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For Whom Did Your Voting Machine Vote?
The last two presidential elections were clouded, to say the least. The mainstream media went on with business as usual, while private citizens went sleuthing. The result is a diversity of grassroots investigation and activism. I now view fair elections activism as a branch of the civil rights struggle that has gone on for decades.
Last week, Elizabeth Walters of Seattle organized a Forum. She is a political activist and volunteer who has chosen the issue of fair elections as her major focus, and considers it the question that really matters in the 2006 and 2008 elections. The event was essentially about preserving democracy in America. Co-sponsors were local party districts, local progressive talk radio, Code Pink and the Backbone campaign. We heard three speakers at the forum which was followed by a moderated discussion.
The Speakers
Bev Harris, author of “Black Box Voting – Ballot Tampering in the 21st century” and founder of Blackboxvoting.org, a consumer protection organization that helped prove that voting machines can be hacked.
Paul Lehto, consumer protection attorney; recently won a citizen’s lawsuit against Sequoia Voting Machines.
Richard Borkowski, computer consultant and activist, demonstrated in person how to secretly reverse election results and he did it in a few seconds.
Bev Harris reminded us that election fraud has historically been a possibility, starting from the local level, because money flows through the system. If you are a developer, contractor or common criminal, there might be a motivation to try to influence law and lawmakers. Jim Crow laws and poll taxes have troubled our history. With devious manipulation possible, computer technology takes potential for fraud to a new level. The strategy of Black Box Voting is to identify “attack points” in present-day voting systems.
It’s not just about hardware and software but also vote authentification, vote casting, date/ballot transfer, data consolidation, results/reporting and the final canvas. Electronic systems require an update for the criminal-minded who would tamper with elections. It is now possible to pre-stuff memory cards to, in effect, “roll over the odometer" during elections. Elections can be and have been hacked, and it’s not so hard to demonstrate with a “mock election.”
Machines can be wireless-enabled and remote access made possible. The central tabulator can be altered. Extra code can be added to restart the count at a certain threshold. Ballot-reading machines can be tampered with by altering their sensitivity. Mail-in ballots can be vulnerable, as many counties “outsource” sorting and transfer that occurs from the time ballots leave the post office. My own county uses a company called PSI, that employs convicted felons. It was a computer fraud felon who developed the program which compares signatures on the ballot and the envelope. Recognition tolerance for matching can be altered.
Richard Borkowski is a lifelong computer aficionado. He was astounded and flabbergasted when he learned how easily an election can be hacked. He demonstrated it to us in just a few seconds, using a couple of hypothetical guys named Bush and Kerry. He reminded us that our elected officials are supposed to represent “We the People” and that we have the right to a secret ballot. He reminded us of the prevalence of bank fraud and identity theft now that large computerized databases are commonplace.
He made the following points. Many of our Secretaries of States have “outsourced” the election process to private vendors who consider voting software and actual votes their “intellectual property.” The software is proprietary, therefore secret. We do not know if it contains codes capable of altering data or if there is remote access. From time to time, there are media stories about “lost votes” or “overcounts” but they are generally buried on page 16. The media is not providing oversight. We the people must take back our elections for corporations and corporate media.
Paul Lehto is active in the voting rights and democracy movement. He views organizations such as NAACP and Black Box Voting as branches on the same tree. He believes in one person/one vote and that the ballot represents democracy. He sued Snohomish County, WA because he believed the public had the right to transparent elections. As a result of his lawsuit, Sequoia machines were dumped as of September, 2005.
He urged us to get involved.
Here are two of his suggestions:
- Websites like www.blackboxvoting.org and www.bradblog.com have Activist sections with downloadable materials to get you started as well as associated blogs and forums.
- Attend this important event or get involved in your area:
Ask Congress to Make Our Voting Machines Secure! Come to Washington, D.C. on April 6 & 7 to Advocate for H.R. 550 and Voter Verified Paper Records!
