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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Diebold Doubletake
Electronic voting systems manufacturer Diebold is refusing to review or repair a gaping security hole in several models of it's GEMS central tabulator system. The hole appears to be designed into the system rather than a legitimate bug. There is a hidden input form on the voting screens that allows a user to enter two-digit number into the machine. If you know what you're doing, this can reportedly be accomplished in only a few seconds. Doing this enables a second set of vote counting tables, the values of which are uncoupled from the main table and are readily manipulated using Microsoft Access. BlackBoxVoting.com has an extensive report on this, as well as their efforts to communicate the flaw to voting authorities in California and New York.On Aug. 11, 2004, Jim March formally requested that the Calfornia Voting Systems Panel watch the demonstration of the double set of books in GEMS. They were already convened, and the time for Harris was already allotted. Though the demonstration takes only 3 minutes, the panel refused to allow it and would not look. They did, however, meet privately with Diebold afterwards, without informing the public or issuing any report of what transpired.There's been extensive resistance on the part of Diebold, various California state offices and the California Governor's office to address this issue, much less press for an inquiry or remedy. In fact, Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar froze the funds allocated by Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, which would have paid for increased scrutiny of the voting system in California. Please contact your congresspeople and at least ask for an inquiry into why these machines aren't being more carefully scrutinized. Each machine handles up to two million votes at a time. Shouldn't we have some confidence that they're actually going to count them?
On Aug. 18, 2004, Harris and Stephenson, together with computer security expert Dr. Hugh Thompson, and former King County Elections Supervisor Julie Anne Kempf, met with members of the California Voting Systems Panel and the California Secretary of State's office to demonstrate the double set of books. The officials declined to allow a camera crew from 60 Minutes to film or attend.
The Secretary of State's office halted the meeting, called in the general counsel for their office, and a defense attorney from the California Attorney General's office. They refused to allow Black Box Voting to videotape its own demonstration. They prohibited any audiotape and specified that no notes of the meeting could be requested in public records requests.
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iMac G5 Released
Spiffy, and quick, too. Uses 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz G5 processor, a slot-loading DVD-R is available, and it can go completely wireless. Apple says that if you order the wireless bundle with cordless keyboard and mouse, the only cord coming out of the back is for power. Ahhh. Gimme four, please.|
Monday, August 30, 2004
The Geeks Speak!
Via [boingboing.net]: I usually leave the political stuff here to Rob, but this was one of the best (and honestly, geekiest) signs I've seen in a long time.
PS This is officially the 350th post of Chaos Digest! Who-hoo!
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Sunday, August 29, 2004
God Hates Iowa
Squirrel Update: Motorcyclist attacked!
Another squirrel incident! The furry little beast snaps and attacks a grown man in leathers and his Valkyrie (read: "huge") motorcycle. Turns out to be an even match...|
Will you look at that sunset?
A new GAO report says that companies based in tax-haven nations enjoy a competitive advantage when bidding against companies based in the U.S. They're able to offset some of their costs against the lower tax burden they face by setting up shop on a beach somewhere. Duh. (But at least now it's official...)
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Administration turf war? Or something bigger?
There's something very complicated going on in the Bush administration. Larry Franklin is a veteran Defense Intelligence Agency (aka DIA, in the Pentagon, under Rumsfeld) Iran analyst seconded to Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Doug Feith's office. He is being investigated by the FBI for allegedly passing a draft U.S. policy statement on Iran to a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which in turn provided that information to the government of Israel.
Franklin's intelligence reportedly suggests that Iran recently positioned several of it's Arabic-speaking intelligence people into southern Iraq, and that they've placed one of their high-level operatives from Afghanistan into the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.
Some sources report that Franklin felt his intelligence was not receiving sufficient attention from higher-ups in the U.S. government, and chose to share the report with AIPAC as a means of getting some attention and political leverage from the administration.
Okay, three paragraphs to set the stage. Now, here are the curious bits.
First, Doug Feith is a heavy-gauge neo-conservative. "Conventional" conservative elements in the administration have been sniping at the neo-cons for a while now, so the stage is definitely set for some infighting. Anything that makes Feith look bad is good for the more moderate guys, so this whole investigation might be political.
Second, there's already some rattlings of a turf war over who will get the National Security Advisor post in a theoretical second Bush administration. The neo-cons want that chair badly, because it puts them in a position to bolster their now-shaky pre-emptive warfare doctrine.
Third, Feith runs a sort of duplicate intelligence apparatus called the Office of Special Plans. This group was formed to second-guess and re-assess intelligence gathered by the regular agencies (CIA, State Department, etc.), particularly in regard to pre-war Iraq intelligence. Feith and other OSP overseers like Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney were the actual hatchet men who browbeat George Tenet's CIA into providing the official intelligence pretext for Bush's war on Iraq. Side note: isn't it horrible that despite an overwhelming rejection by voters, Newt Gingrich is still influencing government policy? And now free of congressional oversight, no less. Whee!
