Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

The depth and pressure of all of the news reports about electronic voting issues must have finally built up so much that the Associated Press 'dam' finally burst and they had to respond! Today they even mentioned the GAO report, well over a month after it was issued with much bipartisan fanfare from members of Congress.

"E-voting under scrutiny as federal compliance deadline looms", by AP Technology Writer Brian Bergstein, correctly says that some states are in trouble and will not be able to meet some mandates of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Bergstein runs through the gamut of problems that have been reported in the past few days and some that happened in past elections. With regards to the GAO report he says:

Bergstein also discusses yesterday's report from North Carolina where Diebold was told to 'put up or shut up': either meet the state law that requires them to put all their source code into escrow, or forget about doing business in North Carolina.

It's almost as if Bergstein had been reading The BRAD BLOG because he also picked up on the California hack story and got an update on that from the SoS spokeswoman, Nghia Nguyen Demovic.

Unfortunately Bergstein didn't report on the "Deadline" and what that means to many states. California is one of many states that will not meet the January 1, 2006 deadline for having accessible voting systems. This is going to be a nationwide problem. Yesterday, the Sacramento Bee had this to say:

We are happy to see the Associated Press finally coming out of their shell with regard to voting technology. Is this something that will last or is it just a passing phase?

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

As usual, there's a great deal of important new material on the blog at the moment and I wouldn't want to distract you from it. But on the other hand I thought you might like to know [even a bit belatedly] that Buzzflash has published the second installment of Maureen Farrell's three-part essay about the history of modern America.

As loyal BRAD BLOG reader and frequent commenter Robert Lockwood Mills pointed out last week, when the first part was published, it's "anecdotal history, not a narrative. But if even half of the dots connect it's very, very scary."

In my opinion, the number of dots that connect is way more than half.

If you've already read the first part, you'll have some idea of what to expect. If you haven't, please consider this a friendly reminder.

Below, a few short excerpts from part two:

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

A typical Wed. newsday today. Lot's of news. In Venezuela three political parties dropped out of the legislative elections because they do not think the elections are being fairly administered. There is a lot more from California regarding the now infamous 'hack' but you really need to go to BlackBoxVoting.Org to get the whole story. There are recounts planned in a few states but most of them will be done on DREs so they are really a waste of time. And, there is a comprehensive article from the AP about the HAVA deadline. This article actually mentions the GAO report which is pretty much a first for the AP...

I'm addressing folks on Election Reform issues tonight at an event organized by Global Exchange/Ventura County. It's a FREE event, so come on by if you're in the 'hood and say hello! It's at 7pm PT with a Q&A after. Here's more info, and there are specific location details as well at the top of the BRAD BLOG Front Page right now.

If I'm available on time, I may be on Trevor Carey's show on KFKA News Radio (1310am in Greeley/Fort Collins, CO) along with Lydia Cornell at 9:30p PT as well. I believe she'll be there either with or without me if you listen online or call in to say hey.

Otherwise, in the meantime, consider this an Open Thread to your heart's desire...

Joe Cannon has some choice words about Ann Coulter in light of her recent indefensible violation of BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger Lydia Cornell's privacy. A spot-on passage or two from some CannonFire worth taking in full:

And while you're there, also check out Cannon's interesting eagle-eyed observation about one overlooked point in the Cunningham/MZM mess and how it might --- like so many other GOP Scandals d'Jour --- eventually find its way into the White House...

Dave Astor of the excellent and respected Editor & Publisher covers two matters we've discussed here recently.

Last night he did a quick item on the Ann Coulter/Lydia Cornell outrage. For the record, Coulter still has Lydia's private information posted publicly on her website some 48 hours after it was posted there. She has been asked politely to remove it. She has chosen not to.

As Cornell pointed out in her response yesterday, that sort of thing helped Bill O'Reilly blow his stack recently when he thought (incorrectly, of course) that a "liberal" group had posted a private email address on their website. Of course, it doesn't take much for the increasingly unstable O'Reilly to blow his stack these days.

