Climate Change - Articles/Publications
And on a sad note, I discovered again, actually (I hate stumbling across it again) that my neighborhood has a bunch of frightened bigots in it. A bunch of dumb boobs with "Yes on 8" signs. I just went out for my walk, damnit, and there they were on MY route, the fucking assholes, along with the crapload of honking Fat-Asses in SUVs. I asked them if they believed that crap about their kids being dragged to gay weddings and I should have checked my mail first. The "Yes on 8" ad was in the mail. Looks like that's where their talking points came from.
I flipped off the first group of paranoid assholes, after their smug, dripping with sarcasm "Have a Nice Day" and told the second that they were fearful for no reason. Why should my friends be punished because there are tons of morons in this country?
I knew I was going to be in SUV Hell when I moved in here, and I know what they're afraid of:
7:30 pm Jobs: An Envision San Diego Special : San Diego's Incredible Shrinking Middle Class
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
It's election time
and usually I can't stop blogging. This time I just want it to be overwith. I've been letting things go around the house for quite a while. It's time to clean out this damn junk.
Monday, October 27, 2008
WTF is wrong with us as a country?
Two children under 9 years old die of gunshot wounds to the head.
FBI Believes Body to Be Hudson's Nephew
8-Year-Old Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself In Head With Uzi At Gun Show
On a positive note, I cleaned my windows today. Fucking bloody amazing. I can see out of them now.
FBI Believes Body to Be Hudson's Nephew
8-Year-Old Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself In Head With Uzi At Gun Show
On a positive note, I cleaned my windows today. Fucking bloody amazing. I can see out of them now.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Republicans brace for night of doom in Congress
12:59 PM 10/26/2008
1 hour ago
GOOD. Goddamned selfish greedy-ass Repblicans have caused so much hurt and pain in this country they deserve to get their asses kicked but good!.
1 hour ago
GOOD. Goddamned selfish greedy-ass Repblicans have caused so much hurt and pain in this country they deserve to get their asses kicked but good!.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Nurses Needed
Week of 10.24.08
Nurses Needed
Video: Nurses NeededAccording to a government study, by the year 2020, there could be a nationwide shortage of up to one million nurses, which could result in substandard treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients. Just as alarming, fewer nurses are choosing to teach the next generation of professionals, resulting in tens of thousands of applicants being turned away from the nation's nursing schools."If there was ever a time in the history of this country when one thought about the match between a profession and the changing needs of people in the country, this is the time," Dr. Mary Naylor of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing tells NOW on PBS. Dr. Naylor points out the growing population of older people, many of whom are living with chronic conditions, is significantly increasing the demand for nurses.This week, NOW on PBS takes a hard look at how the shortage of nurses is placing strains on the entire medical system, as well as innovative efforts to reverse the trend.Can America solve its nursing crisis?
Sure. It doesn't have to be ugly, but it's gonna get ugly. Too many Bible thumping idiots who won't deal with reality.
Nurses Needed
Video: Nurses NeededAccording to a government study, by the year 2020, there could be a nationwide shortage of up to one million nurses, which could result in substandard treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients. Just as alarming, fewer nurses are choosing to teach the next generation of professionals, resulting in tens of thousands of applicants being turned away from the nation's nursing schools."If there was ever a time in the history of this country when one thought about the match between a profession and the changing needs of people in the country, this is the time," Dr. Mary Naylor of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing tells NOW on PBS. Dr. Naylor points out the growing population of older people, many of whom are living with chronic conditions, is significantly increasing the demand for nurses.This week, NOW on PBS takes a hard look at how the shortage of nurses is placing strains on the entire medical system, as well as innovative efforts to reverse the trend.Can America solve its nursing crisis?
Sure. It doesn't have to be ugly, but it's gonna get ugly. Too many Bible thumping idiots who won't deal with reality.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
So, you think they'll report this stuff on election night?
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
By CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press Writer
Errors, mischief could lead to long election night
We'll see. It's not like the msm hasn't been asleep at the wheel for oh, about 8 friggin years.
By CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press Writer
Errors, mischief could lead to long election night
We'll see. It's not like the msm hasn't been asleep at the wheel for oh, about 8 friggin years.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wall Street Hustlers Built a $100 Trillion House of Cards and Stuck You with the Fallout
By Joshua Holland, AlterNetPosted on October 22, 2008, Printed on October 22, 2008
I'm fried. I had a shitty day. I miss my kid. A LOT.
I'm fried. I had a shitty day. I miss my kid. A LOT.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Eugene Jarecki
Yeah, you know, they guy who made "Why We Fight?"
If you haven't seen it, click on the link, the whole thing is there.
If you haven't seen it, click on the link, the whole thing is there.
Reading soon, one of these anyway
Click on pic for link to the Bill Moyers interview with the author.
click on pic for link to CNN interview with Thomas Frank.
Tomgram: The Global War on Terror Report Card
posted October 21, 2008 3:23 pm
click on pic for link to CNN interview with Thomas Frank.
Tomgram: The Global War on Terror Report Card
posted October 21, 2008 3:23 pm
My friend Abhi cracks me up, he said it's ok to share this with you
From Palinpidia:
Entry under "Obama, Barack Hussein"
Barack Hussein Obama is a well known Neo-Socialist- Proto Communist-Subversive from Chicago's East side. He is affiliated with the American Terrorist Council and is a founding member of United Underground States of America. He reports directly to William Ayers.
Obama is a Closet Muslim, a group that is half-way between Shia and Sunni, Wahhabi, Ismaili and Kurd. with their holiest shrines in Isfahan, Iran. He has visited those shrines 3800 times since childhood, and been in Iraq only once, at Osama bin Laden's invitation.
Obama learnt every word of English by memorizing the Oxford English Dictionary at the age of 4. He does not understand a word of what he himself says, but can put sentences together entirely by rote, a gift he possesses because of the oral tradition of his ancestral people, The Masai of Kenya..He read Mein Kampf and Das Kapital at the age of 6, and wrote a commentary on the life of Joseph V. Stalin in his 3rd Grade year. It was later published by The Harvard Law Review. He has never read the Constitution of the United States, as revised by the Wasilla, Alaska, City Council.
Nobody knows his real skin color: he appears black because of a peculiar genetic defect he inherited from his Kenyan father.
Barack Hussein (Obama) has been involved in Hawaiian Drug Cartels, and trades Afghan Opium with China, which he can see from the top of Mount Kilauea, Hawaii. (Ed. Palin's note: "See, here's Hawaii, and there's the Pacific Ocean, right next to it, and next to it is China.")
His ambition to become The president of The United States of America stems from his obsession with destroying democracies. No less an authority on patriotism than the eminent Rush Limbaugh describes him as "dangerous"
Entry Updated 17 October, 2008
(Transcribed from the 2nd Edition of Palinpedia by Abhi Buch)
Entry under "Obama, Barack Hussein"
Barack Hussein Obama is a well known Neo-Socialist- Proto Communist-Subversive from Chicago's East side. He is affiliated with the American Terrorist Council and is a founding member of United Underground States of America. He reports directly to William Ayers.
