Ohio poll workers convicted
From the Associated Press
January 25, 2007
CLEVELAND ? Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio's most populous county.
Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct by an elections employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure to perform their duty as elections employees.
Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.
Ohio gave President Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry in the close election and hold on to the White House in 2004.
Maiden and Dreamer will be sentenced Feb. 26.
--
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Let's Not Roll Over and Go to Sleep Yet, NY! News from Bo Lipari
Introduction by Bo Lipari, Executive Director, NYVV
New York, Ciber and the EAC
The full text of Doug Kellner's email follows the introduction
Albany, NY January 25, 2007
At the New York State Board of Elections meeting on January 23, 2007 Commissioners Kellner and Aquila came out strongly for issuing a subpoena to the EAC and Ciber to force them to give up any information and paper work they have related to Ciber's failure to be accredited. This has resulted from Ciber and the EAC's refusal thus far to offer any information to the State of New York about the problems reported by the New York Times. As I've reported earlier, the State Board had told Ciber earlier this month to officially halt New York's certification testing until the situation is clarified. Unfortunately, Commissioner Helena Donohue would not support issuing a subpoena this week, asking instead that the Board give Ciber until the next Commissioner's meeting in two weeks.
Ciber has further shown their indifference to full disclosure - they recently claimed proprietary confidentiality rights on a four page document they presented to the State Board concerning their interpretation of the COTS software testing requirements, another point where New York State is demanding strict compliance to regulations.
Voting integrity advocates have long called attention to the fact that the so-called "Independent Testing Authorities" are neither independent, conduct rigorous tests, or are in any sense of the word authorities. Rather, they have operated in a closed loop system with the voting machine vendors, and have used the lack of independent oversight to give us the sham that is our country's voting machine testing process. But here in New York State, Ciber is working not for the vendors, but for citizens. And Ciber has consistently shown that they are incapable of providing the level of competency we demand. New York State, by requiring compliance with the highest current standards and through the oversight of a truly independent security review team, has exposed the dirty little secret of the voting machine vendors and the testing labs - their shoddy work does not serve the interests of voters or the public good.
New York State Commissioner Douglas Kellner has issued an email to the public detailing much of what New York has found out. His outrage at the failures of Ciber and the EAC to provide essential information to New York are evident, and at yesterday's meeting he announced that New York must consider immediately terminating Ciber's contract. I concur with Commissioner Kellner when he concludes:
"New York should take a stand to end the veil of secrecy that shrouds the testing process."
The voting machine vendors and testing agencies have had the run of things too long. It's time for a change.
-Bo Lipari
Executive Director
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Below is the email from Doug Kellner. Feel free to distribute.
From: Doug Kellner
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:46 AM
Subject: New York, Ciber and the EAC
On January 4, 2007, the New York State Board of Elections voted to suspend Ciber from further testing of voting systems submitted to the New York State board for certification pending a thorough review of Ciber?s accreditation status. We also addressed requests to both the Election Assistance Commission and to Ciber for all of the relevant documents and reports concerning Ciber?s application to the EAC for accreditation as a testing laboratory.
Much to our surprise (well, maybe I?m not really surprised), EAC has still not provided any of the background documentation that we have requested. While giving lip service acknowledgement of our request, Tom Wilkey, now Executive Director of the US EAC and former Executive Director of the New York State Board of Elections, has completely stonewalled us. The New York State board felt compelled to make a formal Freedom of Information Act request. Mr. Wilkey?s only response so far is that the EAC is reviewing the issue and is deciding how to respond.
This failure to provide relevant information to a state agency, the first in the country to require testing to the 2005 standards, is truly outrageous and scandalous. Not only does it further delay New York?s efforts to come into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, it seriously prejudices the five voting system vendors who have made such a substantial investment in trying to obtain certification to the rigorous standards set by New York. In addition to requiring compliance with VVSG 2005, New York law requires a voter verifiable paper audit trail, prohibits devices or functionality potentially capable of internet, radio or wireless data communication, requires escrow of all software including source codes and authorizes disclosure in court proceedings; our regulations require full disclosure of all political contributions by vendors and their executives and set several other standards that are more rigorous than the VVSG.
While there is general agreement at the New York State Board that we should be looking to the EAC to assist and guide us in our investigation, we also made a formal request to Ciber for the same information. After all, they do hold a $3 million contract from our agency. There has been nothing but similar stonewalling from Ciber. Ciber?s last communication regarding our information request was that they were trying to co-ordinate a response with the EAC.
What?s going on here? Both the EAC and the unaccredited testing lab are refusing to open the curtain that hides their soiled laundry. Co-ordination of the response suggests that we are only going to receive a laundered version of the facts.
I have also become increasingly annoyed with Ciber?s use of the label ?confidential competition-sensitive? on reports that they have prepared for our agency at our expense. You may recall that in November I circulated for comments Ciber?s first draft of their report to explain New York?s interpretation of the exceptions to the exemption from testing of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS)software that is used in the voting machine itself as opposed to election management software that does not generate code used in the actual voting process. (Yes, ?exception to the exemption? is a double negative that means that the COTS source code must be tested in those cases.)
Ciber was apparently miffed that I dared to subject the advice that they furnished to New York to public scrutiny. They added the ?confidential competition sensitive? label to the second draft. I objected and requested that they remove the label. Ciber said they?d think about it, but ignored my request. When I received the final document that had been approved by both Ciber and our independent security review consultants, New York State Technical Enterprise Corp. (NYSTEC), I insisted that I be allowed to make the document public. Ciber balked. When I renewed what had become demands, Ciber?s attorney?yes their attorney?revised the technical report that the ?experts? at Ciber and NYSTEC had determined to be final and said that he would not object to release of that report. (I have distributed that report, known as COTS Testing Version 4 to many). I then asked for an explanation why Version 3, the ?final? report was still labeled confidential. I also gave formal notice that I would ask the commissioners to release the report. Last night Ciber?s in-house attorney wrote me that he agreed that there was nothing in the ?final? report that was properly labeled competition sensitive. The New York commissioners voted the make the Version 3 ?final? COTS report public today. I will send copies of Version 3 to the technical blogs and anyone else who requests it. I am still distressed, however, at Ciber?s efforts to stiffle discussion of the issue by improperly claiming confidentiality.
At today?s meeting of the New York State elections commissioners, while everyone deplored the stonewalling by EALC and Ciber, I requested authority to issue a subpoena to Ciber for all of the documents that we have requested. Republican Commissioner Helena Donohue blocked the subpoena by arguing that we should give Ciber additional time to respond to our request voluntarily. She said that she would reconsider issuing a subpoena at our next meeting scheduled for February 7.
In view of the collaboration between the EAC and Ciber, I am determined that we should not accept partial disclosure. New York should take a stand to end the veil of secrecy that shrouds the testing process.
Douglas A. Kellner
Co-Chair
New York State Board of Elections
New Yorkers for Verified Voting is a program of International Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.All donations are tax deductible.
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Bo Lipari
Executive Director
contact@nyvv.org
New York, Ciber and the EAC
The full text of Doug Kellner's email follows the introduction
Albany, NY January 25, 2007
At the New York State Board of Elections meeting on January 23, 2007 Commissioners Kellner and Aquila came out strongly for issuing a subpoena to the EAC and Ciber to force them to give up any information and paper work they have related to Ciber's failure to be accredited. This has resulted from Ciber and the EAC's refusal thus far to offer any information to the State of New York about the problems reported by the New York Times. As I've reported earlier, the State Board had told Ciber earlier this month to officially halt New York's certification testing until the situation is clarified. Unfortunately, Commissioner Helena Donohue would not support issuing a subpoena this week, asking instead that the Board give Ciber until the next Commissioner's meeting in two weeks.
Ciber has further shown their indifference to full disclosure - they recently claimed proprietary confidentiality rights on a four page document they presented to the State Board concerning their interpretation of the COTS software testing requirements, another point where New York State is demanding strict compliance to regulations.
Voting integrity advocates have long called attention to the fact that the so-called "Independent Testing Authorities" are neither independent, conduct rigorous tests, or are in any sense of the word authorities. Rather, they have operated in a closed loop system with the voting machine vendors, and have used the lack of independent oversight to give us the sham that is our country's voting machine testing process. But here in New York State, Ciber is working not for the vendors, but for citizens. And Ciber has consistently shown that they are incapable of providing the level of competency we demand. New York State, by requiring compliance with the highest current standards and through the oversight of a truly independent security review team, has exposed the dirty little secret of the voting machine vendors and the testing labs - their shoddy work does not serve the interests of voters or the public good.
New York State Commissioner Douglas Kellner has issued an email to the public detailing much of what New York has found out. His outrage at the failures of Ciber and the EAC to provide essential information to New York are evident, and at yesterday's meeting he announced that New York must consider immediately terminating Ciber's contract. I concur with Commissioner Kellner when he concludes:
"New York should take a stand to end the veil of secrecy that shrouds the testing process."
The voting machine vendors and testing agencies have had the run of things too long. It's time for a change.
-Bo Lipari
Executive Director
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Below is the email from Doug Kellner. Feel free to distribute.
From: Doug Kellner
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:46 AM
Subject: New York, Ciber and the EAC
On January 4, 2007, the New York State Board of Elections voted to suspend Ciber from further testing of voting systems submitted to the New York State board for certification pending a thorough review of Ciber?s accreditation status. We also addressed requests to both the Election Assistance Commission and to Ciber for all of the relevant documents and reports concerning Ciber?s application to the EAC for accreditation as a testing laboratory.
Much to our surprise (well, maybe I?m not really surprised), EAC has still not provided any of the background documentation that we have requested. While giving lip service acknowledgement of our request, Tom Wilkey, now Executive Director of the US EAC and former Executive Director of the New York State Board of Elections, has completely stonewalled us. The New York State board felt compelled to make a formal Freedom of Information Act request. Mr. Wilkey?s only response so far is that the EAC is reviewing the issue and is deciding how to respond.
This failure to provide relevant information to a state agency, the first in the country to require testing to the 2005 standards, is truly outrageous and scandalous. Not only does it further delay New York?s efforts to come into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, it seriously prejudices the five voting system vendors who have made such a substantial investment in trying to obtain certification to the rigorous standards set by New York. In addition to requiring compliance with VVSG 2005, New York law requires a voter verifiable paper audit trail, prohibits devices or functionality potentially capable of internet, radio or wireless data communication, requires escrow of all software including source codes and authorizes disclosure in court proceedings; our regulations require full disclosure of all political contributions by vendors and their executives and set several other standards that are more rigorous than the VVSG.
While there is general agreement at the New York State Board that we should be looking to the EAC to assist and guide us in our investigation, we also made a formal request to Ciber for the same information. After all, they do hold a $3 million contract from our agency. There has been nothing but similar stonewalling from Ciber. Ciber?s last communication regarding our information request was that they were trying to co-ordinate a response with the EAC.
