Monday, June 02, 2008
Oh. My. God
I am appalled by this woman. As an older white woman who did support Hillary, I can say with all honesty that I WILL vote for Obama. Bitch just clinched it for me.
The MoJo Interview: John Cusack
Interview: The former Lloyd Dobler banters with MoJo editor Clara Jeffery about his movie War, Inc., her inner 16-year-old, and what it's like to still be Gen X's favorite antihero heartthrob.
May 28, 2008
Hmmmm, ya think we'll ever get to see War Inc. in San Diego?
Bwaaaa Ha ha hahahahahah.
When Cusack was making his teeny-bop weirdo/hero movies I was working in the bowels of the already vast, overblown, overpaid military-industrial-complex. I wasn't overpaid, hell the outsourcing was outsourced. No security clearance. Shit jobs. Shit pay. No piss test needed. I was cute. Somebody would slide their card for me if I needed to go somewhere.
Now you don't get past the lobby without fingerprints, palm scans, eye scans, voice activation or some other nifty security measure. Not to mention the ubiquitous cameras.
Some shit never changes, though:
Indefensible Spending
Posted on Jun 1, 2008
The Joint Strike Fighter program is expected to cost taxpayers $300 billion. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, who penned an infamous Defense Department memo, is seen above hawking the plane.
By Robert Scheer
This Op-Ed was originally published in The Los Angeles
Compare and Contrast
From the ruins, Chinese begin to rebuild lives
6/2/2008
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY
...Reconstruction has started, even as the communist government attempts to feed and shelter about 5 million people left homeless by the massive disaster...
Earthquake relief lifts the foundering reputation of the ‘people’s premier’
June 02, 2008 Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper
...Western nations praised China for its fast and effective help to earthquake victims, and its willingness to accept international aid. China's efforts looked especially good compared with the slowness and secrecy after the devastating cyclone in neighbouring Burma.
Gordon Brown last week said the response of Wen and other Chinese leaders in Sichuan was "nothing short of magnificent". Some US commentators have also pointed out the relatively sluggish response of George W Bush to Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
FEMA’s Deadline to Close Trailer Parks Leaves Many Hopeless
By Anna Boyd
12:53, June 2nd 2008
...“I’m under more stress now than in the hurricane. They don't even do me the courtesy of responding. It's just, ‘When are you going to leave? When are you going to leave?’ They don't seem to care where we end up,” Ghulam Nasim, 79, a retired doctor who packed his things, but remained in his trailer said, according to the LA Times. And like him are many other residents who lack alternatives....
6/2/2008
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY
...Reconstruction has started, even as the communist government attempts to feed and shelter about 5 million people left homeless by the massive disaster...
Earthquake relief lifts the foundering reputation of the ‘people’s premier’
June 02, 2008 Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper
...Western nations praised China for its fast and effective help to earthquake victims, and its willingness to accept international aid. China's efforts looked especially good compared with the slowness and secrecy after the devastating cyclone in neighbouring Burma.
Gordon Brown last week said the response of Wen and other Chinese leaders in Sichuan was "nothing short of magnificent". Some US commentators have also pointed out the relatively sluggish response of George W Bush to Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
FEMA’s Deadline to Close Trailer Parks Leaves Many Hopeless
By Anna Boyd
12:53, June 2nd 2008
...“I’m under more stress now than in the hurricane. They don't even do me the courtesy of responding. It's just, ‘When are you going to leave? When are you going to leave?’ They don't seem to care where we end up,” Ghulam Nasim, 79, a retired doctor who packed his things, but remained in his trailer said, according to the LA Times. And like him are many other residents who lack alternatives....
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Why oil costs over $120 per barrel
Posted by Euan Mearns on May 29, 2008 - 9:29am in The Oil Drum: Europe
Topic: Economics/Finance
Tags: cera, declines, demand, energy density, iea, mega projects, net energy, oil prices, opec, peak exports, peter jackson, spare capacity, supply [list all tags]
Long article. If you don't want to read it, the tags should be a hint.
Topic: Economics/Finance
Tags: cera, declines, demand, energy density, iea, mega projects, net energy, oil prices, opec, peak exports, peter jackson, spare capacity, supply [list all tags]
Long article. If you don't want to read it, the tags should be a hint.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Dem lawyers: Fla., Mich. can't be fully restored
Background information for people like me who look at this whole thing and wonder wtf? How did this thing get so fucked up?
The 2008 Florida Democratic presidential primary took place on January 29, 2008.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The 2008 Michigan Democratic primary took place on January 15, 2008
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And what's up now?
11:55 AM 5/28/2008 Primaries Florida Voter's Lawsuit Dismissed
By Krissah Williams
(Oy, dis is Democracy?)
Dem lawyers: Fla., Mich. can't be fully restored
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 (Or click on title link)
By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Democratic Party rules committee has the authority to seat some delegates from Michigan and Florida but not fully restore the two states as Hillary Rodham Clinton wants, according to party lawyers.
Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo.
...The DNC staff analysis argues that the Rules and Bylaws Committee was fully within its rights to strip all 368 delegates from the two states when they scheduled primaries in January. Party rules said their nominating contests could be no earlier than Feb. 5. Michigan voted on Jan. 15, Florida on Jan. 29.
The analysis also said there is an option to restore 100 percent of the delegates - by a recommendation of the Credentials Committee that meets later this summer. However, that would mean a final decision would not be made until the first day of the convention in Denver since Credentials Committee decisions have to be approved by the full convention as it convenes - risking a floor fight...
...Florida was supposed to get 211 delegate votes at the Aug. 25-28 convention in Denver, but the DNC says it won't settle seating the Florida delegation until its Credentials Committee meeting in Washington D.C. on May 31....
'This is childish," says a delegate.
270 to win Interactive map site with historical information about Presidential elections.
The 2008 Florida Democratic presidential primary took place on January 29, 2008.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The 2008 Michigan Democratic primary took place on January 15, 2008
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And what's up now?
11:55 AM 5/28/2008 Primaries Florida Voter's Lawsuit Dismissed
By Krissah Williams
(Oy, dis is Democracy?)
Dem lawyers: Fla., Mich. can't be fully restored
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 (Or click on title link)
By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Democratic Party rules committee has the authority to seat some delegates from Michigan and Florida but not fully restore the two states as Hillary Rodham Clinton wants, according to party lawyers.
Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo.
...The DNC staff analysis argues that the Rules and Bylaws Committee was fully within its rights to strip all 368 delegates from the two states when they scheduled primaries in January. Party rules said their nominating contests could be no earlier than Feb. 5. Michigan voted on Jan. 15, Florida on Jan. 29.
The analysis also said there is an option to restore 100 percent of the delegates - by a recommendation of the Credentials Committee that meets later this summer. However, that would mean a final decision would not be made until the first day of the convention in Denver since Credentials Committee decisions have to be approved by the full convention as it convenes - risking a floor fight...
...Florida was supposed to get 211 delegate votes at the Aug. 25-28 convention in Denver, but the DNC says it won't settle seating the Florida delegation until its Credentials Committee meeting in Washington D.C. on May 31....
'This is childish," says a delegate.
270 to win Interactive map site with historical information about Presidential elections.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tomgram: Frida Berrigan, The Pentagon Takes Over
posted May 27, 2008 09:19 am
This is part of what I was trying to point out when I said the other day that "I've had it with the people who seem to think that Obama is some sort of fucking messiah."
...The Pentagon's massive bulk-up these last seven years will not be easily unbuilt, no matter who dons the presidential mantle on January 19, 2009. "The Pentagon" is now so much more than a five-sided building across the Potomac from Washington or even the seat of the Department of Defense. In many ways, it defies description or labeling...