Now, mix in the fact that there are a lot of ties between the neo-cons and Israel, both through AIPAC and the Project for the New American Century, and this is starting to look like they may have hijacked America's entire Middle East policy to benefit Israel. Destabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq both serve this goal admirably, although I'd be the first to agree that attacking Afghanistan had it's own justifications. Hussein, on the other hand, was clearly no threat to the U.S. He was, however, definitely a problem for Israel.
So, where does this leave us? It looks like there's a battle within the administration for control of future American foreign policy. On one side, we have a pretty clearly defined cast of neo-conservative regulars. The opposition seems less well defined, although they clearly have some pull at the FBI.
In any case, it looks like President George W. Bush has lost control of his staff. The neo-con Frankenstein's monster that put him in the White House has broken loose and started terrorizing the villagers. The rationale for electing Kerry is getting clearer all the time. No one is kidding when they call this the most important election of our lifetime. I mean, even if you're a conservative, wouldn't you want your agenda to get some kind of hearing and follow the established legislative process, rather than being forced into place by the Office of Special Projects and a shadow government?
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Franklin's intelligence reportedly suggests that Iran recently positioned several of it's Arabic-speaking intelligence people into southern Iraq, and that they've placed one of their high-level operatives from Afghanistan into the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.
Some sources report that Franklin felt his intelligence was not receiving sufficient attention from higher-ups in the U.S. government, and chose to share the report with AIPAC as a means of getting some attention and political leverage from the administration.
Okay, three paragraphs to set the stage. Now, here are the curious bits.
First, Doug Feith is a heavy-gauge neo-conservative. "Conventional" conservative elements in the administration have been sniping at the neo-cons for a while now, so the stage is definitely set for some infighting. Anything that makes Feith look bad is good for the more moderate guys, so this whole investigation might be political.
Second, there's already some rattlings of a turf war over who will get the National Security Advisor post in a theoretical second Bush administration. The neo-cons want that chair badly, because it puts them in a position to bolster their now-shaky pre-emptive warfare doctrine.
Third, Feith runs a sort of duplicate intelligence apparatus called the Office of Special Plans. This group was formed to second-guess and re-assess intelligence gathered by the regular agencies (CIA, State Department, etc.), particularly in regard to pre-war Iraq intelligence. Feith and other OSP overseers like Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney were the actual hatchet men who browbeat George Tenet's CIA into providing the official intelligence pretext for Bush's war on Iraq. Side note: isn't it horrible that despite an overwhelming rejection by voters, Newt Gingrich is still influencing government policy? And now free of congressional oversight, no less. Whee!
Now, mix in the fact that there are a lot of ties between the neo-cons and Israel, both through AIPAC and the Project for the New American Century, and this is starting to look like they may have hijacked America's entire Middle East policy to benefit Israel. Destabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq both serve this goal admirably, although I'd be the first to agree that attacking Afghanistan had it's own justifications. Hussein, on the other hand, was clearly no threat to the U.S. He was, however, definitely a problem for Israel.
So, where does this leave us? It looks like there's a battle within the administration for control of future American foreign policy. On one side, we have a pretty clearly defined cast of neo-conservative regulars. The opposition seems less well defined, although they clearly have some pull at the FBI.
In any case, it looks like President George W. Bush has lost control of his staff. The neo-con Frankenstein's monster that put him in the White House has broken loose and started terrorizing the villagers. The rationale for electing Kerry is getting clearer all the time. No one is kidding when they call this the most important election of our lifetime. I mean, even if you're a conservative, wouldn't you want your agenda to get some kind of hearing and follow the established legislative process, rather than being forced into place by the Office of Special Projects and a shadow government?
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Saturday, August 28, 2004
Eek! They're shooting at my host protester!
I've accepted a number of unpleasant truths this week. I know now that the City of New York is going to curtail the First Amendment rights of thousands or protesters. I'm coming to terms with the fact that the media regard political convention coverage as a painful chore, rather than a chance to improve public discourse. I'm getting used to watching Jon Stewart ask more pointed questions than Wolf Blitzer. It sucks, but I finally realize that today's press has become as much a hindrance to the democratic process as they ever were helpful.Given these low expectations, I've been hunting around for alternative means for getting the word from NYC's man on the street. In the modern technical environment, it's possible for anyone in the world to have unmediated access to events as they happen. Camera cell phones, the net, and increasingly powerful software mean that, from the comfort of home, I can stand on the shoulder of some guy taking a rubber bullet outside Madison Square Garden! Why is this good? Well, the original function of journalism was simply to bear witness. See something, and tell what you saw. I can now do this (to some extent) without ever having to face a surly airport employee. I've compiled a list of links to protest resources as well as pirate and alternative media coverage of the convention.
- RNC Not Welcome in NYC!: They're organizing protests and media events in locations around the city, all designed to make the delegates feel at home (not).
- IndyMedia: Independent reports and unstructured observations of protest events in NYC.
- TxtMob: A complete message-sharing service and bulletin board that relies on SMS (text message) enabled cell phones. Watch events as they self-organize.
