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GuvWurld's Journal
I am very excited to present this interview with Tribune Media Services syndicated columnist Bob Koehler at Manifest Positivity. It is the first remote interview here using Skype's relatively new call recorder feature. This will allow me to interact with far more people than just those I can personally visit with my video camera, so look for more split screen interviews like this coming up. In this discussion, Koehler talks about what it means to be a self-described "peace journalist," writing about his participation in "peace circles," much the same way my advocacy journalism is about using media transparently to document work to create change in the world. In his most recent column, "Power With, Power Over," he also comes to an amazing point of clarity about personal relationships of power, mirroring the definition I have long used for peaceful revolution. In the interest of transparency: the reason we did two takes was the first one had many audio dropouts and video freezes avoided by changes to the Skype settings for the second try. The content in both was very similar. Permalink: http://manifestpositivity.blogspot.com/200... Originally blogged at:
http://manifestpositivity.blogspot.com/200... Introduction to the Peace Circle By Dave Berman 10/12/09 Tuesday morning I'm doing my first interview using Skype's call recorder. I'll be talking to Bob Koehler, syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, about his latest column called "Power With, Power Over." Koehler calls himself a "peace journalist," and the new column mentions his participation in a gathering called a peace circle. He writes: "The first premise of a circle like this is that everyone's presence is vital - the ones with whom I disagree, the ones I don't quite trust...even my own. Making a concept like this real is not easy, but what we begin to generate when we do so, when we listen with deep respect, when we speak our riskiest truths, when we discover our common humanity, is a collective energy that cannot help but change the world. It's called, for lack of a better word, love, and it's a force older than violence.He continues later: "I'm convinced that uncoupling our inclination to dominate others to get our way and embracing "power with" them as our prime approach to life is the fundamental emotional shift necessary for the creation of lasting peace."Read the full column here: http://commonwonders.com/archives/col517.h... Look for the video interview Tuesday afternoon at www.ManifestPositivity.org . Permalink: "http://manifestpositivity.blogspot.com/200...
Book Review, David Swanson's Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Un
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Book-Revi...
Book review by Dave Berman 9/24/09 Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union by David Swanson Seven Stories Press Published 9/1/09 Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union is the first book from David Swanson, a prominent national activist organizer known for ProsecuteBushCheney.org, AfterDowningStreet.org and his work with Progressive Democrats for America and Democrats.com. Swanson’s pedigree might suggest a partisan perspective but his book reveals a utopian idealist equally critical of President Obama, both parties, and the supposed two-party system. He is deeply devoted to restoring the rule of law through populist policies, wide-ranging reforms, and most demonstrably his own direct actions. In just the introduction alone, Swanson notes: “The US government has been fundamentally changed...While we can’t erase the harm already done, we can reconstitute a nation of laws and a democratic system of government to ensure it doesn’t happen again...We will need a revolution of values in our own habits of thought and action...At heart, the aim of this book is to encourage the American people to take actions that are absolutely necessary. Now.” Focusing heavily on the relationship between the three branches of US federal government, Daybreak documents how each has illegally redefined its role in recent times, via signing statements and other executive overreach; abdication of spending powers, refusal to impeach, and other congressional self-castration; and selective judicial activism. While recommending many changes to the Constitution, Swanson also writes: “The most glaring problem with it is not dated concepts or ambiguous wording, but our failure to enforce it.” More than 400 footnotes support an exhaustive depiction of government, corporate and media wrong doing. For those of us who have been actively working for change through most of this decade, such a complete review can be overkill and create a seemingly interminable delay in getting to the “how to” part of forming the more perfect union. Or maybe I’ve just read enough Naomi Wolf and Naomi Klein and become an impatient member of the revolutionary choir. To the credit of Swanson’s broad perspective, Daybreak recognizes the interrelatedness of myriad issues, offering insight to both problems and solutions involving the economy, imperialistic military, consolidated media control, corporate personhood, health care, wealth inequality, election integrity, campaign finance reform, whistleblower protections, education, labor, civil liberties, and more. His best recommendations are in chapter 23, “The Trouble With The Media.” Citing Robert McChesney and John Nichols’ characterization of a “cartel-like arrangement,” Swanson sees the equivalent of a fourth branch of government deserving to be called the US Department of Media causing the need “to completely overhaul our communication system.” Utopian idealists such as Swanson (and myself) believe “Most Americans are altruistic and want to be more so.” Further, “the best programs and organizations...show people how they can help others. It’s not ‘Teach a man to fish’ so much as ‘Teach a man to teach others to fish.’” In the margin next to that paragraph I scrawled “promoting as well as doing advocacy journalism,” which is my purpose at ManifestPositivity.org, a site created as a public service for peaceful revolution. This is clearly Swanson’s approach as well. Of the need for revolution in “US civil society,” he says “we must not only avoid violence, but reject it so completely that no use of it can be plausibly attributed to us.” Ultimately, while there is a lot in Daybreak that resonates with me, it is a book that could afford to trade some of its thoroughness for a simpler articulation of priorities. Swanson gives us an extra large serving of “what would be better” without enough “least you can do” everyday actions. In this video, I refer to the ManifestPositivity.org Glossary term "sabotage," exploring its yin/yang relationship with progress. This is also the first time I'm publicly stating my intention to create a self-help workbook, which will happen in collaboration with people participating in the web-based TV talk show I'm also working on. This post is helping to manifest both. Permalink: http://manifestpositivity.blogspot.com/200... * * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dave Berman issues compilation of essays, We Do Not Consent, Volume 2 August 27, 2009, Eureka, CA – In the new book, We Do Not Consent, Volume 2, self-described advocacy journalist Dave Berman presents 20 essays from his We Do Not Consent blog, promoting themes of peace, media accountability, election integrity, and other public service. As with the first volume, published in 2006, free copies of Berman's latest book may