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Hopefully Scoobie Doo isn't like every other libertarian that likes to smoke up...
Looking forward to reading The Thom Hartmann Reader Milton Freidman a sociopath said 'what country does not run on greed.' listening to Stephane Hessel was like listening to my mentor Daisaku Ikeda
You know as nice as it would be to have a machine that prints a reciept, what good does that do? I can write a program that prints out who you voted for, but still change your vote. On top of that you may think, well then the voters can come back and show who they voted for, well think about it, how many people will lose their receipts, and how many right wingers will bother to bring back in their receipts to help the verification. I mean if the vote is off by 4% in the republican favor, are you going to be able to identify enough progressive receipts that edge into that margin? It's not so easy, plus how quickly would there be claims of counterfeit receipts if that margin was broached?
Get rid of the machines period, and start using ballots that are reliable as well as using exit polling as a spot verification. Until we have that in our voting policies, we will continue to have illegitimate elections.
N
I completely agree. Thom's speculative statement "what if Lady Gaga won the New Hampshire Republican primary" is nonsensical. If a name such as Lady Gaga or Scooby Doo actually gathered a significant number of votes then that tally would never see the light of day and will be immediately suppressed from the press and any other publicity. It would take a common name such as "Alvin Greene" to effectively and believably hack the vote. I wonder if the vote tally would be suppressed if Rush Limbaugh won the primary?
In any case lack of attention to vote hacking is deplorable. There are many instances that warrant investigation, just ask Max Cleland.
The Obama admin. is allowing the split rulings on the ACA to proceed to the Supreme court early so that a ruling should come down during the 2012 campaign.
Everything in the bill has previously been upheld in other rulings - including the so-called mandate (which is really just an excise tax) - but with a wingnut dominated court we can expect the ACA to be overturned ... during an election ... which may really turn out the independents and Dem base to change Congress and get a healthcare reform that is already constitutionally vetted - Medicare. Expanded to everyone - part E.
Or the Court regressives may recognize that and will rule in favor of the ACA to avoid the political backlash during the election ... either way they are in a box. Do you suppose that is deliberate?
"What if Lady Gaga won the Republican primary--or somebody very strange?"
You're hilarious, Thom.
I think that the Obama adminstration knows that Republicans are hacking machines but feels like they can't do anything about it because we'll be called conspiratorial, even given all the "irregularities". So if they go about bringing up voting issues now and pretend that Republican primaries could be at risk, maybe Repubs might take notice and do something about the voting machines.
I think that liberal hackers SHOULD hack voting machines, especially in very red areas, in order to raise fear in the conservative base so that they'll do something about the voting machines.
You are so wrong on this!!! I really don't get you on this. These attempts to corrupt the voting system are in-our-face- out there. The republicans aren't trying to hide what they are doing- from re-districting, to making it arduous to vote, to hacking machines. My God- we know they hacked the machines in 2000 and 2004!!!! And you are suggesting that we make 7 phone calls, or man the voting booths! Should we offer free donuts to scared voters as well? This is infuriating! Where is Eric Holder in this? Where is the attempt by our justice system to stop this dismantleing of our basic right to vote? Why do you tell us to always be on the defensive? "Well, so this is how it is, and yeah it's really illegal and unconstitutional, so all you smart, concerned dems- "GO MAN THE BOOTHS- MAKE THE PHONE CALLS- BUY THE DONUTS"! NO NO NO NO!!! You are wrong. ERIC HOLDER needs to be accountable- he needs to DO HIS JOB! Obama needs to know- (as he MAY, finally ,that he cannot deal with this congress, he cannot compromise with them- they want him GONE! PERIOD! NO MORE DISCUSSION) that all his fancy talk is useless if they steal the election again. Please Please- this isn't just "Oh well, here they go again, pick up your shields gang"- NO-This is the time to STOP THEM from VIOLATING OUR CONSTITUTION@!!!! Please stop giving any indication that this is simply how they operate -so we need to go on defense AGAIN- and hope for the best.
And by the way- do you watch (gag) "reliable sourses"? You have the wherewithall to contact Howie and ask why the networks are not covering "fill in your blank here". You, he may listen to, or ask on the program- so you can talk about this. francesca
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
-Benjamin Franklin
Cameras are taken when authorities see them, so perhaps its time to equip with less obtrusive devices:
Wireless Micro Color Spy Camera. About half the size of a dime, concealing this camera is no problem!Range is up to 100 feet, even through walls. In an open area the transmission range jumps to 300 feet. The Sharp brand color CMOS sensor has a crisp 420 lines of resolution.
