source blog
The first thing that struck me when General Hayden made the ignorant observation that the Fourth Amendment didn't include a probable cause standard was that someone needed to tattoo the Bill of Rights on his chest, backwards, so he could read it every time he looked in the mirror in the morning. The second thing that struck me about his insistence that a "reasonable suspicion" standard prevails over probable cause for the spying program was that this Administration and the Congress already rejected a reasonable suspicion standard.
In 2002, Republican Senator DeWine introduced an amendment to the PATRIOT ACT that would have lowered the FISA warrant standard for non-U.S. citizens from probable cause to "reasonable suspicion." The DeWine amendment, S. 2659, was rejected in Committee. Glenn Greenwald has a must-read, excellent post on the DeWine amendment here. DeWine's amendment would have lowered the standard ONLY for non-U.S. citizens. The administration expressed serious misgiving about the constitutionality of DeWine's amendment. In the end, his amendment did not pass.
The admission that Bush's spying program uses a "reasonable suspicion" standard rather than a "probable cause" standard is explosive and damning. Why? Because the Bush administration knew--indeed, took the position--that a reasonable suspicion standard with respect to non-U.S. citizens was probably unconstitutional. Yet the administration now applies that same unconstitutional standard to United States citizens?
In the summer of 2002--well after Bush's spying program was already secretly implemented- the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on the DeWine amendment. (Hearing Report PDF) What transpired at that hearing proves that the Bush administration (a) knew that wiretaps of United States citizens are, pursuant to the Constitution, always subject to a probable cause standard; and (b) Congress explicitly rejected a lower standard for non-U.S. citizens.
DeWine himself limited his amendment to apply only to non-U.S. citizens, recognizing that "we must be cautious not to endorse an overly permissive use of the surveillance powers of FISA." The Committee heard testimony from the administration's top lawyers, and from top legal scholars in the field of eavesdropping and criminal law.
James Baker was then counsel for intelligence policy at the Department of Justice and head of the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which is the office that prepares and presents to the FISA court "all the applications under the FISA Act for electronic surveillance and physical search of foreign powers and their agents." If there was any expert on FISA warrant and applications at the time, it was Baker. He began his testimony by praising the PATRIOT ACT FISA changes, testifying as follows:
In my view, the changes have allowed us to move more quickly and more effectively and to also be more focused in our approach in dealing with the kinds of threats that Mr. Bowman made reference to. So we at the Department are grateful for the changes that Congress made in the statute, because I believe they've been important and have been employed effectively.
No word of how "ineffective" FISA is there. No testimony there from the Bush' top FISA guy about being hamstrung by the requirements of FISA. Baker then stated the DeWine Amendment "raises both significant legal and practical issues." In his formal statement to the Committee, Baker wrote:
The Department of Justice has been studying Sen. DeWine's proposed legislation. Because the proposed change raises both significant legal and practical issues, the Administration at this time is not prepared to support it.
The Department's Office of Legal Counsel is analyzing relevant Supreme Court precedent to determine whether a "reasonable suspicion" standard for electronic surveillance and physical searches would, in the FISA context, pass constitutional muster. The issue is not clear cut, and the review process must be thorough because of what is at stake, namely, our ability to conduct investigations that are vital to protecting national security. If we err in our analysis and courts were ultimately to find a "reasonable suspicion" standard unconstitutional, we could potentially put at risk ongoing investigations and prosecutions.
The practical concern involves an assessment of whether the current "probable cause" standard has hamstrung our ability to use FISA surveillance to protect our nation. We have been aggressive in seeking FISA warrants and, thanks to Congress's passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, we have been able to use our expanded FISA tools more effectively to combat terrorist activities. It may not be the case that the probable cause standard has caused any difficulties in our ability to seek the FISA warrants we require, and we will need to engage in a significant review to determine the effect a change in the standard would have on our ongoing operations. [Baker testified twice at the hearing that the administration made "aggressive" use of the FISA process, and that the FISA court had not rejected ONE of its warrants under the probable cause standard]. If the current standard has not posed an obstacle, then there may be little to gain from the lower standard and, as I previously stated, perhaps much to lose.
More below the fold...
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So, as of July 31, 2002, the Administration was not sold on the constitutionality of a "reasonable suspicion" standard for non-U.S. citizens. Keep that in mind as we continue through the testimony.
The Committee also heard testimony from Jerry Berman, former chief legal counsel for the ACLU and the man who helped draft FISA. Professor Charles Fishman, Professor of Law at the Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, also testified and was described as having "extensive trial experience and is a published author on issues of evidence and wire-tapping."
Mr. Berman testified that lowering the standard, in addition to changing the definition of "agent of foreign power" would be clearly illegal:
[I]f we put the two together and lowered the standard to reasonable suspicion, as Mr. DeWine proposes, I believe that is clearly unconstitutional. One: the Abel case says the Constitution applies to aliens. The Keith case, which ruled that intelligence--that wiretaps--can be applied to domestic cases said lower standards can be used. But we are talking about a new mixed statute, which is not only intelligence but criminal and can be used for criminal prosecution purposes. And if the court finds that you're using FISA to get criminal prosecutions, there will be great questioning of the basis on which you gather that information and the Constitution, Fourth Amendment, says ``probable cause'' and I agree, in final, with the Attorney General said it is the Constitution is getting in our way and that's the point. And that's the point--the Constitution here--and it is in your way.
Meanwhile, Professor Fishman, who reluctantly supported a reasonable suspicion standard for non-U.S. citizens, had this to say about the DeWine Amendment:
FISHMAN: What's unusual, perhaps even radical, about Senator DeWine's proposal is that it would take the reasonable suspicion standard and apply it to an extremely intrusive form of surveillance. There's nothing more intrusive than surreptitious electronic surveillance of communications. It would be a radical change from the current state of the law. I think it would nonetheless be upheld as constitutional because it is very tightly drawn and because of necessity in which we find ourselves, given the sick and dangerous world that we exist in. But it clearly is a significant departure from the entire range of reasonable suspicion jurisprudence the Supreme Court has given us to date.
Wow...if lowering the standard for non-U.S. citizens was described as a "radical" and "significant" departure from the law, then how would Fisherman dare to describe applying that standard to United States citizens, who traditionally are afforded much greater legal protection than non-U.S. citizens? As Professor Fisherman testified:
It is a well established principle that people who are in the United States illegally or only temporarily enjoy somewhat less legal protection than citizens and green card holders. This supports the constitutionality of requiring less information--that is, only reasonable suspicion--to authorize surveillance of such people than is required to surveil U.S. persons.
We must remember moreover that such electronic surveillance and physical searches inevitably would intrude into the privacy not only of the non-U.S. person who was the target but of many U.S. persons as well--anyone the target talks to on his telephone or shares space with or communicates with by computer, depending upon the type of surveillance. Until now the law has not permitted that degree of intrusion into anyone without a search warrant or interception order based on probable cause. Thus, this proposal boldly goes where no law has gone before.
Re-read his testimony again. The law does not permit warrantless surveillance searches without probable cause. The Supreme Court has held that police frisks and other more limited forms of searches could be held to a "reasonable suspicion" standard. But as to the pervasive, highly intrusive search that occurs when the government wiretaps or intercepts the communications of its citizens, a probable cause standard is constitutionally required.
DeWine's proposal, a proposal which "boldly went where no law has gone before," was rejected. And in that rejection, the Congress put the administration on notice that it was not prepared to violate the Constitution and abrogate the rights of non-U.S. citizens. What then makes the administration think Congress approved such abrogation of rights for United States citizens, who enjoy the highest level of protection under the law?
Mark my words, Hayden's revelation that a reasonable suspicion standard is being applied to United States citizens is perhaps the most damaging admission by a government official to date about the program. With a single exchange, Hayden demonstrated that indeed, Bush's program violates established case law and the Constitution. With a single statement, Hayden proved that Congress did not, would not, and will not approve of this program. And with his revelation, Hayden revealed that this administration knew what it was doing was just plain wrong.
The excuse that the FISA court wasn't flexible enough is a lie. The excuse that there was too much paperwork to push around--despite a 72 safe harbor--was a lie. And the excuse that probable cause was too high a standard to fulfill was also a lie.
The truth is that Bush went outside the law because he sought to impose a standard which the administration itself rejected in 2002. It knew full well that, if such a standard were illegal as applied to non-U.S. citizens, its illegality would be beyond doubt when applied to those who enjoy the full force of 4th Amendment.
A reasonable suspicion of illegality indeed.
DJHJD
Sunday, January 29, 2006
America prefers Democrats
By kos on George W. Bush
Dan Balz:
The Post-ABC News poll offers a revealing portrait of a restless electorate at the start of the campaign year. By 51 percent to 35 percent, Americans said they preferred to go in the direction outlined by congressional Democrats rather than the direction established by the president. On the eve of last year's State of the Union address, 45 percent said they preferred to follow the path of the president, compared with 39 percent who said they favored the Democrats' course.
By 54 percent to 38 percent, voters surveyed said they would vote for the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate for the House in November. That is one of the largest margins favoring the Democrats in two decades, although the gerrymandered House districts mean that incumbents are safer today than they were in the past.
By 51 percent to 37 percent, Americans said they trust the Democrats more than the Republicans with the main problems facing the country over the next few years, the first time since spring 1992 that Democrats have gained more than 50 percent support on that question.
Balz notes that much will ride on King Bush's SOTU address, though I don't think it's as influential a tool as it may once have been. There are too many alternatives on TV for anyone but the biggest Bush fans and political junkies to tune in.
History suggests that Bush will get some sort of bounce regardless thanks to the inevitably fawning media coverage. The real question will be how long any such bounce will last, and whether congressional GOoPers will get any benefits from said theoretical bounce.
Iraq won't do Bush any favors (especially given the coverage of Woodruff's condition), the prescription drug debacle is already raising ire with the elderly (people who actually vote), and we've got a whole spate of investigataions and trials on tap which will further highlight the Republican culture of corruption and Bush's belief that he is an infallible monarch.
Dan Balz:
The Post-ABC News poll offers a revealing portrait of a restless electorate at the start of the campaign year. By 51 percent to 35 percent, Americans said they preferred to go in the direction outlined by congressional Democrats rather than the direction established by the president. On the eve of last year's State of the Union address, 45 percent said they preferred to follow the path of the president, compared with 39 percent who said they favored the Democrats' course.
By 54 percent to 38 percent, voters surveyed said they would vote for the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate for the House in November. That is one of the largest margins favoring the Democrats in two decades, although the gerrymandered House districts mean that incumbents are safer today than they were in the past.
By 51 percent to 37 percent, Americans said they trust the Democrats more than the Republicans with the main problems facing the country over the next few years, the first time since spring 1992 that Democrats have gained more than 50 percent support on that question.
Balz notes that much will ride on King Bush's SOTU address, though I don't think it's as influential a tool as it may once have been. There are too many alternatives on TV for anyone but the biggest Bush fans and political junkies to tune in.
History suggests that Bush will get some sort of bounce regardless thanks to the inevitably fawning media coverage. The real question will be how long any such bounce will last, and whether congressional GOoPers will get any benefits from said theoretical bounce.
Iraq won't do Bush any favors (especially given the coverage of Woodruff's condition), the prescription drug debacle is already raising ire with the elderly (people who actually vote), and we've got a whole spate of investigataions and trials on tap which will further highlight the Republican culture of corruption and Bush's belief that he is an infallible monarch.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
A stern warning from Rubin
http://blogs.chron.com/fulldisclosure/archives/2006/01/a_stern_warning.html
If you haven't already, it's worth reading former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin's Op-Ed piece ($) in the Wall Street Journal. It would be easy to dismiss Rubin on partisan grounds, but that would be a mistake. When he ran Treasury, he was a staunch supporter of a balanced budget, and his piece today is a call for greater fiscal responsibility.
To move forward, serious policy advocates from all perspectives should start by agreeing on two basic bedrock principles: that there is no free lunch; and that a strong future requires incurring costs now for benefits later. We should then put everything on the table. Our strategy should have four components:
(1) We should re-establish sound fiscal conditions for the intermediate term (the 10-year federal budget window) and put in place a real plan to get entitlements on a sound footing for the long term. (2) We need a strong public investment program -- paid for, not funded by increased public borrowing -- to promote productivity growth, to help those dislocated by technology and trade, and to equip all citizens to share in our economic well-being and growth. (3) We must pursue an international economic policy that continues global integration, especially multilaterally, and proactively addresses our other international economic interests, including combating global poverty. (4) We should work toward a regulatory regime that meets our needs and sensibly weigh risks and rewards.
Our strategy should reaffirm market-based economics as the most effective organizing principle for economic activity, while recognizing the critical role of government in providing the many requisites for economic success that markets, by their very nature, will not provide.
Regardless of your political views, our current fiscal policy -- which basically amounts to borrow and spend -- is unsustainable. The longer we wait to address the problems, the harder the choices get.
If you haven't already, it's worth reading former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin's Op-Ed piece ($) in the Wall Street Journal. It would be easy to dismiss Rubin on partisan grounds, but that would be a mistake. When he ran Treasury, he was a staunch supporter of a balanced budget, and his piece today is a call for greater fiscal responsibility.
To move forward, serious policy advocates from all perspectives should start by agreeing on two basic bedrock principles: that there is no free lunch; and that a strong future requires incurring costs now for benefits later. We should then put everything on the table. Our strategy should have four components:
(1) We should re-establish sound fiscal conditions for the intermediate term (the 10-year federal budget window) and put in place a real plan to get entitlements on a sound footing for the long term. (2) We need a strong public investment program -- paid for, not funded by increased public borrowing -- to promote productivity growth, to help those dislocated by technology and trade, and to equip all citizens to share in our economic well-being and growth. (3) We must pursue an international economic policy that continues global integration, especially multilaterally, and proactively addresses our other international economic interests, including combating global poverty. (4) We should work toward a regulatory regime that meets our needs and sensibly weigh risks and rewards.
Our strategy should reaffirm market-based economics as the most effective organizing principle for economic activity, while recognizing the critical role of government in providing the many requisites for economic success that markets, by their very nature, will not provide.
Regardless of your political views, our current fiscal policy -- which basically amounts to borrow and spend -- is unsustainable. The longer we wait to address the problems, the harder the choices get.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Technology Tuesday
Okay, so we’re having technology breakdowns here at the Office de Divo. The printer is back to its old ways of figuring that it’s got a paper jam. The bottom drawer of the filing cabinet has fallen down and it can’t get up, and now, the shredder has stopped working after many hours of valuable service today.
I shredded eight bags of old records – I felt like one of Enron’s financial staff. I had put everything to be shredded into a big box, which was full to overflowing. All kinds of paperwork from old lenders, old employers, old receipts, old bank statements. I got about forty files re-labeled and put in more suitable file drawers.
So, things in the office are looking pretty spiffy. Ish. And, I have some tax returns to do, some marketing to do, my homework to do, blah, blah, blah. And a busted printer. And a busted shredder. That’s working again. Apparently, I was overworking it.
Had dinner with David tonight – we always have such great conversations when we hang out. He was talking about some PBS show he had watched that showed a scientific connection between the genetic disposition of some people to die of bubonic plague, some to get it but not die, and others to be unaffected – the identical genetic mutuation also protects against HIV.
Already 8:37. Why do my lights come on (mentally speaking) at this hour and carry on into the night?
I shredded eight bags of old records – I felt like one of Enron’s financial staff. I had put everything to be shredded into a big box, which was full to overflowing. All kinds of paperwork from old lenders, old employers, old receipts, old bank statements. I got about forty files re-labeled and put in more suitable file drawers.
So, things in the office are looking pretty spiffy. Ish. And, I have some tax returns to do, some marketing to do, my homework to do, blah, blah, blah. And a busted printer. And a busted shredder. That’s working again. Apparently, I was overworking it.
Had dinner with David tonight – we always have such great conversations when we hang out. He was talking about some PBS show he had watched that showed a scientific connection between the genetic disposition of some people to die of bubonic plague, some to get it but not die, and others to be unaffected – the identical genetic mutuation also protects against HIV.
Already 8:37. Why do my lights come on (mentally speaking) at this hour and carry on into the night?
Mystery firm linked to US lobbyist scandal
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=12&art_id=10441&sid=6326812&con_type=3
US government investigators probing Washington's explosive Congressional bribery scandal centered on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff recently visited Hong Kong, according to a witness interviewed by the authorities.ZachColeman Saturday, January 21, 2006
(image placeholder)
US government investigators probing Washington's explosive Congressional bribery scandal centered on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff recently visited Hong Kong, according to a witness interviewed by the authorities.
The investigators reportedly are chasing convoluted money trails leading to Abramoff and government officials he sought to influence.
Among the likely subjects of interest here is a previously unknown company called Rose Garden Holdings. In May 2002, Abramoff notified the US Senate that Rose Garden had hired him and Greenberg Traurig, his firm at the time, to represent Rose Garden's "interests before federal agencies and [the] US Congress."
Abramoff recorded Rose Garden's address as a luxury flat in Tai Hang, above Causeway Bay, and its business as international trade. Over the next year and a half, the records show, Rose Garden paid Greenberg Traurig US$1.4 million (HK$10.92 million) for putting its case to the Senate, House of Representatives and US Department of Labor.
Hong Kong's Companies Registry has no record of Rose Garden Holdings; nor does the telephone directory. The apartment listed by Abramoff as Rose Garden's premises has been owned since 1992 by Luen Thai Shipping and Trading, according to the Land Registry.