And I will repeat that it's just not the damn neocon Bushtards. This shit has been going on since Truman (who had a hell of a time trying to control the military, by the way, and the scientists who made that damn atomic bomb never got to tell him they didn't want the fucking thing used) and this country has always had a sickening love affair with militarism. Did anybody have the heart to tell the troops that the people who are making beau coups bucks on this war don't give a shit whether they get the medical/psychiatric care that they need? That the beau coups buckaroos don't give a shit whether they get job training? Well, they probably know that already, they joined the military to get job training.
This is part of what I was trying to point out when I said the other day that "I've had it with the people who seem to think that Obama is some sort of fucking messiah."
...The Pentagon's massive bulk-up these last seven years will not be easily unbuilt, no matter who dons the presidential mantle on January 19, 2009. "The Pentagon" is now so much more than a five-sided building across the Potomac from Washington or even the seat of the Department of Defense. In many ways, it defies description or labeling...
And I will repeat that it's just not the damn neocon Bushtards. This shit has been going on since Truman (who had a hell of a time trying to control the military, by the way, and the scientists who made that damn atomic bomb never got to tell him they didn't want the fucking thing used) and this country has always had a sickening love affair with militarism. Did anybody have the heart to tell the troops that the people who are making beau coups bucks on this war don't give a shit whether they get the medical/psychiatric care that they need? That the beau coups buckaroos don't give a shit whether they get job training? Well, they probably know that already, they joined the military to get job training.
Monday, May 26, 2008
How Birthrate Is Turning Modern Conventional Warfare on Its Head
By Gary Brecher, Taki's Magazine. Posted May 26, 2008.
A bizarre new trend is emerging: traditional armed conquests are increasingly less effective, and countries with high birthrates have the edge.
I loved this article. I always thought that the goal of religious leaders was to outbreed the competition. Well, now what? With religious leaders still pushing the sheeple to go forth and breed on a shrinking, changing planet, doesn't that mean that the people involved in resource conflicts will use religion to justify their superiority and rights to said resources?
Yep.
A bizarre new trend is emerging: traditional armed conquests are increasingly less effective, and countries with high birthrates have the edge.
I loved this article. I always thought that the goal of religious leaders was to outbreed the competition. Well, now what? With religious leaders still pushing the sheeple to go forth and breed on a shrinking, changing planet, doesn't that mean that the people involved in resource conflicts will use religion to justify their superiority and rights to said resources?
Yep.
Sick of Hillary vs Obama
This is bullshit:
Remark About RFK Keeps Clinton on the Defensive
Her Aides Say Obama Campaign Has Exploited Statement
By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 26, 2008; Page A04
I've about had it with the Hillary Haters--- RFK Jr. ain't that pissed off about what she said.
AND I've had it with the people who seem to think that Obama is some sort of fucking messiah. They make me want to shake them while screaming, "Hey!, Snap out of it, he's NOT going to be able to clean up the mess in four years that the M-I-C made over a sixty year period!" He's got important things to deal with. Like...
Oil: A global crisis
The Iraq War means oil costs three times more than it should, says a leading expert. How are our lives going to change as we struggle to cope with the $200 barrel? Geoffrey Lean reports
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Obama is not a miracle worker. He's walking into a big fat shit storm. Kunstler gives us some history that goes back way before even the M-I-C started consuming oil.
Chalmers Johnson talks about bases and oil and gas.
Remark About RFK Keeps Clinton on the Defensive
Her Aides Say Obama Campaign Has Exploited Statement
By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 26, 2008; Page A04
I've about had it with the Hillary Haters--- RFK Jr. ain't that pissed off about what she said.
AND I've had it with the people who seem to think that Obama is some sort of fucking messiah. They make me want to shake them while screaming, "Hey!, Snap out of it, he's NOT going to be able to clean up the mess in four years that the M-I-C made over a sixty year period!" He's got important things to deal with. Like...
Oil: A global crisis
The Iraq War means oil costs three times more than it should, says a leading expert. How are our lives going to change as we struggle to cope with the $200 barrel? Geoffrey Lean reports
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Obama is not a miracle worker. He's walking into a big fat shit storm. Kunstler gives us some history that goes back way before even the M-I-C started consuming oil.
Chalmers Johnson talks about bases and oil and gas.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Charlie Wilson's War (the movie)
Charlie Wilson's War.
I liked it. They seem to like it over at Rotten Tomatoes. Strange that my husband decided to rent it the morning I picked up Nemesis to re-read parts of it. Six straight pages are indexed under Charlie Wilson in Chalmers Johnson's book. I'm interested in what is underneath the movie, so I'm watching the author of the book, George Crile speak here (archived, recorded on Thursday, October 6th, 2005). I haven't read the book. I was reminded of this article as I watched the movie, though.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Religion sucks #13 FLDS version
Larry King interviews some of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints mothers (FLDS Church)
(the wives are told to "keep sweet" and silent)
Yearning for Zion mother's letter to Preznit "Iz our childrens learning?" (pdf) (very dramatic)
Texas officials appeal FLDS ruling to state Supreme Court
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 05/23/2008 12:19:06 PM MDT
Sect parents cheer court ruling, await next step
By MICHELLE ROBERTS Associated Press Writer
..."Evidence that children raised in this particular environment may someday have their physical health and safety threatened is not evidence that the danger is imminent enough to warrant invoking the extreme measure of immediate removal," the court said...
...Of the 31 people the state initially said were underage mothers, at least 15 were reclassified as adults before the hearings were suspended...
Texas Age of Consent Laws
April 10, 2008, 10:13AM
CPS challenge is to win trust, find truth, expert says
Sect youths conditioned to deceive outsiders
A brief history of the polygamists in Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah
Forbidden Fruit
Inbreeding among polygamists along the Arizona-Utah border is producing a caste of severely retarded and deformed children
By John Dougherty
Published on December 29, 2005
Texas Town Wary of Polygamist Sect's Arrival
by Wade Goodwyn
May 3, 2005
Polygamists on Utah-Arizona Border Under Scrutiny
Prophet of the FLDS
The FLDS WAS led by Warren Jeffs, who succeeded his father as prophet in 2002. Jeffs was said to keep a tight grip on the polygamous community, using wives as rewards for loyalty among followers.
Southern Poverty Law Center
Tempest in Texas
Racist cult 'prophet' Warren Jeffs is on the move, and a tiny West Texas town fears another Waco
By Susy Buchanan --Intelligence Report -- Spring 2005
CBC's "Bust up in Bountiful."
The lost boys of Colorado City
Jul. 06, 2006
Over the past five years, a fundamentalist Mormon "prophet" has banished as many as 400 boys from his Arizona town. Now the teens, once forbidden to even watch a movie, are adrift in a world of drugs, girls and depression.
By Kimberly Sevcik
(On average, Krakauer told Texas lawmakers, FLDS women have between eight and 15 children each. And celestial wives, whose marriages are not recognized by law, are encouraged to "bleed the beast" by applying for food stamps and other welfare subsidies.) "This is the kind of stuff that, as the chief law enforcement officer in the state of Utah, keeps me up at night," Shurtleff said.
Mon May 5, 4:00 AM ET "The FLDS was relying on a lot of state funds for sustenance – welfare funds as well as money from the school district, which they dominated," says Ira Ellman, an expert on family law at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in Tempe. "The state took over the school system and, in effect, took a lot of their income away."
Oh no, you say they work? That's how they can afford to squirt out all those brats?
Pentagon funds aid polygamous sect
Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 9:34 PM PT
By Tim Sandler, NBC News Investigative Unit
The company was awarded $1.2 million in no-bid defense contracts, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger said in a recent letter to HASC leaders.
Texas hearings: Few answers for FLDS parents
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 05/20/2008 07:06:21 AM MDT
...The plans require parents to complete counseling, psychological evaluations, parenting classes and educational assessments; to document their marriages, children's births, living arrangements and income; and to obtain vocational training or education to become financially self-sufficient by next April...
