There’s an excellent article today in the Salt Lake Tribune concerning Emery County, Utah’s 23-year elected (and now embattled) county clerk, Bruce Funk. Funk allowed computer security experts to examine his new Diebold touch-screen voting systems, resulting in the discovery of an enormous security flaw that would allow anybody with a bare minimum access to the machines to completely change the election software, the operating system, and even the computer firmware in a matter of minutes — and with no password necessary!
We broke the early details on this story several weeks ago. States around the country have been scrambling to figure out how to deal with this huge security flaw ever since (as it effects every Diebold touch-screen machine in every state in the country, and access to one, can effect all the others in the same precint and/or county). States other than Utah, anyway, whose officials are attempting to push Funk out of his job and are claiming that everything is just fine with their hackable Diebold touch-screen voting systems. Nothing to worry about here.
Read the article. It’s very good. But I’m pulling it out, just so that I can give you another taste of Diebold’s sad spokesman, David Bear’s latest — and perhaps most pathetically ridiculous — statement to date on this thing…
“It’s only a vulnerability to those who would commit a felony [tampering with an election],” he says.
And why would anyone, with millions and billions of dollars at stake in each and every one of these elections ever have any interest in committing such a felony? Good lord.
Bear’s classic ‘Orwellian/Bushian Doublespeak’ concerning a “redundant enhancement” is one for the hall of fame. Keep slingin’ it, Dave!
At this stage David Bear is being forced to say such absurd things I almost feel sorry for him. Doesn’t the guy have any personal sense of ethics, though? Doesn’t he get tired of lying? Why doesn’t he just quit? Why not force the DESI Board of Directors to face the reporters and explain this disaster.
Diebold’s PR department must really be scrambling these days.
David Bear must get a huge bonus for putting himself in the firing line in this way–but does he bear no personal legal requirement for truthfulness in how he represents his products to customers?
Why are no Diebold customers taking lawsuits against the company? If you found out that your newly purchased set of pots and pans had a flaw that on some occasions could cause fatal poisoning of your food but would make it look like a heart attack and wouldn’t show up in a post mortem–wouldn’t you complain to the manufacturer? Wouldn’t you want your money back? And if several of your family members died of "heart attacks" after eating a meal, wouldn’t you be a little bit suspicious and angry even if the post mortem just showed a heart attack as the cause of death?
What’s’ it gonna take for ELECTION OFFICIALS to exercise their fiduciary duty to citizens and taxpayers?
They should be looking for their money back, they should be suing for damages, they should be forcing the vendors to pay all the costs of printing paper ballots and hand-counting them.
It’s getting close to time for "street justice" and people like Bear will be going to bed scared.
To the election companies it’s just a game of who can spin the best lie and sell the most hardware. To the election officials it’s just a matter of protecting their turf and power agains those inconvineint "people" in the public.
What they need is a little PERSPECTIVE.
Somebody should send them some writings about the French or Russian Revolutions. In those days, the corrupt were dragged into the street and tried, convicted, and executed in short order. They are just SOOOOO damn lucky that we are a bit more restrained here in the USA. At least so far.
Brad I noticed that picture of you smoking on the front page of the website. Im sure you think it looks "cool" or it wouldnt be there.
How much of your donations do you give to big tabacco?
It’s getting close to time for "street justice" and people like Bear will be going to bed scared.
To the election companies it’s just a game of who can spin the best lie and sell the most hardware. To the election officials it’s just a matter of protecting their turf and power agains those inconvineint "people" in the public.
What they need is a little PERSPECTIVE.
Somebody should send them some writings about the French or Russian Revolutions. In those days, the corrupt were dragged into the street and tried, convicted, and executed in short order. They are just SOOOOO damn lucky that we are a bit more restrained here in the USA. At least so far.
Given the pressure that Brad is putting on "the powers that be" I really can’t see the cigs as being what takes him down.
Watch your back Brad, but please, keep up the good (no, make that GREAT!) work.
Charlie L
Portland, OR
Hey pRicky
What is your problem?–Why don’t you go to some chickenhawk traitor site and slap high fives with other anti-American assclowns who only care about rightwing victories by any means, regardless of what is best for our democracy. Go fuck yourself.
He actually said, "It’s only a vulnerability to those who would commit a felony"???
