would be marching in the streets. They understand that Dr. King would not stand by while our power to control our government was taken away. They know that he would not stand by and let the power that he fought for be taken away. They know that he rose up to fight for this power to prevent tyranny and injustice. Do you think that our Founders would stand by and let our votes get counted in secret? I don’t think so. I think that they would take up arms if our leaders refused to restore public vote counts. Where is this generation’s Martin Luther King? Where are those with the courage displayed by the hundreds of thousands who marched and protested for years with him to bring us so close to the American dream? Where are the men of action when we need them? What will Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton do? Will they call for South Carolina to follow its Constitution and count the votes in the open for all to see? I know that they have the power to reach millions. I have seen their rallies in Jena, Louisiana, and I have joined in their rally for justice for Martin Anderson in Tallahassee, Florida. Will these civil rights leaders call for action to protect our rights to have our votes counted in the open? I hope so. Let’s ask them. Anyone who has thought about this for a few minutes realizes that we can restore election integrity overnight. The vote can be cast on paper, placed in a ballot box in public view in each precinct, and counted in public in the precinct when the polls close. This can be done immediately with little need to add any more poll workers and with great savings on expensive, unreliable, and untrustworthy voting machines. Those who refuse to restore public vote counting should be removed from power. Their effort to violate our fundamental right to control our government is obvious. Those who are running for office should demand an immediate restoration of public vote counts. Those who do not act now do not deserve your trust or your support. Lee Iacocca, a world renowned business leader, said, "Throw the Bums Out!" in his latest book Where have all the Leaders Gone? Please step into the fray when you can do the most to save our country, to protect our freedom, to protect our right to elect our leaders, and to protect the future of our children and grandchildren! Please help keep the light of liberty burning! It’s time to demand that our power to control our government is restored and preserved without question and beyond any reasonable doubt! Call on the Presidential candidates to take action! I’m sure that they have all said kind words about Dr. King this weekend. Tell them that you expect them show that they really believe in what Dr. King worked for by restoring and preserving our power to control our government! Dr. King was arrested, prosecuted, and thrown in jail in an effort to teach him to be quiet, but he did not back down. Like Daniel, Reverend King faced the lions and all of the king’s men and demanded justice! Dr. King understood that when you see injustice, you must take a stand! Dr. King did not back down because he knew that without the power to control our government, his people would continue to suffer, not only from being treated as second class citizens, but also that they would continue to suffer from degradation, beatings, seizures of their property, and much worse, even rape and murder, while the government authorities stood by and sometimes even helped in such oppressive, unjust, inhumane, and criminal conduct. Dr. King stood up against injustice and stood up for our rights to control our government! What would he do today? Dr. King would be marching in the streets! He would not allow our votes to be counted in secret! He would not stand by while our power to control our government was taken away!
Mark A. Adams earned his BA in business administration with a major in finance and a minor in economics at the University of South Florida. He earned his law degree and his master of business administration at the University of Florida where he also worked as a teaching assistant in the Economics Department. Mark practiced law in Florida. In 2006, Mark represented Max Linn, the Reform Party candidate for Governor of Florida, in successful lawsuits brought against the media to require his inclusion in the Gubernatorial debates. Mark also represented John Russell, Clint Curtis, Frank Gonzalez, and others in contesting the official results of the 2006 elections in Florida state court and before the U.S. House of Representatives. Mark has been involved in the judicial reform movement since 2003, the media reform movement since 2004, and the election reform movement since 2006. Before those years, he believed that judges followed the law, that our media told us the truth, and that our votes were counted. Beliefs that most of us once held and that many still hold on to. Unfortunately, Mark, like many of us, learned that these beliefs were no longer true. However, Mark believes that we can counteract the forces which have destroyed these institutions if we face reality and take action before it is too late. Mark asks that you please remember that the American dream will die and our children will suffer if the people do not know what their government leaders are doing, if the people are not able to vote ineffective or corrupt leaders out of office, or if judges can ignore the law and the facts with no repercussions!
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