Why Texas Authorities Deserve Credit for Good Judgment—and the ACLU for Bad
You have to give the Texas authorities credit for putting the interests of the children first. In contrast, Utah and the FBI have focused on one man at a time, an approach that appears to have done next to nothing to stop the entrenched cycle of abuse within the system. In contrast, the authorities in Arizona, Utah, and South Dakota, where other FLDS compounds are situated, have made it very clear that they would never follow the Texas authorities' lead of taking all of the children away from obvious danger.
And yes, I am aware of the fact that the taxpayers could support a half-dozen of these compounds, with seriously disabled children and not come close to what we are borrowing for this stupid war. For me, this post was about the kid's rights. If nothing else good comes from this raid, hopefully those kids will get a glimpse of life outside their compound and hopefully they will know that not everyone outside their ranch is evil.
Carolyn Jessop - Escaping from the FLDS
May 20, 2008, 5:08PM
State starts digging for money needed for costs of FLDS raid
By APRIL CASTRO Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Pres
...The initial raid cost an estimated $5.3 million, mostly in travel to the isolated Schleicher County ranch and employee overtime during the weeklong raid and search of the Yearning For Zion ranch last month. The state also paid for buses, building and equipment rental and fuel...
An incredibly expensive lesson.
(the wives are told to "keep sweet" and silent)
Yearning for Zion mother's letter to Preznit "Iz our childrens learning?" (pdf) (very dramatic)
Texas officials appeal FLDS ruling to state Supreme Court
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 05/23/2008 12:19:06 PM MDT
Sect parents cheer court ruling, await next step
By MICHELLE ROBERTS Associated Press Writer
..."Evidence that children raised in this particular environment may someday have their physical health and safety threatened is not evidence that the danger is imminent enough to warrant invoking the extreme measure of immediate removal," the court said...
...Of the 31 people the state initially said were underage mothers, at least 15 were reclassified as adults before the hearings were suspended...
Texas Age of Consent Laws
April 10, 2008, 10:13AM
CPS challenge is to win trust, find truth, expert says
Sect youths conditioned to deceive outsiders
A brief history of the polygamists in Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah
Forbidden Fruit
Inbreeding among polygamists along the Arizona-Utah border is producing a caste of severely retarded and deformed children
By John Dougherty
Published on December 29, 2005
Texas Town Wary of Polygamist Sect's Arrival
by Wade Goodwyn
May 3, 2005
Polygamists on Utah-Arizona Border Under Scrutiny
Prophet of the FLDS
The FLDS WAS led by Warren Jeffs, who succeeded his father as prophet in 2002. Jeffs was said to keep a tight grip on the polygamous community, using wives as rewards for loyalty among followers.
Southern Poverty Law Center
Tempest in Texas
Racist cult 'prophet' Warren Jeffs is on the move, and a tiny West Texas town fears another Waco
By Susy Buchanan --Intelligence Report -- Spring 2005
CBC's "Bust up in Bountiful."
The lost boys of Colorado City
Jul. 06, 2006
Over the past five years, a fundamentalist Mormon "prophet" has banished as many as 400 boys from his Arizona town. Now the teens, once forbidden to even watch a movie, are adrift in a world of drugs, girls and depression.
By Kimberly Sevcik
(On average, Krakauer told Texas lawmakers, FLDS women have between eight and 15 children each. And celestial wives, whose marriages are not recognized by law, are encouraged to "bleed the beast" by applying for food stamps and other welfare subsidies.) "This is the kind of stuff that, as the chief law enforcement officer in the state of Utah, keeps me up at night," Shurtleff said.
Mon May 5, 4:00 AM ET "The FLDS was relying on a lot of state funds for sustenance – welfare funds as well as money from the school district, which they dominated," says Ira Ellman, an expert on family law at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in Tempe. "The state took over the school system and, in effect, took a lot of their income away."
Oh no, you say they work? That's how they can afford to squirt out all those brats?
Pentagon funds aid polygamous sect
Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 9:34 PM PT
By Tim Sandler, NBC News Investigative Unit
The company was awarded $1.2 million in no-bid defense contracts, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger said in a recent letter to HASC leaders.
Texas hearings: Few answers for FLDS parents
By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 05/20/2008 07:06:21 AM MDT
...The plans require parents to complete counseling, psychological evaluations, parenting classes and educational assessments; to document their marriages, children's births, living arrangements and income; and to obtain vocational training or education to become financially self-sufficient by next April...
Why Texas Authorities Deserve Credit for Good Judgment—and the ACLU for Bad
You have to give the Texas authorities credit for putting the interests of the children first. In contrast, Utah and the FBI have focused on one man at a time, an approach that appears to have done next to nothing to stop the entrenched cycle of abuse within the system. In contrast, the authorities in Arizona, Utah, and South Dakota, where other FLDS compounds are situated, have made it very clear that they would never follow the Texas authorities' lead of taking all of the children away from obvious danger.
And yes, I am aware of the fact that the taxpayers could support a half-dozen of these compounds, with seriously disabled children and not come close to what we are borrowing for this stupid war. For me, this post was about the kid's rights. If nothing else good comes from this raid, hopefully those kids will get a glimpse of life outside their compound and hopefully they will know that not everyone outside their ranch is evil.
Carolyn Jessop - Escaping from the FLDS
May 20, 2008, 5:08PM
State starts digging for money needed for costs of FLDS raid
By APRIL CASTRO Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Pres
...The initial raid cost an estimated $5.3 million, mostly in travel to the isolated Schleicher County ranch and employee overtime during the weeklong raid and search of the Yearning For Zion ranch last month. The state also paid for buses, building and equipment rental and fuel...
An incredibly expensive lesson.
TV tonight
I don't have cable, but if I did, I would watch Recount on HBO.
I'll be watching NOW and Bill Moyer's Journal.
Week of 5.23.08
PBS NOW
Rape in the Military
May 23, 2008
Bisphenol A
Jeffrey Toobin on The US Supreme Court
Legal affairs journalist Jeffrey Toobin joins Bill Moyers on the JOURNAL to discuss how our next president might shape the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, Toobin explains, is not separate from politics as popular imagination supposes.
(click on pic)
I'll be watching NOW and Bill Moyer's Journal.
Week of 5.23.08
PBS NOW
Rape in the Military
May 23, 2008
Bisphenol A
Jeffrey Toobin on The US Supreme Court
May 23, 2008
Legal affairs journalist Jeffrey Toobin joins Bill Moyers on the JOURNAL to discuss how our next president might shape the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, Toobin explains, is not separate from politics as popular imagination supposes.
| Resources for Veterans |
(click on pic)
Black Box Voting
Distribute. Reprint. Digg. Spread. Blog.
The upcoming Black Box Voting 2008 Tool Kit ( - http://www.blackboxvoting.org/toolkit.html - ) contains innovative strategies to put real muscle into election protection. This e-mail contains a preview in the area of deterrents. We know we can't make elections perfect, but we CAN work on doing ENOUGH! So here's a place to start.
I think we're all sick to death of the "Oops Excuse." You know what I mean: Robo calls that pretend not to know they just told people something misleading, oops. Ballot accounting forms that don't add up, oops. Voting machine keys that don't get put in the bag, causing polls to open late, oops. Not enough machines allocated to certain precincts, oops, misleading translation on the ballot, oops, voting cartridges delivered late, oops, memory cards that cause machines to be serviced mid-election, oops, reported the wrong vote number, oops...
* * * NO MORE OOPS * * *
I want to talk about why it's so important to reduce the opportunity to Just Say Oops, and how we can deter the Oops, but first, here are examples of Oops Excuses just ready and waiting. These happened on Tuesday this week in Oregon:
This is being discussed HERE: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/74040.html
IMPOSSIBLE AND IMPROPER NUMBERS FROM OREGON'S MULTNOMAH, POLK, AND YAMHILL COUNTIES
- Results reported before they exist.