Obama is a Closet Muslim, a group that is half-way between Shia and Sunni, Wahhabi, Ismaili and Kurd. with their holiest shrines in Isfahan, Iran. He has visited those shrines 3800 times since childhood, and been in Iraq only once, at Osama bin Laden's invitation.
Obama learnt every word of English by memorizing the Oxford English Dictionary at the age of 4. He does not understand a word of what he himself says, but can put sentences together entirely by rote, a gift he possesses because of the oral tradition of his ancestral people, The Masai of Kenya..He read Mein Kampf and Das Kapital at the age of 6, and wrote a commentary on the life of Joseph V. Stalin in his 3rd Grade year. It was later published by The Harvard Law Review. He has never read the Constitution of the United States, as revised by the Wasilla, Alaska, City Council.
Nobody knows his real skin color: he appears black because of a peculiar genetic defect he inherited from his Kenyan father.
Barack Hussein (Obama) has been involved in Hawaiian Drug Cartels, and trades Afghan Opium with China, which he can see from the top of Mount Kilauea, Hawaii. (Ed. Palin's note: "See, here's Hawaii, and there's the Pacific Ocean, right next to it, and next to it is China.")
His ambition to become The president of The United States of America stems from his obsession with destroying democracies. No less an authority on patriotism than the eminent Rush Limbaugh describes him as "dangerous"
Entry Updated 17 October, 2008
(Transcribed from the 2nd Edition of Palinpedia by Abhi Buch)
Go Rachel!
Rachel Maddow, a woman who does not own a television set, has done something that is virtually unheard of: she has doubled the audience for a cable news channel’s 9 p.m. hour in a matter of 25, 2008)
More important for her bosses at MSNBC is that “The Rachel Maddow Show,” her left-leaning news and commentary program, has averaged a higher rating among 25- to 54-year-olds than “Larry King Live” on CNN for 13 of the 25 nights she has been host. While the average total audience of her program remains slightly smaller than that of Mr. King’s, Ms. Maddow, 35, has made MSNBC competitive in that time slot for the first time in a decade. The channel at that hour has an average viewership of 1.7 million since she started on Sept. 8, compared with 800,000 before.
More important for her bosses at MSNBC is that “The Rachel Maddow Show,” her left-leaning news and commentary program, has averaged a higher rating among 25- to 54-year-olds than “Larry King Live” on CNN for 13 of the 25 nights she has been host. While the average total audience of her program remains slightly smaller than that of Mr. King’s, Ms. Maddow, 35, has made MSNBC competitive in that time slot for the first time in a decade. The channel at that hour has an average viewership of 1.7 million since she started on Sept. 8, compared with 800,000 before.
Oy
Over 1.5 million NYS voters have been purged and won't know it till they get to their polling place. They'll be able to vote only by provisional ballot.
In NYC, the number to call is 866 868 3692 to find out if you're still "Active" and have not been "flagged."
Bear found dumped at WCU with Obama signs
CULLOWHEE (North Carolina) – A dead bear was found dumped this morning on the Western Carolina University campus, draped with a pair of Obama campaign signs, university police said.
And they wonder why those of us in blue states are a bit wary of the knuckle draggers in red states?
Blogged by Brad Friedman on 10/20/2008 5:54PM
Breaking: Death Threats, Hack Attempts 'Barrage' OH Sec. of State's Office
Threatening Packages, Messages Received Following Brunner's Legal Tussles With State Republicans
Website Set to 'Static Mode' Due to 'Security Breaches'; Investigation Launched by State Police...
In NYC, the number to call is 866 868 3692 to find out if you're still "Active" and have not been "flagged."
Bear found dumped at WCU with Obama signs
CULLOWHEE (North Carolina) – A dead bear was found dumped this morning on the Western Carolina University campus, draped with a pair of Obama campaign signs, university police said.
And they wonder why those of us in blue states are a bit wary of the knuckle draggers in red states?
Blogged by Brad Friedman on 10/20/2008 5:54PM
Breaking: Death Threats, Hack Attempts 'Barrage' OH Sec. of State's Office
Threatening Packages, Messages Received Following Brunner's Legal Tussles With State Republicans
Website Set to 'Static Mode' Due to 'Security Breaches'; Investigation Launched by State Police...
Monday, October 20, 2008
"Strait Ticket" Voting problems reported on Snopes
If you know anyone in the following 15 states: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, or Wisconsin, make sure to pass this on to them. Early voting has already begun. This affects millions of voters.
Thank you.
Joan Brunwasser, Election Integrity Editor, OpEdNews
OpEdNews
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Snopes-warns-of-dangers-of-by-Joan-Brunwasser-081020-116.html
Thank you.
Joan Brunwasser, Election Integrity Editor, OpEdNews
OpEdNews
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Snopes-warns-of-dangers-of-by-Joan-Brunwasser-081020-116.html
GOP registration fraud, more screwy voting machines
Update 11:44 AM 10/20/2008.
Oh. MY. GOD. Fox News is a mess. They book Brad Friedman and ask him about the housing and financial crisis? Watch this. Brad is unflappable, and still manages to get his expertise on the air and PWN the Fox twit at the same.
October 18, 2008
More W.Va. voters say machines are switching votes
In six cases, Democratic votes flipped to GOP
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".
By Paul J. Nyden
Staff writer
Blogged by John Gideon on 10/19/2008 2:04PM
BREAKING: CA GOP Vote Registration Contractor Arrested for Registration Fraud, Perjury
Now Updated Several Times at Bottom of Article...
This just in as Brad is headed over to the FOX News studios. Yesterday the Los Angeles Times reported on the Republican voter registration outfit who had allegedly been illegally changing thousands of registrations from Democratic to Republican.
Last night the head of that GOP backed group, Mark Anthony Jacoby of Young Political Majors (YPM), was arrested by the California State Election Fraud Taskforce and Oxnard, CA Police.
And why is the Supreme Court busy during the election antics?
Court will decide identity theft case
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether people picked up on immigration violations also can face charges of identity theft if they use Social Security and other identification numbers that happen to belong to others.
Federal prosecutors have increasingly been bringing the more serious identity theft charges against undocumented immigrants, including many who were arrested in raids on meatpacking plants.
Federal appeals courts have split over whether the defendant must know that the phony ID numbers belong to a real person and, on Monday, the court said it will resolve the question.
2008-10-20 14:07:46 GMT
This for the local RepugnanThuglicans
When voter registration closes at the end of today, analysts will see how San Diego’s political stripes have changed. Problems reported in voter registrations by the group Acorn will have little impact on the overall trend: the Republican lead over Democratic registered voters is narrowing. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.
1.4 million people were registered to vote in San Diego as of last month .
37 percent are Republicans, 36 percent Democrats. (that leaves 27 percent, a bunch of independents)
Thad Kousser, Professor of Political Science at UCSD, says about 18 hundred invalid voter registrations submitted by the group “Acorn” will have a minor effect on the overall increase in registered democrats since the beginning of the year.
Kausser: We thought there were something on the order of 75,000 newly registered democrats in San Diego and this is about 1,800 fewer than we thought so maybe the democratic voter registration leap wont be quite as large as we thought, but it wont affect election outcomes is the important thing.