As well, Astor covered Robert Koehler's latest Tribune Media Services' "Poll Shock" column that we briefly reported on last week. His coverage gathers additional comments from both the Dispatch Public Affairs Editor Darrel Rowland and Koehler on the "staggeringly impossible" results of Ohio's recent Nov. 8th 2005:

I love that. It's the exact same thing we heard after the '04 Presidential Election: Once someone else finds the "solid evidence" the media will be happy to report on it. Note to Mainstream Media: It's your job to investigate the smoke and find out if there's a fire! Otherwise, what the hell do we need investigative reporters for at all? Oh, yeah. Apparently, we don't. The bloggers will do it for you. (But don't come running to us wondering why it is that your readership is falling over a cliff in the meantime!)

Koehler's reponse to Rowland in E&P:

Go Bob. And thank you, E&P.

UPDATE: And speaking of Koehler, this just in from his latest column which will be published tomorrow and available then to read at this location:

In North Carolina, Diebold had been attempting to get a special court order allowing them to get around NC's law requiring that Voting Machine Companies hand over their source code for their secret software to be kept in escrow in the event of a problem later. North Carolina has had many recently, including the complete loss of some 4500+ votes in Cartaret County during the Nov. '04 Presidential Election which led to a Re-Vote in the county.

Thanks to efforts by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the court has now ruled against Diebold's requested dispensation from state law. Now Diebold claims they are going to have to get out of the state entirely. Glad to hear it. If it's true. Other Voting Machine Companies have complied with the law, apparently, so what's Diebold's problem? Do they have something they wish to hide in that source code?

We may never know...AP reports:

You'll pardon me, but I'm a bit of a computer programmer myself, and I understand the difference between providing source code that one has written versus source code for an entire operating system (like Windows) and/or third-party tools which are used to perform various generic tasks called by the program itself.

If Diebold had nothing to hide or fear, they would simply turn over their full source code to the state to be put into escrow, with the explanation that they do not have the access to (or legal permission to provide, even if they did) the source code to copyrighted third-party software. The state of North Carolina wasn't asking for that as far as I can tell, and an open admission to that --- as allowed by the state law --- should more than have covered Diebold from any liabilities concerning that third-party software.

That said, I'm glad to hear of their apparent threats to pull out of North Carolina entirely. And with that, I hope every other state in the union will immediately apply the same requirement in their state and let Diebold get back to the business of making ATM machines with open software which provides a paper record of every transaction. Apparently, they're quite good at that.

UPDATE: Jamie at IntoxiNation has more along the same lines...

Guest Blogged by Lydia Cornell

(NOTE FROM BRAD: Lydia has been overwhelmed with notes, media interviews and yes, phone calls, since her original BRAD BLOG article on Ann Coulter and certainly since Coulter decided to post her private information on her website. It's been nearly 24 hours, and --- incredibly --- Coulter has yet to remove Lydia's personal information from her website. If you happen to read this in time, Lydia will be on Bob Kincaid's Head-On radio show at 6pm PT if you care to tune in or call in. You can listen online here.)

I have received so many wonderful letters of support, since posting my original article about Ann Coulter here on BRAD BLOG there is no doubt in my mind we are on the right path, shining light on hatred and perversity. Her personal attack against me as posted on her website last night seems to confirm that notion.

My phone has also, unfortunately, been ringing off the hook from people who call and just hang up. Thank you, Ann.

I see that Bill O'Reilly referred with outrage to Media Matters as having "violated your privacy by putting out your personal e-mail address" when in fact, according to this website, they hadn't actually posted anything but a public email address.

Since Brad reported on Bill O'Reilly's Enemy List today, I wonder if he'll add Coulter to his list, or at least show Ann Coulter the same kind of outrage --- and call her a "Zombie" as he did Media Matters --- for violating my privacy next time he has her on his show.

However, the news is still good and my hope for the country is unshaken. Only one out of every 20 letters I've received has been a hateful one. Here's an incredibly cruel letter from someone (whose email address and name I have removed!)...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

It was an interesting day today. California media are still talking about the 'hack', or no 'hack', and now the SoS is talking about doing a 'hack' on all voting systems. This should be interesting and we will continue to watch as this all develops. Also getting media attention across the country is the court decision in North Carolina. This could have national implications for Diebold because other states require source code escrow. If Diebold is not willing to do it in NC, how are they doing it elsewhere?...

