Voting Machines Story Spreads

The voting machines story has reached Slashdot.

Update - one comment in the Slashdot piece points to a good blog entry about voting machines here.

Thanks to Cursor I discovered this excellent article, "Lying Us Into War: Exposing Bush and His "Techniques of Deceit," exposing the 14 "techniques of deceit" that Bush has used to sell the war to the public.

Never Mind

News report - "False Alarm? Terror Alert Partly Based on Fabricated Information":

It was only after the threat level was elevated to orange — meaning high — last week, that the informant was subjected to a polygraph test by the FBI, officials told ABCNEWS.

So forget the duct tape, plastic sheeting, safe room, etc.

Convenient timing, though, what with Bush's polling numbers down and the U.N. inspector's reports and all.

My Mind Keeps Coming Back to This

My mind keeps coming back to what I read at Daily Kos the other day. I think this is important. WE COULD LOSE THE WAR.

I've dreamed up scenarios involving China taking Taiwan, Korea doing something, Iran getting involved, but the posts and comments over at Daily Kos are much more realistic, and some of the comments are from people with military experience. I suggest reading "One war scenario" along with the comments posted at the end, and if nothing else, even if you don't read the first, read "Follow up on "One war scenario." It will reposition your thinking.

EVERYTHING I read or hear from the mainstream press, and EVERY comment I hear from regular people presupposes a really quick, maybe 5 day war that we win easily. But if the Iraqis fight, they could win, especially if they really DO have weapons of mass destruction. (And don't forget that Iran isn't likely to sit and wait for us to regroup and then come after them. Plus, China and Korea, etc.)

Be Responsible

Be responsible and go over to PLA and read the whole Responsibility Era series. This is great stuff. Go to PLA and scroll down. There's "The Balanced Budget Amendment,"The 9/11 Investigation," "Foreign Policy" and "The Responsibility Era."

The very best of blogging. This is why everyone reading this should be telling everyone they know who is is thinking person to start reading weblogs!

Not Posting Much

I'm not posting much because I have a cold or something.

Joke

I got this joke in my e-mail this morning:

During a propaganda tour, president Bush visits a school to explain his politics to kids. He invites the kids to ask him questions. Bobby stands up and tells him "Mr. President, I got 3 questions:"

1. How come, that although the count of votes was not in your favor, you still won the election?
2. Why do you want to attack Iraq without an imminent reason?
3. Don't you also consider the bombing of Hiroshima the biggest terrorist attack of all times?

Before the president can answer, the recess bell rings, and the kids leave the room. After they came back, Bush invited them again to ask questions. Joey stands up and tells him "Mr. President, I got 5 questions:"

1. How come, that although the count of votes was not in your favor, you still won the election?
2. Why do you want to attack Iraq without an imminent reason?
3. Don't you also consider the bombing of Hiroshima the biggest terrorist attack of all times?
4. Why did the recess bell ring 20 minutes early?
5. Where's Bobby?

No Title

Interesting.

Voting Machines in the Guardian Today

Paranoid party rights today in the Guardian. (Thanks skimble).

This story is creeping up the food chain. I also added this to my collection of articles and websites that cover this issue. I've added several new items there so check it out.

This is an important story. It is ready to make it into the mainstream. So it's time for all of us to work to move it up to the mainstream. Start writing letters to the editor, calling newspapers asking about covering this story, calling radio stations, calling politicians. Refer them to BlackBoxVoting.com.

Noticing Ruminating

Ruminate This is being noticed BIG TIME! FAIR has them listed with the heavyweights, like Eric Alterman, John Nichols, Tom Tomorrow, not to mention Washington Post and, especially, Hollywood Reporter. Media Whores Online added them to the cherished Unbiased Dailies list. AND The Guardian. Go check it out! Weblog power grows!

Secret Revealed - I'm Not Atrios

In my day job I wrote an article that is published over at History News Network. I'll write about that article in a separate piece very soon.

Seeing the Forest has been an anonymous blog. I previously wrote,

I want this to be a weblog ABOUT, not a weblog BY. I think I have some good reasons for that. First and foremost this focuses criticism to content. I mean this limits a critic's ability to attack the content by attacking & attempting to discredit the author - a favored right-wing technique. If you don't know who the author is you're stuck with having to look at the content and argue with that. Too bad.

I'm not saying that I expect to be writing anything worthy of right-wingers taking note. My second reason is more that this is NOT an ego-based endeavor so why put my name on it.

But in my day job I'm publishing articles that I write because I think the subject matter is important. Publications identify the authors of articles. When I link to articles I've written readers learn my name.

Should Seeing the Forest remain an anonymous blog, for the reasons above? Should I continue to use "IssuesGuy," and you'll also know who I am? Would it be stupid to continue writing pieces here and leaving comments on other weblogs as "IssuesGuy." If Bush gets to have everything both ways then why can't I?

Meanwhile Ive been told now that they have a name tied to the all-important Seeing the Forest weblog, Karl Rove is personally supervising the dirt-digging operation. Reporters are gathering on my lawn. Teenage girls are swooning. Hollywood producers are sending me scripts.

I wish.

More Voting Machines

Rebecca Mercuri writes,

Security expert Peter Neumann and I were interviewed recently by NPR about voting technology. The segment is supposed to air on Monday in the "Morning Edition" show. This is a multi-segment show that is repeated in some listening areas. For times, check your local
NPR listings, sorry we don't know which segment we will be in, or even if the segment will air on Monday for sure, but thought the "heads-up" notice would be appropriate. The segment will be on the NPR website after it airs, so you can hear it there if you miss the broadcast.

For those interested in elections who have not yet seen David Dill's excellent website about voter-verified audit trails and the recent hearings in Santa Clara County, do check it out at: http://verify.stanford.edu/evote.html

I have also added this website to my collection of voting machine-issue websites. The website contains this good news: Friday, February 6, 2003. Very good news California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announced that he will be forming a task force of experts to study this issue! Perhaps there will be a statewide solution.