- Results reported before the polls close.
A rather wonderful voting rights citizen volunteer named John Howard went to the results reports posted by Multnomah County at this Web site Wednesday night and was surprised to see that results posted on Wed. May 21 at 4:28 pm time and date-stamped on 3:53 pm May 22, which happens to be Thursday!
http://www.mcelections.org/2008-05/results.shtml
Look at these pictures to see what I mean:
http://www.bbvdocs.org/OR/multnomah/May08-impossible1.jpg
http://www.bbvdocs.org/OR/multnomah/May08-impossible2.jpg
Check out the time the results were uploaded. Then look at the time and date stamp on the results: The report was "run" nearly 20 hours LATER than it was posted!
NOT A BIG DEAL? "OOPS?"
Now, don't run out and headline that I'm calling this fraud, because I am not. What I AM calling it is incorrect and improper and unacceptable and in the case of the Yamhill and Polk county results I'm about to tell you about, probably illegal.
Elections, like bookkeeping and your bank statement, are all about numbers. The books have to balance. And in elections, times and dates are all-important. After all, if the report could be produced a DAY ahead of time, why not a MONTH ahead? If the computer clocks (oops) aren't reading out the right day, that opens doors to mail-in ballot-counting fraud that may be simply too scrumptious to resist.
What happened in Multnomah County suggests that the reports from the system are able to be set to whatever time the operator desires and/or that someone deliberately reset the clock on the system to a time in the future. Think about it this way: If your company bids on a tendered construction project in Multnomah County, and bids are advertised to close at a specific time, are you allowed to "bend the clock"? No, and if you try that you'll likely be charged with attempting to rig the bid. If you are successful in coercing a County employee into falsely dating and time stamping your documents, that employee would likely be fired for dishonesty and charged with falsifying documents. This is a presidential election we're talking about - at the very least, it's as important as a procurement bid.
POSTING COUNTY-WIDE RESULTS BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE:
Polk County and Yamhill County, Oregon posted results on the Internet BEFORE the polls closed, at 7:31 and 7:41 pm, respectively. The polls didn't close until 8 pm.
(BUT REALLY. ARE A FEW OOPSIES SUCH A BIG DEAL?)
Oopsies enable unfair election practices and can be enablers and cover-ups for fraud. It's like this: Do you close the gate so the child doesn't get near the street, or -- oops! -- leave it open -- oops! left it open again -- no big deal, all I did was leave a gate open, it's not like he got killed or anything.
Our collective refusal to accept the Oops Excuse is a method to keep more gates closed to prevent certain types of fraud -- ie, the plausible deniability kind -- from escaping.
We should also look at these Election Oops excuses through a real world lens. For example:
If you write 29 checks but your bank statement says there were 27, does that feel "safe enough" to you?
What if you get a bank statement dated a month in the future with a reported balance? (With ballots, of course, the public really can't check to see whether the reported results are true or false.)
Many election officials are county AUDITORS and CLERKS. These professionals are collecting license fees, and overseeing bookkeeping and financial transactions that (even in small counties) amount to millions of dollars. Somehow I think if they showed up with $28,000 missing from the public bank balance, the media wouldn't accept "Oops" as readily as it accepts missing and mismatched and impossible election numbers.
ARE WE BEING TOO TOUGH ON ELECTION OFFICIALS? Let's look at the accountability expected of others:
- The teenager working at the mall has to balance the till at the end of the day.
- Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlor employees have to correctly account for the tickets.
- McDonald's employees have to match cash to receipts.
In fact, anyone who's worked in a bar or a supermarket or any kind of retail setting knows that you can't just say "oops" when the cash in your till doesn't match the receipts. You don't get to change the time stamps on things and you aren't allowed to open and close at the wrong times.
If we can require accountability from teenagers and minimum wage workers, perhaps it's time we start requiring our election officials to report only votes that actually exist at the time and date the computer assigns to the report, MAKE SURE THE NUMBERS BALANCE, and pay attention to the clock to make sure we don't post results until the polls close.
No More Oops.
Watch for the 2008 Tool Kit for ways to invoke consequences -- and ultimately DETER -- the next crop of Oops Excuses.
* * * * *
Black Box Voting is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit elections watchdog group working to improve public controls in our elections. More: http://www.BlackBoxVoting.org
Bev Harris
Founder - Black Box Voting
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Because I need it 'splained to me one more time, OK?
My friend who actually had to study how our government works to become a citizen, must think that I'm dain bramaged. Doofy me, born a citizen, spent a whole lot of my life apolitical, unregistered to vote and oblivious to the process. Oh well, live and learn. I raised an awesome human being, whaddaya want?
Clinton to the Convention?
Posted May 22, 2008 | 11:53 AM (EST)
Rachel Maddow, Superdelegates, Politics News
Press Declares Victory, Even If Obama Won’t
What, exactly, happened in Iowa last night?
Columbia Journalism Review
By Clint Hendler Wed 21 May 2008 10:24 AM
On Sunday, The New York Times, published a piece entitled “Obama to Return to Iowa, Possibly to Declare Victory.” It reported that at the just-announced event, Obama “could end up with enough pledged delegates to proclaim, without fear of contradiction, that he is now the Democratic nominee for president.”
Clinton to the Convention?
Posted May 22, 2008 | 11:53 AM (EST)
Rachel Maddow, Superdelegates, Politics News
Press Declares Victory, Even If Obama Won’t
What, exactly, happened in Iowa last night?
Columbia Journalism Review
By Clint Hendler Wed 21 May 2008 10:24 AM
On Sunday, The New York Times, published a piece entitled “Obama to Return to Iowa, Possibly to Declare Victory.” It reported that at the just-announced event, Obama “could end up with enough pledged delegates to proclaim, without fear of contradiction, that he is now the Democratic nominee for president.”
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Progressive Crises: Global Warming and Peak Oil
Posted May 19, 2008 | 09:36 AM (EST)
Supply concern puts oil above $130 for first time
By PABLO GORONDI Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
...Oil futures are now selling for about twice what they were just a year ago. Prices have been propelled by a number of factors, including worries about insufficient supply, soaring global demand and a sliding dollar that has made oil cheaper for some buyers overseas. Speculative buying has also helped push prices higher, analysts say....
Peak Oil - Whom to Believe?
Part 1 - There's Plenty of Oil, CERAiously
Nate Hagens on May 21, 2008 - 10:14am
Topic: Supply/Production
Update: Gotta love Senator Leahy grilling the Oil Execs today.
Supply concern puts oil above $130 for first time
By PABLO GORONDI Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
...Oil futures are now selling for about twice what they were just a year ago. Prices have been propelled by a number of factors, including worries about insufficient supply, soaring global demand and a sliding dollar that has made oil cheaper for some buyers overseas. Speculative buying has also helped push prices higher, analysts say....
Peak Oil - Whom to Believe?
Part 1 - There's Plenty of Oil, CERAiously
Nate Hagens on May 21, 2008 - 10:14am
Topic: Supply/Production
(*Note: this post/series originally ran in March, 2007 but is a good introduction/refresher to Peak Oil issues--if you're new to this, read this piece and/or Gail's Peak Oil Overview in the top menu bar)
Update: Gotta love Senator Leahy grilling the Oil Execs today.
