Olympia, WA - AfD Sound Newsletter
Sound Newsletter
- Upcoming Events and Action Alerts
- Fight Heats Up to Expand Low Power FM Radio!
- Be sure to catch NW Indy Radio—I just discovered it myself and wanted to make sure you know it’s there—92.7 (http://nwindy.org/)
- The Backbone Campaigns plans to launch the “procession of the future.” Check it out. This is really cool!
- See New Movie—The 11th Hour. Leonardo DiCaprio and Others. Global Warming. “A Leadership Crisis.” And Hope.
- See Reclaiming Democracy TV Show on TCTV Channel 22—Mondays a.m. 6:00; Fridays p.m. 6:00. Also view episodes on www.SoundDemocracy.org(Click on show title in left hand column).
- Clean Campaigns
- Steps to promote Public Campaign Financing in Thurston County
- Recent National Survey on Campaign Finance Reform
- The Democracy Movement. It's Growing!
- Yes Magazine’s Fall Issue Dedicated to Standing Up to Corporate Power. Get your Free Issue at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1825
- Protest aims at more than war. Organizers of the event in Kennebunkport this weekend have designs on a broader agenda.
- Edwards Goes After the 'Corporate Democrats' -- Is This a Turning Point for His Campaign?
- Democracy and the Constitution
- “Can We Make the Constitution More Democratic?” Scholarly legal article posits this question.
- Corporate Power
- An Enlightening Video "The War on Democracy"
- Black Box Voting
- Dan Rather reports: Punch cards -- Knowingly Defective (say former employees and expert)
- Message from attorney Paul Lehto re: Sequoia’s knowingly defective machines
- Economics
- Overview of the US economy and opinion on measures needed – the debt economy gone bad.
- COMMENTARY: Comptroller general of US says US on path to perdition, like Rome
- Presidential Power / Impeachment
- 2 more cosign HRes. 333 to impeach Cheney
- White House Manual released shows how Administration Deals with Protestors
- Media and Democracy
- Save the Date: 2008 National Conference for Media Reform
- Kucinich campaign is awaiting ABC News explanations for its actions—Why do they purposefully sabotage his campaign?
- Trade
- Protestors Rage Against North America Summit
- Civil Liberties
- New Law Gives Government Six Months to Turn Internet & Phone Systems into Permanent Spying Architecture
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Fight Heats Up to Expand Low Power FM Radio!
Dear Supporters of Community Radio:
Greetings from the Prometheus Radio Project! It's a big week for Senate Bill 1675 and House Bill 2802, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007, and the fight to expand low power FM radio! Many of you have called or met with your legislators, or are getting ready to do so, and to ask them to cosponsor a bill to bring community radio to the whole
Because of the noise we are making around the country -- demanding new, local, low power FM radio station licenses in our cities and smaller communities -- important media sources are covering the issue, and spreading the word that the time is now to expand low power FM.
Bill Moyers, who has covered the impact of media consolidation and a lack of accountable local voices on American communities for years, is broadcasting a special on low power FM and media -tonight-, August 24th!
Stay tuned for news and analysis from the FCC, from journalist Rick Karr, and from your allies here at the Prometheus Radio Project. Watch a summary of the special on media issues here -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEYowrKrfWM -- and watch a clip of the LPFM segment here -- http://youtube.com/watch?v=EriXIv7LAQo -- and forward to your friends, so they can become as passionate as you are about low power FM radio, and work with you to get your legislators to cosponsor the Local Community Radio Act of 2007.
Not only is low power FM radio taking to national TV -- but also -- the paper of record of middle Tennessee -- the Tennessean --
(http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070823/OPINION01/708230410/1008)
-- has just written a huge editorial about low power FM -- asking Tennessee Congressmembers to work to expand it!
"Now is the time to act," say the editors of the Tennessean. They continue, "Since the airwaves belong to the public, it follows that the airwaves should reflect all aspects of the public. This bill would go a long way toward that goal, and deserves full support."
This article was paired with other great editorials from Free Press, and from strong low power FM leaders, WRFN-LP (http://www.radiofreenashville.org),
We have to take advantage of this momentum. Write your Congressmember now to tell them how important low power FM radio is to you -- and tell them to cosponsor House Bill 2802 -- the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 -- which would expand low power FM all across Tennessee and beyond!