be downloaded and paperbacks purchased at a new website launched with the book, www.ManifestPositivity.org . "For years I've been practicing and promoting advocacy journalism," says Berman, "transparently using media to facilitate the achievement of public service goals. The new book covers the period from mid 2006 through late 2008." Featuring a freshly written introduction, epilogue and glossary, We Do Not Consent, Volume 2, also sets the stage for Berman's new work, shifting focus from writing mainly about his own projects to creating videos supporting the public service goals of other people and groups, many entirely apolitical. Combining writing and community organizing experience with 10 years as a radio DJ, a communication degree from Cornell University, and six years as a successful entrepreneur, Berman sees his new site as a pathway to an online talk show. "The Manifest Positivity site comes from a place of love not anger, showing how we can use media as a tool for the greater good. I think this can be most effective in the form of a web-based TV talk show," explains Berman. "People everywhere are collaborating independent of the corporate/military/government/media juggernaut to address the survival needs of humanity and our planet. Manifest Positivity is the work of peaceful revolution, inspired by pronoia, the belief that the universe is conspiring on our behalf." Berman's advocacy journalism has appeared frequently in local media over the past five years, with several examples showing up in We Do Not Consent, Volume 2. In support of the new book and website, an in-depth interview with Berman appears in Humboldt's free Steelhead Special magazine issue #51 due out in early September. Beyond the North Coast, Berman hopes to reprise national and international media exposure garnered by his past work, as well as to resume frequent public speaking appearances. "I'm especially interested in collaborating with students," says Berman. "Social networking and other new media tools are particularly conducive to advocacy journalism so I'm reaching out to my contacts at HSU, CR, and elsewhere, including through programs at The Ink People. I invite everyone to contact me through ManifestPositivity.org to get involved." Permalink: http://manifestpositivity.blogspot.com/200... Congrats on the recognition, Al. I've really enjoyed these interview segments and seeing you get some overdue credit. Despite having worked with you in the past, I never realized your mission statement was so directly aligned with how I've practiced and defined advocacy journalism. That link goes to my glossary, found at my new blog, Manifest Positivity, and also in my new free e-book, We Do Not Consent, Volume 2 (.pdf). What do you think of my definition and how you feel about applying the term to what you do?
Peace, Dave PS: Right now is a soft launch of both new book and blog. Paperbacks will be printed in a few weeks and I'll be promoting both more thoroughly.
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June 4, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Dave Meserve: (707) 834-3612 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. CITIES OF EUREKA AND ARCATA, CA UPDATE ON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EFFORTS TO INVALIDATE THE ARCATA AND EUREKA YOUTH PROTECTION ACTS On Tuesday, June 9 at 1pm, in Courtroom 3 at the Oakland Federal Courthouse, Federal Court Judge Saundra Armstrong is scheduled to hear oral arguments regarding the Arcata and Eureka Youth Protection Acts. These ordinances prohibit military recruiters from initiating contact with minors for the purpose of recruiting them into any branch of the military. They were approved as ballot initiative Measures F and J, on November 4, 2008 by margins of 73% in Arcata and 57% in Eureka. Judge Armstrong is scheduled to hear oral arguments on two motions by the United States Department of Justice. One motion is the plaintiff's (United States') motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, in which the US is arguing that, as a matter of law, Measures F and J are both invalid under the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution. Such a motion can only be granted if the Court believes that all of the Cities’ arguments in defense of the measures lack any substance worthy of a hearing. A ruling in favor of the Federal Government on this motion would effectively invalidate the ordinances without further opportunity to defend them, subject to possible appeal by the Cities. The second motion is the plaintiff's motion for Dismissal of the Cities' Counterclaims. The Cities' Counterclaims assert that the United States recruiting practices are themselves invalid because they are in conflict with International Treaty obligations that prohibit the military recruiting of minors. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts, as ratified by the United States Senate, has the standing of the Supreme Law of the Land, on equal footing with the US Constitution and any federal laws regulating military recruiting. The U.S. argues that the Cities do not have standing to bring the counterclaims, based on a lack of harm to the Cities themselves. Ironically, the U.S. argues this in the face of the recent ruling by Judge Armstrong that the proponents of the initiatives passed by the voters do not have the right to intervene in the case. She based her ruling on the assertion that the Cities are able to present a full defense of the measures without the participation of the proponents in the case. If neither the Cities nor the proponents have standing to defend the measures, then how will the people who voted for them be represented in defending their right to protect youth from the excesses of recruiters? The Cities have argued that, under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution, people have a right to privacy and to protect their children from uninvited or inappropriate advances by anyone, including military recruiters. Further, under the Tenth Amendment, they have the right to enact and enforce ballot initiative ordinances. The City of Arcata is represented by Brad Yamauchi of the San Francisco firm of Minami and Tamaki, LLP, and by the Law Offices of Michael Sorgen, and City Attorney, Nancy Diamond. The City of Eureka is represented by their City Attorney, Sheryl Schaffner, and by San Francisco attorney, Dennis Cunningham. All non-city attorneys are offering their services pro-bono. Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s hearing, the people of Arcata and Eureka continue to demand that the United States of America “Stop Recruiting Kids!” in their communities. Recent related news: 4/14/09 Democracy Now! interview 4/19/09 Sacramento Bee Article 4/26/09 - San Francisco Chronicle Article Originally blogged at We Do Not Consent:
