Disconnected Rumblings

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Ridge Resigns



Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge resigned today. I thought he was a fine governor of PA, but I don't really think he did the best job as Homeland Security Director. What bothers me is when he says, how the country is safer. I am not so sure. And I think it contributes to people having a false sense of security.

Ridge Resigns Homeland Security Post
" 'There will always be more to do, but today, America is significantly stronger and safer than ever before,' Ridge wrote Bush."
I'm sorry, saying that America is significantly stronger is not right. People need to be aware, but at the same time, we don't need to be fearmongered to. Both of those things, Ridge is guilty of doing. Hopefully someone will come in who will take a different approach. I look forward to the person that shrub nominates.

But I digress.
posted by digitaljay @ 8:41 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Monday, November 29, 2004

Monday, Terrible, Horrible Monday

Well I went out this weekend and bought some heavy drapes from JCPenny (Plug). I put them up, and they seem to help the draft issue a little bit, but not enough. I still have to try caulking and the plastic. We'll see how it goes.

So now that the turkey has digested, remember that apocalyptic election we had some weeks ago? Yeah the one where shrub gets another four years to mercilessly wreck this great country? Yeah well if you want an idea of where we might be going, look no further than the comments of one of our fine Supreme Court Justices.

Justice Scalia Rejects Separation of Church and State
"U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Monday that a religion-neutral government does not fit with an America that reflects belief in God in everything from its money to its military."
Hmmm ok, yeah so because our money has the words In God We Trust, does not mean our government should operate under the direction of the Bible. It just isn't a good idea.

On another topic, I have become increasingly concerned with the hostility of many Americans towards the world. It seems to me that after the tragedy of September 11th 2001 we can not afford to thumb our nose at the rest of the world. In order to defeat terrorism we need an unprecedented cooperation among all of the world's nations. This go it alone attitude, is in my opinion, a terrible, horrible viewpoint. We cannot continue to isolate ourselves like this, and stick our middle finger up at the rest of the world. We must become engaged in the world community, not shun them with insults such as calling them "old Europe" or the like. Having said that I question the intelligence of what this following article talks about.

Congress Seeks to Curb International Court
"The Republican-controlled Congress has stepped up its campaign to curtail the power of the International Criminal Court, threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in economic aid to governments that refuse to sign immunity accords shielding U.S. personnel from being surrendered to the tribunal.

The move marks an escalation in U.S. efforts to ensure that the first world criminal court can never judge American citizens for crimes committed overseas. More than two years ago, Congress passed the American Servicemembers' Protection Act, which cut millions of dollars in military assistance to many countries that would not sign the Article 98 agreements, as they are known, that vow not to transfer to the court U.S. nationals accused of committing war crimes abroad."
This is called bullying, and it is not the way to win friends and allies.
"The criminal court was established by treaty at a 1998 conference in Rome to prosecute perpetrators of the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The treaty has been signed by 139 countries and ratified by 97. Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo of Argentina has begun investigating widespread human rights violations in Congo and Uganda.

The Clinton administration signed the treaty in December 2000, but the Bush administration renounced it in May 2001, citing concern that an international prosecutor might conduct frivolous investigations and trials against American officials, troops and foreign nationals deployed overseas on behalf of the United States. 'This is a body based in The Hague where unaccountable judges and prosecutors could pull our troops, our diplomats up for trial,' Bush said in his first campaign debate with Sen. John F. Kerry."
But this is just a poor excuse.
"The court's advocates maintain that the Bush administration's fears of frivolous prosecution are overstated. They say that the tribunal was created to hold future despots in the ranks of Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot and Idi Amin accountable for mass killings, not to pursue U.S. officials responsible for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. They note that the court will take on cases only when a state is unable or unwilling to do so.

'The continuing attempt to cut aid to countries that do not support the International Criminal Court is unnecessary; the U.S. doesn't have anything to worry about,' said Sally Eberhardt, a spokeswoman for the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. 'There are enough safeguards built into the treaty, which the United States helped draft.'

Brian Thompson, a specialist for the court at Citizens for Global Solutions in Washington, said, 'They are taking another swing at international relations that I think are already damaged by cutting off economic support programs that promote American ideals.'"
Ah where am I? Is this not a fair and just world community that we should be joining and helping a civilized world order take hold? What is wrong with the International Court?

Until next time America!
posted by digitaljay @ 4:05 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Friday, November 26, 2004

The Draft

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Leah and I made our first turkey dinner last night. It was an interesting adventure, and pretty successful. I did burn my hand on the side of the oven, and we did make a few recipe mistakes, that made our turkey a little more garlicy than we had anticipated, and our stuffing a little more seasoned than we would have liked. And the mixer I bought to make the mashed potatoes only came with ONE beater! (we found that out right before we were going to mash the potatoes) But anyways overall it was very good. I used an electric carving knife for the first time! It was fun!

