Moon Pie wrote:

] It's amazing what people think is conspiracy theory. History
] is full of this kind of stuff, but somehow we don't think it
] can happen to us. Really though, it's just natural that
] people pursue their own interest. Cheat on tests. Fix
] prices. Rig elections. Happens all over.
] A lot of people are decent too, but that kind of thing doesn't
] get you promoted into power so well. Politicians really do
] have to sell themselves, after all. Nobody seems to think
] that's a conspiracy, and that's just one easy example.
] There's no argument, it's just understood: politicians are
] bought. What's for dinner?
] That said, I don't know if computer voting machines are
] rigged. But I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be. The
] system being replaced is already corrupt, why would adding
] computers help?

Well, I think that people *attempt* to pursue their own interest. Cheat on tests. Fix prices. Rig elections. But given that this is newer technology, that it is sufficiently more sophisticated than punch cards, and that fewer people know of it or how it works, then I would say that the potential for abuse is lower than other means. That's not to say that there's no abuse, just that it's lower.

I think the thing that made me think 'conspiracy theory' is that people always tend to draw a straight line between obvious points. Sen SoAndSo is majority shareholder of company who makes digital voting machines. Sen SoAndSo wins election in landslide. A HA! He must have rigged the machines!!! Conspiracies tend not to be so neat and tidy. Like people today thinking that we're invading Iraq because of oil. It has nothing to do with oil.

Remember Iran/Contra? I mean... who would've thought that could happen in a million years? It was so convoluted you KNEW it had to be true. Same thing with Watergate. The crazier the story, the more I tend to believe in it. Rigging digital election machines just sounds so 'simple'. It sounds like something my grandmother would be frightened by. "Those kids with their computers and the hacker. I don't trust them!"

RE: Open Source Code Meets Democracy - in Australia anyway