- A-Noise NoRNC Sound Coalition: Live audio stream of cell phone calls from protesters on the street in NYC. The site's being grossly overloaded, either by it's own popularity or by your federal government, for security reasons, take your pick.
- Critical Mass Radio: A stream aggregator, carrying programming from several protest groups. These guys also provide content to be rebroadcast by low-power pirate radio stations around the country.
- Radio Free Santa Cruz: Been broadcasting unlawfully for over 10 years, these are hard-core pirates on a mission to get the word out.
- KillRadio: Anti-corporate internet radio from Los Angeles.
- Infoshop: Think you know what an anarchist is? Think again. Infoshop works hard to bring legitimacy and credibility to your time-honored decision to screw the system. Anarchy is too close to nihilism for my taste, but I like the idea that someone's working to put some structure around it as a valid form of protest.
- Bikes Against Bush: This isn't really a communications site, as much as simply technology-enabled protest. But, it was too cool to pass up...
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Friday, August 27, 2004
Conservative failures: Why keep it up?
The anti-abortion crowd had another setback today; or did they? I saw a Reuters article talking about a New York federal judge declaring the so-called "partial birth" abortion ban unconstitutional. This isn't the first time this has happened. A crucial Supreme Court judgment in 2000 formalized the "health exception" and "undue burden" tests for abortion legislation. Several attempts by states and the fed to establish new limitations on abortion have been struck down for failing them. Given that these tests basically fly in the face of the anti-abortion agenda, it would seem that there's little hope the extreme right can make laws that will satisfy both their goals and the legal restrictions. So why keep at it? Why pass a bill that you're certain will die in court? (Damn those "activist judges...")There's the obvious guess that they keep it up because it might just work; a law might somehow sneak under the radar and actually become an enforceable method for controlling female behavior. I doubt it, but anything's possible. It strikes me as far too remote to justify the energy and resources that go into feeding the anti-abortion lobbying machine, though. So, what's the real reason?
Easy: free press. The percentage of people who favor severe restrictions on abortion is fairly high, about 43% according to ABC News, but still not a majority. This percentage is also pretty stable; most people have formed their opinions, and it takes a huge effort to change them. In order to have any chance at all of making progress, the anti-abortion crowd needs to keep national focus on their issue. They need press coverage: the "outrage" of the conservative pundits and the routine coverage of their "failures" by mainstream media all serve to keep the issue simmering at the edge of popular attention.
The reality is that there's no chance at all for them to get the laws they want without this kind of focus. The question is, then, how do we deny them this focus? If you ignore them completely, they simply win by default. If you get into the business of refuting and counter-protesting them, you're helping feed the media machine for them. They're even happy to "succeed" in passing laws they know will be shot down. What to do, then?
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California holds a Garage Sale?
Dude! It's like, my first California post!Apparently the guv'nuh is trying to reduce the CA deficit (damn, now it is my friggin' deficit too) via ebay! That's right, they're auctioning off a gaggle of crap that they usually sieze when they bust drug dealers, corrupt CFOs and jaywalkers.
So if you been a'hankerin' for 30 pounds (yes, pounds) of scissors, but just didn't know where to go, well let me direct you to CNN.
Rob can get 4 new print servers! I bet Roy is eyeing those 4 Leatherman Flair Multi-Tools/Corkscrews. Me? I'm drooling over the Wood Handle PocketKnives (heh... I said pocketknives).
Just no one tell my brother that they also have a red Mustang too...
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Thursday, August 26, 2004
Bob Dole says: "Ow."
James Ridgeway at the Village Voice writes about the dubious (okay, stupid) manner in which Bob Dole got his first Purple Heart (think "self-inflicted" and "tree"). Kerry's looking more heroic every day...|
Faces and Names
Gah! I leave for not even 4 weeks, and Chaos Digest is almost unrecognizable...
Rob is turning into one of those flaming liberals-type personas (I coulda swore I had dibs on the flaming liberal thang), an old friend is liberal bashing in the comments, and we apparently have a new contributor! Whew... At least Ruthie is still sane (yet making snide haggis remarks, the nerve!), but I'm left wondering where Todd's spleen has gone off to...
I guess I should introduce some people then... Brian (he of the many pro-republican posts in the comment sections) is a long-time buddy of mine, back from the days of RJ's Eatery in Lindenhurst, IL. I've known him since I was about 16 or 17 (yeesh, that means I have known him longer than I haven't known him!). Another intense music-lover like moi, he did the whole combat boots/art major/shaved head & tiny braid thing. He married a wonderful woman (who, believe it or not, you have actually met before Rob, albeit briefly) who settled his butt down a number of years ago, has two little girls, and lives up in the suburbs. He has turned decidedly Republican over the past few years, shows no shame in quoting Rush Limbaugh, and is a self-admitted political junkie.
Robert (ahh... our much beloved founder of CD) was the other Creative Director when I worked at Hollyer and Schwartz (which was bought by Xor, which was bought by Seurat, which was bought by Fair Isaac... we both got out at the Xor stage). I grew to respect him, and learned a gaggle of biz-saavy from him (he learned the creative stuff from me [grin]). We've stayed good friends, since we have similar dispositions and personalities, and share of love of things techie and designie (new word alert!). He is married to Ruthie (sometimes known as just Ru), a fabulously intelligent woman, and the real brains behind CD [another grin]. They also have a daughter who is already starting to speak Finnish.
