132 Articles

Monday, August 11, 2008
"Stealing America: Vote By Vote" and What People are Saying
(12 comments) "STEALING AMERICA" lays out the case that something's deeply wrong with our election system with disturbing clarity. Don't see this film if you want to remain in denial. Our democracy is in trouble "¦ This film will convince you that it's time to wake up, start paying attention, and get involved. "" Bob Koehler, syndicated columnist, Tribune Media Services

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Chat with Filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman on the eve of the release of "STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote"
(4 comments) STEALING AMERICA is kicking off a 13-city tour with its debut on August 1 (through August 7)at the Quad Cinema in NYC.The film will start by running for a week in each of 13 cities,with more to come. "An Inconvenient Truth", "Fahrenheit 911",and "Sicko" have already proved that serious documentaries can make an impact via the commercial theatre circuit. Fadiman hopes that STEALING AMERICA might join their ranks.

Thursday, July 24, 2008
Playing hooky - a little taste of heaven
(6 comments) If you're like me, you harbor this fantasy that the work you do can't possibly survive your absence. Most of us are so overwhelmed by life's many demands on us, we can't step back and see the larger picture. But we know, if we take half a second to think about it, that there is more to life than work. While this is a simple concept, it is often incredibly hard to put it into practice.

Friday, July 11, 2008
Sneak Preview of "Count My Vote - A Citizen's Guide to Voting" by Steven Rosenfeld
(6 comments) There are few people in a better position to write the voter education guide,Count My Vote,which will hit the bookstores later this month.This is a combination sneak preview and interview with its author...While mental health might dictate a more Zen approach to current elections,he has given us actual tools to address some of the barriers that could keep us from voting in the first place.All of us can benefit from reading it.

Monday, July 7, 2008
How about some good news, for a change?
(8 comments) Too infrequently do we hear about anything good happening Out There. That doesn't mean it's not happening, only that the media has judged it un-newsworthy. We can do something about that. I offer a counterproposal.

Sunday, July 6, 2008
One activist's prescription for mental health
(7 comments) ...how hard we have to work at counteracting the truly bad vibes out there in our every day life, even if we're simply minding our own business.If we are activists, we have additional motivation to protect ourselves from the strong current of negative energy that can leave us depleted and feeling powerless, deflecting us from our mission.

Friday, July 4, 2008
What you can do about FISA RIGHT NOW
(3 comments) Once civil liberties are gone,it's a heck of a lot harder to get them back. The vote is supposedly scheduled for Monday or Tuesday.Use a few minutes this weekend making your voice heard.What better time to be thinking about issues like democracy,freedom,and tyranny than on the 4th of July?To make this as convenient as possible,I've included an action page to enable you to sign a petition against FISA.Our reps need to listen

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Silence of the Mainstream Media, Part 4 of Exclusive Series with Richard Hayes Phillips
(5 comments) I seem to be well known and highly regarded among those who get their news from the internet.Those who rely upon television & newspapers do not even know my name.I stand by my work.And I could defend my work,& elaborate upon it,if the "mainstream"- media would only give me the opportunity."Mainstream" media makes much of "the public's right to know." But only the "alternative" media recognizes that our elections are rigged.

Friday, June 20, 2008
The Broken Contract Lies Upon My Office Floor, Part 3 with Richard Hayes Phillips
This piece is about how close this book came to disappearing into a black hole. It got me thinking about just how much of what is really newsworthy never sees the light of day. Project Censored has been documenting uncovered news for over three decades. Help make sure this story - the theft of the 2004 election - stays in the public eye.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Being Multi-faceted in a Two-Dimensional Society, part 2, with R. H. Phillips, Author of "Witness to a Crime"
In "Being Multi-faceted in a Two-Dimensional Society"you will get a much better sense of who Phillips is,what makes him tick.He is a philosophical man,who is comfortable in his own skin and who loves what he does,a rarity these days.The tenacity that he has shown in the compiling of Witness to a Crime: A Citizens' Audit of an American Election was presaged by an earlier one-man campaign against BMI, the music moguls.

Thursday, June 12, 2008
Richard Hayes Phillips,Author of "Witness to a Crime: A Citizens' Audit of an American Election"
This book is an indispensable aid to understanding the 2004 election in general,and Ohio specifically.Because Kent State U. Press reneged on its contract,"Witness to a Crime" almost wasn't published at all.But,Phillips simply refused to allow this story to slip away.Part one in this OpEdNews exclusive series: Why I was able to become an election fraud investigator.

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Reflections on My Son's High School Graduation
(1 comments) "For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven."-I don't have to close my eyes to hear the Byrds' rendition of this classic from my youth.For my family,this is a season of milestones""one of which is Michael's imminent graduation from high school. It's definitely time to kvell(a tremendously useful & juicy Yiddish word which means to swell with pride over the accomplishments of your near and dear).

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Pedometers and Other Black Boxes
(2 comments) Paul Wellstone wisely said: "If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them." So, we've already seen where easy, fast, and convenient lead. Is that what we want? If not, we need to make better choices; and, we need to act. Now. Bottom line: Use it or lose it. Exercise your democracy!

Monday, May 12, 2008
Reflections on Mother's Day, Silver Linings, and Second Chances
(1 comments) I love Mother's Day.It's such a nice way to celebrate where we've all come from as well as our own part in shaping the next generation. Since we mothers are human,after all,it's nice to celebrate our collective success rather than dwell on the wild roller coaster ride that inevitably accompanies it.I want to discuss how an event that looks bad or troubling can somehow morph into something positive ""a blessing in disguise.

