Diebold Added Secret Patch to Georgia E-Voting Systems in 2002, Whistleblowers Say

Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, Atlanta Progressive News (September 28, 2006)

(APN) ATLANTA – Top Diebold corporation officials ordered workers to install secret files to Georgia’s electronic voting machines shortly before the 2002 Elections, at least two whistleblowers are now asserting, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.

Former Diebold official Chris Hood told his story concerning the secret “patch” to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for Kennedy’s second article on electronic voting in this week’s Rolling Stone Magazine.

Hood’s claims corroborate a second whistleblower who spoke with Black Box Voting and Wired News in 2003.

Full article here.

But Kip Hawley IS an idiot!

Ryan Bird is a middle-aged guy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He's a frequent flyer, racking-up over 125,000 miles a year traveling on behalf of his company.

On the 26th of September, when the TSA lifted their utterly moronic total ban on liquids in favor of a mind-numbingly idiotic policy requiring travelers to carry only "travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag", Ryan had enough.

Before heading-off to Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport, Ryan loaded-up his Ziploc™ bag with toiletries, but not before writing (TSA Director) "Kip Hawley Is An Idiot" on the bag with a black magic marker. For exercising his First Amendment rights, Ryan Bird found himself detained by TSA and local law enforcement for 25 minutes. (You can read Ryan's full account of the incident.)

There are a number of reasons why a reasonable person would think that Kip Hawley is in fact, an idiot. It has been demonstrated that making a binary bomb on a plane belongs in the realm of Hollywood fiction rather than threat-based fact, yet Kip Hawley continues to harass his fellow Americans with an absurd theater of ID checks, shoe removal, and now Ziploc™ 'security'. Meanwhile, serious security concerns are ignored: air cargo is not screened and there is still no point-to-point baggage matching.

Stopping terrorism does not mean giving up our basic rights. Don't give in to idiots who seek to abuse their position.

Would you like to tell TSA chief Kip Hawley your opinions on his latest stupid security policies? Email him at edward.hawley@dhs.gov and share your views!

-- From http://www.kiphawleyisanidiot.com/

Another one bites the dust

Six-term Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida resigned from the U.S. Congress on Friday following reports he sent sexually inappropriate e-mails to underage male congressional interns.

Foley, chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, said he would resign after ABC News reported he sent messages to current and former congressional pages with references to sexual organs and acts.

Foley, who once accused the Supreme Court of "siding with pedophiles over children" was the author of the key sexual predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which Bush signed in July.

I guess he was an expert. Don't you love it? Yet another closeted gay conservative Republican who wooed his "base" by taking the "tough" stand on "values" issues gets caught with his pants down. Where do you think this a**hole stood on the gay marriage issue? How much hypocrisy is necessary for the deluded right wing Republican voters of this country to wake up out of their dull-witted torpor? Or can they really be continually bought by knocking a few dimes off the price per gallon to fill their Hummers?

This week in the new Roman Empire

And what a week it was ...

• a psycho held high school kids in Colorado hostage, molested several, then killed one followed by himself.


• 2 Catholic priests in Broward County, Florida were nailed for embezzling around 8 million dollars from their churches' offerings over many years. The funds were used for real estate speculation, gambling and girlfriends, among other things.


• Conservative six-term Republican Rep. Mark Foley of West Palm Beach, Florida will resign from the U.S. Congress following allegations he sent inappropriate e-mails to a 16-year-old male congressional intern. Evidence of his secret life as a pedophile continues to surface.
  


• The U.S. Senate passed "The Military Commissions Act of 2006," AKA "the detainee bill" that gives the Bush administration broad latitude in regard to the detainment and interrogation of so-called "enemy combatants," including avoidance of the statutes of that pesky Geneva Convention. It was earlier approved by the House, and will soon receive the president's signature. The bill also makes it next-to-impossible for any member of the Bush administration to be brought before the World Court on charges of war crimes. My senator, Bill Nelson D-FL, was one of 12 Dems who voted "Yes."

GOP = Grotesque Old Party

I don't which is sadder -that Republican candidates stoop to this level of hideousness, or that a substantial number of our fellow citizens actually accept it.

IL-06: GOPer Says Amputee Vet Dem Would "Cut and Run" From Iraq

By Eric Kleefeld | bio

Peter Roskam, the GOP candidate to succeed outgoing Rep. Henry Hyde, accused Dem opponent Tammy Duckworth of wanting to "cut and run" from Iraq during a debate a couple days ago. The use of this common pro-war talking-point in this case surprised some observers—not to mention Duckworth herself—because the veteran Duckworth lost both of her legs in Iraq. Duckworth's post-debate reply was rather straightforward: "I just could not believe he would say that to me."