There is also a DeKalb connection here, as both Rob, Ru, AND Brian all went to Northern Illinois University (me? I just went there to crash parties [yet another grin]), so be nice to your Huskie brethren.
And who is this DCB person? Geez, you'd think the other contributors would at least get an introduction or something... =;-) I'm guessing that she (thought some incredible deductive skills, I figured out she was a she) is another of the DeKalb connection, but I could be wrong. Anyways, a hearty hi-ho welcome to ya, DCB! I'm not nearly as annoying in person. Wait, a sec... yes I am. Seriously, it is good to have someone with actual writing/logic skills to offset my inane ramblings here.
Me? I'm off to find Todd's spleen.
PS Props to anyone who knew the music reference of the title of this post!
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Rob is turning into one of those flaming liberals-type personas (I coulda swore I had dibs on the flaming liberal thang), an old friend is liberal bashing in the comments, and we apparently have a new contributor! Whew... At least Ruthie is still sane (yet making snide haggis remarks, the nerve!), but I'm left wondering where Todd's spleen has gone off to...
I guess I should introduce some people then... Brian (he of the many pro-republican posts in the comment sections) is a long-time buddy of mine, back from the days of RJ's Eatery in Lindenhurst, IL. I've known him since I was about 16 or 17 (yeesh, that means I have known him longer than I haven't known him!). Another intense music-lover like moi, he did the whole combat boots/art major/shaved head & tiny braid thing. He married a wonderful woman (who, believe it or not, you have actually met before Rob, albeit briefly) who settled his butt down a number of years ago, has two little girls, and lives up in the suburbs. He has turned decidedly Republican over the past few years, shows no shame in quoting Rush Limbaugh, and is a self-admitted political junkie.
Robert (ahh... our much beloved founder of CD) was the other Creative Director when I worked at Hollyer and Schwartz (which was bought by Xor, which was bought by Seurat, which was bought by Fair Isaac... we both got out at the Xor stage). I grew to respect him, and learned a gaggle of biz-saavy from him (he learned the creative stuff from me [grin]). We've stayed good friends, since we have similar dispositions and personalities, and share of love of things techie and designie (new word alert!). He is married to Ruthie (sometimes known as just Ru), a fabulously intelligent woman, and the real brains behind CD [another grin]. They also have a daughter who is already starting to speak Finnish.There is also a DeKalb connection here, as both Rob, Ru, AND Brian all went to Northern Illinois University (me? I just went there to crash parties [yet another grin]), so be nice to your Huskie brethren.
And who is this DCB person? Geez, you'd think the other contributors would at least get an introduction or something... =;-) I'm guessing that she (thought some incredible deductive skills, I figured out she was a she) is another of the DeKalb connection, but I could be wrong. Anyways, a hearty hi-ho welcome to ya, DCB! I'm not nearly as annoying in person. Wait, a sec... yes I am. Seriously, it is good to have someone with actual writing/logic skills to offset my inane ramblings here.
Me? I'm off to find Todd's spleen.
PS Props to anyone who knew the music reference of the title of this post!
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Heeeeerrrre's Johnny!
Okay, so I'm not Johnny, nor am I a Carson (or even a Nicholson), but I am finally back... back on Chaos Digest!!
Of course, Earthlink screwed up our DSL transfer, and said it would take another month to get SBC to activate it for them?!! ARGH! We were already dealing with crappy-assed dial-up access (and not even at 56k... I could only connect at 31k!), and swear I was going to go insane! I honestly have no idea how people deal with dial-up anymore, I really don't. Happily, I was able get Earthlink to get me a cable modem, so I am back (with only one of the computers working wirelessly, but back nonetheless. Good thing I know Rob for tech support!).
Anyway... I plan on putting a West Coast perspective in CD (rule #1: Start every post with "Dude!"), which probably won't be that different form the currect Midwestern one. We'll just replace the Mayor Daley jokes with Guv Ah'nold ones... So, onwards to global domination by the Chaos team!
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:::waits for thunderous applause to die down:::After driving 2100 miles in 4 days, then waiting for additional 9 days for the movers to actually appear with our stuff, we have arrived in San Diego, home of the annoying 70 degree year-round temperature.It has been more involved getting settled in than I expected... there was the buying of stuff that we gave away (or just plain wanted to buy new (we're still arguing over a new sofa)). We live just 3 miles from a plaza that has IKEA, Costco (which also sells discount gas too, unlike Chicagoland stores. Sweet!), and Lowe's! Thrifty consumer nirvana! We've bought a new mattress, a new 15" Powerbook from the local Apple store here, and a swanky 20gig iPod for 60 clams (via the sweet Cram'n'Jam special Apple offers us edumacationmal-types), and a new cpu desk. It is a Jerker (c'mon now, no snickering... they're Swedish, so they don't know how silly their names sound to us) desk from IKEA which I set-up the working area at standing height (and the first shelf to the bottom, kinda like a footrest), to try a new 'creative' enviroment to work in... kinda weird so far, but not bad. Anyone have any suggestions on good drafting height chairs (with arms) that don't cost more than $200?