Monday, May 5, 2008
Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008
(6 comments) Warning:This book will make you uncomfortable.Miller pulls no punches. He's happy to spread the blame around – politicians,the Religious Right, corporate interests,election officials,the corporate media,voting machine vendors,fanatics for whom victory is all that matters–all (and more) come in for legitimate criticism.The biggest villains of the piece are those in the GOP who seek nothing less than a permanent power grab and

Friday, April 25, 2008
Exclusive Interview with David Earnhardt, producer/director of "Uncounted"�, Chicago premiere Tuesday, April 29th
(4 comments) The biggest problem with electronic voting is it breaks a big, a basic tenet of democracy "" is that we're supposed to be voting in secret and counting in public. You can't see how the counting happens on these electronic voting machines. You just put your vote in a black box, and then it just disappears. It's not a good way to run our democracy.

Saturday, April 5, 2008
Basketball, shopping for colleges, and the impending empty nest
(3 comments) What I did over spring break and how periodically and deliberately escaping from the intensity of activism is good for the soul and more productive in the long run.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Who's Watching Your Back? Part 1: You, the American Consumer
(1 comments) Consumers Union is the exemplar for responsible testing.CU's efforts prove that it is possible to provide the public with information to make intelligent choices regarding consumer purchases,and to raise consumer expectations within industry and government.Keep this paradigm in mind, and stay tuned for the second part in the series,when I draw a parallel to the most important American product of all ""our democratic elections.

Monday, March 24, 2008
Notes from the Take Back America Conference
(7 comments) Universal health care, kick starting the economy, rebuilding unions and the middle class, ending the war, achieving social and economic justice were once pretty much the exclusive province of the progressive movement. But activists pushed and talked and pushed some more and these are now mainstream values, absorbed by the more centrist candidates themselves.

Monday, March 24, 2008
A Tale of Three Men: Pete, Norman, and Bill - More from the Take Back America Conference
(1 comments) Animals have the uncanny ability to detect natural disasters before they manifest themselves. We voting integrity advocates are like the canary in the mine. The rest of our country is either willfully dismissive or oblivious. Ignore us at your peril! Instead, try this: inform yourselves, get mad, and get busy!

Monday, February 11, 2008
Sen. John McCain on YouTube: the Flip Side of "Yes We Can!"
(1 comments) Two short YouTube music videos, one of Sen. McCain, the other of Sen. Obama. The contrast is stark.

Sunday, January 27, 2008
John Graham's Sit Down Young Stranger: One Man's Search for Meaning
(1 comments) While Graham's life contains enough adventures for a dozen more ordinary people,I was much more drawn to his parallel, inner quest.I think that John's saga is a fascinating demonstration of Yogi Berra's aphorism,"it aint over till it's over."�Sometimes,the most difficult and wayward individuals somehow end up the most responsible and empathic of adults.You have to take the long view, never give up,and just live long enough.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Martin Luther King, Jr.: His Day and Every Day
(4 comments) Today is Martin Luther King Day.It almost slipped past me unnoticed.In the car this morning,I caught a bit of one of his speeches.Four minutes, tops.Yet enough to get me thinking.I downloaded the speech and listened to it as I read along. The words flowed off the pages and out of my speakers and pooled around me, vibrant and alive. Has it really been forty years? Some days, it seems that we have made no progress at all.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Beyond Baseball: Steroids - here, there, and everywhere
(6 comments) Recognizing the pandemic drug use in sports has changed the way I look at the MLB. I don't regard this as making excuses; context is always relevant. What we have is no less than a worldwide culture of cheating that infects everything it touches. If you've been following sports for years, maybe none of this is a surprise, but for a newbie like me, it's, well, news. I feel soiled.

Friday, December 28, 2007
Steroids in Baseball and Beyond
(7 comments) The whole baseball steroids furor is a wonder to behold. Normally, baseball holds little interest for me. I freely admit that I haven't been to a ballgame in twenty years or more, not counting my son's very brief Little League career. So, I resemble the alien that drops in to observe the local customs. Frankly, I was hoping to capitalize on the tremendous interest this story has sparked.

Saturday, December 15, 2007
OpEdNews Exclusive Interview with John Graham
(8 comments) In this interview,John Graham shares how his sense of adventure turned into a zeal for working for the common good""and seeking out and giving recognition to others who did the same.The first time I heard of John was the summer of 2005 when I read "Who's Watching the Watch List?"his account about finding himself on the "No-Fly"list.his new book:"Sit Down Young Stranger:One Man's Search for Meaning" is due to be released soon.

Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Great Hanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa DVD GIVEAWAY Update
We have two DVDs and a few days left to the contest. Simple rules to enter. Win yourself a copy of David Earnhardt's "Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections".

Sunday, December 9, 2007
Exclusive Interview with Syndicated Columnist Bob Koehler
(3 comments) Koehler is an award-winning, syndicated columnist and editor for Tribune Media Services.He is also a rarity "" a member of the mainstream media who has paid attention to the issue of election fraud.He wrote "The Silent Scream of Numbers- The 2004 election was stolen "" will someone please tell the media?"� after attending the National Election Reform Conference in Nashville in April, 2005.The article generated a huge response

Friday, December 7, 2007
The Great Hanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa DVD GIVEAWAY
(8 comments) I recently watched and reviewed the new documentary "Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections" which premiered in Nashville last month. Emmy-award winning director David Earnhardt has generously given OpEdNews ten copies of the DVD to give away to our readers. Here's all you have to do to be eligible for a copy of "Uncounted".Entries must be received (or postmarked) by midnight, December 17, 2007 so respond quickly.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Listen up! OpEdNews' Rob Kall on Tonight's "Voice of the Voters"
Rob Kall joins NJ Sen Gill and Renee Steinhagen,Exec Dir of the NJ Appleseed Public Interest Law Center,as Gould's special guests to discuss yesterday's advance of landmark election audit legislation in NJ.Voice of the Voters is devoted to voting rights and election reform. Ultimately it is an exploration of Representative Democracy itself & the responsibilities of citizens and their elected representatives.On the Net &1360 AM

Monday, December 3, 2007
Your Money or Your Life - Credit Cards, Identities and Democracy For Sale
(7 comments) "Your money or your life" pretty much covers these two scenarios.One strips victims of their money,as well as their privacy,and perhaps their identity.The other deprives them of their constitutional right to vote within our democratic system,which is the cornerstone of the American way of life.You can always get a new credit card and fight for your credit rating. But recovering our elections is proving to be a lot trickier.

