This just in, via ABC...

"Two days ago, Kerry stirred controversy when he told a group of California students that individuals who don't study hard and do their homework would likely "get stuck in Iraq." Several 3x5 cards said to have Kerry's handwriting have been discovered in the trash close to the podium from which he spoke. They may prove the senator had mistakenly dropped a key phrase from his prepared remarks, which were originally written to say "get stuck being president." In that context, they said, it was clear Kerry was referring to Bush, not to the troops."




(yeah, you wish...)

Logic follows that a safe is only as secure as the confidentiality of its combination.

As long as the safe's combination is only known by a few, the safe is still functional.

If the combination is given to everyone, the safe is no longer a "safe" and is therefore rendered invalid and useless.

A new safe must be found.




Recently i wrote a post called "How to stop voting machines (for reals)". You don't have to read it, as i am going to restate most of it again but hopefully in a more coherent way. (here it is anyway...)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

It was based on this article that was posted on the DU homepage about a democratic legislator that received discs in the mail anonymously that could be used to hack into a Diebold machine. Suddenly ABC was reporting that the elections might be skewed. That's all it took for this article... one politician receiving a disc. (this is important to remember)
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/Technology/s...

A week ago i was reading Harper's Index and I came across this statistic: "Minutes it took a Princeton researcher to hack into a Diebold voting machine in September: 1"

Now, what occured to me was that the reason voting box hacking has been successful is that only the people doing the hacking have the combination. In other words, a thief never wants his methods to be discovered, as then they can be blocked. This administration doesn't want people to have the combination to the safe --not because people would use it to do "bad" things-- but because it will render their system of corruption useless.

Solution: Give everyone the combination.

If everyone has access to the combination, whether or not it is ever used to hack anything, it renders the system obsolete. I repeat, no hacking will ever have to be done. Case in point: the attention given to just one ex democratic legislator who received the discs with the combination.

Let's say EVERY politician, on both sides of the line was sent discs with the combination... and then every voter... stacks available at polling stations. Imagine the possibilities -- imagine the outcome. How could any result from any machine ever be considered accurate? How could a government in their right mind continue to use this system? And how could a people support said government?

FAQs (well not yet, but im assuming...):

•Isn't that information already on the internet?
Yes, in different locations you can see videos of people doing it. And there are what looks like several techniques. However, there are direct ways... codes... that can be used as well. Get the codes. It must also be noted that even though it is on the internet, people are still brutally unaware. It is our job to distribute the information.

Our only technique in fighting voting machines has been to point at the problem and scream about it. Letters to politicians, protests, etc. To no virtually no effect. We need to take a page out of Karl's playbook: to solve a problem, just create a bigger problem.

Imagine this information being spread around like Paris Hilton's sex video, and there you have it.

•So how do you plan on getting the codes?
How does anyone get a CD before it is released... it's out there. With a simple google search i found the researcher at Princeton who hacked the machines in September. His name is Edward Felten. I encourage you to watch his demo, and read his paper and perhaps even write him an email.
http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting /
Again, it's out there. And i know we have some pretty ingenious people here at DU who know how to get things...

•Is this illegal?
Honestly I have no idea. But i can't imagine getting arrested for more noble a cause. We are not trying to subvert democracy, we are trying to save it. And as we know, lives are on the line here. Not allowing people the information on voter box hacking is like withholding the evidence of how cigarettes can kill you. They still want you to smoke... They still want you to vote... they know full well that both are bad for your health.

To keep in mind: The reason there is hardly any talk, and even less action, against voting machines is that they continue to work just fine for half the population. We can kick and scream all we like, but until it could possibly effect everyone, nothing will be done.... When you are on the freeway, and an accident happens blocking traffic in the left two lanes, the right two lanes continue to flow --usually with the thought, "sucks to be them".

But if there is a chance that one of the cars in that accident might explode... no one tries to pass.

solidify its base....

THEN FUCK YOU.





If the sole thing that gets your blood roiled up enough to vote --during a time of war, depressed economy, and global decay-- happens to be whether or not two people who are in love can marry AND/OR whether or not a decent person should be treated like a slave...

THEN FUCK YOU.



YOU hate america.

and YOU are "godless".



"Illegals"...."beaners".... "queers" .... "fags"... THIS IS AMERICA. These are the people in your neighborhood. There is not a YOU that makes up America and then everybody else. THIS IS AMERICA. And everyone in it, here for whatever fucking reason and living however they are for however long-- greencard or not,


IS


AN


AMERICAN.