Of course, Earthlink screwed up our DSL transfer, and said it would take another month to get SBC to activate it for them?!! ARGH! We were already dealing with crappy-assed dial-up access (and not even at 56k... I could only connect at 31k!), and swear I was going to go insane! I honestly have no idea how people deal with dial-up anymore, I really don't. Happily, I was able get Earthlink to get me a cable modem, so I am back (with only one of the computers working wirelessly, but back nonetheless. Good thing I know Rob for tech support!).
Anyway... I plan on putting a West Coast perspective in CD (rule #1: Start every post with "Dude!"), which probably won't be that different form the currect Midwestern one. We'll just replace the Mayor Daley jokes with Guv Ah'nold ones... So, onwards to global domination by the Chaos team!
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Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Urgent Support Needed in Florida
In response to Hurricane Charley, America's Second Harvest has mobilized its Disaster Response Team. As a member of the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), they are working with the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other responders in Florida to bring help to victims.
Over 2,300 people are staying in shelters, 11,000 have applied for disaster aid and hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. America's Second Harvest has collected needed supplies from its food banks and is now trucking them to Florida. As a result, Second Harvest urgently needs financial help. Each truckload costs them from $500 to $2,000 to send. A generous donor has agreed to match 2 for 1 every dollar you donate, up to $45,000, so even a donation of $10.00 becomes $30.00, roughly the equivalent of 600 pounds of food. You can donate online here. You can also call (312) 263-2303 regarding any America's Second Harvest issue. Help if you can.
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Over 2,300 people are staying in shelters, 11,000 have applied for disaster aid and hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. America's Second Harvest has collected needed supplies from its food banks and is now trucking them to Florida. As a result, Second Harvest urgently needs financial help. Each truckload costs them from $500 to $2,000 to send. A generous donor has agreed to match 2 for 1 every dollar you donate, up to $45,000, so even a donation of $10.00 becomes $30.00, roughly the equivalent of 600 pounds of food. You can donate online here. You can also call (312) 263-2303 regarding any America's Second Harvest issue. Help if you can.
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Monday, August 23, 2004
Bush Blinks?
Moments ago in a statement from Crawford, TX, Bush again called for the end of 527 ads. The difference this time is that he vaguely alluded to the SwiftVets ad, saying "That ad, all these ads..I think they're bad for the system." While this might spin as a call for the Swifties to quit, the President clearly avoided condemning the assault on Kerry's record. My guess is that Bush's campaign is still trying to look like they're taking the high road by gently repudiating the smear, while Republican 527s and Congressional Republicans continue the attack.
On the other hand, it's just possible that the Bush campaign is becoming concerned that allowing such a massively negative ad to go unchecked might start to alienate voters. Also, they must be concerned with the way a Kerry/Bush military comparison would play out; Bush can claim to be a "war president," but the administration has revised their war rationale so many times, I doubt they want to get pinned down in the specifics that would come out of that particular debate. Given the massive debunking of the ad and the SwiftVets themselves, the possible risks to the Bush campaign and the fact that it'd be hard for this mudball to spin in Kerry's favor, I expect the Swifties will soon sink into obscurity.
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On the other hand, it's just possible that the Bush campaign is becoming concerned that allowing such a massively negative ad to go unchecked might start to alienate voters. Also, they must be concerned with the way a Kerry/Bush military comparison would play out; Bush can claim to be a "war president," but the administration has revised their war rationale so many times, I doubt they want to get pinned down in the specifics that would come out of that particular debate. Given the massive debunking of the ad and the SwiftVets themselves, the possible risks to the Bush campaign and the fact that it'd be hard for this mudball to spin in Kerry's favor, I expect the Swifties will soon sink into obscurity.
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Swifties 15 Are Up
The Chicago Tribune managed to find another man who was on the scene that day: William B. Rood, former swift boat commander, decorated veteran, and Tribune editor.
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There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago--three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969.This ought to about do it, I think. Let's see whether the Swifties go ahead with their second ad.
One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.
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Sunday, August 22, 2004
Bush Campaign calls SwiftVet "American Hero"
Bush campaign volunteer and retired Air Force Col. Ken Cordier was removed from the Bush campaign for bad optics appearing in the SwiftVets ad. Campaign spokesperson Steve Schmidt cushioned the departure as much as possible, calling Cordier a "hero" and explaining that "we dint know nuthin'" about Cordier's appearance in the smear ad.
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I think I smell a lawsuit!
Popemobile Meets Match
W. will be accepting the Republican nomination from a custom-made, super-secret podium, featuring a trapdoor, bullet-proofing and bomb-resistant materials. Between terrorists, protesters, New Yorkers, angry conservatives, tigers, falling debris and journalists on a meatloaf bender, I don't blame him.|
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Status Check
Swifties Cause Change in Message
Kerry's campaign was all lined up late this week to take Bush to task for his abominable performance on healthcare and drug costs.
