The BRAD BLOG : Winter Patriot

Brad's Dad Pulled A Few Chains Today --- And His Son Will Be Very Proud!

By Winter Patriot on 8/8/2006 9:43pm PT

Introduction {by Winter Patriot}:

I was honored to receive the following message from Brad's dad, Harvey Friedman, who not only voted today but also took an opportunity to interact with some election staff. It's a wonderful story! But I won't ruin it for you --- I'll let him tell it in his own words.

Reporting from St. Louis, not Brad but "Brad's Dad".

Since Brad could not stick around long enough to badger the local election staff, I tried to do my part. This morning there were no primaries of significant interest in my Chesterfield, MO precinct and thus the turnout was very sparse. With five election officials on hand to watch over three ES&S IVotronic machines, three voting booths for paper ballots to use with the ES&S Model 100 scanner [ED NOTE: It was Brad's dad who was reportedly responsible, in no small part, for St. Louis County having chosen to use ES&S voting systems at the last minute instead of their plan to contract with Diebold. See our report from last December on that here.] and three punch card machines which they said would no longer be available after today's election, and considering that at ten this morning I was the only voter on hand, I figured it would be okay if I spent some time pulling their chain. After all, wouldn't Brad have done it had he been here?

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 35 so far... )

Article Categories: Election 2006

Raw Story Calls CT Primary For Lamont

Are they correct? We shall see...

By Winter Patriot on 8/8/2006 8:04pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

With more than 80% of the precincts reporting, and challenger Ned Lamont leading Senator Joe Lieberman by about four percent, Raw Story has called the race (the Democratic primary for a run at the Senate) in favor of Lamont.

The returns today have been been closer than we might have expected, given a poll last week that showed Lamont leading by 54% to 41%. But a more recent poll, showing Lamont's lead as 51%-45%, indicated that the race could be much closer than that.

Based on previous experience, I always get nervous when a last-minute poll shows a big lead evaporating. I don't want to cast aspersions, and I have no reason to disbelieve the poll, but I know that if I were trying to steal an election and my candidate was way behind in the polls, I would want a poll to come along just before the election saying that my candidate was gaining ground fast.

Having said all that, it will be interesting to see whether Raw Story got it right this time, or whether there will be any last-minute surprises.

Personally, I am not holding my breath. I've been to this party before.

	Tweet

( 92 so far... )

Article Categories: Election 2006, Connecticut

Cindy Sheehan Opens Camp Casey III in Crawford, Texas

The new camp sits on land Sheehan now owns, so the legal difficulties she had last year are 'history'

Lone Star Iconoclast again provides coverage

By Winter Patriot on 8/8/2006 7:27pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Cindy Sheehan has once again established herself as an anti-war presence in Crawford, Texas. She has a new campsite near the palatial estate that "president" Bush calls his "ranch", and she is inviting people to join her.

Our friend Leon Smith of the The Lone Star Iconoclast has more. Here's a sample:

Camp Casey III: It’s All About Peace

Sheehan explained Sunday that during their rallies last Easter, "We had about 300 people and it (Camp Casey II) wasn’t big enough and since they (the McLennan County Commissioners’ Court) passed the ordinances that we can’t camp at Camp Casey I, we needed to either rent abigger property or buy something. We were having trouble finding something for rent so I decided to buy something. When we don’t need Camp Casey III (located on the outskirts of Crawford) anymore and when the troops are home and after we use it as a peace camp I’m going to donate the property to the town of Crawford to use as a park. We’re going to build a playground and put in some picnic benches and we’re going to name it the Specialist Casey Sheehan Memorial Peace Park."

When asked whether local residents were resentful about the way the property was purchased, through a third party, Sheehan said, "A lot of people have a third party buy land for them. I could have hired a lawyer, but it would have cost me more. I think they should be more resentful to a president that lied to the American public and lied to the world.