(this rant is from a pissed off san diegan to all the republicans who voted Billbray yesterday... and all the rest.)

(you know, whilst yer lounging...)

I'm working on a project that i need images for. You don't have to provide me with the images, but you can tell me and i can go look for them.

I am looking for images that were widespread but that people didn't see much of. (particularly the 70%, MSM watching crowd).

In other words, what sticks out in your head as the big images/memories of the last 5 years, that aren't the more obvious ones. Like, not the towers getting hit, but the next tier down. So far i have

the prisoners sensory deprived at Guantanamo,
the man stuck out on that van in Katrina,
Bush giving out the "Medal of Freedom" to Tenet, Franks, and that other little fatty,
and the flightsuit....

i need more.

please post them or remind me of them.... whatever comes to mind....

THANKS!!!!!

Here i was... chillin... and it hit me. I feel good. Why? Well, I'll tell you...
In the last week, we have seen:

Rush Limbaugh get arrested.
Stephen Colbert deliver a bitch slap to DC with power of almighty zeus... to his face.
Ray McGovern dismantle Donald Rumsfeld... in public.
Juan Cole give Hitchens a sobering dose of reality.
Three days of massive beautiful protest all over the country.
Karl Rove squirm in the hotseat even more.
Porter Goss step down from his brief (iddy biddy) stint as head of the CIA.
Prostitution scandals abound.
And let's not forget the ever sinking poll numbers.
and, in case you already forgot... Rush Limbaugh, arrested.

Yeah, there's lots to do. And yeah, its hard to feel good about a lot of this when most of it revolves around the fact that we are in such a fuct state. But we're getting there...

And so tonight i say, DAMN it feels good to be a gangsta...


Keep rocking DU.

a pop quiz...



1. Which of these people is stealing your money?

2. Which of these people plots everyday on how to take even more of your money?

3. Which of these people follows more closely the original ideals of what it meant to be an american?

4. Which of these people gave more to the economy than they took for themselves?

5. Which of these people is responsible for americans losing their job? (i know that one will be tricky for a lot of you, but dig deep)

6. Which of these people made 1000$ while you took this quiz?

7. Which of these people actually work for a living?

8. Which of these people does dirty work?

9. Which of these people does YOUR dirty work?



BONUS QUESTION: Which of these people is most likely smuggling Immigrants in their chin?

don't you get it?

the immigrants are not here to steal your job or your money. It's not like they were sitting at home, plotting on a way to come over and take over your economy. Most live in poverty, and they saw an opportunity to change that... an opportunity they were willing to risk their lives for in some cases. you can't blame them for the situation that creates this. Scratch that, you can, but WHY WOULD YOU?

There are so many things to fight here, but the migrant workers are not one.

Start with Loving Thy Neighbor. Remembering that we are liberal, and as such we start with the will to nurture one's own or anothers spiritual growth. We seek out ways to help the weakest link, because we know we are only that strong.

Then go after the CEOs that are perpetuating this cycle.

ALSO: Keep in mind that NONE of us would be talking about this if the immigrants themselves didn't bring it up. This should serve as a clue. When the fatcat CEO is watching the money roll in not saying a thing...

COME ON PEOPLE....... how can we honestly fall for this sleight of hand again and again?

the San Diego/Tijuana border, May 1, 2006
















































i am learning at these marches that there is always a "flood moment". Where the adrenaline and emotion collide, and my eyes want to explode with tears. In DC it was the blind man. This time there was a moment passing a McDonald's overlooking the route. This woman (above) who worked the drive-thru had left her post to come and look at all the people passing by. She was clapping along and smiling. The group of women next to me waved and yelled to her, "We love you... Stay strong!" She covered her mouth with her hands and looked as if she would cry right there. That was my "flood moment" this time.

when my neighbor and i got home after a long day of marching, i was embarrassed to see the gardner hard at work on my lawn! (i rent... my landlord hires him, for which i am very thankful, because he is great at his job) My friend was like, "o jeez, what are you going to do?" I said i didn't know, and that i honestly didn't think he would come today so i never said anything. I had just assumed. I felt bad if he thought he had to work on account of me not saying anything.

We have a growing friendship, the gardner and I. I know he is working here to send money to his family in Mexico, we have talked all about it. I went straight to him and i asked him why he was working today, and told him i didn't expect him here. he laughed, and then he asked if i was serious. I said of course i am and i told him i had just come from the protest. i asked again why he came and he said he "didn't feel the same as the people today."