Friday, November 30, 2007
"Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections" and the Power of One
(10 comments) Judging from the veteran's response and audience reaction,David Earnhardt can be pleased that his message was heard at the Nashville premiere.At the pro-democracy rally in Atlanta in the summer of 2005, marchers chanted, "Keep the vote alive!" One hand-printed sign poignantly and pointedly read, "I voted. Did it count? Who knows?" The appropriate follow-up question is "Who cares?" I sure do. What about you?

Monday, November 19, 2007
My two-minute video-- intro to our easily corrupted elections. Please Circulate!
(15 comments) The folks* at Ampolo invited me to be interviewed for their website. Here is their short video "A Vote with Confidence?" on voting integrity, the upcoming elections and what ordinary citizens can do. They distilled about ninety minutes of the interview into a few moments, and I think they did a good job.

Thursday, November 15, 2007
Flu Shots, Mindful Shopping and the Dog that Thought She was Human
(16 comments) Sound familiar? This administration has so mastered the art of intimidation, that even now in its floundering end stages, it retains a mystical, if mythic advantage. What will it take to get the opposition to grow some spine? Don't hold your breath. Ariana Huffington wrote a book a few years ago entitled Fanatics and Fools. You don't need me to tell you who's who.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Rudy, the company he keeps, and "The REAL Rudy: Command Center"
(7 comments) A man is known by the company he keeps.~The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. For Rudy Giuliani, GOP aspirant to the American presidency, this company apparently includes the Rev. Pat Robertson "" who has been brought on board as an advisor "" and former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik. Both of these men were recently featured in the news.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
"Michael Clayton", Issues of Accountability and Brave New Films' "The Real Rudy: Radios"
(18 comments) This documentary from Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films is less than seven minutes long.Within that small package,the case against Rudy is efficiently and effectively laid out using interviews and film clips.Remarkably free of hysteria considering that the grieving families are among those interviewed, the film poses questions that need answers.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Musings on root canal, bad dreams and the big C
(23 comments) We go about our business assuming that we will most certainly wake up the next morning, that cars will stay in their own lane, and that planes will remain in the sky until they land safely at their scheduled destination. As anyone who has had a near-miss will quickly admit, though, it's really all wishful thinking. What happens in the blink of an eye can change our lives forever.

Sunday, October 14, 2007
Take a Look: Prof. Steven Freeman's Presentation On Stolen US Elections
(5 comments) Here's a video crash course on election fraud for those of you who are waking up to the fact of election fraud but can't find anything in the mainstream press. Steven Freeman, award-winning professor at the University of PA, author of "Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen?", spoke before the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles last week and laid it all out quite clearly and succinctly. Watch this and pass it on.

Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Dixie Chicks, "Shut Up and Sing" and the Cost of Dissent
(21 comments) Shut Up and Sing traces the three years after "The Comment."Despite everything,they have stood by one another and by the conviction that they must be able to speak their minds in order to be true to themselves.In the process,they have achieved new levels of authenticity and maturity, and their songs resonate with passion. They're emphatically not going to shut up and, if we're lucky, they'll keep on singing for a long time.

Friday, September 7, 2007
The Cat in the Hat, elusive happy endings, and the [election] mess that is so big, and so deep, and so tall
(6 comments) This passage resonated with me and kept popping up, virtually every time something new and horrible happened. Dr. Seuss's "mess" of epic proportions so aptly and amazingly described exactly what is going on with our elections. Is it just me, or do you see it too? Since I was on the topic of kid's books, I also reread Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, another family favorite. (More on that in a bit.)

Sunday, September 2, 2007
Labor Day, Tavis Smiley's amazing work ethic, and his book: "What I Know for Sure, My Story of Growing Up in America"
(7 comments) You wouldn't necessarily think that I would find much in common with Mr. Smiley. We are separated by race, religion, generation, geography, childhood socio-economic background – in fact, just about everything. And yet, I found that there were many important values that we shared – faith, honesty, hard work, family, community, and public action.

Thursday, August 30, 2007
Fooled Again Series: Exclusive Interview with Michael Collins
Election fraud is one of the essential vehicles to lock down our freedoms and protections while the treasury is looted. Elections confer legitimacy on rulers who then take advantage of that trust and misrule. Election fraud is the means. The end is control of the public based on the notion that somehow we chose these harmful policies through elections. It's an elegant process, very efficient. From the Interview.

Sunday, August 26, 2007
"Fooled Again" Series: Exclusive Interview with "Diebold Whistleblower" Steve Heller
(41 comments) In this exclusive interview with "Diebold Whistleblower" Steve Heller, we discuss how he got interested in the state of our elections, his experiences in Ohio in November 2004, and his prescription for healthy, secure, accurate, democratic elections. Please join us!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Dan Rather Voting Machine Special, A Recipe for Election Disaster, and Serious Food for Thought
(10 comments) I'm continually amazed by the connections between seemingly unrelated threads in my life. Right now, I'm reading Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, the memoir of Ruth Reichl, the former New York Times restaurant critic. It's hard to think of a topic more removed from the state of our elections. And yet, both yesterday and today, her book touched on topics that seemed uncannily relevant.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007
First in the "Fooled Again" Series: Interview with Nancy Tobi
(13 comments) The point of all this is to say that in New Hampshire we have this tradition of grassroots democracy,and we all believe we run clean elections. New Hampshire has more recounts than any other state in the nation.We make it easy and financially feasible to hold recounts.Our recounts have never revealed any problems with the scanners.But that doesn't mean our elections are safe.As long as we use those computers,they are not safe.