Now the title. The Draft. No not that one, the other one. No not the NFL Draft, the other one. The ONE that has swept through my house! Man oh man I have never had a worse draft in any place I have lived, I don't think. I have a big double window right next to me on the couch here in the living room. And boy oh boy does the draft just breeze through those windows. Last year I tried the plastic, but my windows don't have any wooden frame to attach the tape too. I attached it to the metal window frame but within days the moisture dislodged the tape adhesion and there went the plastic. So this year I am thinking about some heavy drapes. How about these?

I am going to try to re-caulk the windows and attach the plastic with tape on the side walls (sill) around the window. We shall see how that goes. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Anyways, as much as I want to, I am not going to talk politics today. Everyone have a good weekend, and the politics will start up again on Monday, I promise.
posted by digitaljay @ 8:52 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Happy Thanksgiving!

posted by digitaljay @ 2:48 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Ah the End of the Week

Not much to say, I have turned off my political brain today. Here is one article for you.

GAO to Investigate Voting Irregularities

Good to see. I don't expect the results of this election to be reversed, but if there are things wrong with our election process, and I know that there is plenty, then we need to finally address these things.

So if I don't write tomorrow Happy Thanksgiving folks!
posted by digitaljay @ 9:27 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Its Time For Reform

Yeah I think you know it is time for reform of the legislative process when a bill spending bill has a provision in it that deals with ABORTION. Come on you say, it happens all the time! Well then enough is enough!

New York Times | Rolling Back Women's Rights

Here is a fine article on the matter.
"Tucked into the $388 billion budget measure just approved by the House and Senate is a sweeping provision that has nothing to do with the task Congress had at hand - providing money for the government. In essence, it tells health care companies, hospitals and insurance companies they are free to ignore Roe v. Wade and state and local laws and regulations currently on the books to make certain that women's access to reproductive health services includes access to abortion."
Cute, and this is the SAME bill where a page about letting congressmen look at anyone's tax return was added! Oh my my. Things are not well in Capital Hill. And to think that I was considering a run for Congress some day!
"It remains to be seen exactly how the measure will work in practice. But the intention, plainly, is to curtail further already dwindling access to abortion and even to counseling that mentions abortion as a legal option. It denies federal financing to government agencies that 'discriminate' against health care providers who choose for any reason to disregard state mandates to offer abortion-related services."
All I have to say to women who voted for the shrub in this country, well this is what you get. A further assault on your PERSONAL rights. It's the small things folks, little ones here, little ones there. Next thing you know Roe v. Wade is overturned, it not impossible.

More on the whole tax return flap:
Flap shows peril can lurk in 3,000-page spending bill
"But Democrats — and some Republicans — said the incident highlighted the recent trend in Congress not to pass spending bills by the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year and then have to combine unpassed bills into giant omnibus packages before Congress adjourns for the year. The bill approved Saturday, which included nine of the 13 spending bills Congress has to act on every year, ran more than 3,000 pages.

'There is no earthly way' for lawmakers and their staffs to learn what's in these bills in the few hours they have to inspect them before the vote, said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee.

'What else is in this stack of paper that people don't know about?' he asked."
And this, folks, is exactly my point. When the process is such that we have giant omnibus bills that are 3,000 pages long and given to lawmakers with only hours or maybe a day or two to read, then something is wrong.
"'It's simply representative of the way Congress is now operating,' said Allen Schick, professor of public policy at the University of Maryland. 'It shows ... how easy it is to put something in [an omnibus bill] without anybody else knowing about it.' The giant bill contains hundreds of other provisions that could not be enacted into law if they were offered as single bills requiring full debate and scrutiny, he said."
Yep, exactly.
"When the measure was rushed to the floors of the two chambers Saturday, few members had read it. Lawmakers absent from the Capitol for weeks while campaigning for re-election returned for a brief lame-duck session to complete the work of the 108th Congress.

The secretive process, Schick noted, gives GOP leaders enormous power to add provisions that they or special interests might want, and to delete provisions that GOP factions or the White House find objectionable."
Time to go to work folks! We need to stop being passive and uninterested in our government, and making sure it works correctly. It is OUR government, OUR country, and it is OUR job to fix it.
posted by digitaljay @ 9:01 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Monday, November 22, 2004

Monday, and I've Got Nothing to Say

Yeah seriously, I have nothing to say. My brother was here for a few days, and we had a good time. We went downtown and shot some pool and had some drinks.

We saw two movies this weekend. One was Envy with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Pheew! That movie stunk! Absolutely horrible, not even worth renting. I don't know what they were doing when they made that movie.

We also watched Man on Fire with Denzel Washington. This movie was ok. It was really formulaic in a way, and kind of played out, but there was some interesting editing and something about it that I found interesting.

Ok so I lied, I found a story in the news late that I want to mention here.

Audit Lays Blames for Fla. Database Errors

Just to recap for those who might not be familiar with the story. In 2000 Florida produced a "felon list" and gave it to their county clerks to have them remove these names from their voting rolls. Problem was MANY of the people on this list were NOT felons at all. Their only crime was having a similar name as a felon. Well this created a big uproar in the African American community because this list disenfranchised a larger proportion of African Americans than any other group. There was some question as to the independence of the Florida election supervisor, Katherine Harris (who also happened to be the chair of the shrub campaign in a state where his brother was the governor, go figure).