That’s like saying, "Leaving keys in the ignition is only a vulnerability to those who would steal cars"
RICKY – RICKY – RICKY – RICKY – RICKY
Our "beloved" Ricky,.. and this Ricky,..
one and the same or just blood brothers ?
Kool-aid drinking impostors,.. both !
_____________________________________
As posted on,.. "Republican Sinners" blog,…
Ricky Vandal – Lust
Ricky Vandal (aka Mongoosejuice2004, aka LindsaysLover, aka Bonnie, aka Ricky, [added 1/26] aka Sam Boogliodemus, aka hunkyboy, aka Halibot22, aka Halie Bott, aka JohnnyVegas ) is probably the most prolific commentor/blogger that has ever graced this Mortal Coil.
If there’s a hot topic, a big "buzz word" or a sensibility left to offend, Rick is there putting up a new blog, complete with e-commerce links, to try to capitalize off the subject. But on top of that, Rick uses his seemingly massive amount of spare time to post comments in blogs. Apparently, his e-commerce revenue leaves him with enough money to buy Poise "Creamy, Golden Moments" Diapers so he can shit himself instead of leaving his chair.
Doing a search on "Ricky Vandal" alone yields too much information to digest in one, two or even thirty good sittings.
This much is clear, though, Rick is a dyed-in-wool Conservative. A Republican Underground Hero, if you will. Don’t let the author of a blog called The New Democrat (in which he lists his favorite Dems as Joementum and Hillary Clinton) fool you.
His cut-throat capitalist instincts make him a classic example for Republicans to point to when they say that their way is the better way. And, according to Rick himself, El Rushbo, Instapundit, Andrew Sullivan and other Conservative Heavyweights have given him props:
I received many links to my blog. From Instapundit and other major bloggers. Even one from Rush Limbaugh. The blog had a google pagerank of seven, which meant it was on the first page of any google and yahoo search for "John Kerry" or "The New Soldier" or any mix of the words. I received a lot of google searches after the book was mentioned on the Sean Hannity show on Fox News and when it was mentioned on the Rush Limbaugh talk radio show. I had 300,000 unique visitors between August, when I started the blog and November the second, election day.
With friends like those, we can assume that he follows the Teachings of Jesus and be a good, kind, Christian Republican who does no wrong and covets nothing Sinful. For, if he did, he would most assuredly be cast from the storied Halls of Conservative Champions and never be accepted as a True American again. All his e-commerce pennies would stop flowing in and he’d have to go back to using the toilet again. Rush would denounce Rick on air. Bush would call a press conference to apologize for letting someone like Rick do his dirty campaign work.
Right? (Hey, I only put it like that because that’s what standard Rush holds everyone else to. Right?)
But, hey, enough of my jabbering on what kind of person Ricky is. He reveals more about himself than I ever will. I’ll let his own words show that he is a hardcore member of God’s Political Party:
The leftists’ rants about Christian bigotry drives even the moderate Christians, who would normally laugh about this whole story, to defend their faith. – From his New Democrat blog, waxing all-knowing wisdom about the Faith (because he’s a Republican, of course)
You Democrats can have all these abortionists. I see all these liberal jokers came together on the Washington Mall. It looks like dress rehearsal for the time they’ll be spending together in HELL. -A comment left on Burnt Orange Report by Rick, regarding abortion (obviously)
You just gotta love Democrats. They think Judge Hoore is going to be our Nader. Won’t happen. You know why, because we got brains. We won’t let our vote get split. – Rick professing his Republicanship while commenting about the "Ten Commandments" Judge, Roy Moore (with an M)
Let’s see: Claiming to be "holier-than-thou"? Check. Professing the wisdom of Conservatives? Check. Lusting after the Presidents daughter while slathering Wesson Corn Oil on his palms and making creepy posts about dating her? Um… Check?
Witness his website named "I Love Jenna Bush" (it has to be seen to be believed) in which he proclaims among pictures of Jenna in various states of dress and sobriety:
You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. When I see you I smile. When you smile it makes me wanna fly. The sexy look in your eyes always gets to me. The careless way you move your hips when you walk makes me dream dreams of us.
She talks with a Southern drawl. She acts kinda crazy. Her life’s a mystery to me. I dream about her hand holding mine. It’s a feeling that’s fine. And I just gotta say she’s cast a magical spell. And it’s working so well. All I dream of lately is kissing her belly button..