Luen Thai Holdings and its controlling shareholders, the Tan family, were leading beneficiaries of Abramoff's Washington lobbying.
Luen Thai officials and spokesmen referred queries about Abramoff and Rose Garden to chief execut
(image placeholder)
ive Henry Tan, but Tan declined through his secretary to be interviewed, citing his travel schedule.
Luen Thai Holdings, which held a HK$669.4 million initial public stock offering in 2004, was built on the business of sewing together clothing for top US brand-names such as Liz Claiborne, with the assistance of young women from China and other Asian countries on the US-controlled Pacific island of Saipan.
The foundations of the company's profitable niche are loopholes in US law that allow free migration to the island, set its minimum wage below mainland US levels and allow clothing sewn there to carry the "Made in USA" label and be exempt from quotas and tariffs.
Before the Tan family had friends in Washington, they made enemies. In 1991, the US Labor Department sued six Tan companies for paying 1,350 mainly Chinese workers less than Saipan's minimum wage and forcing them to work up to 90 hours a week without required overtime pay.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied more than US$240,000 in fines against the six Tan companies the following year for violations including locking and blocking factory and dormitory fire doors and other unsanitary and hazardous conditions in the factories and dorms.
After the charges were made public, clothing giant Levi Strauss & Co and retailer The Gap halted purchases from the Tans.
US Representative George Miller, a Democrat from California, launched committee hearings into labor abuses on the island and ways to close the loopholes surrounding Saipan.
The Tans settled the overtime suit without admitting any wrongdoing by agreeing to pay the workers US$9 million. They also settled the health and safety charges by pledging US$1.3 million in repairs and paying a US$76,000 penalty.
After this episode - and ones with other island manufacturers - Saipan's government hired Abramoff to fend off repeated threats to the island's status in Washington.
Abramoff took up the garment makers' cause enthusiastically, taking congressmen and their staff and families to Saipan to enjoy its tropical pleasures and hear the manufacturers' case for protection. Abramoff and his staff trumpeted the clothiers' agenda to administration officials, targeting unsympathetic ones for retribution. A syndicated US newspaper columnist last month admitted receiving payments from Abramoff for writing favorable stories about Saipan and other clients.
Between 1995 and 2002, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, centered on Saipan, paid Abramoff at least US$8 million, according to commonwealth audits and Senate records. But the high-priced help became a lightning rod for controversy on the cash-strapped islands. Twice the government dropped Abramoff's services.
Rose Garden's hiring of Abramoff came four months after the government, now under a new governor, ended his contract for the last time. During the previous suspension, four business organizations in Saipan joined to publicly form a new group that paid Abramoff US$2.4 million.
If Abramoff reported "Rose Garden Holdings" as his client, using its name as a front for Luen Thai or other Saipan business interests, he may have violated the US Lobbying Disclosure Act. Jan Witold Baran, a Washington lawyer specializing in lobbying law, said the law requires identification of the entity directing and funding lobbying activity.
Juan Babauta, who was succeeded on January 8 as Northern Marianas governor by a former Tan Holdings executive, told the Saipan Tribune just before he left office: "The Jack Abramoff investigation is obviously turning in the direction of the CNMI."
According to an investigation published by The Washington Post three weeks ago, records obtained by the newspaper reveal that Saipan garment makers, including Tan, contributed US$500,000 to an organization called the US Family Network between 1996 and 2001. Much of the organization's funding was spent supporting other groups linked to Abramoff or indicted Congressman Tom DeLay.
A series of e-mail messages between Abramoff and Willie Tan, Henry's brother who heads up the family's ventures on site in Saipan, recently obtained by Washington journalist Joshua Micah Marshall, appear to show another financial link. According to a copy posted on Marshall's Web site, Abramoff billed Tan US$223,679 in 2000 toward the annual rental of skyboxes in three Washington-area stadiums and arenas.
Abramoff made frequent use of the skyboxes to entertain congressmen. The e-mails indicate receipt of a first quarterly payment of US$55,919.75 and show Tan directing a company finance executive to make the second quarterly payment.
US government investigators probing Washington's explosive Congressional bribery scandal centered on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff recently visited Hong Kong, according to a witness interviewed by the authorities.ZachColeman Saturday, January 21, 2006
(image placeholder)
US government investigators probing Washington's explosive Congressional bribery scandal centered on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff recently visited Hong Kong, according to a witness interviewed by the authorities.
The investigators reportedly are chasing convoluted money trails leading to Abramoff and government officials he sought to influence.
Among the likely subjects of interest here is a previously unknown company called Rose Garden Holdings. In May 2002, Abramoff notified the US Senate that Rose Garden had hired him and Greenberg Traurig, his firm at the time, to represent Rose Garden's "interests before federal agencies and [the] US Congress."
Abramoff recorded Rose Garden's address as a luxury flat in Tai Hang, above Causeway Bay, and its business as international trade. Over the next year and a half, the records show, Rose Garden paid Greenberg Traurig US$1.4 million (HK$10.92 million) for putting its case to the Senate, House of Representatives and US Department of Labor.
Hong Kong's Companies Registry has no record of Rose Garden Holdings; nor does the telephone directory. The apartment listed by Abramoff as Rose Garden's premises has been owned since 1992 by Luen Thai Shipping and Trading, according to the Land Registry.
Luen Thai Holdings and its controlling shareholders, the Tan family, were leading beneficiaries of Abramoff's Washington lobbying.
Luen Thai officials and spokesmen referred queries about Abramoff and Rose Garden to chief execut
(image placeholder)
ive Henry Tan, but Tan declined through his secretary to be interviewed, citing his travel schedule.
Luen Thai Holdings, which held a HK$669.4 million initial public stock offering in 2004, was built on the business of sewing together clothing for top US brand-names such as Liz Claiborne, with the assistance of young women from China and other Asian countries on the US-controlled Pacific island of Saipan.
The foundations of the company's profitable niche are loopholes in US law that allow free migration to the island, set its minimum wage below mainland US levels and allow clothing sewn there to carry the "Made in USA" label and be exempt from quotas and tariffs.
Before the Tan family had friends in Washington, they made enemies. In 1991, the US Labor Department sued six Tan companies for paying 1,350 mainly Chinese workers less than Saipan's minimum wage and forcing them to work up to 90 hours a week without required overtime pay.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied more than US$240,000 in fines against the six Tan companies the following year for violations including locking and blocking factory and dormitory fire doors and other unsanitary and hazardous conditions in the factories and dorms.
After the charges were made public, clothing giant Levi Strauss & Co and retailer The Gap halted purchases from the Tans.
US Representative George Miller, a Democrat from California, launched committee hearings into labor abuses on the island and ways to close the loopholes surrounding Saipan.
The Tans settled the overtime suit without admitting any wrongdoing by agreeing to pay the workers US$9 million. They also settled the health and safety charges by pledging US$1.3 million in repairs and paying a US$76,000 penalty.
After this episode - and ones with other island manufacturers - Saipan's government hired Abramoff to fend off repeated threats to the island's status in Washington.
Abramoff took up the garment makers' cause enthusiastically, taking congressmen and their staff and families to Saipan to enjoy its tropical pleasures and hear the manufacturers' case for protection. Abramoff and his staff trumpeted the clothiers' agenda to administration officials, targeting unsympathetic ones for retribution. A syndicated US newspaper columnist last month admitted receiving payments from Abramoff for writing favorable stories about Saipan and other clients.
Between 1995 and 2002, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, centered on Saipan, paid Abramoff at least US$8 million, according to commonwealth audits and Senate records. But the high-priced help became a lightning rod for controversy on the cash-strapped islands. Twice the government dropped Abramoff's services.
Rose Garden's hiring of Abramoff came four months after the government, now under a new governor, ended his contract for the last time. During the previous suspension, four business organizations in Saipan joined to publicly form a new group that paid Abramoff US$2.4 million.
If Abramoff reported "Rose Garden Holdings" as his client, using its name as a front for Luen Thai or other Saipan business interests, he may have violated the US Lobbying Disclosure Act. Jan Witold Baran, a Washington lawyer specializing in lobbying law, said the law requires identification of the entity directing and funding lobbying activity.
Juan Babauta, who was succeeded on January 8 as Northern Marianas governor by a former Tan Holdings executive, told the Saipan Tribune just before he left office: "The Jack Abramoff investigation is obviously turning in the direction of the CNMI."
According to an investigation published by The Washington Post three weeks ago, records obtained by the newspaper reveal that Saipan garment makers, including Tan, contributed US$500,000 to an organization called the US Family Network between 1996 and 2001. Much of the organization's funding was spent supporting other groups linked to Abramoff or indicted Congressman Tom DeLay.
A series of e-mail messages between Abramoff and Willie Tan, Henry's brother who heads up the family's ventures on site in Saipan, recently obtained by Washington journalist Joshua Micah Marshall, appear to show another financial link. According to a copy posted on Marshall's Web site, Abramoff billed Tan US$223,679 in 2000 toward the annual rental of skyboxes in three Washington-area stadiums and arenas.
Abramoff made frequent use of the skyboxes to entertain congressmen. The e-mails indicate receipt of a first quarterly payment of US$55,919.75 and show Tan directing a company finance executive to make the second quarterly payment.
A PRE-STATE OF THE UNION PRIMER
http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2006/01/index.html#008934
Another day, another detailed preview of George W. Bush's State of the Union health care proposals. This morning's iteration comes from the LA Times’ Peter Gosselin, one of the best social policy reporters in the country. But even the best reporters are hamstrung and hogtied by demands for objectivity and spacial constraints, so though Gosselin's tour through the proposals is sure-footed and clearly-written, it doesn't offer much in the way of context or analysis. So we'll do that here.
Setting aside the miscellanea of medical malpractice and various portability tweaks, Bush's major proposals encourage the spread of Health Savings Accounts and render most out-of-pocket spending tax deductible (attentive news junkies will note the dissonance with the November recommendations of Bush's tax commission, which sought to limit health care deductions). This is a rethink of the entire health care system: no more risk pooling; instead, you sock away cash in tax-advantaged accounts, spending it only when you get sick. So no (or very low) premiums. But when you fall ill, there'll be no insurance company defraying the costs, not until you've spent $10,000 or so.
The idea here is simple. Conservatives believe Americans have too much health insurance, that they spend heedlessly and wastefully on care, procedures, and medications they would simply forego if insurance plans didn't pick up the tab. Ergo, HSA's, which end risk pooling, forcing care to come directly from pockets. Newly responsible for their medical bills, consumers will be spurred by the Magic of the Market to make smarter decisions, show more prudence, lead healthier lifestyles, smile more often, and smell springtime fresh. It's gonna be awesome.
At least if you're healthy. Because what HSA's really do is separate the young from the old, the well from the sick. Currently, insurance operates off of the concept of risk pooling. Since health costs tend to be unpredictable and illness isn't thought a moral failing, we all pay a bit more than we expect to use in order to subsidize those who end up needing much more than they ever thought possible. The well subsidize the sick, the young subsidize the old, and we all accept the arrangement because one day we will be old, and one day we will be sick, and no one wants to shoulder that alone.
But HSA's slice right through this intergenerational, redistributionist arrangement: they're a great deal for young, healthy folks because they don't force subsidization. Just don't get sick. And if you're already sick, don't think you can hide by remaining in traditional insurance plans: when the healthy rush towards HSA's, older plans will hold only the ill, and insurance companies will send premiums skyrocketing to recoup the difference.
Thankfully, when you're old, sick, poor, and bitter, schadenfreude will keep you warm. Eventually all those young bucks who left you for their HSA's will get sick, and when they do, it's all coming out of their pocket. And if, like most Americans, they're not terribly good savers and their HSA only has a couple thousand (or hundred) in it, it's all coming out of their bank accounts. Currently, more than half of all bankruptcies are due to medical costs. Post-HSA's, expect that number to rocket upwards. Lucky thing, then, that the financial industry, along with a compliant Congress, just made it harder and costlier to declare bankruptcy.
HSA's, also, will not solve, halt, or slow medical spending in this country. Health costs follows the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the money goes towards 20 percent of the people. A healthy person spends virtually nothing in a year, but a cancer patient or car crash victim will lay down hundreds of thousands of dollars. And since each HSA is coupled with a high-deductible insurance policy, none of that care will be skipped; the patients will just be bankrupted en route to the limit.
Nor will HSA's cut down on unnecessary care. A famous RAND study looked into usage of these plans and found that patients did indeed use a bit less care, but they had no way to separate necessary care from unnecessary care. So instead of foregoing useless procedures, they simply neglected their hypertension (for example). Long-term, that means more strokes and heart attacks, which in turn cost the system orders of magnitude more than blood pressure medications and regular check-ups. Save a penny today, pay a pound tomorrow.
But that's not to say HSA's are useless. They're not. What they achieve is massive, large-scale cost-shifting, generally from employer to employee. Where businesses used to pay for insurance (and thus for treatment), now they'll simply help employees found HSA's and let them pay their own health costs. And that's really what this push is about. Businesses don't like paying for health care. The Bush administration, as always, heard and heeded the corporate complaints, and is set to propose a policy agenda that'll help employers wiggle out of insurance costs. But someone, always, is left holding the bag, and if businesses let go of it, their employees will have to pick up the slack. For the lucky, healthy ones, the changeover won't affect them much; it may even leave them better off, at least for awhile. But for the old or the ill (all of us, eventually), costs will skyrocket.
Bush wants to bring about the end of risk pooling, the end of health security. The question voters will have to ask is if they think their lives, and bank accounts, need a massive infusion of instability.
--Ezra Klein
Another day, another detailed preview of George W. Bush's State of the Union health care proposals. This morning's iteration comes from the LA Times’ Peter Gosselin, one of the best social policy reporters in the country. But even the best reporters are hamstrung and hogtied by demands for objectivity and spacial constraints, so though Gosselin's tour through the proposals is sure-footed and clearly-written, it doesn't offer much in the way of context or analysis. So we'll do that here.
Setting aside the miscellanea of medical malpractice and various portability tweaks, Bush's major proposals encourage the spread of Health Savings Accounts and render most out-of-pocket spending tax deductible (attentive news junkies will note the dissonance with the November recommendations of Bush's tax commission, which sought to limit health care deductions). This is a rethink of the entire health care system: no more risk pooling; instead, you sock away cash in tax-advantaged accounts, spending it only when you get sick. So no (or very low) premiums. But when you fall ill, there'll be no insurance company defraying the costs, not until you've spent $10,000 or so.
The idea here is simple. Conservatives believe Americans have too much health insurance, that they spend heedlessly and wastefully on care, procedures, and medications they would simply forego if insurance plans didn't pick up the tab. Ergo, HSA's, which end risk pooling, forcing care to come directly from pockets. Newly responsible for their medical bills, consumers will be spurred by the Magic of the Market to make smarter decisions, show more prudence, lead healthier lifestyles, smile more often, and smell springtime fresh. It's gonna be awesome.
At least if you're healthy. Because what HSA's really do is separate the young from the old, the well from the sick. Currently, insurance operates off of the concept of risk pooling. Since health costs tend to be unpredictable and illness isn't thought a moral failing, we all pay a bit more than we expect to use in order to subsidize those who end up needing much more than they ever thought possible. The well subsidize the sick, the young subsidize the old, and we all accept the arrangement because one day we will be old, and one day we will be sick, and no one wants to shoulder that alone.
But HSA's slice right through this intergenerational, redistributionist arrangement: they're a great deal for young, healthy folks because they don't force subsidization. Just don't get sick. And if you're already sick, don't think you can hide by remaining in traditional insurance plans: when the healthy rush towards HSA's, older plans will hold only the ill, and insurance companies will send premiums skyrocketing to recoup the difference.
Thankfully, when you're old, sick, poor, and bitter, schadenfreude will keep you warm. Eventually all those young bucks who left you for their HSA's will get sick, and when they do, it's all coming out of their pocket. And if, like most Americans, they're not terribly good savers and their HSA only has a couple thousand (or hundred) in it, it's all coming out of their bank accounts. Currently, more than half of all bankruptcies are due to medical costs. Post-HSA's, expect that number to rocket upwards. Lucky thing, then, that the financial industry, along with a compliant Congress, just made it harder and costlier to declare bankruptcy.
HSA's, also, will not solve, halt, or slow medical spending in this country. Health costs follows the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the money goes towards 20 percent of the people. A healthy person spends virtually nothing in a year, but a cancer patient or car crash victim will lay down hundreds of thousands of dollars. And since each HSA is coupled with a high-deductible insurance policy, none of that care will be skipped; the patients will just be bankrupted en route to the limit.
Nor will HSA's cut down on unnecessary care. A famous RAND study looked into usage of these plans and found that patients did indeed use a bit less care, but they had no way to separate necessary care from unnecessary care. So instead of foregoing useless procedures, they simply neglected their hypertension (for example). Long-term, that means more strokes and heart attacks, which in turn cost the system orders of magnitude more than blood pressure medications and regular check-ups. Save a penny today, pay a pound tomorrow.
But that's not to say HSA's are useless. They're not. What they achieve is massive, large-scale cost-shifting, generally from employer to employee. Where businesses used to pay for insurance (and thus for treatment), now they'll simply help employees found HSA's and let them pay their own health costs. And that's really what this push is about. Businesses don't like paying for health care. The Bush administration, as always, heard and heeded the corporate complaints, and is set to propose a policy agenda that'll help employers wiggle out of insurance costs. But someone, always, is left holding the bag, and if businesses let go of it, their employees will have to pick up the slack. For the lucky, healthy ones, the changeover won't affect them much; it may even leave them better off, at least for awhile. But for the old or the ill (all of us, eventually), costs will skyrocket.