Newsweek’s latest cover, by geographical region

This is just too much. Welcome to Fantasyland.



Source: Rising Hegemon

Fanboy Faves # 2

Another great one...

Fanboy Faves # 1

Fanboy flicks are short fims featuring comic book superheros created by, well ... fanboys (and girls?). Sometimes edited like a mock trailer, they are frequently better at distilling the essence of these sequential art heroes than the big Hollywood blockbusters. Here's one of my favorites.

Birdbrain

His name is John Bryant. He lives in St. Petersburg, FL on the left coast of Florida, which, despite its polarity, is anything but in its political orientation. The entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula has much more in common with the Sunshine State zeitgeist (read "southern") - conservative to reactionary politics, a roiling underbelly of intolerance, Christian cultural dominance - in contrast to the southeast coast of the state and the occasional enclaves of progressiveness such as Gainesville. He calls himself "Birdman" and seems inordinately fond of pigeons. In an obviously self-penned Wikipedia bio, which has since been pulled from that site (the link leads to an archive at J"B"B's own) he notes his previous membership in Mensa. Apparently they threw him out as well. Birdman Bryant is, among other things, a white supremicist, a virulent anti-Semite, and a self-proclaimed libertarian (that all encompassing umbrella for nihilists of all stripes). He has written something like 40 pamphlets, each a veritable mini-"Protocols of the Elders of Zion," which I am sure he believes to be God's truth (if he weren't an atheist). According to Mr. Bryant, his web site receives 32 million hits a month (not quite - go to Alexa and see for yourself. Note the rapidly declining numbers). He has appointed himself the "world's most controversial author" and his site "the world's only website of Real Free Speech and the Internet's premier website of Actonite Libertarianism and White Liberation" (his html skills leave something to be desired, however).

That an individual of seemingly above average intelligence (and - dare I say - some idiosyncratic charm) could be so deluded is kind of shocking at first. Like the best of bigots, the excrement in which he trades he purports to derive from some Olympian height above mere hate.

Mr. Bryant is roundly ignored by most except for the execrable minions who share his vile dialectic. Most of them are of the drooling sort, to whom the Birdman, no doubt, has an otherworldly, hemi-diety sort of appeal. This may account for his dabbles in porn and scatology. There are two web sites worth visiting where the Birdman's guano has been confronted. The first, by Tim Wise (left) is an exchange that developed over an article by Mr. Wise called "Color Conscious, White Blind" to which Mr. Bryant replied.
The second is much more personal. Michael Adams is a St. Louis resident who climbed out of an angry, hateful youth mired in white nationalism and to whom Birdman became something of a hero. Then he grew up. Michael, I take my hat off to you.

Finally, just to put in all in perspective, here is an Alexa plot of Mr. Bryant's website traffic for the last 3 months compared to that of the DailyKos:

Yeah, that's the Birdman in blue, hugging the bottom, where his ilk usually feed. 'Nuff said.

List of accusations of GIs in Iraq stuns experts

Updated: 6:09 p.m. ET June 23, 2006

The accounts are brutal: An Iraqi man dragged from his home, executed and made to look as if he were an insurgent. Three prisoners killed by their Army captors. A team of revenge-seeking Marines going home to home, shooting down unarmed Iraqi men, women, children.

The recent flurry of accusations against U.S. servicemen has stunned military analysts and experts. Many see a critical new point in the war — though few agree whether it shows the toll of combat stress, commanders resolved to stamp out war crimes, or, as some claim, an overzealous second-guessing of the troops.

But the number and gravity of the latest allegations have drawn the greatest outcry against U.S. military actions since the Abu Ghraib prison abuses.

Read the rest here or here.

Spooks to Bush: great job (not)

Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat

By MARK MAZZETTI

09/24/06 "New York Times' -- -- WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 — A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The classified National Intelligence Estimate attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, according to several officials in Washington involved in preparing the assessment or who have read the final document.

The intelligence estimate, completed in April, is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by United States intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began, and represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government. Titled “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,’’ it asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.

An opening section of the report, “Indicators of the Spread of the Global Jihadist Movement,” cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology.

The report “says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse,” said one American intelligence official.

More than a dozen United States government officials and outside experts were interviewed for this article, and all spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a classified intelligence document. The officials included employees of several government agencies, and both supporters and critics of the Bush administration. All of those interviewed had either seen the final version of the document or participated in the creation of earlier drafts. These officials discussed some of the document’s general conclusions but not details, which remain highly classified.

Read more here, here and here.