"I think Camp Casey III will be safer than where we were before, and we won’t be in the way as much as we were before. We are good neighbors. We were good neighbors out there. If they can’t put up with our presence for a few weeks, when our soldiers and the people of Iraq are suffering constantly because of what our other neighbor George Bush did, then I think they need to learn to relax a little bit and learn to live with us because, I promise you, I love Crawford and we will be good neighbors."

Leon is promising more coverage and we will try to keep you posted.

All the plans have been changing so fast! This recently-published interview is already way out of date, but still worth a read:

Return to Camp Casey: An Interview with Cindy Sheehan

	Tweet

( 20 so far... )

Article Categories: Iraq War, Cindy Sheehan

Report From GA Dem Primary: McKinney's Name Is Not On All The Ballots --- But Her Opponent's Name Is!!

Many other 'glitches' reported already --- and the polls have only been open for an hour!

UPDATED THREE TIMES!

By Winter Patriot on 8/8/2006 6:27am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

An early-morning report from the headquarters of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's campaign indicates that voting is not going smoothly in Georgia's 4th Congressional District. Congresswoman McKinney is involved in a runoff election against Hank Johnson, after "failing" to gain 50% of the votes in the first round of the primary three weeks ago.

According to the McKinney camp,

Less than one hour into the voting day, multiple problems with the electronic voting machines have arisen. McKinney precinct watchers are reporting machines down already, insecure machines, and at least one 4th Congressional District precinct without McKinney's name on the ballot, but with her opponent's name on it.
...
Another location had to redo the zero report because the machine did not initiate at a zero count. And at yet another location, the voting machine where the voting card is inserted is not secure.

We've reported on McKinney's troubles in the first round of the primary (here and here) and we have also mentioned the smear campaign being waged against her --- and against opponents of electronic voting in general --- by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a so-called "newspaper" which is part of the so-called "Cox media empire". Judging from their coverage of the first round of the primary, we should not expect the AJC to pay any attention to the claims of irregularities in this election, regardless of how well documented they might be.

The BRAD BLOG, on the other hand, will continue to keep you posted.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 224 so far... )

Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, Election Irregularities, Georgia, Election 2006, Cynthia McKinney

La Prensa: New Type of Election Fraud Alleged in Mexico

Trade Union Leaders Say Government Diverted $227 Million From Educational Programs To Finance Calderon's Campaign

PLUS: An update from the protest in Mexico City

By Winter Patriot on 8/7/2006 11:33pm PT

We almost missed this report from Prensa Latina, exposing claims of yet another way to "game" an election:

Mexico, Aug 2 (Prensa Latina) Independent trade union leaders have denounced an alleged fraud in the July 2 elections orchestrated by the president of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), Elba Esther Gordillo.

The leaders of the National Coordinate of Education Workers (CNTE) assert that the government of President Vicente Fox diverted funds from social programs to be handled by Gordillo for election ends.

Artemio Ortiz told a news conference in the western state of Michoacan that the funds amount to more than 227 million dollars, which were initially allocated to educational programs.

Ortiz added that the money was used to finance the New Alliance Party of grassroots educators, to support the official presidential candidate, Felipe Calderon, and to set up a network of representatives at the polling stations.

What will they think of next?

And how long will it take before we start seeing this sort of thing here?

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 24 so far... )

Article Categories: Election Fraud, Mexico

Open Thread for August 7th, 2006

No Questions, No Limits

You Be The Blog!!

By Winter Patriot on 8/7/2006 11:29pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

I'm working on a bunch of new things but most of them aren't ready yet. Oh well.

Your turn.

	Tweet

( 93 so far... )

Article Categories: Open Thread

FL: Orlando Sentinel Covers Clint Curtis and Andy Michaud 'Campaigning' for Democratic Primary

It's A One-Man Show: Curtis is 'out pressing the flesh' while Michaud 'appears to have gone into hibernation'

Curtis calls it 'the oddest campaigning I ever saw'

By Winter Patriot on 8/7/2006 9:11pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

The Orlando Sentinel has posted a good article by Robert Perez called Opponent, where art thou? asks Democrat in which Perez does a very good job covering the lead-up to the Democratic Primary in the 24th District, between Clint Curtis and Andy Michaud. The winner will earn the right to run for Congress --- against Tom Feeney!