You can read the bill here: http://prometheusradio.org/take_action/HR_2802
Our friends at Consumers'
Or write a letter or make a call through our allies at Free Press: http://freepress.net/lpfm/
Get background on low power FM at http://www.prometheusradio.org, or sign the petition at http://expandlpfm.org too!
Thanks for calling your Congressmembers, and sending this note far and wide! Stay tuned for more updates on this battle in the next weeks -- as we work together to expand low power FM to communities nationwide!
Hannah Sassaman
Prometheus Radio Project
P.S. Email hannahjs@prometheusradio.org with 'Remove' in the subject line to be removed from this list -- and forward widely to spread the word!
P.P.S. Read the articles that appeared in today's Tennessean in support of LPFM:
Editorial: Legislation would restore radio's community presence
http://www.freepress.net/news/25674
Ginny Welsch: Local issues shouldn't be shut out in process
http://www.freepress.net/news/25675
Joseph Torres: Congress should help unique local stations
http://www.freepress.net/news/25676
building radio stations = awesome
http://www.prometheusradio.org
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Be sure to catch NW Indy Radio
I just discovered it myself and wanted to make sure you know it’s there—92.7 (http://nwindy.org/). A
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| Help Launch the Procession for the Future Together we can animate a progressive vision for the country Dear Friend of the Backbone Campaign, |
|
The Backbone Campaign could use your financial support for these efforts. Bill Moyer |
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See New Movie—The 11th Hour. Leonardo DiCaprio and Others.
About Global Warming, “A Leadership Crisis,” and Hope.
View trailer: http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/
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The Reclaiming Democracy TV show.
Airs Mondays at 6:00 a.m. & Fridays at 6:00 p.m. (after the Democracy Now Show). Thurston County TCTV, Channel 22.
Watch it on line at www.SoundDemocracy.org.
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Steps YOU CAN TAKE to help promote Public Campaign Financing in
1. Attend the next Washington Public Campaigns' (WPC) Thurston County Chapter Meeting Tuesday August 21st 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Traditions Cafe,
2. Increase your knowledge about Public Campaign Financing. Go to www.washclean.org for information. See new website layout, good additional information on "links", see Seattle PI article: only 5 states have lobbyist spending exceeding
3. Help with pledge gathering from candidates and office holders. Lea Mitchell is coordinating pledge gathering from candidates and office holders. Contact Lea and pick a group of candidates or local office holders to approach to sign the WPC pledge. You can contact Lea at leam@zhonka.net or call at 866-9773
4. Collect signatures on the citizen's petition. Download a copy of the citizen's petition from the WPC website www.washclean.org The petition gives us an opportunity to talk to people about public campaign financing, to collect signatures that show our legislators that people agree with this issue, to build knowledge and support, and to gather contact information for future contacts.
5. Volunteer to help load signatures into the state level Washington Public Campaigns database. Volunteers in
6. Attend Upcoming events (opportunities for signature gathering)
7. Look for opportunities for people from the WPC speakers list to speak to groups about public campaign financing. Contact Chris Stegman at c.stegman@comcast.net
8. Host a house party to show the WPC DVD and discuss public campaign financing. Ask for help if you need it. DVD's are available.
9. Write a letter to the Editor of the Olympian or other local papers.
for more information contact: Monica Hoover 943-3070 or e-mail me at mmhoove@aol.com
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Recent National Survey on Campaign Finance Reform
June 21, 2006
http://www.campaignmoney.org/polling
A recent bipartisan survey of likely voters nationwide by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research (1) shows a significant majority of voters, across party lines, support publicly-funded elections. In the wake of lobbyist scandals, the soaring costs of campaigns, and discontent with
• Three out of four voters support a voluntary system of publicly funded campaigns. (2) Seventy-four percent of voters support a proposal for voluntary public funding of federal elections (57% strongly) with only 16% opposed.
• Support for public financing of Congressional elections cross all party lines. Eighty percent of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans support this reform.
