Today I had the pleasure of voting. I really can't think of a better technology than optical scan, the benefits of technology with an opaque paper trail.

You don't need to bother with machines when you just call the voters and trick them into not showing up. Yay, Virginia!!!

Step 1) Distract the American people with external "enemies"

Step 2) Ensure the American people are fully disenchanted with their entire elected government

Step 3) Erode the civil rights of the American people in the name of National Security

Step 4) Convince the American people that the entire electoral process is flawed and not to be trusted

Step 5) ... sorry, someone's at the door....

... left at the black hole and keep going until you fall off the ...

Step 1a) Profit!!
Step 2a) Profit!!!
Step 3a) Profit!!!
Step 4a) Profit!!!!
Step 6) ????

They hate us because we are free.

What amused me about my touchscreen voting was that at some point in the process I had to press in a physical button that at first appeared to be part of the casing of the machine. Granted, this was obvious when it started flashing red and beeping, but why? Why a physical button? You've got a perfectly good touchscreen there.

You've got a perfectly good touchscreen there.

Apparently the designers know the problems with the system.

Not enough of a salami-based design approach, most likely.

If it's Republican-sponsored/based/financed then the problem is more likely TOO-much salami instead of not enough.

Yes, because history teaches us that pork picks sides.

Next, the senior senator from West . . .

Pork is the MOST partisan of proteins.

Well, if electronic voter malfunction is what's required to get Republicans out of office, then I for one support this malformed technology.

I think we have to throw this one back.

I think it may have been regular voter malfunction.

Or at least, the news article assured us that local voting machines were not working based purely on operator error (they forgot to take the test ballots out of the machine).

I'm not sure whether this is comforting or not, but at least all votes were re-scanned once they figured out what they'd done.

Too much salami?
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Puzzlement.

Obviously a republican.

Up yours too!

Yeah. Although lately I'm highly debating trying to use mind control to create a superparty that doesn't completely suck.

uhhh [billgatesf...sident.net]

with [typepad.com]

and I would also link to the goats making fun of dilbert bit but the search isn't working.

Although lately I'm highly debating

Lately?!? Do you mean that in a broad sense, like the past 5-6 years or so, or have you only recently discovered just how much Bush sucks?

I've tried, tried, tried to understand people who are Republicans, and the best that I can wrangle is that it must be wealthy people who hate taxes so much they don't care about civil liberties, and poor evangelicals who believe that a country being godless is worse than a country that doesn't care about poor people.

On the other hand, us Democrats are a bunch of soft-hearted wusses who'd sooner hug a terrorist than shoot them down, and think trees and prostitutes deserve better treatment than rich people, just because they are rich (which is true, by the way).

I would just suggest that everybody avoid the trick of tying political affiliation to ideology.

everybody avoid the trick of tying political affiliation to ideology.

If only the politicians did...

Oh. I see... you meant everyone.

You assume I was talking about Bush, when really I was talking about politicians. I'm no longer sure how long lately has been, though it's surely getting longer.

Regarding my decision: The Democrats tend to stand for certain things I strongly don't like, usually to the point where it makes it totally unconscionable for me to vote for any of them, and the Republicans tend to stand for certain things I really [strongly] give a shit about.

Oh come on people. I didn't say it was unconscionable for anyone to vote that way.

I am a whimsical* moderator.

*biased and malevolent.