What?s going on here? Both the EAC and the unaccredited testing lab are refusing to open the curtain that hides their soiled laundry. Co-ordination of the response suggests that we are only going to receive a laundered version of the facts.
I have also become increasingly annoyed with Ciber?s use of the label ?confidential competition-sensitive? on reports that they have prepared for our agency at our expense. You may recall that in November I circulated for comments Ciber?s first draft of their report to explain New York?s interpretation of the exceptions to the exemption from testing of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS)software that is used in the voting machine itself as opposed to election management software that does not generate code used in the actual voting process. (Yes, ?exception to the exemption? is a double negative that means that the COTS source code must be tested in those cases.)
Ciber was apparently miffed that I dared to subject the advice that they furnished to New York to public scrutiny. They added the ?confidential competition sensitive? label to the second draft. I objected and requested that they remove the label. Ciber said they?d think about it, but ignored my request. When I received the final document that had been approved by both Ciber and our independent security review consultants, New York State Technical Enterprise Corp. (NYSTEC), I insisted that I be allowed to make the document public. Ciber balked. When I renewed what had become demands, Ciber?s attorney?yes their attorney?revised the technical report that the ?experts? at Ciber and NYSTEC had determined to be final and said that he would not object to release of that report. (I have distributed that report, known as COTS Testing Version 4 to many). I then asked for an explanation why Version 3, the ?final? report was still labeled confidential. I also gave formal notice that I would ask the commissioners to release the report. Last night Ciber?s in-house attorney wrote me that he agreed that there was nothing in the ?final? report that was properly labeled competition sensitive. The New York commissioners voted the make the Version 3 ?final? COTS report public today. I will send copies of Version 3 to the technical blogs and anyone else who requests it. I am still distressed, however, at Ciber?s efforts to stiffle discussion of the issue by improperly claiming confidentiality.
At today?s meeting of the New York State elections commissioners, while everyone deplored the stonewalling by EALC and Ciber, I requested authority to issue a subpoena to Ciber for all of the documents that we have requested. Republican Commissioner Helena Donohue blocked the subpoena by arguing that we should give Ciber additional time to respond to our request voluntarily. She said that she would reconsider issuing a subpoena at our next meeting scheduled for February 7.
In view of the collaboration between the EAC and Ciber, I am determined that we should not accept partial disclosure. New York should take a stand to end the veil of secrecy that shrouds the testing process.
Douglas A. Kellner
Co-Chair
New York State Board of Elections
New Yorkers for Verified Voting is a program of International Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.All donations are tax deductible.
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Bo Lipari
Executive Director
contact@nyvv.org
Friday, January 13, 2006
Good News: A Break in the Fight for Voting Reform
(8) Good News! Voting Machine Vendor offers PB/OS system to New York State
Good news on the verified voting issue! Last week, Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting sent out this email:
An important milestone has been achieved by New York advocates of paper
ballot based voting systems. On January 5, ES&S and Automark introduced an
optical scanner and ballot marker compatible with New York and Connecticut's
full face ballot requirement.
Up until now, no precinct based scanner or ballot marker supported NY's full
face ballot, which displays all races and candidates on a single page in a
grid format.
The growing calls for adoption of paper ballot/optical scanner from citizens
all over NY has convinced at least one vendor that Scanners and Ballot
Markers compatible with New York's ballot requirements must be made
available.
We've achieved a crucial goal. Now there is a HAVA compliant paper ballot
based system available to NY. Certification and adoption still lie ahead.
We still have a hell of a lot of work to do, but look how far we've come!
-Bo Lipari
For more info, visit http://www.nyvv.org/presentation.shtml. To receive Bo's updates, directly, send him an email: contact@nyvv.org)
DOJ to sue NY for HAVA non-compliance
On January 10, 2006, the Department of Justice sent a letter stating that it intends to sue the state of New York for non-compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ("HAVA"). The letter states that Section 401 of HAVA authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to bring an action in federal district court to carry out the requirements of HAVA.
Bo Lipari summarized the letter in an email: "Basically, we are considered non-compliant with the voting machine provisions of HAVA (section 301), and the voter registration database requirements (Section 303)."
Good news on the verified voting issue! Last week, Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting sent out this email:
An important milestone has been achieved by New York advocates of paper
ballot based voting systems. On January 5, ES&S and Automark introduced an
optical scanner and ballot marker compatible with New York and Connecticut's
full face ballot requirement.
Up until now, no precinct based scanner or ballot marker supported NY's full
face ballot, which displays all races and candidates on a single page in a
grid format.
The growing calls for adoption of paper ballot/optical scanner from citizens
all over NY has convinced at least one vendor that Scanners and Ballot
Markers compatible with New York's ballot requirements must be made
available.
We've achieved a crucial goal. Now there is a HAVA compliant paper ballot
based system available to NY. Certification and adoption still lie ahead.
We still have a hell of a lot of work to do, but look how far we've come!
-Bo Lipari
For more info, visit http://www.nyvv.org/presentation.shtml. To receive Bo's updates, directly, send him an email: contact@nyvv.org)
DOJ to sue NY for HAVA non-compliance
On January 10, 2006, the Department of Justice sent a letter stating that it intends to sue the state of New York for non-compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ("HAVA"). The letter states that Section 401 of HAVA authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to bring an action in federal district court to carry out the requirements of HAVA.
Bo Lipari summarized the letter in an email: "Basically, we are considered non-compliant with the voting machine provisions of HAVA (section 301), and the voter registration database requirements (Section 303)."
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
NY Councilman Bill Perkins urges PB/OS over DRE voting machines!
Just click on the above title, and I recommend pages 13-16 for the issue on the need for a paper-trail.
The pages leading up to page 13 are about New York State's terrible record of compliance with HAVA in
the last few years, Pataki being named as one of the culprits in the slow-down of acquiring a standard state-wide
voting system.
The pages leading up to page 13 are about New York State's terrible record of compliance with HAVA in
the last few years, Pataki being named as one of the culprits in the slow-down of acquiring a standard state-wide
voting system.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Brad Friedman Reports Serious Trouble At Diebold
DEMOCRACY STRIKES BACK! As Diebold Goes Down for the Count...
December 30th, 2005
While you were out... and while Bush's sleight-of-hand averted your eyes towards Iraq for a quick "democracy" fix, the real fight for democracy -- back here in America -- has made some important headway at years' end...Here's a few very notable developments you may have otherwise missed while you were busy sipping your yuletide egg nog:
THREE WEEKS AGO...
THURSDAY: I warned Diebold stockholders and lovers of democracy that a Securities Fraud Class Action Suit was coming.
TWO WEEKS AGO...
MONDAY: Walden O'Dell, CEO of Diebold (he, of 'committed to delivering the electoral votes of Ohio to George W. Bush' fame) suddenly resigned.
TUESDAY: Securities Fraud Litigation Class Action Suit filed against the once-great, now-disgraced Diebold, Inc. of North Canton, OH along with 8 current and former top execs (including both O'Dell and the new CEO Swidarski). Amongst the complaints: artificial manipulation/inflation of stock prices, insider trading, concealment of major flaws and security vulnerabilities in voting machines. Can't say we didn't warn ya!
TUESDAY: Test Election in Leon County, FL is hacked! Results completely reversed! Tally should have been 2 to 6, flipped to 7 to 1 without a trace! Elections Director vows Diebold will never be used in another election in the county (where state capital Tallahassee is) again, requests funds for new voting equipment. Can't say we didn't warn ya!
FRIDAY: In light of Leon County hack, and after long drawn out law suits, Volusia County, FL joins suit and dumps Diebold too!
LAST WEEK...
SUNDAY: Jeb Bush's expresses concern about FL voting systems in light of Leon County hack (that, after both the acting FL SoS and Diebold tried to blame Leon County). Unspoken irony abounds.
SUNDAY: NY Times editorializes about Diebold's grave misunderstanding of democracy. They correctly point out that "The counting of votes is a public trust. Diebold, whose machines count many votes, has never acted as if it understood this." That's the good news from the editorial which led off buy mentioning the "tumultuous week for Diebold." Unfortunately, aside from this editorial, and a quick hit elsewhere in the paper by Dan Mitchell the day before mentioning all of this as "conspiracy theories" and "black helicopter" stuff, the NY Times failed to do any actual reporting of its own on any of the items mentioned above.
TUESDAY: CA Sec. of State sends Diebold packing! Delays re-certification of previous de-certified Diebold, "punts" machines back to Feds for further testing in light of what the SoS called "unresolved significant security concerns".
THURSDAY: Amidst Intense Last-Minute Drama, St. Louis County, MO Rejects Diebold! (Plus, a Diebold lobbyist is overheard inquiring to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter about me and my family!)
THURSDAY: After failure to get a court order for a special exemption from state law, Diebold sends a letter informing North Carolina they're pulling out of the state! They refuse to comply with a NC state law requiring submission of software source code! (Though they kindly offer again to help NC rewrite its law to accommodate Diebold.)
FRIDAY: CA Sec. of State discovered to have threatened ES&S (Diebold's evil twin) with decertification after documented failures in November Election: Touch-screen votes flipped, voters can't verify that ballot is accurate, incorrect reported counts of voter turnout -- but the problems were hidden from citizens until a letter discovered by AP!
What will this and the next week bring? Stay tuned...
Miss anything of note? You can catch up here...
Caught up now? Good...But from now on, please try to pay attention. How many times do I have to tell you? Democracy -- American democracy! You remember that dontcha? -- is at stake here and I can't do all the heavy lifting for you! Please join those of us who give a damn and make some noise, write some letters to the editor, donate to those organizations and blogs and websites fighting the good fight, call your politicians, annoy the crap out of your Boards of Elections and do anything you can to make a difference here.
We're still David. They're still Goliath. But....
December 30th, 2005
While you were out... and while Bush's sleight-of-hand averted your eyes towards Iraq for a quick "democracy" fix, the real fight for democracy -- back here in America -- has made some important headway at years' end...Here's a few very notable developments you may have otherwise missed while you were busy sipping your yuletide egg nog:
THREE WEEKS AGO...
THURSDAY: I warned Diebold stockholders and lovers of democracy that a Securities Fraud Class Action Suit was coming.
TWO WEEKS AGO...
MONDAY: Walden O'Dell, CEO of Diebold (he, of 'committed to delivering the electoral votes of Ohio to George W. Bush' fame) suddenly resigned.
TUESDAY: Securities Fraud Litigation Class Action Suit filed against the once-great, now-disgraced Diebold, Inc. of North Canton, OH along with 8 current and former top execs (including both O'Dell and the new CEO Swidarski). Amongst the complaints: artificial manipulation/inflation of stock prices, insider trading, concealment of major flaws and security vulnerabilities in voting machines. Can't say we didn't warn ya!
TUESDAY: Test Election in Leon County, FL is hacked! Results completely reversed! Tally should have been 2 to 6, flipped to 7 to 1 without a trace! Elections Director vows Diebold will never be used in another election in the county (where state capital Tallahassee is) again, requests funds for new voting equipment. Can't say we didn't warn ya!