http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/04... My Present Path Toward Advocacy Journalism (aka Reflections On Independence, Volume 6) By Dave Berman 4/9/09 This is the sixth essay in my not quite annual series of Reflections on Independence. In the past I've published these thoughts around July 4. By that time this year, however, I'm expecting my advocacy journalism to be in a whole new place, to which this begins the transition. I will probably only make a few more posts here at the We Do Not Consent blog. Then, as with the suspension of my prior blog, GuvWurld, another free e-book compiling the most essential pieces from WDNC will serve to promote the launch of my next site, a video blog. For the last six plus years I have done this public service work while assiduously avoiding reference to my wife and the business we built together. At the end of last year I exited our professional partnership, and our divorce will be final soon. This has given me time and space to create the life I'd like to lead now, a natural extension of the communication strategies and organizing experiences I've blogged about, and most definitely a new debt-free era of multi-faceted independence. Friday morning I'll be embarking on an extended road trip, itself a reflection of my new independence. I'm hoping to have a new video camera by next week and possibly to begin posting content by the end of the month. The reunions I'll have between now and then are all with people who have greatly supported and deeply affected this part of my life. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to explore the nature of my future collaborations with these folks. In addition to the emphasis on video, I can also say at this point that my next blog will launch with a glossary I have already written to summarize and define the dozens of terms and concepts I have coined and cultivated over the years. I intend to continue developing these ideas, using them to create a talk show based on the Project-Based Format (see Time To Check Your Least, 11/24/07). In the long run, the glossary will grow and expand, providing a frame of reference companion piece for the program. The launch will also include publication of a proposal detailing how the show would work, to be followed later this spring by a demo of the program. In a nutshell, I am going to be seeking out people and organizations doing public service to ask: If you had unfettered access to media to promote your work, what would you do? How would you use this exposure to achieve your goals? This is where the content will begin to come from for the talk show. I welcome e-mail (or DU PM) from those ready to participate. Here are just a few of the topics I think we can advance: Helping returning veterans re-adjust to society; Understanding environmental implications of diet; Building sustainable local economies; Triple bottom line; Green building; Alternative energy and transportation; Emergency preparedness; Identifying edible plants; Supporting conscientious objectors and war resisters. Basically, if your work empowers people at the grassroots, I want to hear from you. If you are a citizen journalist making independent media, let's work together. If you are about manifesting positivity, building the better world the corporate/military/government media juggernaut doesn't even want us to imagine - we are on the same page. Contact me. Meanwhile, independence has already allowed me to volunteer on several other projects, including the art site BARDoodle; the future wilderness therapy retreat now called Veterans Spirit at Incopah; the media committee of Vets For Peace Chapter 56; and the next edition of the independent magazine The Steelhead Special, due out July 4. This issue of the Steelie will demonstrate multiple examples of advocacy journalism through interviews with various Humboldt community organizers, including one that Tom Pinto and I will conduct in May. By the way, I recently learned that Wikipedia has an entry for advocacy journalism and this 2004 essay of mine is cited as the first reference source. I can't say any of this will be in a context that is more or less political than I've been until now, but I can say my changed circumstances and personal growth will be evident. For now I'll just recommend two books I've recently gotten a lot from. First is Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth," a very popular book that has helped me view ego in a new way, separating my sense of self from the thoughts and emotions I have, ultimately leaving me happier, more loving, and better able to calibrate the intensity that I project (in a word, present). I have found myself discussing this book with dozens of people, one of whom recommended another powerful paradigm changer, Rob Brezsny's "Pronoia," which essentially is the belief that the universe is conspiring on your behalf. This is quite a departure from my previous Reflections on Independence, all of which were written during the Bush regime, all harkening to the Declaration of Independence as the master change manual bequeathed to us by the nation's founders. In keeping with tradition, I have posted the historic document in full below and encourage you to read or hopefully re-read what may be humanity's most hopeful and inspiring expression of freedom. When we remember that our rights are unalienable; that government exists only to secure, not create or grant, these rights; that government legitimacy derives entirely from the Consent of the Governed; when we Reflect on Independence, we realize our Life, Liberty and Happiness are birthrights to preserve and never give up, never allow ourselves to be denied; we realize our Consent must no longer be taken for granted lest we sabotage ourselves through complicity in the harm being done to us all; and we realize that nothing less than "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor" are at stake - both what we stand to lose and what it will take to survive, sort of a cosmic use it or lose it. Reflections On Independence 2002 Reflections On Independence 2003 Reflections On Independence 2005 Reflections On Independence 2006 Reflections On Independence 2007 July 4, 1776 The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united* States of America. When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shown that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great- Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World. HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good. HE has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. HE has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People, unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them and formidable to Tyrants only. HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures. HE has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People. HE has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and the Convulsions within. HE has endeavored to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migration hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. HE has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers. HE has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries. HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance. HE has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our Legislature. HE has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to Civil Power. HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: FOR quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us: FOR protecting them, by mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: FOR cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World: FOR imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: FOR depriving us in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury: FOR transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences: FOR abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule into these Colonies: FOR taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: FOR suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever. HE has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People. HE is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation. HE has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. HE has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the Inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is undistinguished Destruction of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions. IN every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People. NOR have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends. WE, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. · New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton · Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry · Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery · Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott · New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris · New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark · Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross · Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean · Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton · Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton · North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn · South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton · Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton. Note * Although this capitalization of "united" differs from the images of copies of the Declaration of Independence viewable at the Library of Congress's Web site (*http://www.loc.gov /), it follows the capitalization found on the images of the Declaration of Independence held by the National Archives and Records Administration (*http://www.loc.gov /|http://www.nara.gov >). Permalink: http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/04... The great Peter B. Collins progressive talk radio show has only been able to get on about 9 stations via self syndication. Unprofitable, the show is going off the air on Friday unless, according to today's show, there is by 9am Tuesday a significant response to peter@peterbcollins.com pledging a voluntary monthly subscription fee (suggested $10, anything gratefully accepted), or of course some major donors or advertisers emerging.
More details: http://www.peterbcollins.com/you-can-help / http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/03... http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6986 Peter's reporting, coverage and exploration are unmatched on topics such as election integrity, 9/11 truth, depleted uranium, grassroots activism (more properly called public service), and others distorted or blacked out by the corporate/military/government/media juggernaut. Of all the talk show hosts I've heard, PBC is the most respectful of listeners, guests and callers, who are rarely interrupted and never shouted down, always allowed to make their point even when in disagreement with "the humble host." This show smartens us up rather than dumbing us down. Of all the debate I see about why liberal or progressive talk isn't more successful, I think right here is the missing ingredient... Imagine the PBC show as our after school club where we get together to stay informed and involved, a rare progressive media forum that supports real world work for change (what we dream DU could be at optimal effectiveness). If you can, pay some monetary dues. For the rest, dues means participating and using the program (being the media) to actually accomplish things and advance solutions for a progressive agenda. Listen live all this week (and hopefully beyond) from 3-6pm PT via www.PeterBCollins.com . Originally blogged at We Do Not Consent:
http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Funding Frozen For Proposed Humboldt Voting Machine Switch By Dave Berman 1/12/09 According to the agenda, this Tuesday the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal from Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich, who seeks approval for the purchase of Hart InterCivic eScan optical scanners to replace the similar Diebold/Premier equipment used to "count" votes here since 1995. Linked from the agenda is a 22 page .pdf called Voting Modernization Project Plan Phase II. From page two: Because of the current fiscal crisis in the State of California, the voting Modernization Bond funds designated to cover this project were frozen by the State Treasurer on December 19, 2008. We will return to your Board for change order and funding plan approval once the funding plan is developed and approved by the Secretary of State. The delay in obtaining these funds should not impact the approval of the concept of this plan.As previously reported at WDNC, the Registrar has created a sense of urgency around this proposal (reinforced by quotes in a Eureka Times-Standard Sunday cover story that is oddly absent from the paper's website). But how can she expect the Supes to hurry up and approve a proposal for a purchase requiring funds that are not currently available and which would be based on a contract that has not been made public? Further calling this urgency into question, from page 6 of the same agenda attachment: Because there is currently no county-wide election scheduled until November 2009, full implementation of the system will be possible before the next election.One other quick point about this implementation plan. On page 9 it calls for "sleepovers," a period of two days prior to the election when precinct inspectors will have the eScans in their private possession. This is despite myriad warnings, even in the California Secretary of State's own Top To Bottom Review of Hart voting systems. From that report: Conclusion (p.16):No procedural mitigation defeats unfettered access to machines that can be undetectably manipulated. In addition, deletion of audit trails occurred in this past November's election, as revealed by the Election Transparency Project (ETP). Volunteer Parke Bostrom commented on this in a quote previously posted here at WDNC and also found in this December 8 article at Wired.com: Th is means the audit log is not truly a "log" in the classical computer program sense, but is rather a "re-imagining" of what GEMS would like the audit log to be, based on whatever information GEMS happens to remember at the end of the vote counting process.Bostrom is referring to the Diebold central tabulation program responsible for the 197 secretly deleted ballots, though the point is the same with Hart's equipment. Beyond undetectable manipulation, the system can cover its tracks, destroying assurances of built-in memory redundancies and making a mockery of logic and accuracy testing. The We Do Not Consent blog on Friday posted an announcement from the Humboldt County Republican Party that it has adopted a resolution in support of a public discussion process prior to a vote by the Supervisors on Crnich's proposal. In Sunday's (so far) print-only T-S article, Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass adds, "I think that's an issue that I'd like to see get some more public dialogue, and I'm going to try to make a point of contacting the supervisors and expressing that." Another member of the Council assured me he will attend Tuesday's Supes meeting to make this point in person. The Voter Confidence Committee, which I co-founded nearly four years ago, distributed an e-mail newsletter on Sunday evening encouraging supporters to attend Tuesday's meeting, or at least to call Supervisors with some or all of the following messages: --We want and are entitled to have a choice and a say in how we count our votes;There has been other recent media coverage of this developing story. In the third hour of Friday's Peter B. Collins show, I spoke with PBC and Brad Friedman about the day old announcement of a second discrepancy found by the ETP, showing 57 ballots were scanned twice into the official certified results. After a commercial break (edited out of linked recording), we got into discussing Tuesday's upcoming Supes meeting and were then joined by a surprise phone call from Crnich. She has appeared on PBC's show many times before, and this is not the first time she has called in immediate response to my presence on the show. There was an unusually long and uninterrupted segment where Friedman challenges Crnich in ways that just have to be heard, including telling her flat out in the end that she should slow down and allow more public input. Overall, I come on the show at about 16:30 into the recording; Crnich joins around the 24 minute mark. Finally, borrowed from the VCC newsletter, a summary of recent related links: North Coast Journal, 12/4/08, Election Results: Wrong http://ncjournal.