It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do I want to spend each moment of the day with you I never knew that I could be in love like this it’s crazy but it’s true I only want to be with you
Oh Jenna
Oh Jenna
Oh Jenna
I love you
After typing that last bit he had to get a new keyboard. Spooge and electronics don’t mix.
And, just to prove that this site is his (he fails to mention his name in the text), this is the address of one of the pages on his site:
http://www.geocities.com/i_love...and_Ricky.html
Doing a search on Ricky Vandal also brings up his old Jenna blog, ilovejennabush.blogspot.com, as well… a blog that has since been removed.
Creepy shit, eh? And don’t get me started on the Rick’s worship of false idols: The Church of Fandel and Blue Amazon. I’ll save that for another day.
In the meantime, Ricky should start getting a taste for felch because Satan is chock full and ready to leak.
Rick is currently trying to find a way out of posting on his New Democrat blog.
James 1:14,15
And each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed, afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
(Just a note before I end this, this post was made entirely possible by the generous Grants of Intelligence from tas (of Loaded Mouth) and Ron (of Why are We Back in Iraq?). And by viewers like you. Thank you!)
—
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Ricky,… #3
That’s t-O-bacco not t-A-bacco.
ASS-WIPE !
little pRicky can’t talk to the post, so he has to talk out his ass..
Yes, pRicky.. there are still people addicted to Nicotine in this society. YOUR heros have allowed them to sell poison to the masses, yet keep natural things (like pot) illegal. Poison is ok to sell because it is not something the "individual" can process in large enough quantities to satisfy their addiction (though, the addiction is made much worse ON PURPOSE by the tobacco companies).. yet pot can be EASILY grown by individuals in quantities that are self-sufficient.. and Pot is MUCH LESS DANGEROUS to us than tobacco or alcohol. Interesting..
And, what business is it of yours what Brad does with his money? My daughter’s mother, who claims to not have enough money to live on and thereby needing to take more money from me, smokes. There’s nothing I can do about her pissing away $5 a day on smokes, it’s her right to kill herself, even at my expense.
So.. pRicky.. tell us how no one in this country would ever mess with voting machines, so the Diebold rep. is accurate and it’s ok to believe him and just not worry about these machines.. Tell us how MANY OF YOUR HEROS aren’t actually being convicted of FELONIES already, and how many many more of them -would- be if the system wasn’t run by corrupt politicians, of whom the "power base" is currently the MOST corrupt, and Republican.. ENLIGHTEN US!
Off Topic for a minute here. Did you know that people with mercury amalgam fillings are twice as likely to smoke. JFK who did the rolling stone story about election fraud also did a story recently about how Top CDC officials met secretly to work how to cover up the direct link between thimersol (a mercury compound in vacines) and autism, ADD and other chilhood neurological conditions which have been rapidly escalating. 20/20 were going to do the story then suddenly pulled out claiming it was too controversial.
Mercury reduces certain brain chemicals that smoking increases. Not really proven though whether it is smoking damaging the teeth therefore the person needs more fillings or whether mercury from the fillings is affecting the person neurologically and smoking ameliorates the symptoms. No one has ever tried to duplicate the original study and find out. Too controversail to touch.
"There’s nothing I can do about her pissing away $5 a day on smokes, it’s her right to kill herself, even at my expense. "
Off Topic for a minute here. Did you know that people with mercury amalgam fillings are twice as likely to smoke. JFK who did the rolling stone story about election fraud also did a story recently about how Top CDC officials met secretly to work how to cover up the direct link between thimersol (a mercury compound in vacines) and autism, ADD and other chilhood neurological conditions which have been rapidly escalating. 20/20 were going to do the story then suddenly pulled out claiming it was too controversial.
Mercury reduces certain brain chemicals that smoking increases. Not really proven though whether it is smoking damaging the teeth therefore the person needs more fillings or whether mercury from the fillings is affecting the person neurologically and smoking ameliorates the symptoms. No one has ever tried to duplicate the original study and find out. Too controversail to touch.
"Only Vulnerable to Those Who Would Commit a Felony"
Oh – so lets take the locks off the jail doors and send the gaurds home since it would only be a vulnerabilty to those who would try to escape!
Sounds reasonable to me!
Lou Dobbs, whom I respect half the time, finally reported on the highly suspect "irregularities" of one of the voting-machine companies, in this case, Sequoia. He mentioned the "problems" experienced by voters in Illinois who recently used Sequoia machines in the primaries.