Bush wants to bring about the end of risk pooling, the end of health security. The question voters will have to ask is if they think their lives, and bank accounts, need a massive infusion of instability.
--Ezra Klein
Ralph Reed, paying cash for supporters
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/6409.html
At some point in the not-too-distant future, we'll be able to look back at the Jack Abramoff scandal and see whose career was ruined most by their Abramoff ties. Tom DeLay and Bob Ney are clearly the early favorites, but let's not forget our friend down in Georgia, former Christian Coalition director and current Lt. Gov. candidate Ralph Reed.
Reed, who harbors presidential ambitions, has fallen so far, he's actually been reduced to using cash handouts to bolster his support. (thanks to reader J.C. for the tip)
Ralph Reed wants a good crowd at today's annual gathering of the Christian Coalition of Georgia. And he's willing to shell out cash for it.
His Republican campaign for lieutenant governor sent an e-mail to supporters this week offering to pay the $20 entrance fee and — for out-of-towners — an overnight stay in a hotel.
Reed campaign manager Jared Thomas characterized the offer as routine. "Certainly, we want our grass-roots people to be well-represented," he said.
Well, sure, every political candidate wants to see their activist supporters at a campaign event. But consider the context here: we're talking about a Christian Coalition of Georgia meeting. In a church. Reed, the religious-right golden boy, should be in a position in which he's turning away supporters at the door because there's just too many of them. Instead, he's sending out last-minute emails offering to pay people to show up.
What's more, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the crowd at the rally ended up drawing about 350 activists — who were "evenly divided" between Reed supporters and backers of Reed's primary opponent, state Sen. Casey Cagle.
And there's no indication that Cagle had to pay anyone.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, we'll be able to look back at the Jack Abramoff scandal and see whose career was ruined most by their Abramoff ties. Tom DeLay and Bob Ney are clearly the early favorites, but let's not forget our friend down in Georgia, former Christian Coalition director and current Lt. Gov. candidate Ralph Reed.
Reed, who harbors presidential ambitions, has fallen so far, he's actually been reduced to using cash handouts to bolster his support. (thanks to reader J.C. for the tip)
Ralph Reed wants a good crowd at today's annual gathering of the Christian Coalition of Georgia. And he's willing to shell out cash for it.
His Republican campaign for lieutenant governor sent an e-mail to supporters this week offering to pay the $20 entrance fee and — for out-of-towners — an overnight stay in a hotel.
Reed campaign manager Jared Thomas characterized the offer as routine. "Certainly, we want our grass-roots people to be well-represented," he said.
Well, sure, every political candidate wants to see their activist supporters at a campaign event. But consider the context here: we're talking about a Christian Coalition of Georgia meeting. In a church. Reed, the religious-right golden boy, should be in a position in which he's turning away supporters at the door because there's just too many of them. Instead, he's sending out last-minute emails offering to pay people to show up.
What's more, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the crowd at the rally ended up drawing about 350 activists — who were "evenly divided" between Reed supporters and backers of Reed's primary opponent, state Sen. Casey Cagle.
And there's no indication that Cagle had to pay anyone.
If it were only for politics
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060122/NEWS/601220394/1013/EDITORIAL2
TOMMY STEVENSON: DeLay, others use Alabama to send money elsewhereThink of each of the hundreds of Political Action Committees set up in PAC-friendly Alabama over the years as barrels of varying sizes.Then think of the money from individuals, businesses, corporations and even other PACs as water poured into those barrels.Finally, think of the money in those PACs being dispersed by dippers to candidates, political organizations and even other PACs.The instruction, “Follow the money," that Deep Throat gave Robert Redford and Bob Woodward in the movie “All the President’s Men" (but which Woodward said was never given in the real-life investigation that brought down President Richard Nixon), would be impossible under such circumstances, wouldn’t it?Maybe that’s why former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, now fighting for his freedom in a Texas money- laundering trial, set up an Americans for a Republican Majority State Account PAC in Alabama in 1998.He then used the more than $750,000 – all of it coming from sources outside Alabama -- that was funneled into that PAC to help him finance the redistricting of Texas in 2002.That redistricting created more GOP House seats and, among other things, helped his party remain in control of Congress in the 2004 elections.The Americans for a Republican Majority State Account, as the PAC is sometimes identified on contributions and expenditures documents filed with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, also dispersed just a pittance of the money it collected in its Alabama PAC outside the state.According to the records that our Montgomery Bureau Chief Dana Beyerle and I accessed on the secretary of state’s Web site, the only money that stayed in Alabama was $11,000 that went to Gov. Bob Riley’s 2002 campaign for governor, and $5,000 that was tossed the PAC’s way when the fund was first set up in 1998.Even though the papers setting up the Americans for a Republican Majority State Account listed its address as 1155 21st Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C., Janice McDonald, an election specialist in the Secretary of State’s Office, said the scheme was all perfectly legal under existing Alabama campaign finance laws.“We have a lot of out-of-state PACs registered in Alabama and a lot of them that collect money from out of state and turn around and send it out of state," she said.That’s one reason to overhaul/sAlabama’s campaign finance laws, especially the loophole that allows PACs to contribute to other PACs, effectively disguising (some might say laundering) the true source of money that flows into our campaigns.A look at the contributions and expenditures forms of DeLay’s Alabama PAC is enlightening, perplexing and infuriating, all at the same time.Many of the contributions came from big law firms in New York, Washington and Texas, telecommunication and pharmaceutical firms and various single-interest companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Inc., which contributed $30,000 on Oct. 21, 2002. Two weeks earlier, General Cigar Holdings (DeLay is known to enjoy a fine cigar now and then) also contributed $10,000.But what’s up with the $5,000 contribution from the Sam Katz for Mayor Campaign Committee in Mechanicsburg, Pa., that was received on Jan. 12, 2000? Or the $5,000 from The Scooter Store in New Braunfels, Texas, that came in on May 24, 2002?The Lexington, Ky.-based National Thoroughbred Racing Association, where Michael Brown presumably was doing “a heck of a job" before being tapped as FEMA director by President George W. Bush, also chipped in $15,000 on Aug. 23, 2002.The expenditures were heavily weighted toward the various organizations in Texas working for redistricting, although many of them simply went to pay off five-figure credit card bills from American Express, Discover and MasterCard.But there is evidence that things weren’t just all work and no play for recipients of DeLay’s Alabama PAC.On Nov. 7, 2002, the PAC sent a $24,580 check to the ESPN Zone in Washington, D.C., a glitzy sports bar. The purpose of the expense was “food" and “fundraising," according to the document on file in Montgomery.The Champions Gate Golf Resort (The Hammer does love him some golf, doesn’t he?) in Champions Gate, Fla., got $2,351 on Jan. 31, 2002, while the elegant Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, W.V., got $7,819 on Nov. 19, 2002, and Occasions Catering, of Washington, D.C., got $13,027 on Oct. 21, 2002.But again, much of the money from the Alabama ARMPA went to Texas, to such organizations as Texas Victory 2002 ($50,000), Texans for a Republican Majority ($25,000), Texans Against Gerrymandering ($20,000), and the Republican Party of Texas (a measly $1,000.)A lot of money also went back to Washington to the main political organization working on behalf of Republicans. The NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) got a whopping $122,000 in three separate donations from DeLay’s Alabama PAC leading up to the 2002 elections.I don’t know how common it is to set up PACs for the sole purpose of raising and dispersing hard-to-trace money. it could be going on in other states like ours where the campaign finance laws are a joke.But it already has resulted in a call for Attorney General Troy King to look into whether DeLay’s PAC broke any Alabama laws. And it should give impetus to legislators like state Rep. Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville, who is pushing for the attorney general’s investigation and Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, who has legislation reforming campaign financing laws in the current session of the Alabama Legislature.
TOMMY STEVENSON: DeLay, others use Alabama to send money elsewhereThink of each of the hundreds of Political Action Committees set up in PAC-friendly Alabama over the years as barrels of varying sizes.Then think of the money from individuals, businesses, corporations and even other PACs as water poured into those barrels.Finally, think of the money in those PACs being dispersed by dippers to candidates, political organizations and even other PACs.The instruction, “Follow the money," that Deep Throat gave Robert Redford and Bob Woodward in the movie “All the President’s Men" (but which Woodward said was never given in the real-life investigation that brought down President Richard Nixon), would be impossible under such circumstances, wouldn’t it?Maybe that’s why former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, now fighting for his freedom in a Texas money- laundering trial, set up an Americans for a Republican Majority State Account PAC in Alabama in 1998.He then used the more than $750,000 – all of it coming from sources outside Alabama -- that was funneled into that PAC to help him finance the redistricting of Texas in 2002.That redistricting created more GOP House seats and, among other things, helped his party remain in control of Congress in the 2004 elections.The Americans for a Republican Majority State Account, as the PAC is sometimes identified on contributions and expenditures documents filed with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, also dispersed just a pittance of the money it collected in its Alabama PAC outside the state.According to the records that our Montgomery Bureau Chief Dana Beyerle and I accessed on the secretary of state’s Web site, the only money that stayed in Alabama was $11,000 that went to Gov. Bob Riley’s 2002 campaign for governor, and $5,000 that was tossed the PAC’s way when the fund was first set up in 1998.Even though the papers setting up the Americans for a Republican Majority State Account listed its address as 1155 21st Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C., Janice McDonald, an election specialist in the Secretary of State’s Office, said the scheme was all perfectly legal under existing Alabama campaign finance laws.“We have a lot of out-of-state PACs registered in Alabama and a lot of them that collect money from out of state and turn around and send it out of state," she said.That’s one reason to overhaul/sAlabama’s campaign finance laws, especially the loophole that allows PACs to contribute to other PACs, effectively disguising (some might say laundering) the true source of money that flows into our campaigns.A look at the contributions and expenditures forms of DeLay’s Alabama PAC is enlightening, perplexing and infuriating, all at the same time.Many of the contributions came from big law firms in New York, Washington and Texas, telecommunication and pharmaceutical firms and various single-interest companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Inc., which contributed $30,000 on Oct. 21, 2002. Two weeks earlier, General Cigar Holdings (DeLay is known to enjoy a fine cigar now and then) also contributed $10,000.But what’s up with the $5,000 contribution from the Sam Katz for Mayor Campaign Committee in Mechanicsburg, Pa., that was received on Jan. 12, 2000? Or the $5,000 from The Scooter Store in New Braunfels, Texas, that came in on May 24, 2002?The Lexington, Ky.-based National Thoroughbred Racing Association, where Michael Brown presumably was doing “a heck of a job" before being tapped as FEMA director by President George W. Bush, also chipped in $15,000 on Aug. 23, 2002.The expenditures were heavily weighted toward the various organizations in Texas working for redistricting, although many of them simply went to pay off five-figure credit card bills from American Express, Discover and MasterCard.But there is evidence that things weren’t just all work and no play for recipients of DeLay’s Alabama PAC.On Nov. 7, 2002, the PAC sent a $24,580 check to the ESPN Zone in Washington, D.C., a glitzy sports bar. The purpose of the expense was “food" and “fundraising," according to the document on file in Montgomery.The Champions Gate Golf Resort (The Hammer does love him some golf, doesn’t he?) in Champions Gate, Fla., got $2,351 on Jan. 31, 2002, while the elegant Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, W.V., got $7,819 on Nov. 19, 2002, and Occasions Catering, of Washington, D.C., got $13,027 on Oct. 21, 2002.But again, much of the money from the Alabama ARMPA went to Texas, to such organizations as Texas Victory 2002 ($50,000), Texans for a Republican Majority ($25,000), Texans Against Gerrymandering ($20,000), and the Republican Party of Texas (a measly $1,000.)A lot of money also went back to Washington to the main political organization working on behalf of Republicans. The NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) got a whopping $122,000 in three separate donations from DeLay’s Alabama PAC leading up to the 2002 elections.I don’t know how common it is to set up PACs for the sole purpose of raising and dispersing hard-to-trace money. it could be going on in other states like ours where the campaign finance laws are a joke.But it already has resulted in a call for Attorney General Troy King to look into whether DeLay’s PAC broke any Alabama laws. And it should give impetus to legislators like state Rep. Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville, who is pushing for the attorney general’s investigation and Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, who has legislation reforming campaign financing laws in the current session of the Alabama Legislature.
As Elections Near, Officials Challenge Balloting Security
source article
By Zachary Goldfarb
The Washington Post
Sunday 22 January 2006
In controlled test, results are manipulated in Florida system.
As the Leon County supervisor of elections, Ion Sancho's job is to make sure voting is free of fraud. But the most brazen effort lately to manipulate election results in this Florida locality was carried out by Sancho himself.
Four times over the past year Sancho told computer specialists to break in to his voting system. And on all four occasions they did, changing results with what the specialists described as relatively unsophisticated hacking techniques. To Sancho, the results showed the vulnerability of voting equipment manufactured by Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, which is used by Leon County and many other jurisdictions around the country.
Sancho's most recent demonstration was last month. Harri Hursti, a computer security expert from Finland, manipulated the "memory card" that records the votes of ballots run through an optical scanning machine.
Then, in a warehouse a few blocks from his office in downtown Tallahassee, Sancho and seven other people held a referendum. The question on the ballot:
"Can the votes of this Diebold system be hacked using the memory card?"
Two people marked yes on their ballots, and six no. The optical scan machine read the ballots, and the data were transmitted to a final tabulator. The result? Seven yes, one no.
"Was it possible for a disgruntled employee to do this and not have the elections administrator find out?" Sancho asked. "The answer was yes."
Diebold and some officials have criticized Sancho's experiments and said his conclusions about the vulnerability of electronic voting systems are unfounded.
What Sancho did "is analogous to if I gave you the keys to my house and told you when I was gone," said David Bear, a Diebold spokesman. As Bear sees it, Sancho's experiment involved giving hackers "complete unfettered access" to the equipment, something a responsible elections administrator would never allow.
Questions about the security of electronic voting machines have been circulating widely in recent years. But many of the concerns have been dismissed as the fantasies of Internet conspiracy theorists or sore-loser partisans who could not accept that their candidates simply got fewer votes. Critics have not demonstrated that any real elections have had returns altered by the manipulation of electronic voting systems.
But the questions raised by Sancho, who has held his post since 1989, show how the concerns are being taken more seriously among elections professionals.
"While electronic voting systems hold promise for improving the election process," the Government Accountability Office said in a report to Congress last year, there are still pressing concerns about "security and reliability . . . design flaws" and other issues.
The questions about electronic balloting have become widespread as states and counties move to upgrade equipment, as required by the 2002 Help America Vote Act. The law and new state regulations were enacted to make voting more accessible and more accurate, a response to the controversy generated by the contested outcome in Florida in the 2000 presidential election.
Since the federal law was passed, though, a hodgepodge of federal and state requirements and debates over the best technology have complicated the task of upgrading. In a recent survey by the National Association of Secretaries of State, 17 of 43 states that responded said they expected to miss a congressionally imposed Jan. 1, 2006, deadline to upgrade voting systems. Election officials have repeatedly clashed with voting-machine manufacturers.
In Connecticut, for example, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz said she would scrap her plans to replace her state's lever machines after the company she planned to buy from "misrepresented" itself in negotiations about how accessible the machines would be for people with disabilities.
In Miami-Dade County, Fla., the elections chief - the third in five years - is thinking about tossing out touch-screen systems installed after 2000. The concern is that they do not leave a paper trail that auditors could examine in a disputed election and are expensive to use.
In California, the secretary of state recently asked Hursti to investigate whether Diebold machines the state was considering had similar vulnerabilities.
The events that set in motion Hursti and Sancho meeting, and a new wave of concern over today's voting technologies, started in 2003, when a Seattle-based activist named Bev Harris released thousands of Diebold documents she said she found on an unsecured portion of the company's Web site. Some computer scientists said the documents showed Diebold's systems were vulnerable to attack. Today, more than 800 jurisdictions use their technology, Harris said.
She wanted to find a way to test whether those vulnerabilities could be exploited. Sancho volunteered his equipment to be tested by experts Harris would select.
Harris recruited computer expert Herbert Thompson, and on Feb. 14, 2005, in Tallahassee, Thompson met with Sancho and tried to crack the Diebold system remotely. The first attempt failed. On a second attempt, by directly accessing a computer where the votes are counted in a final tally, he manipulated returns. They used a local high school election for the experiment.
In May, two more tests were held, this time with Hursti present. Using a device bought for about $200, he was able to easily alter the final vote by changing the program stored on the memory card.
"You have to admit these systems are vulnerable and act accordingly," Hursti said.
Diebold took a dim view of the experiments. On June 8, a senior company lawyer faxed Sancho: "You have willfully and intentionally allowed the manipulation of memory cards related to your elections. . . . We believe this to have been a very foolish and irresponsible act."
The response frustrated Sancho. "More troubling than the test itself was the manner in which Diebold simply failed to respond to my concerns or the concerns of citizens who believe in American elections," he said. "I really think they're not engaged in this discussion of how to make elections safer."
He is also critical of state officials who he believes should have caught the vulnerabilities earlier. He said that vendors such as Diebold have too much influence in the administration of elections, a view that resonated with Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, the founder of the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition. Sancho is "truly an advocate for voters," she said. "What he is doing in Leon County goes completely against the grain of county election commissioners elsewhere, who are allowing vendors to dictate how to run their own elections."