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"George Bush has had four years to talk to you about health care. He's had four years to prove to you that he's got a plan," Kerry told more than 100 people gathered for what his campaign bills as a "front porch" neighborhood visit.Kerry had events and press planned around the healthcare message, and a few of the media that didn't simply leap on the SwiftVets rebuttal rolled with their previously planned stories.
Kerry ridiculed Bush for saying on Wednesday that the administration is studying importing prescription drugs, after having opposed it. "He can't even make up his mind about importing drugs," Kerry said, using language similar to that used against him by Bush for waffling on issues. "Either you're for importing drugs from Canada, or you're not. . . . Do you think he's reading the polls?"
The Democratic Presidential nominee devoted an hour to berating President Bush’s leadership on health care over the last four years, and to much applause, he said he would do better for New Hampshire and the nation.There's a good opportunity to nail Bush on this, if he doesn't get to use the week he's taking off to prepare for the RNC to craft a healthcare plan instead. Press your advantage, John!
“Health care is not a privilege for the elected or the connected or the wealthy,” Kerry said, projecting from a local family’s front porch toward an estimated 225 supporters sprawled over the front yard. “It is a right that is going to be available to all Americans.”
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Friday, August 20, 2004
The Gaggle's Getting Frisky!
The White House press corps are starting to cut Press Secretary Scott McClellan a little less slack, I think. Let's look at these exchanges from this morning's Press Gaggle:
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Q Scott, oil is now creeping up to $50 a barrel. And people are saying that it could threaten recession, et cetera, a very serious problem. I know you keep talking about the energy bill, but the energy bill doesn't appear to be going anywhere at this point, and the problem is really very serious. What's the administration going to do?-----------
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, remember, we called for passage of a comprehensive energy plan more than three years ago. The President remains concerned about rising energy prices and the impact those prices have on families and workers.
And it is for this reason, now, that the President, on day one of this administration, has been working to pass a comprehensive energy plan. The President continues to call on Congress to pass his comprehensive energy plan that will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy. We need comprehensive solutions, not patchwork crisis management. And this is something we go through every year, because Congress has not acted on the President's plan, and because the Senate -- certain members of the Senate, including the President's opponent, have blocked passing the comprehensive energy legislation.
Q But if that is the fact, and if it's been going on for three years, then isn't that beating a dead horse? Maybe there's another approach. Would you, for instance, consider opening the strategic reserves, as Kerry has been proposing, and others?
Q On the Swift Boat ads, can you tell us what the relationship is between Bob Perry and the President? Have the two known each other over the years?Isn't it fun watching Scott sweat? Let's see more of this! An aggressive, objective press serves the public interest. Go ink peddlers!
MR. McCLELLAN: I think you can check with the campaign. I think he's been a supporter.
Q And Karl Rove --
MR. McCLELLAN: But again, I mean, you're trying to draw -- draw us into this, and we've made it very clear, the President has made it very clear that we're not going to question Senator Kerry's service. The President has made it very clear that he feels his service was noble. He said that just last week. I mean, all -- all that information is public record if you want to look at supporters.
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Cheney Goes Fishing...
...and two Blackhawk helos buzz the river, disturbing wildlife, frightening park guests and violating national park service rules requiring them to stay above 2,000 feet. Hope he had a nice afternoon, the putz.
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Kerry's Counterattack
The Kerry campaign, after letting George "Where's the Officer's Club?" Bush seize an 18-point lead among veterans with the SwiftVet ad, is shooting back. Kerry's team hired private couriers to carry inches-thick copies of his Navy record to reporters overnight, and he's started inviting the public to compare his service to Bush's.
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As part of a concerted counteroffensive, Kerry spokesman David Wade said the Democrat was ''reactiviating" a team of veterans known as the ''doghunters" who defended Kerry's service record since his first Senate race, in 1984. Four of these men joined a campaign news conference yesterday morning to criticize the anti-Kerry veterans for questioning whether Kerry's injuries and actions warranted medals.Karl Rove must have known this was coming; what form will his response take? I don't see any way Bush and his missing dental records can hold up in a straight comparison; the optics alone are terrible (Kerry on his swift boat vs. Bush in that damned flight suit again). So, what's the next mudball? Of note, Robert J. Perry, the Texas developer and longtime Bush contributor who funded the SwiftVets ad with $200,000 in soft money, just popped up with another $100,000 this week, perhaps trying to stretch the Swifties' 15 minutes. Every minute Kerry has to waste on this instead of a discussion of Bush's presidential record is a win for BC04. I wonder whether there's a neat bridge from this to the more obvious Bush failures in Iraq...?
''Every time they attack John's record, they attack my record," said Bill Zaladonis, who served on Kerry's boat. ''They demean my medal, everyone who got a ribbon in Vietnan, it demeans their medals. I wish they'd stop."