I thought Lou’s report was probably too good to be true, and it was. He immediately blamed all of the company’s shady problems on the fact that they are now owned by a Venezuelan company. It’s mighty convenient for Lou that Venezuela is ruled by that "horrible enemy of capitalism" and "public enemy" No. 3 or 4 or 5, Hugo Chavez (who is no more a threat to us than Castro has been since November 1962 — after the Cuban Missile Crisis had ended –, only Hugo has that highly addictive magic elixir, OIL, which makes the ultra rich take all leave of their senses, their ethics, their common sense, etc., at the mere mention of its name).
Yep, Lou found a foreign scapegoat to take the implied blame for "all" of America’s voting "irregularities." Never mind the fact that those irregularities were almost certainly engineered by the Americans who owned the company long before the Venezuelans had even heard of it. It’s also mighty convenient that Lou found this foreign scapegoat just in time to counter Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Rolling Stone article.
Yes, Lou, it’s totally OK to ignore the far more serious and thoroughly proven criminal behavior of such one-hundred-percent American-owned companies as Diebold and ES&S.
Lou condemns American corporations, such as those in the oil industry, all the time, but he refuses to condemn the voting-machine companies. Why?
I think the answer is simple: Big oil cannot hide its criminal behavior from the American people. We are victims of it every time we pull up to a gas pump. The Mainstream media cannot hide this truth from us either. The criminal behavior of voting-machine companies, on the other hand, is supposed to be a secret. We are not supposed to know that we are being screwed every time we use one of their machines; therefore, the mainstream media is duty bound to continue to hide those horrible secrets at all costs — unless there just happens to be a foreign "enemy" to use as a convenient scapegoat. The mainstream media probably wouldn’t even have reported this fact if it hadn’t found it necessary to conduct damage control in the wake of Kennedy’s article.
Yes, I am just speculating, but the timing is amazing. It has been public knowledge for a while that a Venezuelan company owns Sequoia. Why did Dobbs wait until now a day or two after Kennedy’s article, to attack them?
Is a "spokesman" someone to believe? And a spokesman for the offending company? This is not someone neutral. Why does he get a forum?
Spokesman=politician=used car salesman. wtf???
I used to watch Dobbs, but he’s part of corporate-controlled news, too. I fooled myself a while back, into thinking he was one of the unbiased ones. If it has commercials, it’s not news-it’s corporate-controlled. Lou is probably talking about Sequoia. I read an article, that no one can find out who really owns Sequoia (I think it’s Sequoia). So, Lou is ONLY concerned about Sequoia not being secure, because it may be owned by Venezuelans. I think Christopher Bollyn wrote the article, that no one knows who ultimately owns Sequoia.
Now, Lou, how come GOP-owned DEIBOLD and ES&S are OK, that they’re not secure? What a hypocrite!!! He hates foreigners, as is proven by his "broken borders" ranting. American vote corruption is OK with Lou!!!
Lou also follows corporate-controlled news about Chavez. He ALWAYS says "leftist" Hugo Chavez. Never mentions that Chavez is giving his people nationalized health care, Chavez’s approval rating is over 80% (for the people who count: Venezuelans, not us), and Chavez got Massachusetts cut rates on heating oil, to make up for the Bush administration cutting LIHEAP heating fuel help for the needy Americans.
Pretty bad guy, this Hugo Chavez. "Populist" Hugo Chavez. We’re told to hate him. Idiot kook-aid drinkers hate him because Bush tells them to hate him. I don’t hate Chavez, because I think for myself, and make my own determinations. Chavez seems to be somewhat of a humanitarian. The MSM and Bush and the neo-cons want us to hate Chavez, because he nationalized their oil, and kicked out all the American elites who wanted profits from Venezuelan oil. THAT is exactly why they are telling us to hate him. Remember Pat Robertson said we should "take out Hugo Chavez"? Does anyone here ever agree with Pat Robertson???
Big Dan wrote: "I used to watch Dobbs, but he’s part of corporate-controlled news, too. I fooled myself a while back, into thinking he was one of the unbiased ones."
That is exactly how it was with me, Big Dan. It took me a while to realize CNN probably allows him on the air simply to placate the disaffected in the audience with lots of angry talk, but little in the way of results. I still grudgingly watch him every once in a while, because, regardless of the MSM person that he is, he still seems to cause an occasional ulcer for the Bush Administration.
