September 15, 2006
Colorado Suit: Ban computer voting
"Voting on computer screens is so vulnerable to massive fraud that Colorado's November election is "headed for a train wreck," says an attorney who is seeking to have the equipment barred at trial next week.An expert would need just 2 minutes to reprogram and distort votes on a Diebold, one of four brands of computerized voting systems attacked in the suit, says attorney Paul Hultin. His firm, Wheeler Trigg Kennedy, has taken on the case pro bono for a group of 13 citizens of various political stripes..."
When all you care about is power and access, a fair and true voting system is the last thing on your mind. So long as it benefits the Republicans, either in the state houses or in Washington, nothing - repeat nothing - will be done to fix fraudulent voting in America.
It's so easy to disrupt an electronic ballot. If you have a Republican administration controlling the Board of Elections and you want to disrupt the vote in a largely Democratic county, why just make sure some necessary piece of equipment doesn't get delivered to the polling places until hours after they open.
Cheap, easy and you don't leave any paper trails by having to hire a hacker.
May 29, 2006
Kenny and Georgie
John Nichols: Bush and Ken Lay: partners in fraud
"The man who paid many of the biggest bills for George Bush's political ascent, Enron founder Kenneth Lay, has been found guilty of conspiracy and fraud almost five years after his dirty dealings created the greatest corporate scandal in what will be remembered as an era of corporate crime.A Houston jury on Thursday found Lay guilty on six counts of fraud and conspiracy. In a separate decision, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ruled that Lay was guilty of four counts of fraud and making false statements.
Lay, whom President Bush affectionately referred to as "Kenny boy" when the two forged an alliance in the 1990s to advance Bush's political ambitions and Lay's business prospects, contributed $122,500 to Bush's gubernatorial campaigns in Texas..."
May 18, 2006
Congress is Corrupt.
Gallup Finds Sudden Upsurge in Number of Americans Who Think Congress is Corrupt
The Gallup Poll reports today that "The percentage of Americans who say that most members of Congress are corrupt has increased significantly from the beginning of this year, and is now at the point at which slightly fewer than half of Americans believe most members are corrupt."
While it may be true that, comparatively, the Republicans are held in greater disregard, the Democrats only fare a little better. One can attribute this to the "rope-a-dope" strategy advocated by Democratic consultants but a fair share must be laid to the doorstep of "corporate-friendly" Dems who can't quite bring themselves to join the reformist bandwagon.
After all, if you came to office during the 90's and drunk the Republican "Kool-Aide For Getting Elected" by kowtowing to corporate and business interests, the last thing you can understand is a populist movement to liberate the political structure from the "culture of corruption".
Sadly, there is a small percentage of Dems who think the problem with the Republicans is, not that they are corrupt, but that they are too greedy.