Sign up at www.icountcoalition.org/dclobby.html
H.R. 550, a bill introduced by Rep. Holt of New Jersey, would protect the integrity of our elections by requiring a voter verified paper record of every vote, requiring mandatory random hand counted audits to verify the accuracy of electronic tallies, and prohibiting the use of secret software and wireless communication devices in voting machines. The recent change in leadership of the Committee on House Administration has created a new opportunity for passage of this vital election integrity measure. Previous constituent meetings in June and August of 2005 were a huge success, generating 24 new co-sponsors of the bill from both parties. Please join us in Washington, D.C. on April 6 and 7 to build even greater bipartisan support for this critical bill.
Message from Elizabeth Walters:
Can we be sure we actually had a fair election among those who did vote? Can we be sure we will actually have a fair election the next time? Election Systems & Software (ES&S), Diebold, and Sequoia are the companies primarily involved in implementing the new voting stations throughout the country. All three have strong ties to the Bush Administration. The largest investors in ES&S, Sequoia, and Diebold are government defense contractors Northrup-Grumman, Lockheed-Martin, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Accenture. Diebold hired Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC) of San Diego to develop the software security in their voting machines (SAIC has very close ties to the National Security Agency (NSA spy agency)). A majority of officials on SAIC's board are former members of either the Pentagon or the CIA including:
- Army Gen. Wayne Downing, formerly on the National Security Council
- Bobby Ray Inman, former CIA Director
- Retired Adm. William Owens, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Robert Gates, another former director of the CIA
So we have a CIA/military private firm that programmed the security in the voting machines for companies owned by some of the largest military contracts in the country.
Additional Reference Sources
Some related websites:
- www.votefraud.org
- blackboxvoting.org
- www.votescam.com
- www.toykeeper.net/soapbox/reform/voting
- www.blogforamerica.com/archives/007465.html
- www.electionline.org
- www.reformelections.org
- www.publicampaign.org
- www.commoncause.org
- www.cartercenter.org
- www.fairvote.org
Some articles in the alternative press:
- Truthout.org: Video Supporting Ohio Vote Fraud Claim Revealed
- David Swanson: Media Black Out on Vote Fraud Allegations
- Voting Fraud in the 2004 Presidential Election, by William Rivers Pitt
- Daily Kos: Voter fraud and disenfranchisement
Info that has made it into mainstream media despite a general blackout, courtesy of wanttoknow.info:
USA Today - "Nearly one in three voters, including about half of those in Florida, were expected to cast ballots using ATM-style voting machines that computer scientists have criticized for their potential for software glitches, hacking and malfunctioning." "Most of the machines, including all of Florida's, lack paper records that could be used to verify the electronic results in a recount". "...over 20 percent of the machines tested by observers around the country failed to record votes properly."
New York Times - An article titled "Computer Voting Is Open to Easy Fraud," presents the troubling results of a detailed study by Johns Hopkins University. "We found some stunning, stunning flaws." "The systems....could be tricked by anyone with $100 worth of computer equipment." "Ballots could be altered by anyone with access to a machine, so that a voter might think he is casting a ballot for one candidate while the vote is recorded for an opponent."
ABC/Associated Press - "Voters nationwide reported ... problems with electronic voting machines on Tuesday, including trouble choosing their intended candidates." “... voters in six states said the wrong candidates appeared on their touch-screen machine's checkout screen.”
Washington Post - "In one North Carolina county, more than 4,500 votes were lost because officials misjudged the amount of data that could be stored electronically by a computer."
Miami Herald - An article titled "Defective Software Lost Votes" states, "Attorneys scrutinizing the close vote on Amendment Four noticed that vote totals changed in an unexpected way after 13,000 final ballots were counted. Election officials quickly determined the problem was caused by the Unity Software. Because no precinct has more than 32,000 voters, the software caps the total votes at that number. From there, it begins to count backward." "The glitch was discovered two years ago, and should have been corrected by software manufacturer ES&S."