Big Oil sends a midterm election gift to the Dubya

Has anyone else pondered the sudden drop in gasoline prices 49 days before the midterms? Well, ponder no more. Some found poetry from the front page of Sept. 19's USA Today:

"Plummet at the pump
Gas prices hit 6-month low."

and directly below:

"Poll finds rebound in Bush approval"

Avenging Angels

Avenging Angels is an advertising agency devoted to progressive candidates and causes. At their web site, they have posted "ten solid, vigorous, popular proposals" for a Democratic platform to reverse the tide of ignorance, incompetence, and militarism, and fiscal irresponsibility that are the earmarks of the 21st Century GOP:

Empower America's taxpayers to cut the Pentagon down to size.

Nail Bush to the wall for advocating default on the Social Security Trust Fund.

What do illegal aliens owe America? Two years of national service.

End credit card loansharking.

Give states the power to outlaw usurious interest rates.

Expose the "secret" Bush/Cheney energy policy. The secret: There is no policy.

Make "Ambassador to the United Nations" America's most honored office.

End the "war" on terrorism. Create a global anti-terrorist police force modeled on Interpol.

One man, one vote: Elect our next President by nationwide popular vote.

Replace the Donut Hole with a simple, fair Rx plan worthy of the name Medicare.

Honk if you love trains: Start building the rail system America will depend on.

Powell: Secret Report? Never heard of it.

September 15th, 2006 by J. Howard

This just in from AP: Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell says he never saw a study that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage.

Powell, now a consultant, said through his assistant Judy Mann that “he never saw the report, he never heard of the report until yesterday and he certainly never ordered anything destroyed or stopped.”

But the ex-FCC lawyer who exposed the scandal is sticking to his story. Adam Candeub, now a law professor at Michigan State, tells AP that senior managers ordered that “every last piece” of the report be destroyed. “The whole project was just stopped — end of discussion,” he said.

>> Click Here to Protest the FCC Cover-up

Barbara Boxer has demanded answers from Chairman Kevin Martin (pictured above) about the buried 2004 FCC study on local news. The report was given to her by an anonymous whistle-blower, who worked at the FCC during the time of the study.

She grilled Martin about it at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Now we’ve got the tape.

>> Watch Boxer Grill Martin

Read more here.

Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell buries the truth

Lawyer Says FCC Ordered Study Destroyed

From Associated Press, September 14, 2006
By John Dunbar

The Federal Communications Commission ordered its staff to destroy all copies of a draft study that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage, a former lawyer at the agency says.

The report, written in 2004, came to light during the Senate confirmation hearing for FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. received a copy of the report “indirectly from someone within the FCC who believed the information should be made public,” according to Boxer spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz.

Adam Candeub, now a law professor at Michigan State University, said senior managers at the agency ordered that “every last piece” of the report be destroyed. “The whole project was just stopped _ end of discussion,” he said. Candeub was a lawyer in the FCC’s Media Bureau at the time the report was written and communicated frequently with its authors, he said.

In a letter sent to Martin Wednesday, Boxer said she was “dismayed that this report, which was done at taxpayer expense more than two years ago, and which concluded that localism is beneficial to the public, was shoved in a drawer.”

Martin said he was not aware of the existence of the report, nor was his staff. His office indicated it had not received Boxer’s letter as of midafternoon Thursday.

In the letter, Boxer asked whether any other commissioners “past or present” knew of the report’s existence and why it was never made public. She also asked whether it was “shelved because the outcome was not to the liking of some of the commissioners and/or any outside powerful interests?”

The report, written by two economists in the FCC’s Media Bureau, analyzed a database of 4,078 individual news stories broadcast in 1998. The broadcasts were obtained from Danilo Yanich, a professor and researcher at the University of Delaware, and were originally gathered by the Pew Foundation’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

The analysis showed local ownership of television stations adds almost five and one-half minutes of total news to broadcasts and more than three minutes of “on-location” news. The conclusion is at odds with FCC arguments made when it voted in 2003 to increase the number of television stations a company could own in a single market. It was part of a broader decision liberalizing ownership rules.

At that time, the agency pointed to evidence that “commonly owned television stations are more likely to carry local news than other stations.”

When considering whether to loosen rules on media ownership, the agency is required to examine the impact on localism, competition and diversity. The FCC generally defines localism as the level of responsiveness of a station to the needs of its community.

The 2003 action sparked a backlash among the public and within Congress. In June 2004, a federal appeals court rejected the agency’s reasoning on most of the rules and ordered it to try again. The debate has since been reopened, and the FCC has scheduled a public hearing on the matter in Los Angeles on Oct. 3.

The report was begun after then-Chairman Michael Powell ordered the creation of a task force to study localism in broadcasting in August of 2003. Powell stepped down from the commission and was replaced by Martin in March 2005. Powell did not return a call seeking comment.