• Support of this reform is strong across demographic and regional groups. This reform enjoys strong support across gender lines, age groups, and regionally—garnering no less than 60% support and in most cases around three-quarters support.
• Support for public financing of elections helps Congressional candidates. Respondents were given a generic congressional profile ballot, with standard “Republican” and “Democratic” issue platforms. On this initial test, the “Democratic” candidate outpaces the “Republican” candidate by 53% to 37%. Then half the respondents were told the “Republican” signed a pledge to support the reform and that the “Democrat” refused, and vice versa for the other half of respondents. In both cases the congressional candidate who signed the pledge was able to increase their lead substantially over an opponent who refused to sign it. The “Republican” candidate supporting reform wins 49% to 39% over an anti-reform Democrat. The “Democratic” candidate supporting reform wins 58% to 29% over an anti-reform Republican.
• Voters support this reform because of the positive changes they overwhelmingly believe will come from it. Fully 82% of voters believe it is likely, as a result of publicly financed elections, that candidates will win on their ideas, not because of the money they raise, and 81% believe it is likely politicians will be more accountable to voters instead of large contributors. Additionally, voters also feel it is likely citizens with good ideas will have a fair shot at winning rather than just the rich and powerful (79% likely), and that special interests will not receive as many favors, tax breaks, and deals from politicians (77% likely).
• The low perception voters have of congressional ethics is driving their support for this reform. Voters’ unfavorable views of Congress (36% favorable, 52% unfavorable) and lobbyists (14% favorable, 66% unfavorable) spell trouble for the
(1) The telephone survey of 1000 likely 2006 voters nationwide was conducted June 8-15, 2006, by
(2) Text of proposal: "Under this plan, candidates who agree to spending limits and who agree to take no private contributions would qualify for a set amount of money from a public election fund. Each candidate would receive the same amount. Candidates would not be allowed to raise or spend additional money beyond what they receive from the fund. There would be tough enforcement and accountability with published reports open to the public."
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Yes Magazine’s Fall Issue Dedicated to Standing Up to Corporate Power.
Get your Free Issue at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1825
New Visions
Solving today's big problems will take more than a quick fix. These authors offer clarity about the roots of our problems and visions of a better way.
Who Will Rule?
We the People vs. the Corporate Giants—it’s the power struggle of our time. At stake: control of our health care, our energy future, our quality of life, and our planet.
By Michael Marx & Marjorie Kelly
Online only 
A Call for a Global Movement to Bring Corporations Back Under Control: The Strategic Corporate Initiative Living Wealth: Better Than Money
To serve money or to serve life—that is the question that will determine the sort of world future generations will inherit.
By David Korten
Online only
10 Signs of Hope: Stories of Action and Change We Didn't Hear About in 2006-7
An excerpt from the book "Censored 2008"
By Project Censored
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Protest aims at more than war. Organizers of the event in
August 24, 2007
Peace activists are hoping this weekend's anti-war protest in
"We need to talk about the systemic change that is needed in our country to keep us from going into future wars," said Jamilla el Sharfei, the event organizer.
El Sharfei has been planning the three-day protest for almost a year, and has worked to supplement the anti-war theme by including representatives of the Southern Maine Labor Council AFL-CIO, veterans groups, the Unitarian Universalist Church, the International Socialist Organization and Maine Lawyers for Democracy.
The event is expected to draw several thousand people.
"People from different movements are coming together because we realize the problems we have to tackle cannot be handled by one group alone," el Sharfei said.
"One of the things I like about (this demonstration) is that it's not just against something," said Bruce Gagnon, who is helping organize the march. "In this case, we're also saying yes to converting the military-industrial complex" budget into resources to address global warming, infrastructure needs, and health and education costs in the
Meanwhile, a veterans group plans to stage a counterprotest along the demonstration route.
"We want to show the people, the press and the nation that there are two sides to the story, and we are the other side," said Byron Grant, regional coordinator for Gathering of Eagles, a veterans group that formed in response to demonstrations against the
"We plan to be on the streets supporting the troops, our president and our country," he said.
To read the rest of this article, visit: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=129413&ac=PHnws .
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Edwards Goes After the 'Corporate Democrats' -- Is This a Turning Point for His Campaign?