"10 Percent Intellectual": The Mind of Condoleezza Rice
The Weekly Spin, May 21, 2008
Blog Postings
by John H. Brown
Here's why I think that (America-centric) political scientists who have been insulated inside institutions of higher learning and business leaders should NOT be running (American) foreign policy:
...in 1981, Rice received her Ph.D. Her dissertation was published in 1984 by Princeton University Press under the title, Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army, 1948-1963. While the book saw the light of day thanks to a prestigious institution of higher learning, it is rather striking for the current irrelevance of its subject matter. (Neither the Soviet Union nor Czechoslovak army exists today, although nothing in Rice's study anticipated that this would be the case.) It is also full of hollow "poli-sci" prose, as illustrated by this passage from its conclusion:
Examination of the impact of power asymmetries on the development of the nature of domestic institutions may ultimately help us to understand the concepts of power and influence themselves.
The examination of Czechoslovak party-military relations along both dimensions shows quite clearly why models developed in the study of other communist states are inadequate to explain this case. The Czechoslovak party-military apparatus, which closely resembles that of the Soviet Union, does not produce the same pattern of interaction....(click on title link above)
Condoleezza Rice
(assorted biography links)
Condoleezza Rice is the 66th and current United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush; (born November 14 1954).
World Leaders Urge Condoleezza Rice To Take NFL Commissioner's Job
March 23, 2006 -- The Onion
Update:
Blue Girl, Red State has more on Condi
Blog Postings
by John H. Brown
Here's why I think that (America-centric) political scientists who have been insulated inside institutions of higher learning and business leaders should NOT be running (American) foreign policy:
...in 1981, Rice received her Ph.D. Her dissertation was published in 1984 by Princeton University Press under the title, Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army, 1948-1963. While the book saw the light of day thanks to a prestigious institution of higher learning, it is rather striking for the current irrelevance of its subject matter. (Neither the Soviet Union nor Czechoslovak army exists today, although nothing in Rice's study anticipated that this would be the case.) It is also full of hollow "poli-sci" prose, as illustrated by this passage from its conclusion:
Examination of the impact of power asymmetries on the development of the nature of domestic institutions may ultimately help us to understand the concepts of power and influence themselves.
The examination of Czechoslovak party-military relations along both dimensions shows quite clearly why models developed in the study of other communist states are inadequate to explain this case. The Czechoslovak party-military apparatus, which closely resembles that of the Soviet Union, does not produce the same pattern of interaction....(click on title link above)
Condoleezza Rice
(assorted biography links)
Condoleezza Rice is the 66th and current United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush; (born November 14 1954).
World Leaders Urge Condoleezza Rice To Take NFL Commissioner's Job
March 23, 2006 -- The Onion
Update:
Blue Girl, Red State has more on Condi
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Endgame: Bush & Cheney's desperate measures
hat tip Scoobie Davis
Part 1
Mark Crispin Miller
Part II
More Democratic ballots cast in Feb '08 Primary than Republican in San Diego County
They can't cheat if we are voting, observing and holding them accountable.
Part 1
Mark Crispin Miller
Part II
More Democratic ballots cast in Feb '08 Primary than Republican in San Diego County
They can't cheat if we are voting, observing and holding them accountable.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Behind The Rise In Prices: A Plan To Torpedo The Dollar
by Danny Schechter
This Is What Happened To Our Land, Not “NoamChomskyLand.”
New York, May 19: Who do you think was one of the Bush Administration’s key players on the economy?
...“The financial crisis that we now face was created by design. It is intended to destroy the labor movement, crush the middle class, quash Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, reduce our foreign debt by 50 or 60%, force a restructuring of America’s debt, privatize all public assets and resources, and create a new regime of austerity measures which will divert more wealth to the banking and corporate establishment.”...
(“NoamChomskyLand?” Uh, yeah, Bobo spew)
I wonder if Bobo honestly believes that H.W. Bush in his foreign relations prime could possibly clean up the mess his idiot son made? Not that any of the Bush family really cares about anything but their own war profiteering. It's part of their history.
This Is What Happened To Our Land, Not “NoamChomskyLand.”
New York, May 19: Who do you think was one of the Bush Administration’s key players on the economy?
...“The financial crisis that we now face was created by design. It is intended to destroy the labor movement, crush the middle class, quash Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, reduce our foreign debt by 50 or 60%, force a restructuring of America’s debt, privatize all public assets and resources, and create a new regime of austerity measures which will divert more wealth to the banking and corporate establishment.”...
(“NoamChomskyLand?” Uh, yeah, Bobo spew)
I wonder if Bobo honestly believes that H.W. Bush in his foreign relations prime could possibly clean up the mess his idiot son made? Not that any of the Bush family really cares about anything but their own war profiteering. It's part of their history.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Two assholes in a farting contest and as a bonus -- Religion sucks #12
Bush lectures Arab world on political reform
..."Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail," Bush said in a speech to 1,500 global policymakers and business leaders at this Red Sea beach resort. That was a clear reference to host Egypt, where main secular opposition figure Ayman Nour has been jailed and President Hosni Mubarak has led an authoritarian government since 1981....
Kidnapped by the CIA - Tortured in Egypt
By Cècile Hennion
Le Monde
Thursday 07 June 2007
... Abu Omar proclaims he has been a "Salafist," a very rigorous practicant of Islam,...He adhered to Wafd, a liberal party, where he frequented a certain Ayman Nour, the sole and unfortunate competitor to Hosni Mubarak during the last presidential election in 2005, who was thrown into prison shortly after his defeat, and whose friends and family still await his liberation.
Bin Laden lashes out at Arab leaders in new msg.
..."Those (Arab) kings and leaders sacrificed Palestine and Al-Aqsa to keep their crowns. ... But we will not be relieved of this responsibility," bin Laden said.
Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is one of the holiest sites for Muslims...
The Al-Aqsa is the Third Holiest site for Muslims.
Different types of Christians duke it out in one of the holiest sites in Christianity .
The Jews gotta fight the Muslims for the Holiest Jewish site.
And how do the Muslims deal with their top two holiest sites?
"non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Medina. Roadblocks are stationed along roads leading to the city"
..."Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail," Bush said in a speech to 1,500 global policymakers and business leaders at this Red Sea beach resort. That was a clear reference to host Egypt, where main secular opposition figure Ayman Nour has been jailed and President Hosni Mubarak has led an authoritarian government since 1981....
Kidnapped by the CIA - Tortured in Egypt
By Cècile Hennion
Le Monde
Thursday 07 June 2007
... Abu Omar proclaims he has been a "Salafist," a very rigorous practicant of Islam,...He adhered to Wafd, a liberal party, where he frequented a certain Ayman Nour, the sole and unfortunate competitor to Hosni Mubarak during the last presidential election in 2005, who was thrown into prison shortly after his defeat, and whose friends and family still await his liberation.
Bin Laden lashes out at Arab leaders in new msg.
..."Those (Arab) kings and leaders sacrificed Palestine and Al-Aqsa to keep their crowns. ... But we will not be relieved of this responsibility," bin Laden said.
Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is one of the holiest sites for Muslims...
The Al-Aqsa is the Third Holiest site for Muslims.
Different types of Christians duke it out in one of the holiest sites in Christianity .
The Jews gotta fight the Muslims for the Holiest Jewish site.
And how do the Muslims deal with their top two holiest sites?
"non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Medina. Roadblocks are stationed along roads leading to the city"
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Southland Tales (2006)
Yeesh, what a weird little flick. I didn't say good, although I did enjoy the meanness of the conservatives vs. the liberals. Pretty loopy little piece. John Lovitz was great in this doofy little film, but even better in the special features where he says at first he had no idea what the movie was about. Yeah John, me either.
Oh yeah, and Hollywood, or whoever did the wikipedia page on this movie? You may be talking about Southern California when you say "Southland," but we ain't that down here in THIS part of Southern California. Sorry. That refers to Los Angeles, it's LA talk. We San Diegans generally don't pipe up and yell "HERE!" when somebody hollers "Southland," because only advertisers use that term when they're trying to make a quick buck here. We locals don't use it, don't answer to it and generally are a bit irritated by it.