CNN/Associated Press - "An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus. Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry's 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct. "
One other very good source of information --
http://www.votersunite.org
I particularly recommend downloading the mythbreakers pdf that they've put together and reading at least the preface and introduction to get a better idea of what's going on in voter-verified paper trail initiatives.
It is designed to be given to any local, county or state elections official who wants additional information presented in a straightforward, non-inflammatory, factual manner.
These and other tools are highlighted in the Elections and Voting Systems forum in the Library
http://www.democracycellproject.net/forum/index.php?s=c2ef42223a0a6023af824379ce44dcd2&showforum=181
We'll need to add some of this information, DiAnne. Great report. Thanks
Dianne, et al
Wonderful effort, and true, with the Voting Rights Act up for renewal, electonic voting has become the voting rights struggle of this new century. Along with all the other disenfranchisements we still have.
I'll be back, but my today's activity is apt.
The People for the Americian Way, is maddeningly neutral on our NYS struggle, and a little too forgiving of electronic problems. They like the forward-looking nature of the direct recording and database capture. Same to be said about other good gov't groups, like Common Cause. Most Boards of Elections are scared of generating too much paper. They all are affected by the devil they know, but give too much favor to their love/hate embrace of the computer. They are not willing to see the stealth and magnitude of this kind of fraud, which Bev Harris discusses-will always happen.
Any way, today, PFAW is sponsoring a voting rights program, but not including our HAVA non-compliance. NYS, and other states, are grappling with having to overpay for this electronic junk the GAO considers dangerous. Some groups are challenging the courts, but it's just the beginning.
I'm going, but they are skipping the issue. Now I'm preparing group resolutions from two peace groups that bolster our City Council resolution urging purchase of Paper Ballots/Optical Scanners for the city, having a sense of the Council. Maybe impacting opinion, but these Boards of Elections are independent and patronage jobs, not answerable to us, or with good judgment.
I'll be at Lobby Days, but remember Holt's Bill is okay with the paper trail (maybe beefing up paperless in use), which still does always match what was directly recorded into the machine. In NY, doesn't have to legally match. They are thermal rolled up pieces of junk that fade, jam, and are worthless. Without a marked paper ballot, we don't have the voter's intent. However, through marketing, considered a panacea.
Common Cause is one group sponsoring Lobby Days, but is neutral groups here in NY, which, again, reinforces electronic paper trail.
The companies are coming up with scanners for the paper trail, so we'll never an accurate, true count of the original intent.
More later, after today's program.
Chicago was not too happy with it's first use of the computerized voting machines and it left the Cook County Board president race undetermined even still. I live north of there and was in a hurry to get to work in the city. The election judges urged me to vote using the old optically scanned paper ballot as the new system was said to take twice as long.
See this: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0603220085mar22,1,3756192.story
Major ERROR by typo. The paper trail does NOT always match the directly recorded vote on the pushbutton/touchscreen vote. In NY, does not have to match LEGALLY.
Yes, Ellen Beth, does take longer, and are not universally acceptable to the disabled. The was the Trogan Horse used to pass, write, and sell it with the help of money to the disabled community. However legitimate and heartfelt the idea of being equal and voting just like everyone else, reason says that not all disabilities can vote on equal technology.
As with most issues groups, they are funded for access, and don't care as much about what happens after the vote. They do get funds to raise awareness, their chief goal.
Sell HAVA, that is. Better leave until I learn to write in whole, understood sentences. Too rushed.
Ok I hate to be persnickety but it should be, *Whom* Did Your Voting Machine Vote For?
(or to further refine, For Whom Did Your Voting Machine Vote? which isn't as punchy but does add a little creepy voiceover/Twilight-Zone robots-take-charge flavor)
I knew I got that expensive English degree for something :)
Thanks Veritas!
My voting machine may not vote for the right candidate in '06, but it will in '08. After Jeb is pushed out of office this year by term limits, Florida will have a Democratic governor who, with the help of the State Supreme Court if necessary, will straighten out the voting machines in this state.