In a dramatic speech, John Edwards fired a major broadside against corporate
Last week, John Edwards fired a broadside against corporate
Edwards is en fuego right now, and if he keeps up the heat, his candidacy will either be widely embraced by the emerging progressive movement or utterly annihilated by an entrenched establishment that fears few things more than a telegenic populist with enough money to mount a credible campaign.
"It's time to end the game," Edwards told a crowd in
Real change starts with being honest -- the system in
[The system is] controlled by big corporations, the lobbyists they hire to protect their bottom line and the politicians who curry their favor and carry their water. And it's perpetuated by a media that too often fawns over the establishment, but fails to seriously cover the challenges we face or the solutions being proposed. This is the game of American politics and in this game, the interests of regular Americans don't stand a chance.
It's a structural argument, and Edwards didn't pull punches in calling out his fellow Democrats, saying: "We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the
About a third of the speech focused on the trade deals that Bill Clinton championed, and his argument that those "wedded to the past" can't provide the answers was a barely-veiled rebuke of the Clintonian arm of the party, and the media's chosen "front-runner" for the nomination.
If Democrats are engaged in an existential struggle between the party's establishment and its grassroots, Edwards is obviously betting that the grassroots' passion and energy will trump the Machine Democrats message' apparatus -- this was a speech that was not written by the usual coterie of Beltway consultants.
The most striking aspect of Edwards' speech was his implicit argument that class still exists. For years, both parties have obscured the divisions that are so prominent in modern American society, painting a picture of a country in which we're all part of an entrepreneurial class with more or less similar interests -- a key ingredient in the false "center" to which politicians and Beltway pundits kow-tow. "Let me tell you one thing I have learned from my experience," Edwards said last week. "You cannot deal with them on their terms. You cannot play by their rules, sit at their table, or give them a seat at yours. They will not give up their power -- you have to take it from them."
To read rest of article, visit: http://www.alternet.org/story/60748/
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“Can We Make the Constitution More Democratic?” Scholarly legal article posits this question.
Here's another interesting legal essay on Democracy and the Constitution:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1009268
The abstract:
Somin & Devins on Democratizing the Constitution Ilya Somin and Neal Devins (George Mason University - School of Law and College of William and Mary - Marshall-Wythe School of Law) have posted “Can We Make the Constitution More Democratic?”
Here is the abstract:
Recent years have seen renewed calls to revise the Constitution to make it more democratic. Unfortunately, efforts to “democratize” the Constitution face serious obstacles that advocates of reform have largely ignored. In particular, they have failed to grapple with the reality of widespread political ignorance, which both reduces the extent to which the Constitution can ever be fully democratic and makes the reform process more difficult.
Part I of this article notes that advocates of “democratizing” the Constitution rarely specify the theory of democratic participation they would like the Constitution to conform to. This is a very significant omission. There is more than one theory of participation and different theories have widely divergent implications for constitutional reform. Some theories such as “deliberative democracy,” imply a much higher level of political knowledge in the electorate than is likely to be feasible in the foreseeable future.
In Part II we provide examples of how elected officials and interest groups employ pro-democracy rhetoric to cloak reform proposals. Examples include the 22nd Amendment, term limits and other Contract with
Part III considers the implications of political ignorance and substantive concerns for the actual process of constitutional change. Widespread ignorance is likely to reduce the quality of constitutional reforms that can be instituted, since it might lead voters to support deeply flawed institutional reforms and create opportunities for manipulation by political elites. These dangers are heightened by the reality that any major constitutional changes are likely to occur as a result of a major political or economic crisis. History suggests that even relatively well-informed voters might be tempted to approve of measures that promise relief from the immediate danger without considering their potential long-term effects.
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An Enlightening Video "The War on Democracy"
Don’t Miss This Video – a Must Watch Documentary Film by British film-maker John Pilger: 'The War on Democracy'
"The film tells a universal story," says Pilger, "analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called war on terror".