So now fast forward to 2004, Florida produces another list gives it to the county clerks to have the names removed from their voting rolls. Well after 2000 some people asked to have the list made public to make sure that this list was not as flawed as the one in 2000. Well the secretary of state of Florida refused to make it public. They went to court, and the court ordered that the list be made available. Guess what they found? Once again loaded with errors, and somehow missing most Hispanics, who tend republican, especially in Florida. Hmmm. Ok so they have this audit by the inspector general for the department of state. I believe the same department that this questionably independent Secretary of State works. Well anyways, I am sure there is no conflict of interest there.
"Secretary of State Glenda Hood's office abandoned the project earlier this year after acknowledging that 2,500 ex-felons were on the list even though their voting rights had been restored and that, due to a technical glitch, Hispanics were largely absent from the list. Hispanics often vote Republican in Florida, and some critics questioned whether there was intent to purge some felons, but not others.

While finding that the database was unable to match felons and deaths with some registered voters of Hispanic origin, auditors said that 'there was no evidence to substantiate that the division intended for such disparities to occur.'"
Yeah I am not buying this explanation. While the rest of the country just turns a blind eye. I'm sorry folks, but these things must be dealt with . I have a hard time believing that these things are just accidental. We need to think about the consequences of election manipulations, on both sides of the aisle. It is a threat to our democracy, which we all love and cherish.
posted by digitaljay @ 8:54 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Friday, November 19, 2004

The Fight Goes On!

This is from an email from John Kerry. I wanted to share it with my progressive readers here on my blog in the hopes that it will reignite in some what has went missing; motivation, motivation to continue the fight!
"I will fight for a national standard for federal elections that has both transparency and accountability in our voting system. It's unacceptable in the United States that people still don't have full confidence in the integrity of the voting process.

I ask you to join me in this cause.

And we must fight not only against George Bush's extreme policies -- we must also uphold our own values. This is why on the first day Congress is in session next year, I will introduce a bill to provide every child in America with health insurance. And, with your help, that legislation will be accompanied by the support of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

There are more than eight million uninsured children in our nation.
That's eight million reasons for us to stay together and fight for a new direction. It is a disgrace that in the wealthiest nation on earth, eight million children go without health insurance.

Normally, a member of the Senate will first approach other senators and ask them to co-sponsor a bill before it is introduced -- instead, I am turning to you. Imagine the power of a bill co-sponsored by hundreds of thousands of Americans being presented on the floor of the United States Senate. You can make it happen. Sign our "Every Child Protected" pledge today and forward it to your family, friends, and neighbors:"
To sign the petition click here

Have a good weekend everyone. Until next time America!
posted by digitaljay @ 4:06 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Thursday, November 18, 2004

The Clinton Dedication

Well, today in soaking wet Little Rock Arkansas the Clinton Presidential Library was dedicated. In attendance were former presidents Carter, Bush, Clinton of course, and the current Bush.

Former Presidents Pay Tribute to Clinton


Caption: shrub, what an umbrella hog!

Former Presidents Carter, Bush, and Bush, oops, sorry, current president Bush all addressed the drenched crowd.

Shrub had this to say.
"'Visitors to this place will be reminded of the great promise of our country and the dreams that came true in the life of our 42nd president,' Bush said. 'The William J. Clinton Presidential Library is a gift to the future by a man who always believed in the future and today we thank him for loving and serving America.'"
Very well put, thank your speechwriter for me.



Ok anyways then Clinton spoke.
"The nation's 42nd president told the crowd, 'I believe the job of a president is to understand and explain the time in which he serves, to set forth a vision of where we need to go and a strategy of how to get there, and then to pursue it with all his mind and heart.'"
Oh and how about this crap?

MNF: Owens Apologizes

What is going on with this country? Seriously. Sex is good. Life is short. Stop taking things so damn seriously. Are we that prudish in this country? Anyways I'm done.
posted by digitaljay @ 3:55 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Ah The Ethical Republicans!

Oh yes, its so nice to see that the folks who constantly claim to have an exclusive hold on moral values, and ethical conduct, have gone and done this.

House GOP Changes Rules to Protect DeLay


"House Republicans approved a party rules change Wednesday that could allow Majority leader Tom DeLay to retain his leadership post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury on state political corruption charges."
Oh yeah this is great.
" 'If they make this rules change, Republicans will confirm yet again that they simply do not care if their leaders are ethical. If Republicans believe that an indicted member should be allowed to hold a top leadership position in the House of Representatives, their arrogance is astonishing,' Pelosi said."
What's really amazing is just how HYPOCRITICAL these people are. I mean I know I have said it before (check my early posts in July), but they really really are. Consider this:
"House Republicans in 1993 -- trying to underscore the ethics problems of Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), then-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee -- adopted the rule that requires a party leader to surrender his or her post if indicted by any grand jury, federal or state."- from Daily Kos
Anyways, just my two cents for the day.
posted by digitaljay @ 3:09 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Is Religion Our Downfall or Our Salvation?

