Friday, February 24, 2012

Election machines proven to be hackable: graphic lesson in Kubler-Ross

This video is longer than it really needs to be to tell the story but I guess it had to be that way since too people have to have a sharp stick shoved into their eye before they can anticipate that blindness is even possible.  In short, the "unhackable" Diebold Tabs electronic voting machines can easily be hacked:

The hackability of these machines doesn’t surprise me.  In fact, it would not shock me at all to learn that the exploits were purposely added to the design for the express purpose of fixing the votes because it is exactly what I would do if I were a scumbag running the con.  But it is for exactly that reason that this post is not about the hackability of the machine but rather the reaction of one of the voting official ladies at seeing it hacked.

I'm talking about the lady who broke down into tears over it at the end of the video.  She had foolishly put so much trust and faith in "the system" that when she saw it so easily hacked it caused all those fears that she had been suppressing to come forward in a wave.  The words “technophobe” and “conspiracy theorist” were right on her tongue because she probably used them a hundred times herself.  Now she realizes what a patsy she has been for giving over all her trust so easily.  Now she realizes that she is the fool and those who she mocked were right the whole time.  This kind of rude awakening can leave very strong emotional scars.  She will not just be "better" tomorrow.  The tears will have dried up but she will be a changed person.  Once bitten twice shy.

This is the same type of collapse into the Kubler-Ross grief cycle that I expect we will see some day here in the US once people finally figure out that we have been running a multi-decade debt Ponzi.  Of course, that will only happen when people who have been lulled into being sleepy followers get some rude awakening like the voting lady got.  The main reactions will be denial and then anger.  People will figure out that there isn't even close to being enough wealth in the system to pay out all the whacky vote-buying promises made by all the presidents since Ike was in office. This is the same reason why Athens is burning today.  This is the kind of upset that gets con men hanged in the streets by angry mobs.

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