Click here: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18236.htm
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Watch the Explosive Dan Rather Reports Episode "The Trouble with Touch Screens"
Dan Rather Reports presents conclusive evidence of the failure of touch screen voting machines across the country. The episode, "The Trouble with Touch Screens", is an entire hour devoted to new information on this story. From scientists involved in testing the equipment, to manufacturers in third world countries who shipped these defective voting machines to the
Download transcripts and documents from "The Trouble with Touch Screens".
Watch "The Trouble with Touch Screens" Here: http://www.hd.net/drr227.html .
For transcripts see http://www.hd.net/drr_227_docs.html.
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Message from attorney Paul Lehto re: Sequoia’s knowingly defective machines
From: Paul Lehto <lehtolawyer@gmail.com>
Date: Aug 20, 2007 7:18 AM
Subject: Re: Florida 2000 Sequoia Punchcards Knowingly Defective (say former employees and expert)
To: Cc: Election-law < election-law@majordomo.lls.edu>
A Significant misrepresentation by Sequoia that it's products are "tamperproof" (see below) shown false by CA Red Team Reports of the Secretary of State, lead investigator Matt Blaze saying of voting machine code "The problems we found in the code were far more pervasive, and much more easily exploitable, than I had ever imagined they would be."
More from Dr. Blaze: "In other words, the designs of these systems expose generously wide "attack surfaces" to anyone who seeks to compromise them. And the defenses are dangerously fragile -- almost any bug, anywhere, has potential security implications. This means that strengthening these systems will involve more than repairing a few programming errors. They need to be re-engineered from the ground up. "
"Conspiracy theorists" concerning elections? That's how Michele Shafer of Sequoia is trying to pooh pooh the Dan Rather documentary. That won't work with anyone who actually watches the video.
FYI, We are honored to have on this listserv Michele Shafer, who is not only Vice President for Sequoia Voting Systems for Communications and Special Projects, but also the newly elected Chairperson of the Election Technology Council, the voting systems industry trade group that represents the five companies that claim over 90% market share of America's vote counting, measured by numbers of ballots processed. See www.electiontech.org Congratulations Michele, you do speak for your whole industry now and not just Sequioa. For example:
Despite raising some detail points, Mark Lindeman calls the Dan Rather documentary "alarming." Bradblog asserts below that Sequoia "has shown itself willing to change old documents without noting the change as they did this week to a December 22, 2006 press release online." Story here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4966 Just for starters, hitting the basic button "About Sequoia" at www.sequioavote.com results in a misrepresentation or potential admission of interest appearing in each of the first FOUR paragraphs, namely (text at http://www.sequoiavote.com/aboutsequoia.php and pasted at bottom of this email for convenience)
(paragraph 1) the phrase "uninterrupted...installations" of touchscreens is untrue given Snohomish County Washington's vote in January 2006 to abandon use of Sequoia touch screens in favor of vote-by-mail, and subsequent vote by mail elections have been held starting in September 2006. Again my lawsuit Lehto v. Sequoia was held moot by the court of appeals in
(paragraph 2) In an interesting echo of the 7 employees speculations based on their 162 years of experience concerning the motivations to provide defective paper to Palm Beach County, Sequoia advertises it is "in fact, is largely responsible for the nation's current interest in touch screen voting" having the first touchscreen demonstrations in place just in time for the 2000 presidential election, on location in Riverside County, CA. The employees stated on camera that the ballot paper was probably doctored to beef up touch screen sales, going from selling low priced items like punchcard ballots to $3000 a pop touchscreens, will millions in sales in Florida alone, post-2000.
(out of order, 3 is below: paragraph 4) states that
(paragraph 3) Sequoia claims a "tamperproof" product which is clearly a false statement. The yellow button Shafer claims comes with an option to turn it off (pressing twice allows multiple voting) but surely this does not reach the level of "tamperproof". The yellow button also is the gateway to admin mode, disabled voting, screen recalibrations and a majority of the functions of the EVC Edge touch screen. The button must be accessible because it is supposed to provide accessible voting to the disabled. The beep the yellow button is supposed to make that may alert someone listening is reportedly readily defeated by sticking a microphone plug into the audio jack - another feature needed for disabled voting.... Michele Shafer's prior response on this pointed to a press release that purports to be November 2006, but my lawsuit mentioning the yellow button as a product defect supporting rescission of the sales contract was in April, 2005, some 17 months prior to the press release she points to.