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A Man, a Haggis, and a Shark-Eyed Squirrel
In crusin' the "Hot Blogs" on Hot or Not, I came across a compelling name:
Haggis Ain't Cake! Sorry, G, but haggis had to be based on a dare, so I agree it certainly isn't cake. So here is this blog, listed under the category "Crazy" with a rating of 9.9. It is the writing of some guy with kids, apparently having some hard times, living in the desert southwest. His stories are generally very funny, as well as a glimpse into another life. The one about his daughter's friend and the speeding ticket that led her mother to install The Club on her car had me laughing uncontrollably. Apparently he is now an eyebrowless squirrel hostage:
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Haggis Ain't Cake! Sorry, G, but haggis had to be based on a dare, so I agree it certainly isn't cake. So here is this blog, listed under the category "Crazy" with a rating of 9.9. It is the writing of some guy with kids, apparently having some hard times, living in the desert southwest. His stories are generally very funny, as well as a glimpse into another life. The one about his daughter's friend and the speeding ticket that led her mother to install The Club on her car had me laughing uncontrollably. Apparently he is now an eyebrowless squirrel hostage:
"I downloaded Squirrel sounds from the INTERNET in an attempt to gain it's trust to no avail... I did manage to give my daughters nightmares from playing the sounds all night long... I was thinking the sounds translated intoHis site is consistently an entertaining read. Go boost his hits and he can get some advertising bucks!
*SQUIRRELLY NOISES* = "Come play near the sledge hammer toting guy"
And I am now thinking they were more
*SQUIRREL CHANTING* = "KILL HUMANS, EAT THE EYES OFF THE DEAD HUMANS"
Me and my stupid Wiley E. Coyote ideas... I swear all my stuff should have ACME labels."
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Thursday, August 19, 2004
The future of education
Next week, I will start my first college class in four years. I am going back post-baccalaureate to take some classes that will allow me to make an industry change for my career. I am particularly excited with these classes, not only because they are in an industry I am very passionate about, but because they will be taken online. Having graduated with a BS from NIU, most of my classes were pretty traditional. My classes were at a set time, in a set building, and if you were sick, had an aunt die, got hit by a bus, or overslept, you just missed that session for the day. You had to find someone else to give you notes, or explain to an instructor why you missed an exam, etc. So this is pretty new and interesting for me. Every aspect of my class is online; assignments, lecture notes, class projects, even exams, and in the 16 weeks of class, I will never once step into a classroom. I work full time, so this gives me a lot of flexibility to work on assignments and review lecture notes at my own leisure. Instead of studying for a class until midnight, I can attend it at midnight.
It is pretty exciting to watch the evolution of teaching methods and available resources, especially in such a technology-driven time. According to the New York Times, teachers in some grade school classes are having their students use blogs as a method of communicating with their classmates and sharing ideas. This is great because it stresses written communication and idea sharing, as well as providing an outlet for the more reserved or shy kids to express themselves. And the kids pay more attention to their work because they know it is available for the world to access and see.
And techology adoption in the classroom has moved even farther than blogging assignments. An online friend of mine has a 5th grade son who will now be required to have a Palm instead of a traditional assignment notebook. At first, she was unsure about how good of an idea this was, but the teacher is very technology driven, and wants her kids to get as much exposure to today's technology as possible. And her Las Vegas school district isn't the only one doing it. Schools in Chicago suburbs, Indianapolis and Winston Salem are also requiring students to use Palms as part of their everyday curriculum.
When I was in grade school, we had one Apple computer in the classroom, and things didn't really change all that much as I progressed through the various grade levels. We did have computer labs in both my junior high and high school, but any computer classes were elective, not required for graduation. And I grew up in a pretty large district. When I went to college, computers were used for assignments, papers and research, but even in my internet marketing class, there wasn't the focus on using technology to the point it is used today, even in the business school. It is amazing to watch my niece and nephew adopt and use the available computer resources so effortlessly. I am glad that schools are using it to their full advantage in the classroom. It allows kids access to more information, and allows the classroom to be larger than just a 20X20 room in a school building. And I think that is fantastic.
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It is pretty exciting to watch the evolution of teaching methods and available resources, especially in such a technology-driven time. According to the New York Times, teachers in some grade school classes are having their students use blogs as a method of communicating with their classmates and sharing ideas. This is great because it stresses written communication and idea sharing, as well as providing an outlet for the more reserved or shy kids to express themselves. And the kids pay more attention to their work because they know it is available for the world to access and see.
And techology adoption in the classroom has moved even farther than blogging assignments. An online friend of mine has a 5th grade son who will now be required to have a Palm instead of a traditional assignment notebook. At first, she was unsure about how good of an idea this was, but the teacher is very technology driven, and wants her kids to get as much exposure to today's technology as possible. And her Las Vegas school district isn't the only one doing it. Schools in Chicago suburbs, Indianapolis and Winston Salem are also requiring students to use Palms as part of their everyday curriculum.
