Politics

I’m pretty strongly liberal — about as far left as one can go without falling into libertarianism. Posts collected under this tag will likely reflect that viewpoint.

Votergasm!

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Finally, a campaign I can get behind.

Um…so to speak.

Are you a Citizen, a Patriot — or an American Hero?

Citizen: I pledge to withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

Patriot: I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

American Hero: I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the next four years.

Disclaimers:

  • Pledge-fulfilling sex must be consensual, legal, and generous. And safe. And hot.
  • Acceptable sexual positions include, but are not limited to: missionary, doggy-style, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, leapfrog, butterfly, humpback whale, cling wrap, squashing of the deck chair, accordion, reverse piggy-back, advanced (“twin”) leapfrog. Male-male, female-female, group, and oral variations of these positions can also be used to satisfy the pledge.
  • Taking the pledge indicates a good-faith effort to abide by its provisions. Pledge-takers who have violated withholding provisions become effective non-voters, and are barred from sex with fellow pledge-takers.
  • Pledge-takers who fail to vote are forbidden from masturbating. (Exemption: pledge-takers who are not eligible to vote are encouraged to masturbate frequently.)
  • “Cybersex” does not satisfy the pledge, dorkwad.
  • Non-voters may render themselves eligible for sex with American Heroes by voting at least twice in local, primary, and/or 2006 congressional races. Those voting in only one such race qualify to perform, but not receive, oral sex on American Heroes.
  • Achievement of a Votergasm during election-night sex is probable, but not guaranteed. Those encountering difficulty reaching Votergasm are encouraged to slow things down, talk about it, and reduce the pressure. Other techniques include the use of massage oils, toys, “dirty talk,” “ballot stuffing,” and “exit polls.”
  • Per the U.S. Constitution, children conceived on election night are eligible for gigantic interest-free loans from the U.S. government, and special t-shirts.

(via Rick)

Guantanamo on the Hudson

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A first-hand account of being jailed for protesting (even though she wasn’t really protesting, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time) in New York during the RNC:

On Tuesday the 31st my friend Sarah and I were on our way home from vacation.  We were driving right through New York City and were listening to news on the radio about the protesters at the Republican National Convention.  We wanted to stop and bear witness to the protests.  We wanted to add two to their numbers, if only for a few moments, as we each had to be at work on Wednesday.  We drove to town, parked the car in a garage and rode the subway downtown.  We had heard that there was to be a rally in Union Square Park from 5-7pm.  It was published information and it never occurred to us that we would be participating in anything illegal.

[…]

Soon a line of police closed off the other intersection at Irving and 16th, trapping us on 16th St.  We didn’t get on the street, we didn’t climb onto anything to see what was happening, we didn’t yell, we didn’t attempt to run, we didn’t appear violent in any way.  There were probably 100 of us together there on the south side of 16th St, I think that the police had trapped other bubbles of people on the north side and farther up and down the sidewalk.  We saw the police roll out a yellow net, a mesh bolt of fabric that they unrolled and used to push us into a tight group.

[…]

Eventually the police pressed us tightly together into a group. And then they kept pressing…. People were shouting to the police: “Tell us what to do and we’ll do it” and instructing us to hold onto the individuals the police were grabbing: “Don’t let them take them away.”  I was on the perimeter of the group and I was scared that they would grab me next…. I was carrying a bag and yelled at Sarah to get her ID out and gave her some money, and someone else passed around a Sharpie and we wrote the number for the National Lawyers Guild on our arms.  This was when I really knew that we were in trouble, even though it had never occurred to me that I had done anything illegal.

[…]

The police were instructed to lie to us, to pacify us, to tell us that they would move us soon, “It will only be a little longer.” Some police were honest and said they didn’t know what was going on, while others took out their hostility on us, blaming us for “clogging the system” and lecturing us about how we deserved what we got.  There were instances of sexism and verbal abuse.  We were held in numerous cells and we were often reshuffled with people from other cells, a tactic I believe was purposeful to help discourage solidarity.

[…]

I was held for 14 hours in Pier 57, also called “Guantanamo on the Hudson,” a warehouse previously used by the MTA as an automobile garage.  The conditions were appalling.  There were numerous cages built out of wire fence and razor wire.  The concrete floor was filthy, covered with oil residue, soot and chemicals, there were in fact still signs posted around the facility warning of the chemicals.  People experienced rashes, chemical burns, asthma attacks and head to toe filth.  Some chose to stand or sit against the fence all night, but I was so exhausted I lay right on the ground and was caked and covered in filth.