In any event, the California SEcretary of State's Red Team Reports dated July 26, 2007 on Sequoia source code clearly establish that the Edge is so insecure that Sec. Bowen decertified the Edge on August 3, 2007. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting_systems/ttbr/sequoia.pdf See generally http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vsr.htm Among many other problems, the Red Team report states the following quotes that, no matter what affirmative security might be pointed to, appear to establish that "tamperproof" is a false and misleading statement by Sequoia: (see http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting_systems/ttbr/sequoia-source-public-jul26.pdf )
(1) "Every software mechanism for transmitting election results and every software mechanism for updating software lacks reliable measures to detect or prevent tampering." (i.e. NOT "TAMPERPROOF" as Sequoia's website states)
(2) "An individual with even brief access to polling station hardware can tamper with installed firmware in a way that causes votes and paper trails to be recorded incorrectly, security logs to be corrupted, or ballots to be presented to voters incorrectly . Under some configurations and conditions, corrupt firmware may be able to be spread virally from compromised hardware and may persist across more than one election. (i.e. NOT "TAMPERPROOF" as Sequoia's website states)
(3) [Insider Risks] "The access control and other computer security mechanisms that protect against unauthorized use of central vote counting computers and polling place equipment are easily circumvented. In particular, the security features and audit logs in the WinEDS back-end system (used for ballot preparation, voting machine configuration, absentee ballot processing, and post-election vote counting) are largely ineffective against tampering by insider attackers who gain access to WinEDS computers or to the network to which the WinEDS computers are attached." (i.e. NOT "TAMPERPROOF" as Sequoia's website states)
(4) "the Edge has two type II PCMCIA slots referred to as the
(5) PAGE 24: "Precinct election results stored on Edge Results Cartridges and Insight optical scan memory packs are not effectively protected against tampering." ( I.E. not "TAMPERPROOF" as Sequoia's website alleges) In any event, such "tamper-evident seals do not prevent tampering ; at best, they can detect that tampering has occurred." p. 27
(6) there are a bunch more, but it's tiring to compile. But in general for all voting systems, the researchers felt compelled to depart from their normal practice of publishing even sensitive code for their fellow researchers to replicate results because some of the vulnerabilities were so worrisome and obvious attacks, they felt the risks outweighed the benefits and their own scientific principles.
Lead Investigator in the Sequoia source code team, Dr. Matt Blaze, stated in summary concering the work of 42 computer scientists on 3 different voting systems including Sequoia:
"The problems we found in the code were far more pervasive, and much more easily exploitable, than I had ever imagined they would be."
http://www.crypto.com/blog/ca_voting_report/
Sequoia lead investigator Dr. Matt Blaze: "I was especially struck by the utter banality of most of the flaws we discovered. Exploitable vulnerabilities arose not so much from esoteric weaknesses that taxed our ingenuity, but rather from the garden-variety design and implementation blunders that plague any system not built with security as a central requirement. ["TAMPERPROOF?"] There was a pervasive lack of good security engineering across all three systems, and I'm at a loss to explain how any of them survived whatever process certified them as secure in the first place. Our hard work notwithstanding, unearthing exploitable deficiencies was surprisingly -- and disturbingly -- easy ."
About Sequoia
Sequoia Voting Systems is not only the nation's most experienced provider of touch screen voting systems. It is the only company in the
Sequoia, in fact, is largely responsible for the nation's current interest in touch screen voting , having pioneered the first major countywide installation in Riverside County, California during the November 2000 presidential election, before election reform became a national priority.
Our tamperproof products, including the AVC Edge® and the AVC Advantage®, are sought after from coast to coast for their accuracy and reliability. And our installation team is second to none, having managed thousands of electronic elections for 14 years in 16 states.
So while the national media focuses on problems involving companies that have only recently entered the touch screen arena, Sequoia's customers from Palm Beach County, Florida to the suburban Seattle county of Snohomish, Washington continue to enjoy the accolades that result from having carefree, accurate, electronic elections in partnership with our seasoned team of dedicated technicians and former election administrators
Paul R Lehto, Juris Doctor
lehtolawyer@gmail.com
425-422-2114 (cell)
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Overview of the
"The
This is why the Chinese, in particular, have threatened to retaliate against proposed
The
To read rest of piece, visit: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/17/opinion/edvarzi.php?page=1.