Johns Hopkins University computer sciences professor Avi Rubin, who is leading a group that has received a $7.5 million grant from the National Academy of Sciences to research election technology, said the vulnerabilities of electronic systems - including new touch-screen voting machines - point to the need for a paper trail in any election. "The more I see, I say we need voting to rely on paper," he said. About 26 states require paper ballots, according to Verified Voting, an advocacy group.
Jenny Nash, a spokeswoman for Florida's secretary of state, said in the end the integrity of any voting system must be protected by the local officials who administer elections. "Machines are designed and certified to operate in a secure environment and under secure procedures that each supervisor puts in place and follows directly," she said.
By Zachary Goldfarb
The Washington Post
Sunday 22 January 2006
In controlled test, results are manipulated in Florida system.
As the Leon County supervisor of elections, Ion Sancho's job is to make sure voting is free of fraud. But the most brazen effort lately to manipulate election results in this Florida locality was carried out by Sancho himself.
Four times over the past year Sancho told computer specialists to break in to his voting system. And on all four occasions they did, changing results with what the specialists described as relatively unsophisticated hacking techniques. To Sancho, the results showed the vulnerability of voting equipment manufactured by Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, which is used by Leon County and many other jurisdictions around the country.
Sancho's most recent demonstration was last month. Harri Hursti, a computer security expert from Finland, manipulated the "memory card" that records the votes of ballots run through an optical scanning machine.
Then, in a warehouse a few blocks from his office in downtown Tallahassee, Sancho and seven other people held a referendum. The question on the ballot:
"Can the votes of this Diebold system be hacked using the memory card?"
Two people marked yes on their ballots, and six no. The optical scan machine read the ballots, and the data were transmitted to a final tabulator. The result? Seven yes, one no.
"Was it possible for a disgruntled employee to do this and not have the elections administrator find out?" Sancho asked. "The answer was yes."
Diebold and some officials have criticized Sancho's experiments and said his conclusions about the vulnerability of electronic voting systems are unfounded.
What Sancho did "is analogous to if I gave you the keys to my house and told you when I was gone," said David Bear, a Diebold spokesman. As Bear sees it, Sancho's experiment involved giving hackers "complete unfettered access" to the equipment, something a responsible elections administrator would never allow.
Questions about the security of electronic voting machines have been circulating widely in recent years. But many of the concerns have been dismissed as the fantasies of Internet conspiracy theorists or sore-loser partisans who could not accept that their candidates simply got fewer votes. Critics have not demonstrated that any real elections have had returns altered by the manipulation of electronic voting systems.
But the questions raised by Sancho, who has held his post since 1989, show how the concerns are being taken more seriously among elections professionals.
"While electronic voting systems hold promise for improving the election process," the Government Accountability Office said in a report to Congress last year, there are still pressing concerns about "security and reliability . . . design flaws" and other issues.
The questions about electronic balloting have become widespread as states and counties move to upgrade equipment, as required by the 2002 Help America Vote Act. The law and new state regulations were enacted to make voting more accessible and more accurate, a response to the controversy generated by the contested outcome in Florida in the 2000 presidential election.
Since the federal law was passed, though, a hodgepodge of federal and state requirements and debates over the best technology have complicated the task of upgrading. In a recent survey by the National Association of Secretaries of State, 17 of 43 states that responded said they expected to miss a congressionally imposed Jan. 1, 2006, deadline to upgrade voting systems. Election officials have repeatedly clashed with voting-machine manufacturers.
In Connecticut, for example, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz said she would scrap her plans to replace her state's lever machines after the company she planned to buy from "misrepresented" itself in negotiations about how accessible the machines would be for people with disabilities.
In Miami-Dade County, Fla., the elections chief - the third in five years - is thinking about tossing out touch-screen systems installed after 2000. The concern is that they do not leave a paper trail that auditors could examine in a disputed election and are expensive to use.
In California, the secretary of state recently asked Hursti to investigate whether Diebold machines the state was considering had similar vulnerabilities.
The events that set in motion Hursti and Sancho meeting, and a new wave of concern over today's voting technologies, started in 2003, when a Seattle-based activist named Bev Harris released thousands of Diebold documents she said she found on an unsecured portion of the company's Web site. Some computer scientists said the documents showed Diebold's systems were vulnerable to attack. Today, more than 800 jurisdictions use their technology, Harris said.
She wanted to find a way to test whether those vulnerabilities could be exploited. Sancho volunteered his equipment to be tested by experts Harris would select.
Harris recruited computer expert Herbert Thompson, and on Feb. 14, 2005, in Tallahassee, Thompson met with Sancho and tried to crack the Diebold system remotely. The first attempt failed. On a second attempt, by directly accessing a computer where the votes are counted in a final tally, he manipulated returns. They used a local high school election for the experiment.
In May, two more tests were held, this time with Hursti present. Using a device bought for about $200, he was able to easily alter the final vote by changing the program stored on the memory card.
"You have to admit these systems are vulnerable and act accordingly," Hursti said.
Diebold took a dim view of the experiments. On June 8, a senior company lawyer faxed Sancho: "You have willfully and intentionally allowed the manipulation of memory cards related to your elections. . . . We believe this to have been a very foolish and irresponsible act."
The response frustrated Sancho. "More troubling than the test itself was the manner in which Diebold simply failed to respond to my concerns or the concerns of citizens who believe in American elections," he said. "I really think they're not engaged in this discussion of how to make elections safer."
He is also critical of state officials who he believes should have caught the vulnerabilities earlier. He said that vendors such as Diebold have too much influence in the administration of elections, a view that resonated with Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, the founder of the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition. Sancho is "truly an advocate for voters," she said. "What he is doing in Leon County goes completely against the grain of county election commissioners elsewhere, who are allowing vendors to dictate how to run their own elections."
Johns Hopkins University computer sciences professor Avi Rubin, who is leading a group that has received a $7.5 million grant from the National Academy of Sciences to research election technology, said the vulnerabilities of electronic systems - including new touch-screen voting machines - point to the need for a paper trail in any election. "The more I see, I say we need voting to rely on paper," he said. About 26 states require paper ballots, according to Verified Voting, an advocacy group.
Jenny Nash, a spokeswoman for Florida's secretary of state, said in the end the integrity of any voting system must be protected by the local officials who administer elections. "Machines are designed and certified to operate in a secure environment and under secure procedures that each supervisor puts in place and follows directly," she said.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Fighting Iran Is a Losing Battle
source article
Never pick a fight you know you cannot win. Or so I was told. Pick an argument if you must, but not a fight.
Nothing I have read or heard in recent weeks suggests that fighting Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme makes any sense at all. The very talk of it -- macho phrases about "all options open" -- suggests an international community so crazed with video-game enforcement as to have lost the power of coherent thought.
Iran is a serious country, not another two-bit post-imperial rogue waiting to be slapped about the head by a white man. It is the fourth largest oil producer in the world. Its population is heading towards 80m by 2010. Its capital, Tehran, is a mighty metropolis half as big again as London. Its culture is ancient and its political life is, to put it mildly, fluid.
All the following statements about Iran are true. There are powerful Iranians who want to build a nuclear bomb. There are powerful ones who do not. There are people in Iran who would like Israel to disappear. There are people who would not. There are people who would like Islamist rule throughout western Asia. There are people who would not. There are people who long for some idiot western politician to declare war on them. There are people appalled at the prospect. The only serious question for western strategists is which of these people do they want to help.
Of all the treaties passed in my lifetime the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty always seemed the most implausible. It was an insiders' club which any outsider could defy with a modicum of guile. So it has proved. America, sitting armed to the teeth across Korea's demilitarised zone, has let North Korea become a nuclear power despite a 1994 promise that it would not. America supported Israel in going nuclear. Britain and America did not balk at India doing so, nor Pakistan when it not only built a bomb but deceitfully disseminated its technology in defiance of sanctions. Three flagrant dissenters from the NPT are thus regarded by America as friends.
I would sleep happier if there were no Iranian bomb but a swamp of hypocrisy separates me from overly protesting it. Iran is a proud country that sits between nuclear Pakistan and India to its east, a nuclear Russia to its north and a nuclear Israel to its west. Adjacent Afghanistan and Iraq are occupied at will by a nuclear America, which backed Saddam Hussein in his 1980 invasion of Iran. How can we say such a country has "no right" to nuclear defence?
None the less this month's reopening of the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant and two others, though purportedly for peaceful uses, was a clear act of defiance by Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Inspectors from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remain unsure whether it implies a secret weapons programme but the evidence for this is far stronger than, for instance, against Saddam Hussein. To have infuriated the IAEA's Mohamed ElBaradei takes some doing. As Saddam found, deviousness in nuclear matters is bound to arouse suspicion. Either way, the reopening yielded a strong diplomatic coalition of Europe, America, Russia and China in pleading with Ahmadinejad to desist.
On Monday of this week Washington's knee-jerk belligerence in hinting at an attack on Iran put this coalition under immediate strain. In two weeks the IAEA must decide whether to report Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. There seems little point in doing this if China and Russia veto them or if there is no plan B for what to do if such pressure fails to halt enrichment, which seems certain. A clear sign of western floundering is speeches and editorials concluding that Iran "should not take international concern lightly," the West should "be on its guard" and everyone "should think carefully." It means nobody has a clue.
I cannot see how all this confrontation will stop Iran doing whatever it likes with its nuclear enrichment, which is reportedly years away from producing weapons-grade material. The bombing of carefully dispersed and buried sites might delay deployment. But given the inaccuracy of American bombers, the death and destruction caused to Iran's cities would be a gift to anti-western extremists and have every world terrorist reporting for duty. It will reinforce the case for building a nuclear weapon.
Nor would the "coward's war" of economic sanctions be any more effective. Refusing to play against Iranian footballers (hated by the clerics), boycotting artists, ostracising academics, embargoing commerce, freezing foreign bank accounts -- so-called smart sanctions -- are as counterproductive as could be imagined. Such feel-good gestures drive the enemies of any embattled regime into silence, poverty or exile. As Tim Garton-Ash wrote in these pages after a recent visit, western aggression "would drain overnight its still large reservoir of anti-regime, mildly pro-Western sentiment." Why set Ahmadinejad up for such a triumph?
By all accounts this president is by no means secure. He is subject to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini. His wily foe, Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, retains a degree of power. Tehran is not a Saddamist dictatorship or a Taliban autocracy. It is a shambolic oligarchy with bureaucrats and technocrats jostling for power with clerics. Despite a quarter century of effort, the latter have not succeeded in creating a truly fundamentalist islamic state. Iran is a classic candidate for the politics of subtle engagement.
This means strengthening every argument in the hands of those Iranians who do not want nuclear weapons and do not want Israel eliminated, who crave a secular state and good relations with the west. No such argument embraces name-calling, sabre-rattling, sanctions or bombs.
At this very moment American officials in Baghdad are on their knees begging Iran-backed Shiite politicians and militias to help them get out of Iraq. From Basra to the suburbs of Baghdad, Iranian influence is dominant. Iranian posters adorned last month's elections. Whatever Bush and Blair thought they were doing by invading Iraq, they must have known the chief beneficiary from toppling the Sunni ascendancy would be Shiite Iran. They cannot now deny the logic of their own policy. Democracy itself is putting half Iraq in thrall to its powerful neighbour.
Iran is the regional super-state. If ever there were a realpolitik demanding to be "hugged close" it is this one, however distasteful its leader and his centrifuges. If you cannot stop a man buying a gun, the next best bet is to make him your friend, not your enemy.
Never pick a fight you know you cannot win. Or so I was told. Pick an argument if you must, but not a fight.
Nothing I have read or heard in recent weeks suggests that fighting Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme makes any sense at all. The very talk of it -- macho phrases about "all options open" -- suggests an international community so crazed with video-game enforcement as to have lost the power of coherent thought.
Iran is a serious country, not another two-bit post-imperial rogue waiting to be slapped about the head by a white man. It is the fourth largest oil producer in the world. Its population is heading towards 80m by 2010. Its capital, Tehran, is a mighty metropolis half as big again as London. Its culture is ancient and its political life is, to put it mildly, fluid.
All the following statements about Iran are true. There are powerful Iranians who want to build a nuclear bomb. There are powerful ones who do not. There are people in Iran who would like Israel to disappear. There are people who would not. There are people who would like Islamist rule throughout western Asia. There are people who would not. There are people who long for some idiot western politician to declare war on them. There are people appalled at the prospect. The only serious question for western strategists is which of these people do they want to help.
Of all the treaties passed in my lifetime the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty always seemed the most implausible. It was an insiders' club which any outsider could defy with a modicum of guile. So it has proved. America, sitting armed to the teeth across Korea's demilitarised zone, has let North Korea become a nuclear power despite a 1994 promise that it would not. America supported Israel in going nuclear. Britain and America did not balk at India doing so, nor Pakistan when it not only built a bomb but deceitfully disseminated its technology in defiance of sanctions. Three flagrant dissenters from the NPT are thus regarded by America as friends.
I would sleep happier if there were no Iranian bomb but a swamp of hypocrisy separates me from overly protesting it. Iran is a proud country that sits between nuclear Pakistan and India to its east, a nuclear Russia to its north and a nuclear Israel to its west. Adjacent Afghanistan and Iraq are occupied at will by a nuclear America, which backed Saddam Hussein in his 1980 invasion of Iran. How can we say such a country has "no right" to nuclear defence?
None the less this month's reopening of the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant and two others, though purportedly for peaceful uses, was a clear act of defiance by Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Inspectors from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remain unsure whether it implies a secret weapons programme but the evidence for this is far stronger than, for instance, against Saddam Hussein. To have infuriated the IAEA's Mohamed ElBaradei takes some doing. As Saddam found, deviousness in nuclear matters is bound to arouse suspicion. Either way, the reopening yielded a strong diplomatic coalition of Europe, America, Russia and China in pleading with Ahmadinejad to desist.
On Monday of this week Washington's knee-jerk belligerence in hinting at an attack on Iran put this coalition under immediate strain. In two weeks the IAEA must decide whether to report Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. There seems little point in doing this if China and Russia veto them or if there is no plan B for what to do if such pressure fails to halt enrichment, which seems certain. A clear sign of western floundering is speeches and editorials concluding that Iran "should not take international concern lightly," the West should "be on its guard" and everyone "should think carefully." It means nobody has a clue.
I cannot see how all this confrontation will stop Iran doing whatever it likes with its nuclear enrichment, which is reportedly years away from producing weapons-grade material. The bombing of carefully dispersed and buried sites might delay deployment. But given the inaccuracy of American bombers, the death and destruction caused to Iran's cities would be a gift to anti-western extremists and have every world terrorist reporting for duty. It will reinforce the case for building a nuclear weapon.
Nor would the "coward's war" of economic sanctions be any more effective. Refusing to play against Iranian footballers (hated by the clerics), boycotting artists, ostracising academics, embargoing commerce, freezing foreign bank accounts -- so-called smart sanctions -- are as counterproductive as could be imagined. Such feel-good gestures drive the enemies of any embattled regime into silence, poverty or exile. As Tim Garton-Ash wrote in these pages after a recent visit, western aggression "would drain overnight its still large reservoir of anti-regime, mildly pro-Western sentiment." Why set Ahmadinejad up for such a triumph?
By all accounts this president is by no means secure. He is subject to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini. His wily foe, Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, retains a degree of power. Tehran is not a Saddamist dictatorship or a Taliban autocracy. It is a shambolic oligarchy with bureaucrats and technocrats jostling for power with clerics. Despite a quarter century of effort, the latter have not succeeded in creating a truly fundamentalist islamic state. Iran is a classic candidate for the politics of subtle engagement.
This means strengthening every argument in the hands of those Iranians who do not want nuclear weapons and do not want Israel eliminated, who crave a secular state and good relations with the west. No such argument embraces name-calling, sabre-rattling, sanctions or bombs.
At this very moment American officials in Baghdad are on their knees begging Iran-backed Shiite politicians and militias to help them get out of Iraq. From Basra to the suburbs of Baghdad, Iranian influence is dominant. Iranian posters adorned last month's elections. Whatever Bush and Blair thought they were doing by invading Iraq, they must have known the chief beneficiary from toppling the Sunni ascendancy would be Shiite Iran. They cannot now deny the logic of their own policy. Democracy itself is putting half Iraq in thrall to its powerful neighbour.
Iran is the regional super-state. If ever there were a realpolitik demanding to be "hugged close" it is this one, however distasteful its leader and his centrifuges. If you cannot stop a man buying a gun, the next best bet is to make him your friend, not your enemy.
Monday, Monday ver. 667.01
We begin today with BIG [non] gay drama - my friend Mitch had his car "borrowed" by an itinerant gentleman who was staying with him - who wrecked it. Mitch was uninsured. One of the wheels is bent over at an angle. This man also took checks from Mitch and wrote them against his account.
So, boy howdy, did I dodge bullets with Nick and Michael both. This guy who stayed with Mitch stayed OVERNIGHT! Urk.
Fiddled with my printer today for HOURS trying to convince it that there was no paper jam. "There is no spoon." Does mental treatment work on a mechanical device? E suggested that I tip it upside down to shake out whatever was in it - and that seemed to have jolted it loose.
Sorted through six years of old tax records, and have them ready to shred. Worked on New Vision stuff today for about four hours. All in all, it's good.
So, boy howdy, did I dodge bullets with Nick and Michael both. This guy who stayed with Mitch stayed OVERNIGHT! Urk.