[…]

Arriving at Central Booking we were again searched and I spent time in three cells before I was fingerprinted around 8pm.  I was held in two cells and in hallways finally arriving where I would spend the night around 11pm.  It was here that we were able to use the phone, or at least some of us were able to use the phone before the guards grew tired and refused to respond to any more phone requests.  There were about 27 of us in this cell.  Here we were given soap and toilet paper for the first time, and those women who were on their periods were given appropriate products.

[…]

Mug shots and waiting in various halls took two hours and then a new group of us were taken to another cell.  This time I waited over three hours before my name was called and I was transported to a new cell, this time to see an attorney.  From there it took another two hours until I stood in front of the judge and was released.  It was 8:30pm Thursday night, I had been put in handcuffs on the sidewalk of 16th St. at 7:30pm Tuesday night.

[…]

I believe that that the mass arrests were a tactic to discourage any protesting.  There are people who are full-time direct action activists, but when the level of commitment is raised from one afternoon of protesting to three days of work lost, people are likely to be scared away.  I know that I personally am unlikely to attend any protest that is not legally permitted and well organized.  At the same time I feel that my arrest and subsequent detaining have encouraged me to become even more aware of politics, my rights and any possible influence I might have over issues that concern me.  I plan to monitor non-mainstream news sources daily to stay alert and aware.

There’s much, much more to the full article than what I’ve excerpted here — go check it out.

Welcome to George Bush’s America, 2004.

When November rolls around — vote.

(via Mike)

[![iTunes]] “God is a DJ” by Faithless from the album Sunday 8 PM (1999, 8:01).

[iTunes]: http://images.apple.com/itunesaffiliates/logos/iTunes_sm_bdg61x15.png {width=”61″ height=”15″}

Two digits, thousands of votes

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Diebold’s voting machines scare me more and more every time I read about them. The latest bombshell? It’s not bad enough that the individual voting machines aren’t as secure as they should be, but the tabulation machines that tally all the votes from the individual machines can be manipulated by entering two digits.

Issue: Manipulation technique found in the Diebold central tabulator — 1,000 of these systems are in place, and they count up to two million votes at a time.

By entering a 2-digit code in a hidden location, a second set of votes is created. This set of votes can be changed, so that it no longer matches the correct votes. The voting system will then read the totals from the bogus vote set. It takes only seconds to change the votes, and to date not a single location in the U.S. has implemented security measures to fully mitigate the risks.

This program is not “stupidity” or sloppiness. It was designed and tested over a series of a dozen version adjustments.

[…]

The central tabulator is far more vulnerable than the touch screen terminals. Think about it: If you were going to tamper with an election, would you rather tamper with 4,500 individual voting machines, or with just one machine, the central tabulator which receives votes from all the machines? Of course, the central tabulator is the most desirable target.

With voting systems like this installed in key states, it’s frighteningly possible that it won’t matter who anybody votes for.

(via MeFi)

Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes on George W. Bush

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Atrios points to a that’s worth seeing — or if you can’t see it, the transcript is worth reading.

: http://69.59.167.160/ “Greater Democracy”

Josh Marshall reports that this is in fact Barnes in the video. The beginning and end show Barnes speaking at a rally, Marshall says this was recorded 6/8/04. The middle portion has Barnes seated, speaking as though in an interview.

Transcribed myself watching the video:

Speaking to an audience:

“Let’s talk a minute about John Kerry and George Bush, and I know them both. And I’m not name dropping, saying I know them both. See I got…I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was the Lt. Governor of Texas, and I’m not necessarily proud of that. (audience laughs) But, But I did it, and I got a lot of other people into the National Guard because I thought that’s what people should do when you’re in office and you helped a lot of rich people. And I walked to the Vietnam Memorial wall the other day and I looked at the names of the people that died in Vietnam, and I became more ashamed of myself than I’ve ever been because it’s the worst thing I did was help a lot of wealthy supporters, and a lot of people who had family names of importance get into the National Guard. And I’m very sorry about that, and I’m ashamed. And I apologize to you, the voters of Texas. (Applause)”

Cut to Interview:

