And now, idiocy from the other side.
please don't let meathead be the candidate. PLEASE.
For the curious? Yes, I'd rather have an enforcement druid in office. |
from ./, posted by an AC:
"THINGS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE TO BE REPUBLICAN TODAY (Score:3, Insightful)
by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 19, @03:20PM (#10868020)
A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense.
A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is
solid defense policy.
Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy
made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad
guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.
Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade
with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.
A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but
multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind
without regulation.
Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary
Clinton.
The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in
speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health
care to all Americans is socialism.
HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at
heart.
Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but
creationism should be taught in schools.
Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution,
which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.
Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a
conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers
for your recovery."
Sweetness and light! |
So.
read me.
Done? good.
React at will; I find the analysis well done. It being berkeley, I'm sure it will get discounted, without an accurate debunking.Current Mood:  amused Current Music: The Cure - alt.end |
articles on
- the current voting debacle
- Nader being the voice in the wilderness, which of course will make the cries of foul easier to discount
- and a possible way out of all this.
And, really, what makes Bush a better choice than Kerry? They're both Skull and Bones, both rich, both religious... I would say the primary point against Kerry is that he protested his own actions in Vietnam. The points against Bush are stronger, to me. More useless post-electoral quibbling? No, I'm ready to change my mind, if I can understand why people would back "W".
In several regards, it makes sense, but I don't want to believe the American public chose to vote a man into office to
- stop gay marriage
- continue to erode environmental protections
- promote big business
- promote a stricter "Christian" morality on TV/radio programming
- continue the war against iraq in the same way it's been run already, complete with torture, no-bid contracts handed to 'favored' companies, etc.
- reduce our children's educational programs
- back out of campaign promises (expected of both parties, but proven in Bush's case.)
- continue the erosion of america's economy and working class, in favor of higher profits for business and land owners.
- continued expansion of governmental power, including the support for the removal of the fourth amendment via the USA PATRIOT act.
I honestly don't care about gay marriage. It seems stupid to go to the trouble of banning it; but I don't care. Obviously, I'm not affected by it directly.
The 'relaxation' of pollution standards by the Clear Skies Act and several others affects me; and my potential children, as does the non-funding of our public schools made possible by the "No Child Left Behind Act".
Foreign policy affects me in a semi-direct way, with my in-laws living in Canada, and my traveling plans severely curtailed by increased worldwide terrorist activity.
Gun control: not particularly for or against it. Again, no direct effect, especially given that I can't see an armed militia making a dent in the armed forces even WITH full weapons. Also, the 2nd Amendment says that 'congress shall make no law' regarding the banning of weapons, so how much more clear does that need to be?
I'm fond of the Constitution, and the bill of rights. I was raised to respect them, and I feel I understand the spirit in which they were written. Therefore, I consider the USA Patriot act's subversion of constitutional amendments in the name of national security reprehensible.
Being a non-business-owner, I am for worker's rights. I feel that supporting the lower-income people (who are far more numerous than the high-income people) results in more staple items being bought, and a stronger base for our economy. Screwing them over to make sure that someone can buy a gold-plated shark tank seems inherently wrong, but very Reagan-era.
I'm not a capital-C christian. I don't want to be. I feel the point where faith dominates your logical mind is the same point where it becomes 'just dandy' to kill people for believing differently than you do. Also, the people promoting the ten commandments should try to live by the WHOLE bible, not just the good parts. Remember to exterminate your enemies down to the last infant, save the virgin daughters. And how about killing well-poisoners? Oops, king james changed that to 'witches', I forgot.
The war in Iraq: well. nothing to do with terrorism initially, in fact it helped us ignore that Bush forgot to go find Osama Bin Laden. Not for reducing oil prices either, for those people who tell me that that's what I must mean when I say it was about 'controlling oil', and 'revenge for daddy'. The oil companies have no incentive to reduce at-pump gas prices for the masses. It would reduce their profits, seeing as we have already proven we'll pay any price to be able to drive to the mall.
Please, point out what I'm missing about Bush that makes him the good choice. Kerry was against gay marriage also, to forestall anyone trying to tell me otherwise.
If my 'conspiracy theory' about the election is wrong, there must be at least 40% of the voters out there that had solid reasons *for* Bush (judging by poll numbers showing that 80% of Bush voters voted "for" Bush rather than "against" Kerry.). |
Look here: The problems with electronic voting machines.
Non crackpotty, and very accurate.
Enjoy. |
| » The terminology here rules. |
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British Soldiers have Lesbian Sex Show Romp Thing in southern Iraq, and the british complain... oh, link is not work-safe. Bless the british press.
The photo captions are priceless, as well as being able to show breasts, but not faces. Let's hear it for the british! Which definition of sodomy does this unit run by, anyhow?
Nov. 8th, 2004 @ 03:25 pm
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| » whee! |
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From... USA today:
"In many cases, voters said they intended to select John Kerry but when the computer asked them to verify the choice it showed them instead opting for President Bush, the group said."
More than 1000 trouble reports, some inconsequential, some not. My conspiracy theory really only requires two brother-owned companies, and a few GEMS tabulators that have access to two-digit codes. It's not as farfetched as it should be.