Sunday, August 12, 2007
A Timely Second Look at Mark Crispin Miller's "Fooled Again"
(9 comments) In the coming months,I would like to look at current events on the election front through the lens of this re-issued,insightful book.Since so much is covered in this dense volume, I will break up my writings into a multi-part series.Topics will include the purpose of elections and the role of the press in a democracy, present legislation and how politicization of our elections has threatened the entire fabric of our democracy.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007
California's Bowen, the press and the election integrity S.O.S.
(16 comments) With the almost simultaneous release of three important studies on computerized election systems in the last 10 days or so (CA Secretary of State Bowen’s “top-to-bottom” review, and the UConn and Florida State University reports), is this roiling election morass finally going to reach the tipping point and stimulate massive media interest?

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Action Alert: Here's the 'Just say "NO!" to HR 811' kit
(4 comments) The clock is ticking!The House of Reps is poised to vote on NJ Rep. Holt's "election reform" bill (HR811),perhaps as early as tomorrow,Thursday. Organizations ordinarily aligned with the common good have pulled out all the stops to ram this legislation through.Unless - and maybe even though - we make a LOT of noise, this bill will become law and our elections will take more irrevocable steps away from democracy. Speak up now!

Sunday, July 8, 2007
The $64,000 question: Is democracy worth an hour of your time?
(38 comments) We have all heard for quite a while that our members of Congress would never agree to a ban of the DRE voting machines (touch-screen).Mary Ann raises a very good question:how do we know that that this is true? And its corollary:has anyone actually asked them?If one hundred people step forward,we will each have fewer than five calls to make.How much time can that take? Is this too much to ask? Frankly, I don't think so.

Sunday, July 1, 2007
"Sicko"
(26 comments) Who among us, however careful, conservative or genetically blessed, can guarantee that he will not be struck down by illness or accident? This subliminal fear and anxiety forms an underlying drumbeat for our daily lives. A recent study showed that the poorest English citizen fares better in terms of life expectancy and overall health than the wealthiest American.That's sobering.But don't worry - there's a pill for everything..

Monday, June 25, 2007
The Take Back America Conference and Me, Part 2: Conscience and Connectedness
(8 comments) There was a dark time several years ago, shortly after the 2004 election when I felt cast out and isolated.Each of us doubters hunkered down in our personal bunker, cut off from one another.But,opposition to the war,to the excesses and inhumanities of this administration is picking up steam and volume.It's easier to connect with others.Like the first days of spring after a long and brutal winter-a breath of fresh air.

Monday, June 25, 2007
Stealing America: Vote by Vote
(2 comments) Concerned Families of Westchester is sponsoring the film Stealing America: Vote by Vote.At the Hastings library, 7:30 p.m.this Tuesday June 26.The 2008 elections are fast approaching.Have the problems of 2004 been addressed? This is a great chance to see this important film.The overriding question is:How can we create an election system in which voters have confidence,and in which votes will be counted fairly?

Sunday, June 24, 2007
Take Back America 2007 and Me
(13 comments) Each time I got to the corner of Connecticut and Florida,I was greeted by a street sign saying:2000 Florida. It resonated for me,symbolizing just when everything started to go wrong. Every time I passed that darn sign,it gave me another jolt.For the last number of years,I have strongly felt that each of us can make a difference,can make the world a better place.This is a perfect example of the flip side of that equation.

Sunday, May 20, 2007
"Commander 'N Thief", a must-see documentary by Tom O'Brien
(19 comments) While most of the film is spent presenting the evidence of massive, nationwide election fraud in 2004, Palast casts his eyes ahead to 2008, where he predicts more of the same, but on an even larger scale. He calculates that there were around two million votes in 2000 that were cast but never counted. That number jumped to over 3.6 million in 2004, and he anticipates five million "spoiled" votes in 2008.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007
To my Mother on Mother's Day
(36 comments) What do you give to your octogenarian mother for Mother's Day that she's sure not to receive from someone else, and that you know will be just her size? I decided that the perfect solution was to write an article about our relationship.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
"Help America Vote...on Paper - a citizen call for election integrity"
(3 comments) Help America Vote...on Paper is pint-sized in length;it nevertheless covers many of the points that other films have taken far longer to make. While 18 minutes isn't enough time to provide much depth,this is a perfect appetizer.The fact that it's a free download is icing on the cake.Even the busiest person can find 18 minutes to spare.I'm really busy and I managed to watch it twice in the last two days to write this review

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Action Alert Made Easy: A Really Important Homework Assignment
(6 comments) Hopefully,you will all take heart from this boiled-down,step-by-step template and be empowered to follow the steps yourselves.Let me know where you got and what they said.Trust me when I say that this kind of approach can make a difference.In the meantime, we will be creating dozens–hopefully hundreds or thousands–of citizen journalists who are stepping forward to do the job so disastrously abandoned by the mainstream press.