Size: ONLY 10 x 10 x 30 mm! (0.4 x 0.4 x 1.2 in) (Thats smaller then my pinky finger)
Sensor: Color 420 LOR Sharp CMOS Sensor
Lens Type: Micro Pinhole
Power: 5V Power Supply
Light Rating: 2 Lux
Field Of View: 72 Degrees
Signal: NTSC (U.S.A.) Video System
If you have the will to visually record authorities, there is obviously a way.
N
So what if every vote turned up for President GaGa and VP Manson, what difference does it make, the electoral college will vote President Rockefeller and VP Morgan anyway.
If hacktivists do something as determined as set a vote, if they're not smart enough to make the results believable, then whatever election they interfere with will be declared null and void (especially if it favors Democrats, or some other socially conscience party)
N
Social Security Privatization: I think it would be very intersting to have someone knowledgable in insurance, finance and economics to discuss what the world of privatized Social Security would look like. There are various options: all stocks, all insurance, annuities with no death benefit, surviver benefits, etc. The costs and benefits would vary widely. What are the possible/likely returns and expenses? What impact would there be on the market itself having trillions of extra money dumped into it? Would there be too much savings? Would it just overprice the market? Would the rich just siphon huge profits off from an over-valued market? Who insures the insurers? Do they ever go bankrupt?
Financial planners advise that you have a mixture of very safe investments and then others of increasing risks. And that you should make sure that you can survive on your safe investments only in case everything else goes to heck. Planners relied on safe, low return, boring Social Security as the firewall against disaster. Would a new, privatized, higher return Social Security serve that function?
David, Do you happen to have the statistics for their support for the total $ support for the Republican candidates?
Are you truly in support of taking away the vote of people who don't think like you? Really? What is your definition of Democracy?
Thomm,
What is the status of the Sherman Antitrust Act? Why isn't it used all the time?
Jim from Berkeley
opensecrets.org documentation of Wall St. investments in Obama, 2008:
Goldman Sachs $1,648,685
JP Morgan Chase $808,799
Citigroup, Inc. $736,711
Morgan Stanley $512,232
3 of the top 7 owners of Obama are bankster corporations. Democrats are what banksters refer to as a value investment — high return to be gained on a cheap investment.
The "progressive" liberals don't oppose any evil; they vote for Democrats to perfect every evil.
It might become possible for elections to serve a good purpose, if all liberals were nonvoters.
http://www.chenangogreens.org
I voted no because I have high hopes for a strong push back against the banksters. But I do agree that they currently, and for many years have run the world to their liking. I've now heard that the market will totally crash soon and that there are many who are betting on it and should that happen will become even richer then they are now while the rest of the world plunges into deep despair. It is just sick. What good would their money do them if there's no one left to make the luxury items they could buy with all that money? More money then they could spend in 10,20 or more lifetimes? Wonder if we then have a world wide revolt?
You are crazy.
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If I believed that it was possible for our justice system to never make a mistake, if I believed that they never convict and sentence innocent people to die, I can see how some people would be in favor of the death penalty. But the problem is that governors, prosecutors, judges, and police are human beings and therefore imperfect, capable of making mistakes in refusing a pardon, mistakes in prosecuting the accused, mistakes in passing judgement, and mistakes in gathering or presenting the evidence on which people are convicted. And there are also a fair number of people in the justice system who are like Rick Perry, who actually have a lot in common with murderers because they like murdering people. And according to Perry's own words, he sleeps just fine at night knowing that he has refused to pardon innocent people who were then executed. In other words, Rick Perry has no consience. In other words, Rick Perry is a sociopath, he is mentally ill and unfit for public office.
Here is my question for the people who like the death penalty: what if it was your father, your brother, your son, or you, who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death, and Rick Perry refused a pardon and the courts refused to give you or your family member a new trial when new evidence would prove that you didn't do the crime? Would you be against the death penalty if it was you or someone you care about, but in favor of the death penalty when it's someone you don't care about because you don't know them?
You see, that part of the Bible where Jesus says, "As you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me," it's not just just a scripture, not just something that someone said a long time ago. It's a plain fact that if you treat others badly, it's like treating yourself badly. And if you treat others fairly, it's like treating yourself fairly. So, do you republicans want to be treated fairly? Because if you do, you better be very careful what politicians and laws you vote for. Because Rick Perry would just as soon execute you as look at you. Unless, of course, you have so much money that you can buy Rick Perry the way that the corporate interests have bought him.