Posted by: John QC ||
10/09/2004 22:50 ||
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She won't get any food she doesn't have to work for.
That part's not a bad idea, actually. I know my dogs are more content and in better shape when I feed them raw meaty bones they have to work at, instead of just kibble.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 17:28 Comments ||
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"I just wasn't that concerned," she said. "None of us are particularly good spellers anymore because of computers. When you are in a studio full of clay, you don't give it much thought."
Now, that's true-blue Loonie Liberal Logic. It just doesn't get any better than that...
"When you look at Michelangelo's David, do you point out that one (testicle) is lower than the other?"
Oops... spoke too soon. Hon, the reason David's got one goober lower than the other is that some guys are just built like that. And anyway, what the Hell does that have to do with your poor spelling?
"My career in public art is over," said the artist...
There IS a God!!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 21:44 Comments ||
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Can't we just have ordinary dumbass spelling anymore??? I hope it is not a requirement at this site. I will flunk.
Posted by: John QC ||
10/09/2004 22:08 Comments ||
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Dave D. - Re: the "one lower" - That was my first thought too (thought my experience in the area isn't that extensive :-p).
Frank G - glad to see someone's taking my advice and reading the Cracker Barrel Philosopher. Now don't you take all the good stories! :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/09/2004 22:42 Comments ||
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Barb - read him for a while, but I'll try not to hog, k? ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 22:48 Comments ||
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Agreed, Frank. There's usually enough of him to share. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/09/2004 23:09 Comments ||
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Can't we just have ordinary dumbass spelling anymore???
Not if it's part of your job! If I was paying 40K for a half-assed artwork to hang outside a library - a friggin' library - the least one could do was make sure the names on it are correct. S'what happens when you leave public art to the arts & croissant crowd.
"My career in public art is over," said the artist...
Too bad it didn't happen before she made that amateurish piece of work.
My comment was can't we just have ordinary dumbass spelling w/o calling it art?
She would most likely have been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts during Clintons' regime. Thought I saw or heard the other day that NEA was funding something about soldier's stories from Iraq--not sure of the source.
Posted by: John QC ||
10/10/2004 0:12 Comments ||
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These programmed handles are too much, Fred.... Sounds like something found printed on an abandoned Thai newspaper found in an ocean container.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/09/2004 14:25 Comments ||
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They can be quite colourful sometimes. This guy, Cromorong Chomble, brings to mind someone chomping on the chrome exhaust of another guy's motorbike in road rage.
Fri Oct 8, 5:58 PM ET
Tropical Storm Matthew formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on Friday and was headed toward Florida, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (news - web sites) said. But there was some good news for a state hit by four deadly and devastating hurricanes since August: Matthew was not expected to strengthen significantly before crossing ashore over the Florida Panhandle on Monday. Matthew had top sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph), just barely over the threshold to become a named tropical cyclone. At 5 p.m. EDT, it was in the northern Gulf of Mexico about 260 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, near latitude 24.2 north and longitude 93.8 west. It was moving east at 10 mph (16 kph) and forecasters expected it to turn to the east-northeast, moving over northwest Florida and into Alabama on Monday. Forecasters said rainfall associated with the storm was already flooding some parts of the Gulf coast.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 1:03:28 AM ||
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It's being sheared to pieces.... likely not even a depression now. It could still be a big problem with the large area of rain tho.
Oddly it started off life has a warm centre storm.
Investigators trying to find out the cause of the crash early this year of a Flash Airlines aircraft off the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have simulated the crash, an Egyptian official said Thursday. The official from the civil aviation ministry said the exercise was carried out recently at a Boeing Co. facility in the United States, but insisted it was still too early to determine the cause of the crash. The Egyptian-operated aircraft plunged into the Red Sea in January, killing all 148 people on board, including 135 French holiday-makers. A team comprised of Egyptian, French and American experts investigating the crash, and from Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, were present during the procedure, said the official. The aim of simulating the flight was to test theories based on information recovered from the airplane's cockpit voice recorder and its technical data recorder. He added that the joint investigating team would meet on December 15 to analyze the results of the simulation, but could not say when a final report was expected.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/09/2004 3:54:41 AM ||
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Bad jet fuel likely, or perhaps a quantum shift affected a small section of the upper-downer.
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has been fined nearly $18,000 for breaking the country's election law. The punishment relates to a speech he made at a publicly-funded event in Sao Paulo in which he urged voters to re-elect the city's mayor. On Friday a regional court ruled that the comments had been an act of "electoral propaganda" because they were made at an official event. He made the remarks three weeks ago at the official opening of a new road. Addressing a crowd of 5,000 he said that if people wanted further progress in social policy they should re-elect Sao Paulo Marta Suplicy, who is member of Lula's Worker's Party.
Lula's transgression was not that he supported his colleague but the fact that he did so on a public stage at an event paid for with public money. The president, who has the right to appeal, has already apologised saying he got carried away in the heat of the moment. But electoral law is taken very seriously in Brazil where democracy was only restored 20 years ago. What is not clear is whether Lula's remarks had any effect on last Sunday's first round of voting. Nationwide his Worker's Party won more votes than any of its rivals, but in Sao Paulo itself the mayor was beaten into second place and faces a run-off election.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 4:53:16 AM ||
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The most powerful typhoon to barrel into Japan's Pacific coastline in a decade made landfall on Saturday, unleashing gales and blinding sheets of rain that grounded planes, flooded homes and set off mudslides. One person was dead and another one missing. Ma-on, which means horse saddle in Cantonese, was the record eighth typhoon to reach Japan's shores this year. On Friday, Meteorological Agency officials said the brunt of the tempest -which had sustained winds of 162kmh - was stronger than any other to hit the eastern coast in 10 years. The agency forecast about 250mm of rainfall through Sunday along the eastern seaboard of the main island of Honshu. It warned of high tides and landslides due to unstable, rain-soaked soil. Hardest hit were the central prefectures of Shizuoka and Aichi, where wind-whipped rain made it difficult for people to remain standing. In eastern Chiba, more than 330mm of rain had fallen since early Friday.
A National Police Agency official said a 48-year-old man who went missing late on Friday was found dead near his car early on Saturday on a drenched valley road in Wakayama prefecture. A 74-year-old man who had been delivering newspapers was missing on Saturday. Media reports said he may have fallen into a rain-swollen river. Plane, train and ferry services nationwide were disrupted, stranding thousands of travellers. Public broadcaster NHK said at least 150 domestic and international flights and most ferry services along the east coast had been cancelled. In central and eastern Japan, railway operators had suspended bullet and local train services and roads were closed to traffic, NHK said. Authorities had ordered evacuations in Shizuoka, Mie, Wakayama, Nara and Osaka prefectures and about 1,500 people had left their homes for public shelters. About 100 homes had been damaged by mudslides or floods, police said. The storm comes a week after Tropical Storm Meari tore through Japan, killing 22 people and injuring at least 80 others. This year's typhoons are the most on record since the Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1951. Japan was hit by six typhoons in 1990, when the previous record was set.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 4:07:29 AM ||
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The Joooooooos have gone to far and are messing with Formula Uno now.... stop it!
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 04:02 ||
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For some reason I don't think it's going to happen. France is too tired and weak for its imperial ambitions, and China too disdainful of whatever petty schemes Chirac can devise to try an undermine the US.
#3
China want's the arms sale ban on it lifted. Chirac want's to sell them arms and the bribes that come with it.
Posted by: Steve ||
10/09/2004 17:08 Comments ||
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awfully cynical, Steve. True, but cynical. I guess that's the baseline on analysing Frog moves as well as the Chicoms
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 17:12 Comments ||
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China will welcome Mr Chirac's overtures, reinforcing the Chinese perception of France as an 'accommodating and generous' country
lol - in other words, the frogs don't mind bending over and grabbing their ankles.
THE United States has congratulated Prime Minister John Howard on his election win, with President George W. Bush calling it a great victory. Speaking in St Louis, where he was campaigning in his own re-election bid, Mr Bush said: "I want to congratulate my good friend Prime Minister John Howard, who won a great victory." Mr Bush telephoned Mr Howard from his plane, Air Force One, as he flew from St Louis to Iowa for more campaigning.