Sunday, April 15, 2007
"Swing State Ohio" a documentary by Jed Wolfington
(9 comments) This is a professionally done piece, and it's quite apparent that the team did its homework. The music, camerawork,and editing are all executed neatly and effectively.The storyline is crisp,and the pace lively but not rushed.While the content is painful,the finished product is a pleasure to watch.But most importantly,the subject is an important one.Ohio as swing state – the quintessential swing state in the 2004 election.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
"American Blackout" - a documentary by Ian Inaba
(7 comments) "American Blackout" is a sort of real-live "Groundhog Day"–as it documents the sadly cyclical themes that punctuate the history of blacks in America.The end of slavery in this country almost 150 years ago did not bring this issue to a close,and we have been grappling ever since with integrating our darker-skinned fellow citizens with mixed success- most critically in the struggle for the right to vote.

Thursday, April 5, 2007
Bernie Ellis: OpEdNews' "Local Hero" #8
(14 comments) Editor's Note: Here's someone worth knowing. Let me know if you don't agree.

Friday, March 30, 2007
"The Right to Count: Democracy v. Electronic Voting" - A documentary by Richard Van Slyke
(5 comments) "The Right to Count" examines the evolution of our elections and asks the pivotal question of whether our present system properly serves our citizens and our democracy.While you may not understand each and every term that they toss around,you'll certainly get the underlying message that we are in deep, deep trouble.This film is a welcome addition to the mounting evidence of major election meltdowns since electronic voting...

Friday, March 30, 2007
Due Today: My Indignant, Open Letter to House Committee Regarding HR 811
(2 comments) We all worked our butts off to jam the fax lines on Capitol Hill, requesting that they look more closely at HR 811. Apparently, our success was insufficient. None of the faxes will be entered into the record unless we request it. With a deadline of today. Here is my angry letter. If you have the energy to email Janelle, we have another chance to try to make Washington listen to us.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007
ACTION ALERT! Contact Members of Comm of House Administration
(6 comments) Tomorrow morning, March 29th, is the deadline for contacting the Committee on House Administration about any reservations that citizens may have about HR 811, the new election reform bill crafted by Rep. Rush Holt. Here is something you can do to make your voice heard. Secure, transparent, accurate elections are the foundation of democracy. Are you willing to work a bit for it? Now's your chance. It's all laid out here.

Monday, March 26, 2007
"Pride" - The Story of Jim Ellis and the PDR Swim Team
We should celebrate any story, fact or fiction, which serves to motivate us to continue our fight for a fair and level playing field for everyone. The power of storytelling is that it makes us realize what is possible, however unlikely or distant it may seem. Isn't a level playing field exactly what we voting integrity advocates are fighting for?

Friday, March 23, 2007
(Almost) Everything I know I Picked Up at the Pool
(17 comments) It gives me strength and determination to keep doing what I'm doing in the same way that swimming alongside complete strangers spurs me to greater efforts. I often pick up my pace to match that of the swimmer in the next lane over.He stimulates me to try harder,swim faster and push myself farther.If we can all do that for one another, we will all be the better for it, and so will our world.

Thursday, March 15, 2007
Former FBI Agent: Reform the Patriot Act
(1 comments)

Thursday, March 8, 2007
Bouncing for Health, College Prep and an Amazing Shopping "Spree"
(10 comments) I'm taking a short break from the daily grind of voting integrity advocacy. (It can get a little intense.) Just long enough to tell you about the interesting developments in my life over the last few weeks. Then, it's back to the trenches.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Confused about election reform legislation? You're not alone
(1 comments) Are you prepared to let this important decision be made without your input or consent? Remember government "of the people, by the people, for the people"? Democracy demands eternal vigilance and citizen participation. Without it, we are merely living in a nation impersonating a democracy. Will you settle for that?

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
"My Soul Looks Back in Wonder, Voices of the Civil Rights Experience" by Juan Williams
(7 comments) As Susan Brownmiller writes in "My Soul Looks Back in Wonder", "Change in this country comes from people's movements. It doesn't come from electoral politics or legislation. It starts with very special people who declare themselves soldiers in an unpaid volunteer army of the moral, knowing they can really make change."

Saturday, January 20, 2007
Democracy is Not A Spectator Sport and What "WeThePatriots" Are Doing About That
(12 comments) It is up to us to complete the "unfinished work" Lincoln referred to in the Gettysburg Address, in this case, assuring free, fair, secure, transparent elections for our people. We have before us an historic opportunity to change course and return to what the Founding Fathers had in mind. It is a sacred task that we face. Are we up to the challenge? Very soon, one way or the other, we shall see.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Building Bridges, Amending HR 550 and What I Did Over Winter Break
(8 comments) I spent a lot of time over my winter break pondering these weighty matters. I balanced this heavy cerebral activity with recharging my batteries, getting back into an exercise routine, reconnecting with friends and family and concentrating on my OpEdNews work.It's Sunday already and I'll have to set my alarm tonight so that I am able to get up on time in the morning. It was fun while it lasted.Real life begins again tomorrow.

Monday, January 1, 2007
"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man"
(19 comments) For some reason, I have been drawn to heavier material. It started with Blindsided by Richard Cohen, about his life with MS. Now, it's Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. This book is my every nightmare come true. When I speak about it, the first thing most people ask is, "It's fiction, right?" Wrong. And, I'm more sorry about that than I can say.

Saturday, December 30, 2006
Crocs, Costco and the Mindful Shopper
(18 comments) Actually, what I really want to talk about are actions and consequences – a concept I've been stressing to my kids for the last two and a half decades. I'm a wholehearted subscriber to the theory, although that doesn't mean that following through is easy.

Thursday, December 28, 2006
Three open letters to Kathy Dopp, Jonathan Simon and voting activists everywhere
Here are three letters written to two voting activists but which have relevance to activists everywhere. Take note and take heart. We ARE making progress. You ARE making a difference! Anyone else want to chime in? There's no such thing as too much moral support!

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Election Forum: Dumb scanners
More discussion on how to approach election reform. Jump in at any time.

