Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Wed., Mar. 10, 2004
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 3-10-04
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Miscounts, Changed Votes, No Paper Trail: Is Electronic Voting
a Threat to Democracy?
Former British Hostage Likens 5-Year Solitary Confinement
in Lebanon To Guantanamo Bay
Father Of British Guantanamo Prisoner Discusses Son's Imprisonment,
Calls For Full Legal Rights
Miscounts, Changed Votes, No Paper Trail: Is Electronic
Voting a Threat to Democracy?
Malfunctioning software in electronic voting machines has
already caused confusion or possibly faulty vote tallies in
races across the country. We speak with a San Diego poll worker
about problems she witnessed with voting machines, a member
of Pax Christi USA, which will send international monitors
to observe the presidential election in Florida and a computer
science professor who has led the charge calling for a paper
trail to record votes.
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts swept all four Southern
Democratic primaries yesterday, winning about 77 percent of
the votes in Florida and Mississippi and more than 65 percent
in Louisiana and Texas. Many of the people that headed to
the polls yesterday used electronic voting machines for the
first time to cast their vote.
And in the upcoming presidential election, millions more
American voters are projected to use electronic voting machines.
But concerns over security flaws in voting machines have sparked
wide-ranging public debate.
In one case, a special election to fill Florida state House
seat 91, 134 Broward County voters managed to use 2-year-old
touch-screen elecronic voting equipment without casting votes
for any candidate.
Already, malfunctioning software has caused confusion or
possibly faulty vote tallies in races across the country and
the lack of a paper trail to record votes has failed to provide
a way for a meaningful recount may be conducted.
Now for the first time, international monitors will be in
the U.S. to make sure votes are cast and counted correctly.
Members of the Catholic peace movement Pax Christi announced
this week that they will post monitors at polling places around
Florida during the Nov. 2 general election.
- Prof. David Dill, professor of computer science at Stanford
University and founder of VerifiedVoting.org. He has led
the charge to oppose the use of electronic voting equipment
that do not allow voters to inspect individual permanent
records of their ballots, fail to provide a means by which
a meaningful recount may be conducted, or use software that
is not open to public scrutiny.
- Jennifer Hamilton, 27-year-old poll worker in San Diego.
Last night she testified at a town hall meeting in San Diego
about problems she witnessed with electronic voting machines.
- Dave Robinson, national coordinator of Pax
Christi USA. The organization has announced it will
send international monitors to observe the presidential
election in Florida.
Former British Hostage Likens 5-Year Solitary Confinement
in Lebanon To Guantanamo Bay
We speak with Terry Waite, who was held captive for almost
five years by Islamic militants in Lebanon from 1987 to 1991,
about the conditions and legal rights of the more than 650
prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay.
On Monday, European families of Guantanamo detainees traveled
to Washington to denounce the treatment of their relatives
and to urge President Bush to respect their legal rights.
The UK-based Guantanamo Human Rights Commission, made up
of family members and supporters of the detainees, had hoped
to meet with President Bush, but instead had to settle for
a march to the White House. Among the family members was British
citizen Terry Waite as well as actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave.
The Guantanamo Human Rights Commission is holding a discussion
tonight in Cooper Union Great Hall in New York City.
- Terry Waite, former British hostage who was held captive
for almost five years by Islamic militants in Lebannon.
In 1987 as a special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury
he headed to Lebanon in 1987 to win freedom for several
hostages. But he was kidnapped by militants and spent four
years in solitary confinement until his release in 1991.
Father Of British Guantanamo Prisoner Discusses Son's
Imprisonment, Calls For Full Legal Rights
We speak with Azmat Begg whose son Moazzam is one of four
remaining British detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Like other
Guantanamo prisoners, for two years Moazzam has been denied
contact with his family, access to a lawyer, and the right
to a hearing to determine his legal status.
Five British detainees were released from Guantanamo Bay
this week after being held for two years without charge. Upon
their return to the UK, four of the five men were arrested
and taken to a London police station. They are expected to
face days of police questioning. Under the provisions of the
Terrorism Act the men can be held for up to 14 days without
charge. The fifth British detainee was released has accused
the U.S. of injustice and the UK of complicity in his detention.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the decision to
release the five prisoners saying, "We got what we needed
out of this crowd of five people, let's move them along!"
For over two years more than 650 people have been detained
in a legal black hole at Guantanamo. They have been denied
contact with their families, access to a lawyer, and the right
to a hearing to determine their legal status.
Four British prisoners remain in Guantanamo Bay and are likely
to be tried by a United States military court.
Families and lawyers of the four prisoners have insisted
throughout their two-year-long detention that the men are
innocent and were mistakenly caught up in the U.S. war on
terror.
The Daily Telegraph this week reported that the Bush administration
alleged the four remaining British men trained in terrorist
camps and learned skills such as bomb-making. Lawyers for
the men yesterday described the claims as "rubbish"
and "tendentious" and expressed fears that they
might have invented confessions under the psychological pressure
of two years' detention without charge or trial and in the
mistaken belief they might face the death penalty.
- Azmat Begg, his son Moazzam is one of four British who
remain in custody at Guantanamo Bay.
- Rachel Meeropol, attorney with the Center for Constitutional
Rights. She is the grand daughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
who were executed on June 19, 1953.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