Kousser says invalid voter registrations don’t translate into fraudulent votes. He says fictitious people signed up to vote usually don’t show up at the polls, because they don’t exist.
Alison St John, KPBS News
Oh. MY. GOD. Fox News is a mess. They book Brad Friedman and ask him about the housing and financial crisis? Watch this. Brad is unflappable, and still manages to get his expertise on the air and PWN the Fox twit at the same.
October 18, 2008
More W.Va. voters say machines are switching votes
In six cases, Democratic votes flipped to GOP
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".
By Paul J. Nyden
Staff writer
Blogged by John Gideon on 10/19/2008 2:04PM
BREAKING: CA GOP Vote Registration Contractor Arrested for Registration Fraud, Perjury
Now Updated Several Times at Bottom of Article...
This just in as Brad is headed over to the FOX News studios. Yesterday the Los Angeles Times reported on the Republican voter registration outfit who had allegedly been illegally changing thousands of registrations from Democratic to Republican.
Last night the head of that GOP backed group, Mark Anthony Jacoby of Young Political Majors (YPM), was arrested by the California State Election Fraud Taskforce and Oxnard, CA Police.
And why is the Supreme Court busy during the election antics?
Court will decide identity theft case
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether people picked up on immigration violations also can face charges of identity theft if they use Social Security and other identification numbers that happen to belong to others.
Federal prosecutors have increasingly been bringing the more serious identity theft charges against undocumented immigrants, including many who were arrested in raids on meatpacking plants.
Federal appeals courts have split over whether the defendant must know that the phony ID numbers belong to a real person and, on Monday, the court said it will resolve the question.
2008-10-20 14:07:46 GMT
This for the local RepugnanThuglicans
When voter registration closes at the end of today, analysts will see how San Diego’s political stripes have changed. Problems reported in voter registrations by the group Acorn will have little impact on the overall trend: the Republican lead over Democratic registered voters is narrowing. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.
1.4 million people were registered to vote in San Diego as of last month .
37 percent are Republicans, 36 percent Democrats. (that leaves 27 percent, a bunch of independents)
Thad Kousser, Professor of Political Science at UCSD, says about 18 hundred invalid voter registrations submitted by the group “Acorn” will have a minor effect on the overall increase in registered democrats since the beginning of the year.
Kausser: We thought there were something on the order of 75,000 newly registered democrats in San Diego and this is about 1,800 fewer than we thought so maybe the democratic voter registration leap wont be quite as large as we thought, but it wont affect election outcomes is the important thing.
Kousser says invalid voter registrations don’t translate into fraudulent votes. He says fictitious people signed up to vote usually don’t show up at the polls, because they don’t exist.
Alison St John, KPBS News
Sunday, October 19, 2008
GodDAMNit
You know, I've had a really fucked up week anyway, it pisses me off that NOW, three weeks before the election and no fucking time to do anything about it that there are stories about GOP dickheads knocking people off the voter rolls, fucked up voting machines more fucked up voting machines and dumb motherfuckin Fox news retards doing shit like this . And GOP operatives in Riverside CA duping people into registering Republican.
...The firm, which a Republican Party spokesman said is paid $7 to $12 for each registration it secures, has denied any wrongdoing and says it has never been charged with a crime.
The 70,000 voters YPM has registered for the Republican Party this year will help combat the public perception that it is struggling amid Democratic gains nationally, give a boost to fundraising efforts and bolster member support for party leaders, political strategists from both parties say.
Those who were formerly Democrats may stop receiving phone calls and literature from that party, perhaps affecting its get-out-the-vote efforts. They also will be given only a Republican ballot in the next primary election if they do not switch their registration back before then...
I hate to tell you RepugnanThuglicans this, but your shenanigans aren't helping the party's reputation climb out of the toilet. This, you've got to see. Click on the followng pic, and listen, or even better watch the hypocritical blonde GOP lawyer smugly talk about "voter fraud" by Acorn. (It doesn't happen, Acorn flags the "Mickey Mouse" registration forms for the registrars of voting offices and unless Mickey Mouse tries to vote there is no voter fraud.)
Fuck it. I'm going to the beach to read about other stuff the GOP (and some Dems) have fucked up.
...The firm, which a Republican Party spokesman said is paid $7 to $12 for each registration it secures, has denied any wrongdoing and says it has never been charged with a crime.
The 70,000 voters YPM has registered for the Republican Party this year will help combat the public perception that it is struggling amid Democratic gains nationally, give a boost to fundraising efforts and bolster member support for party leaders, political strategists from both parties say.
Those who were formerly Democrats may stop receiving phone calls and literature from that party, perhaps affecting its get-out-the-vote efforts. They also will be given only a Republican ballot in the next primary election if they do not switch their registration back before then...
I hate to tell you RepugnanThuglicans this, but your shenanigans aren't helping the party's reputation climb out of the toilet. This, you've got to see. Click on the followng pic, and listen, or even better watch the hypocritical blonde GOP lawyer smugly talk about "voter fraud" by Acorn. (It doesn't happen, Acorn flags the "Mickey Mouse" registration forms for the registrars of voting offices and unless Mickey Mouse tries to vote there is no voter fraud.)
Fuck it. I'm going to the beach to read about other stuff the GOP (and some Dems) have fucked up.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Voting stuff
Please Watch Bill Moyers on PBS tonight I love Bill and he's interviewing Mark Crispin Miller , who I consider a hero fighting for your right to vote and have your vote counted.
Show link here
Block the Vote
Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. & GREG PALAST
Posted Oct 30, 2008 11:10 AM
Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.
- Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls."
New results middleman spotted - FL, KS, IL, CA, CO, NC, SC, NY, NM, TX
The following locations are using software and, in some cases, hosting voter registration data and results on the servers that belong to a Florida company called SOE Software: (CA) Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, Shasta, Ventura; (CO) Arapahoe; (FL) Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Pasco, Palm Beach, St. Lucie; (IL) DuPage, McHenry, Lake; (KS) Johnson; (NC) North Carolina Board of Elections; (NM) Dona Ana, (NY) New York State Board of Elections; (SC) South Carolina State Election Commission; (TX) Dallas, Tarrant, Williamson.
Headlined on 10/16/08:
by Bev Harris Page 1 of 2 page(s)
www.opednews.com
Ohio Litigating Its Way Through Election Cycle
Partisan Distrust Rampant in Swing State
By Mary Pat Flaherty
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 17, 2008; Page A02
Show link here
Block the Vote
Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. & GREG PALAST
Posted Oct 30, 2008 11:10 AM
Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.
- Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls."
New results middleman spotted - FL, KS, IL, CA, CO, NC, SC, NY, NM, TX
The following locations are using software and, in some cases, hosting voter registration data and results on the servers that belong to a Florida company called SOE Software: (CA) Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, Shasta, Ventura; (CO) Arapahoe; (FL) Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Pasco, Palm Beach, St. Lucie; (IL) DuPage, McHenry, Lake; (KS) Johnson; (NC) North Carolina Board of Elections; (NM) Dona Ana, (NY) New York State Board of Elections; (SC) South Carolina State Election Commission; (TX) Dallas, Tarrant, Williamson.