You know I have been pretty hard on the religious folk of this country. And I know that some readers of this fine blog are quite religious indeed. So in an effort for a little fairness lets take a look at these fine folks.

God intervened to re-elect President Bush



Ah some choice quotes.
"The Almighty intervened in the U.S. election, these evangelicals believe, to allow Bush to remain president. They say God has 'blessed' America with Bush--and had Sen. John Kerry been elected, God would have 'cursed' the U.S. By allowing Bush to be re-elected, God has given America 'more time' to stop its slide into evil."
Oh thank GOD for delivering us shrub as president. And all this time I thought it was We The People who delivered our president. Anyways, small point.
"'Whoever won, it would have been God's will.' But because Bush won, Land told Beliefnet, God has clearly shown America his blessings. If Kerry had won, it would have proved God was cursing the United States."
Wow! I didn't think people could be this ridiculous. I'm sorry my religious friends, but a quote like this makes me want to slap this person.
"'God gave this President and this President's Party one more chance... God heard the fervent prayers of millions of values voters to keep His hand on America one more time despite our national sins of denying the right to life, despite ignoring the Biblical injunction against acts which are 'an abomination unto the Lord' and despite the blatant attempt to remove God from the public square.'"
Well I really should stop now, its just getting redundant.
"...a group called Christian Response has already sent out an email with the subject line 'EMERGENCY!' to induce supporters to blast Capitol Hill with faxes condemning Sen. Arlen Specter, the Republican Pennsylvania senator who said last week that judicial nominees who oppose abortion would face difficulty getting Senate confirmation."
This really bothers me, I mean, now these Christian right wing folks are going to attack a fairly even keeled conservative senator because he says that anti-abortion judges will not be easily approved by the senate. Well yeah that is just fact, most Democrats and some moderate republicans will not easily confirm a judge who is anti-abortion.
"Many evangelicals think America is secular and decadent and in cultural decline. Their role, they believe, is to stem that tide and renew the culture."
Nevermind. Ok anyways, I really just don't understand why people can't think for themselves, and must find an answer by looking for meaning in a constant symbol. Can't we just say, the people voted for our president, if 3.5 million had voted the other way, then someone else would be president. No godly intervention required.

posted by digitaljay @ 9:47 PM MST | link | 1 comments

Monday, November 15, 2004

Powell Steps Down; Rice: A Dish Better Served Cold

Well Colin Powell has resigned.

Powell Vows to Work Hard Until Departure

He was one of the few members of this administration who was not an intensely partisan ideologue. I respected Colin Powell very much, and I really felt that he did all he could to fight the neo-cons and their agenda of radicalism. However I believe he chose loyalty for the president over integrity when he went before the UN to make the case for war in Iraq.

That really saddened me. While I am glad to see Powell leave this administration, which I think has left this good man tainted, I am also fearful of what his replacement will do to our already tenuous foreign relations. Colin Powell was still of the old guard of foreign diplomats. Most of the world respected Powell very much.

The news is that shrub is going to name Condoleezza Rice as Powell's replacement.

Bush Chooses Rice to Replace Powell

I can't tell you how disappointed I am with that news. Rice has been, for me, a symbol of the type of administration that I greatly loath and detest. The number of times that she has been a mouthpiece for administration propaganda, is too numerous to count.

Maybe tomorrow when I have more time I will highlight some of her wonderful truth stretching moments on many news shows. The best for me though, was when she went on tour to campaign for the president instead of doing her duty as the National Security Advisor. Seeing as she is apparently of little worth in that area, shrub has moved her over to State. Well wonderful.

Call me a cynic, but the next four years are not looking good in my eyes.
posted by digitaljay @ 9:16 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Friday, November 12, 2004

Oh Yeah

I forgot to mention in the last couple of posts that Yasser Arafat is dead.

Yeah and the prez says that now he will make a renewed effort to establish a Palestinian state. I really hope we can achieve this. If we are actually able to accomplish this, then I think there is a real chance that we can begin to get to the root causes of the terrorism problem.

Now speaking of that, I want to share a blog post with you from dailykos.com.

Daily Kos :: Terrorist Strategy 101: a quiz

Now I know some of you will not like some of this article, and I want to say that I don't agree with everything that this author says, BUT I do have to say that it is a well thought out, philosophical look at where we are with this war on terrorism, what is the makeup of this terrorist network, and how can we work to defeat it.

Ok stay with me on this one, I am going to take some quotes, but really you should read the entire thing, yes it is long, but I think it is worth reading. This first quote, is thinking like a terrorist.
"So your [assuming you are a terrorist] first goal as a violent extremist is not to kill your enemies, but to radicalize the apathetic majority on your side of the issue. If everyone becomes a violent extremist, then you (as one of the early violent extremists) are a leader of consequence. Conversely, if a reasonable compromise is worked out, you are a nuisance."
Ok so that is a little set up in trying to think like they may think. I know, please don't turn me off yet.
"In radicalizing your sympathizers, who is your best ally?

No points awarded for 'the media' or 'sympathetic foreign governments'. In radicalizing your apathetic sympathizers, you have no better ally than the violent extremists on the other side . Only they can convince your people that compromise is impossible. Only they can raise your countrymen's level of fear and despair to the point that large numbers are willing to take up arms and follow your lead."
Ok, I know that last point may be hard to swallow, but please go with it.
"What is Bin Laden's ultimate goal?

This is an easy one. Bin Laden has been very explicit: He wants a return of the Caliphate. In other words, he wants a re-unified Islamic nation stretching from Indonesia to Morocco, governed by leaders faithful to the Koran."
Ok, but what about all the governments of these countries, how do they fit in?
"...the current rulers of the two dozen or so nations of the Dar al-Islam wouldn't want the Caliphate back. They've got a cushy deal and they know it: They run a very profitable gas station for the West. Keep the people in check, keep the price of oil low enough not to wreck the Western economies, don't piss off the United States badly enough to bring the troops in, and they're set.

These leaders are Bin Laden's near enemies. (That list of near enemies included Saddam Hussein when he was in power.) The far enemy is the power that backs them all up: the United States. (You may look askance at the assertion that the US was backing up Saddam's Iraq. But Saddam became our enemy only when he began to unite other nations (i.e., Kuwait) under his rule. In the Reagan years, when Iran was threatening to extend its boundaries at Iraq's expense, Saddam was our friend.)"
So this leads to the next question.
"What is Bin Laden's immediate goal?

If you've been paying attention, you should get this one right: His immediate goal is to radicalize the hundreds of millions of Muslims who sympathize with the vision of a restored Caliphate, but have better things to do with their lives than join the jihad. A particular problem for Bin Laden are all the Muslims who think that they can find an acceptable place for themselves in a world order dominated by the United States."
Ok so now the big question.
"What was the purpose of 9/11?

No points for 'To intimidate the United States into retreating from the Middle East.' If the US had immediately decided to wash its hands of the Middle East, a variety of secular gangsters like Mubarak and Musharraf and Hussein would have started fighting it out amongst themselves. The odds were small that an Allah-fearing Caliph would arise from such a struggle. Whether the eventual outcome would have been good or bad for the United States is debatable, but it would have been terrible for Bin Laden.

Like all attacks in the bell-curve-inverting stage, the purpose of 9/11 was to provoke a military response."
Why to provoke a military response? Well go back to the earlier point; Bin Laden needs to radicalize his muslim sympathizers. If the muslims in the world see the United States attacking a muslim country, and unfortunately killing innocent civilians, then that would probably serve to radicalize some more people wouldn't you think?

Ok so there is much more in this article. But I will let you all read that for yourselves. Now before any of my conservative friends come screaming, once again, I do NOT agree with all that is written in this article. Especially about not striking back if we are attacked again, BUT I want to reiterate, save those things this article gives me alot of insight into the enemy that we face.

So many people asked after September 11th "Why do they hate us?" Well I hope this helps to understand that a little, because this attitude that we don't need to understand them, we should just destroy them, is ignorant. Ask the successful generals of our past, how they defeated the enemy, and I bet most of them will tell you, it was knowing the enemy, and knowing their motivations.

Well America, I think we need to know our enemy. Just simply saying they hate us for our freedom, and it is good vs evil, is NOT going to defeat this enemy in the long run.

THINK
posted by digitaljay @ 9:50 PM MST | link | 3 comments

Thursday, November 11, 2004

This Needs to be Covered

Ok, once again, I am not going to say that I think there was widespread fraud in this election, but as I read stories about things that have happened, I feel it necessary to mention them here.

t r u t h o u t - Kerry Campaign Lawyers Checking Ohio Vote

Pay attention to the second story on the page. It is a transcript from Democracy Now!.
"Now, questions are being raised across the state of Ohio. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the County's website shows its 29 precincts had more votes than voters. In fact, it wasn't just a handful. It registered a whopping 93,000 more votes than voters. In Fairview Park, twelve miles west of downtown Cleveland, only 13,342 people were registered voters there, but they cast 18,472 votes.

Meanwhile, in Warren County, Ohio election officials took a rather unprecedented action on November 2. They locked down the building where the votes were being tallied, blocking anyone from observing the vote counting process. County officials said they took the action in response to a terror threat warning from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. County Commissioner Pat South said they were told by an FBI agent that the county was facing a level 10 security threat on a scale of 1 to 10. George Bush won 72% of the county's more than 92,000 votes."
Interesting that this county in Ohio with no remarkable cities to speak of would be at a terror threat level of 10 out of 10. Even more interesting when taken with the following.
"Amy Goodman: Can you summarize your piece in today's Cincinnati Enquirer?

Erica Solving: Well, the story that ran today is reiterating the County Commissioner's stance of Homeland Security concerns. They say, as you have already mentioned, that the county was facing a terrorist threat that ranked 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. We talked to several officials with the homeland security department as well as the FBI. They knew of no increased terrorism concerns in Warren County in particular, and just, again, raising the continuing concerns regarding Homeland Security and being locked out of the building. The primary focus of all of the articles has been on, you know, the First Amendment issues and the open government issues that are raised when the public and the media are locked out of the process."
The FBI was not aware of a 10 terror threat on Warren County? Hmmm, this is questionable if you ask me. Anyways worth some looking in to.