I asked him why and he said with a very straight face, "i feel that if they have the energy to protest here, they should have the energy to protest our own government in our own country." He continued, "i came here to work and send my family money so that we can have a good home and a good life, so that is what i will do. I don't need to make that harder on myself."

So there that is... just when ya think you know everything.

What i learned today is that this issue tears through all that is black and white. There is not a single person out there that has all their limbs in one camp. Sure this is right and that's wrong, but so it this and so is that.... I still can't tell anyone where to stand on this.

What i do know:

The only two things we need to discuss right now to solve this problem is how we can better Love Thy Neighbor, and why today's CEOs get paid in one week what most in this country do all year.

Sikorsky Aircraft makes the Black Hawk helicopter. The CEO is George David ( i was always a bit freaked out by people with two first names). in 2005 George David made 58 million dollars. Yes, over a million dollars a week.

over $25,000 an hour.

near $500 a minute.

Over 5000 times the annual pay of a minimum wage worker.

He has an apartment in Manhattan with 9 bathrooms.

In 2004 he was paid 88 million.

for the past month, the 3600 workers at his company went on strike because David demanded they pay twice as much on their health care co-pays.

it would have cost him 31 cents per hour to keep the worker health benefits whole.

the workers lost.

and that is the USA today. good times...

First off... how much money does a man need to make this life comfortable enough to live in? I mean really Mr. David, is this cushy enough for you yet?

Second... Do you really think that men who get paid this much money won't falsify evidence to go to war so they bankrupt a surplus and give it all to their friends? Won't steal two elections by whatever means necessary? Won't use tactical nuclear weapons on Iran? Won't let a city flood so they can make money off the reconstruction? Won't kill their own soldier/NFL football hero who would have come home and protested the war? And finally... Won't sacrifice the lives of 3,000 people by crashing planes into two towers in order to get EVERYTHING THEY EVER WANTED?

I'm irrational right? Has it come to that? I'm irrational and war is rational. George David's paycheck is rational. American Taxpayers paying 5 Billion last year in defense contracts to murder innocent people while they don't have enough money for health insurance...

rational.

George David made over 1000 dollars while you read this post.




www.nonprophetart.blogspot.com

let's say our country came under a attack, just hypothetically (and not that i believe it would happen this way) but kinda like we did to Iraq. Someone attacks us trying to remove our government from power. They are killing our civilians daily and torturing innocent people we know, bombing the places we love and marching down the street.... don't forget the occasional accidental daisy cutter on the wedding party "mishap"... Anyway, but the attacking countries all say they are doing it for us. To give our democracy back to us... to liberate us... to remove an evil dictator who manufactures weapons of mass destruction and supports terrorists... to bring us back to stong nation we once were before this evil administration took over.... But then you also know that the attacking country has some major problems of its own, and you aren't sure of their intentions..........

My question is:

What do you do? Which side do you join up with?

(AND NO LEAVING TOWN BTW... let's say there's checkposts curfews at every step of the way so you can't get out....)


(Some initial thoughts: The "insurgency's" more ardent members would have to be Bush loyalists and old military democrat and republican, followed by most of the right wing. And then followed by people like me who don't want to see the people i love killed. But then i also would want him removed, because at this point he is a world threat, a liar, a murderer, and a theif. One of the conclusions by playing this out is that we can surely see that a civil war would be inevitable, with those of us wanting him out and the violence to end, and those that believe he is worth protecting or that don't want the attacking countries taking over our government and killing our people.)

Dear DUers,

Two years ago my girlfriend began a simple memorial to US soldiers that had lost their lives in Iraq. We had no idea at the time that it would turn into a vital part of our city. I have come to you as a member of this community to share a story and ask for your help. Please read and enjoy, and help if you can or see fit...

We are artists living in the military town of Oceanside, CA next to Camp Pendleton, one of the biggest military bases in the country. After 9-11 and through the start of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, military towns like oceanside begin to live under a dark cloud. We listen to the practice runs as bombs beat the drums of war, and then we watch and feel our city empty. The soldiers ship out. The sad statistics return (Camp Pendleton last i checked had suffered more casualites in Iraq than any other base). Small businesses shut down. New, fresh faced recruits meander about town, as do the longing spouses of soldiers abroad. Everything is a gnawing reminder that something is wrong.