FRIDAY: In light of Leon County hack, and after long drawn out law suits, Volusia County, FL joins suit and dumps Diebold too!
LAST WEEK...
SUNDAY: Jeb Bush's expresses concern about FL voting systems in light of Leon County hack (that, after both the acting FL SoS and Diebold tried to blame Leon County). Unspoken irony abounds.
SUNDAY: NY Times editorializes about Diebold's grave misunderstanding of democracy. They correctly point out that "The counting of votes is a public trust. Diebold, whose machines count many votes, has never acted as if it understood this." That's the good news from the editorial which led off buy mentioning the "tumultuous week for Diebold." Unfortunately, aside from this editorial, and a quick hit elsewhere in the paper by Dan Mitchell the day before mentioning all of this as "conspiracy theories" and "black helicopter" stuff, the NY Times failed to do any actual reporting of its own on any of the items mentioned above.
TUESDAY: CA Sec. of State sends Diebold packing! Delays re-certification of previous de-certified Diebold, "punts" machines back to Feds for further testing in light of what the SoS called "unresolved significant security concerns".
THURSDAY: Amidst Intense Last-Minute Drama, St. Louis County, MO Rejects Diebold! (Plus, a Diebold lobbyist is overheard inquiring to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter about me and my family!)
THURSDAY: After failure to get a court order for a special exemption from state law, Diebold sends a letter informing North Carolina they're pulling out of the state! They refuse to comply with a NC state law requiring submission of software source code! (Though they kindly offer again to help NC rewrite its law to accommodate Diebold.)
FRIDAY: CA Sec. of State discovered to have threatened ES&S (Diebold's evil twin) with decertification after documented failures in November Election: Touch-screen votes flipped, voters can't verify that ballot is accurate, incorrect reported counts of voter turnout -- but the problems were hidden from citizens until a letter discovered by AP!
What will this and the next week bring? Stay tuned...
Miss anything of note? You can catch up here...
Caught up now? Good...But from now on, please try to pay attention. How many times do I have to tell you? Democracy -- American democracy! You remember that dontcha? -- is at stake here and I can't do all the heavy lifting for you! Please join those of us who give a damn and make some noise, write some letters to the editor, donate to those organizations and blogs and websites fighting the good fight, call your politicians, annoy the crap out of your Boards of Elections and do anything you can to make a difference here.
We're still David. They're still Goliath. But....
from NY Times Op-Ed, "While You Were Sleeping", by William Falk+commentary by Sven
Here is most of it; click on the title for the whole thing:
THE DAY AFTER TODAY One of the more alarming possible consequences of global warming appears to be already under way. The rapid melting of the Arctic and Greenland ice caps, a new study finds, is causing freshwater to flood into the North Atlantic. That infusion of icy water appears to be deflecting the northward flow of the warming Gulf Stream, which moderates winter temperatures for Europe and the northeastern United States. The flow of the Gulf Stream has been reduced by 30 percent since 1957, the National Oceanography Center in Britain found. Perhaps you'll remember that in the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the collapse of the Gulf Stream produces a violent climate shift and a new ice age for much of the Northern Hemisphere. Climatologists don't foresee a future quite that catastrophic, but something worrisome, they say, is afoot.
THE SPANISH FLU LIVES! Scientists have resurrected the Spanish flu virus that killed an estimated 25 million people in 1918. The reborn virus, pieced together from fragments found in tissue samples of the flu's victims, was injected into a group of laboratory mice. It proved incredibly lethal, producing 39,000 times more copies of itself than regular flu and killing all the mice in six days. This viral Frankenstein, perhaps the most deadly pathogen in human history, now lives on in quarantine. Many experts were alarmed when scientists published the flu's genetic blueprint; it would not be hard, they said, for a terrorist group or a madman to hire scientists to make the virus, quietly unleash it and kill more people than several nuclear weapons could.
FORBIDDEN VACCINE Ever year, about 500,000 women throughout the world develop cervical cancer. In the United States alone, the disease kills about 3,700 women annually. This year, scientists developed a vaccine against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The vaccine produced 100 percent immunity in the 6,000 women who received it as part of a multinational trial. As soon as the vaccine is licensed, some health officials say, it should be administered to all girls at age 12. But the Family Research Council and other social conservative groups vowed to fight that plan, even though it could virtually eliminate cervical cancer. Vaccinating girls against a sexually transmitted disease, they say, would reduce their incentive to abstain from premarital sex.
["How can some people be so fucking brutally evil?! ", says Sven. "How can some people be so self-centered in their
minds that they'd fuck up somebody else's life?"]
FORBIDDEN IDEAS With more than 100 million users, the Internet is booming in China. The American Web giants Microsoft, Yahoo and Google have all grabbed a piece of the lucrative Chinese market - but only after agreeing to help the government censor speech on the Web. In providing portals or search engines, all three companies are abiding by the government's censorship of certain ideas and keywords, like "Tiananmen massacre," "Taiwanese independence," "corruption" and "democracy." Most foreign news sites are blocked. This year, Yahoo even supplied information that helped the government track and convict a political dissident who sent an e-mail message with forbidden thoughts from a Yahoo account; he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. "Business is business," said Jack Ma, Yahoo's chief in China. "It's not politics."
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED Why is Osama bin Laden still at large more than four years after 9/11? The new C.I.A. director, Porter J. Goss, provided a big hint. He said that the United States had a good idea of where Mr. bin Laden was hiding, but that sovereign states would not let a proper manhunt be mounted. Mr. Goss's statement seemed to confirm the widespread suspicion that Mr. bin Laden was hiding in the mountains of northern Pakistan but that President Pervez Musharraf, fearing the reaction of Islamic militants, was not eager for him to be captured. Mr. Musharraf himself lent support to that theory, telling an interviewer: "One would prefer that he's captured somewhere outside Pakistan. By some other people."
MOM WAS RIGHT Scientists have always scoffed at the notion that getting a chill can lead to a cold. Viruses cause colds, they say, not cold air. But a new study found that dormant infections can be activated when certain parts of the body, particularly the feet and the nose, get wet and cold. In the study, 90 volunteers spent 20 minutes with their feet in a bucket of cold water. Over the next five days, 29 percent came down with colds, compared with 9 percent of a control group. Researchers said that getting a chill might constrict blood vessels and reduce the circulation of white blood cells that fight infection.
IT WON'T LAST Falling madly in love significantly changes our body chemistry - but not for long. Researchers from Italy studied a group of people who had fallen in mad, passionate love in the past six months, comparing them with people in longer-term relationships and with single people. The group consumed with passion had more of a stimulating protein called nerve growth factor in their blood. The more intense the feelings of infatuation, the more nerve growth factor there was. But when these same lovers were tested a year later, the levels had dropped back down to normal. Someone should warn Brad and Angelina: their year is up.
William Falk is the editor in chief of The Week magazine.
Next Article in Opinion (2 of 7) >
THE DAY AFTER TODAY One of the more alarming possible consequences of global warming appears to be already under way. The rapid melting of the Arctic and Greenland ice caps, a new study finds, is causing freshwater to flood into the North Atlantic. That infusion of icy water appears to be deflecting the northward flow of the warming Gulf Stream, which moderates winter temperatures for Europe and the northeastern United States. The flow of the Gulf Stream has been reduced by 30 percent since 1957, the National Oceanography Center in Britain found. Perhaps you'll remember that in the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the collapse of the Gulf Stream produces a violent climate shift and a new ice age for much of the Northern Hemisphere. Climatologists don't foresee a future quite that catastrophic, but something worrisome, they say, is afoot.
THE SPANISH FLU LIVES! Scientists have resurrected the Spanish flu virus that killed an estimated 25 million people in 1918. The reborn virus, pieced together from fragments found in tissue samples of the flu's victims, was injected into a group of laboratory mice. It proved incredibly lethal, producing 39,000 times more copies of itself than regular flu and killing all the mice in six days. This viral Frankenstein, perhaps the most deadly pathogen in human history, now lives on in quarantine. Many experts were alarmed when scientists published the flu's genetic blueprint; it would not be hard, they said, for a terrorist group or a madman to hire scientists to make the virus, quietly unleash it and kill more people than several nuclear weapons could.
FORBIDDEN VACCINE Ever year, about 500,000 women throughout the world develop cervical cancer. In the United States alone, the disease kills about 3,700 women annually. This year, scientists developed a vaccine against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The vaccine produced 100 percent immunity in the 6,000 women who received it as part of a multinational trial. As soon as the vaccine is licensed, some health officials say, it should be administered to all girls at age 12. But the Family Research Council and other social conservative groups vowed to fight that plan, even though it could virtually eliminate cervical cancer. Vaccinating girls against a sexually transmitted disease, they say, would reduce their incentive to abstain from premarital sex.
["How can some people be so fucking brutally evil?! ", says Sven. "How can some people be so self-centered in their
minds that they'd fuck up somebody else's life?"]
FORBIDDEN IDEAS With more than 100 million users, the Internet is booming in China. The American Web giants Microsoft, Yahoo and Google have all grabbed a piece of the lucrative Chinese market - but only after agreeing to help the government censor speech on the Web. In providing portals or search engines, all three companies are abiding by the government's censorship of certain ideas and keywords, like "Tiananmen massacre," "Taiwanese independence," "corruption" and "democracy." Most foreign news sites are blocked. This year, Yahoo even supplied information that helped the government track and convict a political dissident who sent an e-mail message with forbidden thoughts from a Yahoo account; he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. "Business is business," said Jack Ma, Yahoo's chief in China. "It's not politics."
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED Why is Osama bin Laden still at large more than four years after 9/11? The new C.I.A. director, Porter J. Goss, provided a big hint. He said that the United States had a good idea of where Mr. bin Laden was hiding, but that sovereign states would not let a proper manhunt be mounted. Mr. Goss's statement seemed to confirm the widespread suspicion that Mr. bin Laden was hiding in the mountains of northern Pakistan but that President Pervez Musharraf, fearing the reaction of Islamic militants, was not eager for him to be captured. Mr. Musharraf himself lent support to that theory, telling an interviewer: "One would prefer that he's captured somewhere outside Pakistan. By some other people."
MOM WAS RIGHT Scientists have always scoffed at the notion that getting a chill can lead to a cold. Viruses cause colds, they say, not cold air. But a new study found that dormant infections can be activated when certain parts of the body, particularly the feet and the nose, get wet and cold. In the study, 90 volunteers spent 20 minutes with their feet in a bucket of cold water. Over the next five days, 29 percent came down with colds, compared with 9 percent of a control group. Researchers said that getting a chill might constrict blood vessels and reduce the circulation of white blood cells that fight infection.