The State Department issued a brief statement that foresaw further close US-Australian ties. "We congratulate Prime Minister John Howard on his coalition's victory in Australia's October 9 national election," spokeswoman Darla Jordan said. "We look forward to continuing our close co-operation with the Australian Government under his leadership." Although the election was fought mainly on domestic issues, Mr Howard's re-election effort was widely seen outside Australia as the first referendum for leaders of the three principal countries among Mr Bush's "coalition of the willing" that invaded Iraq in March 2003. Next is Mr Bush's November 2 test against Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry. British Prime Minister Tony Blair will probably face the voters next year.
Prime Minister John Howard has thanked the Australian people for his historic fourth federal election victory. Federal Labor leader Mark Latham conceded defeat after the Howard Government won an increased majority in the federal Parliament. Mr Howard was greeted with a tumultuous reception when he arrived to address the party faithful at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. "My fellow Australians, can I say first of all I am truly humbled by this extraordinary expression of confidence in the leadership of this great nation by the Coalition," he said. "The first thing I say to the Australian people in accepting their charge to lead the nation in the years ahead is to re-dedicate myself and all of my colleagues to the service of the Australian people. This nation stands on the threshold of great achievements."
He thanked Labor leader Mark Latham for his gracious comments in conceding defeat. He also paid tribute to deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader John Anderson and Treasurer Peter Costello for his management of the economy. "One of the reasons we have won is that we have been a united team," he said. Mr Howard says Australia "stands on the threshold of a new era of great achievement. This is a proud nation, a confident nation, a cohesive nation, a united nation, a nation that can achieve anything if it sets its mind to it."
He described Australia as a beacon of hope and tolerance all around the world. "The rest of the world sees us as a strong, successful nation and tonight the Australian people, by their decision, have declared themselves confident about their future," he said. "We have a strong economy, we are a nation that is respected around the world because we are prepared to stand up for what we believe in. Never forget the fact that governments are elected to govern for the people who voted for them, but also for the people who voted against them." He says the election result is historic, being the first time since the 1960s that an incumbent government has increased its majority at two consecutive elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 10:16:35 AM ||
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I am very glad and relieved to hear that Mr. Howard won the election. The Australian vote was a referendum on Australia's stand in the WoT. A radical change in stance would have sent a message to radicals everywhere, and would have created the perception that Australia could be further exploited and weakened. This is good news---great news. I do not know what would happen if Howard's govt fell, and then Kerry was elected. Britain would go, too. We are at a critical juncture in history.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/09/2004 13:46 Comments ||
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Great news indeed. Time to start thinking about upping Australia's world role, perhaps by including them in a new security organization that would parallel (and eventually make obsolete) the UNSC.
Perhaps the UNSC five + Japan, Ger, India, Australia, SoKorea for a start, and dedicate their efforts toward containing WMD and responding aggressively, pre-emptively, and globally against terror.
Maybe add Indonesia, Poland, Brazil, Turkey after a few years.
#6
Good on ya mate! We send all our love and congratulations from the United States of America.
Posted by: an dalusian dog ||
10/09/2004 16:41 Comments ||
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Excellent news! Reality must really suck for you, eh, Antiwar? YEE HAH!
Posted by: Dar ||
10/09/2004 17:47 Comments ||
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A historic win. Not only did Howard increase his majority, but it looks like his party has gained control of the Senate for the first time in a generation.
The Jakarta embassy bombing did not result in a rerun of Madrid, and some dirty tricks by the media may well have back-fired. The day before the election, the media gave prominent coverage to a Australian Gitmo detainee's lawyer who accused the Howard government of being complicit in torturing his client.
Just hours after the polls closed across Australia, and Prime Minister John Howard headed for his fourth term, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore filed a lawsuit in international court at the Hague alleging "irregularities" in the balloting. The election was seen by many as a referendum on Australia's participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the subsequent efforts to bring democracy to Iraq. Mr. Howard's opponent, Mark Latham, had promised to withdraw Australian troops from the Coalition.
"Somebody was disenfranchised or coerced down under," said Mr. Gore, now an itinerant professor. "John Howard betrayed his country. He played on their fears. There's no way they could have re-elected him legally. We'll fight this result all the way to the U.N. Security Council if need be."
Democrat presidential contender John Forbes Kerry expressed displeasure at the Australian election outcome. "This is the wrong election result, in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr. Kerry said. "Think of the precedent this sets."
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 10:02:15 AM ||
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Warning!! No Life Guard on Duty!!
Jump Al Gore, Jump, just Jump off and die. The world will be a better place.
#2
If only the ALP and Gore could have instituted absentee voting down under.
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2004 11:48 Comments ||
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Wait, wait, wait a minute. I thought a Rantburg blogger said AlGore had a team of lawyers going to Afghanistan to contest the Presidential election. Australia too. Gore is becoming the white folks Jesse Jackson. Did Jimmy Cracked Carter monitor these two elections for hanging chads? Is Carter still seeking outside monitors to monitor the US election? That's all we need is some clown from "bo fung junction" to monitor our election.
#9
"Gore is becoming the white folks Jesse Jackson."
But Jesse Jackson's just a hustler and shakedown artist, whereas Al Gore is gonna be led away in a straitjacket someday. We're talking two VERY different things, here.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 16:34 Comments ||
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DD. That is true. Gore closer to Howard Dean maybe even more whako if possible.
Posted by: John QC ||
10/09/2004 22:27 Comments ||
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PRIME Minister John Howard was on track to win a fourth term tonight as early results showed the ALP struggling to make any significant gains. Opposition Leader Mark Latham needed to win 12 seats going into the election to win power, but the ALP has lost two seats in Tasmania in a voter backlash against Mr Latham's plan to save the old-growth forests. Labor was also struggling in other key marginal seats. Liberal party powerbroker Michael Kroger said Mr Howard had won the election. "The show's over - John Howard has been re-elected," Mr Kroger told the Nine network.
Labor MP and strategist Stephen Smith said his party lacked the momentum to win the required number of marginal seats to secure government. "It's grim with a capital G, and trouble with a capital T," he told ABC TV. Labor powerbroker Robert Ray also forecast defeat for Mr Latham. "I think at this stage of the evening it's going to be almost impossible for Labor to win this election," he told Channel Nine.
In the nation's most marginal seat of Solomon in the Northern Territory, sitting Country-Liberal Party MP David Tollner has won an 8.8 per cent primary swing, and he leads by about one per cent with six per cent of the vote counted. Some Liberal Party seats are under threat, however. Ross Cameron could lose his seat to Julie Owens of the ALP, while Trish Worth is also trailing to Labor's Kate Ellis in Adelaide. In Eden Monaro in regional New South Wales, Labor's Kel Watt had won a swing of about one per cent, but still trailed sitting member Gary Nairn by about 0.75 per cent. In Richmond, Nationals MP Larry Anthony was also marginally ahead by about 0.3 per cent with almost 30 per cent of the vote counted. In the key Queensland marginal seat of Hinkler, Nationals MP Paul Neville was well ahead with 55.2 per cent of the two party vote in early counting. The results make it difficult for the ALP to make enough gains to form a majority. Labor frontbencher Bob McMullan said Labor would lose the election if the current trend continued. "If you drew a line now, and said this is it, you would say it's not enough," he said on the ABC election panel. "But there's a lot to go, we need to improve." In the Senate, the Greens have claimed a seat in Tasmania for Christine Milne, who was close to a quota on primary votes.
Posted by: tipper ||
10/09/2004 6:18:30 AM ||
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Big win for Howard. Big win for Australian determination, guts and freedom. Big win for WoT. But also a big win for Bush. Aussies rejected the "Quit while ahead", "WoT and Iraq endanger Australia" and other defeatist sloganeering. This is not good news for the Dems and Kerry, believe me.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/09/2004 11:15 Comments ||
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Just think what the results could have been if the Australian media wasn't uniformly hard leftist. Australia desperately needs another media voice, even if they have to take Fox or Sky news feeds using Australian presenters and add local stories.
