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a quite different population, geography and set of political problems, and different strategic considerations, than Mexico, in dealing with OUR fascist junta. Our people are not as bad off as the vast poor population of Mexico is, but we are much more demoralized and disempowered. The peasant revolution in Mexico is connected to a huge, peaceful, leftist revolution that is sweeping Latin America, and is also connected globally, to the small farmer movements in South Korea and India, for instance, and other places. As Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, has said: "The time of the people has come."
The U.S. is bigger, more urban, much more multicultural, much less well organized at the grass roots level, and--perhaps most important--does not have a major political party that represents workers, the poor and the vast majority of Americans. The current Democratic Party is a remote echo of the party of FDR--very corrupted by Corporate Rule. We, the people, are on our own in many ways. And nothing illustrates this better than the MIND-BOGGLING SILENCE of our Democratic Party leadership on the MIND-BOGGLING TAKEOVER of our election system by Bushite electronic voting corporations during the 2002-2004 period. Now we have these private, partisan, rightwing corporations "counting" all our votes with TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, with virtually no audit/recount controls. It is outrageous! At least, in Mexico, they can go find some of the paper ballots thrown into the garbage dump, or videotape some of the ballot box stuffing. Here, many of our votes don't exist in any concrete, recountable form. They are highly manipulated ELECTRONS disconnected from any evidence of the actual vote.
One plan for getting this election system reformed quickly is the Absentee Ballot voting protest--massive AB voting this fall. AB votes are not "safe," and will NOT result in accurate vote counts this fall, but AB voting COULD bring this election theft system to its knees, by FLOODING local/state election officials with MOUNTAINS of paper ballots--creating panic and crisis in the election theft industry--and FORCING reform NOW. Boycott the machines! Refuse to vote on them! Don't cooperate with this rigged system! But DO vote--it's vitally important! Just do it by AB voting, and let their expensive, shiny, new election theft machines sit idle. AB voting is up to 50% in Los Angeles already. People don't trust the machines!
It's easy. Everybody can do it. It's a maximum participation protest. It's involving. And it will help turnout. It gives cynical non-voters ("it's all rigged--why vote?") a GOOD REASON to vote. Join the protest aimed at un-rigging the system. It's also a protest that suits our more alienated population. It is an individual protest. You don't have to go to meetings and marches--just DON'T VOTE ON THE MACHINES!
We may one day find ourselves compelled to blockade highways and stock exchanges and shut down our cities, to be heard. Meanwhile, people need a way to express their discontent--and one that could be very effective in changing the political landscape for the better.
Bust the Rigged Machines! Bust Bush! Bust the War! Bust Congress! VOTE ABSENTEE!
"The time of the people has come!"
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