Yeah, so OK, the best thing about my day was popping one of my kid's CD's in on the way home from my friend's house:
daydream in blue - I Monster
(Shhhhhhh, don't tell the kid I like it, OK?)
Friday, May 16, 2008
All my favorite boys all in one place
John Cusack's War: The Actor Battles to Un-embed Hollywood With His New Film, War, Inc.
Jeremy Scahill
the boy signed me book a year ago.
John Cusack Talks About "War, Inc" VIDEO) (Cusack on with Craig Ferguson, oh make me a happy girl)
Huffington Post | May 16, 2008 09:04 AM
Chalmers Johnson on Our ‘Managed Democracy’
Posted on May 15, 2008
Yep, got him to sign me book too.
I have one problem with all of these men. Not a godanmed one of them has any fucking idea how many Americans would be unemployed if the M-I-C completely fell off the face of the earth tomorrow. How do I know that? Well, except for Ferguson, I've asked them. I've been curious for a while.
Do you know?
Frankly, I think the whole dammed system is broken
Jeremy Scahill
the boy signed me book a year ago.
John Cusack Talks About "War, Inc" VIDEO) (Cusack on with Craig Ferguson, oh make me a happy girl)
Huffington Post | May 16, 2008 09:04 AM
Chalmers Johnson on Our ‘Managed Democracy’
Posted on May 15, 2008
Yep, got him to sign me book too.
I have one problem with all of these men. Not a godanmed one of them has any fucking idea how many Americans would be unemployed if the M-I-C completely fell off the face of the earth tomorrow. How do I know that? Well, except for Ferguson, I've asked them. I've been curious for a while.
Do you know?
Frankly, I think the whole dammed system is broken
California Court Affirms Right to Gay Marriage
and these fucktards can't wait to make me, as a Californian who is happy that the gay marriage ban was struck down by "The current court, with a 6-1 majority of Republican appointees," go ahead and vote on their silly ballot initiative. Then they can waste more taxpayer dollars dragging it back into court trying to thump the whole state over the head with their goddamned bibles.
Pay attention to the petition signature gatherers. I've taken to ignoring them, especially if they hem and haw about who is paying them.
Another story that is upsetting is the Chinese earthquake. 7.9 is a huge quake. That hasn't happened in California since 1857
There are aftershocks. The coverage is positive now for the Chinese army, but you can't tell a couple that lost their only child in a school that was only ten year old that the government is all that and a bag of chips. This story isn't over yet.
In more fun world news: Myanmar cyclone death toll nearly 78,000
What if gas cost $10 a gallon?
Forget pizza delivery. And cheap airfares. And bottled water. In fact, forget a way of life that looks much like today's. But would that be so bad?
...Yes, it would be painful. At $10 a gallon, filling a Ford Explorer could cost $225. Even gassing up a Honda Civic could set you back $132.
And suddenly the bus wouldn't look so bad...
Economic Woes May Lead To Transit Fare Increases
POSTED: 5:33 pm PDT April 28, 2008
NCTD might lay off 10% of staff
Transit agency faces $3 million budget gap
Transit district chief resigning
San Diego Transit Officials Mull Cuts to Budget
Ironically
San Diego's Credit Rating Restored After 4-year Suspension
Pay attention to the petition signature gatherers. I've taken to ignoring them, especially if they hem and haw about who is paying them.
Another story that is upsetting is the Chinese earthquake. 7.9 is a huge quake. That hasn't happened in California since 1857
There are aftershocks. The coverage is positive now for the Chinese army, but you can't tell a couple that lost their only child in a school that was only ten year old that the government is all that and a bag of chips. This story isn't over yet.
In more fun world news: Myanmar cyclone death toll nearly 78,000
What if gas cost $10 a gallon?
Forget pizza delivery. And cheap airfares. And bottled water. In fact, forget a way of life that looks much like today's. But would that be so bad?
...Yes, it would be painful. At $10 a gallon, filling a Ford Explorer could cost $225. Even gassing up a Honda Civic could set you back $132.
And suddenly the bus wouldn't look so bad...
Economic Woes May Lead To Transit Fare Increases
POSTED: 5:33 pm PDT April 28, 2008
NCTD might lay off 10% of staff
Transit agency faces $3 million budget gap
Transit district chief resigning
San Diego Transit Officials Mull Cuts to Budget
Ironically
San Diego's Credit Rating Restored After 4-year Suspension
Thursday, May 15, 2008
the Economist vs Malthus and me
I shouldn't expect any more from the Economist happy talkers, and nobody signed this piece of shit. Before we even start, let's mention that Spain is scheduled to ship in 200 tankers full of drinking water this summer
Malthus, the false prophet
May 15th 2008
The pessimistic parson and early political economist remains as wrong as ever
AMID an astonishing surge in food prices, which has sparked riots and unrest in many countries and is making even the relatively affluent citizens of America and Europe feel the pinch, faith in the ability of global markets to fill nearly 7 billion bellies is dwindling. Given the fear that a new era of chronic shortages may have begun, it is perhaps understandable that the name of Thomas Malthus is in the air. Yet if his views were indeed now correct, that would defy the experience of the past two centuries...
drought and desertification and chronic food shortage
...Malthus first set out his ideas in 1798 in “An Essay on the Principle of Population”. This expounded a tragic twin trajectory for the growth of human populations and the increase of food supply. Whereas the natural tendency was for populations to grow without end, food supply would run up against the limit of finite land. As a result, the “positive checks” of higher mortality caused by famine, disease and war were necessary to bring the number of people back in line with the capacity to feed them.
In a second edition published in 1803, Malthus softened his original harsh message by introducing the idea of moral restraint. Such a “preventive check”, operating through the birth rather than the death rate, could provide a way to counter the otherwise inexorable logic of too many mouths chasing too little food. If couples married late and had fewer children, population growth could be sufficiently arrested for agriculture to cope.
It was the misfortune of Malthus—but the good luck of generations born after him—that he wrote at an historical turning point. His ideas, especially his later ones, were arguably an accurate description of pre-industrial societies, which teetered on a precarious balance between empty and full stomachs. But the industrial revolution, which had already begun in Britain, was transforming the long-term outlook for economic growth. Economies were starting to expand faster than their populations, bringing about a sustained improvement in living standards...
Uh, Ok brainiacs, here's where you mention that fabulous energy source,coal and how it powered the industrial revolution.
...Far from food running out, as Malthus had feared, it became abundant as trade expanded and low-cost agricultural producers like Argentina and Australia joined the world economy. Reforms based on sound political economy played a vital role, too. In particular, the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846 paved the way for British workers to gain from cheap food imports.
Never mind that the Irish would starve because of potato blight, a result of mono-culture farming, which along with Amerindian food exponentially increased the population of Europe to begin with. Well, that and while the Irish were starving some English were making money selling crops that the starving Irish grew. Then the hungry emigrants came here. They still do.
Malthus got his demographic as well as his economic predictions wrong. His assumption that populations would carry on growing in times of plenty turned out to be false. Starting in Europe, one country after another underwent a “demographic transformation” as economic development brought greater prosperity. Both birth and death rates dropped and population growth eventually started to slow.
The Malthusian heresy re-emerged in the early 1970s, the last time food prices shot up. Then, at least, there appeared to be some cause for demographic alarm. Global-population growth had picked up sharply after the second world war because it took time for high birth rates in developing countries to follow down the plunge in infant-mortality rates brought about by modern medicine. But once again the worries about overpopulation proved mistaken as the “green revolution” and further advances in agricultural efficiency boosted food supply.
Color me cynical
If the world's population growth was a false concern four decades ago, when it peaked at 2% a year, it is even less so now that it has slowed to 1.2%. But even though crude demography is not to blame, changing lifestyles arising from rapid economic growth especially in Asia are a new worry. As the Chinese have become more affluent, they have started to consume more meat, raising the underlying demand for basic food since cattle need more grain to feed than humans. Neo-Malthusians question whether the world can provide 6.7 billion people (rising to 9.2 billion by 2050) with a Western-style diet...