Nov. 6th, 2004 @ 12:19 pm
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| » and now, amusements. |
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From www.ohio.com:
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A computer error with a voting machine cartridge gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in a Gahanna precinct.
Franklin County's unofficial results gave Bush 4,258 votes to Democratic challenger John Kerry's 260 votes in Precinct 1B. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.
Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said Bush received 365 votes there. The other 13 voters who cast ballots either voted for other candidates or did not vote for president.
Wow, what an amazing coincidence. This, of course, is exactly the sort of error that the Diebold machines have made famous in previous elections, in Georgia, and other states.
Wonder how many other precincts had errors of this nature that weren't caught?
Nov. 5th, 2004 @ 10:34 am
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| » today is sunny and nice |
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Bush has taken Kerry's concession.
BBV is so cute when they think that they can audit information they should have free access to, considering that most of it won't exist.
Oh, and the PATRIOT act amuses me.
quoting SG1 Archive:
Federal Charges Filed Against SG-1 Archive
Posted: Mar 31 2004, 12:46 AM, By: HurricaneMB
Federal charges were filed against Adam McGaughey, creator of the popular SG1Archive.com website - a fan website devoted to the MGM-owned television show Stargate SG-1. The charges allege that the website engaged in Criminal Copyright Infringement and Trafficking in Counterfeit Services. The charges were the culmination of a three-year FBI investigation, set in motion by a complaint from the Motion Picture Association (MPAA) regarding the content of the SG1Archive.com website.
SG1Archive.com is one of the most popular fan-run websites among the Stargate community. In addition to providing very active fan discussion forums, broadcast schedules, production news, and episode guides, the site heavily promotes the sale of the show on DVD. As of this writing, direct links from SG1Archive.com to Amazon.com have resulted in the sale of over $100,000 worth of DVDs. Many more DVDs have been sold to international fans of the show through sites like Blackstar.co.uk. Upon hearing this news, Stargate executive producer Brad Wright called the site "cool" - which Adam took as an endorsement of his work.
However, instead of thanking Adam for his promotion of their product, officials at MGM and the MPAA have chosen to pressure the FBI into pursuing criminal charges. Adam was first tipped off about the investigation when the FBI raided his and his fiancee's apartment in May of 2002 and seized thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment. Adam later received a copy of the affidavit filed in support of the search warrant, and was shocked to discover that this document, prepared by the FBI, contained significant amounts of erroneous and misleading information. For example, two social security numbers were listed for Adam, one of which is not his. References were made to a cease and desist letter sent by the MPAA to an email address that did not exist. His online friendship with other Stargate fans across the globe was portrayed as an international conspiracy against the MPAA. And perhaps most disturbing of all, it was later revealed that the FBI invoked a provision of the USA Patriot Act to obtain financial records from his ISP. The FBI's abuse of its powers did not stop there. When they seized Adam's computer equipment, he was given written documentation stating that it would be returned within 60 days. The equipment that they did return did not arrive until more than 8 months later, and only then after much prodding from his lawyer. Much of it was damaged beyond repair - one laptop had a shattered LCD screen, an empty tape backup drive was ripped apart for no apparent reason, his fiancee's iBook was badly damaged when it was pried apart with a screwdriver. The FBI's computer crimes staff is either incompetent (at least when it comes to Macintosh computer equipment) or else they just don't give a damn.
Adam has has received positive feedback about his site from multiple members of the Stargate cast and crew at fan conventions. In addition, a representative of MGM's fan publication interviewed Adam about his website several months prior to the FBI raid. As a result, Adam sincerely believed that the show's creators did not have a problem with the content of his website. Many other sites are currently serving content of questionable legality, without promoting the sale of DVDs or offering a community for fans to discuss the show. Why the MPAA and FBI have chosen to ignore these sites and target SG1Archive.com is unclear.
Up until this point, Adam has been fortunate enough to receive pro bono legal counsel in his current hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. However, the charges were filed in Los Angeles county. The cost of travel, trial, bond, etc. is likely to be quite high. Unfortnunately, Adam and his fiancee do not have the resources to pay for it all - he is a Macintosh repair technician at a chain computer store and she is a medical student. If you would like to contribute to the SG1Archive.com Legal Defense Fund, please make a paypal donation by clicking [ed.]this line[/ed.]. Thank you for your support!
We have witnessed the end of free and public elections in the United States. I feel strangely liberated, I can now go back to voting my conscience willy-nilly, with no concern that the results will be changed.
Happy day!
Nov. 3rd, 2004 @ 11:18 am
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| » Apparently, I confuse the shit out of polling software. |
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I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Bard Mage
Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.
Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.
Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.
Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.
Deity:
Hanali Cenanil is the Chaotic Good elven goddess of love, beauty, and art. She is also known as the Heart of Gold and Lady Goldheart. Her followers delight in creation and youth, and work to spread happiness, love, and beauty. Their preferred weapon is the dagger.
Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of NeppyMan (e-mail)
Nov. 1st, 2004 @ 08:16 am
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