And not even Jeb will be able to screw with enough machines to get Katherine Harris into the Senate. Half of the rednecks who like her because she pushed Georgy into the White House still won't vote for her because she's pushy and she's a women. She doesn't get that though, and I hope she aces the primaries with her daddy's 10 million dollars. I can't wait to see her face the day after the election. It will make my year.
I can't wait to see her face the day after the election. It will make my year.
Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 22, 2006 12:47 PM
Yeah, and without that $10 million, how will she pay for her make-up & botox treatments...Guess her husband will have to pony up some of his $25 million...
Speaking of Katherine Harris, I just came across this petition for those who want to sign it...
Tell Katherine Harris: Elections Shouldn't Be For Sale
American democracy is founded on the idea of one person, one vote. Your legacy already has threatened that principle, and now you are trying to sweep away serious corruption charges and rescue your bid for the Senate by pouring $10 million of your own money into your campaign. No amount of your personal money, or promises to make the campaign about ethics and reform will wash away your record of corruption. I don't buy it.
Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]
http://ga3.org/campaign/katherineharris
http://www.makethemaccountable.com/myth/BushWon2004Election.htm
Veritas
"Who Did Your Voting Machine Vote For" is more in the vernacular, I guess, and was the actual title of Elizabeth's panel. They even made buttons.
I hope it's not like "nu-cu-lar"!
You Oxford English major you!
Looks better in print
DiAnne, I almost forgot to say, fantastic article :)
Going back to one of Bev Harris's points that you listed above, if voter fraud is nothing new and always a possibility, what can we do to ensure our government is (relatively) fair even if we aren't sure our votes are counting?
Heck they've stuffed ballot boxes for years and there was still a shred of belief in our voting system. I think we have to think outside the (ballot) box on this one...as a complement to our voting activism efforts.
Posted by: Veritas at March 22, 2006 03:54 PM
A thought here that you and I have explored in the past Veritas.
Honesty in elections begins at the precinct level. All elections have poll watchers or judges. Often these are pulled from the pool of retired folk who have the time. The drawback to this of course, is the unfamilarity many of them have with the newer technologies in the new machines. It's hard to spot a problem when you don't know what to look for!
Call your county clerk and find out how election judges are chosen in your district, then volunteer. It may mean a lost day's pay, or giving up a vaction day, but it's one direct easy thing you can do.
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/03/22/a_time_for_heresy.php
A Time for Heresy
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is President of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy. This is the prepared text of his remarks delivered on March 14 upon the establishment by Marilyn and James Dunn, of the Wake Forest Divinity School, of a scholarship in religious freedom in the name of Judith and Bill Moyers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060322/ap_on_go_ot/guantanamo_appeals
Court to Decide Future of Detainees' Suits
Excerpt (more on link):
Gregory G. Katsas, a Justice Department lawyer, argued that judges would be limited to reviewing the sufficiency of administrative hearings held by the military because the detainees — who are aliens held outside the United States — have no rights under the Constitution.
~~~~~
I'd love to see an attorney versed in who has jurisdiction over what and where and when and why regarding leased property tackle this. Likely they'd have to get a copy of the lease between Cuba and the US to see if there are any exceptions...
Otherwise, I still believe that leased property in Gitmo is the de facto jurisdiction of the US, just as rented/leased property by a tenant is the de facto temporary property of the person who leased the property.
The torture and abuse and illegal confinement of Mideast prisoners certainly is no fault of the Cubans; it's solely under the "jurisdiction" and control of the US military.
This is just too funny not to post...
Fair warning, Adult Language (but just one word)
[snip]
I do not know if you are here because I have checked out subversive material from the library (books by M. Moore, J. Carter, B. Clinton, K. Vonnegut, etc.) or because I participated in the peace rally on March 18. Or it could be because I’ve sent letters to Washington letting my representatives (and the pretender on the throne) know how much I disapprove of their actions. Or maybe it’s the letters to the editor in which I railed against Republican incompetence and criminality. I am a vegetarian and I do donate money to liberal causes that promote peace, human rights and nuclear non-proliferation, so perhaps that's why.
