Get Out The Vote

You know the female soldier featured in some of the now-infamous Abu Ghraib pictures? An Australian paper has an interesting profile of her. The soldier’s name is Lynndie England and she grew up in a trailer home in an isolated West Virginian hamlet. Many of her townsfolk don’t seem to understand what all the fuss is about; can’t a country girl pull a few pranks on them towelheads? I’m trying really hard not to sound like a big-city elitist, but can’t the military exercise a little more care in how it selects soldiers for certain assignments? A young woman who probably couldn’t find Iraq on a map and who probably thinks Islam is akin to devil worship may not be the best choice for caring for Iraqi prisoners. Just a thought.
Electronic voting has been in the news lately. Several states have decertified electronic voting machines because of concerns about the security of those machines. This has upset many disability activists who see electronic voting as the means to finally guarantee that people with disabilities can finally vote in privacy. I’m of two minds on this issue. I think it would be great if technology could allow every disabled voter the dignity of a secret ballot. However, that technology needs to guarantee to everyone that votes will be accurate, secure, and verifiable. We simply ain’t there yet. Another year or two should do it and I know it’s hard to be patient, but the disability community needs to step back and see the bigger picture.