Oh, and Thanks JI embassy bombers. Attacks like that don't work on the English speaking world. Dumbasses.
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2004 11:36 Comments ||
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A sticky substance from the skin of frogs could be used to repair human knee joints, scientists believe. Australian researchers have already repaired torn cartilage on the knees of 10 sheep with this natural glue, which frogs use to trap insects. They told New Scientist how it was far stronger than medical adhesives in current use. The University of Adelaide team, with colleagues in Melbourne, is attempting to make its own version.
The glue is secreted by two species of burrowing Australian frogs of the Notaden genus that live one metre underground. These frogs only surface during torrential rain. At these times they are vulnerable to attack from insects. To protect themselves they secrete a glue that gums up the jaws of the biting insects and traps them to their skin, which they later eat. Environmental biologist Mike Tyler and his team tested the glue. "We assumed the substance would be toxic, but when we found it wasn't, it made sense to explore it as a medical adhesive." They found it hardened within seconds and stuck well, even in moist environments. When set, it was flexible and had a porous structure that should make it permeable to gas and nutrients, which would encourage healing. Mr Tyler teamed up with orthopaedic surgeon George Murrell of the University of New South Wales to test the glue in sheep with torn knee cartilage. This cartilage, also found in human joints, acts as a shock absorber. Knee cartilage can be damaged during sports and can be difficult to repair surgically. Current synthetic adhesives are strong but they are somewhat toxic and form rigid, non-porous films that can hinder wound healing. Biological glues tend to be too weak to fix parts of the body that have to withstand strong forces and wear and tear. However, the frog glue held the damaged cartilage together well in the sheep. The findings were presented at a combined biological societies meeting, ComBio 2004, in Perth.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 4:51:13 AM ||
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Okay.
So when do you send granny to the glue factory? I figure August the market is way down, April perhaps?
#2
Fascinating. But, given the behaviour of the frogs in question, I imagine harvesting the secretions could be a bit problematical. Perhaps the next study should look at this as a bioengineering possibility.
#4
Protein science/biology has come a long way. Secreted animal protein products (like this glue are basically a folded linear string of amino acids that can be sequenced like DNA. Once the protein is unfolded, it is sequenced, and then DNA code necessary to produce the protein can be determined. With the DNA sequence, you can create the gene de-novo and splice the gene for the protein production into a bacteria or yeast that will then begin to secrete the "frog-glue". Once you have the bacteria/yeast, you just grow 'em in big fermenters/vats and separate out the glue from the liquid in the vat.
Modern biochemistry ROCKS! Nobody is going to have to "milk frogs" for this glue.
#7
"Perhaps the next study should look at this as a bioengineering possibility."
I see an immediate commercial application: sell the frogs, along with the aquaria to keep them in and a supply of food, to sports bars. They'd make a GREAT replacement for darts and dartboards-- paint a bullseye on the wall and you've got a Frog Toss.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 19:04 Comments ||
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Let's see if I can get ahead of Emily on this election news update.
Drat you, Army of Steve! I so-o-o wanted to post this story first too. I shall be inconsolable the rest of the day. However, I was checking the Aussie papers during the debate (about noon Oz time) and it looks as though Howard was polling well in the run-up to the election. Got my fingers crossed...John Howard is one of the good guys.
Polls have opened in Australia's general election. The campaign between the ruling conservatives and the left-of center opposition has been fought largely on domestic issues, such as the economy, health care and public education.
This election is between a seasoned conservative, Prime Minister John Howard, and a combative opposition leader, Mark Latham. At 65 years of age, Mr. Howard, who leads the rightwing coalition of Liberals and Nationals, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office. His pitch to voters has concentrated on two areas; economic prosperity and a decisive hand in matters of national security. Challenger Mr. Latham unconvincingly argues that Mr. Howard's policies have made the country less secure and that his Labor Party would be best suited to protect the economy.
Opinions at polling stations are varied. "Personally, myself, I would rather support Labor than the Liberals. I don't agree with the way the Liberals have handled the war on terrorism and I certainly don't agree with their policy on it," said one man. But other voters want to stick with Mr. Howard, given the years of strong economic growth under his government. "I wouldn't go past Howard. He's done a marvelous job in Australia. You've only got to look at the record over eight years. It's marvelous what he's done, turned the country right around," said a woman who supports the prime minister.
One issue for many voters is Mr. Latham's youth - he is 43 years old, and has never held a senior position in a government. "John Howard's got a lot more credibility," said one man. "I like the fact that Mark Latham's young and stuff but experience counts for a lot in an election." Some, however, worry about Mr. Howard's age, and the eight years he has spent in office. "I just think Howard's had his time. I think he's getting stale," said a woman voter.
The key battlegrounds in this Australia election are the economy, especially interest rates, as well as public health care, the environment and education.
When it comes to Iraq, Mr. Howard - a key U.S ally in the war on terror - has insisted that the 850 Australian troops there now will stay until their job is done. Importantly, there have been no Australian combat casualties in the Gulf. Still, the opposition has described the deployment as a foreign policy disaster 'cause they don't want to stand near George Bush. Mr. Latham pledges to bring the troops home by Christmas, and concentrate on making Australia and Southeast Asia safe from terrorists.
Fluctuating opinion polls in the final days of campaigning have made the result unpredictable. However, many observers have said John Howard is the clear favorite to win another term.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/09/2004 12:11:52 AM ||
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It seems the Yale prof who predicted 57.5 % for GWB is busy covering his a**, just to be on the safe side.
President Bush will be the first president in 72 years to face the electorate with a net job loss. The Iraq war has deeply torn the nation. National polls show a neck-and-neck race. Yet economy-based projections still show a decisive Bush victory on Nov. 2. What gives?
Political scientists and many economists say this may be the year to throw the economic models out the window. Forecasters are flummoxed about the impact of Iraq, uncertain about the true state of the economy, and less sure about their projections than in any recent election.
Domestic policy is the designated topic for final presidential debate on Wednesday at Arizona State University. And the topic drew testy exchanges in Friday night's debate in St. Louis, where Democrat John Kerry accused Bush of running up massive deficits with wartime tax cuts for the wealthy, and the president portrayed Kerry as an unabashed liberal who would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for big government programs.
Despite record deficits, surging oil prices and the loss of jobs under Bush's watch, mathematical and statistical models continue to project a Bush victory. Economists, however, are raising questions about their own models. "Foreign policy on the average is not that big a deal. But this time could be different. You never know. Iraq is such a big issue," said Yale economist Ray Fair, who has one of the best track records for predicting elections.
His model predicts Bush will get 57.5 percent of the vote, using such variables as economic growth, inflation, incumbency and duration in office. He has been accurate in five of the past six elections, missing only in 1992 when Bush's father lost.
The Labor Department on Friday delivered more disappointing news to Bush, reporting that the U.S. economy added just 96,000 jobs in September, about 50,000 fewer than expected. Because it was the last employment report before Election Day, it means a job loss is now baked in the political cake. Though 1.8 million jobs have been added to business payrolls in the past year, there are 821,000 fewer jobs in the country than when Bush took office in January 2001.
Democrats are quick to point out Bush is the first president since Herbert Hoover in the Great Depression to oversee a net job loss. "I have a plan to put people back to work. That's not wishy-washy," Kerry asserted in Friday's debate, responding to a suggestion by a questioner that he was "wishy-washy."
Republicans, of course, emphasize the recent gains — not the overall losses. Moments after Friday's jobs report, the Bush campaign put out a television commercial crediting Bush policies for "nearly 2 million new jobs in just over a year."
In Friday's debate, Bush said: "Small businesses are flourishing. Homeownership rate is at an all-time high in America. We're on the move." The question President Reagan famously raised in his 1980 debate with incumbent Jimmy Carter — are you better off now than you were four years ago? — is being asked again this year by Democrats.
