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Sunday, January 09, 2005

BRINGING PROACTIVE DEMOCRACY BACK HOME:

Zeynep of Under The Same Sun lambasts the administration for this item found in an L. A. Times story about Iraq:
At five heavily guarded entry points to the city, military interrogators are selectively asking returning residents whether they have heard of the upcoming election and, if so, which, if any, candidates they support.
That quote cleverly left out the vital next sentence from the article:
The goal, officials say, is not to influence how Iraqis vote but to gauge how well residents of politically isolated Fallouja understand the changes that have occurred in their country since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.
In this country the liberals are all atwitter because of long lines and sparse voting machines, but when Our Noble Lame Duck actually tries to encourage voters by reminding them of the election, the same lefties complain. There's just no satisfying some people.

Frankly, I think this would be a great advance in America as well. Set up lots of driver's license checks on election day, and ask the same questions here. The goal would be not to influence how folks vote, but to gauge how well residents of politically isolated communities understand the changes that have occurred in this country since 9-11, like the Patriot Act. I think this would make the message very clear.

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