IT WON'T LAST Falling madly in love significantly changes our body chemistry - but not for long. Researchers from Italy studied a group of people who had fallen in mad, passionate love in the past six months, comparing them with people in longer-term relationships and with single people. The group consumed with passion had more of a stimulating protein called nerve growth factor in their blood. The more intense the feelings of infatuation, the more nerve growth factor there was. But when these same lovers were tested a year later, the levels had dropped back down to normal. Someone should warn Brad and Angelina: their year is up.
William Falk is the editor in chief of The Week magazine.
Next Article in Opinion (2 of 7) >
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Polling in Iraq: Who's Right? by FactCheck.org
Bush says 70 per cent of Iraqis see their lives going well, but MoveOn.org says most Iraqis want US troops out. Both sides are right, up to a point.
December 22, 2005
Summary
President Bush says a large majority of Iraqis think things are going well and that they expect things to get even better. But wait, a new TV ad from the liberal group MoveOn.org says most Iraqis think US troops should get out. Who's right?
In fact, both are correct – as far as they go. But each presents an incomplete and misleading picture of Iraqi public opinion, which is more complex than either side portrays.
For example, the most recent poll shows that while nearly 65 percent of Iraqis oppose the US presence in Iraq, only 26 per cent want US troops to "leave now. " The rest generally prefer that US forces remain until a new Iraqi government is in place, at least, or until security is restored or until Iraqi troops can operate on their own.
Analysis
In a televised address from the Oval Office on Dec. 18, President Bush said that “seven in ten Iraqis say their lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead.”
MoveOn Political Action Ad
"Polls Show"
Announcer: A shopkeeper in Baghdad. A family in Mosul. Kurds. Shiites. Sunnis.
(On screen: images of Iraqis)
Announcer: Some are glad we came. Some aren't. Iraqis rarely agree on anything. But, a recent poll shows that most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country.
(On Screen: The Capitol Building with the words: "Call your Representative: (202) 225-3121"
Announcer: Their election is over, yet George Bush doesn't have an exit timeline. So it's up to Congress to bring our troops home. Call your representative today.
MoveOn.org Political Action is responsible for the content of this advertisement
The next day, Dec. 19, MoveOn.org Political Action released a new ad entitled "Polls Show" that said “a recent poll shows that most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country.” MoveOn said the ad will run in the districts of six Republican House members: Heather Wilson of New Mexico, Jim Gerlach, Curt Weldon and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Deborah Pryce of Ohio and Dave Reichert of Washington.
Iraqis: Life is good & getting better
Bush drew from results of a poll released on Dec. 12. It was sponsored by ABC, Time magazine, the British Broadcasting Corporation and several other foreign media outlets. It was conducted by Oxford International Research.
It showed 71 per cent of those Iraqis who were polled, when asked how "things are going in your life these days," said either "very good" or "quite good."
And when asked how things will be in their lives a year from now, 64 per cent said either "much better" or "somewhat better."
So Bush's optimistic figures were accurate, but he ignored another facet of Iraqi public opinion - the unpopularity of US forces there.
Iraqis: Yankee go home! But not quite yet.
The MoveOn ad, saying "most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country," also is supported by the ABC/Time /BBC poll. It found that 65 per cent of Iraqis said they either "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.
What MoveOn ignores is that most Iraqis don't want the US to leave immediately.
The poll asked "How long do you think the US and other coalition forces should remain in Iraq?" The results:
26 per cent said "leave now."
19 per cent said "remain until the Iraqi government elected in December is in place."
16 per cent said "remain until the Iraqi security forces can operate independently."
31 per cent said "remain until security is restored."
3 per cent said "remain longer but leave eventually."
1 per cent said "never leave."
4 per cent expressed no opinion.
The interviews were conducted in October and November, before Iraq's December election. The results are still being counted, and a new government should be in place within weeks. That means – according to this poll – that 45 per cent of Iraqis would like the US to leave fairly soon. That's a high number, but not "most."
The 'Secret' British Poll
MoveOn also cites another "poll" in support of its ad. According to the press release the ads are based on a report by the London Sunday Telegraph on Oct. 23. The Telegraph reported a "secret" poll commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence and conducted by an Iraqi university research team. The Telegraph said that they had "seen" it – but full results were not published.
The Telegraph said the poll showed 82 per cent of Iraqis "strongly" oppose the presence of coalition forces – a much higher figure than any of the other Iraqi polls published to date. The 82 per cent figure has been cited uncritically by Democrats including Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and party chairman Howard Dean.
But that "poll" is dubious at best. The British government won't confirm or deny whether such a poll actually exists, or comment on the accuracy of the figures the newspaper reported. The Telegraph gave no information on how large the sample was, or what the statistical margin of error might be, or even exactly what questions were asked. Without such information there's no basis on which to judge how reliable such a poll might be. The margin of error in the ABC/BBC poll, for example, is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, and the sample size was 1,711. The exact wording of each question is reported.
In an email to FactCheck.org, MoveOn also cites a Zogby Poll from January 2005 and an Oxford Research Poll from June 2004. Both show majorities of Iraqis opposing the presence of US forces in their country, though the polls are by no means "recent."
Iraq: A complicated picture
Neither the optimistic picture presented by Bush nor the pessimistic view reported in the MoveOn ad accurately paints the full complexity of Iraqi public opnion, at least as measured by the recent ABC/Time /BBC poll.
For one thing, there is a great gap in opinion between Sunnis and Shiites: 86 per cent of Shiites polled say things are going well in their lives, while only 43 per cent of Sunnis do. Asked how things are going in the country as a whole, 53 of Shiites say "good" but only 9 per cent of Sunnis say the same.
It may surprise Americans to learn that 63 per cent of Iraqis say they feel "very safe" in their own neighborhoods, despite almost daily reports of bombings. But that includes 80 per cent of Shiites, and only 11 per cent of Sunnis. Asked about confidence in the Iraqi army, 87 per cent of Shiites said they felt confident, compared to 37 per cent of Sunnis.
Iraqis report strong economic improvements as well. The number of Iraqi households saying they have mobile phones has increased tenfold – to 62 per cent – since a previous ABC/Time /BBC poll was conducted in February 2004. The number of households saying they have satellite dishes has nearly tripled to 86 per cent. Monthly income is now $263, up nearly $100 since the previous poll.
On the other hand, 54 per cent still say they have electricity for only eight hours per day or less. Fuel is also a persistent problem in this oil-rich nation: of those Iraqis who drive, 7 in 10 say they encounter lines at the pump. Nearly half say they must wait for hours, and a quarter report waits measured in days.
-by Justin Bank
Sources
Transcript: "President's Address to the Nation ," Oval Office, the White House 18 Dec 2005
Rayment, Sean. "Secret MoD Poll: Iraqis Support Attacks on British Troops," Sunday Telegraph, 23 Oct 2005.
Langer, Gary and Cohen, Jon. "Poll: Broad Optimism in Iraq, but Also Deep Divisions Among Groups," ABC News, 12 Dec 2005.
December 22, 2005
Summary
President Bush says a large majority of Iraqis think things are going well and that they expect things to get even better. But wait, a new TV ad from the liberal group MoveOn.org says most Iraqis think US troops should get out. Who's right?
In fact, both are correct – as far as they go. But each presents an incomplete and misleading picture of Iraqi public opinion, which is more complex than either side portrays.
For example, the most recent poll shows that while nearly 65 percent of Iraqis oppose the US presence in Iraq, only 26 per cent want US troops to "leave now. " The rest generally prefer that US forces remain until a new Iraqi government is in place, at least, or until security is restored or until Iraqi troops can operate on their own.
Analysis
In a televised address from the Oval Office on Dec. 18, President Bush said that “seven in ten Iraqis say their lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead.”
MoveOn Political Action Ad
"Polls Show"
Announcer: A shopkeeper in Baghdad. A family in Mosul. Kurds. Shiites. Sunnis.
(On screen: images of Iraqis)
Announcer: Some are glad we came. Some aren't. Iraqis rarely agree on anything. But, a recent poll shows that most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country.
(On Screen: The Capitol Building with the words: "Call your Representative: (202) 225-3121"
Announcer: Their election is over, yet George Bush doesn't have an exit timeline. So it's up to Congress to bring our troops home. Call your representative today.
MoveOn.org Political Action is responsible for the content of this advertisement
The next day, Dec. 19, MoveOn.org Political Action released a new ad entitled "Polls Show" that said “a recent poll shows that most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country.” MoveOn said the ad will run in the districts of six Republican House members: Heather Wilson of New Mexico, Jim Gerlach, Curt Weldon and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Deborah Pryce of Ohio and Dave Reichert of Washington.
Iraqis: Life is good & getting better
Bush drew from results of a poll released on Dec. 12. It was sponsored by ABC, Time magazine, the British Broadcasting Corporation and several other foreign media outlets. It was conducted by Oxford International Research.
It showed 71 per cent of those Iraqis who were polled, when asked how "things are going in your life these days," said either "very good" or "quite good."
And when asked how things will be in their lives a year from now, 64 per cent said either "much better" or "somewhat better."
So Bush's optimistic figures were accurate, but he ignored another facet of Iraqi public opinion - the unpopularity of US forces there.
Iraqis: Yankee go home! But not quite yet.
The MoveOn ad, saying "most Iraqis think our troops should leave their country," also is supported by the ABC/Time /BBC poll. It found that 65 per cent of Iraqis said they either "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.
What MoveOn ignores is that most Iraqis don't want the US to leave immediately.
The poll asked "How long do you think the US and other coalition forces should remain in Iraq?" The results:
26 per cent said "leave now."
19 per cent said "remain until the Iraqi government elected in December is in place."
16 per cent said "remain until the Iraqi security forces can operate independently."
31 per cent said "remain until security is restored."
3 per cent said "remain longer but leave eventually."
1 per cent said "never leave."
4 per cent expressed no opinion.
The interviews were conducted in October and November, before Iraq's December election. The results are still being counted, and a new government should be in place within weeks. That means – according to this poll – that 45 per cent of Iraqis would like the US to leave fairly soon. That's a high number, but not "most."
The 'Secret' British Poll
MoveOn also cites another "poll" in support of its ad. According to the press release the ads are based on a report by the London Sunday Telegraph on Oct. 23. The Telegraph reported a "secret" poll commissioned by the British Ministry of Defence and conducted by an Iraqi university research team. The Telegraph said that they had "seen" it – but full results were not published.
The Telegraph said the poll showed 82 per cent of Iraqis "strongly" oppose the presence of coalition forces – a much higher figure than any of the other Iraqi polls published to date. The 82 per cent figure has been cited uncritically by Democrats including Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and party chairman Howard Dean.
But that "poll" is dubious at best. The British government won't confirm or deny whether such a poll actually exists, or comment on the accuracy of the figures the newspaper reported. The Telegraph gave no information on how large the sample was, or what the statistical margin of error might be, or even exactly what questions were asked. Without such information there's no basis on which to judge how reliable such a poll might be. The margin of error in the ABC/BBC poll, for example, is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, and the sample size was 1,711. The exact wording of each question is reported.