A local gas station went out of business soon after 9-11. It closed so fast that even the 9-11 Remembrance signs were left on the pumps. A chain link fence was put around it to mark its death, the first casualty of many to follow. My girlfriend and i walked past it everyday on our walk to the water. One day she mentioned to me that we should decorate that fence to spruce up this eyesore in our town. We began to collaborate and dig deeper into what we felt the community really needed.

We were angry about the war, and in what started as an act of protest, we came up with a way to make a statement. Here, around this dead gas station, we would attach dog tags of all the dead soldiers. We found mail order "write-on" tags that are used for cattle that are made of thin metal and can be embossed easily. We took to typing out all the names and the date they were killed. At the time there were only around 400.









Soon the names became too many, and we had to start handwriting them. We would go in "night missions" at around 2AM and begin hanging the names with zip ties while watching for police cars. We had no idea if it was illegal, but we didn't want to be seen.

Over the next few months this thing we had started grew beyond our initial vision. Our "act of protest" was not recieved as such. People attached flowers. And then signs and flags. And more flowers and signs and flags. (the photos i have attached are from the very beginning before the community response). Until the fence was covered. Weather would come and the flowers would die and the flags would shred and it would all start again. It became obvious that Oceanside just wanted to mourn.

We realized quickly, that this was no protest, it was a memorial. We had already decided to remain anonymous at all costs, and still have, figuring that no one should know what kind of person did this. And we have not done anything else to the fence but attach more names. It has received lots of press from newspapers and even KTLA news. Funny note: we just happened to be walking past the reporter as he was doing a piece on it, and he interviewed us without knowing that we were the ones responsible!

We had many interactions regarding the fence, but the greatest moment came when we were out late one night in the cold trying to get the names up as fast as possible. We were already grumbly that we had to be doing this right now (as any artist will tell you, art is NOT always what you want to be doing). As we worked, a huge noisy semi came rolling in behind us to the intersection (the gas station is at a main intersection in Oceanside...PCH and Cassidy). I thought it was going to move on but the noise just continued. I turned around and could see the driver waving us up and yelling. I walked over and hoisted myself up to his window.

"Thank you so much for doing this," he said. "My boy, my only boy, he's 18 and he is over there now. I never get to talk to him and he doesn't know when he is coming home." He was starting to tear up as he showed me the crude computer print out of his son's photo on the dash. He repeated himself and his thanks and i told him i will pray for him and returned the thanks. I stepped down and my grilfriend and I held each other in tears. I still get choked up when i think about it, and it always serves to remind me of why i am an artist.

So now you are wondering where the help part comes in... I'm sorry to have made that so long, i didn't mean to go on so much! Well, the new part of this story is that in what i guess might be the perfect twist, i have lost my job thanks to this bullshit economy and i'm having trouble finding a new one. My girlfriend also is not working since she is a full time student now. We are 900 names behind (and sadly, growing) and the tags are expensive at around 50 cents a tag. I have funded this operation until now with my own money, but i can't afford to anymore, at least for awhile.

I'm not asking for tons. A buck sponsors a couple names... So if you have a PayPal account, and would like to donate to this cause you can go to your account and log in and click on the send money tab. All you do is enter the amount and my email address (slybacon9@cox.net )

I promise you I am legit. The only way i can think to prove that to you is say that i was responsible for the photo essay post "This is what democracy looks like" that included the photo of the blind man below. That post received nearly 200 recommendation votes, one of the most i can remember.



Please note that i am humbled to have to do this already. I don't need to be accused of anything, or have this project critiqued. I am vulnerably putting myself out here, so please be respectful. If you want to participate please do and i thank you in advance with both hands cupped around yours. If not, no worries and thanks for reading anyway...

With love,
G

Washington DC. September 24, 2005

Democracy is a sea of voices




Some older


some newer


some reminiscent

some that foreshadow

democracy reminds

and democracy is accountable

democracy is witty

and to the point

biting

and gentle

colorful


and black and white

Democracy is fueled by the passionate youth

and carried on the back of experience

Democracy is an army of one

driven crazy by the truth (the liberal moran?)

and sometimes it's about admitting your mistakes (why can't republicans spell?)

and for some, democracy is scary

It is friends old and new


and family


but really... democracy is this man.

this blind gentleman who marched by himself. hundreds of thousands of people and he with his cane waving his blue flag. I only met him because he heard me tell my mom i was tired and he wanted to know where he could sit and rest. She led him over to the curb. He will forever be my inspiration... whenever i feel like any of this is futile, i will remember him.