August Week Three

Electronic voting machines got another nail in the coffin this summer. California has shown that the "latest and greatest" model of a computerized voting machine may have an error rate of 10%. If your county commissioner is still supporting computer voting, well . . . you have a problem. That commissioner must go. That person is either living in 1999 or has an IQ in the class of a dust bunny. You may want to revisit the position of The Hundred Network on this issue:  Paper Ballot Voting.

One observer wrote this story: "BRUCE MCPHERSON, California's secretary of state, has just performed an invaluable service for the voters. Only a few months into the job, he had been under intense pressure to certify the latest electronic touch-screen voting machine manufactured by Diebold Election Systems, which is supposed to help California counties meet a federally mandated January deadline for the overhaul of their election equipment. But instead of rolling over, his office conducted exhaustive tests on the Diebold TSx, discovered that it had a 10% error rate -- worse than the reviled punch-card machines used in Florida in 2000 -- and sent the company back to the drawing board." Read the entire article in The L.A. Times,  A Firewall for Democracy.

Campaign Finance:  Here's another issue for The Hundred, political contributions. The solution is to ban corporate campaign contributions at all levels. All levels means city, county, state, and federal. All the fantastic money is not being given for "good government." The stockholders should also be asking, "Why is the CEO giving away money to politicians and reducing my dividends?" Giving us one great quote for August, Will Durst nailed this issue:

It's all about reframing, such as the word "bribe" being replaced with "campaign contribution," when we all know the major difference between the two is five syllables.

You and The Hundred:  Are you tired of hearing about government dancing around problems and avoiding the common-sense solutions? Are you unhappy with the political and economic direction of our country? Sitting in front of the TV does not solve the problems. Surfing the internet does not solve problems. The solution lies in making laws. Laws are made by elected officials. ERGO: Elect candidates to office who will make the laws that suit you and your circle. Think Big! Act Local! It's a simple process that you can take control of. Our future and success may be in the hands of the people who do NOT vote today. Give them a concrete reason why their vote makes a difference. They'll vote with you.

The importance of November 7, 2006 is shared by every American. How many days are there till the next truly national election day? See the  Countdown Clock.

Citizens Can Vote: Registering voters is the first step. The second step is getting them to vote on Election Day. You can play a vital role by energizing your circle in your community. All it takes is a few phone calls. Make the first call to your County Voter Registration Official. Find out what you can do to become an authorized voter registrar for your county. Then call 10 people in the next 10 days. Ask them to help you support democracy by picking one issue. You will all be energized by that one phone call. Getting them to take a look at this web site will save you a lot of time in explaining the non-partisan approach to political action. Send them the link to  This Page.

Feedback:  Let us know how your phone calls turned out. Send us your quick report via  email.

August Week Two

U.S. Soldiers to Paraguay:  Here's an action which leaves us shaking our American heads in disbelief. The United States is short on troops in Iraq, most conclude. The United States cannot protect itself along any of its open borders, e.g. with Mexico. One thousand illegal persons smuggle themselves into the U.S. each day. Drugs are smuggled in great quantities across our borders. And yet, the U.S. has billions for military-style actions in Columbia. And now, get this, the U.S. is opening a new "front" and sending its soldiers and money to Paraguay.

Brazil's America's Reporter wrote this:

In an unprecedented agreement in the region, Paraguay accepted the arrival of US troops on Paraguayan soil for the purpose of carrying out up to two dozen anti-terrorism and anti-drug missions of an unspecified duration and scope, starting in July and lasting up until September 2006."

August Week One

Death of a Farm Worker:  In July, four men died after working in the recent intense heat of California's Central Valley, says the newspaper. These are the names of the four human beings:

• Eduardo Martinez Morales
• Constantino Cruz
• Gonzolo Chavez Jr.
• Salud Zamudio-Rodriguez

On July 21, Constantino Cruz collapsed in a tomato field in the Lost Hills area of western Kern County, during what his family and UFW officials described as a "speed-up" . . . . The temperature was 105 degrees.

Co-workers said that for more than two hours, the tractor doubled its speed in a dash to finish the last pick of one field so the grower could begin a fresh field the next morning.

Read a bit of the story in L.A. Times,  Deaths Rally Farm Laborers.

Read another shallow article in The L.A. Times,  Gov. Orders Shade, Water for Workers Sickened by Heat.

A recent morning show ran a feature on how susceptible dogs are to excessive heat. It explained that leaving a dog in a car for a short time could cause the dog's organs to reach a temperature of 107 degrees F. And that would cause the organs to fry and kill the dog. If there was any coverage at all, then we missed their story about the effects of heat on the California workers who died. One report said that 2,200 reporters were sent to cover the trial of Michael Jackson. Really. Those reporters missed the story about the effects of heat on the California workers who died.

Will this story of people dying from heat get as much coverage? Not likely. However, let's keep an eye on this story, if there is any follow-up at all. We may all get a final answer to these questions: Is Arnie a Human-Man, or is Arnie a Girlie-Man? Based on his reaction thus far, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like a Girlie-Man.

What's next? What topic would you like to see on this site? Send us your suggestion via email.