"..we will be vigilant and we will see this struggle through" - Nashville

[meganmonkey]

I found this article about the Nashville conference. I really enjoyed reading it because it focuses more on the people and the civil rights issues and I feel like lately I have been too focused on machines and numbers and corruption. It isn't very detailed but it is a good read, IMHO. (I didn't see it posted yet, hope it isn't a dupe)

-----
Bernard Ellis of the National Conference on Election Reform was the first to speak. This was the 25th gathering of his group, the Gathering to Save Our Democracy, since December 12th when they had their first protest regarding election fraud. Members of the Gathering to Save Our Democracy wear orange armbands to symbolize their solidarity with the Ukrainian people who struggled to guarantee free elections at about the same time that this movement was happening. Ellis talked about the historic struggle for civil rights in the South and the appropriateness of hosting the conference at the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, which has been an important part of the struggle for civil rights in Nashville.
--snip---

(Dr. Michael Grant) "I want to begin by asking you three questions and these are the following: Why should we care? How much should we care? and How do we connect this issue with the historical precedent of civil rights?"

"We cannot afford to fail. People have to know their votes were counted. Nothing is more sacred than freedom and democracy. If you love what we are doing then I urge you to call every member of Congress and tell them that we will have a paper trail. We will have voting machines that give us a paper receipt and our votes can be verified. We must fight this fight until every vote is counted. We must insist on the highest standards of accuracy. Voters must be able to independently verify the process and there needs to be triple redundancy. There can be no way that someone can hack into a machine to steal our votes. "

"We the people must talk about why democracy is important. Democracy is about the will of the people. We must keep it this way and the only way is to reform our voting system. Our cause is something that can lift people up. The sovereign will of the people shall prevail."
http://www.tnimc.org/feature/display/4960/index.php

[understandinglife]

1. Thank you for the link. Everyone -- Get this info on the 'greatest thread'

It is of the utmost importance to saving our democracy.

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us (a day to reflect on how many have died because of stolen elections in 2000, 2002 and 2004 -- it is time to stop the liars and the cheats)

[tommcintyre]

2. "We cannot afford to fail. People have to know their votes were counted."

WOW! What passion! "Nothing is more sacred than freedom and democracy..." "...call every member of Congress and tell them that we WILL have a paper trail."

"...the appropriateness of hosting the conference at the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, which has been an important part of the struggle for civil rights in Nashville." <We must not let their sacrifices be in vain - the torch of freedom has been passed to us, and we MUST NOT let the light go out!>

It gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing it. :D

[bleever]

3. Nominated, and thanks! n/t

[Melissa G]

4. Nominated! Get the word out! Verifiable Election Management Systems

NOW! Do your part to save democracy. Tell everyone you know and then tell someone you just met. Do it everyday and we will get somewhere!

[keepthemhonest]

5. beautiful article

thanks , it was interesting Meganmonkey because the Nashville news was planning to attend the conference while Mckinney was there, but then something strange happened, some type of hostage situation. We joked about it being a Karl Rove special because it would have been our chance to be in the news again. Who knows. There were however 7 professional comera crews filming and some amateurs doing their own documentation as well.

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. I'd like to propose (if his family is willing) to use ATHAN GIBBS' name

in association with nation-wide efforts to promote clean, fair elections. He worked tenaciously on this for so long, focusing on voting machine technology, and when he was killed in a fatal "accident" 8 months before the 2004 election, it was a tragedy not just to his family but to the whole country.

His story is amazing, and I'm ashamed to say I only learned of it on another thread tonight. It is mentioned in the OP and discussed further, with links to additional information, in some of the replies in this thread on the Nashville Conference:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x355044
Thread title: "Update from the NASHVILLE conference / and bradblog suggestion"

Again, if his family supports the idea, I think it would be a great thing to associate Athan Gibbs' name with the cause of election reform, especially with the voting machines. He was an expert in open-code, clean voting machines, and he was pushing hard for them to be accepted at the time of his "accidental" death. Whether his death was truly an accident or not, I think his name and remembering his fierce devotion to this cause would help in carrying on his fight.

Recommended - great article

[meganmonkey]

7. Yep - He has been brought up here from time to time

I think he is a very important part of this movement, particulrly the timing of his tragic death...

:scared: