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Call to action
To the Editor:
How much more can we endure one man’s howling against the rough beast gnawing at the edges of his garden? Or the sermonizing cadence of another’s litany of blame – woe and shame to all that have allowed this paradise be desecrated. Darkness reigns. These are cries in the street, eloquent, prophetic voices calling in the wilderness. The problem is: does such a dark message inspire action or engagement, anything above sad acknowledgement of our loss?
It’s not that I’m insensitive to their “pain.” It’s even more telling that it’s always the same people who write these kind of letters (including myself) – the choir of concerned citizens. Do they even teach “civics” any more in our high schools? Will future generations understand the absurdity of “free speech zones” when they choose to express dissent over the constant erosion of our civil rights? How many of our community clubs meet on a regular basis or are engaged in issues that matter?
Over the past six years I have been involved in several attempts at grassroots organizing to moderate sprawl and development in these mountains. In the gathering darkness there have been points of “light:” the preservation of the Needmore Tract as public game lands; stopping a 175-unit RV park from discharging treated wastewater into the Little Tennessee River; thwarting attempts to privatize segments of the Tuckaseigee River; and the recent passage of the Lake Fontana Preservation Act (thank you N.C. Sen. John Snow and Rep. Phil Haire), designating creeks flowing from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Lake Fontana as “outstanding resource waters,” the highest classification for water quality protection. None of this would have occurred without sustained citizen involvement and pressure on officials at the local, state and federal levels.
This region has always been subject to the agendas of outside interests: multi- national corporations wanting to drill for gas and oil in our national forests; the assault of outrageous, fortune-seeking developers; and most recently the Georgia Congressional delegation, proposing an Interstate-3 corridor through the southern Appalachian Mountains in the name of “national security” and “economic development.”
This assault will not change or diminish. What has changed is the increasing passivity of our overburdened people. Linda Watson in her Jan. 19 letter is right on. We are “tired of the careful arguments, persuasive arguments, persuasive letter, and years of backroom politics. It is time for a different approach. What will you pledge to do?”
So I guess the “different approach” begins with the simple gathering of energy to get motivated. Join one of the many organizations that seek to preserve our natural resources. Go to a public meeting and get a sense of “public space.”
You couldn’t start with a better public meeting than the one scheduled in Bryson City on Feb. 2, Thursday, at the Swain County high school (4:30-8:30 p.m.) where the National Park Service will be hearing comments on the North Shore Road (also known as “the road to nowhere,” or more recently in the Charlotte Observer as “Boondoggle Boulevard”), a proposed 35-plus mile paved road through the National Park. The issues are real, and the people are real. It may even be better than reality TV.
In the good words of Edward Abbey: “The only thing wrong with democracy is that we need more of it.”
Roger Turner
Sylva
Return of hand-counted paper ballots would reduce potential for election fraud
To the Editor:
Election officials in Jackson County and throughout the state are wrestling with the problem of meeting new standards in the Public Confidence in Elections Act. For the past few elections we’ve been using “touchscreen” voting machines that don’t provide a paper trail verifying that ballots submitted by voters are actually recorded as the voter intended. The new law requires a paper record that can be reviewed by the voter.
There are several methods of voting that meet the new standards. Each method has its merits and its set of problems. Touchscreen or Direct Recording Electronic voting machines are the fastest method of voting and tabulating the results. But, there are serious concerns becoming apparent nationwide with using this new technology in the voting process. The proprietary programs used in computerized voting machines bring private corporations into the vote-counting process. Computer programs are vulnerable to undetectable tampering raising the potential for massive election fraud perpetrated by a small group or even just one skilled and determined disgruntled corporate employee.
Touchscreen voting machines are the most expensive option. Each of these machines being considered for Jackson County, including a paper-record retrofit, costs about $3,000. Last Wednesday this machine was demonstrated at the Justice Center by a salesperson representing ES&S, the equipment manufacturer. She informed us that this machine “never” has technical problems because it is a very simple and basic computer. She compared its operating system to a 286 computer. You can buy a very sophisticated complete home computing system about 100 times more powerful than a 286, including a DVD, CD recorder/player, a 17” screen, modem, wireless Internet, printer/copier/scanner and assorted other bells and whistles for about $500, which begs the question of why these relatively primitive computerized voting machines are so over-priced. Incidentally, after extensive questioning the sales rep was forced to admit that this technology does ultimately provide the potential for difficult-to-detect tampering.
Another voting process option that meets the new standards is “optical scanning” technology. In this process the voter marks a paper ballot similar to a multiple-choice tests in public schools. A pencil mark fills in the oval next to the candidate of choice. These ballots are then counted by feeding the sheets through an optical scanner that detects the marks on the pages and electronically calculates the totals. This method is slower than DREs, but provides a more reliable and readable paper trail. But, optical scanning is still problematic, because, once again, there is tabulating software that can be tampered with as a private corporation is brought into the vote-counting process. The paper trail is only meaningful in the event of a very close election in which there is a recount. But, as one computer expert put it at a legislative hearing last year, “If you’re going to go to the trouble of fixing an election, you’re going to fix a ‘mandate’ to make sure it’s not close enough to warrant a recount.” Optical scanning is less expensive than DRE’s but still costly, and more susceptible to mechanical breakdown.
Computers are wonderful tools for business and personal use because they are fast and efficient. But, speed and efficiency are ultimately not important in a democratic and fair election. The only thing important in an election is that the candidate who received the most votes, wins the election. Accuracy and verifiability are what is needed. The only voting system that provides these assurances is one involving hand-counted paper ballots, counted immediately upon the closing of polls, in public view, with observers of all parties present.
This is the system used in national elections in Canada, Germany and several other European countries. They may not be able to announce results 15 minutes after the polls are closed. It may take a few days, or a week or two weeks. It doesn’t matter. But when they announce the winners there is public confidence in the fact that the candidates with the most votes actually won the election. Hand-counted paper ballot voting is also the least expensive option. This is not a step backward as some might suggest. It’s a step forward after learning the lesson of the vulnerabilities inherent in computerized voting. Jackson County should seriously consider adopting the simple, verifiable and cheap system of hand-counted paper ballots in all future elections.
Avram Friedman
Dillsboro
Speed bumps would slow Main Street traffic
To the Editor:
After reading the article on speeding on Main Street and crosswalk hazards last week, I couldn’t help but wonder why no one can see the obvious and affordable solution to this particular problem.
I do realize that Main Street is a state road, but the speed limit is only 20 miles per hour. Why not do as was done on the old Courthouse road (Keener Street) and install two or three speed humps? Since the speed limit is 20, this would be no inconvenience for most drivers. You can easily go over one of these at 15 mph, and this would slow cars approaching crosswalks. It would definitely be an affordable solution for the town and not overburden the police force.
I cannot see that adding more signs for crosswalks would help at all. Most of the speeders on Main Street are local people and generally younger. They already know that there are crosswalks and no amount of signs will get them to slow down. Most of them are just in a rush to get in front of those who are actually doing the speed limit.
Sylva’s town board members should take some time to actually think about this subject and give it some consideration. It is, after all, a practical solution to a difficult problem.
Samantha Faust
Whittier
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