China?
As the Seas Are Depleted, the Future Is the Farm Published: December 23, 1998
By R. W. APPLE JR.
..Once again the gloom is overdone. There may no longer be virgin lands to be settled and cultivated, as in the 19th century, but there is no reason to believe that agricultural productivity has hit a buffer. Indeed, one of the main barriers to another “green revolution” is unwarranted popular worries about genetically modified foods, which is holding back farm output not just in Europe, but in the developing countries that could use them to boost their exports.
Political folly increases in a geometrical ratio...
Why don't the Europeans like GM foods?
As so often, governments are making matters worse. Food-export bans are proliferating. Although these may produce temporary relief for any one country, the more they spread the tighter global markets become. Another wrongheaded policy has been America's subsidy to domestic ethanol production in a bid to reduce dependence on imported oil. This misconceived attempt to grow more fuel rather than to curb demand is expected to gobble up a third of this year's maize (corn) crop.
Ok yeah, subsidies for corn ethanol is a dumb idea, there's your one good point.
Although neo-Malthusianism naturally has much to say about food scarcity, the doctrine emerges more generally as the idea of absolute limits on resources and energy, such as the notion of “peak oil”. Following the earlier scares of the 1970s, oil companies defied the pessimists by finding extra fields, not least since higher prices had spurred new exploration. But even if oil wells were to run dry, economies can still adapt by finding and exploiting other energy sources.
Coal? Nuclear? Wind? Solar? Well, not right away, that's for sure.
A new form of Malthusian limit has more recently emerged through the need to constrain greenhouse-gas emissions in order to tackle global warming. But this too can be overcome by shifting to a low-carbon economy. As with agriculture, the main difficulty in making the necessary adjustment comes from poor policies, such as governments' reluctance to impose a carbon tax. There may be curbs on traditional forms of growth, but there is no limit to human ingenuity. That is why Malthus remains as wrong today as he was two centuries ago.
Carbon tax?
Malthus, the false prophet
May 15th 2008
The pessimistic parson and early political economist remains as wrong as ever
AMID an astonishing surge in food prices, which has sparked riots and unrest in many countries and is making even the relatively affluent citizens of America and Europe feel the pinch, faith in the ability of global markets to fill nearly 7 billion bellies is dwindling. Given the fear that a new era of chronic shortages may have begun, it is perhaps understandable that the name of Thomas Malthus is in the air. Yet if his views were indeed now correct, that would defy the experience of the past two centuries...
drought and desertification and chronic food shortage
...Malthus first set out his ideas in 1798 in “An Essay on the Principle of Population”. This expounded a tragic twin trajectory for the growth of human populations and the increase of food supply. Whereas the natural tendency was for populations to grow without end, food supply would run up against the limit of finite land. As a result, the “positive checks” of higher mortality caused by famine, disease and war were necessary to bring the number of people back in line with the capacity to feed them.
In a second edition published in 1803, Malthus softened his original harsh message by introducing the idea of moral restraint. Such a “preventive check”, operating through the birth rather than the death rate, could provide a way to counter the otherwise inexorable logic of too many mouths chasing too little food. If couples married late and had fewer children, population growth could be sufficiently arrested for agriculture to cope.
It was the misfortune of Malthus—but the good luck of generations born after him—that he wrote at an historical turning point. His ideas, especially his later ones, were arguably an accurate description of pre-industrial societies, which teetered on a precarious balance between empty and full stomachs. But the industrial revolution, which had already begun in Britain, was transforming the long-term outlook for economic growth. Economies were starting to expand faster than their populations, bringing about a sustained improvement in living standards...
Uh, Ok brainiacs, here's where you mention that fabulous energy source,coal and how it powered the industrial revolution.
...Far from food running out, as Malthus had feared, it became abundant as trade expanded and low-cost agricultural producers like Argentina and Australia joined the world economy. Reforms based on sound political economy played a vital role, too. In particular, the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846 paved the way for British workers to gain from cheap food imports.
Never mind that the Irish would starve because of potato blight, a result of mono-culture farming, which along with Amerindian food exponentially increased the population of Europe to begin with. Well, that and while the Irish were starving some English were making money selling crops that the starving Irish grew. Then the hungry emigrants came here. They still do.
Malthus got his demographic as well as his economic predictions wrong. His assumption that populations would carry on growing in times of plenty turned out to be false. Starting in Europe, one country after another underwent a “demographic transformation” as economic development brought greater prosperity. Both birth and death rates dropped and population growth eventually started to slow.
The Malthusian heresy re-emerged in the early 1970s, the last time food prices shot up. Then, at least, there appeared to be some cause for demographic alarm. Global-population growth had picked up sharply after the second world war because it took time for high birth rates in developing countries to follow down the plunge in infant-mortality rates brought about by modern medicine. But once again the worries about overpopulation proved mistaken as the “green revolution” and further advances in agricultural efficiency boosted food supply.
Color me cynical
If the world's population growth was a false concern four decades ago, when it peaked at 2% a year, it is even less so now that it has slowed to 1.2%. But even though crude demography is not to blame, changing lifestyles arising from rapid economic growth especially in Asia are a new worry. As the Chinese have become more affluent, they have started to consume more meat, raising the underlying demand for basic food since cattle need more grain to feed than humans. Neo-Malthusians question whether the world can provide 6.7 billion people (rising to 9.2 billion by 2050) with a Western-style diet...
China?
As the Seas Are Depleted, the Future Is the Farm Published: December 23, 1998
By R. W. APPLE JR.
..Once again the gloom is overdone. There may no longer be virgin lands to be settled and cultivated, as in the 19th century, but there is no reason to believe that agricultural productivity has hit a buffer. Indeed, one of the main barriers to another “green revolution” is unwarranted popular worries about genetically modified foods, which is holding back farm output not just in Europe, but in the developing countries that could use them to boost their exports.
Political folly increases in a geometrical ratio...
Why don't the Europeans like GM foods?
As so often, governments are making matters worse. Food-export bans are proliferating. Although these may produce temporary relief for any one country, the more they spread the tighter global markets become. Another wrongheaded policy has been America's subsidy to domestic ethanol production in a bid to reduce dependence on imported oil. This misconceived attempt to grow more fuel rather than to curb demand is expected to gobble up a third of this year's maize (corn) crop.
Ok yeah, subsidies for corn ethanol is a dumb idea, there's your one good point.
Although neo-Malthusianism naturally has much to say about food scarcity, the doctrine emerges more generally as the idea of absolute limits on resources and energy, such as the notion of “peak oil”. Following the earlier scares of the 1970s, oil companies defied the pessimists by finding extra fields, not least since higher prices had spurred new exploration. But even if oil wells were to run dry, economies can still adapt by finding and exploiting other energy sources.
Coal? Nuclear? Wind? Solar? Well, not right away, that's for sure.
A new form of Malthusian limit has more recently emerged through the need to constrain greenhouse-gas emissions in order to tackle global warming. But this too can be overcome by shifting to a low-carbon economy. As with agriculture, the main difficulty in making the necessary adjustment comes from poor policies, such as governments' reluctance to impose a carbon tax. There may be curbs on traditional forms of growth, but there is no limit to human ingenuity. That is why Malthus remains as wrong today as he was two centuries ago.
Carbon tax?
VA discouraged staff from diagnosing PTSD for ‘compensation seeking veterans.’
Think Progress Wonk Room Attackerman Blog Fellows Think Progress
Filed Under: Military
By Matt at 12:28 pm VA discouraged staff from diagnosing PTSD for ‘compensation seeking veterans.’»
