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The Diaries

Eight months & 21 days out -- a gray and sleety Thursday morning

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Looking down my empty gravel-and-puddle driveway this cold, clammy, rainy/sleety/icy/snowy morning, my deep hollow home is really straddling the line between two strong weather fronts, fighting to a standstill over my backwoods farm this morning. Ten miles to my north and west, the schools are closed and the roads are black (and white) ice-slick. Fifteen miles in the other direction, it is a clear morning, though the winds are blowing hard from the east.

And right here, we have a little of it all.

As January becomes February, which is the shortest way to March.

Soon come.

After my last diary entry, I wanted to follow up with some good news and to send you a link to some important media coverage for the election integrity issue here in Tennessee. Thanks to any and all of you for sending emails to our legislature. PLEASE don't stop doing that. Remember to visit www.votesafetn.org to join many others in taking the 4-5 steps you can take (and/or keep taking) to save our democracy. Here is the impact you are having:

On Tuesday, the Tennessee House Elections subcommittee unanimously passed the TN Voter Confidence Act (HB 1256), with the entire House State and Local Government committee (where the bill goes for its next vote) sitting in on the subcommittee's discussions. (Another half-dozen legislators who are not on these committees also sat in on the hearing.) I was given roughly equal time to speak to the subcommittee as the State Election Coordinator was given. The Coordinator's position remains that we cannot implement the change to voter-verified paper ballots this year. My presentation countered that now that we have recognized this serious problem and are committed to making a change, and since we still have the time and will soon have the the funds necessary to accomplish the change-over this year, we really have no choice but to make the necessary changes NOW. (If any of you want to see those remarks, just email me and I'll send them.)

Also, yesterday, the Nashville Scene's cover story was on the election integrity issue, focusing heavily on the documentary: "UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections" that I have written you about in the past. It also does an excellent job of describing the road that the election integrity issue has taken in Tennessee over the past three years and where we are now. Here's the link:

http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2008/01/31/A_Vote_of_No_Confidence/

Sitting here on the edge of two weather systems this morning, I also feel like we are sitting right on the slippery edge of two distinctly different American futures. The way we move -- the way we act -- together in the next few days and months to protect our vote will likely determine which America prevails. At least for a minute or so.

Good to know all y'all this morning. If you have excess sunshine, send it my way any time you want to before June. Bernie

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