"It doesn’t matter who votes. It only matters who counts the votes.” -- Josef Stalin

A bit of wisdom from an historical figure. Wouldn't you agree? I have been getting emails about the 100 days remaining until the election. In fact, I'll be attending such a meeting tonight to discuss what We the People can do about taking our country back. I can only hope that we are successful.

But it occurs to me that no matter how many of us vote, not matter how great a turn out, it only matters how the votes are counted. I recently learned from listening to an Air Amercia interview that in Alaska in the last election, the vote count for George Bush exceeded the registered voter count by something like 50%. I had heard many accusations from the left about voting fraud in Florida and Ohio during the last two presidential elections, but Alaska was something new.

It finally starts to make sense why the right is not too concerned about the fall elections. We hear about some legislators separating themselves from Bush. (The right leaning media seems to point that out) But when I listen to politicians on the News Hour on PBS, the right is just as fixated as they have always been with their hot issues of God, Gays and Gagging free speech in the name of patriotism.

As voters, presented with a choice of selecting a party that stands for War, Spying on its citizens, giving Coprorate Welfare to oil companies, and using Federal Lands to benefit Corporations versus a party that wants to protect individual rights, establish a fair tax structure, and present America's power as a Peacekeeper rather than a War Monger, I think most people would choose the latter. So why does the Republican Right seem to keep winning?

Perhaps they aren't! Perhaps it only matters who counts the votes!

Yes, I understand the Christian Right has their influence but that is, in actuality, a minority. Could it really be enough to swing an election? Could all the right leaning, Personal Responsibility preachers, Neo-con thinking, Anti-Abortion, Make our Constitution like the Bible, single issue voters total up enough votes to set the course of our country?

Truth rings loud and clear! When the philosophy of a political party is that the end justifies the means, then it doesn't matter how they get elected. It only matters that they ARE elected. Voting machines are, for the most part, Corporate owned and operated with proprietary software. The data can be manipulated.

Do you trust the counting to be accurate and honest when the counting is done by a corporation with a philosophy of "The end justifies the means" and are Republican supporters?

Addressing this concern has to start at the grass roots level. We the People must get involved, speak out, and show force to take back the election process and verify that we get accurate vote counts. When enough people stand up for an issue, action gets taken.

That's as I see it . . .