Diebold Retreats; Kucinich Demands Inquiry!

[dpbrown]

Diebold retreats; lawmaker demands inquiry
By Paul Festa
CNET News.com

Diebold's retreat in the courtroom comes as U.S. congressional representative Dennis Kucinich, who is seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, jumped onto the anti-Diebold bandwagon by providing links to the Diebold e-mail correspondence from his House of Representatives Web site.

The Web site, launched Nov. 20, criticizes Diebold for both its product and its conduct in pursuing the Swarthmore students.

"Diebold has been using coercive legal claims to intimidate Internet service providers and even universities to shut down Web sites with links to its memos and remove the memo content," the site reads. "By abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Diebold has intimidated numerous Internet service providers to comply with its requests...Congressman Kucinich is working to address these problems by providing some of Diebold's internal memos on this site to increase public access..."

Kucinich also asked the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to investigate Diebold's DMCA takedown notices.

"Diebold's actions are representative of a growing body of abuses through which large and powerful parties unfairly intimidate ISPs to remove information those parties do not like," Kucinich wrote in a letter dated Nov. 21. "Powerful parties should not be permitted to misuse copyright as a tool for limiting bad press and barring access to legitimate consumer information."

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http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5112430.html

[diamondsoul]

1. Kick for the Congressman!

The one with a track record of dedicated public service and integrity backing it up.

[JohnKleeb]

2. Good for him

Saw yet another bumper sticker tonight and my uncle gave good words for him. I told people I wasnt the only one in NoVA to support him, and now I know I am not the only one in my English class, well I think my thats my friend's bumper sticker, maybe its his mom's but I didnt even know they were dems, sweetness. Keep it up Dennis.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

3. As usual Kucinich leading the pack, the true voice for the people

This is excellent..!!!!! How is this thread dropping?
Oh I know. How long until Dean says something about it? Then for the next 3 months we can wade through posts about:
"Dean is taking on Diebold!!! That's why I support him..no other candidate does this!... dennis who?"

Anyway :)

Go Dennis!!!

TWL

[no name no slogan]

6. Ain't that the truth, though?

At least we have ONE candidate who's got the backbone to stand up to Diebold. I wonder when the rest will get their finely-crafted, neutrally-worded press releases up on their sites/blogs? ;)

[a_lil_wall_fly]

4. Good DK....attack

A man that has no mercy for the weak-minded corporate drones of the world. If he doesn't get the ticket then give a post position to scare the shit out of corporate america.

[dpbrown]

5. I think this is one of the most important things someone could do

I think it's amazing, pragmatic, and shows incredible leadership for Kucinich to take Diebold on this way.

And all it took was for him to understand that Bev Harris and others were in danger of being stymied by Diebold, and for him to join the fight by posting the stuff on his official, government website.

And he got results!

This man seriously kicks ass.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[dpbrown]

7. I wonder if Bev Harris said "thank you" to Dennis

I mean, she's really been a driving force behind all this, but with Rep. Kucinich putting the stuff up on his own government website, that had to add a new level of legitimacy, importance, and popularity to the important work she's doing.

I'd love to see a Bev Harris/Dennis Kucinich interview about this.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[LWolf]

9. I think she did.

She posted something about it here on DU; I'm too tired to remember clearly!

[dpbrown]

10. Thanks for that update

I'd love to see an interview with the two of them.

[eridani]

12. She certainly did!

Putting up a link on blackboxvoting.org to his donation page is a very practical kind of thanks!

[redqueen]

16. Not only that!

In an interview with BUZZFLASH she mentioned Kucinich's support!

YAY BEV! :yourock:

[Tinoire]

26. She certainly did! Thanks Bev and BBV! & Kucinich of course!

Respectfully disagree. Kucinich was critical -- lawsuit was iffy

They might have won the lawsuit, but they could not possibly have bucked a congressional website -- especially when the congressman, who is from their own state, is running for president.

It was Kucinich who won the issue, in my opinion.

That, and there are a few more li'l nasties happening with congressmen and Diebold that aren't public knowledge yet.

Bev Harris
http://www.blackboxvoting.org

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=782073#784493

and also at BBV.org

Wednesday Nov 26, 2003
Thanks, Rep. Kucinich: Diebold withdraws in the legal fight over the memos!