The authors of the report, Keith Brown and Peter Alexander, both declined to comment. Brown has left public service while Alexander is still at the FCC. Yanich confirmed the two men were the authors. Both have written extensively on media and telecommunications policy.

Yanich said the report was “extremely well done. It should have helped to inform policy.”

Boxer’s office said if she does not receive adequate answers to her questions, she will push for an investigation by the FCC inspector general.

Campaigns

Stop Big Media
New FCC rules could allow more media consolidation

Future of Media Hearings Have your voice heard as our media is reshaped.

FCC Media Ownership Rules Fight for increased public interest protection.

GI Resistance Movement Continues to Grow!

Darrell Anderson, Iraq war resister, to return to U.S. from Canada to face military

photo by: Greg Henkenhaf/Toronto Sun

"I started to think ... what's it really for? I was willing to die for my country. I thought I was going over there to defend my country. But that's not what I was doing," Anderson said . "There are no weapons of mass destruction. Innocent people are being killed every day. It's a war about money -- to keep money in rich people's pockets. There is no way I can believe in that. I still believe in my country, but I can no longer be a part of the Army or that war."

After enlisting in the Army in January of 2003 to earn money for college and serve his country, Darrell Anderson was deployed to Iraq with the Army's 1st Armoured Division in the spring of 2004. Darrell served most of his time in Baghdad where he was wounded by a roadside bomb after serving for 7 months. Facing the possibility of a second deployment to Iraq, Darrells conscience kept him from returning to the military. He fled to Canada rather than face that possibility.

Now Anderson will return to the U.S. later this month to turn himself him to the military.

"He feels that everything he did was a moral stand and he has to follow it through, which means coming back and facing it, telling everybody what's happening there, what's happening to soldiers and the innocent Iraqi people," said his mother, Anita Dennis, in a recent article published by the Toronto Star.

Support is mounting for Darrell and his courageous stand!
Two events are planned in conjunction with his return to the U.S:

Fort Erie, Ontario on Saturday, September 30 at Noon. There will be a rally in Lions Sugar Bowl (corner of Central Ave. and Gilmore Rd.) and then supporters, including Iraq war veterans and military family members, will accompany Darrell as he crosses the border back into the U.S. over the Peace Bridge.

On Monday, October 2 supporters will vigil outside of Ft. Knox, KY to demand an immediate discharge from the military. More details to come!

For more info about these events or to pledge your, and group or organizations, support for Darrell Anderson email: resistwithdarrell@insighybb.com

To donate to Darrell's legal and family fund visit:
http://www.peaceandjusticeky.org/DAnderson.htm

A.W.O.L. in Canada: Darrell Anderson (Video)
Darrell Anderson talks about his decision to go AWOL and flee to Canada

---

Agustin Aguayo goes AWOL rather than face a forced deployment to Iraq

Augustin Aguayo

On September 2, 2006 Augustin Aguayo, a conscientious objector, went AWOL after the U.S. military attempted to deploy him from Germany to Iraq by force. Aguayo is the first U.S. soldier stationed in Germany to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq, joining a growing group of U.S. military personnel who have refused to deploy.

According to his wife, Helga Aguayo, Agustin plans to turn himself in as soon as it is feasible.

Aguayo had already served a year in Iraq beginning in February, 2004. He applied for conscientious objector status and release from the Army shortly after he first arrived in Iraq. Despite an initial favorable review of his CO application by Army interviewers, the Army denied his CO application in August, 2004. In November, 2005, Aguayo filed a civil court case in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, to challenge the Army’s rejection of his CO application.

After stating that ,on the grounds of conscience, he would not deploy to Iraq again he received an order to deploy to Iraq for a second time. On the morning of September 2nd Agustin turned himself in to military police at the Schweinfurt military base ready to accept a court martial for his refusal to deploy, but the military attempted to deploy him by force.

“I stand by my husband because I know he is sincere. I stand by him because I know he is right. God created all people, Christian, Muslim, Black, White -- no one has the right to decide when it is time to kill someone. When the unit tried to take him by force to Iraq, what was he to do? If he is truly a conscientious objector than the only thing he could do was resist. He is a conscientious objector, but the Army forced him to become a war-resister.” - Helga Aguayo, Agustin's wife.

Courage to Resist will alert you on how to take action to help Agustin as his case develops
Please be ready to take action to support Agustin's courage!
For background info and to donate to Agustin's legal defense visit:
http://www.aguayodefense.org/

---

Army Specialist Mark Wilkerson Refuses War on Moral Grounds

Mark Wilkerson at Camp Casey

In one of the latest cases of a young man from within the military taking a powerful stand against the war in Iraq, Army Specialist Mark Wilkerson turned himself in to Fort Hood, Texas after more than 18 months spent AWOL from the Army.