Why do economic models still show a Bush victory? Principally because the unemployment rate — 5.4 percent in September — is not high by historical standards, interest rates and inflation remain relatively subdued, and economic growth is moderate, if not robust. Most economic statistics have inched up since the end of the 2001 recession. "Things are not terrible," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard and Poor's in New York. "But I'd rather be on Kerry's side of the argument."
An economic model Wyss uses — based on the unemployment rate, the growth in real income, the change in the core inflation rate and the change in oil prices — shows a Bush victory by 54 percent, even with the run-up in oil prices. But Wyss is not so sure. "Usually elections get decided on domestic issues. But there are a lot of non-economic issues this time," he said.
Economy.com, an online provider of economic and financial research based in West Chester, Pa., gives Bush 53.7 percent of the vote and suggests he could win as many as 373 electoral votes, far more than the 270 he needs. But Mark Zandi, chief economist at the company, is skeptical. "The economy is losing momentum going into the election, there is a lot of angst among voters. The models may not be picking that up," he said.
Economist Lawrence Chimerine, president of Radnor Consulting, an economics firm in Philadelphia, said economic models can go only so far — and don't take into account a lot of things that influence the vote. "I wouldn't give you a nickel for those models. I think the polls showing the race is reasonably tight are probably a lot more accurate than those models," Chimerine said.
Conservative TV Group to Air Anti-Kerry Film
Sinclair, with reach into many of the nation's homes, will preempt prime-time shows. Experts call the move highly unusual. (Registration required. Here's the article. Please clip for Page 71.... can I do that?)
NEW YORK — The conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose television outlets reach nearly a quarter of the nation's homes with TV, is ordering its stations to preempt regular programming just days before the Nov. 2 election to air a film that attacks Sen. John F. Kerry's activism against the Vietnam War, network and station executives familiar with the plan said Friday.
Sinclair's programming plan, communicated to executives in recent days and coming in the thick of a close and intense presidential race, is highly unusual even in a political season that has been marked by media controversies.
Sinclair has told its stations — many of them in political swing states such as Ohio and Florida — to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," sources said. The film, funded by Pennsylvania veterans and produced by a veteran and former Washington Times reporter, features former POWs accusing Kerry — a decorated Navy veteran turned war protester — of worsening their ordeal by prolonging the war. Sinclair will preempt regular prime-time programming from the networks to show the film, which may be classified as news programming, according to TV executives familiar with the plan.
Executives at Sinclair did not return calls seeking comment, but the Kerry campaign accused the company of pressuring its stations to influence the political process.
"It's not the American way for powerful corporations to strong-arm local broadcasters to air lies promoting a political agenda," said David Wade, a spokesman for the Democratic nominee's campaign. "It's beyond yellow journalism; it's a smear bankrolled by Republican money, and I don't think Americans will stand for it."
Sinclair stations are spread throughout the country, in major markets that include Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas; its only California station is in Sacramento. Fourteen of the 62 stations the company either owns or programs are in the key political swing states of Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where the presidential election is being closely fought.
Station and network sources said they have been told the Sinclair stations — which include affiliates of Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, as well as WB and UPN — will be preempting regular programming for one hour between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24, depending on the city. The airing of "Stolen Honor" will be followed by a panel discussion, which Kerry will be asked to join, thus potentially satisfying fairness regulations, the sources said.
Kerry campaign officials said they had been unaware of Sinclair's plans to air the film, and said Kerry had not received an invitation to appear.
No one familiar with the plan was willing to criticize it publicly, some because they said they don't know all the details of what Sinclair plans for the panel that follows. But a number of people privately expressed outrage at the seemingly overt nature of the political attack, which comes during a tight election and at a time when the media are under assault as never before. Cable's Fox News Channel was attacked in the summer by a coalition of liberal groups for what they said were its efforts to boost Republicans; in recent weeks, CBS' Dan Rather has been criticized by conservatives, as well as some nonpartisan journalists, for a "60 Minutes" broadcast that used now-discredited documents in a report saying President Bush received favorable treatment when in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s.
Democrats have for some time accused Sinclair, a publicly traded company based in Maryland, of a having a right-wing agenda.
The company made headlines in April when it ordered seven of its stations not to air Ted Koppel's "Nightline" roll call of military dead in Iraq, deeming it a political statement "disguised as news content." Sen. John McCain, the Republican from Arizona who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was among those who criticized Sinclair's decision not to air the "Nightline" program, which featured the names and pictures of more than 700 U.S. troops.
Even before the "Nightline" controversy, Sinclair drew criticism because of the combination of its highly centralized news operations, which often include conservative commentary, and its almost exclusively Republican political giving. In the 2004 political cycle, Sinclair executives have given nearly $68,000 in political contributions, 97% to Republicans, ranking it 12th among top radio and TV station group contributors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign finance watchdog group.
The upcoming "Stolen Honor" will probably bring fresh attention to Sinclair. "I can't think of a precedent of holding up programming to show a political documentary at a point where it would have the maximum effect on the vote," said Jay Rosen, chairman of New York University's journalism department. But the program will only be the latest in a string of politically charged media events in this campaign. Representatives of Michael Moore's anti-Bush "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has grossed $214 million worldwide, are in talks for a deal to make the film available on pay-per-view cable the night before the election. The Sundance Channel plans to air live clips Monday from the anti-Bush "Vote for Change" rock concert.
Cable, however, doesn't have the reach of broadcast stations like Sinclair's, nor is it subject to the same federal regulations. Still, although broadcast stations are required to provide equal time to major candidates in an election campaign, the Sinclair move may not run afoul of those provisions if Kerry or a representative is offered time to respond. Moreover, several sources said Sinclair had told them it planned to classify the program as news, where the rules don't apply.
Calling it news, however, poses its own problems, said Keith Woods, dean of the faculty at the Poynter Institute, a journalism school in St. Petersburg, Fla., that teaches professional ethics. "To air a documentary intended to provide a one-sided view of Kerry's record and call it news — it's like calling Michael Moore's movie news," he said, adding that the closer to an election that a controversial news report is aired, the "higher the bar has to go" in terms of fairness.
Clearly, Sinclair's reach will bring a much wider audience to the film. The 42-minute film has only been available on DVD or for $4.99 through an Internet download, although fans had been mounting an Internet campaign to get it wider exposure.
"Stolen Honor" was made by Carlton Sherwood, a Vietnam veteran and former reporter for the conservative Washington Times who is also the author of a book about the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. On the website for the film, he tells viewers, "Intended or not, Lt. Kerry painted a depraved portrait of Vietnam veterans, literally creating the images of those who served in combat as deranged drug-addicted psychopaths, baby killers" that endured for 30 years in the popular culture.
Beacon [Ohio] Journal staff writers Two men who tore down a Bush-Cheney sign and urinated on it were caught on videotape by Summit County Republican officials early Friday morning. The videotape shows the men sneaking into the yard of a West Market Street home and bending the sign to the ground. The men struggled to rip the sign out of the ground by shaking it and pulling it but couldn't get it off the posts, so they knocked it down. Sounds heard on the tape suggest the men urinated on the sign. They were white males, about 30 to 35 years old, well-dressed and well-groomed. They parked across the street in what police think was a foreign car, a Toyota or Honda. The homeowner, Steve Kotsatos, who is also assistant to the director of the Summit County Board of Elections, called Akron police dispatchers at 10:38 a.m. Friday and told them about how his campaign sign was vandalized. He said he caught the vandals on a night-vision camera he had installed the day before.
Hey! You can't do that! It'll violate their right to privacy!
``A couple of days ago my neighbor's sign was set on fire with a blowtorch so I figured I might be next,'' Kotsatos said. ``This is not only criminal damaging but a safety hazard.'' The large 4-by-8-foot, red, white and blue sign was tipped over in Kotsatos' yard about 1 a.m. Friday. John Kerry's name was scrawled across Bush's name in black marker on one side of the sign -- the work of previous vandals, Kotsatos said. He discovered the bent sign at 6:45 a.m. Police took a report of the incident and retrieved a copy of the videotape to review. No arrests have been made.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 11:51:23 AM ||
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I'm an electrical engineer. I could have fixed that sign for Mr. Kotsatos so that if anyone peed on it, it be the last damned sign the perp would ever pee on.