In other news, even though I threw crap at this man many times in earlier blog posts, and I still stand by that based on what he did to get on ballots, Ralph Nader, is now doing what he did best, being a public/consumer defender.

Take a look at the last story on the page linked above. Ralph Nader is asking for a recount in Ohio based on the various reports of "wide-spread voter irregularities". He also had this to say about Ohio's Secretary of State, who also happens to be the head of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in Ohio.
"Nader blasted Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, saying he should resign in disgrace.

'When people are standing in line for four or five hours and they are told they've go to stand in line for another five hours and they leave because they've got to go to work or they got to pick up their child at day care, that's a constitutional crime,' says Nader."
Well said Ralph, well said.

Ladies and gents we need some election reform. I think we need some federal standards, we are the most powerful nation in the world, and we are supposed to be a model to all other democracies of the world. We can no longer afford to have these types of issues occur, and possibly bring the election results themselves into question. States' rights are one thing, but when we are talking about something as important as voting for the leader of the free world, we need to have the highest standards.

Rant over.
posted by digitaljay @ 9:06 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Trading One Bad Apple For Another?

Well ok, last night I celebrated the fact that good old Johnny Ashcroft had resigned. And you know I thought about the fact that shrub may appoint someone just as bad as Johnny. Well folks, enter Alberto Gonzales. Ok I don't know much about him yet. But let's take a look.



First stop, AP story.

Bush Names Gonzales to Succeed Ashcroft
"Gonzales drew criticism after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when he wrote a memo in which Bush claimed the right to waive anti-torture law and international treaties providing protections to prisoners of war. That position drew fire from human rights groups, who said it helped lead to the type of abuses uncovered in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Specifically, Gonzales' memo said the Geneva Convention that had long governed the treatment of prisoners did not apply to al-Qaida or the war in Afghanistan. The memo called some of the Geneva Convention's provisions 'quaint.'

Gonzales also defended the administration's policy - essentially repudiated by the Supreme Court and now being fought out in lower courts - of detaining certain terrorism suspects for extended periods without access to lawyers or courts."
Ok I know, those prisoners are ALL obviously guilty, and deserve what they get, because we could never be.... oh my! .... wrong
"'Alberto Gonzales role in the development of policies that ultimately led to the Abu Ghraib prison scandals in Iraq is deeply troubling,' said Ralph Neas, president of the liberal People for the American Way. He said senators should question Gonzales closely on these matters."
Next, lets take a look at the left coaster:

The Left Coaster: What About Bush's Moral Values In Nominating Gonzales For AG?

"They (the Administration) began with the plausible argument that the Geneva Conventions were anachronistic in an age of asymmetrical, non-state warfare. Al Qaeda didn't wear uniforms or fight according to the laws of war, they reasoned, and so they were not necessarily entitled to the conventions' protections. But the lawyers - including White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, Defense Department general counsel William Haynes II, Vice President Cheney's counsel David Addington, and Jay Bybee of the Justice Department (who now sits on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) - went further. They advised the president to sign a blanket statement of policy that the men captured in Afghanistan would not be subject to the Geneva Conventions, and that by executive fiat, they would all be declared 'unlawful enemy combatants,' a category that does not exist in international law. White House, Justice Department and Pentagon lawyers also pushed President Bush to sign a secret finding on Feb. 7, 2002, that would have far-reaching consequences for the nation and the world. 'I... determine that none of the provisions of Geneva apply to our conflict with al Qaeda in Afghanistan or elsewhere throughout the world,' this document determined, adding that the White House also had 'the authority under the Constitution to suspend Geneva as between the United States and Afghanistan, but I decline to exercise that authority at this time.' For all intents and purposes, these memoranda gutted the Geneva Conventions."
Oh and also,
"It also doesn't help Bush's cause that Gonzales was counsel for Enron as well."
So anyways, I have some serious questions about how much better off we would be with Gonzales as our new Attorney General.
posted by digitaljay @ 8:47 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

One down!

Ok everybody, some REALLY good news today!!!!!! Are you ready? Are you sure? OK here it is:

John Ashcroft has RESIGNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashcroft, Evans resign from Cabinet

This is serious the best news I have heard in a long time! This man has been a TERRIBLE Attorney General. This man has made it his mission to regulate sex and his version of morality on the entire country. I mean this is a man that ordered that a statue in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice be covered since it showed bear breasts. Statue breasts!!



I mean COME ON!! Oh and how can we forget the PATRIOT Act? Ah yes Ashcroft's little baby! Oh I know, the conservatives are going to tell me how great the PATRIOT Act is. Right ok, we won't get into that here.

Anyways, so yeah happy day!

We went to see Bill Maher tonight.