The EFF lawsuit could have gone either way, but there was no winning the battle against a powerful congressman, and presidential candidate, like the Honorable Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
He did a courageous thing, which shows truly effective leadership and demonstrates his commitment to this issue in the strongest possible terms: He posted the Diebold Memos on his Web site and then challenged Diebold to revoke its abusive use of DMCA cease and desist orders. If you would like to express your appreciation for his leadership on this issue, here is a direct link where you can make a contribution to his presidential campaign.

Dennis Kucinich


BlackBoxVoting.org was the very first Web site to publish memos, and was the first to get a Diebold DMCA pulldown demand over the memos — it very nearly decapitated us, taking us down for 30 days! You can see just how important these memos are by visiting The Kucinich Project in the (BBV)Activism Forum. Rep. Kucinich's staff used this forum, which was private at the time, to prepare his Web page with the Diebold memos.


<[ Thanks to dpbrown for originally posting this -http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=832323 >]

[JohnKleeb]

27. Some people have tried to trivalize Dennis's role but Bev herself

credits Dennis. I say :yourock: to both of them.

[dpbrown]

8. I don't know of any other candidate taking on the black box like this

But if any of them are, kudos to them, too.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Dennis Kucinich for taking the threat posed by Diebold to democracy seriously enough to act.

He's kept the bright light of oversight shining on Diebold's machinations.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[ThirdWheelLegend]

11. kick for issues and vision

Dennis Kucinich with real ideas and stances on issues.

He is the voice of the people no matter how many new campaign offices he opens.


kick

TWL

[Toronto Ron]

13. I hope one day....

America will be ready to elect someone like Kucinich as President. Meanwhile, I hope he'll be offered a prominent cabinet position in the next administration.

[dpbrown]

14. America's ready now

As I've pointed out before, Kucinich is the only candidate positioned to take both the 3 million who voted for Nader, and the 5 million "independents" who voted for Gore but wished he were more liberal or progressive.

In the 2000 election, of 100 million votes or so votes split between Gore and Bush, 80 million were "core" Democratic or Republican, and 20 million were "independents."

Of the 10 million that went to each, 5 million goes to each side of the bell curve - that's how bell curves work.

So 5 million voted for Gore but wished he were more liberal or populist and 5 million voted for Gore but wished he were more conservative.

With only Kucinich positioned to have 8 million progressive, independent votes in his pocket before even lining up against Bush, he's the only candidate who will make the election a contest solely for 5 million voters who already voted for Gore once.

All of the other candidates fire up the "core" in one way or another, which translates to precisely nothing - the 40% that constitutes the "core" is going to vote for the Democrat anyway. You hear it here all the time.

The only candidate positioned to beat Bush by potentially 3 to 5 million votes, taking it out of the reach of black box voting theft, is Dennis Kucinich.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[redqueen]

15. You're SO right, Dan.

And all the people on this board who continually say how much they agree with him but refuse to support him are evidence of that fact.

I say stop voting out of fear and vote your conscience! :)

[bywho4who]

20. Absofuc_inlutely

:kick: :kick: :think: :kick: :think: :dem: :bounce: :toast:

[Zomby Woof]

17. ZombyKick

[no name no slogan]

18. Kick for DK

because Diebold sucks ass!!!!

:kick:

[bywho4who]

19. Special "K" All the Way

This is why he is marginalized so blatanly because he has (DO THE RIGHT THING) As his mantra. The repukes so fear the truth because there all a bunch of filthy crooks and DK has no qualms pointing them out:bounce: :




:smoke: :hippie:

[snoochie]

21. Which candidate is showing a willingness to LEAD

when it comes to really important issues?

That's right... it's KUCINICH!

:D

[dpbrown]

22. Love your signature picture!

Is that a bumper sticker?

[genius]

23. Notice: Kucinich is the only one fighting for honest elections

I guess that's because he knows that an honest election would give him the victory.

[dweller]

24. Amazingly prescient!!!

and i mean in particular some of the observations by posters here...Importance of this issue, why aren't others speaking about it.

Now after the Fla. Dem Party today, there are NYTimes headlines, and several threads here on DU about....
Kerry and Edwards kicking ass on the issue. ...

I am happy it's in the news, but credit should be going to Kucinich for effort he made already towards taking on Diebold and standing them down.

maybe it was 'safer' for the rest of the candidates now that DK kicked a**.

dp

[JohnKleeb]

25. leadin the way just like he did with the 87 million dollars

[goodhue]

28. kick n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

29. You go, Dennis!

Just one more down side to Congressman Kucinich being ignored by the media whores. Keep talking, Congressman!