Fiddled with my printer today for HOURS trying to convince it that there was no paper jam. "There is no spoon." Does mental treatment work on a mechanical device? E suggested that I tip it upside down to shake out whatever was in it - and that seemed to have jolted it loose.
Sorted through six years of old tax records, and have them ready to shred. Worked on New Vision stuff today for about four hours. All in all, it's good.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Sunday evening
Having a DVD sort of an evening. Watched "Valentine," with my dream man David Boreanaz. Stupid movie, the only redeeming value was the eye candy, including said David B.
Church today was great - outstanding, in fact. Chuck went with me. We had another good crowd. Someone had bought new coffee .. from the dollar store. It was dreadful. I'm going to buy some Community and take it down there on Tuesday. The new pedestal is very nice, and the new table cloths in the front are a big improvement.
Had fun with Jarred last night; he and I were bantering again about him going to LA with me; he asked where we could stay while there, and I was thinking about all of the hotels in Century City.
Another week in the real estate business coming up. One lender has DENIED a loan; the hag. Speaking of hags, I was talking to a friend tonight who did a bunch of work for a Century City realtor (alison winston) who isn't paying him. I watched him do the work! Completely consistent with my thinking about realtors. Bleh. I have one here in town who's chasing me around, wanting me to work with him. I have to do a LOT of clean up and organization work this week.
Chuck was working on our calendar; he kept remarking "who knew there were so many women's events?" It's like there's www.lesbian.com or something.
I have to work on my other stuff this week also. And, see if I can figure out why Ruby's battery was deader than a doornail. And manifest a bunch of cash.
Other than that, I think I'm done here. Later!
Church today was great - outstanding, in fact. Chuck went with me. We had another good crowd. Someone had bought new coffee .. from the dollar store. It was dreadful. I'm going to buy some Community and take it down there on Tuesday. The new pedestal is very nice, and the new table cloths in the front are a big improvement.
Had fun with Jarred last night; he and I were bantering again about him going to LA with me; he asked where we could stay while there, and I was thinking about all of the hotels in Century City.
Another week in the real estate business coming up. One lender has DENIED a loan; the hag. Speaking of hags, I was talking to a friend tonight who did a bunch of work for a Century City realtor (alison winston) who isn't paying him. I watched him do the work! Completely consistent with my thinking about realtors. Bleh. I have one here in town who's chasing me around, wanting me to work with him. I have to do a LOT of clean up and organization work this week.
Chuck was working on our calendar; he kept remarking "who knew there were so many women's events?" It's like there's www.lesbian.com or something.
I have to work on my other stuff this week also. And, see if I can figure out why Ruby's battery was deader than a doornail. And manifest a bunch of cash.
Other than that, I think I'm done here. Later!
World Traveller
Flying home from Tampa – CO 1807 Seat 16A 40,000 feet
I was fully expecting to spend my flight home IMing with Lisa, Mikey, Carlos and whoever else was online. However, this aircraft is one of those that they’ve taken the airfones out of – since no one was really using them, they figured it was added weight they didn’t need.
I have my little study book to prepare for tomorrow’s talk at New Vision – I have to go through it, and do some prep work – also get ready for my class on Thursday, for which I’m behind, and start getting ready for classes on Tuesday nights at NV. I am going to probably head straight from the airport to EJ’s to have a cocktail; then, home to get some more sleep.
Tomorrow after church, I’ll be shredding seven years’ worth of receipts supporting tax returns that I no longer need to keep. I’m sure the shredder will be burning up by the end of it.
Helped my parents get themselves a new car; we spent nearly a full day working on it, and went to four dealerships. Mary wanted something that sat up high, like an SUV, and my Dad wanted something that would ride well, and was a large car for long distance travel. They bought a 2005 Ford 500 Limited with 10,000 miles on it. The car is nice, and is more fully equipped than any my dad has had since his 1972 Olds 98 LS. Hopefully, this will be more reliable than that car was. My sister and my aunt Roxanne both were extremely critical of the choice; my sister wanted them to buy a Honda Accord and my aunt a Toyota Avalon. Both of those cars were significantly more expensive than this one. My folks are quite happy, and that’s what matters in my mind.
This aircraft is barely loaded – only about 60% of the seats are full. I’m in an exit row, but I’m mashed up against the window wall and the seat is too narrow. I need to do some more work on my self-belief structure about body and appearance, and get this weight off of me. This particular aircraft is one that they use to fly to Dublin, Hamburg, Berlin, Brussels, Iceland and Scotland from Newark. I’ve read so many internet conversations belaboring that this aircraft is too small for such service; it’s true that it’s narrower than a larger aircraft, but it feels taller, and more spacious than a 737. The seat is narrow, but it is the same size seat that I’d be using if I were on a 767 or 777. Being in this exit row gives me nearly four more inches of legroom. It comes down to my body size that’s making me uncomfortable on this airplane. So, before I buzz off to Berlin to celebrate the end of my oral boards this summer, I’ll have to drop the weight.
My folks are moving out of their house on Tuesday- I helped them pack up a number of things, including the stereo and the computer. They had jerry rigged the stereo so badly that I was about to gasp – so, I volunteered to come to Ocala in March and help them set it all up.
Using the lappy with my Treo as the modem worked just fine; had I had a decent signal out on my folk’s island, it would have worked even better. No Wi-Fi at the Tampa airport, and no internet connection on this aircraft. Strange. Sooner or later, we’re going to be surrounded by wifi signal, and our computers will be connected all the time, even as we fly.
My sister was here during my stay, and we had a very short but fun interaction. She went home Friday morning EARLY, and had to work today. Most of my family (other than Liz, whom I talk to quite a bit) were shocked that I have some official capacity with NV and that I’m taking on more studies and licensing with them. They had quite the squint going.
My folks gave me some money, but it’s done in such a way that I can only use it for my licensing this summer. Blarg. I was hoping for something I could use to bridge some other obligations and choices, but this will do. I have been working on my thinking in that regard today; they gave me the gift last night. It’s sitting in my wallet, unusable until the right time.
The testing for this license is seeming more difficult the closer to it that I come. I’ll be spending some months preparing, have the oral boards and the written tests, and then I hop straight into ministerial school. I assume. I’ll be spending the entire year of 2006 studying, testing, licensing and being examined. Interesting. It should be quite the challenge.
I still think that Florida is an ugly state, people wise. Bad hair, damaged skin, bad make up, and bad clothing choices. Houston is a much more attractive place; at least the part I’m in.
It’s amazing that I just spent nearly a day with my entire living family, save my mother’s sister, and there were no hiccups nor hurts on any part. What a transformation that has occurred there; this idea itself used to just terrorize me.
I guess this stuff works.
I’ve had Travis on the mind, still..
I had a dream last night about a black Boeing 707-320 that was somehow associated with Fabulair. I also had an email from the saleswoman that I had visited with a few months ago – she who represented the townhouses near EJ’s that I liked so much. They have designed their homes for the front of that project – four patio homes that have back yards. She gave me some direction as to their floorplans, but I couldn’t examine them on the Treo connection with one bar of signal. I’ll look later tonight. They won’t be ready for occupancy until the end of 2006, and will have about 2600 square feet, which is somewhat larger than the patio home that I had originally discussed with her.
Overall, this has been a very interesting trip – my entire life just ceased to exist, and all I was doing was hanging out with my family. I slept a lot at night, and just existed. I didn’t do a whole lot of thinking, good or bad, and hardly talked to anyone from my reality. I had a nice conversation with Rosita last night, and we talked about the new pedestal that they bought for the church, and the latest folderol with the ex-minister.
I have eight “sermons” planned for March and April – the seven deadly sins, followed by the mechanics of forgiveness. I have to plan those out on the calendar, actually – I think I may start in February.
We’re planning an arrival in Houston that will be nearly fifteen minutes early; that could put me at home before 8:45 tonight. I may just stop at the apartment first, and unload my stuff before heading out for a cocktail.
I wish I had had the internet connection here onboard. But, thanks to my friend Buhz for getting me the exit row seat!
I hate losing a bunch of free cell games in a row. It makes me feel stupid. Sometimes, though, I think it’s a gauge of how well my brain is working. I haven’t had to do much critical thinking in the last few days, and maybe I’m out of practice. Or I’m tired. Or, I haven’t had enough vitamin “V,” as E calls it.
I was fully expecting to spend my flight home IMing with Lisa, Mikey, Carlos and whoever else was online. However, this aircraft is one of those that they’ve taken the airfones out of – since no one was really using them, they figured it was added weight they didn’t need.
I have my little study book to prepare for tomorrow’s talk at New Vision – I have to go through it, and do some prep work – also get ready for my class on Thursday, for which I’m behind, and start getting ready for classes on Tuesday nights at NV. I am going to probably head straight from the airport to EJ’s to have a cocktail; then, home to get some more sleep.
Tomorrow after church, I’ll be shredding seven years’ worth of receipts supporting tax returns that I no longer need to keep. I’m sure the shredder will be burning up by the end of it.
Helped my parents get themselves a new car; we spent nearly a full day working on it, and went to four dealerships. Mary wanted something that sat up high, like an SUV, and my Dad wanted something that would ride well, and was a large car for long distance travel. They bought a 2005 Ford 500 Limited with 10,000 miles on it. The car is nice, and is more fully equipped than any my dad has had since his 1972 Olds 98 LS. Hopefully, this will be more reliable than that car was. My sister and my aunt Roxanne both were extremely critical of the choice; my sister wanted them to buy a Honda Accord and my aunt a Toyota Avalon. Both of those cars were significantly more expensive than this one. My folks are quite happy, and that’s what matters in my mind.
This aircraft is barely loaded – only about 60% of the seats are full. I’m in an exit row, but I’m mashed up against the window wall and the seat is too narrow. I need to do some more work on my self-belief structure about body and appearance, and get this weight off of me. This particular aircraft is one that they use to fly to Dublin, Hamburg, Berlin, Brussels, Iceland and Scotland from Newark. I’ve read so many internet conversations belaboring that this aircraft is too small for such service; it’s true that it’s narrower than a larger aircraft, but it feels taller, and more spacious than a 737. The seat is narrow, but it is the same size seat that I’d be using if I were on a 767 or 777. Being in this exit row gives me nearly four more inches of legroom. It comes down to my body size that’s making me uncomfortable on this airplane. So, before I buzz off to Berlin to celebrate the end of my oral boards this summer, I’ll have to drop the weight.
My folks are moving out of their house on Tuesday- I helped them pack up a number of things, including the stereo and the computer. They had jerry rigged the stereo so badly that I was about to gasp – so, I volunteered to come to Ocala in March and help them set it all up.
Using the lappy with my Treo as the modem worked just fine; had I had a decent signal out on my folk’s island, it would have worked even better. No Wi-Fi at the Tampa airport, and no internet connection on this aircraft. Strange. Sooner or later, we’re going to be surrounded by wifi signal, and our computers will be connected all the time, even as we fly.
My sister was here during my stay, and we had a very short but fun interaction. She went home Friday morning EARLY, and had to work today. Most of my family (other than Liz, whom I talk to quite a bit) were shocked that I have some official capacity with NV and that I’m taking on more studies and licensing with them. They had quite the squint going.
My folks gave me some money, but it’s done in such a way that I can only use it for my licensing this summer. Blarg. I was hoping for something I could use to bridge some other obligations and choices, but this will do. I have been working on my thinking in that regard today; they gave me the gift last night. It’s sitting in my wallet, unusable until the right time.
The testing for this license is seeming more difficult the closer to it that I come. I’ll be spending some months preparing, have the oral boards and the written tests, and then I hop straight into ministerial school. I assume. I’ll be spending the entire year of 2006 studying, testing, licensing and being examined. Interesting. It should be quite the challenge.
I still think that Florida is an ugly state, people wise. Bad hair, damaged skin, bad make up, and bad clothing choices. Houston is a much more attractive place; at least the part I’m in.
It’s amazing that I just spent nearly a day with my entire living family, save my mother’s sister, and there were no hiccups nor hurts on any part. What a transformation that has occurred there; this idea itself used to just terrorize me.
I guess this stuff works.
I’ve had Travis on the mind, still..
I had a dream last night about a black Boeing 707-320 that was somehow associated with Fabulair. I also had an email from the saleswoman that I had visited with a few months ago – she who represented the townhouses near EJ’s that I liked so much. They have designed their homes for the front of that project – four patio homes that have back yards. She gave me some direction as to their floorplans, but I couldn’t examine them on the Treo connection with one bar of signal. I’ll look later tonight. They won’t be ready for occupancy until the end of 2006, and will have about 2600 square feet, which is somewhat larger than the patio home that I had originally discussed with her.
Overall, this has been a very interesting trip – my entire life just ceased to exist, and all I was doing was hanging out with my family. I slept a lot at night, and just existed. I didn’t do a whole lot of thinking, good or bad, and hardly talked to anyone from my reality. I had a nice conversation with Rosita last night, and we talked about the new pedestal that they bought for the church, and the latest folderol with the ex-minister.
I have eight “sermons” planned for March and April – the seven deadly sins, followed by the mechanics of forgiveness. I have to plan those out on the calendar, actually – I think I may start in February.
We’re planning an arrival in Houston that will be nearly fifteen minutes early; that could put me at home before 8:45 tonight. I may just stop at the apartment first, and unload my stuff before heading out for a cocktail.
I wish I had had the internet connection here onboard. But, thanks to my friend Buhz for getting me the exit row seat!
I hate losing a bunch of free cell games in a row. It makes me feel stupid. Sometimes, though, I think it’s a gauge of how well my brain is working. I haven’t had to do much critical thinking in the last few days, and maybe I’m out of practice. Or I’m tired. Or, I haven’t had enough vitamin “V,” as E calls it.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Tuesday blowback
Still with the Nick horsehockey. Nick's called several times today, and then sent a text that "he sees how it is now. Thanks."
So, after detecting that he'd get no further support from me and ceasing our communication, why is he now trying to manage how I feel about him? What's the upside for him?
Anyway - The further I get away from having bois around, the more I want to be away from it.
So, after detecting that he'd get no further support from me and ceasing our communication, why is he now trying to manage how I feel about him? What's the upside for him?
Anyway - The further I get away from having bois around, the more I want to be away from it.
Monday, January 16, 2006
The proof is in the pudding
“As the world's leading voting solutions
provider, Diebold provides the financial
stability, substantial manufacturing capacity,
world-wide service network and proven
election expertise needed for your long term
election system solution.”
-- http://diebold.com/solutions
“Some 33,000 Diebold voting stations are
being used simultaneously in locations
across the United States to assist voters in
exercising their most fundamental
constitutional right: The right to vote.”
-- http://diebold.com/dieboldes
Deceptive sales and marketing
Fw: Battery Status & Charging---and too much bull!!
To:
Subject: Fw: Battery Status & Charging---and too much bull!!
From: "Mike"
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 10:57:40 -0500
It does not matter whether we get anything certified or not, if we can't even get the foundation of Global stable.
This company is a mess! We should stop development on all new, and old products and concentrate on making them stable instead of showing vaporware. Selling a new account will only load more crap on an already over burdened entity.
Everyone is waiting for Diebold to come and save us. What do you think Diebold will say when they see what a mess everything is, or more to the point what Global has not shown them, or maybe it will not matter at that time, hmmm...
Every time I look at the support list there is another sales person or manager screaming we can't go forward without having to fix this or to fix that. You are taxing the development team beyond what they can handle. This is not there problem, it is yours.
Elections are not rocket science. Why is it so hard to get things right! I have never been at any other company that has been so miss managed. I see blame being put on anything that moves.
Communication does not exist! All I here from upper management is "That’s fine, he or she will be removed".
Upper management seems to think they know what is going on. They are to caught up in to much politics, and to much self importance, to even realize that there are employees watching them, waiting for some direction... We have allot of bright people in Global, why is it so hard to get things right....
I just received a call from Ingrid, she says she is tired of getting calls from clients asking for help. No one at Global is giving them the time of day. Ingrid is the only name I will use in this conversation. I have had calls from other ex-employees stating the same thing.
We have a management team that is so redundant, it is pathetic, and yet we don't have enough employees to get the work done. Wake up! We keep loosing good people, and yet management does not see this, or more to the point, "just keep everything going, Diebold is coming and everything will be fine". Bull!!
My views are my views only. If you wish to fire me for speaking the truth, bring it on... or fix this crap. The employees of this company are watching, waiting to see if you are the leaders that will keep them going, or the pathetic fools that will drive this company into the ground. I believe Global has great products, great ideas, great
people, just get things right and we will be the best.
Take care all.
Mike Brown.
To: Global Election Systems
From: Brian Clubb
RE: Resignation
5 October 2001
For the past three years I have worked for Spectrum then Global. Over that time I have become increasingly concerned about the apparent lack of concern over the practice of writing contracts to provide products and services which do not exist and then attempting to build these items on an unreasonable timetable with no written plan, little to no time for testing, and minimal resources. It also seems to be an
accepted practice to exaggerate our progress and functionality to our customers and ourselves then make excuses at delivery time when these products and services do not meet expectations. The pressure to meet these deadlines and deal with repeated calls from sales staff and customers trying to ascertain actual progress versus exaggerated reports has become intolerable. The resulting stress has had a very negative effect
on me both mentally and physically.
As internal politics and mismanagement continue to divert attention and resources away from these issues, the problems become further and further entrenched. Since the acquisition of Spectrum by Global, none of the personal or workplace benefits which the employees of Spectrum were promised have yet been realized.