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Comptroller general of US says US on path to perdition, like
On Aug. 7, 2007, the comptroller general of the United States , David Walker, issued an unusually somber proclamation concerning long-term dangers confronting the United States -- and he wasn't talking about Salafist Islam.
Not only are American fiscal practices unsustainable, “on a path toward an explosion of debt," but "[c]urrent U.S. policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration, and Iraq also [is] on an 'unsustainable path,' he said in an assessment of the future of the United States, the *Financial Times* of London reported on Aug. 14.[1]
"Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire , Mr. Walker warned there were 'striking similarities' between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome ," Jeremy Grant wrote, "including 'declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands, and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government.'”
"Mr. Walker said he would offer to brief the would-be presidential candidates next spring. 'They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably. '”
Given the identity of the author and the urgency of the message, the coverage given this announcement was remarkably minimal, a GoogleNews search suggests.
Such a search conducted on Aug. 22 indicated that so far the only
As for the *New York Times*, the report has not yet been judged "news fit to print." -- On Tuesday and Wednesday, the *Financial Times* posted a column by
The full fourteen-page report, entitled "Transforming Government to Meet the Demands of the 21st Century, laying out the argument in greater detail, can be viewed here (http://www.gao. gov/cghome/ d071188cg. pdf) in a .pdf file.
NOTE: UFPPC's book discussion group, "Digging Deeper," will be taking up a number of books making the Rome-U.S. comparison in January 2008. --Mark]
To read the article and more, visit: http://www.ufppc. org/content/ view/6634/.
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Two more cosign HRes. 333 to impeach Cheney
Two more members of congress have co-signed HRes. 333 to impeach Cheney: Steve Cohen(D-Ten) and Shiela Jackson Lee (D-TX). Please thank them and then call Jay Inslee, Dave Reichert and Adam Smith to demand that they co-sign HRes. 333 as well.
Our delegation to congress is coming home for August recess. Please plan to meet them at every opportunity to demand that they cosign HRes. 333 and write articles of impeachment for George Bush. Let them know there is no time for excuses and nothing more than restoring the rule of law.
Would you be kind enough to let me know of any public appearances of any of our Senators and Representatives to Congress by contacting this email address? Please join
We must push until the tipping point, and impeachment proceeding begin.
Thank you,
Linda Boyd
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White House Manual Details How to Deal With Protesters
By Peter Baker
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A02
Not that they're worried or anything. But the White House evidently leaves little to chance when it comes to protests within eyesight of the president. As in, it doesn't want any.
A White House manual that came to light recently gives presidential advance staffers extensive instructions in the art of "deterring potential protestors" from President Bush's public appearances around the country. Among other things, any event must be open only to those with tickets tightly controlled by organizers. Those entering must be screened in case they are hiding secret signs. Any anti-Bush demonstrators who manage to get in anyway should be shouted down by "rally squads" stationed in strategic locations. And if that does not work, they should be thrown out.
But that does not mean the White House is against dissent -- just so long as the president does not see it. In fact, the manual outlines a specific system for those who disagree with the president to voice their views. It directs the White House advance staff to ask local police "to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in the view of the event site or motorcade route."
The "Presidential Advance Manual," dated October 2002 with the stamp "Sensitive -- Do Not Copy," was released under subpoena to the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of two people arrested for refusing to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a Fourth of July speech at the West Virginia State Capitol in 2004. The techniques described have become familiar over the 6 1/2 years of Bush's presidency, but the manual makes it clear how organized the anti-protest policy really is.
The lawsuit was filed by Jeffery and Nicole Rank, who attended the Charleston event wearing shirts with the word "Bush" crossed out on the front; the back of his shirt said "Regime Change Starts at Home," while hers said "Love
The manual demonstrates "that the White House has a policy of excluding and/or attempting to squelch dissenting viewpoints from presidential events," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Miller. "Individuals should have the right to express their opinion to the president, even if it's not a favorable one."