Prior to turning himself in, on August 31st, Wilkerson held a press conference at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas.

"There comes a time in a person's life when they must do the right moral decision for themselves, doubtless of how popular that decision is in other's eyes, or what others feel about it...I am not willing to kill, or be killed, or do anything else I consider morally wrong, for reasons I don't believe in, and now today, I am turning myself in to face the consequences of my actions." (Read Mark's Full Statement)

22 year-old Wilkerson was deployed to Iraq in March 2003, and after returning to the States immediately applied for Conscientious Objector status. With his C.O. claim still in process, Mark's unit was informed they would deploy to Iraq in January 2005.

In November of 2004, two months before scheduled deployment, his C.O. claim was denied, and Mark was told by his superiors that his rebuttal would not be considered until his return from Iraq, more than 16 months away.

It was at this point that Wilkerson made the decision to go AWOL, for what he describes as "political, spiritual, and personal reasons."

Wilkerson is now at Fort Hood, Texas, awaiting review of his case. He faces potential court martial or other legal repercussions.

For breaking news and to donate: http://markwilkerson.wordpress.com

---

Sgt. Ricky Clousing Charged with Desertion

Ricky Clousing at press conference outside Veterans for Peace conference on August 11, 2006 photo by: Jeff Paterson

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served as a U.S. Army Interrogator in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 has been charged with desertion by the Army and will face court martial charges. He was charged with desertion depite the fact that he turned himself in to military custody.

Clousing left Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he was stationed in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. He had been AWOL until August 11th, 2006, when he called a press conference in Seattle, Washingon coinciding with the annual Veterans for Peace national convention.

At the press conference, Clousing went public with his stand, and later turned himself in to Fort Lewis military police.

In response to charges related to his 14 months absent-without-leave, Ricky stated: "Since I left the army I have known that being court martialed was a possibility I could face. I am at peace with my decision. I followed my conscience and, if need be, I will feel honored to join the ranks of others who have been prosecuted for doing the same."

The United States Army has opened two parallel investigations into disclosures made by Sgt. Clousing about the abuse of power and lack of accountability of the U.S. Military in Iraq.

Clousing does not claim to be a conscientious objector, as is defined by the U.S. military, he is opposed to the war and occupation of Iraq based on his firsthand experience in country, which brought him to the conclusion that the Iraq war is a "war of aggression" that has "no legal basis to be fought"

Desertion charges can carry up to a 2 year jail sentence.
Find out how you can support Ricky today!: http://www.sdmcc.org/rickyclousing/

---

Courage to Resist
web: www.CouragetoResist.org e-mail: courage@riseup.net

Army escalates charges to silence Lt. Watada

NEWS RELEASE. Sept. 15, 2006 (Ft. Lewis, WA) – In a surprise move today, the U.S. Army chose to add an additional specification under the charge of Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman for comments Lt. Watada made Aug. 12 during a speech to the Veterans For Peace national convention in Seattle. Lt. Watada stated “to stop an illegal and unjust war, soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.” The additional, gratuitous charge raises the stakes in a widely publicized and controversial case. Read more...

Photo(verite)symbolism

These unretouched photos were taken on 9/10/06 by Jason Reed, working for Reuters News Agency of U.S. President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush standing on a carpet commemorating 9/11, outside the Ladder Company 10 firehouse opposite the site of the World Trade Center in New York.

The symbolism needs no additional words of explanation.

The OTHER 9/11 film

If you are underwhelmed by the 9/11 take provided by Disney Co. via ABC and warmly received by the right wing pundits that dominate the airwaves, check out the film "9/11: The Press For Truth," available on DVD. Alternet has posted 3 clips from the fim. No, it is not the usual conspiracy film a la "Loose Change," which many (including me) feel veers quickly into science fiction. Based on Paul Thompson's book "The Terror Timeline: Year by Year, Day by Day, Minute by Minute: A Comprehensive Chronicle of the Road to 9/11--and America's Response" and featuring much commentary from the "Jersey Girls," an activist group of 9/11 widows, the film simply challenges the claims of the Bush Administration that 1) they were taken by surprise, and 2) they have nothing to hide.

Tell your congressperson that you want a paper trail for your vote!

Rep. Rush Holt’s (D.-N.J.) Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act, Bill HR 550 would require the use of voter-verified paper record in audits and recounts. HR 550 would also prohibit the use of undisclosed software and wireless communication devices in voting systems.

According to the Congressman "Although we have not yet passed my legislation to require a voter-verified paper trail, we are closer than ever. I now have about half the members of the House as cosponsors, an important step towards passing this legislation."