In an email to FactCheck.org, MoveOn also cites a Zogby Poll from January 2005 and an Oxford Research Poll from June 2004. Both show majorities of Iraqis opposing the presence of US forces in their country, though the polls are by no means "recent."
Iraq: A complicated picture
Neither the optimistic picture presented by Bush nor the pessimistic view reported in the MoveOn ad accurately paints the full complexity of Iraqi public opnion, at least as measured by the recent ABC/Time /BBC poll.
For one thing, there is a great gap in opinion between Sunnis and Shiites: 86 per cent of Shiites polled say things are going well in their lives, while only 43 per cent of Sunnis do. Asked how things are going in the country as a whole, 53 of Shiites say "good" but only 9 per cent of Sunnis say the same.
It may surprise Americans to learn that 63 per cent of Iraqis say they feel "very safe" in their own neighborhoods, despite almost daily reports of bombings. But that includes 80 per cent of Shiites, and only 11 per cent of Sunnis. Asked about confidence in the Iraqi army, 87 per cent of Shiites said they felt confident, compared to 37 per cent of Sunnis.
Iraqis report strong economic improvements as well. The number of Iraqi households saying they have mobile phones has increased tenfold – to 62 per cent – since a previous ABC/Time /BBC poll was conducted in February 2004. The number of households saying they have satellite dishes has nearly tripled to 86 per cent. Monthly income is now $263, up nearly $100 since the previous poll.
On the other hand, 54 per cent still say they have electricity for only eight hours per day or less. Fuel is also a persistent problem in this oil-rich nation: of those Iraqis who drive, 7 in 10 say they encounter lines at the pump. Nearly half say they must wait for hours, and a quarter report waits measured in days.
-by Justin Bank
Sources
Transcript: "President's Address to the Nation ," Oval Office, the White House 18 Dec 2005
Rayment, Sean. "Secret MoD Poll: Iraqis Support Attacks on British Troops," Sunday Telegraph, 23 Oct 2005.
Langer, Gary and Cohen, Jon. "Poll: Broad Optimism in Iraq, but Also Deep Divisions Among Groups," ABC News, 12 Dec 2005.
What's Next? What They Were Thinking
I don't want to be alarmist, but click on this title to see the economic under-pinnings for a
possible future attack on Iran from the Energy Bulletin.
possible future attack on Iran from the Energy Bulletin.
Bill Clinton Sounds the Call to Battle Global Warming
Please click on the above title for Clinton's Montreal speech in connection with the
United Nations Climate Change Conference.
United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Voting Reform: The Most Important Thing You Can Do
I am so sick of hearing Kerry was lame, Kerry didn't win by enough, Hillary is triangulating too far to the right in an
attempt to win the presidency and then lefter-leaning liberals won't vote for her. Boo Hoo! Kerry won by plenty. It's too bad
the country had many people too stupid to see the difference between Gore and Bush or Kerry and Bush. [What can I say to someone if their choice is Bush and Kerry and they thought Kerry was "too boring"? Or they thought Gore was "wooden"?]] BUT, THE COUNTRY WAS REALLY NOT THAT STUPID. Gore and Kerry both won. All right. So what do we do? Agitate for fair elections!
Here's something simple but far-reaching that you can do right here in NY State, from a DFNYC action list:
"(9) Tell The Board of Elections to Certify PB/OS Before It's Too Late
"PB/OS" (paper ballots with precinct-based optical scanners) is the safest, most reliable and most cost-effective choice for a voting system in NY State. And yet, the state Board of Elections has recently taken two outrageous steps against this system:
- Allowing the vendors NOT to submit optical scanners, effectively taking away the PB/OS option, and
- Jump-starting certification testing on an incomplete DRE machine (no paper ballot)
TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Mail or fax a letter to the State Board of Elections demanding that they (1) require vendors to submit NYS full face ballot compatible optical scanners for certification and (2) stop planned testing of the incomplete and illegal Liberty DRE machine. Remind the Board that they work for us, not the voting machine vendors.
Don't let the voting machine vendors decide what machines we vote on. Please write the State Board of Elections today.
By mail: NYS Board of Elections, 40 Steuben Street, Albany, NY 12207-2108
By fax: 518-486-4068
By e-mail: ldaghlian@elections.state.ny.us
Please address your letter to:
Peter Kosinski, Co-Executive Director
Stanley Zalen, Co-Executive Director
Neil W. Kelleher, Chair
Evelyn J. Aquila, Commissioner
Helena Moses Donohue, Commissioner
"
attempt to win the presidency and then lefter-leaning liberals won't vote for her. Boo Hoo! Kerry won by plenty. It's too bad
the country had many people too stupid to see the difference between Gore and Bush or Kerry and Bush. [What can I say to someone if their choice is Bush and Kerry and they thought Kerry was "too boring"? Or they thought Gore was "wooden"?]] BUT, THE COUNTRY WAS REALLY NOT THAT STUPID. Gore and Kerry both won. All right. So what do we do? Agitate for fair elections!
Here's something simple but far-reaching that you can do right here in NY State, from a DFNYC action list:
"(9) Tell The Board of Elections to Certify PB/OS Before It's Too Late
"PB/OS" (paper ballots with precinct-based optical scanners) is the safest, most reliable and most cost-effective choice for a voting system in NY State. And yet, the state Board of Elections has recently taken two outrageous steps against this system:
- Allowing the vendors NOT to submit optical scanners, effectively taking away the PB/OS option, and
- Jump-starting certification testing on an incomplete DRE machine (no paper ballot)
TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Mail or fax a letter to the State Board of Elections demanding that they (1) require vendors to submit NYS full face ballot compatible optical scanners for certification and (2) stop planned testing of the incomplete and illegal Liberty DRE machine. Remind the Board that they work for us, not the voting machine vendors.
Don't let the voting machine vendors decide what machines we vote on. Please write the State Board of Elections today.
By mail: NYS Board of Elections, 40 Steuben Street, Albany, NY 12207-2108
By fax: 518-486-4068
By e-mail: ldaghlian@elections.state.ny.us
Please address your letter to:
Peter Kosinski, Co-Executive Director
Stanley Zalen, Co-Executive Director
Neil W. Kelleher, Chair
Evelyn J. Aquila, Commissioner
Helena Moses Donohue, Commissioner
"
Monday, December 12, 2005
SLIP SLIDING AWAY
SLIP, SLIDING AWAY by Barbara Carr
It's like watching a "B" movie with bad actors. The hero (our
beloved country) is hanging over the cliff, grasped by the fragile
grip of her citizens. With enough of them to help, it would be
possible to pull the hero back onto firm ground. But the bad guys
have weapons of mass deception, and they fool too many of those who
would help if they knew the truth, and our hero slips further and
further out of reach into the abyss.
One of their bad actors went to the United Nations environmental
treaty talks in Montreal. The conference wrapped up this past
weekend with the calamitous walkout of the American representative,
who left last minute midnight-oil discussions aimed at finding some
common ground that could move the process of reducing "greenhouse gas
emissions" forward. The United States and China, the two worst
oreductions. Former U.S. President, Bill Clinton spoke to the
thousands of delegates, noting the "precautionary approach" the Bush
administration had taken to fighting terrorism, saying, "There is no
more important place in the world to apply the principle of
precaution than the area of climate change........We know what's
happening to the climate, we have a highly predictable set of
consequences if we continue to pour greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere, and we know we have an alternative that will lead us to greater prosperity."
With the close of this environmental conference, the focus shifted to
the International Peace Conference which began on Dec. 10 in London,
a gathering of people from the US, UK and IRAQ who want
PEACE.......not WAR. This gathering follows closely on the high
heels (and high horse) of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's trip
around the continent trying to reassure those who are anxious and
concerned (all) that the president was telling the truth when he said
"The U.S. does not torture." Rice applied the usual tactic of
repetition + repetition = truth. The wary and weary world did not
fall for her hollow and false assertions, which made matters worse
instead of better. British playwright Harold Pinter had some words
for her and the president in his lecture upon receiving the Nobel
Prize for literature, raining shame down on all the lies, distortions
and deceptions that our country and the world have endured since our
fateful contested elections of 2000 and 2004. He reminds us that the
U.S. now occupies 702 military installations throughout the world in
132 countries, and has 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads,
2,000 of which are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with
15 minutes warning. Maybe those are different from the NUCULAR
weapons George talks about, and he doesn't know he already has gobs?
Maybe George and Condi didn't see the photographs taken of the
TORTURE at Abu Garib prison. Maybe they are hiding the rest of the
photographs the American courts ordered released to the public. We
all know they're too horrible to see - precisely why they must be
seen. The ACLU has a lawsuit pending to hold Rumsfeld and other high
officials accountable for torture documented in 77,000 pages of
records they have obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
In trying to accuse Europe of complicity with the U.S. on the
rendition of hundreds of suspected terrorists to "black sites" and
spread the guilt, Rice caused a firestorm of fury among those she
sought to mollify. The Italians, who have issued indictments of 22
current and former CIA operatives for the rendition of an Egyptian
suspect, say emphatically that they are not involved. The UK also
scrambled to deny involvement and clarify their policies. In a lead
opinion, Lord Bingham of Britain's highest court, the Law Lords,
ruled that evidence obtained through torture, no matter by whom, is
not admissible in British courts. This ruling overturns the existing
tacit acceptance that torture can be condoned under certain
circumstances, and renews adherence to the UN 1994 Convention Against
Torture.
In a rebuke of the fuzzy definitions employed by the Bush administration,
Lord Bingham states that "prohibition against torture
has become one of the most fundamental standards of the international
community.....an absolute value from which no one must deviate."
Germany is intensely investigating the U.S. regarding our rendition
activities, and claims it has records of 400 U.S. rendition flights
over European airspace. Most shameful was Rice's attempt to mend
fences with Germany's Chancellor Merkel, who applauded Rice's
admission to her of the U.S. "mistake" in the rendition of German
citizen, Khaled el-Masri, to the CIA jail "the Salt pit" in
Afghanistan. el-Masri was tortured there for 5 months in a case of
"mistaken identity." After their meeting, Rice denied she had
admitted the mistake. The European Council declared that any member
nation harboring a CIA prison would be put under sanctions by the
European community.
In America, the press broke the story of the Al Queda operative, Ibn
al-Shaykh al-Libi, who was tortured into providing the
mis-information of a 9/11 Al Queda and Saddam Hussein connection, and
says he gave the information he thought they wanted to hear so they
would stop the torture. The president used his mis-information to
make the case for war, even though it was discredited at the time by
the CIA. Claiming that our invasion of Iraq is a necessary part of
the War on Terror, our military has spent $277 BILLION on the War on
Iraq to make the world a safer place because of the danger of Saddam
Hussein to the U.S.. According to Representative John Murtha, who
knows, the military will ask for an additional $100 Billion for
operations in Iraq next year. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
says the Geneva Convention is "quaint." Dick Cheney insists that the
CIA needs an exemption from John McCain's proposed anti-torture
legislation. McCain says that there is no information obtained by
torture worth the shame it would cause the United States. Over last
weekend he and others tried and tried to broker a solution to this
impasse with the White House, so far to no avail.