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/... Eureka Times-Standard, 12/5/08, Software glitch yields inaccurate election results http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... (archive) Eureka Times-Standard, 12/7/08, Local elections office commended http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... (archive) Eureka Times-Standard (editorial), 12/7/08, A glitch that should never have been http://www.times-standard.com/editorials/c... (archive) Wired, 12/8/08, Serious Error in Diebold Voting Software Caused Lost Ballots in California County http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/12/u... Wired, 12/8/08, Unique Transparency Program Uncovers Problems with Voting Software http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/12/u... Eureka Times-Standard (Letter to the editor), 12/10/08, Who Dares Defend Diebold? http://www.times-standard.com/letters/ci_1... (archive) We Do Not Consent blog, 12/17/08, Humboldt's False Alternative to Diebold http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2008/12... North Coast Journal (Letter to the editor), 12/18, Has Humboldt Hit a Tipping Point? http://www.northcoastjournal.com/issues/20... / Eureka Times-Standard, 12/22/08, Registrar of Voters considers dumping equipment http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... (archive) Eureka Times-Standard, 12/29/08, Federal election commission eyes Humboldt http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... (archive) We Do Not Consent blog, 12/6/09, Exclusive: Humboldt's Secret Hart Attack http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... We Do Not Consent blog, 12/9/09, Humboldt Republicans Call For Public Discussion of Proposed Voting Machine Switch http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Eureka Times-Standard, 1/10/09, New error found in county election results http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... (archive) Eureka Times-Standard (Editorial), 1/11/09, Thank you, Humboldt County Transparency Project http://www.times-standard.com/editorials/c... (archive) * * * Permalink: http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Originally blogged at We Do Not Consent:
http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Humboldt Republicans Call For Public Discussion of Proposed Voting Machine Switch By Dave Berman 1/9/09 This is the second of two breaking stories from the Humboldt County, CA election integrity scene on the evening of January 8... The county Republican Party has issued a press release, shown in full below, announcing their adoption of a resolution in support for a "public discussion process" before the Board of Supervisors votes on the proposal from Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich to switch from Diebold/Premier "election" machines to similar equipment made by Hart InterCivic. The We Do Not Consent blog broke the news of the Registrar's proposal in a December 17 exclusive. A subsequent WDNC exclusive ran earlier this week revealing Crnich had previously divulged her plan at a public meeting of the Election Advisory Committee, requesting that attendees keep it secret. In those articles, as well as my letters published in the Eureka Times-Standard and North Coast Journal, I have been advocating for a public process to evaluate multiple alternatives to the Diebold system currently used in Humboldt. Of course, I don't think we're going to see anyone cry or even resist giving up on Diebold. In fact, we ought to have a damn party! The way I see this unfolding situation is as a giant victory slathered in opportunity. Parke Bostrom, who has been involved in most if not all developing Humboldt election integrity stories in recent months, authored a petition featured in my last post that outlines a specific public process for the county to consider. The Republican resolution below stems from their Thursday night meeting, which Bostrom attended as part of a broader outreach effort to media, community groups, and local elected officials aimed at creating more support for encouraging the Board of Supervisors to take this path next Tuesday, January 13, when the Registrar's proposal is expected to appear on their agenda. If you can lend your voice, please be at the county courthouse at 5th and I Streets in Eureka at 9am. You can also scroll to the bottom of this page to find phone and e-mail info for the Supes. Let them know: We love the idea of getting rid of Diebold but we must slow down and have a public evaluation of alternatives rather than rushing into another secret corporate vote counting system as the Registrar of Voters, Carolyn Crnich, is recommending - secretly, at that.Bostrom is also a pivotal player in the Election Transparency Project, a volunteer citizen-developed and Registrar supported audit project that uses an off the shelf office scanner and open source software to make images of all the ballots cast in an election. An initial review of the data from this past November's election revealed that Diebold's central tabulation program, GEMS, had secretly deleted 197 ballots, causing the Registrar to certify inaccurate results. The news became a national story. The ETP has now found another discrepancy, the second of the two breaking stories... * * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: M. Parke Bostrom, 707.733.4201, parke.707@gmail.com At the January 8th meeting of the Republican Party of Humboldt County, central committee member M. Parke Bostrom moved that the following resolution be passed: ---- Resolved The Republican Party of Humboldt County calls upon the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to delay voting on the proposed plan to purchase new elections equipment until there has been a reasonable period of time for a public discussion process. ---- Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich was present at the meeting to swear in all the committee members. Crnich stayed for and participated in discussion with Bostrom regarding his resolution. Prior to a vote on the resolution, party chairman Patricia Welch left the chair and said, "As a Republican, I believe that anytime the taxpayers' money is spent, it is important that there is an opportunity for public discussion, and therefore I urge committee members to vote in favor of the resolution." The resolution passed in a nearly unanimous vote. The Republican Party of Humboldt County is the first organization to pass a resolution on this very important matter. Additional contact info: Patricia Welch Chairman, Humboldt County Republican Party Northwest Regional Vice Chairman, California Republican Party 707-227-6562 Cell Permalink: http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01...