This, in addition to the above issues, leads me to conclude that management is not concerned for the employees.
Either they do not value the contributions of the employees, or are incapable of fulfilling these promises. Thus, seeing no end to this troubling situation, I find no other option but to end my employment with the company effective immediately.
Signed,
Brian Clubb
(Signed and submitted via fax to HR 10/5/2001)
Uncertified versions of software have been used in elections
· To: "Support"
· Subject: Florida Certified Versions
· From: "Greg Forsythe"
· Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 11:12:02 -0500
· Organization: Global Election Systems, Inc
Just received a call from Beverly Hill, Alachua County. She has a survey form from the state regarding versions and things. She is at the SA screen and the version is 1.92-15.
Saturday, Feb. 12 she created a screen test database. This copy has 1.92-14. 1.92-14
is certified, 1.92-15 is not. SOLUTION REQUIRED! Greg Forsythe
To:
Subject: Re: Florida Certified Versions
From: "Greg Forsythe"
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 12:55:09 -0500
Organization: Global Election Systems, Inc
References: <007301bf7961$cda9d030$cdbb2fd1@greg
Hernando's original database installed with Gunzip shows 1.92-09. Their copy has
1.92-14. It appears that when the database is gunzipped from the original diskette it
carries the version from the source. When a copy is made on the customer's computer
the version relates to the version the customer's computer programmed for. Solution
might be to make the copy the official database showing the correct version.
Comments .....
· To:
· Subject: Re: Florida Certified Versions
· From: "Nel Finberg"
· Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 10:09:56 -0800
You are correct. However, Hernando's database should technically have been compiled
using patch 14, not patch 9. We do want to make sure that ballots have been successfully tested and memory cards uploaded, particulary given the initial version conflict. It would be a good idea to get rid of the original diskette in order to remove the perception of version conflicts.
Nel
· To: "SUPPORT (E-mail)"
· Subject: 1-17-7-5 testing
· From: "Tari Runyan"
· Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 08:21:16 -0600
I have tested this version to the extent I am able - twice even and unless anyone
else has discovered anything - i think it can be released to the Ca Counties - Let
me know if anyone else has any concerns as I would like to get this out this morning.
Thank you
Election results are stored without
password protection, and this is by
design because some counties have
directly edited election results
To:
Subject: RE: alteration of Audit Log in Access
From: "Ken Clark"
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 09:55:02 -0700
Importance: Normal
In-reply-to:
Its a tough question, and it has a lot to do with perception. Of course everyone knows perception is reality.
Right now you can open GEMS' .mdb file with MS-Access, and alter its contents. That
includes the audit log. This isn't anything new. In VTS, you can open the database with progress and do the same. The same would go for anyone else's system using whatever database they are using. Hard drives are read-write entities. You can change their contents.
Now, where the perception comes in is that its right now very *easy* to change the
contents. Double click the .mdb file. Even technical wizards at Metamor (or Ciber, or
whatever) can figure that one out.
It is possible to put a secret password on the .mdb file to prevent Metamor from
opening it with Access. I've threatened to put a password on the .mdb before
when dealers/customers/support have done stupid things with the GEMS
database structure using Access. Being able to end-run the database has
admittedly got people out of a bind though. Jane (I think it was Jane) did some
fancy footwork on the .mdb file in Gaston recently. I know our dealers do it.
King County is famous for it. That's why we've never put a password on the file
before.
Note however that even if we put a password on the file, it doesn't really prove much.
Someone has to know the password, else how would GEMS open it. So this technically
brings us back to square one: the audit log is modifiable by that person at least (read, me). Back to perception though, if you don't bring this up you might skate through Metamor.
There might be some clever crypto techniques to make it even harder to change the log
(for me, they guy with the password that is). We're talking big changes here though, and at the moment largely theoretical ones. I'd doubt that any of our competitors are that clever.
By the way, all of this is why Texas gets its sh*t in a knot over the log printer. Log printers are not read-write, so you don't have the problem. Of course if I were Texas I would be more worried about modifications to our electronic ballots than to our electron logs, but that is another story I guess.
Bottom line on Metamor is to find out what it is going to take to make them happy. You can try the old standard of the NT password gains access to the operating system, and that after that point all bets are off. You have to trust the person with the NT password at least. This is all about Florida, and we have had VTS certified in Florida under the status quo for nearly ten years.
I sense a loosing battle here though. The changes to put a password on the .mdb file are not trivial and probably not even backward compatible, but we'll do it if that is what it is going to take.
Ken
Anyone with a blank memory card can
modify results on a voting machine
Spyrus creating unauthorized Manager Cards
* To: "Bug Track"
* Subject: Spyrus creating unauthorized Manager Cards
* From: "Steve Ricke"
* Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 11:49:10 -0600
* Importance: Normal
4K Smart cards which had never been previously programmed are being recognized by the Card Manager as manager cards.
When a virgin card from CardLogix is inserted into a Spyrus (have tried CM-0-2-9 and CM-1-1-1) the prompt "Upgrade Mgr Card?" is displayed. Pressing the ENTER key creates a valid manager card.
This happens in Admin mode and Election mode.
The only way which I have found to avoid this situation is to initiate the
card by creating it as a voter card with an AVTS unit (any version). Once a
card has been programmed once it will work correctly for any election.
Will overnight a batch of virgin cards to Vancouver. Please let me know
the amount you may need.
Stephen Ricke
Global Election Systems
Phone: 972-542-6000
Fax: 972-542-6044
Email: Steve@GESN.com
Audit logs judged undesireable
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Hintz [mailto:jhglobal@earthlink.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 11:03 AM
To: Support Team (E-mail)
Subject: Status of Audit Lor RCR for Johnson County, KS
What is the status of this RCR??? I was doing training in Johnson County, KS last
Thursday & Friday, and they wanted to know.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jurisidiction: Johnson County, KS & All Accounts
Date Requested: November 16, 2001
Date Required: Before their Primary Election in March 2002
Johnson County, KS will be doing Central Count for their mail in ballots. They will also be processing these ballots in advance of the closing of polls on election day. They would like to log into the Audit Log an entry for Previewing any Election Total Reports. They need this, to prove to the media, as well as, any candidates & lawyers, that they did not view or print any Election Results before the Polls closed.
However, if there is a way that we can disable the reporting functionality, that
would be even better.
provider, Diebold provides the financial
stability, substantial manufacturing capacity,
world-wide service network and proven
election expertise needed for your long term
election system solution.”
-- http://diebold.com/solutions
“Some 33,000 Diebold voting stations are
being used simultaneously in locations
across the United States to assist voters in
exercising their most fundamental
constitutional right: The right to vote.”
-- http://diebold.com/dieboldes
Deceptive sales and marketing
Fw: Battery Status & Charging---and too much bull!!
To:
Subject: Fw: Battery Status & Charging---and too much bull!!
From: "Mike"
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 10:57:40 -0500
It does not matter whether we get anything certified or not, if we can't even get the foundation of Global stable.
This company is a mess! We should stop development on all new, and old products and concentrate on making them stable instead of showing vaporware. Selling a new account will only load more crap on an already over burdened entity.
Everyone is waiting for Diebold to come and save us. What do you think Diebold will say when they see what a mess everything is, or more to the point what Global has not shown them, or maybe it will not matter at that time, hmmm...
Every time I look at the support list there is another sales person or manager screaming we can't go forward without having to fix this or to fix that. You are taxing the development team beyond what they can handle. This is not there problem, it is yours.
Elections are not rocket science. Why is it so hard to get things right! I have never been at any other company that has been so miss managed. I see blame being put on anything that moves.
Communication does not exist! All I here from upper management is "That’s fine, he or she will be removed".
Upper management seems to think they know what is going on. They are to caught up in to much politics, and to much self importance, to even realize that there are employees watching them, waiting for some direction... We have allot of bright people in Global, why is it so hard to get things right....
I just received a call from Ingrid, she says she is tired of getting calls from clients asking for help. No one at Global is giving them the time of day. Ingrid is the only name I will use in this conversation. I have had calls from other ex-employees stating the same thing.
We have a management team that is so redundant, it is pathetic, and yet we don't have enough employees to get the work done. Wake up! We keep loosing good people, and yet management does not see this, or more to the point, "just keep everything going, Diebold is coming and everything will be fine". Bull!!
My views are my views only. If you wish to fire me for speaking the truth, bring it on... or fix this crap. The employees of this company are watching, waiting to see if you are the leaders that will keep them going, or the pathetic fools that will drive this company into the ground. I believe Global has great products, great ideas, great
people, just get things right and we will be the best.
Take care all.
Mike Brown.
To: Global Election Systems
From: Brian Clubb
RE: Resignation
5 October 2001
For the past three years I have worked for Spectrum then Global. Over that time I have become increasingly concerned about the apparent lack of concern over the practice of writing contracts to provide products and services which do not exist and then attempting to build these items on an unreasonable timetable with no written plan, little to no time for testing, and minimal resources. It also seems to be an
accepted practice to exaggerate our progress and functionality to our customers and ourselves then make excuses at delivery time when these products and services do not meet expectations. The pressure to meet these deadlines and deal with repeated calls from sales staff and customers trying to ascertain actual progress versus exaggerated reports has become intolerable. The resulting stress has had a very negative effect
on me both mentally and physically.
As internal politics and mismanagement continue to divert attention and resources away from these issues, the problems become further and further entrenched. Since the acquisition of Spectrum by Global, none of the personal or workplace benefits which the employees of Spectrum were promised have yet been realized.
This, in addition to the above issues, leads me to conclude that management is not concerned for the employees.
Either they do not value the contributions of the employees, or are incapable of fulfilling these promises. Thus, seeing no end to this troubling situation, I find no other option but to end my employment with the company effective immediately.
Signed,
Brian Clubb
(Signed and submitted via fax to HR 10/5/2001)
Uncertified versions of software have been used in elections
· To: "Support"
· Subject: Florida Certified Versions
· From: "Greg Forsythe"
· Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 11:12:02 -0500
· Organization: Global Election Systems, Inc
Just received a call from Beverly Hill, Alachua County. She has a survey form from the state regarding versions and things. She is at the SA screen and the version is 1.92-15.
Saturday, Feb. 12 she created a screen test database. This copy has 1.92-14. 1.92-14
is certified, 1.92-15 is not. SOLUTION REQUIRED! Greg Forsythe
To:
Subject: Re: Florida Certified Versions
From: "Greg Forsythe"
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 12:55:09 -0500
Organization: Global Election Systems, Inc
References: <007301bf7961$cda9d030$cdbb2fd1@greg
Hernando's original database installed with Gunzip shows 1.92-09. Their copy has
1.92-14. It appears that when the database is gunzipped from the original diskette it
carries the version from the source. When a copy is made on the customer's computer
the version relates to the version the customer's computer programmed for. Solution
might be to make the copy the official database showing the correct version.
Comments .....
· To:
· Subject: Re: Florida Certified Versions
· From: "Nel Finberg"
· Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 10:09:56 -0800
You are correct. However, Hernando's database should technically have been compiled
using patch 14, not patch 9. We do want to make sure that ballots have been successfully tested and memory cards uploaded, particulary given the initial version conflict. It would be a good idea to get rid of the original diskette in order to remove the perception of version conflicts.
Nel
· To: "SUPPORT (E-mail)"
· Subject: 1-17-7-5 testing
· From: "Tari Runyan"
· Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 08:21:16 -0600
I have tested this version to the extent I am able - twice even and unless anyone
else has discovered anything - i think it can be released to the Ca Counties - Let
me know if anyone else has any concerns as I would like to get this out this morning.
Thank you
Election results are stored without
password protection, and this is by
design because some counties have
directly edited election results
To:
Subject: RE: alteration of Audit Log in Access
From: "Ken Clark"
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 09:55:02 -0700
Importance: Normal
In-reply-to:
Its a tough question, and it has a lot to do with perception. Of course everyone knows perception is reality.
Right now you can open GEMS' .mdb file with MS-Access, and alter its contents. That
includes the audit log. This isn't anything new. In VTS, you can open the database with progress and do the same. The same would go for anyone else's system using whatever database they are using. Hard drives are read-write entities. You can change their contents.
Now, where the perception comes in is that its right now very *easy* to change the
contents. Double click the .mdb file. Even technical wizards at Metamor (or Ciber, or
whatever) can figure that one out.
It is possible to put a secret password on the .mdb file to prevent Metamor from
opening it with Access. I've threatened to put a password on the .mdb before
when dealers/customers/support have done stupid things with the GEMS
database structure using Access. Being able to end-run the database has
admittedly got people out of a bind though. Jane (I think it was Jane) did some
fancy footwork on the .mdb file in Gaston recently. I know our dealers do it.
King County is famous for it. That's why we've never put a password on the file
before.
Note however that even if we put a password on the file, it doesn't really prove much.
Someone has to know the password, else how would GEMS open it. So this technically
brings us back to square one: the audit log is modifiable by that person at least (read, me). Back to perception though, if you don't bring this up you might skate through Metamor.
There might be some clever crypto techniques to make it even harder to change the log
(for me, they guy with the password that is). We're talking big changes here though, and at the moment largely theoretical ones. I'd doubt that any of our competitors are that clever.
By the way, all of this is why Texas gets its sh*t in a knot over the log printer. Log printers are not read-write, so you don't have the problem. Of course if I were Texas I would be more worried about modifications to our electronic ballots than to our electron logs, but that is another story I guess.
Bottom line on Metamor is to find out what it is going to take to make them happy. You can try the old standard of the NT password gains access to the operating system, and that after that point all bets are off. You have to trust the person with the NT password at least. This is all about Florida, and we have had VTS certified in Florida under the status quo for nearly ten years.
I sense a loosing battle here though. The changes to put a password on the .mdb file are not trivial and probably not even backward compatible, but we'll do it if that is what it is going to take.
Ken
Anyone with a blank memory card can
modify results on a voting machine
Spyrus creating unauthorized Manager Cards
* To: "Bug Track"
* Subject: Spyrus creating unauthorized Manager Cards
* From: "Steve Ricke"
* Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 11:49:10 -0600
* Importance: Normal
4K Smart cards which had never been previously programmed are being recognized by the Card Manager as manager cards.
When a virgin card from CardLogix is inserted into a Spyrus (have tried CM-0-2-9 and CM-1-1-1) the prompt "Upgrade Mgr Card?" is displayed. Pressing the ENTER key creates a valid manager card.
This happens in Admin mode and Election mode.
The only way which I have found to avoid this situation is to initiate the
card by creating it as a voter card with an AVTS unit (any version). Once a
card has been programmed once it will work correctly for any election.
Will overnight a batch of virgin cards to Vancouver. Please let me know
the amount you may need.
Stephen Ricke
Global Election Systems
Phone: 972-542-6000
Fax: 972-542-6044
Email: Steve@GESN.com
Audit logs judged undesireable
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Hintz [mailto:jhglobal@earthlink.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 11:03 AM
To: Support Team (E-mail)
Subject: Status of Audit Lor RCR for Johnson County, KS
What is the status of this RCR??? I was doing training in Johnson County, KS last
Thursday & Friday, and they wanted to know.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jurisidiction: Johnson County, KS & All Accounts
Date Requested: November 16, 2001
Date Required: Before their Primary Election in March 2002
Johnson County, KS will be doing Central Count for their mail in ballots. They will also be processing these ballots in advance of the closing of polls on election day. They would like to log into the Audit Log an entry for Previewing any Election Total Reports. They need this, to prove to the media, as well as, any candidates & lawyers, that they did not view or print any Election Results before the Polls closed.
However, if there is a way that we can disable the reporting functionality, that
would be even better.
Monday, Monday ver. 661.01
Ah, a rainy, peaceful, very quiet Martin Luther King Jr. day ..
One more mass of paperwork to sort through today; I’ve gotten most of what’s on my list for today done already.
I have planned to FINALLY complete my vision poster for 2006 tonight. I have everything over behind me, waiting to go up on the board. Glue stick at the ready. Sheesh. Can’t believe it’s taking me this long. Then, I have to figure out WHERE I’m going to put it. Blah.
Had an amusing exchange with Nick today, by accident. I was talking to Carlos, who intended to share with me an email he had sent to Nick for my amusement. I read it, and replied – I thought – to Carlos, and it went, of course, to Nick. Which I find hilarious.
Today, for the first time in a long time, Nick called, IM’d and emailed. He wants to know who my comments are directed toward. Hello? Person most in need of a clue?
Here’s what I said:
I'm just going to sit here and say nothing.
Okay, f%*k it - you deserve better. WAAY better. Like someone with an education, a career, moral standards, nasty, fulfilling sex and who adores you 24/7, not just when it's Manipulation Monday.
Of course, I was saying this to Carlos.
So, Nick – I don’t need to have my beads read by a 28 year old, chronically unemployed, uneducated manipulator. I don’t need to hear you tell me over the phone that you’re upset, or you’re angry, or you’re hurt – because I don’t think you have feelings, except as a tool to manipulate the persons around you to get what you want. A person who actually had feelings wouldn’t behave in the way I’ve observed you behave – without jumping off a bridge from self-loathing.
Carlos, whom you long portayed as a psychotic stalker, seems to be an erudite, thoughtful, considerate man who can carry on conversations about things that don’t involve you. He remembers what a person is thinking about, working on, concerned about – and then he asks questions to learn how things are going with the other person. He gives thought to the experience of the people he interacts with. This is something I’ve never witnessed in you since we met in person.