As for Bush’s open-borders agenda (or what amounts to an open-borders agenda), if he (Bush) is for it then there are probably a thousand reasons we should all be against it. I’m not against foreigners immigrating to this country at all (I was head-over-heels in love with an Iranian woman in college, and, yes, she was head-over-heels in love with me too), but I do know that there is a limit to what our job market can handle, and an endless stream of people immigrating here illegally is not sensible. Just think of two life boats. If both are filled to capacity, and the first one springs a leak, it may well be moral for those in the second boat to invite the people from the first boat into their own boat (I’d most likely be among those doing the inviting myself), but is it practical, especially when our leaders are sending much of our own "survival gear" (jobs) to China? Paul Craig Roberts, a conservative economist who hates Bush with a passion (he thinks Bush is the most dangerous leader this country has ever seen and, in fact, occasionally seems to strongly hint that 9/11 was an inside job) wrote the following a few months ago: Nuking the Economy.
Finally, I agree with you completely about Chavez (all of my previous negative comments about him are in quotes, meaning I don’t agree with them). Chavez is probably no saint (who is?), but I think he is certainly a far better leader than the POS Bush gang wants us to think he is.
P.S. I put the "x" at the end of my name to foil former lovers from accidentally "Googling" me and reading what I wrote. 😉
The Diebold spokesman’s response reminds me of a pure Dilbert moment:
"It’s not a flaw: It’s a feature!"
this explains it all,
you gotta watch this vid
http://www.witze-welt.de/videos...ideo.php?id=53
ricky is a robot also ,maybe controlled by turdblossom
#19 MMIIXX: Thanks! Very funny!
Old Turk: Thanks (sarcasm). Now I have to take a bath in Lysol to get the pRicky grime off. Yuck!
#7 and #13:
I would like to add:
Why do we have locks on bank vaults? They are only vulnerable to those who would want to steal the money.
Why do we have an army? The country is only vulnerable to those who would want to take it over.
Why do we have guards at the capitol? Our government is only vulnerable to those who would want to destroy it.
Using Bear’s "logic", it seems that we are wasting our time and money on any kind of protections. After all, we don’t really believe the bad guys are going to break the law to get our valuables, do we? (Oh, unless they are from Venezuela or Dubai.)
The quote from Lt. Governor Gary Herbert’s chief of staff Joe Demma is hilarious!
"We don’t believe there is a – quote-unquote – ‘back door.’ Sure, you could set the system on fire and ruin the vote. Each county clerk is in place to keep that from happening."
No Joe, there isn’t a back door! That is unless you mean figuratively AND literally!
And you can’t ruin the vote unless you start a fire?
Maybe we should get rid of the clerks and hire firemen to oversee the election! Some of the top clerks wouldn’t have a problem with that at this point!
Let me ask you once more (in pubic this time), DO YOU HAVE BUYERS REMORSE YET?
Catherine a #1
You said this about David Bear:
"but does he bear no personal legal requirement for truthfulness"
Is there a pun in there?
And I think the word is "truthiness".
"Redundant Enhancement"….
From 6 years of IT dealing with what even Microsoft will call bugs, that has got to be the most abso-f*cking-lutely pathetic euphemism for anything I have ever heard of.
You know that bastard’s gotta be in marketing…
There has to be a better computer scientist in the country then Shamos to reveal these problems.
Pick one!
Nothing like getting up in the A.M. and going to Brad first, as always, seeing a Diebold feature (and being in Utah, it is a must-see), finding a GOOD ARTICLE in our own Salt Lake Trib (which two weeks ago wrote to me that the Hursti/Funk information was "old news") — and then finding ADOLESCENT BOYS MUD-SLINGING (I choose to call it mud-slinging rather than the body fluid tosses we know adolescent boys bring out to compete).
However, it is nice to note which side started and which side revealed the pseudo-man behind the curtain.
That said, thank you, Larry, for getting us back on track. And thank you, Catherine, for showing up all the places you do with the right support.
Now, are we all geared up behind Bobby to get some real law suits going? I’m excited!!
Oh, yeah, and thank you, too, Brad. Money’s on the way…
Bye Boys. . . and smart Lady.
