John McCain: Negative Attack Ads Show You Have No Vision

 

US Voting Machine Vulnerabilities

By Evan Ackerman

For those of us unfortunate enough to be Americans right now, we have more to worry about than who we’re going to elect as the next president. We also have to be paranoid about whether we’ll actually be voting for who we intend to vote for at all. Our system (make that systems) for casting votes are not only notoriously confusing, but also notoriously hackable. DVICE has an interactive map of the United States, showing which states are using the less hackable but more confusing paper ballots, which states are using the more hackable but less confusing electronic voting machines, and where all of the other methods of voting fall on that spectrum. You can click on each state for more detailed information, including pros and cons on the different types of voting machines.

Of course, this doesn’t imply that voting on an electronic machine means your vote is going to get hacked, nor does it imply that you’re going to make a mistake voting on punch cards. The point of these maps is simply to make you aware of potential issues with the voting process in your state, since these things have a way of screwing themselves up. Funny, that.

There is a bright side to all this, however: when your guy loses, now you’ve got something to blame it on. Canada is starting to look pretty good now, eh?

[ DVICE ]

Source: OhGizmo!

 

Undecided

David Sedaris, on undecided voters:

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

Source: Daring Fireball

 

One question not heard in the debates…

One question not heard in the debates was, “If you were a phone, what kind of phone would you be?”

 

The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush by Congressman Dennis Kucinich

Feral House has published the The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush by Congressman Dennis Kucinich and is offering it as a bound book and a free PDF.

Feral House offers this important and urgent publication of Dennis Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment this election season in two formats: an offset-printed paperback book available for the cost of $12 and a free downloadable PDF available below.

David Swanson’s additional article explains how the Impeachment process is possible and necessary even after the guilty perp leaves office, and how they can be used for prosecution of crimes. Those wishing to purchase over ten copies of the printed book can obtain them at discount from Feral House directly. Please contact info@feralhouse.com for costs.

The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush by Congressman Dennis Kucinich

Source: Boing Boing

 

TSA screener ripped off hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics from passengers, TSA itself didn’t notice

MadScott sez, “TSA Screener Pythias Brown walked off with hundreds of thousands of dollars of passengers’ belongings without ever being observed by the TSA, selling the items on Ebay (apparently he was good about customer service).

Pythias started small, stealing cameras, laptop computers, gaming consoles and eventually moved on to the good stuff including a video camera belonging to CNN, and a $47,900 camera stored inside the bag of an HBO employee.

The items were sold on Ebay, and as you can see from his feedback listing, these were not cheap items.

His greed eventually came back to haunt him, when CNN found one of their cameras listed on Ebay. With a little help from the local police department and the USPS, Brown was apprehended.

When agents entered his house, they found 66 cameras, 31 laptop computers, jewelry, lenses, GPS devices and more.

TSA agent helped himself to a $47,900 camera (and more!)

(Thanks, MadScott!)

Source: Boing Boing

 

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

Source: adennak.com

 

Computer-Generated Sarah Palin Interview - Boing Boing

Computer-Generated Sarah Palin Interview

Here’s a program that’ll generate realistic Palin-style answers for different questions.

Q: What is your foreign policy experience?

I think if you ask that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the people of America are not fully satisfied with all the answers. It’s going to be considered also. But again, it’s got to put government and it’s about putting government back on the verbiage that Senator McCain chose to use them. So we have opportunities for good in the war. You can’t blink. You have to be allowed in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be provided the hope that all Americans have, instilled in us, because we’re a democratic, we are today with so much collapse on Wall Street, affecting Main Street.

Interview Sarah Palin

Source: Boing Boing

 

Vote Bear

By Graham Roumieu.

 

AP Investigation: Palin got zoning aid, gifts - Yahoo! News

WASILLA, Alaska - Though Sarah Palin depicts herself as a pit bull fighting good-old-boy politics, in her years as mayor she and her friends received special benefits more typical of small-town politics as usual, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Source: AP Investigation: Palin got zoning aid, gifts
By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE

 

Free Disabilities Awarded Daily

 

FactCheck.org: FactChecking Debate No. 1

FactChecking Debate No. 1

Summary: McCain and Obama contradicted each other repeatedly during their first debate, and each volunteered some factual misstatements as well. Here’s how we sort them out:

More: FactCheck.org

 

Sara Palin - the Great Hunter

 

John McCain’s health records must be released

 

Clearing up some issues

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re “exotic, different.”
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, you’re a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state
Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America’s.
* If you’re husband is nicknamed “First Dude”, with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

 

Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

Sarah Palin has picked out an All-American set of names for her children. There’s Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

Ever wonder, What would your name would be if Sarah Palin was your mother? Well now you can find out!

Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

Source: Polit Tsk Tsk Tsk: Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

 

House roll call from Mich. on offshore drilling

House roll call from Mich. on offshore drilling
MI State Wire By The Associated Press

How Michigan’s delegation voted in the 236-189 roll call Tuesday by which the House voted to allow oil drilling off the nation’s coasts beyond 50 miles out if states agree.

A “yes” vote is a vote to pass the bill.

Voting yes were 221 Democrats and 15 Republicans.

Voting no were 13 Democrats and 176 Republicans.

X denotes those not voting.

There is 1 vacancy in the 435-member House.

Democrats — Conyers, Y; Dingell, Y; Kildee, Y; Kilpatrick, Y; Levin, Y; Stupak, Y.

Republicans — Camp, N; Ehlers, X; Hoekstra, N; Knollenberg, Y; McCotter, N; Miller, N; Rogers, N; Upton, N; Walberg, X.

MICHIGAN

Source: AP Mobile News

 

Jeffrey Zeldman Presents : A modest proposal

It is illegal to make false claims in a TV or radio commercial unless you are running for political office.

If you’re selling toothpaste, your claims must be vetted by legal and medical professionals. But not if you’re selling a candidate.

If you’re selling a candidate, not only can you lie about his record, but more to the point, you can lie about his opponent.

Just as they once united to stamp out cigarette advertising, radio and TV stations and advertisers must get together and agree that false statements in political advertisements will not be tolerated. If you run a political ad that proves to be a lie, your network will pay a steep fine, and the advertiser will pay an even steeper one.

(Via Jeffrey Zeldman Presents : A modest proposal.)

 

McCain: Palin had “executive experience” in the PTA.

“She’s had executive experience as governor, as mayor, as a city council member and PTA.”

Via Politifaq.com.

 

How They Really Feel about Palin

Mike Murphy, former McCain advisor: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor work. Engler, Whitman, Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. And these guys, this is all like how you want to (inaudible) this race. You know, just run it up. And it’s not gonna work.

Peggy Noonan, former Reagan speechwriter: It’s over.

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

NBC’s Chuck Todd: Don’t you think the Palin pick was insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too (inaudible)

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning.

Murphy: They’re all bummed out.

Todd: I mean, is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political [B.S.] about narratives and (inaudible) the picture.

Murphy: I totally agree.

Noonan: Every time the Republicans do that because that’s not where they live and it’s not what they’re good at and they blow it.

Murphy: You know what’s really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism and this is cynical.

Todd: And as you called it, gimmicky.