Or, given the way I design my products ("We Deliver Performance!"), the last damned time he'd ever pee, PERIOD.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 16:24 Comments ||
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The Democrats are taking the term 'battleground state' a little too literally.
#6
Hmmm... never thought about it until now. Who else we got?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 18:03 Comments ||
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#7
I've noticed lots of computer jockeys... errr I mean programmers, of course. Possibly even more than engineers. But I'm an engineer's wife (ChemE, non-practicing) -- does that count for the count?
#8
Hmmm... it probably should. From your posts at various times, I get a sense that you've probably been innoculated with The Engineering Mindset (facts = good, bullshit = bad; things ain't so just because one "believes" them to be so or "feels" that they are; what is the evidence; what other explanations are there; correlation is not causation; and so forth).
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 18:55 Comments ||
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How utterly flattering: I've been observed (in the scientific sense, of course)! Inoculated prior to husband, actually -- that's one of the reasons he made the cut. Daddy was a research scientist -- post-docs only, thankyewverymuch -- associated with the university. The bookcases overflowed with mysteries and science fiction, esp. Asimov and Heinlein. And both parents lived through WWII. So I had no opportunity to develop that counter-survival trait of believing that feelings are ever more important than facts. (To be honest, I never managed to pursuade Daddy that sometimes feelings are the facts. He was quite relieved to hand me over to my husband's care on our wedding day.)
#10
"So I had no opportunity to develop that counter-survival trait of believing that feelings are ever more important than facts."
Hmmm... Myself, I don't think I would say they're never more important than facts; just that what's vital, above all, is to never mistake them for facts-- something the left seems predisposed to do.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 19:22 Comments ||
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I'd say Sam Clemens would agree: "We all do no end of feeling - and mistake it for thinking."
ABCNEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MEMO SPARKS CONTROVERSY: BOTH SIDES NOT 'EQUALLY ACCOUNTABLE'
An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable."
The controversial internal memo obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how "Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win."
But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to "win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions."
"The current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done," Halperin writes.
Halperin's claim that ABCNEWS will not "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable" set off sparks in St. Louis where media players gathered to cover the second presidential debate.
Halperin states the responsibilities of the ABCNEWS staff have "become quite grave."
In August, Halperin declared online: "This is now John Kerry's contest to lose."
x x x x x
Halperin Memo Dated Friday October 8, 2004
It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite grave
I do not want to set off (sp?) and endless colloquy that none of us have time for today - nor do I want to stifle one. Please respond if you feel you can advance the discussion.
The New York Times (Nagourney/Stevenson) and Howard Fineman on the web both make the same point today: the current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done.
Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.
We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that.
I'm sure many of you have this week felt the stepped up Bush efforts to complain about our coverage. This is all part of their efforts to get away with as much as possible with the stepped up, renewed efforts to win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.
It's up to Kerry to defend himself, of course. But as one of the few news organizations with the skill and strength to help voters evaluate what the candidates are saying to serve the public interest. Now is the time for all of us to step up and do that right.
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2004 1:28:24 AM ||
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I had to read the whole memo five times to get an idea of what it means. When you think of it, it's a masterful achievement to write a memo of a few hundred words and say virtually nothing, but hint at so much. The guy has really mastered the gobbledygook of propaganda masquerading as responsible journalism.
So I thought I'd try to translate the memo into simple English:
These two guys both lie and fabricate, but their guy does it much better than our guy, and is using it against our guy. In fact, their guy could win if we don't support and push our guy. I know I don't have to tell you who our guy is. So go for it.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 14:10 Comments ||
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Bryan -- thanks for the translation. I thought it was just me who didn't understand what the hell he was saying.
This is the world we live in, though: lies in flowery language. Make it as vague as possible, so there's always the chance to go back and say, "No, this is what I really meant when I said that." Thing is, most people are smarter than what these elites think, and hopefully they'll get their comeuppance soon.
#9
And to have ABC Agenda Queen Charlie choose the questions, selecting the most absurd possible "Do You STILL Beat Your Wife?" item for Bush as the last question of the night. Prolly got his MSM Premium Asshole card stamped for a whole year for that one. Anyone want to guess how many drinks he'll have to buy over the next few months? Right, none.
Don't any of you people know how to read a single, whole page of text? What Halperin is saying is that:
1) as a strong news organization immune to intimidation, ABC should be devoted to exposing the FACTUAL truth about any and all political statements. That they shouldn't just play the "he said / he said" game that all media outlets play by having a talking head from both sides repeat their stories.
Halperin just wants his people to start being actual, INVESTIGATIVE reporters, and to REPORT on stories.
2) Bush and Kerry both lie, but Bush's lies are completey monstrous, and CENTRAL to his efforts to get re-elected.
i.e. his recent gaffe about "non-discretionary funding" rising by 15% of its total per year, and him having reduced it to 1%. That was a complete and total fabrication. There is nothing in that statement that could possibly be related to the truth. Both the NYtimes and the Washington Times examined that fact, and discovered that Bush has presided over the largest increases in "non-discretionary" military funding in the past 6 Presidents.
Before he hit office it was hoving at around 4%, and now it's up at 8.2%.
Again, to re-iterate to the illiterate:
we don't "...hold both sides "equally" accountable WHEN THE FACTS DON'T WARRANT THAT."
From the same people who brought you the "This Land" political parody, we get a new offering: "Good To Be In DC". Even funnier, if that's possible. Obviously the site is getting hit hard - especially since Fox spilled the beans about JibJab for the "This Land" piece on Brit Hume's show -- so yeah, you might have to hit Reload / Refresh a couple of times before it will fully load. Flash Req'd.
"Good To Be In DC" -- Worthy.
Posted by: .com ||
10/09/2004 8:43:36 AM ||
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The little prancing Jim McGreevy character was a nice touch.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 11:17 Comments ||
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As I said on my blog, I'd hoped to be able to get through the campaign without seeing John Edwards's animated butt cheeks.
Was McGreevy the one who kept popping up and saying, "I'm gay!"?
As always, the Bill Clinton bit was the best part.
Billionaire George Soros has upped his ante to defeat President Bush in the coming election, announcing Thursday that he is spending $2 million on newspaper ads nationwide in the last month of the campaign. Soros, who has already pledged $18 million to the anti-Bush groups MoveOn.org and America Coming Together, said he decided to spend the additional money after seeing how effectively the pro-Bush side had vilified Democrat John Kerry during the Republican National Convention and through the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads. "That's what made me change my mind," he said.
Soros' anti-Bush web site was the unintended beneficiary Tuesday night when Vice President Dick Cheney gave viewers of his debate with Democrat John Edwards the wrong Web address. He meant to name FactCheck.org, a University of Pennsylvania site that investigates questionable political claims and which has vindicated Cheney in the matter of his compensation agreement with former employer, Halliburton. Instead, Cheney gave out the address , which is owned by a Cayman Islands company that, because of its political leanings, began forwarding browsers to Soros' site. "I was vaguely amused," Soros said of Cheney's mistake. "I welcome all the people who got a chance to read my message."
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 4:58:23 AM ||
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"I welcome all the people who got a chance to read my message."
Aris... what's that Greek word? Kinda like an Achilles heel... but not exactly?
#2
Note that he has "pledged" $18 million. That explains why MoveOn.org seems to be spending a lot more than it has in the kitty. Their supporters look at the "overspending" and send in more money to help them out, not realizing that Soros has it covered. Suckers!
Posted by: Tom ||
10/09/2004 10:52 Comments ||
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Aris... what's that Greek word? Kinda like an Achilles heel... but not exactly?
Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe called Fox News anchors "whackos" in a candid speech Friday to a group of Washington University College Democrats. Before launching into a defense of Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, McAuliffe urged the students to be highly visible in the background of the live television broadcasts taking place on campus. When McAuliffe listed the shows he would be on Friday, including Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes," the students booed. McAuliffe responded, "I love going on Fox, those whackos." The comment drew a round of laughter from the crowd of about 100 students. With only a small media presence in the room, including CNSNews.com, McAuliffe also issued a warning to the students that President Bush would reinstitute the military draft.
The underlying point of McAuliffe's talk was to energize the Washington University students who had spent the last several days preparing for Friday's debate. "Driving over here, all you could see were Kerry-Edwards signs. This is important for me because in Miami, we won the visibility," McAuliffe said. "I was disappointed in Cleveland because on all the shows, it was Bush-Cheney [signs]. We had a great win in Miami, we lost in Cleveland, and we're going to win here in St. Louis." The Washington University campus has an overwhelming population of liberal students, compared to their conservative counterparts. It showed Friday, when each group held rallies near the makeshift television stages for CNN and MSNBC. "I don't care what you've got to do to get those Bush signs out of the way," McAuliffe told the College Democrats. "Do what you have to do."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 3:49:57 AM ||
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Elizabeth Kramer...."Hopefully, he’ll make it so when I graduate from college in four years, I can get a job."
No, you pizda. Nobody will make it so you would get a job. It is up to you to study well enough to be competitive and get jobs offers.
#3
"I don’t care what you’ve got to do to get those Bush signs out of the way," McAuliffe told the College Democrats. "Do what you have to do."
Whatever you have to do Terry? Should they be rude? Should they get violent? Is the Dem's socialist agenda more important than all else Terry?
I can't belive that this bomb throwing assclown is the best the Democrats can do but I guess it is.
Posted by: RJB in JC MO ||
10/09/2004 7:55 Comments ||
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With only a small media presence in the room, including CNSNews.com, McAuliffe also issued a warning to the students that President Bush would reinstitute the military draft.
This should be enough to get McAuliffe laughed out of politics, the lying sack of shit.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/09/2004 11:44 Comments ||
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"I don’t necessarily think John Kerry is our best candidate for president, but I think he will keep our civil liberties safe," she said.
You poor, naive, ignorant fool. Democrats are LEFTISTS. If you give them enough power, they will revoke ALL of your civil liberties except the right to vote "YES" for their candidate.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 12:01 Comments ||
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#6
Arrgggh. The lying colition of the whining, desparate, spinwhackos, Goebbelsmeisiters speak.
#7
Dave D. -- Dead on. Their idea of freedom of choice (overall, not abortion issues) is to accept and agree with their beliefs. If you don't, well, you'd better just convert or face the consequences.
#8
check with any conservative students on a major university campus if you want to know about suppression of views - time to take back th competence of the ivory towers
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 17:34 Comments ||
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Following their defeat by the narrowest of margins -- a loss they took with all the grace of a kindergarten class losing its candy -- Democrats have vowed to make every vote count. I wonder if that includes the vote of a woman who died in 1993 and still managed to vote in the 1994 Mingo County election. Thankfully, U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner is gathering guilty pleas from the latest johns in the latest Southern West Virginia vote-pimping scheme. But vote fraud is not a spring and autumnal sport known only to West Virginia. Consider these reports:
John Fund, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, found that eight of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were registered to vote in either Florida or Virginia in the 2000 election.
The New York Daily News reports that 46,000 people were registered to vote both in New York and Florida. The News found 68 percent were Democrats, 12 percent Republicans and 16 percent independents.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that more than 1,000 voter registration forms and requests for absentee ballots may be fraudulent. They were the work of the NAACP's National Voter Fund and Americans Coming Together-Ohio.
The Kansas City Star found hundreds of people who voted in both Kansas and Missouri in the 2000 and 2002 elections. Election officials lack the ability to cross-check. Missouri also is the home to Ritzy the dog, who voted in the 1994 election. He has since departed for doggy heaven, but may still be voting.
The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News reported that eight people used the same apartment number to register to vote in the August primary. A knock on the door revealed that only one man lived there.
The Alamogordo (N.M.) News found a 13-year-old boy received a voter registration application in the mail.
The reaction from Democrats to this widespread fraud is appalling. Unable to win fairly and squarely, at best they turn their heads to this shame. That 13-year-old boy's vote? New Mexico requires a photo ID at the polls for first-time voters. Secretary of State Rebecca Virgil-Giron, a Democrat, ordered county clerks to ignore the law. John Kerry accused Republicans of racism for daring to enforce election laws. He told the Congressional Black Caucus last month, "We are not going to stand by and allow acts of voter suppression." Statements like that show why Kerry deserves to lose. Until Democrats are willing to enforce laws that protect the votes of the law-abiding, they cannot be trusted with the leadership of the free world.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 12:37:35 AM ||
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We need to eliminate absentee voting. It has become nothing but a vehicle for election fraud. The difference between the Democrats today and the old time machines is that modern Democrats have no since of shame or proportion. They have become a criminal organization that views itself above the law and is willing to do anything to get control of the money again. They are racketeers and thieves for whom elections are just guerilla theater.
#2
Right RWW and how do you propose for our servicemembers to be able to cast their votes for the leaders who send them into harms way? They're away from home doing the people's business under orders - what, just do exactly what the Dems want, disinfranchise them?
Posted by: Don ||
10/09/2004 9:04 Comments ||
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Reserve absentee ballots to the military and government workers assigned duties outside the US.
FLORENCE, S.C. - A Florence man has been arrested on charges of using names and personal information of people, including the mayor of Florence, on more than 1,000 voter registration forms and turning them in to the county voter registration office. Terence Hines, 44, was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of forgery and multiple counts of fraudulent registration or voting, prosecutor Ed Clements III said. The State Law Enforcement Division began investigating soon after Hines turned in more than 1,500 completed forms to the Florence County Voter Registration Office last Thursday. "Florence County election officials began checking some of the names and quickly found out that a lot of the people were already registered and the information on the forms didn't match what was on the records, and several other people whose names were on these forms were deceased," Clements said. "None of the information added up."
"Amazing, Inspector! What tipped you off?"
"Well, Legume..."
A registration form for Florence Mayor Frank Willis "sent up a red flag," voter registration and elections director Russell Barrett said. "We were pretty sure that the mayor was already a registered voter and had been for some time."
"Brilliant, Inspector! Simply brilliant!"
A check of voter registration records showed that although Willis' name and address matched records, nothing else on the recently submitted form was correct. "The more I thought about it, the more I just couldn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to use my name of all names on a fictitious voter registration form," Willis said. After confirming that information on almost all of the forms was either fake or wrong, election officials contacted SLED, which in turn contacted Clements. According to the arrest affidavit provided by SLED, Hines was employed by the South Carolina Progressive Network.
Ahah! He's a Progressive! That explains it!
The Progressive Network's Web site describes the organization as a broad-based coalition of advocacy groups and individual activists from across the state who have joined forces to promote social and economic change in South Carolina. Hines, who was gathering the forms as part of a nationwide voter registration drive, was referred to the Progressive Network by the national Civic Engagement Project that was not working in South Carolina, said Brett Bursey, director of the network. Hundreds of legitimate forms had been turned in, Bursey said, but on the day before registration ended more than 1,000 fraudulent registrations were submitted. The Progressive Network reported it to authorities on Oct. 4, he said. "We take voting very seriously," said Donna Dewitt, co-chair of the network. "We regret that Mr. Hines misrepresented himself to our organization, and we believe that our effort to include more South Carolinians in the voting process helps make our system more democratic and equitable." Clements said any attempt to defraud the voting process is a threat to the entire democratic process. Election officials are working to make sure that registration forms legitimately filled out by potential voters are processed properly. But Clements said the chance that one of those forms might slip through the cracks is another issue of concern. "Some of these forms could have actually been filled out by people who now think they're registered and might end up going to the polls only to find out they aren't," Clements said. "It's a horrible, horrible situation that could end up disenfranchising voters."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 12:19:00 AM ||
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..I live a short drive from Florence, maybe I can add a little to this.
