Yesterday I was in San Francisco City Hall and passed by the Elections Department. Outside that office they were conducting a hand recount of a local election that has been contested. It was official, legal, and prudent. Everyone was proceeding officially and all the ballots were thoroughly examined for the intent of the voter. These types of recounts are regular occurances all over the country for disputed local elections. If the Republicans would not have blatantly stopped such legal and standard procedures in Florida, we would not be witnessing a wholesale attack on our system of democracy at the presidential level.