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From Marjorie Gersten

Submitted by mole333 on 6 November 2006 - 2:36pm.

This is from Marjorie's newsletter: (NYC focus but helpful for others as well)

STOP ELECTRONIC VOTING IN NY. NOW.
New York 's machine certification schedule is pushed back past December. With machines not being certified until, perhaps, February 20. In the new schedule, counties could be asked to choose equipment no later than March 7.

The delays are directly related to Ciber, the so-called "Independent Testing Authority" conducting most of NY's certification, and being unable to produce an acceptable Security Test Plan. Further revision of the security test plan is in progress, but the full security review cannot be completed before February.

We could generously say that Ciber didn't know what they were facing as they certified everything put in front of them for a couple years. Not so generously I say they are responsible for the recent, undeserved recertifying of the CA machines, and are still not reliable. This delay is due to another ITA deeming their plan lacking.

Ciber was listed on Hacking Democracy as not checking the Diebold for security, but certifying nonetheless.

This means that NY will probably be unable to pick new machines in time for the 2007 election. I need to check with the State Board next week.

NOV 11 / Keep electronic voting out of NYC! Prevent the problems happening in other cities before it is too late.
TRAINING SESSION 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Get active in NYC -- prepare for public hearings!
Location: Gallery at Community Church of New York, 28 East 35th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues), NYC. For information or to RSVP, call Connie Dondore at 212-777-5533, or email at
cdondore@msn.com

NOV 13 / Voting machine press briefing at 55 Hanson Place, State Building, Hearing Room 346. Located near the Atlantic Avenue subway and LIRR. Given by wonderful State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, in cooperation with New Yorkers for Verified Voting, League of Women Voters, and more. As a result of our Community Board push, good things can result from our activism. Please join us. We need you!

NOV 15 / Voting machine demonstration at 5:00 p.m. Little Theatre, LaGuardia Community College, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City 718-482-7200, Take 7 train to 33rd Street Station. Walk 2 blocks westbound to Thomson Avenue and Van Dam Street.--Additional directions: www.lagcc.cuny.edu/visit

NOV 17 / Voting machine demonstration at 5:00 p.m. Savoy Multipurpose room, Hostos Community College , 20 Walton Avenue, Bronx, 718-518-4444 Directions: Take the 2, 4, or 5 trains to 149th Street (Eugenio Maria de Hostos Boulevard) and the Grand Concourse.-Additional directions: www.hostos.cuny.edu

REMEMBER THESE ARE NOT VIDEO GAMES.

NOV. 21 / Public Hearing before the Board of Elections, at 4 p.m. (date and time of hearing may change) New York City Board of Elections, 42 Broadway (near Exchange Place), 6th floor, 212-487-5300, Directions: 4or 5 subway to Wall Street stop, or R or W subway to Rector Street. Walk one block to Broadway and one block south on Broadway. Also 2, 3, to Wall Street, walk to Broadway

Remarks will probably be limited to two minutes.
http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#Announce

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Words to live by

One thing that I've found unsettling, though, in listening to coverage about the protests thusfar, is this "good immigrant/bad immigrant" rhetoric that's present in what some people are saying, protesters and organizers alike. This morning, while listening to NPR, I heard one woman speak about how Latino immigrants aren't doing anything to harm this country, that they "love America" and just want to become good, hard-working Americans. Then I heard one organizer, speaking at one of the rallies, say something like this: "Nineteen people hijacked planes and participated in the 9/11 attacks, and not one of them were named Gonzales, Rodriguez, or Santiago. But you can bet that many of the people dying serving their country in Iraq are named Gonzales, Rodriguez, and Santiago" so on and so forth.

I understand that much of this is in response to the whole immigration debate getting wrapped up in worries about "national security" - how the specter of terrorism seems to make allowances for all manner of discrimination, racism and xenophobia, and how countless immigrants are nonsensically made to suffer because of it. However, it definitely seems like a very bad, very problematic move to buy into this sort of dichotomy that pits "good" immigrants or "good" brown folks (here, Latinos) against "bad" ones (apparently people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent - because, you know, the actions of individuals become the responsibility, the fault, the burden of their entire race and religion.) Latinos, like all other immigrants to the United States, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and are entitled to certain rights and protections because they are human beings, not because they're good, flag-waving*, American-loving immigrants. No one is illegal, no matter whether your name is Juan or Mohammed, Gonzales or Atta.

— AngryBrownButch | no one is illegal