The chairman of the SC Democrats is a guy named Dick Hartpootlian - he makes Terry McAuliffe look like a reasonable moderate, and he runs the SCDP like it was his own private fiefdom. The fact that the GOP is in control here drives him up a wall, and he's made it quite clear that he'll do anything he has to to regain power. If this happened, he knew about it.
Now, let me explain SLED. It was founded in the late 40s by Strom Thurmond, and is - for all practical purposes - the Governor's private police force. They are extremely tough, honest, and principled - and you do NOT want them on your tail. (Picture the "Men In Black" with Southern drawls, and you have an idea of what these guys are like). If they have this guy, they are looking at a LOT more.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/09/2004 12:19 Comments ||
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Isn't it amazing. No one going to jail or being investigated over the CBS report of trying to effect the overall outcome of the election, and now numerous reports of voter fraud (ALL from the LLL so far) and still I bet they get off scott free. Not to mention the ABC memo.
#5
Also, The SC Progressive Network does not advocate the election of any candidate or party, it is an advocate for a certain set of issues. If it did, it would lose its tax status. Therefore it is unlikely in the extreme that there was any contact between it and the SCDP. It is also unfathomable that a group like this would knowingly allow its name to be dragged through the mud by such an obviously fraudulent individual. Its a shame that this guy has a cast a shadow on the laudable and very much needed efforts for wider voter registration in South Carolina.
READING, PA -- A backlog of last-minute voter registrations in Berks County is pushing the system to its breaking point, according to election officials. Director of Elections V. Kurt Bellman told the Board of Elections Thursday that there have been flagrant attempts at voter registration fraud. "It's absolutely out of hand," Bellman said. "Not only do we have unintentional duplication of voter registrations but we have blatant duplicate voter registrations." Bellman said groups conducting voter drives are coming out of the woodwork, something Berks County hasn't seen before. He added that some of the drives are being conducted in violation of the law because they are paying incentives to sign up voters.
Is Michael Moore handing out underwear in Pennsylvania, too?
Commissioner Mark Scott suggested the Board of Elections conduct its own investigation that would be public rather than create more work for the district attorney's office. "I'd like the public to get more access to the details of fraud," Scott said. Bellman said his office has had numerous calls from people who were registered through a group called the Association Communication Organization for Reform Now (ACORN), complaining that those taking down the voter information deliberately put inaccurate information on the form. Bellman said he also received a batch of registrations from Citizens for Consumer Justice in Allentown that contained several hundred forms, including ones that have been held since July and ones with fictitious names and addresses and even wrong counties. Bellman said he believes it's an attempt to overload the elections office. "It's election sabotage," Scott added.
ACORN's involved in the same thing in Florida...
Volunteers are working in the Board of Elections office throughout the day, in the evenings and even on weekends. County officials are asking volunteers to commit to a schedule for volunteering since county workers have to train each volunteer.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 12:05:34 AM ||
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Man, these bastards are pulling out all the stops, aren't they?
Today on the way home from work I counted five Bush/Cheney signs that had been defaced: two sprayed over with black paint, one with the word "DESERTER" on it, one with the phrase "MUST GO" on it, and one that had a red circle with diagonal slash through it spray-painted over the sign, and a Kerry/Edwards sign planted right alongside and somewhat in front of the original Bush/Cheney sign.
I'm starting to really, really, REALLY hate these people.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 0:19 Comments ||
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Dave D. It's a national campaign. Vandalize all Bush capaign signs & bumperstickers. Get goons to invade offices.
#4
And what exactly do these f**ks think that they will win? I suppose that they think that everyone will forgive, forget, and rally behind President Kerry. No chance in hell of that. If they think that people will sit back and let them loot the treasury and ignore the laws of the US like the Clinton years they are sadly mistaken. I may be wrong, but it feels like the wheels will come off the wagon if Kerry and his traveling freak show try and take over the government.
Posted by: Random thoughts ||
10/09/2004 4:23 Comments ||
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#8
I assume that's what's being done right now by the owners of the property & signs.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/09/2004 16:26 Comments ||
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#9
well, I did add a baseball bat to the crew cab of my W-stickered F150...
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 16:37 Comments ||
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#10
Time to require a thumbprint next the signature on the register when we go in to vote. Think how much fun the FBI computers will have matching those up -- both between polling places and with their cold case files.
Democrats' hopes of retaining a Senate seat in Georgia are fading fast and such a loss could deal a fatal blow to the party's chances of regaining control of the Senate.
Which I hope are pretty thin to start with...
In the battle for the seat being vacated by a retiring Zell Miller, a Republican congressman appears headed for an easy victory over a relatively unknown opponent. Polls in the traditionally conservative state put Johnny Isakson, a three-term Republican congressman, ahead of Democratic challenger Denise Majette by as many as 15 percentage points. "Isakson is much better known because of his long history of political service and involvement in the business community whereas Majette is pretty much a new person," said Sam Massell, an ex-Atlanta mayor and head of the Buckhead Coalition business group. "He's clearly got an advantage," said Massell.
I find that pretty surprising in itself...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the state's largest and most influential newspaper, has endorsed Isakson to replace Miller, the conservative Democrat who gave a fiery speech in support of President Bush at the Republican convention this summer. A Republican win in Georgia would make it more difficult for Democrats to regain control of the Senate, where the Republicans holds a 51-48 majority with one independent who votes with the Democrats.
We should honor Denise Majette for knocking off Cynthia McKinney in 2002. Too bad she got stars in her eyes and tried to make the big jump way-y-y-y too early in her political career. Plus, now McKinney's back.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 11:52:00 PM ||
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We should honor Denise Majette for knocking off Cynthia McKinney in 2002.
Hardly SW, it was the JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!
Posted by: Daddy M ||
10/09/2004 7:49 Comments ||
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DM. Zell Miller is a good guy. However, he is a Democrat that is a Republican in spirit. You probably saw him at the Republican Convention saying good things.
Gotta go watch the dawgs play the VOLS. Go VOLS. (Vols were named Volunteers when volunteer soldiers from Tennessee went to fight under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans. Less often we are called Benders, Butternuts (from the Civil War tan color uniform). We were also known as the "hog and hominy state."
Missouri, considered a battleground state earlier this year, has become a second-tier priority for Sen. John Kerry, who canceled his television commercials here last month and has made only two visits since the Democratic convention in July. No presidential victor - with the lone exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 - has won the White House in the last century without carrying Missouri. But with President Bush leading in polls here, the Kerry campaign made a decisive shift in strategy. "The last time a Democrat won the White House without winning Missouri was 1824," said Paul Sloca, the Missouri GOP's communications director. "I think John Kerry is resigned to the fact that Missourians aren't being duped by his tax increase and lack of direction on defense message."
Missouri Republicans have worked overtime to convince voters that Kerry simply isn't interested in the state's 11 electoral votes. Sloca said he could recall only one time this year when Kerry visited. In fact, Kerry has made others trips, including ones in August and September. But the lack of television ads - neither Kerry nor the Democratic National Committee is currently running any - has dramatically changed the state's political significance, said Joel Rivlin, deputy director of the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project. "Missouri's just not the priority it was earlier in the year," said Rivlin, whose group bases its findings on advertising data compiled by Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Much of the money that could be spent in Missouri, Rivlin said, has ended up in Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin and swing states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Massachusetts senator returned to Missouri on Thursday to prepare for tonight's debate with Bush at Washington University in St. Louis, one of the metropolitan areas where Kerry enjoys more support than the president. Winning those urban areas is crucial to Kerry's chances, said Robert Salisbury, a professor emeritus at Washington University. He said there might be more reason to devote campaign cash to volunteers rather than commercials to spur voters there to the polls. Democrats, meanwhile, resent claims that Kerry has ceded the state. Even though no ads are airing on television, the DNC continues to pay for a number of radio spots. "There has been a continuous shipment of staff and resources into the state as well as a ton of surrogate travel here," said Christine Glunz, the DNC's communications director in Missouri. "This is one of the most aggressive field operations in the country." Glunz said there are 23 field offices up and running, which is more than triple the number the Democrats had here in 2000.