Main Entry: redundant
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: excessive
Synonyms: bombastic, de trop*, diffuse, extra, inessential, inordinate, iterating, long-winded*, loquacious, oratorical, padded*, palaverous, periphrastic, pleonastic, prolix, reiterating, repetitious, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus, tautological, unnecessary, unwanted, verbose, wordy
Main Entry: accompaniment
Part of Speech: noun 1
Definition: attachment
Synonyms: accessory, adjunct, appendage, appurtenance, attachment, attendant, attribute, augmentation, complement, concomitant, embellishment, enhancement, enrichment, supplement
In other words, ‘PADDED ATTACHMENT’ LMAO
"PADDED ATTACHMENT"
Is that like a strap-on?
To Barbara Bellows-TerraNova:
The best Utah article I’ve seen!
Barbara
Sorry about the "mud slinging" but I’m not generally known for my composure these days, and It did feel good!
We all need to flood Emery County, Utah’s email system with letters of support for Mr. Funk. It takes a lot of integrity to stand up for what is right when you know you will be hammered for your efforts. I know this from personal experience.
I am the whistleblower that testified before Congress back in 2004 on the request for a vote fraud prototype.
Now in 2006, I am running for Congress against the very Congressman that requested the program. Even with all the information to the contrary, many continue to hide their heads in the sand and pretend our democracy is not in jeopardy.
I could also use your help in my quest to restore our democracy. Anyone interested can contact me at http://www.clintcurtis.com to volunteer or contribute. All our efforts are starting to pay off. People are paying attention. Now we need to make our point by getting the election thieves out of office and protecting those risk their futures to protect ours.
Clint Curtis
Hey Clint, hows it going ?
#27 Bluebear2
pad·ded, pad·ding, pads
1. To line or stuff with soft material.
2. To lengthen or increase, especially with extraneous or false information: pad a lecture with jokes; pad an expense account.
Idiom:
on the pad Slang
Taking bribes.
Here is the email address for the Emery County, Utah county commissioners office.
Help flood it as Clint Curtis has suggested!
commission@co.emery.ut.us
Ok so lets make it clear,
Redundant=padded (from#26,30)
Enhancement=attachment (from#26)
So we have extraneous; false (software) attachments by taking bribes
Thats about as Orwellian as you can get
To Clint and others interested in helping Bruce Funk, the Emery County Commission aren’t the "deciders" — they, too, are at the mercy of the Lt. Gov’s office in cahoots with Diebold. So go directly there http://www.utah.gov/ltgovernor/contact.html to make comments or you can contact elections@utah.gov to get to the State Elections Office, where Michael Cragun (mentioned in my article listed above as ignoring the entire Funk/Hursti inspection and removal from office when reporting to the State Committee).
And thank you, Larry.
Now, check this out! The Salt Lake Tribune is waking up. It sounds like they’re a bit embarrassed as they catch other media reporting on the Utah decision:
Diebold’s reassurances are not enough
Machine politics
Tribune Editorial June 3, 2006
Salt Lake Tribune
The more they tell us not to worry, the more we should worry.
Experts are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the Diebold Elections Systems machines and the opening they reportedly present to any semi-skilled hacker with a little spare time and a charge account at Radio Shack.
Pennsylvania and California have ordered fixes.
Wisconsin is having second thoughts. The Maryland Assembly voted to ban the machines, only to have their Senate kill the bill.
But in Utah, where we are spending $27 million to adopt the touch-screen voting system statewide, the only official to express any concern is now an ex-official. Those still running our elections, all the way up to Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, insist that none of us need worry our pretty little heads about it and the June 27 primaries should go off without a hitch.
Frankly, it would be a lot more comforting if our officials were eager to be seen as solving the problem instead of denying that there is one.
Because, according to some very heavily credentialed experts, there is one.
Top tech-heads from Finland to Stanford have taken a look at the Diebold system, particularly the biopsy allowed recently by then-Emery County Clerk Bruce Funk, and pronounced the Diebold system stunningly vulnerable to sabotage. The picture they draw is of a system that has taken some pains to lock the front door while removing the back door altogether.
Even more disconcerting than the attacks on the Diebold operation has been the absurd defense mounted by the company itself. The corporate attitude is basically that the system is only vulnerable to people who are crooked.
That is like saying that you need not lock your doors, take your car keys or call your children in after dark unless you are paranoid enough to think that there are any would-be criminals out there.
Emery County’s Funk, who resigned in a rage when no one would take his concerns seriously, is in court trying to withdraw his resignation and get back to his job of securing the democratic process. County commissioners, who hastily accepted that resignation and changed the locks on the door, are among those clinging desperately to Diebold’s Panglossian reassurances.