High on Opium, Not Democracy

In Bush-liberated Afghanistan -- which has just harvested its biggest opium crop ever -- billions in drug profits are financing the Taliban.
--Robert Scheer. Full article here.

I bet the CIA would love a piece of the action...

Olbermann to Bush: "Have you no sense of decency, Sir?"

Davenport IL Police Confiscate U.S. flags to Protect Cheney

Cathy Berta is a retired elementary schoolteacher. At 66, she’s also a member of Progressive Action for the Common Good of the Quad Cities.

When she heard that Vice President Cheney was coming to Davenport, Iowa, on July 17, she decided to heed the group’s protest call.

“I knew it was going to be extremely hot that day, but I said I’m going to take a stand,” she recalls. She joined about 120 people along River Road next to the Mississippi, and they marched part way toward the home where Cheney was doing a fundraiser for the Republican House candidate, Mike Whalen.

Berta was carrying a sign that said: “No, You Can’t Have My Rights, I’m Still Using Them.”

And she was also holding a little American flag on a stick.

But the police wouldn’t let her, or anyone else, carry the flags.

“I’m going to have to take your stick,” one officer told her, she says.

She describes him as “very courteous, and very embarrassed.”

“I said, ‘I know you’re just doing your job,’ and he just kind of nodded,” she says.

-- Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive. Full article here.

BYU places '9/11 truth' professor on paid leave

Brigham Young University placed physics professor Steven Jones on paid leave Thursday while it reviews his involvement in the so-called "9/11 truth movement" that accuses unnamed government agencies of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,645199800,00.html

What motivated the 9/11 Hijackers? The Hidden Truth

The 9-11 Commission held its twelfth and final public hearing June 16-17, 2004, in Washington, DC. On June 16 the Commission heard from several of the federal government's top law enforcement and intelligence experts on al Qaeda and the 9-11 plot. It was at this hearing that the question "What motivated them to do it?" was finally asked. Find out what happened to this testimony.

Utah Mayor Speaks Truth To Power

In case you missed it, a link to the full text of Salt Lake City's mayor "Rocky" Anderson's speech on August 30:

And an excerpt:

"A patriot is a person who loves his or her country.

" Who among you loves your country so much that you have come here today to raise your voice out of deep concern for our nation — and our world?

" And who among you loves your country so much that you insist that our nation's leaders tell us the truth?

" So let's hear it: 'Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth!' Because if we had had the truth, we wouldn't be here today.

" Let no one deny we are patriots. We support our nation's troops. Let's hear it for our nation's troops! We have so many veterans here today.

" Let's here it for the veterans! We are grateful to our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. We love our country, we hold dear the values upon which our nation was founded, and we are distressed at what our President, our administration, and our Congress are doing to, and in the name of, our nation.

" So to James Evans and these folks who financed this massive radio campaign these last few days, let them understand that blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism. A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host; to show slavish, blind obedience and deference to a dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights-violating president."

The truth hurts rerun: "President wants Senate to hurry with new anti-terrorism laws"

The next time your wingnut acquaintances show their discomfort with truth, and blame the Clinton administration for the rise of the "Islamo-terrorists", show them this blast from the past from CNN:

July 30, 1996
Web posted at: 8:40 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton urged Congress Tuesday to act swiftly in developing anti-terrorism legislation before its August recess. (1.6 MB AIFF or WAV sound)

"We need to keep this country together right now. We need to focus on this terrorism issue," Clinton said during a White House news conference.

But while the president pushed for quick legislation, Republican lawmakers hardened their stance against some of the proposed anti-terrorism measures.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism/

Is it too late to turn back from the sorrows of empire?

This is a 5 minute excerpt from "Why We Fight," with commentary by Chalmers Johnson, author of "The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy and the End of the Republic," and Army Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski (Retired).

The 9/11 Commission: A Play on Nothing in Three Acts

"A wag once famously said that Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot was a play where nothing happened . . . twice. The two former co-chairmen of the 9-11 commission report, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, have released a new book, 'Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9-11 Commission.' This book goes Beckett one better – it is the third act of veneer over substance, self-aggrandizement over serious analysis, and cliché over perspicacity. It is another calculated attempt by the former commissioners to place themselves in the media spotlight, and to overcome the humiliation of their widely criticized and mostly debunked report. It is a vapid and substanceless attempt to claim moral high ground and present the co-chairmen as heroes of honesty. It would be a farce, except that it has no story line, save the aggrandizement of the authors. At least they are consistent in doing nothing and proclaiming that to be a sign of their devotion to the country and the government. Beckett once said that 'habit is the ballast that chains the dog to its vomit,' and by this measure the chain restraining Kean and Hamilton is a short one indeed."
-- by Sibel Edmonds & Bill Weaver, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition
Read the whole essay here to find out just how much of a whitewash it was.