Many election integrity advocates have been hoping for a Feeny-Curtis race, which would certainly focus more light on some very key issues. But Curtis has to get by Andy Michaud first. And as Perez describes it, Michaud's strategy at the moment is very difficult to grasp.

[L]ess than three weeks before early voting begins, it's Curtis who is out pressing the flesh, making stump speeches and pushing for donations.

Michaud, meanwhile, has been missing in action.

Curtis, a Titusville computer programmer, says his opponent in the Sept. 5 Democratic primary is ducking him.

"He doesn't show up at events where I'm at," Curtis said. "It's the oddest campaigning I ever saw."

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 10 so far... )

Article Categories: Florida, Tom Feeney, Clint Curtis

OHIO: Bob Ney Quits Race!! Soon-To-Be-Indicted GOP Influence Peddler, HAVA Author, Maintains He Has Done Nothing Wrong

Had Vowed To Fight On, Even If Indicted; Now Says He's Quitting For The Good Of His Family

Flip-Flopper?? ... In the meantime, with DeLay and Ney gone, Tom Feeney is the only remaining congressman to have accompanied Jack Abramoff to Scotland!

By Winter Patriot on 8/7/2006 9:57am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

According to ABC News and AP: Bob Ney Won't Seek Re-Election

COLUMBUS, Ohio Aug 7, 2006 (AP)— U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, dogged by an influence peddling probe in Washington, will not seek re-election, state Sen. Joy Padgett said early Monday.

AP writer Joe Danborn has some other details, including:

The six-term congressman from Heath in central Ohio had insisted he would not resign even if indicted over his dealings with now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In his first primary test in a decade, Ney won 68 percent of the vote May 2 against a little-known opponent.

However, he faced a tough challenge in November from Democrat Zack Space, who had made the Justice Department's investigation into Ney a focus of his campaign.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review has more, including some quotes from an exclusive interview with Ney: Ney drops out of fall race

Ney has not been charged with a crime, and he insists he did nothing wrong. But his former chief of staff, Neil Volz, who left to join Abramoff's team, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to use gifts and trips to influence Ney's official activities. Volz said he and other Abramoff associates provided Ney and members of his staff with free or reduced-price trips to England, Scotland and the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

Who went on that trip to Scotland? Let's see ...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 12 so far... )

Article Categories: Ohio, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff, Tom Feeney

BREAKING: Donzella James Contesting GA Primary!! Lawsuit Calls Results 'Meaningless' Because There's No Paper Trail, No Audit System

Article by APN's Matthew Cardinale includes quotes from Paul Lehto and Brad Friedman!

Cardinale: 'The lawsuit is believed to set a national precedent.'

By Winter Patriot on 8/6/2006 12:22am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Matthew Cardinale has the details:
BREAKING: Donzella James Contesting Primary in Georgia

A few choice excerpts:

"Good, I’m glad she’s challenging, she should!" Brad Friedman of the noted elections integrity website, BradBlog, said in a phone interview.

The Donzella James Campaign isn’t taking the same approach as say, Kerry/Edwards 2004. They aren’t trying to calculate the known malfunctions to see if they add up to greater than the margin of vote difference between more progressive James and the moderate Scott (35%). The point is, because of the lack of a paper trail, there is no way to determine how many unknown malfunctions there are.

"When you figure out something is wrong with these systems, you can’t get in there to see how much has gone wrong in these systems. It’s in the ether," Friedman said.