Headlined on 10/16/08:
by Bev Harris Page 1 of 2 page(s)
www.opednews.com
Ohio Litigating Its Way Through Election Cycle
Partisan Distrust Rampant in Swing State
By Mary Pat Flaherty
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 17, 2008; Page A02
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Friday on Bill Moyers
Yaaaay, Bill is interviewing Mark Crispin Miller tomorrow!!!!
Moving on.
hat tip Bradblog
Funniest caption contest ever
Moving on.
hat tip Bradblog
Funniest caption contest ever
grrrrrrrrrrr
They did it again? They're tryin to fix it? I don't know what is going on with blogrolling. *sigh* Damned hackers
Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Constantly Amazed, Yet Never Surprised
Outta the Cornfield
Jonestown
Guys from Area5 1
Welcome Back to Pottersville
Scoobie Davis Online
Ketchup is a Vegetable
ROTUS
Ornery Bastard
Alternate Brain
BlondeSense
johniwanski.com
Dyre Portents
Pooflingers
The Political Cat
skippy the bush kangaroo
They Gave Us A Republic...
The Great Endarkenment
One Pissed Off Veteran
distributorcap NY
The Democratic Daily.com
Monkeyfister
Leftblogistan
WTF is it Now?
INSTAPUTZ
Hullabaloo
The Apostate
The Barefoot Bum
The big kids on the playground that I normally don't link to
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Feministe - In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set
AMERICA blog
MyDD :: Direct Democracy for People-Powered Politics
Bitch Ph.D.
Oliver Willis
Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community
Eschaton
The Daily Dish By Andrew Sullivan
Fire Dog Lake
tbogg
News
Mother Jones
The Nation
Bradblog
TPM
TPM Muckraker
OB Rag
Voice of San Diego.org
San Diego Reader
Crooks and Liars
Think Progress
Huffington Post.com
Alternet.org
NY Times
UK Guardian
LA Times
Washington Post
San Diego Citybeat
Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Constantly Amazed, Yet Never Surprised
Outta the Cornfield
Jonestown
Guys from Area5 1
Welcome Back to Pottersville
Scoobie Davis Online
Ketchup is a Vegetable
ROTUS
Ornery Bastard
Alternate Brain
BlondeSense
johniwanski.com
Dyre Portents
Pooflingers
The Political Cat
skippy the bush kangaroo
They Gave Us A Republic...
The Great Endarkenment
One Pissed Off Veteran
distributorcap NY
The Democratic Daily.com
Monkeyfister
Leftblogistan
WTF is it Now?
INSTAPUTZ
Hullabaloo
The Apostate
The Barefoot Bum
The big kids on the playground that I normally don't link to
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Feministe - In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set
AMERICA blog
MyDD :: Direct Democracy for People-Powered Politics
Bitch Ph.D.
Oliver Willis
Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community
Eschaton
The Daily Dish By Andrew Sullivan
Fire Dog Lake
tbogg
News
Mother Jones
The Nation
Bradblog
TPM
TPM Muckraker
OB Rag
Voice of San Diego.org
San Diego Reader
Crooks and Liars
Think Progress
Huffington Post.com
Alternet.org
NY Times
UK Guardian
LA Times
Washington Post
San Diego Citybeat
PR Consultant Gave Palin a Boost into the National Spotlight
Source: Washington Post, October 10, 2008
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's meteoric rise to prominence on the national political scene after only 21 months in office came about with the help of a media relations and marketing consulting firm hired to draw national attention to the state's proposed natural gas pipeline project. Alaska's Department of Natural Resources paid public relations expert Marcia Brier of Needham, Massachusetts $31,000 to pitch stories to the national media that promoted Palin as the driving force behind the pipeline and getting the state legislature to go along with it. Brier sent press releases to national media outlets portraying Palin as an "upstart governor" and crusader against Big Oil, the same story line Palin now uses in her campaign with John McCain. Some state legislators take exception to the portayal of Palin as the sole force behind the pipeline, when many other people worked on the project. Once the PR campaign began, Palin was away from the Legislature so much that lawmakers started sporting red and white "Where's Sarah?" buttons. Among Brier's past clients is a 23 year-old Saudi prince, Bader al-Saud, whom she helped to get a plea deal in a vehicular homicide case after he was arrested for drinking and driving in Martha's Vineyard in 2005.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's meteoric rise to prominence on the national political scene after only 21 months in office came about with the help of a media relations and marketing consulting firm hired to draw national attention to the state's proposed natural gas pipeline project. Alaska's Department of Natural Resources paid public relations expert Marcia Brier of Needham, Massachusetts $31,000 to pitch stories to the national media that promoted Palin as the driving force behind the pipeline and getting the state legislature to go along with it. Brier sent press releases to national media outlets portraying Palin as an "upstart governor" and crusader against Big Oil, the same story line Palin now uses in her campaign with John McCain. Some state legislators take exception to the portayal of Palin as the sole force behind the pipeline, when many other people worked on the project. Once the PR campaign began, Palin was away from the Legislature so much that lawmakers started sporting red and white "Where's Sarah?" buttons. Among Brier's past clients is a 23 year-old Saudi prince, Bader al-Saud, whom she helped to get a plea deal in a vehicular homicide case after he was arrested for drinking and driving in Martha's Vineyard in 2005.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Local polls
Couldn't find a debate poll for local CBS (KFMB radio) but this was prominently displayed
Which way are you going to vote on Prop 8?
I'm voting yes, I think gay marriage should be banned. 55%
I'm voting no, same-sex couples should be allowed to wed. 39%
I haven't made up my mind yet. 5%
And this is on the politics page.
If the election were today, who would you vote for?
McCain/Palin 43%
Obama/Biden 50%
Other 3%
I'm not voting this year 4%
local 10 ABC
Who won the third and final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain?
Percentage of 5333 Votes
Sen. John McCain won. 2275 43%
Sen. Barack Obama won. 2944 55%
I'm not sure. 37 1%
I didn't watch.771%
5 local CW couldn't find a poll but #1 on the "hot topics" made me laugh
Hot Topics for October 15
Finding a Job
Score: Small Business Help
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
I couldn't find a poll on the local NBC page, but I spotted this:
Former CIA Director From San Diego Pleads Guilty
Finally, on the local Fox channel website, I couldn't find a debate poll, but I found this:
Race for the White House
The McCain campaign has been accused of using negative ads to distract voters from the real issues. Do you agree?
Yes. The character attacks on Obama are lowball. 66%
No. All tactics are fair as Election Day draws near. 34%
keee-rap, fuckers are getting desperate:
Breaking: GOP Attempts to Disenfranchise 600,000 Voters In Ohio
Experts warn of Nov. 4 voting meltdowns
By BEN SMITH & AVI ZENILMAN 10/15/08 5:10 AM EDT
Which way are you going to vote on Prop 8?
I'm voting yes, I think gay marriage should be banned. 55%
I'm voting no, same-sex couples should be allowed to wed. 39%
I haven't made up my mind yet. 5%
And this is on the politics page.