“John Kerry volunteered to go to Vietnam. And that was a pretty courageous thing, because John Kerry could have gone on and gotten another degree. He was in a position where he didn’t have to go to Vietnam. I admired that so much, that he went. But I admired even more the fact that he came back talking about Vietnam and what a mistake it was. A matter of fact he talked about it so much that he got the FBI looking at him and got on Richard Nixon’s list. And that took, that takes a lot of courage of a young man who particularly has an interest in politics and that wants to serve this county to go get on the President’s black list. And I know a little bit about that because I got on Richard Nixon’s black list also, and that’s a story for another time. But it’s, it’s incredible that John Kerry, uhh, had the courage to go do that. And, you know, I think he deserves to be in Profiles of Courage for his service in Vietnam. But I also think, and I’m not upset with him at all that he came back and, and, talked about Vietnam and said that we were wrong. And I think he deserves equally as much credit for that as he does fighting. We should not look upon anyone that disagreed with our Vietnam policy as being unpatriotic. As we should not look upon anyone today that disagrees with our policy, or our lack of policy in Iraq. I am very unhappy with Republicans that want to make anyone that questions this administration’s policy in Iraq is, is not being a freedom loving American.”

Cut back to him speaking to the audience:

“And I tell you, for the Republicans to jump on John Kerry and say that he’s not a patriot, after he went to Vietnam and was shot at and fought for our freedom and came back here and protested against the war -“he’s a flip flopper.\” Let me tell you, John Kerry is 100 times a better patriot than George Bush or Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld.\”

(via Atrios)

The Seattle Times: Kerry for President

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The Seattle Times has officially endorsed Kerry for President.

Four years ago, this page endorsed George W. Bush for president. We cannot do so again — because of an ill-conceived war and its aftermath, undisciplined spending, a shrinkage of constitutional rights and an intrusive social agenda.

The Bush presidency is not what we had in mind. Our endorsement of John Kerry is not without reservations, but he is head and shoulders above the incumbent.

iTunes: “You’re So Physical (Live)” by Nine Inch Nails from the album Solid Gold Hell (1991, 4:58).

It’s only a matter of time

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Citing an unstable political climate, proven stockpiles of chemical and nuclear weapons, a rigidly government-controlled media, and the need to confront emerging threats in a timely fashion, President George W. Bush announced today that the United States has launched a full-scale invasion of the United States.

(from Karl)

iTunes: “Condensers” by Goldenthal, Elliot from the album Heat (1995, 2:34).

Schwarzkopf avoids endorsing Bush

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Four years ago, retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf enthusiastically endorsed George W. Bush in his presidential bid.

“… Recalling back to Operation Desert Storm, I can’t help asking myself: Wouldn’t it be great for our armed forces and for America if we could have another commander-in-chief named George Bush with Dick Cheney on his team?” Schwarzkopf said.

This year, however, “Stormin'” Norman appears to be singing a different tune. On Tuesday’s Hardball television show, host Chris Matthews tried to sound out who Schwarzkopf would be voting for.

MATTHEWS:  Who are you voting for?

(LAUGHTER)

SCHWARZKOPF:  I’ve—you know, I’ve…

MATTHEWS:  Boy, would I love to know!

SCHWARZKOPF:  I’ve always told you…

MATTHEWS:  I’d love to know.

SCHWARZKOPF:  I’ve always told you I’m an independent.

MATTHEWS:  But you got to vote, you know?  Is it going to be for Bush, Kerry, or Nader.  I don’t think it’s Nader, so how about one of the other two?

SCHWARZKOPF:  What’s wrong with Nader?  You don’t like Nader?

MATTHEWS:  I’m just—I don’t think he’s your man.  I’m just—I’m trying to probe here, General.  I’m just probing.  No comment?

SCHWARZKOPF:  Let me put it this way.  You know, I’ll know exactly who I’m voting for the day I pull the lever on that machine…or push the buttons, whatever it happens to be.

Okay, sure, it’s not exactly an endorsement for Kerry (or even Nader), either, but there’s definitely not the cheerleading for Bush that was going on during the 2000 presidential race.

If word does come out that Schwarzkopf’s vote really is going for someone other than Bush, that could probably give a good many people pause.

(via Atrios via Al Rodgers)

iTunes: “Is There Anybody Out There?” by Pink Floyd from the album Wall, The (1979, 2:39).

Preaching to the Choir

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Cambridge, OH:

On Saturday morning, I went to Cambridge with a friend. Wanting to see the President, but not wanting to be seen as supporting his policies, I wore a Kerry/Edwards T-shirt. […] As I approached the security area, one low-level security person asked me to turn my shirt inside out. As I said, I was only there to hear the President, and so I complied. When I got to the main security area, however, the same man came up to me again, told me he had checked with his superiors, and that I would not be allowed into the event with the Kerry/Edwards T-shirt.

