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Tech Credited With Reducing Nigerian Election Death Toll
jfruh writes: Dozens died in the runup to Nigeria's most recent election — a shocking statistic to many Westerners, but a relief in comparison to the much more serious violence that plagued earlier elections. Observers are crediting technology with making the election safer: the use of biometric IDs gave voters more confidence in the results, and social media gave people a chance to blow of anger that might've otherwise results in street brawls.
This is a common misconception. You cannot "get your anger out" by indulging in it. Hitting a pillow or screaming until you're hoarse, or verbally thrashing someone on the internet does not make you act like a gentle person the rest of the day.
If that was the case, you'd see most of our professional athletes; especially hockey players, football players, and boxers, as some of the most gentle, even-keeled people that ever existed.
If anything, this makes us more used to binge angry, as we acclimate to it physiologically and psychologically. Perhaps this is why it seems those above atheletes are prone to excessive and often illegal violence on and off the field.
Resulted, not results.
Come on guys.
but here in the u.s. a well-connected, socially-networked public just riots, instead.
How about... they're finally shaking off the shackles of dependency from a legacy of colonialism and learning that self-determination, rule of law and free trade actually make for a better society?
Nigeria stopped being a British colony 55 years ago, in 1960. The majority of present-day Nigerians were not yet born when Nigeria was last under British rule. They've had many, many changes of government since then.
I'm not trying to start a flame war, I'm genuinely curious. What makes you feel that Nigeria's problems are a result of British colonization? What are the specific ways in which the "legacy of colonialism" has affected their recent history?
I understand that technology can help in many cases, but i think this is not one of them (at least not in that way).
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
American Democrats need to tell the Nigerians that voter IDs are racist.
The difference is that American voting is highly skewed by race and class. Democrats are far more likely to have no valid ID, and also tend to be less motivated to vote, and thus easier to discourage from doing so. Almost any test that involves being a dysfunctional person (illiterate, ex-felon, no mailing address, no valid ID) is going disproportionately disenfranchise Democrats.
Nigeria is different. Their politics are skewed by religion and tribe. There is no inherent reason that requiring an ID would be unfair in Nigeria.
What, Democrats don't drive?? And can't be bothered to get the DL-equivalents that every State offers for non-drivers to use as ID?
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
So, you are saying Apartheid should have continued as it is?
Use of Biometrics enables identity thieves to automate their crimes on an industrial scale. How many times must this be said before it begins to sink in?
Every system of security is eventually compromised. If someone harasses you by calling your phone all the time, you can change your phone number. If someone steals your credit card, you can challenge the charges and your bank can issue you a new card with a different number.
If someone gets hold of your fingerprints, an image of your iris, your facial measurements, or whatever else they can charge up a storm, ruin your credit rating, take all your savings, have you thrown in jail for violating your security clearance, destroy your life, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about any of it. You can't call God and plead that your fingerprints were stolen and you need a new set.
DO NOT USE BIOMETRICS FOR SECURITY OR IDENTITY AUTHENTICATION. EVER. PERIOD.
How many deaths and dismemberments do people have to suffer before the governments finally catch on and realize what a horrible idea this is? It's already happening in movies and TV shows. How long until it starts happening in real life?
These are your body parts, people! Don't turn them into valuable commodities that criminals will want to steal. How difficult is that to understand?
every State offers for non-drivers to use as ID?
It also costs money. So, if the primary purpose is voter id and that id costs money then it is equivalent to a voting tax.
This message is brought to you by Boss Tweed.
In Amerika, we just manipulate the count the bring the "perfect" candidate to office. That's, what technology can do.
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
Well to be fair, they were probably too busy running away from those (slave) traders, to really pick up anything other than "Holy fuck, these people are not friendlies."
What, Democrats don't drive??
Correct. Democrats are less likely to drive, and less likely to own a car.
And can't be bothered to get the DL-equivalents that every State offers for non-drivers to use as ID?
Correct again. Democrats are less likely to get a state issued ID card if they don't drive. Partly this is a lack of motivation, since Democrats rely more on cash and less on credit or banking that require an ID, but part is also because they don't have access to their birth certificate or other proof of eligibility.
You can argue that this is their own fault and they "deserve" to be disenfranchised (and many people will accept that argument), but you can't argue that voter-ID laws don't skew elections away from Democrats and toward Republicans.
What makes you feel that Nigeria's problems are a result of British colonization? What are the specific ways in which the "legacy of colonialism" has affected their recent history?
Good questions. I can sum up the answer in two words: Shell Oil.
You see, Nigeria left the commonwealth in 1960, but Big Oil didn't leave Nigeria. Oil is where the money is, and anyone who wanted to rise to power in Nigeria has had to deal with the oil companies. Those who have chosen not to, and have attempted to survive on traditional land-use have had their land polluted or taken by government and the oil industry. Since the 1960's, pretty much all exports from Nigeria other than oil (which is owned by foreign corporations) has dried up. As a result, most people choosing not to side with the government and the oil industry have turned to illegal means for survival, and are either part of or support the rebel groups in Nigeria. As an aside, this is where, until recently, the majority of the world's "419" or Nigerian Scam emails are from: they fund weapons purchases for Nigerian rebels. Now various Asian organized crime rings have found that's also lucrative. But that digresses from the point.