If the election were today, who would you vote for?
McCain/Palin 43%
Obama/Biden 50%
Other 3%
I'm not voting this year 4%
local 10 ABC
Who won the third and final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain?
Percentage of 5333 Votes
Sen. John McCain won. 2275 43%
Sen. Barack Obama won. 2944 55%
I'm not sure. 37 1%
I didn't watch.771%
5 local CW couldn't find a poll but #1 on the "hot topics" made me laugh
Hot Topics for October 15
Finding a Job
Score: Small Business Help
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
I couldn't find a poll on the local NBC page, but I spotted this:
Former CIA Director From San Diego Pleads Guilty
Finally, on the local Fox channel website, I couldn't find a debate poll, but I found this:
Race for the White House
The McCain campaign has been accused of using negative ads to distract voters from the real issues. Do you agree?
Yes. The character attacks on Obama are lowball. 66%
No. All tactics are fair as Election Day draws near. 34%
keee-rap, fuckers are getting desperate:
Breaking: GOP Attempts to Disenfranchise 600,000 Voters In Ohio
Experts warn of Nov. 4 voting meltdowns
By BEN SMITH & AVI ZENILMAN 10/15/08 5:10 AM EDT
Bummer, but Scoobie makes us laugh after the bad news
Dow plunges 733 as new data points to recession
Still reading a little history on why this shitstorm may be happening...
Must View -- over at Scoobie Davis Online
Palin and the Chipmunks:
I laughed my ass off.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Molly McMooseturd lies
Palin Opposed Plan To Bring Alaska’s Natural Gas To The Lower 48 States
At no time did Palin or her government cite the desire to preserve Alaskan gas for the lower 48 states. The Sempra terminal began operations just four months after Palin announced unconditional support for the Marathon and ConocoPhillips request and a month before DOE approved their plans to export gas to Asia.
(You like picture? Please steal.)
In local gassy news: Regulators Resist Environmental Review of Importing LNG
Sempra Energy, conspiring to increase pollution, crap all over regulations, and hey, they've already proven that they can screw us with higher bills.
Poll: Obama leads in Mich., Wis., Minn., Colo.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008
(AP) - MICHIGAN
At no time did Palin or her government cite the desire to preserve Alaskan gas for the lower 48 states. The Sempra terminal began operations just four months after Palin announced unconditional support for the Marathon and ConocoPhillips request and a month before DOE approved their plans to export gas to Asia.
(You like picture? Please steal.)
In local gassy news: Regulators Resist Environmental Review of Importing LNG
Sempra Energy, conspiring to increase pollution, crap all over regulations, and hey, they've already proven that they can screw us with higher bills.
Poll: Obama leads in Mich., Wis., Minn., Colo.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008
(AP) - MICHIGAN
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Russia
Naomi Klein speaks of free market reform in communist countries (9 min video)
Norilsk Nickel: A Tale of Unbridled Capitalism, Russian Style
by Anton Foek, Special to CorpWatch October 9th, 2008
In Russia, grim financial news doesn't keep the rich from spending
Tomorrow will take care of itself, shoppers say. As long as there's cash in hand, the rubles will keep flowing at luxury shops.
By Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 12, 2008
MOSCOW -- Money or no money, Eduard Strizhev wanted his Porsche.
Russia conducts ballistic missile tests
Agence France-Presse
Published: Sunday October 12, 2008
Canada joined the Group of Six: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States of America.[1] The finance ministers of these countries meet several times a year to discuss economic policies. Their work is supported by regular, functional meetings of officials, including the G7 Finance Deputies.[2]
It is not to be confused with the G8, which is the annual meeting of the heads of government of the aforementioned nations, plus Russia.
Hmm, what do you know? A woman might have prevented this clusterfuck on Wall Street. Why am I not surprised?
Norilsk Nickel: A Tale of Unbridled Capitalism, Russian Style
by Anton Foek, Special to CorpWatch October 9th, 2008
In Russia, grim financial news doesn't keep the rich from spending
Tomorrow will take care of itself, shoppers say. As long as there's cash in hand, the rubles will keep flowing at luxury shops.
By Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 12, 2008
MOSCOW -- Money or no money, Eduard Strizhev wanted his Porsche.
Russia conducts ballistic missile tests
Agence France-Presse
Published: Sunday October 12, 2008
Canada joined the Group of Six: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States of America.[1] The finance ministers of these countries meet several times a year to discuss economic policies. Their work is supported by regular, functional meetings of officials, including the G7 Finance Deputies.[2]
It is not to be confused with the G8, which is the annual meeting of the heads of government of the aforementioned nations, plus Russia.
Hmm, what do you know? A woman might have prevented this clusterfuck on Wall Street. Why am I not surprised?
The Noxious Fox Fucks continue to blame brown people for the mess that old white rich guys made.
Election 08: The Difficulty Stealing It This Time
Scoop NZ
Friday, 10 October 2008, 3:46 pm
Column: Michael Collins
Election 2008: The Difficulty Stealing It This Time
Friday, 10 October 2008, 3:46 pm
Column: Michael Collins
Election 2008: The Difficulty Stealing It This Time
Image cc
New 2008 Democratic Primary Voters Are The Key to Election Protection
Michael Collins Independent News
(Wash. DC) There's one major obstacle blocking a theft of the 2008 presidential election. It's highly significant and challenges even the most devious minds. That obstacle is the "net new" Democratic primary voters" in 2008. "Net new" Democratic primary voters represent the difference between primary turnout in 2004 and 2008. More on that in a moment.
If you think that 2000 and 2004 were free and fair elections and that the idea of election fraud is specious, that's fine. You might want to review some of the following.
Al Gore won the 2000 election by over 500,000 votes. He did not become the president and was denied a recount by the court that made Bush the president. Stolen election. Case closed.
2004 was not a "red versus blue" election and the winner is still in the U.S. Senate. The red segment of the total vote (the rural U.S.) was down from 23% of the vote in 2000 to 16% in 2004, with two million less Bush votes, in actual terms, in 2004. Bush "won" 2004 through a fictitious increase in "big city" voting ("big cities" are defined in the exit polls as those with greater than 500,000 population).
Bush lost rural ("red") votes, his base, yet won the election. At the same time, we're asked to believe that there was a 66% increase in "big city" turnout in 2004, with Bush doubling his vote total there compared to 2000. This is absurd (the real figure is closer to a 13% to 15% turnout increase for "big cities" according to actual results). But that 66% "big city" turnout increase is what the exit pollsters, sponsored by the major media consortium, had to do to make Bush's reported vote count consistent with the final exit poll reported the day after the election. (See Election 2004: The Urban Legend and Notes from the Underground)
The same people who stole those two elections just took $840 billion of your money and are giving it to their Wall Street donors. They're the same people who started a war with Iraq based on documented lies and who continued it for five years, with a combined death toll of over one million Iraqi civilians and thousands of U.S. soldiers. They are the people who won't correct the lie and insist on more of the same. These people resolutely ignore the looming climate changes to the planet that forecast death to tens of millions and the likelihood of multiple scenes like those after Hurricane Katrina.