And:

Attorney Paul Lehto, who is contesting the Busby/Bilbray race in San Diego where voting machines were taken home with poll workers, has offered to provide informal advice to Donzella James. Expecting voters to trust E-voting as presently done is "like asking everyone to put blindfolds on," Lehto said. "I endorse this. It’s exciting that there’s an elections contest in Georgia."

Please read the entire article.

	Tweet

( 55 so far... )

Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, Georgia, Election 2006

Here We Stand, Hat In Hand

By Winter Patriot on 8/5/2006 8:46am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

A few days ago, on a long and very interesting thread, texaslady wrote:

Thank you WP and Brad for sacrificing time and careers to keep those who want to learn informed.

This was a strange and difficult comment for me to read. I was reluctant to accept the obvious truth behind texaslady's kind words. Ever since I started working with Brad, I have known that he walked away from a successful career in order to do what he does now --- investigating, blogging, keeping VR running, and many other things that we don't usually notice.

So I didn't have any trouble with texaslady's comment as it applies to Brad. But I had a lot of trouble with it as it applies to me. Apparently I've been blocking out the fact that my career is gone, too.

We love what we do, we would do it for free, and we often do so. But that's not always enough.

Now Brad and I are both up against the wall, and that's why we are turning to you --- again --- and asking for help.

If you can make a contribution --- large or small --- please do so! Find the blue box near the top of the right sidebar and follow the instructions from there.

We will appreciate it immensely. And even more important, we will use the money to keep the blog running, to keep the truth flowing, and in my case at least, to keep my little guys eating.

We really couldn't do this without you. But that's ok. Because without you, it wouldn't be worth doing!

	Tweet

Comments Off

Article Categories: BRAD BLOG

What The Blog Needs Now ...

... Is An Open Thread ...

... no, not just for some, but for everyone!

By Winter Patriot on 8/4/2006 11:55pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Lord, we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

A hat tip to Burt Bacharach, and Hal David, and I hereby declare this thread OPEN!

[And a hat tip to "middleworld" for making us check. --99]

	Tweet

( 99 so far... )

Article Categories: Open Thread

The Lame Apologist Returns : Jay Bookman Spreads Lies And Disinformation about Cynthia McKinney and Electronic Voting

Examining Bookman's ~~Opinion~~ Smear Piece, 'THE LAME VOTE-RIGGING CRIES RETURN', from a Reality-Based Standpoint

By Winter Patriot on 8/4/2006 3:00pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

I've been reading the most incredible editorial, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
THE LAME VOTE-RIGGING CRIES RETURN

It's also available here and probably elsewhere too.

Here's how it starts:

By JAY BOOKMAN
Cox News Service
08/02/2006

Cox News Service

ATLANTA --- After night comes day and after spring comes summer, so I guess we all should have seen this one coming.

Well, I for one did see this coming, but I don't think this means we all should have.

After U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney was forced into a surprising runoff in last month's Democratic primary, her campaign proposed a likely explanation: Electronic voting machines used in the election were made by Diebold.

You can see right away how "clever" Jay Bookman is! He admits that the result was "surprising" and that the explanation posed by her campaign was a "likely" one. It almost seems he's interested in telling the truth ... but not really.

Even on the cold hard web-page, Bookman's words are clearly dripping with sarcasm. And, in an era when unintended irony is all the rage for supporters of the current corrupt bunch of war-criminals posing as statesmen, I am not shocked to see a true statement such as this one, disguised as ... um ... listen: this is a family blog, for the most part, so let's just continue.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 14 so far... )

Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, Georgia, Election 2006, Cynthia McKinney

USA Swings Both Ways: Pentagon Backs Both Sides in the Iraqi Civil War

It's Nothing Less Than Treason If It's True...

... and by all accounts it appears to be true!

By Winter Patriot on 8/4/2006 2:00pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

USA Today has the "latest":
U.S. commander expresses fear about possible civil war in Iraq

The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told Congress on Thursday that "Iraq could move toward civil war" if the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad is not stopped.