British Colonization was both a good and bad thing for Nigeria. Unfortunately, its legacy has been the same: if you are one of the privileged, the legacy has been good. If you are one of the powerless, the legacy has been bad. Nigeria is just starting to learn some of the lessons about how environmental protection is key to long-term sustainability.
So that Nigerian prince lives? I hope so, he owes me 10 grand.
Table-ized A.I.
Generalize much?
Egypt, an African nation, had chariots thousands of years ago. So did Sudan. Sudan, like Egypt, also had a written language based on heiroglyphics. They also had pyramids.
Now your fun facts do happen to be true for Nigeria, which despite being a trade hub of the world for thousands of years, never bothered with the wheel or written language. This suggests to me that a) wheels aren't too useful in a large river delta where sledges and barges make more sense, and b) they must have used some other method to keep track of trade; I have no idea what it was, but I'm now curious to find out.
That tends to be what happens when you make it harder to commit voter fraud.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Except that every study seems to show that actual voter fraud is minimal. Voter ID laws are (taken at face value) an attempt to reduce a small number of people from voting illegitimately while keeping a larger number of people from voting legitimately. It's trying to swat a fly by swinging around a sledgehammer. Sure, you might kill that pesky fly, but your walls and furniture won't look really nice afterwards.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
There is little reason to intimidate, threaten, maim, and kill to get people to vote for you when you can just hack the voting machines.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
Vote fraud happens. They threw out that particular election but I don't think any of the people who committed fraud were ever charged. And dozens of precincts in Philadelphia haven't had a single vote for a Republican presidential candidate in decades.
Stinson's absentee ballot campaign led to hundreds of improper votes, mostly in the district's Latino and African American neighborhoods. Those improper votes included forgeries and instances in which workers either marked ballots for voters, told them how to vote, or never showed them the ballot that was cast in their names.
But Democrats will tell you there has never been any significant voter fraud (although you might want to look up a guy named Landslide Lyndon) and that there is no need for voters to present an id card.
I always hear that claim made, yet every so called 'study' I examine has gaping holes in it's methods as more often then not there is simply not enough data to make an accurate measure as to what level of fraud exists because of the lack of ID requirements.
If I show up to your polling place and claim to be a recently deceased person, someone I know to be on vacation, or not likely to vote... unless the election worker actually knows the person I am pretending to be... I'm almost certainly going to be able to cast a vote illegally and the chances of being caught are slim, ditto for me ever showing up on the radar of someone investigating fraud.
Let me fix that for you:
Somehow one needs a photo ID to fly on a plane, buy a six-pack of beer or open a bank account in most places... but only with regards to voting is it suddenly a horrible thing, even when free IDs are usually available.
To go back to my earlier example, a person doing so would only be casting a single extra vote which on it's own isn't much, however it's not too hard to imagine an individual or group being a little more dedicated and spending the morning of election day doing this over and over again.
How many fraudulent votes would they need? Lets look at some recent close races which come to mind:
in Florida in 2000 George Bush beat Al Gore with a margin of 537 votes out of 5,962,657 cast (0.00901%).
In South Dakota in 2002 Tim Johnson beat John Thune by a margin of 524 votes out of 33,4438 cast (.001567%).
In Washington in 2004 Christine Gregoire beat Dino Rossi by a margin of 133 votes out of 2,810,058 cast (0.00473%).
In Minnesota in 2008 Al Franken beat Norm Colman by a margin of 312 votes out of 2,887,646 cast (0.0108%).
We are talking margins not only within the range of error (accidental over votes, identifying marks, etc), but very possibly within the margin of fraud, something the current system makes very difficult to detect.
Most of us don't wait to put locks on or home doors until after we are burgled, we do so because we recognize a potential threat and prefer to take some actions to reduce the risk, why not here as well?
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Reading comprehension fail. Or you're an out and out SJW liar.
Ah; I see... you have some magical point at which skin pigmentation affects people's ability to write and use wheels. Might this be why I not only mentioned Egypt, whose inhabitants some might not consider "black enough" but also Sudan? Is this skin pigmentation dark enough for you to call "black"?
The entire point of calling out Egypt was to draw parallels with Sudan (the cultures lined up quite well, off by time more than by anything else) as everyone knows about Egypt.
So if you're not actually talking about skin pigmentation, and you're not talking genetics, what, pray tell, do you mean by "blacks?" If you're being racist, it's useful to actually define what you mean by race.
Oh yes, and what I didn't add to my other points: Many of the native peoples of North America and the Pacific islands also failed to create a written language or use the wheel. Some of them built quite advanced civilizations.