So – go on about your merry way, and Godspeed. I have no further use for discussion with you, as it will add nothing to my life.
End of open letter to Nick.
One more mass of paperwork to sort through today; I’ve gotten most of what’s on my list for today done already.
I have planned to FINALLY complete my vision poster for 2006 tonight. I have everything over behind me, waiting to go up on the board. Glue stick at the ready. Sheesh. Can’t believe it’s taking me this long. Then, I have to figure out WHERE I’m going to put it. Blah.
Had an amusing exchange with Nick today, by accident. I was talking to Carlos, who intended to share with me an email he had sent to Nick for my amusement. I read it, and replied – I thought – to Carlos, and it went, of course, to Nick. Which I find hilarious.
Today, for the first time in a long time, Nick called, IM’d and emailed. He wants to know who my comments are directed toward. Hello? Person most in need of a clue?
Here’s what I said:
I'm just going to sit here and say nothing.
Okay, f%*k it - you deserve better. WAAY better. Like someone with an education, a career, moral standards, nasty, fulfilling sex and who adores you 24/7, not just when it's Manipulation Monday.
Of course, I was saying this to Carlos.
So, Nick – I don’t need to have my beads read by a 28 year old, chronically unemployed, uneducated manipulator. I don’t need to hear you tell me over the phone that you’re upset, or you’re angry, or you’re hurt – because I don’t think you have feelings, except as a tool to manipulate the persons around you to get what you want. A person who actually had feelings wouldn’t behave in the way I’ve observed you behave – without jumping off a bridge from self-loathing.
Carlos, whom you long portayed as a psychotic stalker, seems to be an erudite, thoughtful, considerate man who can carry on conversations about things that don’t involve you. He remembers what a person is thinking about, working on, concerned about – and then he asks questions to learn how things are going with the other person. He gives thought to the experience of the people he interacts with. This is something I’ve never witnessed in you since we met in person.
So – go on about your merry way, and Godspeed. I have no further use for discussion with you, as it will add nothing to my life.
End of open letter to Nick.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Sunday - the day before MLK day
Church today was something else. I drove down there rather scattered. I had my morning started with the intention of working on some paperwork AND getting ready for church, and I was sticking my head in the sand with respect to what and how I was going to say .. whatever. The topic and material was quite well established - it was a matter of how I was going to approach it.
I had already pulled together video cable, the candle plate I bought at Pier One, the Play-Doh, my books .. and so I drove Ruby down there with the stuff. Got there in record time, and started cabling, candling, and getting ready. In pops a brand-new guy, who wanted to ask questions - and I'm trying to mark my reference materials for my discussion. Urk. Eighteen people drift in; some old, two new .. as things wrapped up, a guy walked in and told us that he went to the Unitarian church nearby, but wasn't happy. He told me what it was he wanted and it was clear he had come to the right place. So, we talked about SOM for a while, and the things he didn't like about the Unis, and he says he has SIX friends that he thinks will come along with him if he likes it at NV.
So, after the crowd nattered for another half hour, we talked about where we were going to put everyone - 18 chairs of 24 is pretty full! So, we moved some things around, and now have thirty-nine chairs in the church.
I worked with Lisa after we cleaned everything up, and checked my voice mail for the first time - and found Chuck had wanted to go with me! That would have been 19!
I worked with Lisa a long while today; I was very clear that we'd be working on my weight issue. That dredged up a whole TON of old feelings, beliefs, and so on - it just went on and on - wave after wave of memories, and clarity in how I formed such powerful, negative self-beliefs. I was drained. But, I can feel a difference somewhat already.
Lisa says this will take lots and lots more work. Urk.
Came home, made a huge salad, took a nap, worked on the paperwork I wanted to finish in the morning, and have been screwing around on the net since. I'm trying to decide if tonight will be a movie night or not. I think it just could be.
I've had Travis on the mind a lot lately. A lot a lot. I'm resisting.
I had already pulled together video cable, the candle plate I bought at Pier One, the Play-Doh, my books .. and so I drove Ruby down there with the stuff. Got there in record time, and started cabling, candling, and getting ready. In pops a brand-new guy, who wanted to ask questions - and I'm trying to mark my reference materials for my discussion. Urk. Eighteen people drift in; some old, two new .. as things wrapped up, a guy walked in and told us that he went to the Unitarian church nearby, but wasn't happy. He told me what it was he wanted and it was clear he had come to the right place. So, we talked about SOM for a while, and the things he didn't like about the Unis, and he says he has SIX friends that he thinks will come along with him if he likes it at NV.
So, after the crowd nattered for another half hour, we talked about where we were going to put everyone - 18 chairs of 24 is pretty full! So, we moved some things around, and now have thirty-nine chairs in the church.
I worked with Lisa after we cleaned everything up, and checked my voice mail for the first time - and found Chuck had wanted to go with me! That would have been 19!
I worked with Lisa a long while today; I was very clear that we'd be working on my weight issue. That dredged up a whole TON of old feelings, beliefs, and so on - it just went on and on - wave after wave of memories, and clarity in how I formed such powerful, negative self-beliefs. I was drained. But, I can feel a difference somewhat already.
Lisa says this will take lots and lots more work. Urk.
Came home, made a huge salad, took a nap, worked on the paperwork I wanted to finish in the morning, and have been screwing around on the net since. I'm trying to decide if tonight will be a movie night or not. I think it just could be.
I've had Travis on the mind a lot lately. A lot a lot. I'm resisting.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Saturday night at home
Went over to meet Guy and his boyfriend; Guy had invited me to see a movie with him - we made our plans a week ago. He added in the boyfriend about 20 minutes before I was to meet him/them. I was sitting on the Katy Freeway in traffic for nearly 15 minutes before throwing in the towel.
Now, I'm at home.
Barbara revealed last night and today that she has it for Wolfram. As I suspected, it's likely that she was feeding each of us lines to make each of us ... do whatever she thought would be good for her program. Lovely. Thwarted by a 20 year old female. And a sexually ambiguous married man.
Carlos is going home tomorrow; he's not coming to Houston.
Talked to Wim today finally. Six weeks ago, he came by and said he wanted to work on the Fabulair calendar. Finally, he talked to me today. He's done nothing. That's two people that I offered to pay money to do the calendar research. No, three. No, four. So far, I've gotten approximately 70 events out of it. In a year. A damned year.
Now, I'm at home.
Barbara revealed last night and today that she has it for Wolfram. As I suspected, it's likely that she was feeding each of us lines to make each of us ... do whatever she thought would be good for her program. Lovely. Thwarted by a 20 year old female. And a sexually ambiguous married man.
Carlos is going home tomorrow; he's not coming to Houston.
Talked to Wim today finally. Six weeks ago, he came by and said he wanted to work on the Fabulair calendar. Finally, he talked to me today. He's done nothing. That's two people that I offered to pay money to do the calendar research. No, three. No, four. So far, I've gotten approximately 70 events out of it. In a year. A damned year.
Friday, January 13, 2006
TGIF - with New Vision!
I've just returned from the eye doctor, where I was told my eyes are in great shape; arguably better than they were in 1997 when I first started going there. Interesting.
I'm charging my new Bluetooth headset, which I finally figured out how to use. It seems to work great! A huge improvement.
On my way home from the eye doctor, it occured to me that I was driving RIGHT past Pier One, and that I wanted a couple more stacking wine racks - so, in I went. They had the ones I wanted, and I credited myself for only buying two when I wanted THREE (now I have to buy wine.) I found a candle plate for New Vision, and TWO DVD racks that relieved the space problem on the DVD shelf. This does create room for another 20 or so DVDs and the rest of the Angel boxed sets.
Watching "Friday Night Lights." I've been wanting to see this - it's about the 1988 Odessa Permian High School football team.
Applied for a loan for a Phaeton today; have to work out some details.
I've replaced ice cream in my diet with apples and raisins. Not quite the same thing, but it will make me feel a lot better in the long run.
I have a ton of work to do tomorrow.
And, I'm already pooped.
It looks like the club at the end of the street is going to have a parking lot party tonight. That should be .. loud. And, the parking lot should be full of non-resident cars tonight. Fun.
I'm charging my new Bluetooth headset, which I finally figured out how to use. It seems to work great! A huge improvement.
On my way home from the eye doctor, it occured to me that I was driving RIGHT past Pier One, and that I wanted a couple more stacking wine racks - so, in I went. They had the ones I wanted, and I credited myself for only buying two when I wanted THREE (now I have to buy wine.) I found a candle plate for New Vision, and TWO DVD racks that relieved the space problem on the DVD shelf. This does create room for another 20 or so DVDs and the rest of the Angel boxed sets.
Watching "Friday Night Lights." I've been wanting to see this - it's about the 1988 Odessa Permian High School football team.
Applied for a loan for a Phaeton today; have to work out some details.
I've replaced ice cream in my diet with apples and raisins. Not quite the same thing, but it will make me feel a lot better in the long run.
I have a ton of work to do tomorrow.
And, I'm already pooped.
It looks like the club at the end of the street is going to have a parking lot party tonight. That should be .. loud. And, the parking lot should be full of non-resident cars tonight. Fun.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Thursday evening class returns
Urk. I finished my term paper, did most of my reading, did the other homework assignments - I haven't felt so disconnected with a project in a long time.
Today, I got a lot of things done. Almost have the desk cleared off, which is scary. Bought the 1099 kits for myself and clients, got a new bluetooth headset which is too complex for me to figure out.
Talked to C today a while; seems I'll not be having dinner with him this weekend after all. Mikey is taking a sabbatical from the Whores of Baghdad, and Chuck is headed to B'ham to hang out with his lesbionic boyfriend. So, it's just me .. or will it be? Barbara reports that Wolfram has stated his intention to spend time with me this weekend.
Will it be a weekend of sexual ambiguity and mixed messages? Or, do I hunker down, ignore the ministrations of the married, and focus on doing my home work for next week, continuing to get ready for tax season and cleaning my apartment?
I bought some dual layer DVDs today, and STILL can't get all the files I want to write to disk. I'm going to have to beg Mikey to take the blanks and copy the files for me. Sheesh.
Other than synchronizing my Treo, I'm ready to go to class, so I guess this will be a short entry tonight.
Today, I got a lot of things done. Almost have the desk cleared off, which is scary. Bought the 1099 kits for myself and clients, got a new bluetooth headset which is too complex for me to figure out.
Talked to C today a while; seems I'll not be having dinner with him this weekend after all. Mikey is taking a sabbatical from the Whores of Baghdad, and Chuck is headed to B'ham to hang out with his lesbionic boyfriend. So, it's just me .. or will it be? Barbara reports that Wolfram has stated his intention to spend time with me this weekend.
Will it be a weekend of sexual ambiguity and mixed messages? Or, do I hunker down, ignore the ministrations of the married, and focus on doing my home work for next week, continuing to get ready for tax season and cleaning my apartment?
I bought some dual layer DVDs today, and STILL can't get all the files I want to write to disk. I'm going to have to beg Mikey to take the blanks and copy the files for me. Sheesh.
Other than synchronizing my Treo, I'm ready to go to class, so I guess this will be a short entry tonight.
MEDICAL INSURANCE EXPLAINED
(Research done by the AARP Legal Department)
Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "HEY MOE." Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.
Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third world country.
Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.
Q. Can I get coverage for my preexisting conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.
Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.
Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.
Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn't do that.
Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?
A. Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot.
Q. Will health care be different in the next century?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.
Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "HEY MOE." Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.
Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third world country.
Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.
Q. Can I get coverage for my preexisting conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.
Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.
Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.
Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn't do that.
Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?
A. Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot.
Q. Will health care be different in the next century?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Hump day speedbumps
I don’t know why, but it’s so much easier for me to write these posts using Word than typing them into a browser window.
Today started off ruggedly. My dad backed off of his promise to send me some money after selling his house in Florida for a half million clear. I couldn’t reach my mortgage broker to get a check from him that was due today, and I couldn’t email or reach someone at Chase about the rapacious fees they socked me with yesterday for my client’s $200 check bouncing on me the day before.
So, after mentally throwing in the towel, and realizing that I’d be much happier if I generated my own money rather than having some of my dad’s, I reached the broker, talked to Jeffrey about retrieving my big man bag (which I had left at his place the night before,) and started my circle of errands with my lower lip tucked into my waist band.
Ran errands, feeling quite sorry for myself, and met up with Chuck for lunch. Came home,helped him with some things, then had the ugly realization that it was nearly 3:00 and I hadn’t yet produced any WORK. The phone had begun to ring, and I had just a few hours to crank out something productive. I did make some progress on the inter-asian land purchase transaction – I think I may actually have this one in the bag before the client leaves for a month long vacation to Cambodia. That’s a shocker.
Didn’t make ANY progress on my term papers, nor the reading I have to have done for tomorrow night.
Was going to have dinner with Michael; he wandered off at around 5:00 and said “call me.” I did, and heard nothing further from him until 7:30, at which time I told him that he had missed his window of opportunity. Travis, the marvelously sexually ambiguous and likely married doctor called, sounding VERY low tonight, and wanted to “get together” tomorrow night. I called him back after telling Michael that his time was passed, and he came by around 9:15 tonight. WOW.
I’ve known Travis about two years now, and he’s never been particularly sexually involved, even when we were going out fairly regularly. The last two weeks though has signalled a huge shift. Tonight, he fairly jumped on me. I was .. shocked? Flattered?
I’ve always really liked Travis - aside from the fact that he's a proto-nazi, right wing Christian bigot. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s beautiful, and no one fills out a pair of Dockers quite as well as he does.
Tomorrow is a hugely busy day for me. Fortunately, it should start off with some good news from Chase – the officer on my account was SO nice to me today. Then, some quick work on the inter-asian loan file, and then a TON of sorting through records, trying to make heads or tails of this corporate accounting mess.
And, of course, the reading, terms papers and other preparation for class, which starts up tomorrow.
Today started off ruggedly. My dad backed off of his promise to send me some money after selling his house in Florida for a half million clear. I couldn’t reach my mortgage broker to get a check from him that was due today, and I couldn’t email or reach someone at Chase about the rapacious fees they socked me with yesterday for my client’s $200 check bouncing on me the day before.
So, after mentally throwing in the towel, and realizing that I’d be much happier if I generated my own money rather than having some of my dad’s, I reached the broker, talked to Jeffrey about retrieving my big man bag (which I had left at his place the night before,) and started my circle of errands with my lower lip tucked into my waist band.
Ran errands, feeling quite sorry for myself, and met up with Chuck for lunch. Came home,helped him with some things, then had the ugly realization that it was nearly 3:00 and I hadn’t yet produced any WORK. The phone had begun to ring, and I had just a few hours to crank out something productive. I did make some progress on the inter-asian land purchase transaction – I think I may actually have this one in the bag before the client leaves for a month long vacation to Cambodia. That’s a shocker.
Didn’t make ANY progress on my term papers, nor the reading I have to have done for tomorrow night.
Was going to have dinner with Michael; he wandered off at around 5:00 and said “call me.” I did, and heard nothing further from him until 7:30, at which time I told him that he had missed his window of opportunity. Travis, the marvelously sexually ambiguous and likely married doctor called, sounding VERY low tonight, and wanted to “get together” tomorrow night. I called him back after telling Michael that his time was passed, and he came by around 9:15 tonight. WOW.
I’ve known Travis about two years now, and he’s never been particularly sexually involved, even when we were going out fairly regularly. The last two weeks though has signalled a huge shift. Tonight, he fairly jumped on me. I was .. shocked? Flattered?
I’ve always really liked Travis - aside from the fact that he's a proto-nazi, right wing Christian bigot. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s beautiful, and no one fills out a pair of Dockers quite as well as he does.
Tomorrow is a hugely busy day for me. Fortunately, it should start off with some good news from Chase – the officer on my account was SO nice to me today. Then, some quick work on the inter-asian loan file, and then a TON of sorting through records, trying to make heads or tails of this corporate accounting mess.
And, of course, the reading, terms papers and other preparation for class, which starts up tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Tuesday developments
A good day, I guess, all around. Got work out on two loan files, cleaned up some stuff, got a client's bank account that much closer to straightened out, worked on some consulting gigs, brought in some more work, got funded on a loan. Ended up with a lot less paper on the desk, although the amount of paper that needs be generated tomorrow is larger than what today started with.
Dinner with Jeffrey and Steven tonight - they're so wonderful. Left my big man bag over there, though. Talked to my Aunt Liz today, which was great. Got the bid for the Fabulair merchandise in - Dad closed on his house today (I think,) and I got my Phaeton owner's manual in the mail today.
Finding all KINDS of information that isn't available on the news, mostly from my friend Mike F.
My house is a WRECK. Well, by Hord standards, it's a white trash tenement slum sixth floor cold water walkup flat.
Heard from C today - he's driving down here this weekend. Yup. You guessed it. Oh, my.
Asked Michael out to dinner tomorrow night.
Another REALLY scary article about diabetes in today's NYT. Holy shit.
Okay, it's time for me to get some sleep. Later, gators!
Dinner with Jeffrey and Steven tonight - they're so wonderful. Left my big man bag over there, though. Talked to my Aunt Liz today, which was great. Got the bid for the Fabulair merchandise in - Dad closed on his house today (I think,) and I got my Phaeton owner's manual in the mail today.
Finding all KINDS of information that isn't available on the news, mostly from my friend Mike F.
My house is a WRECK. Well, by Hord standards, it's a white trash tenement slum sixth floor cold water walkup flat.
Heard from C today - he's driving down here this weekend. Yup. You guessed it. Oh, my.
