Daily Kos

Email: epcraig at gmail dot com

Green, taxi driver, Free software advocate.

How to Boycott Diebold

Thu Nov 23, 2006 at 09:12:04 AM PDT

OK, so I was wrong predicting Ken Blackwell to be the next governer of Ohio because he had specified Diebold. So much for my prophetic powers.
Apparently Diebold sells votes in small enough lots to be indetectable.
That they can is unconscionable.
So how did we find ourselves unable to read every last byte of source code compiled to run our transparent elections? How is it that I am able to ask whether that code may be compromised in a partisan manner and be told not to worry, experts have resolved that issue.
Apparently.
Mind you, these machines were sold to elections officials, not to voters. Neither have access to the source code because elections officials weren't concerned with it and voters weren't consulted.
Well, then, how to boycott Diebold?

Poll

How would you prefer your ballot tallied?

46%47 votes
46%47 votes
0%1 votes
4%5 votes
0%1 votes

| 101 votes | Vote | Results

Diebold's Ohio

Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 09:02:45 AM PDT

Last I heard, or actually read in response to a weisenheimer remark I posted here, Ken Blackwell is down twenty points coming into tomorrow's election.
I need not know much of Ohio, although I have pleasant memories of bicycling through it in 1993 and I find I read of it with pleasure exept when I consider that Ken Blackwell is the most likely next Governer of Ohio.
Now I realize that nobody need pay attention to a purple bearded cabbie in Eugene, but I question Ken Blackwell's insistance on Diebold computers,albeit due considertion ought to be given to Diebold being an old Ohio company but if Ken Blackwell wins...

So what shall we do?

Poll

You think Blackwell wins?

31%18 votes
68%39 votes

| 57 votes | Vote | Results

On boycotting Microsoft

Tue May 03, 2005 at 11:03:05 AM PDT

In an article in the New York Times the Reverend Ken Hutcherson backs off from calling for a boycott of Microsoft because just the threat was enough to convince Microsoft to abandon support for a gay rights bill in the Washington legislature which Microsoft had supported for the last two years. The bill failed in the Senate by one vote.

That Reverend Hutcherson failed his parishoners by backing off the boycott  when Microsoft caved, not that the boycott was ineffective, but because I don't think even his mega-cult deserves the bug ridden mess that is Microsoft  Windows. Neither do you.

Long story short, anybody who uses the product of a company convicted of abusive monopoly practices, multiple patrent infringements, and repeated copyright violations supports, morally and financially, the keen business practices of the richest man in the world. Bill Gates is an unabashed Bush supporter, appearing periodically in the supporting backdrop at George W's events, both in the Distrct and Texas.

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