Guest blogged by David Edwards

This report from David Schuster of MSNBC's Hardball provides a review of the corruption investigations heating up in Washington D.C.  Schuster concludes:

Video in Windows Media format...
Video in QuickTime format...

On November 14th, on his Fox "News" program The O'Reilly Factor, smear merchant and alleged sex offender Bill O'Reilly promised to "post the names" of those who were critical of his radio comment encouraging Al Qaeda to blow up San Francisco. Crooks And Liars has the video here.

O'Reilly had said, on his radio program, after the city voted against allowing military recruiters in public high schools and colleges there in the November 8th election:

Today, O'Reilly has finally posted his promised Enemies List on his website which he catagorizes as a list of "Media Operations that traffic in defamation." At this time, his list includes just three media outlets which he identifies as "the worst offenders". Though O'Reilly gives no specific details on why the outlets made his list, all three had been critical of O'Reilly in the past and reported on misinformation he had given to his television viewers and listeners of his radio show.

Here is the complete text from his promised McCarthy-esque list.

Arianna Huffington on her Huffington Post website has been requesting names of those who'd like to be on O'Reilly's list. She has promised to "hand deliver them" to O'Reilly.

The BRAD BLOG regrets not making O'Reilly's list, but promises readers that we will endeavor to continue our accurate reporting on well-paid media character assassins like O'Reilly in hopes of some day rating the honor of being on such a list.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has a clip from O'Reilly's radio show today, which begs the question: Has O'Reilly simply gone bonkers?

Media Matters, a non-profit progressive-leaning media watchdog organization, has launched a campaign today on their website calling on CNN to stop giving Republican author and talking head Ann Coulter airtime on the cable network.

Citing 10 appearances on CNN since early 2004, the group, founded by one-time Conservative author turned Progressive David Brock, is asking why the cable news channel continues to host her on the air, giving her a continuing international outlet to spread her threatening hate speech, irresponsible smears, character assassinations and otherwise wholly incorrect information.

Media Matters has tracked false and misleading statements by media personalities such as Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and scores of others, along with news outlets such as all three broadcast networks, all three cable news channels along with dozens of other mainstream newspapers, organizations and journalists.

On their webpage calling for the discontinuation of Coulter as a guest on CNN, Media Matters cites several hateful quotes from the acid-tongued blonde such as her question pondering if it would be better "to impeach or assassinate" Bill Clinton and expressing her "only regret" that Oklahoma City bomber Timother McVeigh "did not go to the New York Times building."

On last Friday's edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN, Coulter charged that Democrats are "gutless traitors" and "long to see U.S. troops shot."

In 1997 Coulter was fired by MSNBC for comments she made on air, according to Media Matters' report. She continues to be a regular guest on the Fox "News" Channel.

The Media Matters campaign points readers to this CNN contact page where they can send CNN opinions about giving Coulter air time. The page at Media Matters announcing the campaign has much more information.

Last night Coulter seemed to have sunk to a new low by posting a personal email address and phone number along with a personal email on her website which was sent to her by BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger, author and actress Lydia Cornell. The astounding lapse in both netiquette and decency was in apparent retaliation for an article Cornell wrote here about her attempts to get more information on a speech Coulter recently gave in Florida calling for the repression of speech by Democrats. The entire shameful incident, in which Coulter wrote that "Death is sexier than Lydia Cornell" is reported in this previous BRAD BLOG item.

A B C as easy as
1 2 3 as simple as
do-re-mi, A B C
1 2 3 baby you and me

In an extraordinary lapse of both common "netiquette" and overall decency, Republican bootlicking extremist Ann Coulter has posted a personal phone number and email address of BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger Lydia Cornell on the front page of her website with a link to the post again on her "Quotations from Chairman Ann" page.

Apparently in vindictive retaliation to Cornell's guest blog item published by The BRAD BLOG late last week, titled "Death is Sexier than Sex (to Ann Coulter)" Coulter has now publicly posted a personal Email Cornell had sent to Coulter while she was working on her story for us.