We are obviously witnessing a colossal clash of values, both within
and without our borders. As citizens of this noble nation, we are
left with a terrible quandary. Shamed by our leaders, who control
all three branches of our government and repeat lies in order to
create truth out of falsehoods, our power is limited. We have only
our voices. Harold Pinter has some words for us to consider: " I
believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching,
unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define
the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation
which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory. If such a
determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope
of restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man." Men
and women, mere citizens all, are gathered in the pursuit of peace in
London. Iraqis who want their country healed will be there.
Americans and Brits who long for peace and the return of their brave
soldiers will be there. The future will be there.
Barbara Carr
>>
It's like watching a "B" movie with bad actors. The hero (our
beloved country) is hanging over the cliff, grasped by the fragile
grip of her citizens. With enough of them to help, it would be
possible to pull the hero back onto firm ground. But the bad guys
have weapons of mass deception, and they fool too many of those who
would help if they knew the truth, and our hero slips further and
further out of reach into the abyss.
One of their bad actors went to the United Nations environmental
treaty talks in Montreal. The conference wrapped up this past
weekend with the calamitous walkout of the American representative,
who left last minute midnight-oil discussions aimed at finding some
common ground that could move the process of reducing "greenhouse gas
emissions" forward. The United States and China, the two worst
oreductions. Former U.S. President, Bill Clinton spoke to the
thousands of delegates, noting the "precautionary approach" the Bush
administration had taken to fighting terrorism, saying, "There is no
more important place in the world to apply the principle of
precaution than the area of climate change........We know what's
happening to the climate, we have a highly predictable set of
consequences if we continue to pour greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere, and we know we have an alternative that will lead us to greater prosperity."
With the close of this environmental conference, the focus shifted to
the International Peace Conference which began on Dec. 10 in London,
a gathering of people from the US, UK and IRAQ who want
PEACE.......not WAR. This gathering follows closely on the high
heels (and high horse) of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's trip
around the continent trying to reassure those who are anxious and
concerned (all) that the president was telling the truth when he said
"The U.S. does not torture." Rice applied the usual tactic of
repetition + repetition = truth. The wary and weary world did not
fall for her hollow and false assertions, which made matters worse
instead of better. British playwright Harold Pinter had some words
for her and the president in his lecture upon receiving the Nobel
Prize for literature, raining shame down on all the lies, distortions
and deceptions that our country and the world have endured since our
fateful contested elections of 2000 and 2004. He reminds us that the
U.S. now occupies 702 military installations throughout the world in
132 countries, and has 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads,
2,000 of which are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with
15 minutes warning. Maybe those are different from the NUCULAR
weapons George talks about, and he doesn't know he already has gobs?
Maybe George and Condi didn't see the photographs taken of the
TORTURE at Abu Garib prison. Maybe they are hiding the rest of the
photographs the American courts ordered released to the public. We
all know they're too horrible to see - precisely why they must be
seen. The ACLU has a lawsuit pending to hold Rumsfeld and other high
officials accountable for torture documented in 77,000 pages of
records they have obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
In trying to accuse Europe of complicity with the U.S. on the
rendition of hundreds of suspected terrorists to "black sites" and
spread the guilt, Rice caused a firestorm of fury among those she
sought to mollify. The Italians, who have issued indictments of 22
current and former CIA operatives for the rendition of an Egyptian
suspect, say emphatically that they are not involved. The UK also
scrambled to deny involvement and clarify their policies. In a lead
opinion, Lord Bingham of Britain's highest court, the Law Lords,
ruled that evidence obtained through torture, no matter by whom, is
not admissible in British courts. This ruling overturns the existing
tacit acceptance that torture can be condoned under certain
circumstances, and renews adherence to the UN 1994 Convention Against
Torture.
In a rebuke of the fuzzy definitions employed by the Bush administration,
Lord Bingham states that "prohibition against torture
has become one of the most fundamental standards of the international
community.....an absolute value from which no one must deviate."
Germany is intensely investigating the U.S. regarding our rendition
activities, and claims it has records of 400 U.S. rendition flights
over European airspace. Most shameful was Rice's attempt to mend
fences with Germany's Chancellor Merkel, who applauded Rice's
admission to her of the U.S. "mistake" in the rendition of German
citizen, Khaled el-Masri, to the CIA jail "the Salt pit" in
Afghanistan. el-Masri was tortured there for 5 months in a case of
"mistaken identity." After their meeting, Rice denied she had
admitted the mistake. The European Council declared that any member
nation harboring a CIA prison would be put under sanctions by the
European community.
In America, the press broke the story of the Al Queda operative, Ibn
al-Shaykh al-Libi, who was tortured into providing the
mis-information of a 9/11 Al Queda and Saddam Hussein connection, and
says he gave the information he thought they wanted to hear so they
would stop the torture. The president used his mis-information to
make the case for war, even though it was discredited at the time by
the CIA. Claiming that our invasion of Iraq is a necessary part of
the War on Terror, our military has spent $277 BILLION on the War on
Iraq to make the world a safer place because of the danger of Saddam
Hussein to the U.S.. According to Representative John Murtha, who
knows, the military will ask for an additional $100 Billion for
operations in Iraq next year. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
says the Geneva Convention is "quaint." Dick Cheney insists that the
CIA needs an exemption from John McCain's proposed anti-torture
legislation. McCain says that there is no information obtained by
torture worth the shame it would cause the United States. Over last
weekend he and others tried and tried to broker a solution to this
impasse with the White House, so far to no avail.
We are obviously witnessing a colossal clash of values, both within
and without our borders. As citizens of this noble nation, we are
left with a terrible quandary. Shamed by our leaders, who control
all three branches of our government and repeat lies in order to
create truth out of falsehoods, our power is limited. We have only
our voices. Harold Pinter has some words for us to consider: " I
believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching,
unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define
the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation
which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory. If such a
determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope
of restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man." Men
and women, mere citizens all, are gathered in the pursuit of peace in
London. Iraqis who want their country healed will be there.
Americans and Brits who long for peace and the return of their brave
soldiers will be there. The future will be there.
Barbara Carr
>>
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Something else I noticed about that vote-fix story
That video is from a year ago, Dec. 13, 2004. No wonder one reader says she's heard it before!
Amazing how this stufff gets swept under the rug.
Amazing how this stufff gets swept under the rug.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Correction of previous post, and another terrible Ohio voting story
I wasn't totally clear. Clint Curtis testimony WAS to a congressional judiciary committee,
but the hearing took place IN Ohio. I didn't think that looked like Congress!
A fmaily member says this story is huge IF it holds.
A friend wonders why this story hasn't been picked up by larger media today. Was the man's
story discredited?
For today's story you can click on the above title of this post. Does it shed any light on why that story hasn't been picked up? Here's an excerpt:
"House Bill 3 has already passed the Ohio House of Representatives and is about to be approved by the Republican-dominated Senate, probably before the holiday recess. Republicans dominate the Ohio legislature thanks to a heavily gerrymandered crazy quilt of rigged districts, and to a moribund Ohio Democratic party. The GOP-drafted HB3 is designed to all but obliterate any possible future Democratic revival. Opposition from the Ohio Democratic Party, where it exists at all, is diffuse and ineffectual.
HB3's most publicized provision will require positive identification before casting a vote. But it also opens voter registration activists to partisan prosecution, exempts electronic voting machines from public scrutiny, quintuples the cost of citizen-requested statewide recounts and makes it illegal to challenge a presidential vote count or, indeed, any federal election result in Ohio. When added to the recently passed HB1, which allows campaign financing to be dominated by the wealthy and by corporations, and along with a Rovian wish list of GOP attacks on the ballot box, democracy in Ohio could be all but over."
but the hearing took place IN Ohio. I didn't think that looked like Congress!
A fmaily member says this story is huge IF it holds.
A friend wonders why this story hasn't been picked up by larger media today. Was the man's
story discredited?
For today's story you can click on the above title of this post. Does it shed any light on why that story hasn't been picked up? Here's an excerpt:
"House Bill 3 has already passed the Ohio House of Representatives and is about to be approved by the Republican-dominated Senate, probably before the holiday recess. Republicans dominate the Ohio legislature thanks to a heavily gerrymandered crazy quilt of rigged districts, and to a moribund Ohio Democratic party. The GOP-drafted HB3 is designed to all but obliterate any possible future Democratic revival. Opposition from the Ohio Democratic Party, where it exists at all, is diffuse and ineffectual.
HB3's most publicized provision will require positive identification before casting a vote. But it also opens voter registration activists to partisan prosecution, exempts electronic voting machines from public scrutiny, quintuples the cost of citizen-requested statewide recounts and makes it illegal to challenge a presidential vote count or, indeed, any federal election result in Ohio. When added to the recently passed HB1, which allows campaign financing to be dominated by the wealthy and by corporations, and along with a Rovian wish list of GOP attacks on the ballot box, democracy in Ohio could be all but over."
Monday, December 05, 2005
"Computer Expert Testifies That Florida Elections Were Fixed"
Please click on the above title for video of Clint Curtis' testimony in a congressional judiciary committee
hearing IN Ohio.
COMPUTER EXPERT TESTIFIES THAT FLORIDA ELECTIONS WERE FIXED
12-01-05
Computer expert testifies elections in Florida were fixed. The programmer claims under oath that he designed and built a "vote rigging" software program at the behest of then Florida Congressman, now U.S. Congressman, Republican Tom Feeney of Florida's 24th Congressional District.
Clint Curtis, 46, claims that he built the software for Feeney in 2000 while working at a sofware design and engineering company in Oviedo, Florida (Feeney's home district).
Curtis, in his affidavit, says that as technical advisor and programmer at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) he was present at company meetings where Feeney was present "on at least a dozen occasions".
Feeney, who had run in 1994 as Jeb Bush's running-mate in his initial unsuccessful bid for Florida Governor, was serving as both corporate counsel and registered lobbyist for YEI during the period that Curtis worked at the company.
Feeney was also concurrently serving as a Florida state congressman while performing those services for YEI. Feeney would eventually become Speaker of the Florida House before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. He is now a member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
At an October 2000 meeting with Feeney, according to the affidavit and BRAD BLOG interviews with Curtis over the past three days, Feeney inquired whether the company could build a "vote fraud software prototype".
At least three YEI employees are said to have been present at that meeting; Curtis, company owner, Mrs. Li Woan Yang, and her executive secretary, Mike Cohen. Two other YEI employees may have come in and out at different points of the meeting according to Curtis.
Curtis says that Feeney "was very specific in the design and specifications required for this program."