We need more than Diebold’s word for this. And we need it now. "
I think the Trib deserves a thank you note.
#1…Why aren’t election officials getting their moneys worth? I think the answer is in the sec. of state. I called so many govt. offices in ’04 after the election. One person said to look for more money to go to places like Miss. Since Katrina I wouldn’t think repubs. would do too well there. Also, the salaries of the sec. of state and the general croodedness in the state would be interesting. Ohio is home to lots of mafia and Fla. well Fla. is Fla.
Clint #29
Are you sure that it is legal for you to run for congress?
It ain’t law until preznit blush says it is a law?
The American Bar Association has initiated an inquiry into the legality of the president’s declaring which part of legislation he signs into law is valid, from his standpoint.
Nevertheless, the aba has indicated it considers the matter serious enough to do something about it:
"Bush has challenged more laws than all previous presidents combined.
The ABA’s president, Michael Greco, said in an interview that he proposed the task force because he believes the scope and aggressiveness of Bush’s signing statements may raise serious constitutional concerns. He said the ABA, which has more than 400,000 members, has a duty to speak out about such legal issues to the public, the courts, and Congress" (link here).
They think Bush’s NSA spying (which watches you) is unconstitutional (link here). But I doubt they checked with preznit blush yet.
Hey … somebody has got to be the congress … I would very, very, very, gladly take you over Feeney !!!!
Clint,
As you know immigration is a very important topic. I looked at your website and notice you have choosen to completely IGNORE the issue all togther. This mean that either your afraid to let people know your view, or you think its not an important enough issue to be addressed.
Why should someone vote for you when you choose to IGNORE the problem?
Hey pRicky–I believe the discussion is about electronic voting machines that are hackable, owned by neocons and sanctioned by corrupt sec. of states in order to steal elections. Go fuck yourself.
pRicky(#37), that’s called a FALSE DICHOTOMY.. What that means is, you are trying to set up the point without actually looking at all the possibilities. You are trying to make the reader believe there are only 2 options when there are, in fact, many more.
For example, his site might not have anything about imagration because it’s not one of his "main" running points, but your conclusions that he "is afriad to let people know his opinion" or he is "ignoring the problem" are WRONG.
I’ve never seen you post about molesting chickens, pRicky.. either you molest chickens and don’t want anyone to know about it, or you are IGNORING the problem. See how stupid that statement is?
Not that I’d expect a wing-nut to ever be willing to have an accurate or honest debate. When logic is applied to most wing-nut arguments, they fall apart and the wing-nut runs for cover (i.e. change the subject or scream "THEY DID IT TOO!!!!").
Oh, and Matt (#38), you have to quote pRicky’s hero, Cheney, when you say that.. or he get’s all pissy that the language being used is below his station..
hay ricky go to the white house web site if you want to see problems that are being IGNORED .
DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!
To Barbara Bellows-TerraNova:
That’s quite a stunning Editorial isn’t it!
I, sort of, thanked them on the Democracy For Utah blog.
Thanks, but try harder this year!
Leaving the machine open is only dangerous to the extent that someone would commit a felony. Sure. And leaving your car unlocked is only dangerous to the extent that someone might steal it.
That’s why they put locks on car doors.
Repubs. are desperate now guys. Their whole house of cards is falling down around them. Look for them to act like the desperate house of fools that they are. The cleansing is coming. Pay off your debts. If you have money in the bank.. Pull it out. Pay your debts. Learn how to grow small gardens for food. The house of cards is falling in. Maybe the dems. were right. Let them turn on themselves and die. But what is left? A purer world. South America knows. "We are tired of waiting for handouts. Stand up for the pepole. Don’t wait for US to help us. They can’t be trusted." You go dancing bear. You know what WE did to the Indians. Sorry I’m not politacally correct. No Eyes predicted "The Americans will go to Washington with clubs. Blood will pour in the streets." Sometimes cleansing is hard. Karma says we are due for some lessons. "Smallpox delivered to Indians via blankets.. Chickens are flying home to roost." The "mother" prevails. Just ask Al Gore.
Thanks, Brad, for showing up on talkshows, etc. (heard you on Thom Hartmann today) so that more people learn about your timely, important website.
Thanks for your links too, and great functionality features that make it easier to share with others!
Your blog is definitely a complimentary site to other places such as mediamatters.org.