America's Hidden History: Mind control

U.S. intelligence agencies spent millions on top-secret mind control projects with a goal of creating totally dependable, programmable human robots. The projects involved brutal, often terminal experiments on thousands of unwitting citizens in direct defiance of law, all ethical codes, and the most basic human rights. This History Channel documentary talks to author John Marks, who broke the story of the CIA's experiments known as MK-ULTRA, and a woman whose past was erased by a brainwashing experiment. This is not some imagined conspiracy fantasy. The official CIA documents detailing this horrendous program have been examined by many investigators.

From Wikipedia:
It was first brought to wide public attention by the U.S. Congress (in the form of the Church Committee) and a presidential commission (known as the Rockefeller Commission) (see Revelation below) and also to the U.S. Senate.

On the Senate floor, Senator Ted Kennedy said: "The Deputy Director of the CIA revealed that over 30 universities and institutions were involved in an 'extensive testing and experimentation' program which included covert drug tests on unwitting citizens 'at all social levels, high and low, native Americans and foreign.' Several of these tests involved the administration of LSD to 'unwitting subjects in social situations.' At least one death, that of Dr. Olson, resulted from these activities. The Agency itself acknowledged that these tests made little scientific sense. The agents doing the monitoring were not qualified scientific observers."[4]

Government Documents

• [2] U.S. Congress: The Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, Foreign and Military Intelligence (Church Committee report), report no. 94-755, 94th Cong., 2d Sess. (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1976), 394.
  • A link to the first page on MKULTRA.
  • A link to the first page on Frank Olson.
• [3] U.S. Senate: Joint Hearing before The Select Committee on Intelligence and The Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research of the Committee on Human Resources, 95th Cong., 1st Sess. August 3, 1977
• [4] U.S Department of Energy: Supreme Court Dissents Invoke the Nuremberg Code: CIA and DOD Human Subjects Research Scandals
• [5] U.S Department of Energy: The Records of Our Past
• [6] Office of the Director of Central Intelligence (ODCI): Studies in Intelligence - Fifteen DCIs' First 100 Day
• Entire MKULTRA Document Archive

The point being - if your government was capable of this, do you really think the Bush Administration wouldn't lie to you?

ABC (and Disney Co.) show their true colors

On September 10th and 11th, ABC is planning to air a "docu-drama" called "Path to 9/11," which is being billed as "an objective telling of the events of 9/11." In fact, the film was written by an unabashed conservative who twists the facts to blame President Clinton.

Tell ABC to cancel this show.

ABC's new six-hour film was apparently screened in advance only to conservative bloggers and journalists -- and received extensive praise from none other than Rush Limbaugh. The film is apparently also riddled with factual errors and distortions; former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has completely refuted one of the key scenes in the show.

It's simply stunning to think that as this fall's election approaches, a major television network would devote six hours of prime-time programming to air such a slanted and inaccurate program.

Tell ABC -- this type of inaccurate and slanted program does not belong on primetime television, and they should cancel this show.

What planet did you say you're from, sir?

Comments by alleged President Bush, at his Labor Day photo op in Maryland:

"We ought to make the tax relief permanent. I like it when people are working for a living, have more after-tax money in their pocket," Bush said as he marked Labor Day by touring a maritime training center on Maryland's southern shoreline.

"To make sure that we're the economic leader of the world, we got to keep taxes low," he added.

What the hell does he know about working for a living? Somebody give the man some whiskey.

The true legacy of Jeb Bush

Jeb Bush is amazingly popular in Florida. To his credit, it can be said that he appears brighter than his dim bulb of an older brother. To that end, it could probably be argued that he is his own man, where his brother is arguably little more than a figurehead who superfically wins over a shallow base incapable of critical thinking with his artificial bravado and folksiness, while a shadow government of ideologues really runs the show.

Of course, if you're a Bush, being your own man has a singular, patrician definition. As the St. Petersburg Times reported in an excellent article entitled "Make the Money and Run," Bush made his way by "trading on the famous family name," thereby "gain[ing] entry to exclusive business ventures courtesy of wealthy Republicans."

From a clearly swooning Wikipedia profile on his popularity (so these stats may be suspect): "Bush is very popular among Cubans in Florida (winning 80% of the Cuban vote in 2002), and popular among non-Cuban Hispanics (56% in 2002, equaling the 56% he won statewide). As a longtime supporter of Israel, Bush also maintains a significant connection to Florida's Jewish voters. He was endorsed in his two winning governor races by a national Jewish publication, and won 44% of the state's Jewish vote in the 2002 governor's race. Many black voters support his focus on public education and parental choice in education, and a number of Black Republican clubs have risen in Florida. In his re-election in 2002, Bush surprised critics by winning the white female vote in the swing-voting battleground of Central Florida's I-4 corridor."