VoteVets.org and CREW released an e-mail today that reveals “a Veterans Affairs (VA) employee directing VA staff to refrain from diagnosing soldiers and veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” The e-mail, dated May 1, 2008, complains about “compensation seeking veterans” and urges VA staff to rule out PTSD and “consider a diagnosis of ‘Adjustment Disorder’” instead:
Last month, RAND released a study showing that nearly 20% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan — nearly 300,000 in all — “report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.”
Wow, I didn't think it could get worse than that, but apparently a vet is in jail for aggressively pursuing back benefits for PTSD
Filed Under: Military
By Matt at 12:28 pm VA discouraged staff from diagnosing PTSD for ‘compensation seeking veterans.’»
VoteVets.org and CREW released an e-mail today that reveals “a Veterans Affairs (VA) employee directing VA staff to refrain from diagnosing soldiers and veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” The e-mail, dated May 1, 2008, complains about “compensation seeking veterans” and urges VA staff to rule out PTSD and “consider a diagnosis of ‘Adjustment Disorder’” instead:
Last month, RAND released a study showing that nearly 20% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan — nearly 300,000 in all — “report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.”
Wow, I didn't think it could get worse than that, but apparently a vet is in jail for aggressively pursuing back benefits for PTSD
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Reality check
Study Says Foreigners In U.S. Adapt Quickly
By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; Page A02
Sounds good, right? Like we're way ahead of the stupid Europeans in this area, right? We'll never have a major Al-Qaida problem here, right? Hooooo, well not according to Liebershrew:
Violent Islamist Extremism, The Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat (pdf)
I searched the above pdf file for the word "convicted" and it showed up exactly once. So maybe we are better at integrating our immigrants, who knows?
I have a tough question, though. If corporations are forced to spend more on taxes to pay for Nationalized health care, how fucking fast do you think we will start pushing out illegal immigrants like the Europeans and others do?
Come on man, do you think that large corporations don't influence the way people think in this country? Are you naive? Are you stupid?
If not, why does this bullshit about tort reform keep ending up in my mailbox? The kind of dumbfucks who keep circulating this bullshit couldn't afford to sue if they needed to, even to recover medical expenses, which make up half of bankruptcies among people but you can bet the large corporate interests can afford a cadre of lawyers to protect their bottom line AND their right to profit at your expense. And at the expense of the illegal aliens that they hire also.
It's not like there aren't already a few racial problems here:
Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause
By Kevin Merida
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; A01
By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; Page A02
Sounds good, right? Like we're way ahead of the stupid Europeans in this area, right? We'll never have a major Al-Qaida problem here, right? Hooooo, well not according to Liebershrew:
Violent Islamist Extremism, The Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat (pdf)
I searched the above pdf file for the word "convicted" and it showed up exactly once. So maybe we are better at integrating our immigrants, who knows?
I have a tough question, though. If corporations are forced to spend more on taxes to pay for Nationalized health care, how fucking fast do you think we will start pushing out illegal immigrants like the Europeans and others do?
Come on man, do you think that large corporations don't influence the way people think in this country? Are you naive? Are you stupid?
If not, why does this bullshit about tort reform keep ending up in my mailbox? The kind of dumbfucks who keep circulating this bullshit couldn't afford to sue if they needed to, even to recover medical expenses, which make up half of bankruptcies among people but you can bet the large corporate interests can afford a cadre of lawyers to protect their bottom line AND their right to profit at your expense. And at the expense of the illegal aliens that they hire also.
It's not like there aren't already a few racial problems here:
Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause
By Kevin Merida
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; A01
Sunday, May 11, 2008
This
got my attention a few days ago, and I'll be honest, it was because he was slamming Amy Goodman. I like Democracy Now and I listen or watch at least 3 times a week. The show covers stuff that the msm doesn't bother with, even if some of it is uber-esoteric or over-the-top activism (for shit that doesn't amount to squat in my life) for my tastes. Well this Max Keiser dude impressed me because he actually replied in the comments section (I don't see a whole lot of that at HuffPo) and one of the little gems he left in there was this one. Unfortunately I'm not quite sure what to do with this information because you could fit my financial expertise on the head of a pin, despite my suffering through two years of business classes. I was happy to add Mr. Keiser to my blogroll and I will be checking out Karmabanque to see if I can learn a little more about how it works.
I also loved this post from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Brendan DeMelle today.
Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report
I also loved this post from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Brendan DeMelle today.
Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report
Happy Mother’s Day for Moms with teenagers
You’ll get through this, hang in there
They aim their hate at you, but it’s really everywhere
At their age they don’t know who they are
And it’s all your fault, they think
You’ll get through this, hang in there
Even when they push you to the brink
When you want to run and hide from these evil rotten brats
Because you’re so exhausted from the never ending spats
Remember they’re testing their bully skills
Just smile and say I love you ‘cause
They’ll win a test of wills
They’ll break you if they can
Let them test their wings
Let them take control of their responsibilities
And let them skin their knees
They’ll pop back up if you let them
Just tell them that they can
They’ll remember that you let them win
And they’ll want to be with you later
You’ll get through this, hang in there
And so will they
Your heart really will mend
Even if they break it every day
Saturday, May 10, 2008
FBI, ATF Battle for Control Of Cases
Cooperation Lags Despite Merger
By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 10, 2008; A01
Oh fer Gawd's sake, I swear some shit just never changes. Anybody who's read Joseph Wambaugh knows this stuff. Yes, this woman is disgusted that guys compete more than they cooperate. Don't think think that because I'm a woman that I don't understand competition either boys, hell I used to work out a full 20 hours a week, 11 months a year for 6 years as a competitive athlete. Get it together guys!
By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 10, 2008; A01
Oh fer Gawd's sake, I swear some shit just never changes. Anybody who's read Joseph Wambaugh knows this stuff. Yes, this woman is disgusted that guys compete more than they cooperate. Don't think think that because I'm a woman that I don't understand competition either boys, hell I used to work out a full 20 hours a week, 11 months a year for 6 years as a competitive athlete. Get it together guys!
Friday, May 09, 2008
Books on how crappy the US media is
Our Media Have Been So Wrong for So Long
By Jayne Lyn Stahl, AlterNet. Posted May 9, 2008.
In his new book, E&P editor Greg Mitchell offers a stinging indictment of the media's complicity with Washington's war-marketing machine.
May 09, 2008
Huffington Author, Blogger
Arianna Huffington on How John McCain Has Changed Since Telling Her He Didn’t Vote for Bush in 2000
When I started figuring out the business end of the media is when I figured out how full of shit a lot of it was. Hey, didn't they used to call the ass end of a horse the business end?
Update 1:47 PM 5/9/2008 Looks like the German press is full of shit too. Jeez, where do they get this oversimplified anti-American drivel?
Die Zeit,Germany
The Handgun Lies Next to the Bible
By Martin Klingst May 1, 2008
He’s the biggest loser in American society – but he will decide who becomes president: the white male
Translated By Ron Argentati
By Jayne Lyn Stahl, AlterNet. Posted May 9, 2008.
In his new book, E&P editor Greg Mitchell offers a stinging indictment of the media's complicity with Washington's war-marketing machine.
May 09, 2008
Huffington Author, Blogger
Arianna Huffington on How John McCain Has Changed Since Telling Her He Didn’t Vote for Bush in 2000
When I started figuring out the business end of the media is when I figured out how full of shit a lot of it was. Hey, didn't they used to call the ass end of a horse the business end?
Update 1:47 PM 5/9/2008 Looks like the German press is full of shit too. Jeez, where do they get this oversimplified anti-American drivel?
Die Zeit,Germany
The Handgun Lies Next to the Bible
By Martin Klingst May 1, 2008
He’s the biggest loser in American society – but he will decide who becomes president: the white male
Translated By Ron Argentati
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