Humboldt Election Transparency Project Identifies Another Discrepancy In November's Reported Results
Originally blogged at We Do Not Consent:
http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Humboldt Election Transparency Project Identifies Another Discrepancy In November's Reported Results By Dave Berman 1/8/09 This is the first of two breaking stories from the Humboldt County, CA election integrity scene on the evening of January 8... In a message posted just before 5pm Thursday at the Democracy Counts blog, Mitch Trachtenberg and Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich made a joint statement announcing the Humboldt County Election Transparency Project (ETP) has found a second discrepancy in the results of November's election, which Crnich certified as accurate in early December, just prior to discovering the Diebold central tabulation program, GEMS, had secretly deleted 197 ballots from the total count. Joint Statement on the November 2008 Humboldt County Election ResultsThat last line about no outcomes being affected, while I don't doubt it, seems almost obligatory to the point of cliche in these types of stories, like many a government-issued denial ("the US does not torture," or even, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman"). Even given the benefit of the doubt, things look very wrong and smell foul. But hey, what's a little secret vote counting among friends, right? Since the news of the original GEMS failure, the We Do Not Consent blog has twice broken stories of the Registrar's rushed and hushed plan to replace GEMS and the county's Diebold optical scanners with similar eScans made by Hart InterCivic. Crnich told the Eureka Times-Standard "This plan that is proposed pre-dates any of the problems that were found to exist in this election." I personally confirmed this quote with Crnich on Tuesday when she acknowledged having shared her plan in November with volunteers of the ETP, who were asked to keep it a secret. Even prior to learning this, I had already written a series of articles and letters calling for a public process to evaluate multiple alternatives to the current Diebold system, which of course I'm thrilled we'll finally be done with. With cooperation from Parke Bostrom and others, an outreach campaign is underway aimed at getting the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to create such a process at their January 13 meeting, when Crnich's proposal comes up for their approval. We are beginning to receive support from some perhaps unexpected places. That's the other breaking story, coming soon... Permalink: http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Originally blogged at We Do Not Consent:
http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... Exclusive: Humboldt's Secret Hart Attack By Dave Berman 1/6/09 On December 17 the We Do Not Consent blog broke the story that Humboldt, CA Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich had announced to the Election Advisory Committee (EAC) the previous evening her intention to replace Diebold/Premier "election" junk with comparable secret vote counting computers from Hart InterCivic. I've posted a few times about the need for a public due diligence process around multiple Diebold alternatives, including a letter published in the Eureka Times-Standard and another that ran in the North Coast Journal. Both letters were based on the recent news of a Diebold programming failure that secretly deleted 197 ballots and led to inaccurate election results being certified here. Both letters were also written prior to learning about Crnich's proposed switch. Efforts to spark such a community dialog are happening today in multiple forms, and on the heels of a major new development. In a phone call this morning, Crnich acknowledged that in November she discussed the planned changes with a small number of volunteers who were asked to keep it a secret. Parke Bostrom is an EAC and ETP (Election Transparency Project) volunteer who has also worked closely with Crnich as an election day poll worker and overall observer of the Elections Department. Yesterday Bostrom posted The "Spend Pork Wisely" Petition that begins: Petition calling for public discussion of Humboldt County's plan to purchase $600,000 of Hart InterCivic eScan election equipment.The full petition text appears here and at the bottom of this post. Crnich has now tried twice without success to get the matter on the Supes agenda. As I noted on 12/17, her first attempt was for the December 16 Supes meeting, which would have done the deed even before fully revealing the secret at that night's EAC meeting - at which Crnich also said she had hoped to take delivery of nearly 80 new machines the next day in order to get a $28,000 discount offered by Hart if the deal could be completed by year's end. The Humboldt Board of Supervisors met again today without taking this on, leaving us planning for a January 13 agenda item, but taking action now with outreach to media as well as the Supes and various local City Councils, whose members we hope will encourage the Supes to have a public process. Eureka Councilman Larry Glass encouraged such an approach when I spoke with him this past Saturday evening in his Old Town music store. (Also worth noting: Glass recently made news for heroically rescuing a would-be suicide jumper into Humboldt Bay). My 12/17 exclusive landed as the top story on that day's Daily Voting News, compiled by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org. Two days later, BradBlog quoted me heavily and advanced Gideon's observation that Hart InterCivic had withdrawn from the federal certification process. Bostrom's petition puts a fine point on this: And WHEREAS, the version of the Hart InterCivic eScan equipment the Elections Office is planning to purchase is also an old version of the eScan system, as Hart InterCivic has been unable to receive certification from the California Secretary of State for the most recent and up-to-date version of the eScan system.The Times-Standard has followed up twice since I broke the story of the proposed switch. In a quote of note in the December 22 article (archive), Crnich says, "This