"He detailed, in his own words, that; (a) the program needed to be touch-screen capable (b) the user should be able to trigger the program without any additional equipment (c) the programming to accomplish this needed to stay hidden even if the source code was inspected."
Though there was no problem with the first two requirements, Curtis explained to the Congressman that it would be "virtually impossible to hide such code written to change the voting results if anyone is able to review the uncompiled source code"
Nonetheless, he was asked at the meeting by Mrs. Yang to build the prototype anyway.
Curtis, "a life-long Republican" at the time, claims that it was his initial belief that Feeney's interest was in trying to stop Democrats from using "such a program to steal an election". Curtis had assumed that Feeney, "wanted to be able to detect and prevent that if it occurred."
Upon delivery of the software design and documentation on CD to Mrs. Yang, Curtis again explained to her that it would be impossible to hide routines created to manipulate the vote if anybody would be able to inspect the precompiled source code.
Mrs. Yang then told him, "You donít understand, in order to get the contract we have to hide the manipulation in the source code. This program is needed to control the vote in South Florida."
Mrs. Yang then took the CD containing the software from Curtis, reportedly for later delivery to Feeney.
In other meetings with Feeny prior to the 2000 elections, it became clear to Curtis that Feeney had plans to suppress the vote in strong Democratic precincts. In the affidavit, Curtis claims that in those meetings Feeney had "bragged that he had already implemented 'exclusion lists' to reduce the 'black vote'." Feeney also mentioned that "proper placement of police patrols could further reduce the black vote by as much as 25%."
Curtis says that he submitted his resignation to YEI effective December 2000, but stayed on until they had found someone to replace him in February of 2001. He eventually became employed by the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) after leaving YEI.
hearing IN Ohio.
COMPUTER EXPERT TESTIFIES THAT FLORIDA ELECTIONS WERE FIXED
12-01-05
Computer expert testifies elections in Florida were fixed. The programmer claims under oath that he designed and built a "vote rigging" software program at the behest of then Florida Congressman, now U.S. Congressman, Republican Tom Feeney of Florida's 24th Congressional District.
Clint Curtis, 46, claims that he built the software for Feeney in 2000 while working at a sofware design and engineering company in Oviedo, Florida (Feeney's home district).
Curtis, in his affidavit, says that as technical advisor and programmer at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) he was present at company meetings where Feeney was present "on at least a dozen occasions".
Feeney, who had run in 1994 as Jeb Bush's running-mate in his initial unsuccessful bid for Florida Governor, was serving as both corporate counsel and registered lobbyist for YEI during the period that Curtis worked at the company.
Feeney was also concurrently serving as a Florida state congressman while performing those services for YEI. Feeney would eventually become Speaker of the Florida House before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. He is now a member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
At an October 2000 meeting with Feeney, according to the affidavit and BRAD BLOG interviews with Curtis over the past three days, Feeney inquired whether the company could build a "vote fraud software prototype".
At least three YEI employees are said to have been present at that meeting; Curtis, company owner, Mrs. Li Woan Yang, and her executive secretary, Mike Cohen. Two other YEI employees may have come in and out at different points of the meeting according to Curtis.
Curtis says that Feeney "was very specific in the design and specifications required for this program."
"He detailed, in his own words, that; (a) the program needed to be touch-screen capable (b) the user should be able to trigger the program without any additional equipment (c) the programming to accomplish this needed to stay hidden even if the source code was inspected."
Though there was no problem with the first two requirements, Curtis explained to the Congressman that it would be "virtually impossible to hide such code written to change the voting results if anyone is able to review the uncompiled source code"
Nonetheless, he was asked at the meeting by Mrs. Yang to build the prototype anyway.
Curtis, "a life-long Republican" at the time, claims that it was his initial belief that Feeney's interest was in trying to stop Democrats from using "such a program to steal an election". Curtis had assumed that Feeney, "wanted to be able to detect and prevent that if it occurred."
Upon delivery of the software design and documentation on CD to Mrs. Yang, Curtis again explained to her that it would be impossible to hide routines created to manipulate the vote if anybody would be able to inspect the precompiled source code.
Mrs. Yang then told him, "You donít understand, in order to get the contract we have to hide the manipulation in the source code. This program is needed to control the vote in South Florida."
Mrs. Yang then took the CD containing the software from Curtis, reportedly for later delivery to Feeney.
In other meetings with Feeny prior to the 2000 elections, it became clear to Curtis that Feeney had plans to suppress the vote in strong Democratic precincts. In the affidavit, Curtis claims that in those meetings Feeney had "bragged that he had already implemented 'exclusion lists' to reduce the 'black vote'." Feeney also mentioned that "proper placement of police patrols could further reduce the black vote by as much as 25%."
Curtis says that he submitted his resignation to YEI effective December 2000, but stayed on until they had found someone to replace him in February of 2001. He eventually became employed by the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) after leaving YEI.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Did Bush Score One For The Republican Side?
Well, I haven't been reading the papers as much lately. Not sure why. But it has come to
my attention that Bush is supposed to have made some sort of hole-in-one using a motto
along these lines: "We'll bring the troops home when the military decides it's right and not when
some politicians say so." And apparently the democrats went "Oof!" or were supposed to.
By "politicians" Bush refers to Rep. Murtha, Kerry, Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the like. The problem is,
except for Barack Obama, who IS a truly great politician, Bush is much more of a politician
than any of these other democrats.
It is my claim(and some voting rights specialists') that Kerry won the election fairly and Bush stole it;
but no one thinks Kerry is a good politican. He is a sincere and good policy wonk, but few
can understand him well enough to judge his views in detail. Murtha came from the army.
And Nancy can be abrasive. Bush is totally where he is today because he's more of a pol,
and precisely in the cynical sense that he is trying to convey to the amercian people about
the democrats. [He can remember names like nobody's business!]
The democrats I mention above, with their various plans for getting us out of Iraq are politicians
but they're also serious about stopping the victimization of another culture, of our own troops and
of this country's position and good name in the world. W is much more a politician than they; and
that's ALL he is.
What the Army in Iraq really thinks is not clear to me. Murtha hears a lot of discontent; but David Brooks,
a conservative commentator on the Lehrer Report says 55% of them want to stay there. I'm just not
sure by whose poll. All facts are suspect these days. People like Paul Gigot and even Bob Woodward are
lying on TV. So check it out, first!
It's widely believed Murtha wanted to "cut and run"! What he wants to do is withdraw most of the troops
to the perimeter of the country to get them out of the bloodshed, and then send in smaller units to put out
fires within as they arise. Kerry wants to draw troops down slowly. Democrats' positions are routinely
distorted and vilified, for just the reasons Bush claims to be criticzing: politics.
It has also been brought to my atttention that the administration is feeling a bit more chipper now that democrats are
disagreeing with each other. They call it a "split". Well, I say to you(with Barack): Having different opinions is the good
thing about a democracy. Pressuring your whole party(the republicans) to stay "on message" by rote, and not allowing any dissenting voice at town meetings, is the beginnings of fascism and weakmindedness. Might as well be smug that your
enemy at school beat you on a standardized test, because you know the bullies will beat him up.
my attention that Bush is supposed to have made some sort of hole-in-one using a motto
along these lines: "We'll bring the troops home when the military decides it's right and not when
some politicians say so." And apparently the democrats went "Oof!" or were supposed to.
By "politicians" Bush refers to Rep. Murtha, Kerry, Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the like. The problem is,
except for Barack Obama, who IS a truly great politician, Bush is much more of a politician
than any of these other democrats.
It is my claim(and some voting rights specialists') that Kerry won the election fairly and Bush stole it;
but no one thinks Kerry is a good politican. He is a sincere and good policy wonk, but few
can understand him well enough to judge his views in detail. Murtha came from the army.
And Nancy can be abrasive. Bush is totally where he is today because he's more of a pol,
and precisely in the cynical sense that he is trying to convey to the amercian people about
the democrats. [He can remember names like nobody's business!]
The democrats I mention above, with their various plans for getting us out of Iraq are politicians
but they're also serious about stopping the victimization of another culture, of our own troops and
of this country's position and good name in the world. W is much more a politician than they; and
that's ALL he is.
What the Army in Iraq really thinks is not clear to me. Murtha hears a lot of discontent; but David Brooks,
a conservative commentator on the Lehrer Report says 55% of them want to stay there. I'm just not
sure by whose poll. All facts are suspect these days. People like Paul Gigot and even Bob Woodward are
lying on TV. So check it out, first!
It's widely believed Murtha wanted to "cut and run"! What he wants to do is withdraw most of the troops
to the perimeter of the country to get them out of the bloodshed, and then send in smaller units to put out
fires within as they arise. Kerry wants to draw troops down slowly. Democrats' positions are routinely
distorted and vilified, for just the reasons Bush claims to be criticzing: politics.
It has also been brought to my atttention that the administration is feeling a bit more chipper now that democrats are
disagreeing with each other. They call it a "split". Well, I say to you(with Barack): Having different opinions is the good
thing about a democracy. Pressuring your whole party(the republicans) to stay "on message" by rote, and not allowing any dissenting voice at town meetings, is the beginnings of fascism and weakmindedness. Might as well be smug that your
enemy at school beat you on a standardized test, because you know the bullies will beat him up.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Barack Obama disagrees with Murtha AND Bush on Iraq
Please click on the above title for a well considered speech on the Iraq
War by this popular and respected young senator.
War by this popular and respected young senator.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
A Friend Writes on the Dalai Lama's Op-Ed
God bless the Dalai Lama (so to speak : ) This whole issue is deeper
than just whether Creationism is kept out of schools (or at least out of
Science class, which I would prefer); religion has no business trying
to explain natural phenomena but science has no business trying to talk
about god or moral values, which we sometimes do.
On my VertPaleo list serve, every time creationism comes up, certain
people take the opportunity to blast religion from a scientific point of
view. Science has to do with physical explanations of things in ways
that are testable. You can't test belief or moral values in the same
way that you can test the existence of dinosaurs. These are
transcendental values that perhaps should be tested but tested in ways
that are valid to us as individuals and not in the scientific sense.
I understand the wish of religious people to make the world better but
they are mistaken in their belief that science has made the world worse.
In the days of Galileo, when even scientists took for granted that the
world was created and there was a god and an afterlife and all the rest,
the world was still full of violence, greed and injustice. The common
belief did nothing to improve behavior.
than just whether Creationism is kept out of schools (or at least out of
Science class, which I would prefer); religion has no business trying
to explain natural phenomena but science has no business trying to talk
about god or moral values, which we sometimes do.
On my VertPaleo list serve, every time creationism comes up, certain
people take the opportunity to blast religion from a scientific point of
view. Science has to do with physical explanations of things in ways
that are testable. You can't test belief or moral values in the same
way that you can test the existence of dinosaurs. These are
transcendental values that perhaps should be tested but tested in ways
that are valid to us as individuals and not in the scientific sense.
I understand the wish of religious people to make the world better but
they are mistaken in their belief that science has made the world worse.