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said that he could not discuss the manual because it is an issue in two other lawsuits.
The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely supportive of the Administration," it says. While the Secret Service screens audiences only for possible threats, the manual says, volunteers should examine people before they reach security checkpoints and look out for signs. Make sure to look for "folded cloth signs," it advises. . . .
To read rest of article, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101662.html
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Save the Date: 2008 National Conference for Media Reform
The National Conference for Media Reform (www.freepress.net)
June 6-8, 2008
Mark your calendar: You need to be in
Activists, media makers, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens will converge once again to call for real and lasting changes to the media. Find out why so many call this event the most inspiring and informative conference they've ever attended.
Registration will open in a few months. For now, mark your calendar and join our conference mailing list.
2008 provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to put media reform in the national spotlight. Join us in
Last year's conference in
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Kucinich campaign is awaiting ABC News explanations for its actions
The Kucinich campaign is still awaiting an official response from ABC News about the unexplained – some have charged "inexplicable" - way in which the network has handled its post-debate online coverage of Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich over the past few days.
Among the "outrages" that have energized tens of thousands of Kucinich supporters - and even non-supporters - thousands of whom have flooded the ABC News website and other online news sites with comments of protest:
* Congressman Kucinich was apparently deliberately cropped out of a "Politics Page" photo of the candidates.
* Sometime Monday afternoon, after Congressman Kucinich took a commanding lead in ABC's own on-line "Who won the Democratic debate" survey, the survey was dropped from prominence on the website.
* ABC News has not officially reported the results of its online survey.
* After the results of that survey showed Congressman Kucinich winning handily, ABC News, sometime Monday afternoon, replaced the original survey with a second survey asking "Who is winning the Democratic debate?"
* During the early voting Monday afternoon and evening, U.S. Senator Barack Obama was in the lead. By sometime late Monday or early Tuesday morning, Congressman Kucinich regained the lead by a wide margin in this second survey.
* Sometime Tuesday morning, ABC News apparently dropped the second survey from prominence or killed it entirely.
* AND, as every viewer of the nationally televised Sunday Presidential forum is aware, Congressman Kucinich was not given an opportunity to answer a question from moderator George Stephanopoulos until 28 minutes into the program.The campaign submitted objections and inquiries to ABC News representatives on Monday and Tuesday. ABC News representatives have failed to respond - or even acknowledge - those objections and inquiries.
Stayed tuned for further details.
Strength Through Peace,
Kucinich for President 2008
Paid for by Kucinich for President 2008
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Protestors Rage Against North America Summit
Hundreds of anti-globalization protestors, environmentalists, peaceniks, and civil rights groups joined to taunt
The three North American leaders are expected to discuss trade and security at a two-day Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit in
The SPP was launched at the first “Three Amigos” summit in
With placards reading “Reclaim democracy,” “Basta Bush” and “No to Fortress
“This summit has certainly attracted an eclectic group of protestors,” said Peggy Land of the Raging Grannies, taking time away from her grandchildren to wave a sign politely decrying: “The SPP sucks, dear.”
To read rest of article, visit: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/08/20/3293/
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Analysis: New Law Gives Government Six Months to Turn Internet and Phone Systems into Permanent Spying Architecture - UPDATED
By Ryan Singel
August 06, 2007 |
A new law expanding the government's spying powers gives the Bush Administration a six-month window to install possibly permanent back doors in the nation's communication networks. The legislation was passed hurriedly by Congress over the weekend and signed into law Sunday by President Bush.
The bill, known as the Protect America Act, removes the prohibition on warrantless spying on Americans abroad and gives the government wide powers to order communication service providers such as cell phone companies and ISPs to make their networks available to government eavesdroppers.
The Administration pushed for passage of the changes to close what it called a "surveillance gap," referring to a long-standing feature of the nation's surveillance laws that required the government to get court approval to capture communications inside the
While the nation's spy laws have been continually loosened since 9/11, the Administration never pushed for the right to tap the nation's domestic communication networks until a secret court recently struck down a key pillar of the government's secret spying program.
For rest of story, visit: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/analysis-new-la.html
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