w/ Brad & Desi
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  w/ Brad & Desi
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BARCODED BALLOTS AND BALLOT MARKING DEVICES
BMDs pose a new threat to democracy in all 50 states...
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VIDEO: 'Rise of the Tea Bags'
Brad interviews American patriots...
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'Democracy's Gold Standard'
Hand-marked, hand-counted ballots...
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GOP Voter Registration Fraud Scandal 2012...
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The Secret Koch Brothers Tapes...
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MORE BRAD BLOG 'SPECIAL COVERAGE' PAGES... |
More subpoenas seem to be on the way for voting machine company officials, this time in Illinois where it looks like the city aldermen in Chicago, according to the Sun-Times are none-too-happy to be forced to continue payments to Sequoia Voting Systems who ran such a disastrous primary on new electronic machines across the state just a few weeks ago.
A similar battle has been underway in Texas where officials have been trying to avoid payment to ES&S for the primary disaster down there on March 7th, just two weeks before the Illinois debacle.
In the meantime, the hypocrisy of the Right Wing continues vis a vis Electronic Voting Machines and their newly discovered concerns, as we reported late last week, about a Venezuelan company, possibly tied to Hugo Chavez, controlling the Sequoia company, and thus having an unknown and troubling amount of concern over American elections.
As in the wingnut piece we pointed to last week, Richard Brand in the Miami Herald (via right-leaning RealClearPolitics.com) is horrified that a company tied to Chavez may be having undue influence over American elections.
Not a word in Brand's piece about the influence over American elections by partisan companies, run by partisan executives, such as Diebold, ES&S, Hart InterCivic and others who are given carte blanche to use secret, uninspected software to count almost every citizen's vote in the country by now.
So, again, while we're happy to see concern --- no matter where it comes from --- about the little-noticed watershed change in our electoral system which now allows private companies to control the most sacred element of our democracy, with virtually zero checks, balances or public oversight, it's incredibly hypocritical (even by wingnut standards), to turn a blind eye to the Rightwing influence over all the other companies who have even more control over more of American votes.
We'd hope that the concerns about Chavez would suddenly help these guys realize what the hell has been going on here. We're concerned about any private corporation having such influence over our elections. But, in typical Rightwing blinders-on fashion, it's only votes that are perceived to be questionable because they might have undue influence from the Left that seems to concern these folks.
What a pity. But hardly a surprise.
To underscore that irony/hypocrisy, take a look at this concern of Brand's about a recent Venezualan elections run on machines made by Smartmatic, the company which now owns Sequoia (and be sure you're sitting down when you read it)...
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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At a press conference today in Atalanta, Black lawmakers, clergy and activist gathered to declare their continued support for Representative Cynthia McKinney.
McKinney has been accused of "assaulting" a Capitol Police officer. The officer, not recognizing the congresswoman, grabbed McKinney "in an innapproiate way" as she was entering the Capitol Builing. Upon being touched, McKinney apparently touched the officer in return with a mobile phone.
Republican lawmakers and other GOP operatives are now using the issue to "swiftboat" Represenatitive McKinney. As always, the corporate media gladly forsakes important news to participate in the right-wing echo chamber.
As of today, the D.C. Capitol Police confirm that the incident has been referred to the U.S. Attorney's office but would not say if a warrant has been issued for McKinney's arrest.
UPDATE: AP reports that D.C. Capitol Police have requested permission from Federal Prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant for Cynthia McKinney.
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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Senator Russ Feingold steps over the right-wing talking points in Sunday's interview with Chris Wallace on Fox.
As Wallace sets up each Bush Administraion strawman, Feingold knocks it down with the simple truth. The President should not be allowed to break the law.
This is freakin' brilliant: "Chevy's 'Make Your Own Tahoe Commercial' idea not exactly going as planned".
Too funny.
(Hat tip to Huff Po...and another BRAD BLOG reader who tried to point me to these earlier, but whose name I've forgotten. With apologies.)
After being suddenly tossed off the air to make room for yet another religious station in Arizona, Air America Phoenix has found a new home and begins a new broadcast day at Midnight tonight!