In the days of Galileo, when even scientists took for granted that the
world was created and there was a god and an afterlife and all the rest,
the world was still full of violence, greed and injustice. The common
belief did nothing to improve behavior.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The Dalai Lama's Original Op-Ed from 11/12/05
Please click on the above title to see what the letters below are addressing. I guess
I missed it at the time!
I missed it at the time!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Dalai Lama's Amazing Good Sense
Please click on the title of this post.
We feel these letters, which comment on the recent post 9-11 Declaration of Human Rights by the Dalai Lama, the
Bishop Desmond Tutu and other religious leaders, are very important.
We feel these letters, which comment on the recent post 9-11 Declaration of Human Rights by the Dalai Lama, the
Bishop Desmond Tutu and other religious leaders, are very important.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Finding Hope in the Rubble of Rage
FINDING HOPE IN THE RUBBLE OF OUTRAGE
Many residents of Damariscotta traveled to Bowdoin College November 1st
to attend a lecture by Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist
who has made four trips to Iraq. Accompanied by
an interpreter, he blended into their culture to record that war
torn country. His discussion was peppered with staggering
statistics and information. His photographs showed images of battle scarred
hospitals depleted of even the most basic supplies to care for the
ill and wounded overwhelming their services. Too many patients
were innocent civilians, particularly children. We learned
that white phosphorous, a form of napalm, has been used in
US airstrikes, that the cancer rate for children in Bagdad has
increased 26%, and that so much depleted uranium has been spread
throughout the country by American bombs that the radiation residue is
more than that left by both atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The
investigating U.S. official is himself dying of cancer from his exposure and
many returning veterans develop problems.
The audience was hushed to silence broken only by falling tears as we watched
"Caught in the Crossfire", the 18 minute film he showed of the American attack,
well named Phantom Fury, on Falluja. The outrage in the room was palpable, as the
knowledge of the violence unleashed on that city of 250,000 people in the
name of the American people became the truth and shame that all who
watched must now grapple with. 60% of their once beautiful city
was completely destroyed, most of their homes uninhabitable,
50,000 residents now living in tent cities in the desert outskirts.
What may have started with an insurgent stronghold has now
enraged the population. The problem has increased ten fold as civilians
have become furious freedom fighters, angered by the loss of their
city. American troops have attacked Falluja 6 times without
lasting success.
This weekend Operation Steel Curtain unleashed the awesome power of
American military force on Husayba, a town of 30,000 on the Syrian
border, another deadly assault that could do more to expand war in
the Middle East and alienate the people, than solve it. We know
little about what is really going on in Iraq because the media is
unable to go very far afield from the dubious safety of the well
protected Palestine Hotel in Bagdad, itself recently hit by devious
bombers clever enough to penetrate the perimeter of safety.
We all know the litany of distress we now struggle with, the outrage we all feel
no matter what our affiliations. This week's USA/CNN/GALLUP poll shows that
63% of Americans want the U.S. to get out of Iraq. There is momentum building for
change. Some cry that it's not enough or the right kind, but I search
for hope wherever I can find it....... so my TOP TEN list of hopeful signs this week:
1. Peace protests by hundreds of thousands of people all across America, increasingly
including high school and college students. Hundreds were held last Wednesday, and
sadly went unreported in the press.
2. The call this week by the United Methodist
Church, of which both
Bush and Cheney are members, for an end to the
Iraq War.
3. House Resolution #505, The Inquiry into the
White House Iraq
Group, proposed by Dennis Kucinich, demanding
congressional inquiry into the build-up to war.
In four days, support has grown from 9 to 63
co-sponsors, including our Representative Tom
Allen.
4. House Resolution #4232, The End the War in
Iraq Act of 2005, proposed Friday by Jim McGovern of
Massachusetts, a 27 year veteran of the CIA. It would allow
Defense Dept. funds to be used only for the safe and orderly
withdrawal of all troops, for consultations regarding
international forces, and for financial assistance and equipment
for either Iraqi or international security forces. It would not
prohibit or restrict funds for reconstruction.
5. The indictment of Scooter Libby, which although likely to drag
on over months and years, may yet expose the truth behind the lies.
6. The courage of "Give Em Hell" Harry Reid who, despite the
controversy over who slapped whom, at least drew attention to the
Republican stonewalling, resulting in the restart of the Phase II
investigation to begin next week.
7. USA Today/CNN/Gallup polls released this week show that 63% of
Americans want the U.S. out of Iraq. Bush's approval rating is a
record low 35%, Cheney's a dismal 19%.
8. The rising call for Impeachment. According to a Zogby
International poll taken this week, Americans favor Impeachment of
the President 53% to 42%.
9. The support for John McCain's anti-torture legislation. The
president says he will veto it, no matter what, that the CIA needs
to be able to use torture. Congress says they will override his veto.
10. A UK Parliamentary inquiry into Tony Blair's conduct in the
run-up to war, with special focus on the failure to plan for the
aftermath.
I don't take any pleasure from these sad signs of hope. I consider
myself a patriot, and except for those who violate our established
standards of conduct, I will always support those heroic troops who
do their duty to our country. My great, great grandfather won the
Congressional Medal of Honor. My father, uncle and grandfather all
went to West Point. My uncle was a 4 star general in the Vietnam
War, my grandfather wore 3 stars in WWII. I consider myself a
veteran of the Vietnam War, who as a young wife of a Navy jet pilot
was left behind with an infant to wait for the dreaded phone call
for two 8 month deployments and 200 combat missions. My family just
bade good-bye to a young husband and father who left his bride of a
West Point wedding the summer before last and 3 month old daughter
to go to Iraq for the third time. He'll be gone 14 months.
Dahr Jamail asked everyone in his audience to make a commitment to do
something to end the Iraq War. I rant. I hope my words inspire readers to
find their own commitment. It will take every single one of our voices, however
we choose to raise them, to soothe our outrage and find the peace we so desperately
crave. Barbara Carr New Harbor, Maine 677-2859
Many residents of Damariscotta traveled to Bowdoin College November 1st
to attend a lecture by Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist
who has made four trips to Iraq. Accompanied by
an interpreter, he blended into their culture to record that war
torn country. His discussion was peppered with staggering
statistics and information. His photographs showed images of battle scarred
hospitals depleted of even the most basic supplies to care for the
ill and wounded overwhelming their services. Too many patients
were innocent civilians, particularly children. We learned
that white phosphorous, a form of napalm, has been used in
US airstrikes, that the cancer rate for children in Bagdad has
increased 26%, and that so much depleted uranium has been spread
throughout the country by American bombs that the radiation residue is
more than that left by both atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The
investigating U.S. official is himself dying of cancer from his exposure and
many returning veterans develop problems.
The audience was hushed to silence broken only by falling tears as we watched
"Caught in the Crossfire", the 18 minute film he showed of the American attack,
well named Phantom Fury, on Falluja. The outrage in the room was palpable, as the
knowledge of the violence unleashed on that city of 250,000 people in the
name of the American people became the truth and shame that all who
watched must now grapple with. 60% of their once beautiful city
was completely destroyed, most of their homes uninhabitable,
50,000 residents now living in tent cities in the desert outskirts.
What may have started with an insurgent stronghold has now
enraged the population. The problem has increased ten fold as civilians
have become furious freedom fighters, angered by the loss of their
city. American troops have attacked Falluja 6 times without
lasting success.
This weekend Operation Steel Curtain unleashed the awesome power of
American military force on Husayba, a town of 30,000 on the Syrian
border, another deadly assault that could do more to expand war in
the Middle East and alienate the people, than solve it. We know
little about what is really going on in Iraq because the media is
unable to go very far afield from the dubious safety of the well
protected Palestine Hotel in Bagdad, itself recently hit by devious
bombers clever enough to penetrate the perimeter of safety.
We all know the litany of distress we now struggle with, the outrage we all feel
no matter what our affiliations. This week's USA/CNN/GALLUP poll shows that
63% of Americans want the U.S. to get out of Iraq. There is momentum building for
change. Some cry that it's not enough or the right kind, but I search
for hope wherever I can find it....... so my TOP TEN list of hopeful signs this week:
1. Peace protests by hundreds of thousands of people all across America, increasingly
including high school and college students. Hundreds were held last Wednesday, and
sadly went unreported in the press.
2. The call this week by the United Methodist
Church, of which both
Bush and Cheney are members, for an end to the
Iraq War.
3. House Resolution #505, The Inquiry into the
White House Iraq
Group, proposed by Dennis Kucinich, demanding
congressional inquiry into the build-up to war.
In four days, support has grown from 9 to 63
co-sponsors, including our Representative Tom
Allen.
4. House Resolution #4232, The End the War in
Iraq Act of 2005, proposed Friday by Jim McGovern of
Massachusetts, a 27 year veteran of the CIA. It would allow
Defense Dept. funds to be used only for the safe and orderly
withdrawal of all troops, for consultations regarding
international forces, and for financial assistance and equipment
for either Iraqi or international security forces. It would not
prohibit or restrict funds for reconstruction.
5. The indictment of Scooter Libby, which although likely to drag
on over months and years, may yet expose the truth behind the lies.
6. The courage of "Give Em Hell" Harry Reid who, despite the
controversy over who slapped whom, at least drew attention to the
Republican stonewalling, resulting in the restart of the Phase II
investigation to begin next week.
7. USA Today/CNN/Gallup polls released this week show that 63% of
Americans want the U.S. out of Iraq. Bush's approval rating is a
record low 35%, Cheney's a dismal 19%.
8. The rising call for Impeachment. According to a Zogby
International poll taken this week, Americans favor Impeachment of
the President 53% to 42%.
9. The support for John McCain's anti-torture legislation. The
president says he will veto it, no matter what, that the CIA needs
to be able to use torture. Congress says they will override his veto.
10. A UK Parliamentary inquiry into Tony Blair's conduct in the
run-up to war, with special focus on the failure to plan for the
aftermath.
I don't take any pleasure from these sad signs of hope. I consider
myself a patriot, and except for those who violate our established
standards of conduct, I will always support those heroic troops who
do their duty to our country. My great, great grandfather won the
Congressional Medal of Honor. My father, uncle and grandfather all
went to West Point. My uncle was a 4 star general in the Vietnam
War, my grandfather wore 3 stars in WWII. I consider myself a
veteran of the Vietnam War, who as a young wife of a Navy jet pilot
was left behind with an infant to wait for the dreaded phone call
for two 8 month deployments and 200 combat missions. My family just
bade good-bye to a young husband and father who left his bride of a
West Point wedding the summer before last and 3 month old daughter
to go to Iraq for the third time. He'll be gone 14 months.
Dahr Jamail asked everyone in his audience to make a commitment to do
something to end the Iraq War. I rant. I hope my words inspire readers to
find their own commitment. It will take every single one of our voices, however
we choose to raise them, to soothe our outrage and find the peace we so desperately
crave. Barbara Carr New Harbor, Maine 677-2859
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