Traverse City, MI:

…Bush campaign staffers tore up the 55-year-old social studies teacher’s ticket and refused her admission because she sported a small sticker on her blouse that touted the Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards.

Rio Rancho, NM:

Last week, some Democrats who signed up to hear Vice President Dick Cheney speak Saturday in this town near Albuquerque were refused tickets unless they signed a pledge to endorse President Bush.

Tampa, FL:

The reports and interviews by the St. Petersburg Times suggest it was the volunteers who first demanded the three protesters surrender their small signs, which derided George W. Bush and brought attention to Gay Pride Month. Summoned to the scene, police charged the protesters with trespassing when they refused to give up the signs or to leave. Volunteers at the Legends Field event say they were just following orders given by event organizers that prohibited signs on the field. But video footage obtained by the Times appears to show the rule was selectively enforced. Even as the disturbance unfolded, numerous crowd members were allowed to wave pro-Bush signs, some handmade, some professionally printed.

More of Bush and company applying his ridiculously nearsighted “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” policy to his own constituents. It’s very clear now: if you’re not a raving fan, you have no business being anywhere near the President of the United States.

(via BOP)

iTunes: “Never Enough (Big)” by Cure, The from the album Mixed Up (1990, 6:07).

The mysterious H. John Heinz IV

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Of the various children and stepchildren of John Kerry and Teresa Heinz-Kerry, one has been conspicuously absent from all of the various political appearances and shenanigans: H. John Heinz IV, Teresa’s oldest child. As it turns out, he’s a very private man, doing his best to keep him and his family out of the limelight. A difficult task, I’m sure, especially with the current presidential campaign in full swing.

Still, a few details do surface from time to time, and I’ve got to say that not only does John sounds like an incredibly accomplished and very interesting individual, he apparently also has impeccable fashion sense.

What’s known is this: Heinz IV, 37, is an accomplished blacksmith who trained at Williamsburg, Va., and sometimes wears a workman’s kilt, called a “Utilikilt,” at his forge in rural Pennsylvania.

He fabricates custom-made historical arms and armor, tools and architectural hardware, 10 percent down.

He’s a Buddhist who teaches meditation and who practices the Zen martial art of Shim Gum Do.

He was the founder and funder of a school for teenagers “at risk of not succeeding in life,” as Heinz IV himself once described it. For several years, the school was situated on a 136-acre tract he owns in Upper Black Eddy, Pa.

He cared for his daughter, Astrid, now 4, while his nutritionist wife, Kristann, 34, attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

An artist, he drew the portrait for medallions given to recipients of Heinz Awards, which are offered, along with a \$250,000 grant, in memory of his father, the late Sen. John Heinz III (R-Pa.).

And he sits on the board of the \$862-million Howard Heinz Endowment, chaired by his mother.

[…]

Heinz IV dubbed his made- to-order blacksmith business Herugrim, which in Old English means “fierce in war,” his Web site says. Heinz IV’s forge specializes in medieval-style helmets, cutting tools (swords, knives, axes and chisels), hinges, locks and nails. Most of the hardware he fabricates is for 18th century homes and buildings.

There is evidence that Heinz IV can be generous to a fault. When the Utilikilts team, based in Seattle, showed up for a Pennsylvania festival, they transported plenty of kilts, leather and otherwise, but they had no room for their tent or display racks.

Their Web site says “Utilikiltarian” Heinz IV came to the rescue, fabricating display racks in a four-hour session at his forge.

A festival photo shows Heinz IV smiling and playful in a mock chorus line, with everyone in kilts. For the camera, he coyly lifts his kilt to mid-thigh, far above his scuffed dark workboots and rolled-down socks.

A Utilikilts representative declined to comment, but the company Web site says Heinz IV and his wife “stepped up to take excellent care of us.”

Best of luck to John and his family in the coming months — but at the same time, I’ll keep hoping to see a guy in a kilt show up at some important presidental function eventually…

(via the Yahoo! Utilikilts Group)

iTunes: “White Whisper” by Deep Forest from the album Deep Forest (1992, 5:45).

Analogy

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Microsoft Windows : computer security :: George Bush : national security

(Yes, it’s probably extremely flawed. At quarter to two in the morning, it made me laugh when it popped into my head.)

iTunes: “Nocturnal Transmission” by BT from the album Ima (1996, 8:36).