In Cornell's guest blog article, the actress and author reported on her experience attempting to receive a copy of Coulter's recent speech given to the Alachua, FL Republican party in which she called for the repression of the free speech of Democrats, adding "Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment."

While Coulter had the time to take a 6th grade level ad hominem shot at Cornell ("Well, death is certainly sexier than Lydia Cornell") in her response, apparently the desperate Coulter didn't have the time to actually reply to Cornell's note, ask her for permission before publishing it publicly, or most despicably of all, have the decency to redact the personal information from the note before posting it online.

Coulter (whose personal email address we're tempted to post, but we're attempting to avoid sinking to her slimy depths) most recently called decorated Korean and Vietnam war vet and one-time Iraq War supporter, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) "gutless" because he had the temerity to call for the withdraw of U.S. troops in Iraq.

But the true gutlessness displayed by Coulter in the posting of the personal information of one of her critics on her own widely read website would seem to demonstrate the true nature of the "courage" of Coulter's convictions. That is, if she still actually has any actual convictions left besides her desperate and vainglorious attempts at making money through hate speech and at the cost of the blood of the American men and women she continues to advocate should die for her imagined freedoms. What a horrendous "human being". No wonder both Christians and Conservatives (real ones) are turning against her.

The complete text of Cornell's polite letter (as posted on Coulter's website, but with personal information redacted) along with Coulter's petulant little response follows...

Just finished a rather remarkable hour on our good friend Peter B. Collins' radio show on KRXA out of Monterey, CA.

Peter was able to bring Nghia Nguyen Demovic, a spokesperson from the CA Sec. of State's office, on air the last few minutes of the hour to try and clarify some of the last minute tomfoolery that seems to be going on concerning the impending decision about whether or not to re-certify Diebold Electronic Touch-Screen Voting Machines in the state of California.

Demovic dodged and danced, and generally evaded such probing questions as what the response from the community was at a public hearing held last week in Sacramento where input was sought concerning the decision about whether or not to allow Diebold back into the state after a major test over the summer revealed that some 20% of Diebold's AccuVote TSx voting machines failed to operate properly.

As previously reported on BRAD BLOG, the Republican SoS Bruce McPherson --- remarkably, and nearly inexplicably --- seems to be leaning towards allowing their faulty machines back into the state as the Help America Vote Act's January 1, 2006 deadline for such acquisitions rapidly approaches.

Though Demovic admitted on-air that she was at the meeting in question, and though it's been reported publicly that the Anti-Diebold folks far outnumbered the Pro-Diebold forces, she wouldn't even admit that much! Here's the The Stockton Record on the meeting last Monday, for example:

Nonetheless, Demovic refused to confirm that information for some reason.

So it was a public meeting, on the public record, that she attended in her capacity as a tax-payer salaried "Communications Director" for our own Secretary of State, yet she refused to give the audience of a California radio station accurate information about what is occurring in our own state capital concerning our own electoral system.

Is "What the fuck?" appropriate to ask here? Or might it be more appropriate to wonder why she hasn't yet been hired to take Scottie McClellan's place in the Bush Administration?

Listen to the segment yourself [MP3]. The clip linked here is just the short 8 minute phonecall with Peter and myself questioning Demovic.

Once again we'll remind you that SoS McPherson's office has asked for public comment about all of this and whether or not you feel they should recertify Diebold Electronic Touch-Screen Voting Machines in California. (Whether they give a damn about such comments is another question). To submit a comment, visit http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vs.htm, call (916) 653-6814 or email votingsystemcomment@ss.ca.gov.

And remember, as California goes...so goes the rest of the country!

UPDATE: Demovic also stated during the interview that a full list of those who were invited to participate in the conference was on the SoS website and in response to my question of whether Voting Rights and Election Reform groups were invited she said that yes, they were invited, and yes, they were all listed on the SoS website. Well, here's the website for the event, and unless I'm missing it, I don't see either the list of invited groups (other than speakers, who all seem to be largely from the Electronic Voting companies or Secretaries of State), nor do I see any Voting Rights or Election Reform organizations on the agenda.

UPDATE: The complete text transcript of the coversation now follows...