They will now be heard at KPHX 1480 AM in Phoenix, or via aaphx.com on the web! Congrats folks! And welcome back! Arizona needs ya now more than ever!
And thanks to all of those BRAD BLOG readers who answered our calls for action in support of AAR Phoenix over the last month or two! It's nice to win one every now and again, huh?
But more good news for progressives in Phoenix, as the smartest man on radio, Peter B. Collins, will begin airing out there as well (on a different station, I believe) beginning the week after next. And judging by his brilliant regular Friday afternoon guest (5:20p PT), I'd say Phoenix is in for an embarrasment of Progressive riches! UPDATE: Peter B. contacts us to say he'll be on KPHX as well! His show will air on tape delay at 10p-1a Mon-Fri!
Having a problem with some users not being able to comment as being told they are "Banned". Trying to figure out and fix the problem now. Apologies for whatever reason it's occuring...Hope to have it taken care of shortly.
UPDATE: Fixed? If you had previously not been able to post a comment this morning, please try and post one here to see if we've gotten the problem fixed. If you still can't post, please let me know. Thanks!
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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In this video, Senator Lindsey Graham questions John Dean and Bruce Fein at today's Censure Hearing. Besides being argumentative and contrary, it's difficult to make much sense out of the Senator's hostility.
Steve Soto of The Left Coaster has this to say about Senator Graham's performance:
I've lost any remaining respect I had for the bootlicking, buffoonish Graham after this. I sure hope his parents didn't pay for that pathetic education, because if they did, they need to demand a refund.
Meanwhile meanwhile... The Wingnuts have discovered they too should be concerned about hackable Electronic Voting Machines, as we find in this article posted yesterday over at RedState blog --- the site co-founded by serial plagiarist and disgraced former Washington Post blogger (for three days anyway) Ben Domenech --- concerning new ownership of Sequoia by Venezuelan firm Smartmatic.
Apparently, the writer is concerned about Electronic Voting Machines only now that he's realized Smartmatic may be owned or controlled or unduly influenced by one Hugo Chavez. He goes so far as to quote these words by another blogger in his article:
While we're glad to see the Wingnuts suddenly giving a damn about Electronic Voting --- now that they're concerned about their own ox being gored by a company which may have left-leaning ownership --- we're hardly surprised that the anonymous blogger who calls him or herself "AcademicElephant" (we'll presume it's a "he") didn't seem to have such concerns about another Voting Machine Company with "connections to the George W. Bush regime [being] selected to run elections" all over our country in 2004 during one of the most contentious elections in our country's history.
But of more concern for the moment, now that Mr. Elephant has suddenly decided to be worried about such important matters as a transparent and accountable democracy, he sadly exhibits the all-too-familiar Wingnut tendency of having a problem with that whole pesky "fact thing".
By way of example, Mr. Elephant decides right off the bat to use some of the same tired old misleading propaganda in one of his early grafs...
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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UPDATE FROM BRAD: Glenn Greewald over at Crooks & Liars had a great find which he posted today in time for Feingold himself to pick up on and mention during today's hearings (video clip here). Here's the crux of Greenwald's post...
During his presidential campaign, Richard Nixon said that he would take full advantage of the new law-a promise that raised fears of a massive invasion of privacy. To calm those fears, the Administration last week issued what amounted to an official statement on the subject.
In his first news conference since becoming the President's chief legal officer, Attorney General John N. Mitchell pointedly announced that the incidence of wiretapping by federal law enforcement agencies had gone down, not up, during the first six months of Republican rule. Mitchell refused to disclose any figures, but he indicated that the number was far lower than most people might think. "Any citizen of this United States who is not involved in some illegal activity," he added, "has nothing to fear whatsoever."
Because all of this was before FISA, the Nixon Administration was able to exercise their eavesdropping powers on Americans in secret, without any oversight of any kind --- just like the Bush Administration has been doing even in the face of FISA. We all know how well that worked out. It was the shocking abuses of those powers by not just the Nixon Administration, but by the Kennedy and Johnson Justice Departments as well --- all which were revealed only as part of the Church Committee's investigation --- that led to the enactment of FISA, since the country no longer trusted political officials to exercise eavesdropping powers on Americans in secret and with no oversight.