He came here to Albuquerque for some stand up. I don't care what you conservatives think of Bill Maher, his act was funny as sh*t! He did almost 2 hours! Good stuff. Well time for me to get off this thing, I have better things to do right now, like sit on my ass and not type.

Till next time America!
posted by digitaljay @ 10:39 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Monday, November 08, 2004

A New Week

We went to see Ray this weekend.



Good movie. I really enjoyed it, and I think Leah did too. I would recommend it. A chronicle of a truly extraordinary life.

Now this is the first full week of the rest of our lives. So what is happening now? Well, New Mexico is still counting. Yeah I know, what a state eh? Well I came across this story today. Give it a read.

Evidence Mounts that the Vote Was Hacked

"While the heavily scrutinized touch-screen voting machines seemed to produce results in which the registered Democrat/Republican ratios largely matched the Kerry/Bush vote, in Florida's counties using results from optically scanned paper ballots - fed into a central tabulator PC and thus vulnerable to hacking - the results seem to contain substantial anomalies.

In Baker County, for example, with 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans, the vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush, the opposite of what is seen everywhere else in the country where registered Democrats largely voted for Kerry."
Ok and this is for you Republican Bud.
"One possible explanation for this is the 'Dixiecrat' theory, that in Florida white voters (particularly the rural ones) have been registered as Democrats for years, but voting Republican since Reagan. Looking at the 2000 statistics, also available on Dopp's site, there are similar anomalies, although the trends are not as strong as in 2004. But some suggest the 2000 election may have been questionable in Florida, too.

One of the people involved in Dopp's analysis noted that it may be possible to determine the validity of the 'rural Democrat' theory by comparing Florida's white rural counties to those of Pennsylvania, another swing state but one that went for Kerry, as the exit polls there predicted. Interestingly, the Pennsylvania analysis, available at http://ustogether.org/election04/PA_vote_patt.htm, doesn't show the same kind of swings as does Florida, lending credence to the possibility of problems in Florida."
I am not claiming any of this indicates a conspiracy, but I think it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Oh and how about Fallujah? That wasn't politically timed was it? Yeah way to go "So Called Liberal Media" in pointing that one out. When our wars become driven almost soley by political ideology, then we are in serious trouble. Think Vietnam. Its time that we make this president stop using this war as a political tool. Yeah that is what I said Republicans. Come and get me.

On a more serious issue, this is so sad.

CNN.com - Suicide suspected at WTC site - Nov 7, 2004

I have been a little down about losing this election, but this is just too far. We have so much to look forward to. If anyone is seriously that upset about this election, please see a professional.

Sorry to end on such a sad note, but I needed to mention this.
posted by digitaljay @ 9:12 PM MST | link | 1 comments

Friday, November 05, 2004

What Is It?

Ok tell me. The two people who still read this blog. What the hell was this election about? Tell me. I mean I can spout all kinds of ideas, but when it comes down to it, I really don't know. Here's the thing. I think I am hearing that people in the so called "red states" think that people in the so called "blue states" are immoral, and need to be put in their place. Well ok, you got us! You effectively have more representation in the electoral college than the people in the blue states, and you told us immoral folk to go scratch. But you know what? We aren't immoral at all. We just don't see how protecting marriage from the GAYS is moral, and more important than protecting the poor from hunger. We don't understand how pretending that this president's performance doesn't matter, so long as he shares your values, is the MORAL thing to do!

What the F**K?!!! So tell me, tell me what the answer is?

And oh yeah by the way, there is alot of talk about the red states and the blue states, but you know what the truth is we are all different shades of purple.



So put that in your pipe and smoke it!
posted by digitaljay @ 10:01 PM MST | link | 1 comments

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Well Christ Has Risen!

Ok 2 days later. Where are we now? Well everyone keeps saying that this election was about moral values. Hmmm. What kind of moral values is it to pass ballot iniatives in 11 states to ban gay marriage, and in some cases ban civil unions? What kind of moral values is it to write discrimination into state constitutions? What kind of moral values is it to say to your fellow man that you don't deserve the same rights that I have, you are beneath me?

You know many years ago it was considered moral values to keep slaves, to prevent blacks from voting. This struggle seems alot like the civil rights movement. I don't care what your god damn two thousand year old "book" says! Think for yourselves!!! This book has created much more death, destruction and misunderstanding in this world, than love and peace, I am sorry.

It is time to open your eyes half of America! Opposition to gay marriage, abortion, and embryonic stem cell research, do NOT trump jobs, a good economy, fighting poverty, equal rights, etc. It just doesn't!!!

How moral is it to ignore your fellow man when they are in trouble, when they are wallowing in poverty? How is that moral? How is it moral to worship the corporation? Isn't that against one of the Ten Commandments? Thall shall not worship any other gods.

You know what bible thumpers? You have taken over this country, but I intend to fight for human rights, for a open and caring society that reaches out to the poor and unfortunate in this world, not holds them down to get a better spot for themselves.