But it really doesn't matter since all of those actions are still perfectly legal. Whatever the reason, you’ve agreed to violate my rights as outlined in the U.S. Constitution so you might as well put yourself to good use while you’re trampling on American liberty.
Be sure to check the washing machine. That is where I hide my protest t-shirts. If the stuff in there is wet I encourage you to move it to the dryer and dry it. The words "No Blood for Oil" are clearer when clean and dry. Make sure you move all of it. You don't want to miss anything.
rest here: http://tinyurl.com/jj27l
Well since Ladytechie started it...here's a good top ten list from David Letterman...
Top Ten Reasons Dick Cheney Won't Resign...
10. Trying to fix up Condi Rice with his daughter
9. Turns out when you shoot somebody, if you're not vice president, you gotta do time
8. Bush leaves at two every day and then it's margaritas and Fritos
7. Set the solitare high score on his office computer
6. Wants to see if he can help Bush get his approval rating under ten
5. Too hard to give up Vice Presidential Discount at D.C. area Sam Goody stores
4. Wants to stay on the job until every country in the world hates us
3. Extra-zappy White House defibrillators
2. Undisclosed location has foosball and whores
1. Why quit when things are going so well?
Posted by: Ladytechie at March 22, 2006 04:56 PM
Priceless!!! :-) ROTFLMAO! Then I sent it to practically everyone I know.... :-)
http://www.makeherspenditall.com/
The Corrosion of War
Battered by bad news from Iraq and sagging poll numbers, President Bush is being more candid about the war. But is candor enough?
WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek
March 22, 2006 - For months, the White House has tried to argue that President George W. Bush "gets it" about the war in Iraq, that he understands why a growing number of Americans don't share his optimistic assessments about the war.
-snip-
The only problem for Bush and his nervous party is that his message isn't new. Congressional Republicans have repeatedly told White House officials they are losing the message on the war. Some GOP officials privately question whether Bush's media push is helping or hurting. Just as troops are forced to adapt to changing war tactics, Republicans say the White House needs to adjust its communications strategy to adapt to public sentiment. Yet one senior GOP leadership aide tells NEWSWEEK that administration officials have rejected the advice. "Every time the White House puts out a story that the president will be talking about the war and the new strategy behind it, it's the same speech," says the GOP aide, who declined to be named while criticizing the White House. "This is like their eighth time they've rolled out this process, and it's had no impact beyond lower poll numbers."
more... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11965063/site/newsweek/
Transcript and video of exchange between Helen Thomas & Dumbya:
Scott Galindez | Someone Should Tell Bush Why We Went to War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032206A.shtml
Scott Galindez: After yesterday's presidential news conference, I am beginning to wonder if George W. Bush knows why we went to war with Iraq. He should just come clean and admit that we went to war because Dick, Wolfie, and Rummy told him to.
This cartoon fits right in there:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=675513&ct=2084909
Federal Grants Flow to Bush Allies
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032206C.shtml
In the Bush administration, conservatives are discovering that turnabout is fair play: Millions of dollars in taxpayer funds have flowed to groups that support President Bush's agenda on abortion and other social issues.
{{{When even Grover Norquist disapproves, something is seriously out of whack!}}}
Fears Grow Over New Dubai Revolt
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032206E.shtml
Arab and US officials are growing nervous at the prospect of a second congressional uprising against the acquisition of American assets by a Middle Eastern-controlled company in the wake of the Dubai Ports World debacle.
Rachel Neumann says Bush is a world batterer. Can we get a restraining order?
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/themix/33851
{{{HIGHLY Recommended Reading, especially the insightful Comments from bloggers! Much to think about with their analogies...!!!}}}
The war in Iraq is being replaced by China.
Fear is the only avenue the GOP has to market itself. The Iraqi War is collapsing in conservatives lap;
1) confidence in the White House is record low numbers
2) The war on Terror is no longer the Voting machine it was.
3) there is no concerted effort to find Bin Laden, because Saudi Arabia does not want him found.