Asked Michael out to dinner tomorrow night.
Another REALLY scary article about diabetes in today's NYT. Holy shit.
Okay, it's time for me to get some sleep. Later, gators!
Monday, January 09, 2006
Monday, Monday ver. 660.01
Baking chicken for dinner. I've recently discovered a chicken preparation method that just WORKS. I bake a single chicken breast in a covered, small pyrex dish - just barely big enough for the chicken breast. It gives an amazingly moist breast, without adding liquid.
I figured I'd be hearing from Michael (The Hooker) soon enough - and, tonight, there he was. He wanted to "talk." Uh-huh. What is there to say? He did admit to having to taking my car, and that it was inexcusable. Blah, blah. He wants to come pick up his "stuff." C'mon. Bring it.
Been spending some time today thinking about my self-definitions and beliefs (again.) Worked on my business website, on generating some new income, and on having some new loan business.
Had a message or two from Wolf tonight - I pretty much burned that bridge tonight. Just worn through with ambivalence. Speaking of ambivalence, I had an unsolicited email from N8 today; he's up to his normal bizarre behavior. Strange wit PLUS ambivalence. And, just to make sure things are as amusing as they can be .. PJ has been chasing Mikey around. Apparently, my telling him that he is a drunk, a bad lay and an arrogant little shit who adds nothing to life had something to do with his abandoning me for Mikey.
Watching "Strictly Ballroom." I think I've seen this before - it's just SO overdone. Cute, but overdone.
Big article today in the NYT about diabetes. Scary. Really damned scary. Scared the living shit out of me.
I figured I'd be hearing from Michael (The Hooker) soon enough - and, tonight, there he was. He wanted to "talk." Uh-huh. What is there to say? He did admit to having to taking my car, and that it was inexcusable. Blah, blah. He wants to come pick up his "stuff." C'mon. Bring it.
Been spending some time today thinking about my self-definitions and beliefs (again.) Worked on my business website, on generating some new income, and on having some new loan business.
Had a message or two from Wolf tonight - I pretty much burned that bridge tonight. Just worn through with ambivalence. Speaking of ambivalence, I had an unsolicited email from N8 today; he's up to his normal bizarre behavior. Strange wit PLUS ambivalence. And, just to make sure things are as amusing as they can be .. PJ has been chasing Mikey around. Apparently, my telling him that he is a drunk, a bad lay and an arrogant little shit who adds nothing to life had something to do with his abandoning me for Mikey.
Watching "Strictly Ballroom." I think I've seen this before - it's just SO overdone. Cute, but overdone.
Big article today in the NYT about diabetes. Scary. Really damned scary. Scared the living shit out of me.
Why is Alito ashamed of his past?
By kos on ScAlito
Michael at AMERICAblog. Apologies for stealing the whole thing, but this deserves as wide a reading as possible.
The far right wants us to believe that Supreme Court nominee Alito is similar to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even though everyone knew Ginsburg was a liberal, she was passed by a vast majority in the Senate. They are both in the mainstream of judicial philosophy, the far right says. So Alito deserves the same treatment because he's "qualified."
So why is Alito so ashamed of his entire career?
Ginsburg IS in the mainstream of judicial philosophy, even though she's clearly a strong liberal. But she never pretended to be anything else. And everything on Ginsburg's resume was something she was proud of. Every group she belonged to, every organization she worked for, every position she staked out on the issues of the day and every promise she made reflected who Ruth Bader Ginsburg was, what she stood for and what she believed in.
Did she insist you shouldn't read anything into her work for the ACLU? Of course not; she was proud of that work. Did she insist you shouldn't read anything into her activism over the years, her push for equality among the sexes? Don't be absurd. Did she break her word on solemn pledges made before the Senate? Never.
Nothing could be further from the truth for Alito. He is apparently ashamed of everything he's ever done. Alito boasted on an application for promotion in the Reagan administration about belonging to the racist, Neanderthal-ish Concerned Alumni For Princeton. Now he pretends he can't remember ever belonging to them at all.
Alito said he wanted to become a lawyer because he was so distraught about Supreme Court rulings that led to "one person, one vote," a cornerstone of our modern democracy. Now, he says we should ignore his consistent, persistent attacks on affirmative action.
Alito also cannily helped to devise the incremental approach to dismantling Roe v Wade that has been the very tactic the far right has used. Now Alito says to ignore all that.
Alito has repeatedly proven he believes the president is more like an emperor -- someone who deserves almost unlimited deference from the Supreme Court, especially during a time of war.
Finally, Alito pledged to the Senate that he would recuse himself under certain situations as a federal judge. He repeatedly broke that pledge. His excuses vary: he forgot, the computers shouldn't have assigned him those cases in the first place, he never HAD to recuse himself, and finally he never promised he would recuse himself forever. The reasons change, but the fact remains: Alito gave his word and then he broke it. He can't be trusted.
Since Alito is so clearly ashamed of himself, shouldn't we be ashamed of him and keep him off the Supreme Court?
While conservatives like to pretend that the country is with them, their actions speak louder than words.
If the country is truly with them, why do they have to spin, lie, and frame away the things they truly stand for? Scalito is just the latest in a long history of efforts to hide what they really stand for.
To conservatives I say, "Be proud! Stand tall! Tell people what you TRULY believe! And if they're with you, then you've won the war of ideas. But quit the subterfuge. It's quite unbecoming."
Of course, they won't listen. They know that a full airing of their views would doom them. It would doom Alito. And as such, true conservatism remains in the closet, pathetically hiding in the shadows.
Michael at AMERICAblog. Apologies for stealing the whole thing, but this deserves as wide a reading as possible.
The far right wants us to believe that Supreme Court nominee Alito is similar to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even though everyone knew Ginsburg was a liberal, she was passed by a vast majority in the Senate. They are both in the mainstream of judicial philosophy, the far right says. So Alito deserves the same treatment because he's "qualified."
So why is Alito so ashamed of his entire career?
Ginsburg IS in the mainstream of judicial philosophy, even though she's clearly a strong liberal. But she never pretended to be anything else. And everything on Ginsburg's resume was something she was proud of. Every group she belonged to, every organization she worked for, every position she staked out on the issues of the day and every promise she made reflected who Ruth Bader Ginsburg was, what she stood for and what she believed in.
Did she insist you shouldn't read anything into her work for the ACLU? Of course not; she was proud of that work. Did she insist you shouldn't read anything into her activism over the years, her push for equality among the sexes? Don't be absurd. Did she break her word on solemn pledges made before the Senate? Never.
Nothing could be further from the truth for Alito. He is apparently ashamed of everything he's ever done. Alito boasted on an application for promotion in the Reagan administration about belonging to the racist, Neanderthal-ish Concerned Alumni For Princeton. Now he pretends he can't remember ever belonging to them at all.
Alito said he wanted to become a lawyer because he was so distraught about Supreme Court rulings that led to "one person, one vote," a cornerstone of our modern democracy. Now, he says we should ignore his consistent, persistent attacks on affirmative action.
Alito also cannily helped to devise the incremental approach to dismantling Roe v Wade that has been the very tactic the far right has used. Now Alito says to ignore all that.
Alito has repeatedly proven he believes the president is more like an emperor -- someone who deserves almost unlimited deference from the Supreme Court, especially during a time of war.
Finally, Alito pledged to the Senate that he would recuse himself under certain situations as a federal judge. He repeatedly broke that pledge. His excuses vary: he forgot, the computers shouldn't have assigned him those cases in the first place, he never HAD to recuse himself, and finally he never promised he would recuse himself forever. The reasons change, but the fact remains: Alito gave his word and then he broke it. He can't be trusted.
Since Alito is so clearly ashamed of himself, shouldn't we be ashamed of him and keep him off the Supreme Court?
While conservatives like to pretend that the country is with them, their actions speak louder than words.
If the country is truly with them, why do they have to spin, lie, and frame away the things they truly stand for? Scalito is just the latest in a long history of efforts to hide what they really stand for.
To conservatives I say, "Be proud! Stand tall! Tell people what you TRULY believe! And if they're with you, then you've won the war of ideas. But quit the subterfuge. It's quite unbecoming."
Of course, they won't listen. They know that a full airing of their views would doom them. It would doom Alito. And as such, true conservatism remains in the closet, pathetically hiding in the shadows.
More King George
By kos on signing statements
Ahh, this is why Bush has never vetoed any bills:
When George Bush signed the defense appropriation bill containing John McCain's amendment removing torture and other human rights violations from the official repertoire of the armed forces, he added his own little amendment: "Unless I say otherwise." The vehicle through which he reserved the option to break the law is called a bill-signing statement, and as Knight Ridder's Ron Hutcheson revealed on Friday, the McCain bill was far from the first victim of the practice: Bush has used it some 500 times since taking office [...]
Bush doesn't veto bills because in his view, he doesn't have to; he can simply ignore the ones he doesn't like.
The administration have made that argument explicit, but only in terms of the president's capacity as "commander in chief" during an endless war, as with the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping, the decisions to ignore various Geneva Conventions and the selective suspension of habeas corpus. According to the Hutcheson story, though, it isn't only legislation dealing with national security issues that the White House asserts the right to ignore.
In 2003, lawmakers tried to get a handle on Bush's use of signing statements by passing a Justice Department spending bill that required the department to inform Congress whenever the administration decided to ignore a legislative provision on constitutional grounds.
Bush signed the bill, but issued a statement asserting his right to ignore the notification requirement.
Seriously, why doesn't King George just dissolve Congress and get it over with.
Ahh, this is why Bush has never vetoed any bills:
When George Bush signed the defense appropriation bill containing John McCain's amendment removing torture and other human rights violations from the official repertoire of the armed forces, he added his own little amendment: "Unless I say otherwise." The vehicle through which he reserved the option to break the law is called a bill-signing statement, and as Knight Ridder's Ron Hutcheson revealed on Friday, the McCain bill was far from the first victim of the practice: Bush has used it some 500 times since taking office [...]
Bush doesn't veto bills because in his view, he doesn't have to; he can simply ignore the ones he doesn't like.
The administration have made that argument explicit, but only in terms of the president's capacity as "commander in chief" during an endless war, as with the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping, the decisions to ignore various Geneva Conventions and the selective suspension of habeas corpus. According to the Hutcheson story, though, it isn't only legislation dealing with national security issues that the White House asserts the right to ignore.
In 2003, lawmakers tried to get a handle on Bush's use of signing statements by passing a Justice Department spending bill that required the department to inform Congress whenever the administration decided to ignore a legislative provision on constitutional grounds.
Bush signed the bill, but issued a statement asserting his right to ignore the notification requirement.
Seriously, why doesn't King George just dissolve Congress and get it over with.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Should I stay or should I go?
Church this morning was very good - I was explaining how the Science of Mind works - people seemed to be very pleased.
After church, we went to Sartin's for lunch and our board meeting. Meeting went well; then, we got up to leave and I sliced the snot out of my left ring finger putting my bag over my head. I bled EVERYWHERE. I don't think I've ever bled that much.
I just looked at it thinking .. uh, well .. what do you know? I had many people ministering to me (and wiping up the blood.) Now it's just inconvenient to type with.
Lined up classes that I'll be teaching at NV starting in Feburary; and immediately realized that I need to change the dates, as they will conflict with San Jac teaching.
Got home around 5:45 today - a very full day.
Had a quick conversation tonight with C, who was asking me about my Hallowe'en trip to Dallas - he started asking me about different "events" - it was a "sister say WHAT?" moment. Like, which trip to Dallas had he heard about? The trips I've taken bore no resemblance to what he'd heard. Went to Jack in the Box and picked up who? I didn't have a car! I didn't drive that entire weekend, except when I test drove the Phaeton.
So, more hostility from the leasing office. And more loud banging from upstairs. My lease is up March 6 - my time to give notice is already passed, but I could certainly have Mike F. help me nuke them and get me out. But, where to go?
My blood sugar is totally catawampus again. Blarg.
Where did I put my interview on Fox 26? I can't find the tape.
I had more profound pontificating planned for tonight, but it seems to have escaped me.
Heard from Wolfram tonight:
Wolrfram "I'm breathing again."
Divo "I guess breathing is a good thing."
Wolfram "Back to work for more auditing."
Divo "Tonight? It's 800 pm in the evening."
Wolfram "Yeah. Sigh."
Divo "You didn't hear? Lincoln freed the slaves. So, why communication all of a sudden?"
Wolfram "B told me you asked if I was okay. Busy as hell, but okay."
Divo "Ah. Actually, I asked if she'd heard from you. So, had I not triangulated with her, you would yet be silent? Nice."
No further word.
Had another conversation today that was interesting (they're all interesting, after my conversation with Lisa today.) A guy that I've had ONE date with asks me why I don't like him. Ver. 214.11 ugh. "Why am I the one who always initiates these conversations? Blah, blah." He asked me to be honest. So, after gathering my words, I told him that every conversation with him required that I either assuage his hurt feelings because I had had a phone call, or a fax, or an email that interrupted my immediate response to his hails, OR he asked me why I didn't like him or want to date him, which also required assuagement. Thus, I said, I avoid these conversations, as they're difficult, repetitive and whiney.
Wow.
He says "okay, I can accept that." And promptly begins to tell me that he's worried about me, as I'm the worst workaholic he knows. Uh .. who? Who are you speaking about? You can't follow my somewhat vague, but very clear statement should have included the obvious "I'm making excuses to deflect having to tell you that you're too difficult to spend time with." Along with the fact that the one time we did go out, I thought you were going to eat my face when we had a good night kiss. YUCK.
I've begun to notice that some of my more ... right-wing .. friends have begun to speak with a tone of resignation about the future of the Republicans, and have begun to back away from their association with these folk. It's been very subtle. I think that as this information continues to cascade out - as dots continue to be connected - it's going to get worse.
At which point, I intend to take a baseball bat to anyone who beat the crap out of me about Clinton's blowjob if they aren't crawling on the floor, begging forgiveness for the hypocrisy.
Gently, of course.
Read Philip's blog tonight. He's having a roaring time in Oz. Just totally not my speed or style. I'm glad he's having the trip of his dreams, though.
After church, we went to Sartin's for lunch and our board meeting. Meeting went well; then, we got up to leave and I sliced the snot out of my left ring finger putting my bag over my head. I bled EVERYWHERE. I don't think I've ever bled that much.
I just looked at it thinking .. uh, well .. what do you know? I had many people ministering to me (and wiping up the blood.) Now it's just inconvenient to type with.
Lined up classes that I'll be teaching at NV starting in Feburary; and immediately realized that I need to change the dates, as they will conflict with San Jac teaching.
Got home around 5:45 today - a very full day.
Had a quick conversation tonight with C, who was asking me about my Hallowe'en trip to Dallas - he started asking me about different "events" - it was a "sister say WHAT?" moment. Like, which trip to Dallas had he heard about? The trips I've taken bore no resemblance to what he'd heard. Went to Jack in the Box and picked up who? I didn't have a car! I didn't drive that entire weekend, except when I test drove the Phaeton.
So, more hostility from the leasing office. And more loud banging from upstairs. My lease is up March 6 - my time to give notice is already passed, but I could certainly have Mike F. help me nuke them and get me out. But, where to go?
My blood sugar is totally catawampus again. Blarg.
Where did I put my interview on Fox 26? I can't find the tape.
I had more profound pontificating planned for tonight, but it seems to have escaped me.
Heard from Wolfram tonight:
Wolrfram "I'm breathing again."
Divo "I guess breathing is a good thing."
Wolfram "Back to work for more auditing."
Divo "Tonight? It's 800 pm in the evening."
Wolfram "Yeah. Sigh."
Divo "You didn't hear? Lincoln freed the slaves. So, why communication all of a sudden?"
Wolfram "B told me you asked if I was okay. Busy as hell, but okay."
Divo "Ah. Actually, I asked if she'd heard from you. So, had I not triangulated with her, you would yet be silent? Nice."
No further word.
Had another conversation today that was interesting (they're all interesting, after my conversation with Lisa today.) A guy that I've had ONE date with asks me why I don't like him. Ver. 214.11 ugh. "Why am I the one who always initiates these conversations? Blah, blah." He asked me to be honest. So, after gathering my words, I told him that every conversation with him required that I either assuage his hurt feelings because I had had a phone call, or a fax, or an email that interrupted my immediate response to his hails, OR he asked me why I didn't like him or want to date him, which also required assuagement. Thus, I said, I avoid these conversations, as they're difficult, repetitive and whiney.
Wow.
He says "okay, I can accept that." And promptly begins to tell me that he's worried about me, as I'm the worst workaholic he knows. Uh .. who? Who are you speaking about? You can't follow my somewhat vague, but very clear statement should have included the obvious "I'm making excuses to deflect having to tell you that you're too difficult to spend time with." Along with the fact that the one time we did go out, I thought you were going to eat my face when we had a good night kiss. YUCK.
I've begun to notice that some of my more ... right-wing .. friends have begun to speak with a tone of resignation about the future of the Republicans, and have begun to back away from their association with these folk. It's been very subtle. I think that as this information continues to cascade out - as dots continue to be connected - it's going to get worse.
At which point, I intend to take a baseball bat to anyone who beat the crap out of me about Clinton's blowjob if they aren't crawling on the floor, begging forgiveness for the hypocrisy.
Gently, of course.
Read Philip's blog tonight. He's having a roaring time in Oz. Just totally not my speed or style. I'm glad he's having the trip of his dreams, though.
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