Here's the problem for the election thieves. Their strategies all rely on keeping people from registering, keeping those registered away from the polls, and the magic of electronic voting and tabulation. It won't work this time. But first, here's a quick look at the strategies in place.
The most effective and enduring is the disenfranchisement of ex-felons, citizens who have served their time and are no longer charged with anything. Florida, Texas and Virginia account for nearly 1.5 million citizens, largely poor and black who were denied the right to vote. They paid their debt to society but they can't participate as citizens because their vote is stolen by the remnants of a racist inspired post reconstruction movement in both the former Confederate states and cooperating state legislatures across the country.
Voter suppression also includes tactics like false notices announcing changes of election dates; police cruisers at intersections near voting places; threats that voter will be challenged; poorly trained poll workers who send registered voters away; special identification requirements proven to reduce the vote (e.g., photo identification); and much, much more.
The newest rage is "cleansing" centralized registration database. The Florida pre 2000 voter registration purge of tens of thousands of minority voters cost Al Gore the election and inspired federal policies supporting registration cleansing around the country.
Then there are the seemingly endless examples of electronic voting machines improperly recording and counting votes plus security problems. There are no real methods of checking electronic voting. Even if you could and proved fraud, state recount laws are very difficult to invoke and highly restrictive. In Virginia and Florida, for example, it is illegal to recount the paper forms for optical scan voting machines as part of a recount.
What a total mess and a complete mockery of the democracy that we deserve. But when you add up all of these strategies, based on past performance, they work at the margins - maybe a 3-4% shift in votes to the Republican candidate.
"Net New" Democratic Primary VotersThere will still be election fraud at multiple levels in 2008. It's a national tradition dating back to the Whig Party chasing off immigrant voters in the early 1800's. But in terms of outcome, this election can be an accurate reflection of the wishes of a majority of voters even with the typical switched votes and varieties of voter suppression.
The solution to election fraud and the best policy for election protection is voter increases accounted for by those "net new" Democratic primary voters. The voter turnout in the presidential primaries was extraordinary in many states. In some cases, like Virginia, the total voters in 2008 more than doubled the total from 2004.
The surge of voter turnout in the primaries began in the mid Atlantic states and carried on through the southeastern seaboard. In addition, swing states showed the same extraordinary trend, a trend that helped Obama win with "net new" primary voters.
At the same time, turnout in the contested Republican primaries was paltry by comparison. Clearly, Republicans were not motivated.
For example, look at the mid and southeastern Atlantic results, the states that gave Sen. Obama a clean sweep.
Click to enlargeThere were 4.9 million voters in the 2008 Democratic Primary and 2.6 million in 2004. That's 2.3 million "net new" Democratic primary voters for 2008. + North Carolina had state caucuses in 2004. The 2004 Democratic primary figure is an estimate. (Source CNN 2004, 2008)
In the mid and southeastern Atlantic states, there were nearly 4.9 million Democrats voting in primaries compared to 2.2 million Republicans. With the exception of Delaware and Maryland, the states above are traditionally Republican states. Democrats dwarfed Republicans in 2008 primary turnout. In addition, Democratic turnout nearly doubled from 2004 to 2008. Democratic primary votes increased from 2.6 million in 2004 to 4.9 million in 2008 (using the estimate for N.C. 2004), an increase of 2.3 million "net new" Democratic primary voters.
Let's look at the critical swing states. A similar, somewhat less dramatic pattern emerges. The one exception to the pattern is Florida. The Republican state legislature moved the Florida primary back to late January. The Democratic National Committee warned that the election could not be used to select delegates to the national convention. This substantially suppressed turnout by Democrats. While Florida Democrats doubled their 2004 turnout, they were nearly equaled by Florida Republicans who faced the same restrictions on the early primary.
Click to enlargeThere were 5.8 million voters in the 2008 Democratic Primary and 2.7 million in 2004.That's 3.1 million "net new" Democratic primary voters for 2008.(Source CNN 2004, 2008)
These four critical swing states all went Republican in the last two presidential elections. But they show a pattern similar to the trend begun in the mid and southeastern Atlantic states. These primaries saw 5.8 million Democratic primary voters compared to 3.9 million Republicans. The Democrats more than doubled their 2004 primary voter total, 2.7 million voters, to 5.8 million in 2008. That's a 3.1 million increase in Democratic primary voters. These figures are in line with the mid and southeastern Atlantic states.
The critical factor is that these "net new" Democratic primary voters were not turned away from the polls by the traditional election fraud strategies. They're on record as voting in the most recent election, and they're highly likely to turnout for the general election, without any real impediments to vote. It's axiomatic that primary voters do just that.
Newly Registered Voters Increase Substantially But They're Not Enough
One more factor to consider is voter registration in these states. There were major voter registration drives in the southeastern Atlantic states. The least likely Obama state, South Carolina, has seen 240,000 newly registered voters. That figure could approach 300,000. North Carolina has 600,000 new registered voters with 48% Democrats, 21% Republicans, and 31% Independents. There's a strong tilt toward black voters and the 18-24 age group. Georgia voter registration drives have been intense as well. A pattern similar to North Carolina is emerging in Georgia with one county, Bibb, reporting a 20% increase in black voter registration compared to 1% for whites. Of Georgia's 400,000 newly registered, there's an almost even split between black and white registrants. Adding Maryland and Delaware, these states have about 1.7 million newly registered voters. They also have 3.1 million "net new" 2008 Democratic primary voters.
Virginia is now a key swing state. Northern Virginia and the state's major cities statewide are solidly Democratic. Overall, Virginia has 300,000 newly registered voters with 42% under 24 years of age. Ohio has over 660,000 newly registered voters, with 19% living in counties that Kerry won (140,000) and 1% in Bush counties (5,000). There are almost 800,000 new voters in Florida and Democrats predominate, trailed by Republicans, and Independents. The youth vote of registered voters has increased from 4% in 2000 to 14% in 2008. Missouri will have over 200,000 newly registered voters. Combined, these swing states have about 2.0 million newly registered voters and 3.1million "net new" 2008 Democratic primary voters.
These registration trends, particularly in the critical swing states, offer some hope regarding election fraud. Somewhere around 65% of newly registered voters actually turn out to vote. But they're not enough to solidify a majority victory in the reported vote count for the majority voting.
The Net New Democratic Primary Voters Represent the Ultimate Election Protection
Voter registration in the swing states and throughout the country are up significantly and they favor Sen. Obama's candidacy. But there were also significant increases in voter participation and new registrations from 2000 to 2004 with an emphasis on the youth and minority voters. This is very good news since it shows an expansion of citizens exercising their fundamental rights. The 2008 shifts in demographics in the newly registered will benefit Obama's campaign. However, this is an existing trend, not a new wave of voters who can be assured of voting; voters who will face few if any impediments getting into the voting booth.
It is those extraordinary increases in primary voting that represent the new element in the election process. These voters were not seen in the 2004 primary. They were on the rolls for the 2008 primary and, without question, eligible for the 2008 general election. Who are they? We don't know for sure but the simple answer is, they're citizens who were motivated enough to vote in this primary cycle, elections frequently ignored by large numbers of voters.