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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The Christian Science Monitor reports that Jill Carroll was not aware that the first (and most replayed) video taped interview would be broadcast in Iraq or internationally. In fact Carroll may not even been certain that she was free during the interview.
This video contain several clips. CNN's Nick Robertson opens with a quick report saying that Jill Carroll was not aware that the interview would be broadcast. Next, we have included the complete raw interview footage. Finally, Miles O'Brien interviews the editor of The Christian Science Monitor for some behind-the-scenes information about Carroll's state of mind during her initial release and during that first video interview.
Jill Carroll's kidnappers simply left her at the offices of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) in the city of Amariyah. She had not been released to American or Iraqi officials at the time of the first interview.
Carroll was told that the interview would be for 'internal' party use. The IIP owns Baghdad TV so maybe it isn't surprising that they broadcast the interview.
State Sen. Debra Bowen released a statement moments ago about yesterday's report that the new computerized California Voter Registration Database is summarily rejecting some 26% of all new or re-registering voters across the statewide. The LA Times reported yesterday that some 43% of voters in Los Angeles County alone have been dumped by the new system.
We'll have more on all of this soon. Working on a number of items at once, as well as being in full catch--up mode after being on the road for a week. So for now, here's Bowen's release in full...
WANT TO REGISTER OR RE-REGISTER TO VOTE?
WHOA, NOT SO FAST, YOU'RE A "MIKE" NOT A "MICHAEL"
BOWEN NOTES IRONY AS SECRETARY OF STATE DECLARES APRIL "CALIFORNIA VOTER EDUCATION & PARTICIPATION MONTH" AT THE SAME TIME HE'S PREVENTING ELIGIBLE CALIFORNIANS FROM REGISTERING TO VOTE
SACRAMENTO – Just days after it was revealed that an agreement between the Bush Administration and Secretary of State Bruce McPherson is preventing tens of thousands of Californians from registering and re-registering to vote, the Secretary of State today proclaimed April as "Voter Education & Participation Month."
The irony wasn't lost on Senator Debra Bowen, the chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee.
"It's ironic to see him proclaim April as 'voter participation month' after he signed a landmark agreement with President Bush's Department of Justice that makes it hard for people to register and re-re-register to vote in California," said Bowen. "The deal he cut with the Bush Administration nearly five months ago has been a disaster for anyone who is trying to register for the first time or re-register because they moved, got married and need to change their name, or because they want to change parties."
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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More than 30,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee from their homes after being threatened with death due to sectarian differences. This video from ABC News reports on one Iraqi family that has been forced into exile. While the video doesn't reflect the magnitude of the problem, it is one of the first reports broadcast to a large American audience.
In the ABC News video report, Professor of Mideast Studies at Sarah Lawrance College Fawaz Gerges says, "This is the beginning of the nightmare." Fawaz's experience tells him that Iraq is at the early stages of Bosnia's ethnic cleansing or Lebanon's civil war.
Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
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MSNBC Countdown's Keith Olbermann interviews former Nixon White House Council John Dean. Dean is scheduled to testify at a Friday hearing on Feingold's Censure Resolution.
As Nixon's White House Council during Watergate, Dean testified before the Senate committee that eventually lead to Nixon's resignation. John Dean has compared President Bush to Nixon and says that Bush's warrantless wiretapping program is illegal.
The Friday hearing will be held by Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter's who strongly opposes the censure resolution. Specter withheld the names of other witness scheduled to testify.
In this interview, Dean says:
... if the Congress doesn't stand up and say something about what the Presidents is doing --- in essence we have, down in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, lawyers who are taking the most aggressive reading of any part of the law that they can to enhance execute power. And I think it's past time for Congress really to stand up and do something about it.
John Dean also comments on the White House Chief of Staff change and how Jack Abramoff is a threat to the Bush Administration.