I'm sure they're combing the cemetaries right now, registering everyone in sight...
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2004 11:59:12 PM ||
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Or Kerry see's no reason to campaign if the fraud fix is in. John Ashcroft was defeated in his Senate race because of massive voter fraud out of St. Louis. The circus in Florida at the same time gave the media the rationale to ignor the box stuffing then.
Posted by: Don ||
10/09/2004 9:22 Comments ||
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he's pulled from Mo. and Va. because his internal polls show it's a lost cause in those states. He's moving the staff to PA/Wi/Oh
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2004 9:47 Comments ||
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Gamble with History? Forget it!
Call Me and I'll take care of History just like I took care of Mr. D.
Posted by: B Fischer ||
10/09/2004 11:52 Comments ||
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From Compass Direct
Concern is growing among Iran's evangelical community for the safety of a pastor arrested four weeks ago by the Iranian security police. Iranian authorities have refused to give any reason for the arrest and prolonged detention of Hamid Pourmand, 47, a lay pastor in the Assemblies of God Church. No one has been allowed contact with Pourmand since September 9, when he was arrested along with 85 other evangelical church leaders. However, Compass confirmed today that Pourmand, who is a colonel in the Iranian army, was allowed one very short telephone call to his wife last week. Without saying where he was or giving any other details, he simply told her that he was all right.
#2
This means more and more have their eyes opend to the evils of the ruling fanatics and will gladly fight them with our assistance....which is coming after the election after the nuke weapons plant is removed by Israel.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 1:01 Comments ||
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Faster please.
After the coalition of the nations with swinging nutz between their legs of the willing takes the Persian mullah fascist man-boy-goat-nutz-lickin' lovers down, (check the origins of the current political name of the region formally known as Persia, Iran), then we can rest in peace that our sons and daughters are safe from the perverts of Alan, p.o.s. be upon him.
The former presidential candidate, Jon bon sKerry, can find work as a human shield after his monumental defeat. Fill his pockets full of nuke fuel, strap Danny boyee Rather between his legs, and let him spin on out of the universe. Heck, let him wear a helmet a drive a tank over like a true blue MA demo-rat.
After the first debate, my 14 year old, totally non-political daughter said it all: Is Kerry gay?
#5
69,018,924 Iranians est 2004. 50 conversions/day. 1,380,378 days. 3782 years. Doesn't seem worth the effort. I'll check in routinely to see how this project is going.
Posted a post yesterday. Remember firearms and alcohol don't mix. Blogging and alcohol probably don't mix. Maybe some of you have had a better experience. One says all kinds of outrageous shit. Yesterday in my rantings, I said I wouldn't mind the desert lands being turned into a glass parking lot. All of a sudden I could not get back on Rantburg. Almost panicked. Thought I got booted off for stepping over the line. I think I am getting a little paranoid spending so much time on the site. Turns out the site was down for a couple of hours.
#8
tw. I thought my projections were too simplistic. When I started to think too much about it, it became mind-boggling. 28% of the population is 0-14 yrs, 67.2% is 15-64 years, and 4.8% >65 yrs. Probably some kind of differential equation birth-death model. I was feeling a little lazy today.
Posted by: John QC ||
10/09/2004 23:47 Comments ||
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Let's see. The school system spends $8000-10000 of tax money per year on each student and they want to risk pissing off parents and taxpayers for $10 worth of school supplies?
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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UM? Huh? Where in the heck is this located? I have never heard of such. I guess lefty California doesn't do this and My family scattered around the country never has commented on any such "redistrbution" of personal school supplies.
I think this guy is raisig hell for something that must be a really local (and totally looney) event. Anyone else have to put up with this crap and where are you if you do?
Posted by: Sock Puppet on the Road (to Doom) ||
10/09/2004 17:43 Comments ||
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I've heard of this happening too. Basically the idea is, at least where I'm from, that everyone brings in the required supplies, which are then stored in a communal location and doled out to students as needed. So you don't get your own supplies. I know this happens on a limited basis at the school where my mom teaches (a high school).
#5
God help them if they'd tried this shit with my mother.
We didn't have much money, but Mama managed to get what supplies we needed (though not nearly everything we wanted). She would have figured everyone else could do the same.
We gave to charity, and believed in helping out others less fortunate, but it was OUR choice, not the school's choice.
Of course, it helped that we lived in a small town. Very few people in town would have put up with this shit, though plenty of people (including my family) would have been happy to donate to help someone who really needed it.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/09/2004 22:48 Comments ||
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Hawaii's gasoline prices, the highest in the nation, are now even a little bit higher . The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in the islands hit a record $2.37 Friday, well above the national average of $1.954, according to AAA. Maui motorists paid the most at the pump, an average of $2.649 per gallon. California had the second highest gas prices in the nation at $2.28 per gallon, followed by Nevada ($2.173), Alaska ($2.106) and Oregon ($2.079).
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/09/2004 4:15:23 AM ||
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That still doesn't beat the Oklahoma record of $2.78 a gallon in 1981 just before the oil bubble burst.
#4
Aviation gasoline last week in Fairbanks was $3.75/gal. The highest I paid this summer was $6.00/gallon in Bettles, by Gates of the Arctic Nat'l Park, but I was on business. They have to fly in fuel by tanker 'cause they have no roads.
So there is some trivia for ye.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/09/2004 14:17 Comments ||
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$3.75 a gallon? Hell, that's more expensive that spring water! Who do I bitch to?
#6
'They' said that the American Consumer would tolerate gas prices to about $5 a gallon! With our heads in the sand over this right now, we haven't reached the 'pucker factor' yet. At that time, I guess we'll go postal and implement a "Boston Tea Party" in the nation!
#7
Shipman: who do we bitch to? Well, start with the idiots who designed suburbia without sidewalks and no grid, and a three mile drive to the nearest grocery store. Give a piece of your mind to the ninnies and NIMBYs who build condos within 15 feet of an active railroad line and scream when the state talks about building a rail corridor to improve intercity travel. Then there are the SUV bullies who just about climb up your tailpipe and nearly flip your minivan over with their afterblast; they gobble up twice as much gas as my husband's dinosaur Aerostar does, as he drives 5 miles to the nearest park-and-ride. Try waiting for a bus along the main traffic arteries; you can't breathe from gas fumes. We're a nation of wastrels who didn't learn anything from the Arab Oil Embargo 30 years ago.
I grew up near Chicago, and I miss the El and the suburban bus system, the one Chicago amenity my beautiful city up north lacks (besides the museum corridor on the lakefront--nobody can copy that). I was riding the El to Wrigley and Grant Park and the Loop, where I'd meet my mom after work, when I was 13. The bus lines in my neatly laid out grid suburb were very efficient. A good commuter rail system, or at least a bus from the suburbs to the bus hub, would make a real difference in gas consumption and quality of life. But where I live, anybody who suggests light rail is written off as a dreamy-eyed liberal.
I'm sure a number of Chicagoans reading this will come back with horror stories of the bad old days of Milton Pikarsky and other incompetent First Daley Regime hacks, or some more recent headaches that have happened since I left the Chica-glow for a place where I can actually see the stars at night. But frankly, the beter we plan public transportation so that people can actually use it, the better off we'd all be.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Two men who tore down a Bush-Cheney sign and urinated on it were caught on videotape by Summit County Republican officials early Friday morning. The videotape shows the men sneaking into the yard of a West Market Street home and bending the sign to the ground. The men struggled to rip the sign out of the ground by shaking it and pulling it but couldn't get it off the posts, so they knocked it down. Sounds heard on the tape suggest the men urinated on the sign. They were white males, about 30 to 35 years old, well-dressed and well-groomed. They parked across the street in what police think was a foreign car, a Toyota or Honda. The homeowner, Steve Kotsatos, who is also assistant to the director of the Summit County Board of Elections, called Akron police dispatchers at 10:38 a.m. Friday and told them about how his campaign sign was vandalized. He said he caught the vandals on a night-vision camera he had installed the day before.
Billionaire 