When I was in grade school, we had one Apple computer in the classroom, and things didn't really change all that much as I progressed through the various grade levels. We did have computer labs in both my junior high and high school, but any computer classes were elective, not required for graduation. And I grew up in a pretty large district. When I went to college, computers were used for assignments, papers and research, but even in my internet marketing class, there wasn't the focus on using technology to the point it is used today, even in the business school. It is amazing to watch my niece and nephew adopt and use the available computer resources so effortlessly. I am glad that schools are using it to their full advantage in the classroom. It allows kids access to more information, and allows the classroom to be larger than just a 20X20 room in a school building. And I think that is fantastic.
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First Corsi, now O'Neill
After claiming that he wasn't a Republican shill, John E. O'Neill, co-author of the SwiftVets' anti-Kerry book, is now lying about making several thousand dollars in contributions to Republican campaigns and causes. You know, this book is really starting to look like it might not be the credible, impartial exposé it was supposed to be...
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Sure you wanna attack the Senate record...?
Dying for communion?
Haley Waldman, an 8-year-old Catholic girl in Brielle, NJ, is fatally allergic to wheat. The Catholics say any non-wheat communion wafer doesn't count as a sacrament. Irresistible force, meet immovable object.
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Wes Clark: "Why now?"
General Wesley Clark issued the following statement in response to the Bush troop redeployment announcement:
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"President Bush has proposed redeploying some 70,000 U.S. troops from Europe and Asia. In response to Bush's proposal, General Wesley Clark issued the following statement questioniong the President's decision:In what should have been a detailed and responsive reply to these points, the Bush campaign falls back on the candidate's strength with the spoken word and coins the term, "Foragainst."
"President Bush's decision to redeploy approximately 70,000 U.S. troops from Europe and Asia will significantly undermine U.S. national security. As we face a global war on terror with Al Qaeda active in more than 60 countries, now is not the time to pull-back our forces, and I question why President Bush would want to do this now.
"First, removing U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula at a critical juncture in diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea?s nuclear program will send a dangerous signal of weak U.S. resolve to Kim Jong Il.
"Second, withdrawing forces from Europe will further undermine already strained relations with long-time NATO allies, will be interpreted as the distancing of the U.S. from NATO, and will set back U.S. efforts to encourage greater NATO participation in Iraq.
"Third, bringing U.S. forces back to the U.S. will not enhance our ability to deploy U.S. forces quickly to key hot spots around the world -- all of which are more accessible from Western Europe than from the continental U.S.
"Finally, this redeployment will do nothing to ease the strain on our overstretched military forces. Worse, it will increase the burden on many military families as troops will be separated from their families during more frequent and unaccompanied deployments to Eastern Europe.
"This ill-conceived move and its timing seem politically motivated rather than designed to strengthen our national security."
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Washington Post: Thurlow v. Navy
Larry Thurlow, leading SwiftVet and John Kerry detractor, has claimed that there was no firefight during the incident that led to Kerry's (and, incidentally, his own) Bronze star. The Washington Post filed Freedom of Information Act requests for Thurlow's Navy records and documents from the incident, and they seem to tell a different story.
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But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."Wonder who's lying: one guy from a political action group, or the United States Navy and several boat commanders who were actually on the scene? Hmmm...
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GOP: "We can't sell it, better bury it."
The Republicans are having a power struggle. Hard-core social conservatives, who have enjoyed a resurgence in the last few years as the neo-conservative agenda has come to the fore, are now being shoved back into their usual "goofy aunt in the attic" role as the cameras prepare to roll in New York.
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"Many socially conservative leaders feel slighted, saying their representatives have been edged out of prime-time convention speaking slots by more moderate Republicans, such as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani -- who favor legal abortion -- and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who opposes a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage."Apparently the Bush campaign has decided the same thing that most of mainstream America has: conservative values just don't work for them.
What those conservatives say will be of great interest to Christopher Barron, the political director of the gay and lesbian Log Cabin Republicans, who feel betrayed by White House support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Depending on what happens at the convention, they say they may not repeat their 2000 endorsement of Bush.Man, I should think not. What in the world makes conservatives think they have any right to impose their personal moral choices on the rest of their party, much less the rest of the country? Anyway, it looks like the lock-step in which the Republicans have been forced to march for four years is finally breaking up.
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Keepin' it Real. Real stupid.
Rob Glaser and the asshats at Real, after whining that Apple wouldn't let them cash in on the iPod's success, have started a lobbying site to promote "Freedom of Real to Coat-Tail Apple Choice." The best part is the comments at the bottom of the page. Bet this doesn't survive the week.
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Batman Begins Filming in Chicago
Our own Chicago correspondent, Edison, got some pix of cars being filmed for Warner Brothers' upcoming Batman Begins. He says, "Yes, it was a dark and stormy night when I took these pictures. :)" Enjoy!
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Happy birthday, Bill!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Even bears don't like Bus(c)h
Ok, so I am stretching with the title, but this was so hilarious, I just had to share. I guess the microbrew market is really taking off.
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Poisoned Seas
"When beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang."
-- Herman Melville, "Moby Dick"
Once again, Bush's administration forgets the dog's rule...
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-- Herman Melville, "Moby Dick"
Once again, Bush's administration forgets the dog's rule...
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