Well I hear they have released the final map of the election. Take a look.
posted by digitaljay @ 9:47 PM MST | link | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Kerry Concedes

Well Kerry conceded. I have much to say, but right now I can't get my thoughts together to post a meaningful post. When I got in to work this morning I had quite a few email messages from a email list I belong to. I wrote an immediate reaction, with the thoughts and feelings I had at the moment. I post that here now, in lieu of a formal post at the moment.

--------------------------------

This is a defining moment. What this country has indicated with their vote
is that we approve of the Bush agenda. That agenda is one of increasing
influence of the church, increasing isolationism, nation building,
environmental insensitivity, affront to science against religion, assault on
womens' rights, assault on gay americans' rights, the increasing influence
of the corporations, a continuing move of tax burden AWAY from the rich, and
onto the middle and lower class, fiscal irresponsibility. It is an agenda,
in my opinion, that doesn't appeal to most people I talk to, even most self
proclaimed conservatives. But some of those wedge issues like gay marriage,
and stem cell research appeal to many religious people in this country.
What I think was not accurately measured in the last months was the passion
of the religious followers against these wedge issues, and their
determination to keep this country in a morally conservative direction. It
truly has become the rural vote versus the city vote. There are at least
two distinct realms of thought.

Frankly it makes me surprised that more new, young voters did not come out
like we had hoped (at least in the early analysis I have seen). I worked
for the last several months very hard on getting people 18-24 years old
registered to vote and then getting them to go out and actually vote, and it
just really makes me sad, that APPARENTLY they still did not see the dire
necessity to get out there and vote. I was thinking after the early reports
of turnout yesterday morning, that we would be looking at 120+ million
turnout this election, which would have been and increase of 10-15 million
voters from the last election. But it seems that we are closer to 112
million, and it seems to me that alot of that was from the evangelical
voters who stayed home in 2000 (Karl Rove would claim because GW's drunk
driving arrest went public 5 days before the election), who actually came
out in droves to protect marriage from the evil, immoral gays, and to
protect a bundle of cells that would be marked for destruction, no matter
what, from being used to possibly benefit the living.

I could go on and on here, but I trust you all have become bored with me by
now. I hope our country comes more towards the center again some day,
because right now, I have to agree with MATT (gasp!) in thinking that the
frigid hell that is Canada sounds a HELL of alot more appealing to me right
now than the country I have awoken to this morning.

-jay
posted by digitaljay @ 10:07 AM MST | link | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

ELECTION DAY!!!!!

posted by digitaljay @ 10:21 AM MST | link | 0 comments

Monday, November 01, 2004

What a Weekend!

Well what a weekend it was indeed. I started out Saturday morning going door to door for MoveOn PAC, while Leah called people for the New Voters Project. Then we drove to Santa Fe for the highlight of my weekend. Bill Clinton and Teresa Heinz Kerry were going to give speeches at the Plaza in Santa Fe.



We got to the rally with the lowest type of tickets. The plaza was already packed when we got there, and we could not find anyone giving out better tickets. So we got as close to the stage as we could but we really had no view, and things were not looking good. Then all of a sudden I see the crowd towards the back start pushing the barricades forward. Next thing I know some of the workers open the barricade for them, and then I yell out to them to open our barricade so we can get more in the center in front of the stage. Sure enough they opened the barricade for us too, and we spilled into the center section.


We're to the far right in this picture, you have to squint to see us, but we are there!

Good view for me, not so much for Leah and Julie (not as tall as me). Martin Sheen came up and recited his poem I had heard him speak at the rally on Friday. Then Teresa Heinz Kerry got up and spoke for awhile. She then introduced the man of the hour, Bill Clinton. He gave a great speech, detailing why he believed John Kerry would make a great president, and asking all of us to help get the vote out. Bill I AM. We worked all weekend on doing just that.

After Clinton was finished, I grabbed Leah and we shimmied our way up through the crowd. I saw that Clinton was moving right to left shaking hands at the front barricades, so I broke left to find a spot to get up front and wait for him to get to us. Sure enough 3 feet in front of me was Teresa Heinz Kerry, she smiled and waved and I told Leah to get a pen out and have her sign something. So she got out a pen and gave her our ticket, and she signed it. Leah told her she would make a great first lady and she said thank you.

Then the President, Bill Clinton got to our spot. He was 3 feet in front of me and it was an amazing moment, here I was 3 feet from the former President of the United States of America! The man who Democrats adore, and Republicans loathe. The man who brought us some of our most prosperous times, record surpluses, and over 20 million new jobs! He was moving slowly so I had time to soak it in as I looked at this man straight in the face. I reached out my hand and he shook it, I told him thanks, and said many other things in my head that just didn't come out. He stayed their in front of us for what seemed like forever, and then he moved on.

We stayed and watched him finish working the line, (mostly because we couldn't move, we were so packed in at this point. Then we drove home.

Yesterday I went back out knocking on doors, while Leah called people.

Yeah what a weekend! Tomorrow is the big day! E-Day is almost upon us. Get out and vote! Don't know where to go? Find out at www.mypollingplace.com or www.newvotersproject.org/wheretovote.

VOTE John Kerry as our next president!!
posted by digitaljay @ 3:43 PM MST | link | 0 comments