The swing states had 3.1 million net new primary voters in 2008 and an aggregate 2.0 million increase in newly registered voters. There may be some overlap but the primaries took place at the start of the year in these states and the registration drives for the general election took off after the primaries. So they should be viewed as largely discrete figures.
These net new primary voters create problems for election thieves. If we assume a 20% turnout increase in the four swing states considered, that comes to a total of 23 million voters. The 3.1 million net new primary voters represent 14% of that total. They can all vote. They're all registered and they all voted in the most recent election. They can't be turned away easily. They will be unlikely to become confused or intimidated by the traditional voter suppression tricks.
The only fraud strategies available are through electronic voting machines and outright changes in vote totals. Thus, with fewer tools (disenfranchisement and suppression are out for this group); election fraud would need to wipe out 14% of the estimated vote.
That's to obvious and that's why the "net new" voters from the Democratic primaries in these four key swing states, the mid and southeastern Atlantic states, and any other state fitting this 2008 primary voting pattern represent the best assurance against election fraud available.
Internet researcher anaxarchos made the point in blunt terms in a communication to the author:
"It is not enough to steal votes. You need a place to stuff them. You can sell cocaine but in the end you have to explain how your Starbucks franchise brings in $80 million per year. There will be widespread fraud and caging and suppression but, as of today, I see no possible place to stuff it. It was hard enough in 2004 and that was 'close'."
It's as though the people are looking at the election thieves and saying, "Go ahead. Make my day."
END
This article is dedicated to TruthIsAll, anaxarchos, Mark Crispin Miller, Richard Hayes Phillips, Michael Keefer, Jonathan Simon, and all the other independent election fraud researchers and the election protection activists who exercise their rights as citizens tell the truth about our election system and results. Also, special thanks are extended to Alastair Thompson and all those at "Scoop" Independent News for their years of support for democracy in the United States.
This article may be reproduced in whole or part with attribution of authorship, a link to this article, and acknowledgment of images.
*****************
New 2008 Democratic Primary Voters Are The Key to Election Protection
Michael Collins Independent News
(Wash. DC) There's one major obstacle blocking a theft of the 2008 presidential election. It's highly significant and challenges even the most devious minds. That obstacle is the "net new" Democratic primary voters" in 2008. "Net new" Democratic primary voters represent the difference between primary turnout in 2004 and 2008. More on that in a moment.
If you think that 2000 and 2004 were free and fair elections and that the idea of election fraud is specious, that's fine. You might want to review some of the following.
Al Gore won the 2000 election by over 500,000 votes. He did not become the president and was denied a recount by the court that made Bush the president. Stolen election. Case closed.
2004 was not a "red versus blue" election and the winner is still in the U.S. Senate. The red segment of the total vote (the rural U.S.) was down from 23% of the vote in 2000 to 16% in 2004, with two million less Bush votes, in actual terms, in 2004. Bush "won" 2004 through a fictitious increase in "big city" voting ("big cities" are defined in the exit polls as those with greater than 500,000 population).
Bush lost rural ("red") votes, his base, yet won the election. At the same time, we're asked to believe that there was a 66% increase in "big city" turnout in 2004, with Bush doubling his vote total there compared to 2000. This is absurd (the real figure is closer to a 13% to 15% turnout increase for "big cities" according to actual results). But that 66% "big city" turnout increase is what the exit pollsters, sponsored by the major media consortium, had to do to make Bush's reported vote count consistent with the final exit poll reported the day after the election. (See Election 2004: The Urban Legend and Notes from the Underground)
The same people who stole those two elections just took $840 billion of your money and are giving it to their Wall Street donors. They're the same people who started a war with Iraq based on documented lies and who continued it for five years, with a combined death toll of over one million Iraqi civilians and thousands of U.S. soldiers. They are the people who won't correct the lie and insist on more of the same. These people resolutely ignore the looming climate changes to the planet that forecast death to tens of millions and the likelihood of multiple scenes like those after Hurricane Katrina.
Here's the problem for the election thieves. Their strategies all rely on keeping people from registering, keeping those registered away from the polls, and the magic of electronic voting and tabulation. It won't work this time. But first, here's a quick look at the strategies in place.
The most effective and enduring is the disenfranchisement of ex-felons, citizens who have served their time and are no longer charged with anything. Florida, Texas and Virginia account for nearly 1.5 million citizens, largely poor and black who were denied the right to vote. They paid their debt to society but they can't participate as citizens because their vote is stolen by the remnants of a racist inspired post reconstruction movement in both the former Confederate states and cooperating state legislatures across the country.
Voter suppression also includes tactics like false notices announcing changes of election dates; police cruisers at intersections near voting places; threats that voter will be challenged; poorly trained poll workers who send registered voters away; special identification requirements proven to reduce the vote (e.g., photo identification); and much, much more.
The newest rage is "cleansing" centralized registration database. The Florida pre 2000 voter registration purge of tens of thousands of minority voters cost Al Gore the election and inspired federal policies supporting registration cleansing around the country.
Then there are the seemingly endless examples of electronic voting machines improperly recording and counting votes plus security problems. There are no real methods of checking electronic voting. Even if you could and proved fraud, state recount laws are very difficult to invoke and highly restrictive. In Virginia and Florida, for example, it is illegal to recount the paper forms for optical scan voting machines as part of a recount.
What a total mess and a complete mockery of the democracy that we deserve. But when you add up all of these strategies, based on past performance, they work at the margins - maybe a 3-4% shift in votes to the Republican candidate.
"Net New" Democratic Primary VotersThere will still be election fraud at multiple levels in 2008. It's a national tradition dating back to the Whig Party chasing off immigrant voters in the early 1800's. But in terms of outcome, this election can be an accurate reflection of the wishes of a majority of voters even with the typical switched votes and varieties of voter suppression.
The solution to election fraud and the best policy for election protection is voter increases accounted for by those "net new" Democratic primary voters. The voter turnout in the presidential primaries was extraordinary in many states. In some cases, like Virginia, the total voters in 2008 more than doubled the total from 2004.
The surge of voter turnout in the primaries began in the mid Atlantic states and carried on through the southeastern seaboard. In addition, swing states showed the same extraordinary trend, a trend that helped Obama win with "net new" primary voters.
At the same time, turnout in the contested Republican primaries was paltry by comparison. Clearly, Republicans were not motivated.
For example, look at the mid and southeastern Atlantic results, the states that gave Sen. Obama a clean sweep.
Click to enlargeThere were 4.9 million voters in the 2008 Democratic Primary and 2.6 million in 2004. That's 2.3 million "net new" Democratic primary voters for 2008. + North Carolina had state caucuses in 2004. The 2004 Democratic primary figure is an estimate. (Source CNN 2004, 2008)
In the mid and southeastern Atlantic states, there were nearly 4.9 million Democrats voting in primaries compared to 2.2 million Republicans. With the exception of Delaware and Maryland, the states above are traditionally Republican states. Democrats dwarfed Republicans in 2008 primary turnout. In addition, Democratic turnout nearly doubled from 2004 to 2008. Democratic primary votes increased from 2.6 million in 2004 to 4.9 million in 2008 (using the estimate for N.C. 2004), an increase of 2.3 million "net new" Democratic primary voters.
