OTM: The Myth of Voter Fraud

In this election season there are many hot topics being brought up by the media and by the presidential candidates. One of these topics being brought up, which is common among those losing in the pre-election polls, is voter fraud. Donald Trump has claimed that dead people are voting and have been doing so for the last 10 years. In a portion of the On The Media episode entitled "The System is Rigged" they discuss the myth of voter fraud. Bob Garfield interviews Michael Wadman. Michael is the president of The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and author of the book, The Fight to Vote. He gives evidence of a study the Washington Post conducted and only found 31 documented cases of voter fraud or voter impersonation out of billions of votes caste. He also explains that there have been 15 laws now put in place in order to stop the ability of people to commit voter fraud. Through these laws it has hit the minorities and younger generation the hardest. Trump says that it will happen in Philadelphia and targets other inner cities which brings in a racial element to it (1). This seems interesting to me as he has been seen as a racist with different comments and now he is targeting those groups of people for potential voter fraud.

I believe that there is going to always be ways for people to work around the system and find loopholes to so call "rig the system" but to be worried about and say that dead people are voting and have been for ten years is ridiculous. In the study done by the Washington Post shows that only 31 out of billions of votes says to me this problem is so small it isn't an issue. We should focus on other problems. Also, when will the racial profiling stop? We are proud to say that we are the land of the free but it seems like when it comes to a problem it is always part of the minorities fault. Why did he have to pin-point Philadelphia's inner city? Why didn't he name Salt Lake City where he may lose to Evan McMullin? He can't accept blame so if he ends up losing it has to be because of another reaon other than his own fault. It seems to me that in the pre-election polls he is losing and needs some way to say that if he loses it isn't because he is a bad politician but it is someone elses fault. It reminds me of someone who makes a mistake but can't accept the blame and needs to cast the blame onto someone else. He didn't finish his homework but of course it wasn't his fault, his dog ate it.


1. The Myth of Voter Fraud

WI: Syria and Immigration

There is war going on in Syria that is very complex. A video entitled "Syria's War: A 5-Minute History" broke it down to be hopefully be a little more less complex and I would recommend it to help give more context to your opinions. The Syrian people began to protest the regime of Bashar Assad and the government in turn opened fire on them so the people decided to fight back. Assad begin to use chemicals to harm civilians and rebels to harm and would eventually kill people. The US eventually begin to train Syrian rebels to particular attack ISIS (1). There are so many involved with different foreign backers that some don't even know or agree who they are fighting. I think people lose sight of why they are even fighting.

There is so much fighting going on in Syria with the Assad regime, ISIS, the rebels and the different foreign backers I believe we forget who is really losing here. The civilians in Syria, they are the ones losing here, they are being killed and trying to seek refuge. It is difficult for them and many believe that they shouldn't be able to find refuge in other countries such as the US while others are very welcoming of letting Syrian refugees enter the US. According to an article in the Business Insider entitled "Why Assad Keeps Dropping Gas Bombs on Syrian Civilians" the Assad regime supposedly in 2013 agreed to destroy chemical arsenal but yet two years later in 2015 there were reported chemical attacks that have killed and injured hundreds of people (2). The Syrian people continue to lose but yet it seems that the countries involved trying to help them and fight ISIS and Assad are confused.

It is sad to see civilians, just like you and me, being killed in the streets with chemicals and dealing with this turmoil. Syrian refugees are being allowed into the US to help them go forward and have a better life. There are several people that are against it and believe that they should not be allowed. Many believe that the US doesn't know who they are and shouldn't allow them in. I understand that point but why treat them like a criminal if they aren't one? What would you like to happen if you were in their shoes? If I was in their shoes I would hope they would try to help me get out and have a better life. I would hope that people would try and help me and respect me. I think that we should allow those in that our national security agencies deem harmless into our country and help them be able to have a successful life and hopefully in turn give back to the community and help others. I believe that we should do our best to help others and trust our national services to only allow those in who do not pose a threat to our society.


1.Syria's War: A 5-Minute History

2. Why Assad Keeps Dropping Gas Bombs on Syrian Civilians

WI: Security and Privacy

The issue of security and privacy in our country is an interesting topic. There are many people on both sides of the issue. Many think that it is a good idea for the government to be able to collect and keep information on us that is obtained through security cameras and license plate detectors. They believe that this will go towards helping keep our country safe. Other people believe that it is wrong and violates our fourth amendment right of privacy for the government to be able to collect so much data on each person. According to the U.S. Department of States about the Privacy Act, passed in 1974, states that this act guarantees that "the right of individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasion of their privacy resulting from the collection, maintenance, use, and disclosure of personal information (1)." Some also have the feeling that they are not a criminal so don't keep my information as if they are one.

In a TedTalk given by Catherine Crump entitled "The Small and Surprisingly Dangerous Detail The Police Track About You" she discusses how there are several license plate detectors around on police cars, roads and other places. Many people don't know the detectors are there and don't understand the data that the police are able to keep on each person. They are able to track where you go and then try to determine who you are depending where you go. Police are not only keeping data for people those who are wanted for wrongdoings but for every single person. They are also able to use a technique to determine what cell phone is in what house (2).  These federal agencies have so much data it is ridiculous.

I believe that it is good that we have such technology to be able to help catch criminals and be able to find people who are wanted for wrongdoings. I also believe that it is a violation of the Privacy Act to be able to follow any person and track where they are going. This can especially be scary especially with the unrest between civilians and police brutality. This then gives an opportunity for a police officer or station to wrongfully track someone and retaliate for protesting. Federal agencies should be able to have this information if they are being sought after for a wrongdoing or have been labeled as a person of interest for a crime. For all other people this data should be able to be collected but then eliminated.


1.https://foia.state.gov/Learn/PrivacyAct.aspx

2. https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_crump_the_small_and_surprisingly_dangerous_detail_the_police_track_about_you#t-286151

Hashtagging the Debate

I was in class so I wasn't able to watch or listen to the debate but I followed my timeline on twitter. I follow some friends as well as many professional athletes. There really wasn't any tweets that were providing any real information or true opinions from what was happening during the debate. There were several people who would make light of the debate. One tweet that I saw a few times that was being retweeted said "Why don't we give them both a set of boxing gloves and whoever wins can be the next President, otherwise how do you choose between them." There were others that would say maybe we should just wait another 4 years. Another one said I think we have taken the phrase anyone can become president too far. There wasn't a whole lot of actually commenting on the actual debate or what was happening.

It is sad for me to see the turmoil in our country and that it seems almost nobody is excited for this election. People aren't really talking about the different points such as immigration/foreign policy, education, the economy and other important issues. Instead people would rather see them put on boxing gloves and fight to see who wins. It is very disheartening. Hopefully the millennials and younger generation will start to pay more attention to politics and become more involved in state politics which will then affect the way our state representatives affect different issues that are brought up and will truly share the voice that we have.