Much as I hate to disagree with the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, I have to question this assertion. Waddaya mean: "move toward civil war"? How many civilians have to get blown to bloody smithereens every day to qualify this mess as a civil war? How many death squads have to roam the country simultaneously before we can all just can the sleazy rhetoric and admit that the Iraqi Civil War is here now?

And as the Washington Post reported recently, some of our guys are starting to get the impression that they are simply 'Waiting to Get Blown Up'.

The commanders in Baghdad and the Pentagon are "looking at the big picture all the time, but for us, we don't see no big picture, it's just always another bomb out here," said Spec. Joshua Steffey, 24, of Asheville, N.C. The company's commanding officer, Capt. Douglas A. DiCenzo of Plymouth, N.H., and his gunner, Spec. Robert E. Blair of Ocala, Fla., were killed by a roadside bomb in May.

Steffey said he wished "somebody would explain to us, 'Hey, this is what we're working for.' " With a stream of expletives, he said he could not care less "if Iraq's free" or "if they're a democracy."
...
"My personal opinion, I don't speak for the rest of anybody, I just speak for me personally, I think civil war is going to happen regardless," Steffey responded. "Maybe this country needs it: One side has to win. Be it Sunni, be it Shiite, one side has to win. It's apparent, these people have made it obvious they can't live in unity."

Did you ever wonder why they can't live in unity now even though they could live in relative peace before the Americans came to destroy their country?

Did you ever wonder why American soldiers in Iraq are considering the possibility that maybe the country "needs" a civil war?...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 16 so far... )

Article Categories: Iraq War

NYT Op/Ed Criticizes Republican Power Grab in Alabama HAVA Dispute

A Federal Judge Stripped Important Electoral Powers from the Democratic Secretary of State and Gave Them to the Republican Governor

Just Another Day At The Office For Those Who Want To Subvert Our Democracy

By Winter Patriot on 8/4/2006 8:08am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Things have begun to stink so badly in Alabama that even the New York Times has noticed.

An unsigned editorial titled Strong-Arming The Vote ran on Thursday. And we have some excerpts from it here:

President Bush’s Justice Department has been criticized for letting partisanship guide its work on voting and elections. And party politics certainly appears to have been a driving force in a legal maneuver it just pulled off in Alabama, where it persuaded a federal judge to take important election powers away from the Democratic secretary of state and give them to a Republican governor.

Seems to have been a driving force, indeed!

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

	Tweet

( 17 so far... )

Article Categories: Alabama

Raw Story: United Nations Human Rights Committee Report Amounts To 'A Moral Indictment' of USA

Report cites 'Treaty Violations', 'Hubris', and 'Willful Disregard For International And Domestic Law' ... and even at that, it just scratches the surface!

WAKE UP, AMERICA! Your shame is world-wide.

By Winter Patriot on 8/4/2006 6:01am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

From Larisa Alexandrovna of RAW STORY:

UN report a 'moral indictment' of US

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has released its final report after a series of hearings in Geneva last week, which RAW STORY has learned amounts to a moral indictment of US treaty violations, as well as what some attendees and delegates described as US hubris, willful disregard for international and domestic law, and contempt for the Committee itself.

Anybody surprised? I didn't think so.

I can't quote the whole article but I can encourage you to read it!

	Tweet

( 13 so far... )

Article Categories: Iraq War, Rights And Freedoms, U.S. Constitution, ITMFA, United Nations, Accountability

Total Pages (20):
« 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 8 9 10 11 » ... Oldest »

NATIONWIDE STUDY FINDS ALMOST NO VOTER FRAUD Just 10 cases of in-person impersonation in all 50 states since 2000...
VIDEO: 'Rise of the Tea Bags' Brad interviews American patriots...	'Democracy's Gold Standard' Hand-marked, hand-counted ballots...

ONE TIME ONLY any amount you like... $	MONTHLY SUPPORT any amount you like... $
Or by Snail Mail Make check out to... Brad Friedman 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028