4) the American Public is slowly realizing they have been lied too regarding Iraq, bin laden, and petroleum Interests.
The fear machine now sets its sights on China, replacing the terrorist with the worlds next super power, replacing terrorism with economics.
the US has massive trade deficits due to its fiscal policy, not the price of labor in China. The USA has been spending massive amounts of money to finance the Iraqi War, cutting taxes for the wealthy which doubled the shortfalls....the inevitable result will be a massive competition for Credit, which drives Business away.
The CEO of Catapillar tractor gave a speech where he details the error of the short sighted policies to raise tarrifs with China. Those who know History remember this is how the Great Depression began, with the tarrifs raised to "protect" american Jobs.
The actual result was the near collapse of the United States economic system. I hope this link came out, if not cut and paste, it is an incredible source, direct from China.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-03/23/content_550090.htm
Veritas
Good questions. I saw Bev another time & one thing she said about what we can do stuck in my mind. That was to apply our talents where they are. If it's computers, make sure systems are secure and can't be hacked. If we can write about it, write. & so on. & we can run for local offices that have to do with voting, or support people who are sound. We don't want to be lawsuit crazy, but if we think there is fraud, we can become involved in a suit or follow what is happening with one, publicize it. Paul Lehto got the system in the county north of here changed. A suit against Diebold was just successful in California. I was part of a lawsuit against Nader last election because his people were collecting signature over time on various street corners and calling that a "nominating convention." We lost, but we tried.
What we can't do is remain complacent and assume everything is being taken care of. & we should not stop voting.
Ladytechie
I believe we need more transparent systems. We need secure systems that can't be hacked and that we know are reliable. If some of the code is proprietary, how do we know what is going on inside the machines? Some of the websites mentioned in the article have material intended for activists. One problem is that some Secretaries of State and candidates don't want to accept that there may be problems. It's just too scary. Elizabeth and I have both talked with such people and considered some of them to be in denial. Some people think the whole thing is conspiracy, but it's convincing and frightening if you look into it.
Dixie Chicks are back and with a vengence...
It could be our new anthem! Turn up your speakers and check them out...Trust me, you'll love it.
Go to http://www.dixiechicks.com and the song will start playing.
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/com_tds_bush_speech_keywords_060321a_240x180.mov
Jon Stewart - great body language
Documents Show no WMD
Associated Press | March 22, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Exasperated, besieged by global pressure, Saddam Hussein and top aides searched for ways in the 1990s to prove to the world they'd given up banned weapons.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,91737,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl
[snip]
In his final report in October 2004, Charles Duelfer, head of a post-invasion U.S. team of weapons hunters, concluded Iraq and the U.N. inspectors had, indeed, dismantled the nuclear program and destroyed the chemical and biological weapons stockpiles by 1992, and the Iraqis never resumed production.
Saddam's goal in the 1990s was to have the Security Council lift the economic sanctions strangling the Iraqi economy, by convincing council members Iraq had eliminated its WMD. But he was thwarted at every turn by what he and aides viewed as U.S. hard-liners blocking council action.
Follow the money
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032106A.shtml
The last sentence is interesting.
[snip]
Which sounds like the way Saddam used to run the country. "If you were to interview Iraqis today about what they see day to day," she says, "I think they will tell you that they don't see a lot of difference
A neat local GR site that links to alternative news sources...
It is very unusual for this area..
http://www.mediamouse.org/news/
Posted by: battlebob at March 23, 2006 05:34 AM
Very cool, battlebob. Hope there are many more progressives coming out of the woodwork in GR...
Good Morning to everyone--
Dick and I are back in Washington (*warmer, but weirder*) and there is a new outrage, as usual. See today's Five Minutes a Day for details.
There are also petititons you can sign, and actions to plan for.
I am very excited about the rewrites Marietta and I are doing on FEAR UP, which we are going to London to see in April. When I say *excited*, I mean that it is up-to-date and more horrific than in September. It becomes impossible to believe that we are not all screaming in the streets at the injustices our country is perpetrating.