plan that is proposed pre-dates any of the problems that were found to exist in this election." The same article also reports Congressman Mike Thompson sent a letter to "federal elections officials," about his concern over the invisible failure. I wonder if he knew then or even knows now that some votes for him were among those deleted (as Bostrom notes in the petition). I am awaiting a call back from Thompson's office in Eureka. The T-S followed up again on December 29 (archive) reporting Thompson's letter got the attention of Election Assistance Commission Chairwoman Rosemary Rodriguez, who claims her horribly ineffectual board "doesn't have the authority or capacity to launch independent investigations." She does pledge, and seem to want a gold star for, her intention to "disseminate the contents of the Humboldt County report to elections officials from coast to coast {to} prevent similar problems from occurring elsewhere." What a good idea. If only it weren't the repeatedly unfulfilled yet HAVA-mandated purpose for her existence. Also check out the first half of hour three of the December 19 Peter B. Collins show when I called in to discuss all this with PBC, Brad Friedman, and Harvey Wasserman. Happenings in the Humboldt Elections Department have been making national news for a while now. Generally speaking, Crnich has earned lots of fans for her willingness to work with the great team of citizen volunteers that have made the ETP happen. In addition to Bostrom, credit, praise and thanks also rightfully go to Kevin Collins, Mitch Trachtenberg, and Tom Pinto. With such involved interactions and access to Crnich, these guys have gained her trust and confidence, resulting in candid sharing of information. However, Crnich's request for secrecy, and the volunteers' granting of this request, is not the kind of transparency we deserve from our local government, particularly in the context of a so-called Election Transparency Project. Asked to comment on Bostrom's petition, Crnich told me she is "ready to move forward," and the idea of slowing down for a public due diligence process would be a "serious impediment to progress" because it puts needed training on hold. While Crnich calls the lateral move from Diebold to Hart "progress," I see it as a false alternative. I have been unable to reach Collins and Trachtenberg for comment on the petition and secrecy issue, however, Pinto provided the following in an e-mail early this morning: In my opinion, citizens are being offered a disappointing menu of choices with regards to election systems. I really hope the CA Sec. of State will offer us the option of using an election system that incorporates open source technology. However, that option is not being offered at this time.I concede that I missed several consecutive EAC meetings at which Hart equipment was apparently discussed and even demonstrated (Crnich even chided me for this when I arrived at the December meeting). However, I do not think that these small and largely undocumented meetings, of a committee with no formal mandate from the county, constitute a sufficient public process. Pinto notes that "interested persons" have been given an opportunity to weigh in, but not enough has been done to make the community at large aware of the proposed switch to Hart, let alone interested. Bostrom's petition at least seeks to bridge this gap, also noting that the contract for the proposed switch to Hart has not even been made public yet. That aspect alone deserves rigorous public scrutiny. I'll have more on this developing story in the days ahead. * * * Petition calling for public discussion of Humboldt County's plan to purchase $600,000 of Hart InterCivic eScan election equipment. WHEREAS, at the November 18th monthly public meeting of the Humboldt Election Advisory Committee, County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich announced the Elections Office's plan to stop using the county's Diebold/Premier AccuVote/GEMS elections equipment and replace it with similar Hart InterCivic eScan equipment. And WHEREAS, County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters Crnich then asked those attending the public meeting to keep this plan secret until at least mid-December, thereby minimizing the opportunity for public discussion of the plan prior to receiving approval for the plan from the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. And WHEREAS, on the evening of December 16th, at the next monthly public meeting of the Humboldt Election Advisory Committee, after 197 ballots had been invisibly deleted by an invisible failure of the AccuVote/GEMS equipment, when asked what the planned response to the invisible AccuVote/GEMS failure would be, and having been bumped from the overfull agenda of the Board of Supervisors meeting that very morning, County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters Crnich publicly announced the plan to purchase the eScan equipment. And WHEREAS, the invisible failure of the AccuVote/GEMS system deleted 114 votes for Representative Mike Thompson; 102 votes for Assembly Member Wes Chesbro; 76 and 148 votes for, respectively, City of Eureka Councilpersons Linda Atkins and Frank Jager; 110 and 84 votes, respectively, for and against California's Proposition 8; 83 and 113 votes, respectively, for and against City of Eureka Measure J. And WHEREAS, the invisible failure of the AccuVote/GEMS system is believed to be due to a bug in the old version of the GEMS equipment that is claimed to be fixed in the most recent version of GEMS available for use in California. And WHEREAS, the version of the Hart InterCivic eScan equipment the Elections Office is planning to purchase is also an old version of the eScan system, as Hart InterCivic has been unable to receive certification from the California Secretary of State for the most recent and up-to-date version of the eScan system. And WHEREAS, Hart InterCivic has withdrawn from the certification process and is not currently seeking certification for use in California of the most recent and up-to-date version of the eScan system; and consequently, so long as Hart InterCivic remains disengaged from the certification process, it will not be legally possible to apply any software upgrades that may be necessary to prevent future invisible failures of the old version of the eScan system. And WHEREAS, the cost to purchase the old version of the eScan system will be in excess of $600,000 of taxpayer money. And WHEREAS, as of January 5, 2009, the proposed contract with Hart InterCivic has not been publicly disclosed, and consequently there has not been any open public discussion of the specific plan to purchase the old version of the eScan system. And WHEREAS, open public discussion of the plan to purchase the old version the eScan system is a reasonable step to take to reduce the likelihood of future invisible failures of election systems. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned concerned citizens call upon County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich, and also upon the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to take the following steps to promote public confidence in the outcome of future elections in Humboldt County: 1. The county SHALL issue a press release containing the proposed contract with Hart InterCivic and inviting the public to submit written questions, comments and concerns regarding the planned purchase and use of the old version of the Hart InterCivic eScan system. 2. Following the publication of the press release, the county SHALL give the public at least 2 weeks to submit such written questions, comments, and concerns. 3. At the end of the submission period, the county SHALL publish, in an electronic format, all the questions, comments and concerns submitted by the public. 4. Within a reasonable period of time thereafter, the county SHALL prepare written responses to all the public's questions, comments, and concerns. In preparing said responses, the county may, if it so wishes, consult with Hart InterCivic and/or any other parties. 5. When the county finishes preparing written responses, the county SHALL publish, in an electronic format, the public's questions, comments and concerns together with the county's responses. 6. Following the publication of the county's responses, there SHALL be a period of reflection. The period of reflection of SHALL be at least one week long. 7. Prior to the conclusion of the period of reflection, the Board of Supervisors SHALL NOT approve the purchase of the old version of the eScan system. 8. After the conclusion of the period of reflection, the Board of Supervisors may create an agenda item for an open public hearing of the request to purchase the old version of the eScan system. 9. Additionally, if the Board of Supervisors is interested in considering, in a thoughtful and deliberate manner, alternatives other than the purchase of the old version of the eScan system, we recommend to the board that now, prior to the purchase of the old version of the eScan system, is a very good time to consider any such alternatives. Sign the Petition Permalink: http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2009/01... In light of the Humboldt, CA situation that has been in the news lately, including the stated intention of the Registrar of Voters to abandon Diebold/Premier optical scanners/GEMS in favor of similarly flawed secret vote counting computers, I do hereby christen a new meme for the name of that alternate vendor:
Hart InterChangeable Humboldt's False Alternative to Diebold added emphasis mine - Dave
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci... archived at: http://www.guvwurld.org/cgi-bin/live.cgi?d... Federal election commission eyes Humboldt Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard Posted: 12/29/2008 01:33:58 AM PST (snip) The commission chairwoman, Rosemary Rodriguez, said she received a letter from North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, early this month alerting the commission that Humboldt County had certified inaccurate elections results due to a programming error in its version of Premier Elections Solutions software that led to almost 200 votes being dropped from the county's final results. (snip) But, unlike the Federal Aviation Administration, Rodriguez said the EAC doesn't have the authority or capacity to launch independent investigations. So, Rodriguez said her commission is currently awaiting reports from Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen detailing the error and how it was discovered. The commission, Rodriguez said, will then use the reports in two ways in an attempt to ensure these types of errors don't pop up again: It will pass them along to the federal elections systems testing laboratories so it can test for precisely these types of problems; and it will widely disseminate the information so every election official using the same type of software is aware of the problem and how to work around it. (snip) One of the issues the error in Humboldt County has raised, Rodriguez acknowledged, is whether similar problems may have occurred elsewhere but gone unreported, simply having been dealt with between the vendor and the local elections officials where the problem occurred. ”I think that's an appropriate concern,” Rodriguez said. “There's this very confidential relationship between counties and vendors, and I think issues have been resolved as they've arisen with these kinds of work-arounds, but who knew. The voters certainly didn't know, and elections officials aren't going to necessarily want their voters to know there are problems. So, it's resulted in this kind of unhealthy situation.” Because of that, Rodriguez said she's proud of Humboldt County, and especially of Crnich, for stepping forward and acknowledging there was a problem. ”The fact that they're sharing this information is a gift, I think, for other counties,” Rodriguez said. “We're all learning together and Humboldt County is really going to help us in that process... I really commend the county for engaging in this transparency project, and Secretary Bowen certainly has established the appropriate climate of scrutiny, and I just think there's lots of good that comes from this very unfortunate situation. Votes aren't to be trifled with.” |
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