To the Editor:



Knowledge in doubt

To L.A.P., Maryland, with reference to the article called "Casting Stones" about the U.S. elections [Letters to the editor, Nov. 29-Dec. 6]:

It seems to me necessary and fair to correct you a bit. First, it was not Stalin to whom the notorious document was addressed (he had fortunately been dead for 15 years in 1968). Secondly, it was not, indeed, the government of that time that sent the "invitation letter" for the tanks, but a certain number of "alarmed" people recruiting from the leaderhip body of the Czechoslovakia's Communist Party. Thirdly, it is not the American electoral system that falters but it is, without any doubt, your own knowledge. Or, is it your self-conceit that is in danger?

Language can be a powerful tool in media if used appropriately. You should rather travel to a library than abroad to become more "enlightened" and to gain more information before starting your "protective reaction strike."

Ales Sedlak
Prague 8



Machines not perfect

I'm an election judge in Dallas County (Texas) and I have been in the computer business long enough (early 1970s) to have actually used punch cards.

So, here's my take on the Florida election: Machines are used for counting votes because they are much faster than humans, not because they are more accurate -- they aren't. The machines have a known error rate. In the case of punched-card machines, it is considered to be in the 2 to 5 percent range. For most elections, this is just fine since elections are generally decided by a margin of at least 5 percent. The 14,000 votes in Palm Beach County that were not counted by machine in a previous election were not hand counted for a simple reason: the margin of votes between the candidates was greater than 14,000 votes, so a hand count would not affect the outcome of the election.

In fact, hand counts are only done when they could change the result of the election. In Florida, Governor [George] Bush led by about 1,000 votes out of the about 6 million cast -- only 0.016 percent. In this situation, an error rate of 2 percent (assuming the best case) is well beyond the precision of the machines. This is equivalent to a poll in which the results were 49.0 percent for [U.S. Vice President Al] Gore and 49.016 percent for Bush with a 2 percent margin of error. In other words, the election is too close to call because the margin of victory needs to be much greater than it is now for the public to have any confidence in the result without a hand count.

As for the hand recount, this is a misnomer. The important ballots are not those that were counted by the machines. It is the ballots that were not counted because the machines could not read them that are important. The error rate on the ballots that the machines actually counted is quite low because the machines are designed to reject a ballot rather than count it incorrectly. In a sense, the error rate on the uncounted ballots is 100 percent. Many votes were rejected because the chad was pushed back into the hole when it went through the machine, or the chad was punctured instead of falling out. These ballots have never been counted -- only rejected by the machines.

The chads that are falling out are not ones where all four corners are still attached. The ballots have to be quite sturdy to withstand the punishment of being put through high-speed counting machines. The chads that are falling off are ones where the chad is already partially detached. I can assure you that the people who are counting these ballots by hand are treating the ballots with kid gloves, compared with the counting machines.

In fact, the first time the ballots are put through the counting machine is the time when the largest number of partially attached chads will fall off. But again, the ballots are quite sturdy. Most of the chads that fall off in the counting machines are ones that are already partially detached: the so-called hanging-door chads, in which two of the four perforations are broken through.

So, here's the bottom line: if 10,000 votes were not counted by the counting machines in one Florida county, this is 10 times the margin by which Bush is ahead. If only 20 percent of those votes can be discerned by manual counting, that could easily be enough to change the result of the election.

It is obvious that the ballots should have been hand counted in every county where a significant number of ballots were rejected by counting equipment.

One thing is for sure: A coin toss with a 50 percent probability of winning is more likely to provide an accurate result then a 0.016 percent lead resulting from a machine count.

Geoff Staples
Dallas, Texas



Focus on Europe

I do not like any kind of stories regarding happenings outside Europe. I consider The Prague Post a Central European newspaper and it always winds me up if you print an article about, for instance, U.S.-related problems.

I do understand that many of your readers are U.S. citizens, but why bother Europeans with problems that are not related to this region? I think that there are other media that deal with this kind of information.

Jan Hlavac
Prague 5



Offensive displays

I have been steaming for a while, not knowing where to address my ire, but in this week's issue of The Prague Post, I found two kindred souls. Jon Rettig ["Reprehensible style," Letters to the editor, Dec. 6-12] voiced almost my same sentiments, though those words addressed Style magazine. I am distressed over huge advertising placards prominently placed on newsstands, and metro entrances with huge eye-catching placards, the subjects of which should be reserved for porno ads in magazines. The majority of us (and our children) are offended by such displays (i.e. a woman with a lascivious smile while she practices self-gratification), displayed apparently for no reason than to promise more if you buy this magazine. The borders between taste and offensiveness must be erected again, but where does one turn to stem the flow?

Next, I read Gwendolyn Albert's column ["Swapping ambience for advertising," Dec. 6-12] with a mixture of shock and sadness. I haven't seen this "enormous illuminated billboard directly between the castle in the line of sight," but I cringe at the thought of seeing it.

Like her, I have never ceased to look forward to that view as the 22 tram approaches the castle. It's also one of my proud sights to point out to visitors. Gwendolyn -- if you have enough supporters to visit City Hall in protest -- count me in.

Often, the Postview editorials are fearless and thought provoking. This week was no exception ["When consensus is a lie," Dec. 6-12]; on the contrary, one of the best I have read. Keep it up, fearless editor.

In conclusion, congratulations to all responsible. The Prague Post is coming back up.

Peggy Albert
Prague 2




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