I will be writing more about the rewrites and the upcoming production; in the meantime, anyone who wants to contact us about doing a staged version, or a living room read, contact me.
It becomes impossible to believe that we are not all screaming in the streets at the injustices our country is perpetrating.
Posted by: karen at March 23, 2006 08:08 AM
Indeed. Where's the outrage?
American Eye Dull
Bush uncle benefits from war spending
By WALTER F. ROCHE JR. , Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — As President Bush embarks on a new effort to shore up public support for the war in Iraq, an uncle of the chief executive is collecting $2.7 million in cash and stock from the recent sale of a company that profited from the war.
A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that William H.T. Bush collected a little less than $1.9 million in cash plus stock valued at more than $800,000 as a result of the sale of Engineered Support Systems Inc. to DRS Technologies of New Jersey.
The $1.7 billion deal closed Jan. 31. Both businesses have extensive military contracts.
The elder Bush was a director of Engineered Support Systems. Recent SEC filings show he was paid cash and DRS stock in exchange for shares and options he obtained as a director.
more...
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-06/03-23-06/11world-nation.htm
Good commentary from Jeffrey Feldman (from the Frameshop) RE: why the GOP has lost 2006 already based on 3 key frames: security, leadership, & spending.
But that's not an excuse for us to get complacent... And as he emphasizes at the end of his article, we have to get organized & stay focused...
"The next step for Democrats is (1) to see that they now control these three frames, (2) to believe in their ability to dominate public discussion, and (3) to bring their campaigns up to the highest possible level of high-tech and focused organization.
Organization is the key. As Al Gore often reminds us, Democrats often rest on their laurels in the months before the elections instead of digging in for the final push. Seeing that the GOP has already lost the debate is the first step to realizing that the Democrats are in good position to capitalize on that failure. Debate alone is not enough. Victory in debate must be turned into victory at the polls.
The next step is to get focused and get out there."
Read it at Daily Kos here ===>
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/23/74223/0482
or on his website here ===>
http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/
I want whatever drugs Frist is on... Clearly, they're great for escaping reality...
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/032206/news5.html
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who angered conservatives by inserting billions of dollars of domestic spending into conference reports last year, voted for the amendment. Less than a week earlier, Frist, who is also readying a presidential run, told a crowd of Republican activists that “a balanced budget is the cornerstone of governing effectively.”
In an e-mail to political supporters yesterday, he blasted Democrats for offering budget amendments to increase spending.
“The Democrat alternative to Republican efforts to restrain spending is clear: Continue to spend beyond our means, mortgaging our children’s future by saddling them with a debt of $8 trillion … and continue to ratchet up taxes to pay for their fiscal irresponsibility, stifling the American economy,” Frist wrote.
Here's a good analysis of the mid-terms by Steve Clemons & Norm Ornstein, with their views on these 3 questions...
1.) Many think that the political landscape is ripe for Democratic gains in the 2006 midterm elections. Is this excitement too optimistic?
2.) What obstacles stand in the way of a Democratic takeover of the House? The Senate?
3.) What political and campaign strategies do you expect to emerge from Republicans in order to blunt electoral defeat in the fall?
"Face to Face" between Steve Clemons and Norm Ornstein on 2006 Race in Washington Examiner
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/
One more from me this morning... Good words from Jim Wallis on his Sojourner's site...Well worth the read to give us all some hope...
The Religious Right is losing control
by Jim Wallis
--snip--
The Evangelical Climate Initiative is of enormous importance and could be a tipping point in the climate change debate, according to one secular environmental leader I talked to. But of even wider importance, these events signal a sea change in evangelical Christian politics: The Religious Right is losing control. They have now lost control on the environmental issue - caring for God's creation is now a mainstream evangelical issue, especially for a new generation of evangelicals. But now so is sex trafficking, the genocide in Darfur, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and, of course, global and domestic poverty. The call to overcome extreme poverty abroad and at home, in the world's richest nation, is becoming a new altar call around the world - a principal way Christians are deciding to put their faith into practice.