Reportedly, the younger Bush polls at the 90% approval rating among the state's majority Republicans, and while Republican candidates for national office run for cover when Dubya is in town, ads for GOP candidates in Florida's midterms could almost pass for testimonials to Jeb.

So, not surprisingly, there is lot of speculation on a 3rd Bush in the Oval Office. Be assured that a run is in his future, and perhaps the vice spot on a McCain-Bush ticket in 2008.

Things have not gone extremely well for Jeb with the Republican State legislature in Florida this past year. As Time reported in their recent (moreorless) puff piece on the governor: "The Republican-led Florida legislature recently handed him a string of humiliating defeats."

Jeb the man has some issues on the personal level. Known for his impatience and short fuse for disagreement (an imperial attribute shared with George W.), he has been as guilty at times of "ideological overreach," as Time put it.

We have also been treated to a procession of family dysfunctionality in the Jeb Camp, from 2 kids with substance abuse problems, to wife Colomba's famous gaffe, when she tried to smugggle in about 40 grand worth of Parisian fashions without paying custom's duties (here's a nasty but funny commentary on the incident, not for the easily offended).

Then there's this:

Jeb's Alleged Affair
Alia Faraj, "Governor Bush Makes 2 New Agency Appointments,": "Governor Jeb Bush's most controversial appointee has been replaced... Cynthia Henderson who headed the Department of Business and Professional Regulation was today appointed to run the Department of Management Services. In her new role, Henderson will be responsible for working with state technology leaders and overseeing the state's major technology reforms."

Anthony York, "Jeb Bush denies affair rumors. Florida's governor says stories linking him to a Cabinet secretary are 'an outright lie',": "The whispers linking Bush to Cynthia Henderson, secretary of the Department of Management Services, had reached something of a fever pitch thanks to an unsourced item on MediaWhores Online, followed by items in the Tallahassee Democrat and a cryptic reference to Bush's 'family troubles' in a column by conservative writer Robert Novak. Two other Florida dailies weighed in with stories about the rumor over the weekend."

Sarah Left, "Jeb Bush,": "Jeb Bush has given his brother's presidency its first hint of scandal by going public to deny an affair. Read our guide to the best sites on the governor of Florida."

"Florida Governor Jeb Bush Denies Fling with former Playboy Bunny,": "Rumors have been flying around lately that link Florida Governor Jeb Bush with former Playboy Bunny and top state employee, Cynthia Henderson. ... The president's younger brother called an impromptu press conference yesterday to dispel rumors that he is having an affair with the head of the state Department of Management Services, Cynthia Henderson. Henderson, a very attractive 40-year-old former Playboy Bunny, also denied the reports when questioned by reporters at a recent bill signing, where both she and Governor Jeb were present. ... Other than the standard ramblings of the liberal press in Florida, there has been no evidence offered to substantiate the claims of infidelity."

Al Martin, "The Jeb Bush Affair Story That Won't Go Away,": "The Governor did not however specifically address allegations made on the Al Martin Raw Website that he was aware he been videotaped by an FBI surveillance camera at the 2001 Super Bowl held in Tampa. Nor would the Governor address what was raised on Al Martin Raw that in fact Ms. Henderson was seeking money to keep quiet about her affair with the Florida Governor."

"Jeb Bush secures sunshine state," Scroll down to "Family Problems."

Peter Wallsten, "Jeb Bush's regime showing cracks,": "In the past week, Bush also lost two of his most trusted agency chiefs to resignations - Lottery Director David Griffin and Management Services Secretary Cynthia Henderson. ... Aides say Bush tried to keep Henderson, a controversial but loyal lieutenant, by offering her a reconfigured job, an offer she refused."

But there is one abiding sin that remains the true Jeb Bush legacy, one that should be leveraged with due diligence against him should this man run for the highest public office in the nation. Namely, his subversion of the democratic process in Florida, his willing complicity in the disenfranchisement of thousands of (ostensibly Democratic) voters to insure that his idiot brother could ascend to the presidency. For that, and that alone, Jeb, we will never forgive you.

Make sure YOUR VOTE COUNTS in the Mid-term Election

U.S. Congressional candidate and vote-rigging whistle-blower Clint Curtis has established a secure internet site where you can register your votes in the 2006 elections. Any candidate who suspects that the tallies have been tampered with will be able to gain access to the results of Vote Now 2006! EVERYONE in EVERY state who believes that our electoral system is threatened by the lackof paper trail and easily hacked electronic voting machines should sign up.