Let's look at the critical swing states. A similar, somewhat less dramatic pattern emerges. The one exception to the pattern is Florida. The Republican state legislature moved the Florida primary back to late January. The Democratic National Committee warned that the election could not be used to select delegates to the national convention. This substantially suppressed turnout by Democrats. While Florida Democrats doubled their 2004 turnout, they were nearly equaled by Florida Republicans who faced the same restrictions on the early primary.
Click to enlargeThere were 5.8 million voters in the 2008 Democratic Primary and 2.7 million in 2004.That's 3.1 million "net new" Democratic primary voters for 2008.(Source CNN 2004, 2008)
These four critical swing states all went Republican in the last two presidential elections. But they show a pattern similar to the trend begun in the mid and southeastern Atlantic states. These primaries saw 5.8 million Democratic primary voters compared to 3.9 million Republicans. The Democrats more than doubled their 2004 primary voter total, 2.7 million voters, to 5.8 million in 2008. That's a 3.1 million increase in Democratic primary voters. These figures are in line with the mid and southeastern Atlantic states.
The critical factor is that these "net new" Democratic primary voters were not turned away from the polls by the traditional election fraud strategies. They're on record as voting in the most recent election, and they're highly likely to turnout for the general election, without any real impediments to vote. It's axiomatic that primary voters do just that.
Newly Registered Voters Increase Substantially But They're Not Enough
One more factor to consider is voter registration in these states. There were major voter registration drives in the southeastern Atlantic states. The least likely Obama state, South Carolina, has seen 240,000 newly registered voters. That figure could approach 300,000. North Carolina has 600,000 new registered voters with 48% Democrats, 21% Republicans, and 31% Independents. There's a strong tilt toward black voters and the 18-24 age group. Georgia voter registration drives have been intense as well. A pattern similar to North Carolina is emerging in Georgia with one county, Bibb, reporting a 20% increase in black voter registration compared to 1% for whites. Of Georgia's 400,000 newly registered, there's an almost even split between black and white registrants. Adding Maryland and Delaware, these states have about 1.7 million newly registered voters. They also have 3.1 million "net new" 2008 Democratic primary voters.
Virginia is now a key swing state. Northern Virginia and the state's major cities statewide are solidly Democratic. Overall, Virginia has 300,000 newly registered voters with 42% under 24 years of age. Ohio has over 660,000 newly registered voters, with 19% living in counties that Kerry won (140,000) and 1% in Bush counties (5,000). There are almost 800,000 new voters in Florida and Democrats predominate, trailed by Republicans, and Independents. The youth vote of registered voters has increased from 4% in 2000 to 14% in 2008. Missouri will have over 200,000 newly registered voters. Combined, these swing states have about 2.0 million newly registered voters and 3.1million "net new" 2008 Democratic primary voters.
These registration trends, particularly in the critical swing states, offer some hope regarding election fraud. Somewhere around 65% of newly registered voters actually turn out to vote. But they're not enough to solidify a majority victory in the reported vote count for the majority voting.
The Net New Democratic Primary Voters Represent the Ultimate Election Protection
Voter registration in the swing states and throughout the country are up significantly and they favor Sen. Obama's candidacy. But there were also significant increases in voter participation and new registrations from 2000 to 2004 with an emphasis on the youth and minority voters. This is very good news since it shows an expansion of citizens exercising their fundamental rights. The 2008 shifts in demographics in the newly registered will benefit Obama's campaign. However, this is an existing trend, not a new wave of voters who can be assured of voting; voters who will face few if any impediments getting into the voting booth.
It is those extraordinary increases in primary voting that represent the new element in the election process. These voters were not seen in the 2004 primary. They were on the rolls for the 2008 primary and, without question, eligible for the 2008 general election. Who are they? We don't know for sure but the simple answer is, they're citizens who were motivated enough to vote in this primary cycle, elections frequently ignored by large numbers of voters.
The swing states had 3.1 million net new primary voters in 2008 and an aggregate 2.0 million increase in newly registered voters. There may be some overlap but the primaries took place at the start of the year in these states and the registration drives for the general election took off after the primaries. So they should be viewed as largely discrete figures.
These net new primary voters create problems for election thieves. If we assume a 20% turnout increase in the four swing states considered, that comes to a total of 23 million voters. The 3.1 million net new primary voters represent 14% of that total. They can all vote. They're all registered and they all voted in the most recent election. They can't be turned away easily. They will be unlikely to become confused or intimidated by the traditional voter suppression tricks.
The only fraud strategies available are through electronic voting machines and outright changes in vote totals. Thus, with fewer tools (disenfranchisement and suppression are out for this group); election fraud would need to wipe out 14% of the estimated vote.
That's to obvious and that's why the "net new" voters from the Democratic primaries in these four key swing states, the mid and southeastern Atlantic states, and any other state fitting this 2008 primary voting pattern represent the best assurance against election fraud available.
Internet researcher anaxarchos made the point in blunt terms in a communication to the author:
"It is not enough to steal votes. You need a place to stuff them. You can sell cocaine but in the end you have to explain how your Starbucks franchise brings in $80 million per year. There will be widespread fraud and caging and suppression but, as of today, I see no possible place to stuff it. It was hard enough in 2004 and that was 'close'."
It's as though the people are looking at the election thieves and saying, "Go ahead. Make my day."
END
This article is dedicated to TruthIsAll, anaxarchos, Mark Crispin Miller, Richard Hayes Phillips, Michael Keefer, Jonathan Simon, and all the other independent election fraud researchers and the election protection activists who exercise their rights as citizens tell the truth about our election system and results. Also, special thanks are extended to Alastair Thompson and all those at "Scoop" Independent News for their years of support for democracy in the United States.
This article may be reproduced in whole or part with attribution of authorship, a link to this article, and acknowledgment of images.
*****************
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Molly McMooseturd
A flaming hot turd is crowned.
'Hockey Mom' Palin Greeted By "Resounding (Almost Deafening) Boos" At Hockey Game (VIDEO)
Crappy Fox news smears, Acorn myths debunked (short video)
Blogged by Brad Friedman on 10/12/2008 1:10PM
1.3 Million Reasons the GOP Propaganda Dept. Created the ACORN 'Voter Fraud' Lie
And Some FACTS to Help Counter the GOP's Cynical 'Dixie-Chicking' of ACORN...
By the way, in case you're wondering, this is the real reason --- about 1.3 million of them, actually --- for the GOP's desperate ACORN "voter fraud" scam...
Goodbye Bush
My buddy Anna is the singer on Goodbye Bush. Man, artists are fun aren't they? I really wanted to drive up to LA to see her, because I can't think of anything more fun than seeing silly Disney films with her. She's pretty awesome.
Squirrels and a hawk
This was taken at least a week ago. My neighbors dump food in the grass.
The rodents were not out this morning.
I heard the reason for that before I saw it.
The rodents were not out this morning.
I heard the reason for that before I saw it.
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