--snip--
The sacredness of life and family values are deeply important to these Christians as well - yet too important to be used as partisan wedge issues that call for single issue voting patterns that ignore other critical biblical matters. The Religious Right has been able to win when they have been able to maintain and control a monologue on the relationship between faith and politics. But when a dialogue begins about the extent of moral values issues and what biblically-faithful Christians should care about, the Religious Right begins to lose. The best news of all for the American church and society is this: The monologue of the Religious Right is over, and a new dialogue has just begun.
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=sojomail.current_issue#4
madame defarge
I hope Jim Wallis is right, because I read the scary Vanity Fair (Dec 2005) article last night about the "Left Behind" people & the meddling in Israel to try to trigger the Apocalypse then Rapture. Article estimated more than 50 million US Evangelicals. I think we were oversold on the Protestant Reformation rather than the Enlightenment and have never resolved this, so we can't separate church and state well.
Posted by: DiAnne at March 23, 2006 09:19 AM
I read that article too (awhile ago, so I don't remember all the details). Scared the hell out of me. However, I'm finding that there is a difference in Evangelicals. Wallis (and those who agree with him) is the kind of Evangelical who understands how to keep a proper (or at least better) balance of how big a role the church should play in politics.
madame defarge
Well the good Evangelicals have better music. I went to a festival of gospel music once and found that out!!
madame defarge
I was just reading about evangelicals, protestants, fundamentalists, born-agains and trying to figure out what is what. I was raised a Methodist and we were baptized at birth but not "born again" and I did not hear much about sinning, proselytizing or taking the Bible literally. If "evangelical" is being used very loosely, such as to mean "Protestantism" almost, then the estimate of 50 million might not be as scary. I think that it is "fundamentalism" (all religions) that freaks me out!
Fundamentalism is the root of all evil.
Fundamentally speaking...you're right DiAnne & monkey...
I think the Buddhist philosophy has the right idea: acceptance, tolerance, & compassion for all beliefs, with wisdom, understanding, & morals.
KABUL, Afghanistan - Senior Muslim clerics said Thursday that an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity should be killed regardless of whether a court decides to free him.
Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old former medical aid worker, faces the death penalty for becoming a Christian under Afghanistan's Islamic laws.
His trial, which began last week, has caused an international outcry. U.S. President Bush said Wednesday he was "deeply troubled" by the case and expects the country to "honor the universal principle of freedom."
Diplomats say the Afghan government is searching for a way to drop the case, and on Wednesday authorities said Rahman is suspected of being mentally ill and would undergo psychological examinations to see whether he is fit to stand trial.
But four senior clerics interviewed by The Associated Press in their mosques in Kabul said Rahman deserved to be killed for his conversion.
-snip-
Bush 'deeply troubled'
Bush, in a statement Wednesday, said that “I’m troubled when I hear, deeply troubled when I hear, the fact that a person who converted away from Islam may be held to account.”
While not demanding that the trial be stopped and the defendant released, Bush said he wanted to make sure that “people are protected in their capacity to worship.”
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed up with a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, whose government is an ally of the United States in the war on terror.
She told him she was deeply troubled by the case and called the prosecution “contrary to universal democratic values,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11973510/
Bush AND Condi are deeply troubled (that's old news)... but religious FREEDOM? Democratic values?
Come on.
They should just franchise "Christians R'Us" already and get it over with.
It all makes me cross.
A friend just heard on Thom Hartmann that a Republican judge is questioning the voting machines used in Texas.
The problem was that he received no votes in the primary and his wife and he voted for him, so there should be at least two.
He was running again a Bush cohort in the primary. Interesting!
Well some Christian Peacemakers are no longer hostages.I heard a colleague of one of them speaking on NPR & they were working closely with Muslim Peacemakers, mostly on making sure families were able to know which of their family members are held in prison and where. Too bad we have to have the Christian warmongers as well (& those of other religions) or the whole problem probably wouldn't exist in the first place.