Monday, November 20, 2006
Election Forum: Paul Lehto
What recent experience in San Diego tells us about election reform, audits and the Holt Bill, HR550.

Saturday, November 18, 2006
Election Forum
Optical scanners, DREs and hand counted paper ballots are all discussed here by Marc Baber and Jana Nestlerode. Feel free to join the discussion. A national discourse on this subject is well overdue, especially in light of the many election fiascos that took place ten days ago.

Thursday, November 16, 2006
He Said/She Said: When is a Voting Machine Like an ATM?
Further conversation on electronic voting machines.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A Post-Election E-Conversation with Ion Sancho
(1 comments) Last December,Leon County (Florida) Supervisor of Elections Sancho brought down the wrath of Diebold by inviting Black Box Voting with Harri Hursti and Hugh Thompson for an authorized hack. This hack(which can be seen in shocking detail on HBO's "Hacking Democracy"(being shown all month) demonstrated that an optical scanner (via a memory card)could be programmed to flip the vote tally invisibly. FL is again in the news.

Saturday, November 11, 2006
Upset? Angry? Overwhelmed?
The intention of presenting these materials is not at all to make anyone feel overwhelmed or upset. Our intention is to help people understand what has been hidden from the public by various forces, and to inspire us to join together in building a brighter future for us all. We know that everyone of us can make a difference in what is happening in our world.

Thursday, November 9, 2006
How I Spent Election Day
(3 comments) It's old news already, fit only for wrapping fish. But I need to tell my story. Then, I'll be able to move on. Please humor me.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Our Vote is our Voice: Notes from the Frontlines on Election Day, 2006
I dreamt that I went to my polling place where I have voted faithfully for the last twenty plus years and was told that I wasn't registered. I felt like I'd been sucker-punched; my heart started hammering and I awoke with a jolt. PLUS late-breaking election news from Evanston Election Judge Bob Wilson. He's the same guy who hacked into Cook County's online voter registration database to show how vulnerable it was.

Sunday, November 5, 2006
HBO's "Hacking Democracy" and Where the Heck are those Minutemen When You Need Them?
Minutemen were farmers, blacksmiths, lawyers, artisans and shopkeepers who laid down their tools at a moment's notice. They fought to throw off the British yoke and when that was done, they went quietly back to their lives. We must learn from their example.

Sunday, November 5, 2006
TLC: A Prescription for Activists - Take As Needed
As long as each of us feels ourselves alone, isolated and powerless, they have us right where they want us. That's why I'm prescribing a regimen of TLC (tender loving care) for the foreseeable future. We have a lot to do to get our country back. It will be a long, hard fight and we must be in top condition to pull it off.

Thursday, November 2, 2006
Eternal Vigilance: The Fight to Save Our Election System
Something interesting is happening here. I keep thinking and writing "we" as opposed to "they". Even though I heard about the conference only after it happened, I feel like I was there. It's uncanny, this bond that connects all of us patriots who feel so strongly about the absolute need for fair elections.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Truth in the Booth: The Clint Curtis Story
(7 comments) I would have told this story even if I hadn't been asked to. There are few heroes these days, and Clint Curtis is decidedly one of them. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. If he hadn't stepped up to testify before Congress, this shameful chapter would have been buried in history with no one the wiser.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Dorothy Fadiman's "Stealing America: Vote by Vote"
(3 comments) The genius of massive election fraud is that it overrides the people's will by entrenching in power people and policies without resorting to overtly aggressive tactics like tanks patrolling Pennsylvania Avenue. When I heard Jonathan Simon make this very ominous yet fitting statement, it reminded me of the way you cook a frog.

Sunday, October 29, 2006
A Work in Progress
(1 comments) Each of us is a work in progress, from the moment of creation to one's last breath. I had pretty much thought of myself as a finished product, being middle-aged, my youngest almost ready to leave the nest. But, I find that activism has unearthed a new me, tapping into a previously undiscovered aspect of my personality. The fact that others find my ideas and projects to be notable is quite surprising, and it feels really good.

Sunday, October 22, 2006
"Man of the Year", Paul Revere, and the Deer that Wanted a Ride
(5 comments) it's up to us average citizens to stretch beyond our usual capacity to make connections, to talk this up, to spread the word. There's not a minute to waste. Somehow, we need to achieve this tipping point as soon as humanly possible if we want to retrieve and revive our democracy. Is that important to you? Then, what are you going to do about it?

Saturday, October 21, 2006
Cheated! written by Sheri Myers, illustrated by Sophie Goldstein
(1 comments) Sheri Myers thought about how to effectively convey to people the huge story that our elections are being stolen.She came up with what she calls a "graphic account,"a format that resembles a full-length comic,but which is neither light nor amusing. Myers's goal was to take the material and serve it up in educational yet entertaining bite-sized pieces.She and daughter, Sophie, have succeeded in accomplishing that goal and more.

Thursday, October 12, 2006
A Glance Backward as We Gaze Forward: Review of No Umbrella: Election Day in the City
No Umbrella takes us inside Ward 7, a poor, minority district of Cleveland, on Election Day 2004. While we never leave that particular polling place, what we see is a microcosm of what went on in urban centers all over Ohio, and in other battleground states as well.

Monday, October 9, 2006
Yom Kippur, Where the Wild Things Are, and the Dance of "Participatory Democracy": More on We Count 2006
(2 comments) It is a wonderful process to watch, this metamorphosis from wistful observer to active participant.I'm trying to do something similar:to inspire and empower people to willingly leave the sidelines and plunge into activism, getting caught up in what we shall call the dance of 'participatory democracy'. While I was in the shower this morning, I came up with what I think is a pithy slogan:"Democracy is not a spectator sport".

Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Notes from the WeCount2006 Voting Integrity Conference
(1 comments) The first installment of the WeCount2006 Conference on fair elections and democracy that took place this weekend in Cleveland. It was GREAT! An exciting and energizing event. Much more to come.

Sunday, October 1, 2006
The Men Behind the Curtain: or Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media
I'm trying to finish this book review before leaving for the Cleveland We Count 2006 Conference early tomorrow morning.When I come back, I'll be inundated by impressions from the conference. I'm delighted that Mr. Cohen doesn't "need" my review. He's doing just fine, thank you, without it.His back cover is peppered with blurbs by the likes of Molly Ivins, Howard Zinn,Studs Terkel, and others. No, he definitely doesn't need me.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Cleveland, Here I Come!
(1 comments) I make it a point to avoid large crowds of strangers as much as possible. But the idea of rubbing shoulders with like-minded souls is simply irresistible.I just can't miss this opportunity.My dear friend Mary offered to take good notes for me if I choose to stay home I'm hoping it's 6 hours rather than 7 each way and that I'm able to take advantage of having all those wonderful people in one place at the same time.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Why Smoke Was Coming out of My Ears
(4 comments) or My Reaction to the Princeton Center's Nine-Minute Video. Tell me, please, if you can: what other ingredients for disaster do you need to convince you that there is something very wrong here?

Sunday, September 17, 2006
A Sensible Solution to the Election Integrity/Voting Machine Crisis? What do you think?
From Norma: Universal Precinct-based Handcount Sample (UPS). [Handcount 10% sample of paper ballot records, in every precinct, on election night, by citizens.] This as a preliminary step to final eradication of all voting machines, period.

Sunday, September 17, 2006
Letter to the Voting Integrity Editor: Where the heck are those Democrats?
Voters have not received a single message about how they can go about protecting their right to vote. There is no national Democratic monitoring effort that Democrats can use to report voter intimidation or problems at the polls. This is the situation inspite of the best effort from activists, during the DNC Summer Meeting in Chicago several weeks ago, to secure such a system.

Friday, September 15, 2006
9/11, Jury Duty, and What America is Demanding of Us Right Now
Besides tying together those seemingly disparate issues, this OpEd piece is actually a review of DeLozier and Karp's new book: "Hacked! High Tech Election Theft in America, 11 Experts Expose the Truth!"

Tuesday, September 5, 2006
New Book Exposes Evidence Connecting Electronic Voting with Election Fraud
Dedicated editors Abbe DeLozier and Vickie Karp break through the confusion surrounding the issue of electronic voting and stolen elections by compiling a weighty treatise, HACKED! High Tech Election Theft in America, featuring 11 recognized experts on how electronic voting has stolen our democracy: Bev Harris, Lynn Landes, Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman, Victoria Collier, Kathleen Wynne, Jeremiah Akin, and others.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Fighting Burnout: An Activist's Lament
(2 comments) While I'm not exactly equating my activism with the travails of unexpected twins, there is a certain resemblance. Getting so tired that I can't put sentences together, feeling overwhelmed, having so much to do without the confidence that it's even physically possible to do it all. Actually, the more I think about it, it really is very similar.

Monday, August 21, 2006
"Caught on Tape, The Fix is In!"
(2 comments) ...a new online video about America's flawed voting process by freelance journalist Lynn Landes. In this 13-minute video Landes strongly urges all political candidates to not concede their races until they or their supporters have verified election results through the collection of voter affidavits or signed statements in some or all precincts. She calls these efforts, "Parallel Elections". Link to the video included.

Thursday, August 10, 2006
Exercise in Democracy: Use It or Lose It
(4 comments) This is the text of an email that I sent out this week to voting activists across the country. I am beginning to receive responses, which I will post. Please join in this exercise in democracy, a debate on HR 550, Rep. Rush Holt's bill for election reform. Is it truly the "gold standard" or something else entirely? Or something in between? It is all of our best interest to find out.

Monday, August 7, 2006
Ode to My Mother: From her Voting Activist Daughter
Now I would like to tell you about my mother. Bear with me – it's not the segue it might seem. From the get-go, she has been my biggest fan.

Thursday, July 27, 2006
Our Worst Fears Confirmed
(8 comments) Steven Freeman's new book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what has happened in the last several presidential elections. Don't pooh-pooh Freeman's premise without giving it a closer look. Come back with reasoned arguments if you can, but this book needs to be part of a crucial public debate about our elections and our future.

Thursday, July 20, 2006
"Local Hero" Corner: #6
It might seem an odd time for a book review. The world seems to be coming apart at the seams. I'm not wild about 'book reports' (writing or reading them) but I love to read and share what I've loved. So, if you're not a reader or can't be bothered with real live modern day heroes, don't read any further.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Letters to the Editor: Voting Issues
As I've mentioned, I'd like this to be an ongoing feature. You don't have to think highly of my work or even comment on it. You don't even have to agree with me. I'd like readers to consider this a safe place to explore all aspects of our current elections dilemma. Having a heartfelt debate is the first step towards reclaiming the democracy which is slowly but surely slipping between our fingers.

Thursday, July 13, 2006
E-voting in the Trenches: A Two-Year Chronology
(2 comments) Look how much has happened since this film about electronic voting was made. Containing highlights post-April 2004, this article can serve as a resource guide for all voters concerned with our election mess.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A follow-up to "Has this country gone completely insane?"
Did you read the article? This is the story behind the story of his run-in with the police at a VA medical center during the 320-mile, four-week peace walk. I think you'll find it very interesting.

Thursday, July 6, 2006
Responses to "Armed Madhouse and the huge task ahead of us"
I haven't yet heard from any avowed Republicans. I meant what I wrote. I really DO want to know what Republicans think about all these stratagems which effectively stifle minority voting. I'd like to promote 'healthy dialogue'. Also, did you find me too harsh? Am I overstating the case? Can we really afford to sit back and wait for someone else to 'fix' our democracy?

Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Armed Madhouse and the huge task ahead of us
I feel like the famed little Dutch boy who heroically stanched the flow by sticking his finger into the hole in the dike. Only, in my recurring nightmare, I don't have enough fingers to keep everything together until help arrives. And, is help even on the way?

Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The Zen of Swimming
(4 comments) This is a radical departure from my usual political rants, I admit. My aim is to probe that gap between the experience of boy-jocks who grew up to be man-jocks and girls like me, who grew up in the ‘50s and the ‘60s.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Joan Goes to Washington: A follow-up
It seems now would be a perfect time for people to start distributing copies of "Invisible Ballots" to their elected officials, the local press and influential members of their communities. My ability to produce these DVDs at a discounted bulk rate will enable us to spread the word on a grander scale than before. I invite your participation.

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Joan Goes to Washington: An Update
(1 comments) I can’t take credit for the wonderful idea of bringing DVDs and conference delegates together. That honor goes to Rob Kall, my editor at OpEdNews. What he neglected to tell me was that the project would fall entirely in my lap and have to be funded and executed within an incredibly short period of time. Thanks, Rob!

Thursday, May 4, 2006
Interesting new developments with "Invisible Ballots" DVD project!
I started this project almost eight months ago. Since then, more than 250 individual/group borrowers have been enlisted, one by one. I have an opportunity to reach eight to ten times that many in the course of a three-day conference! At the rate I've been going, it would take me 64 months (more than five years) to get to 2,000 borrowers. In short, this is a much more efficient, cost-effective way to spread the word.

Thursday, April 27, 2006
The "Invisible Ballots" Lending Library Project Update
(1 comments) What's happening with the project: what's been accomplished, what's in the works...

Monday, April 17, 2006
What's up in Leon County, Florida: The continuing saga of Ion Sancho and the quest for fair elections...
I was disappointed to read several days ago that Leon County is back negotiating with the same Diebold whose machines were so easily hacked by Harri Hursti last December. Here are the emails Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho and I exchanged over the last two days on what exactly is going on there.

Monday, April 17, 2006
"Quandary" responses, Part 7
Here's another installment of election comments. I'm particularly interested in your reaction to the first letter.

Sunday, April 16, 2006
"Quandary" responses, Part 6
More letters to the editor on election issues in a more compact, easy to read version. Read and respond. I invite your participation.

Monday, April 10, 2006
"Quandary" responses, part 4
Comments continue to pour in. That's terrific. We don't have to agree to have a conversation. In fact, the quality improves as the breadth of opinion increases. Keep reading and writing!

Friday, April 7, 2006
"Quandary" Responses, part 3: More letters from readers of OpEdNews
I'm quite pleased with the number of responses to my original article. Feel free to weigh in on the subject. You don't have to be an expert; in fact, we're all amateurs here. I've been thinking about the potential of networking. I came up with this pithy expression: "Knowledge shared is power squared". What do YOU think?

Monday, April 3, 2006
Another batch of responses to "A bit of a quandary"
Keep 'em comin'!

Monday, April 3, 2006
Some responses from OpEdNews readers to "A bit of a quandary"
(2 comments) I am very happy to already report a good number of responses to my March 31st OpEd piece "A Bit of A Quandary". I expect that more will be coming and I will print them as well. You don't have to love my writing style in order to get posted. I'm interested in your reaction to the contents. Let's get a real conversation going on these very important issues. This is how democracy works.

Friday, March 31, 2006
A Bit of a Quandary
(3 comments) We CAN take back our elections and create an informed, mobilized public that is actively involved in determining the course of our country and our future. That will be a bonus, for healthy democracy depends on the vigor of its debates and the degree of involvement of its citizens.

Sunday, March 19, 2006
"Invisible Ballots" lending library project goes 'legit'!
For all of you wondering when you could start making tax deductible contributions to the "Invisible Ballots" lending library project... The answer is, starting right now!

Monday, March 13, 2006
Making a difference: one dvd at a time
Reflections on the six-month anniversary of the inception of my "Invisible Ballots" lending library project.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Putting two and two together...
(1 comments) Perhaps, we have been going the long way around. Perhaps, right under our noses lies a very simple solution to disabled voting and HAVA compliance that will neither break the bank nor threaten voting integrity. If benefit of the doubt has to be given, I vote for honoring the integrity of the vote. What do you say?

Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Thank you, Ion Sancho, guardian of voting integrity
Here is the email address for Ion Sancho, the intrepid Supervisor of Elections for Leon County, Florida. I think that we should all be in touch to thank him for his courage in standing up to Jeb Bush, Florida's Secretary of State and the many electronic voting machine proponents arrayed against him.

Sunday, January 15, 2006
It Takes A Village
I now recognize in a more fundamental way that there is no such thing as a “self-made man”. We stand on the backs of those who preceded us and stand shoulder to shoulder with those who share our goals and our passions. We are part of a long chain of human endeavor to make our world a better place to live. We forget this connectedness at our peril.

Sunday, December 25, 2005
While You Were Sleeping: Legal Shield for Vaccine Makers, Part 2
The below website provides a fast and easy way to participate in some "public backlash" by telling your representatives your concerns about this back-door attempt to protect Big Pharma.

Friday, December 23, 2005
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
The Coalition for Visible Ballots has arranged a special deal with the maker of “Invisible Ballots”, the DVD that explores the perils of electronic voting machines.

Thursday, December 22, 2005
A New Year's resolution that's guaranteed easy to keep
I propose a New Year's resolution that's doable, won't cost you any money or even much time. And, you'll feel good after you do it. I promise. Is that a good deal or what?