Author: Gareth

I posted about this in the comments of my Frist post, but I think it deserves its own:

A while back, six high-ranking members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested that the GAO launch a year-long investigation into the electronic voting machines and software now being deployed across the country…machines and software from companies which are, in most cases, run by high-dollar Republican contributors.

The Representatives were: Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Judiciary Committee Chair F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), and Science Committee Chair Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN). A completely bi-partisan panel.

Well, three weeks ago, the GAO released their findings in a 107-page report (PDF). You will not have heard about this, because none of the networks mentioned it….and no news of it was carried by even one wire service or one major American Newspaper. Not one.

The report’s findings?

That electronic voting machines are not secure, not accountable, not recountable, not transparent, not accurate and not adequately monitored or certified by anybody.

To quote from the report:

“..concerns about electronic voting machines have been realized and have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes.”

We need our own Orange Revolution. It’s pathetic that a former Soviet Republic did more to defend Democracy than we’re doing.

But ask yourself. If the results are wonky again in 2006 or 2008, will you take to the streets?

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says that he’s more concerned about the leak of the information than he is about the fact that we’re operating illegal secret prisons in former Soviet-run gulags.

From the AP story:

He believes the leak itself poses a greater threat to national security and is “not concerned about what goes on” behind the prison walls.

Holy shit.

For those with short memories: Frist is one of the guys that claim that revealing the identity of an active CIA officer isn’t really a big deal. But the minute the Washington Post publishes a story about how we may be violating not only the Geneva Convention, but our own fucking laws….they demand that there be an investigation into who leaked the info.

This is America?

First—Attention, Icarus crew: This Sunday. 2-ish. My house.

(Gives us time to recover from ‘s party, and we can order dinner or something later, and be done before it gets too late.)

Second— Not really a surprise at all:

Rohirrim

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
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