MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS -- WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY AND WHO SENDS OTHERS TO FIGHT

Although military service is not required for public office (perhaps it should be), it is always interesting to see that the biggest warhawks are usually some of the biggest chickenhawks. Check out this list from The Real Fair & Balanced News page:

http://thefairandbalancednews.com/Who%20Served%20&%20Who%20Sends%20Others.htm

HAROLD FORD JR. ENDORSES INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE JAKE FORD?

I recently read a post over at the FREEDONIAN about Congressman Ford's "endorsement" of his brother Jake Ford including the use of Congressman Ford's campaign volunteers and headquarters.

Here are the relevant portions of this interesting post:

The College Democrats met with Harold Ford Jr. at his HQ today. After he spoke to them, he let his a**head little brother speak to the volunteers that showed up.

A**head is apparently running his campaign out of Harold's HQ (Something to ponder before sending Harold a check) and using his volunteer base as well.

The College Democrats did the right thing (Although perhaps not my favorite thing, which would have consisted of kicking both brothers in the nuts and dumping garbage cans on them as they lay on the ground) and made it clear that they are there to work for Jr. and ONLY Jr.

If this is indeed true, then Congressman Ford needs to get off of the fence. Congressman Ford should openly and publicly endorse Newton Jake for the Congress seat instead of Steve Cohen. While I believe that 99% of the people in this world are more qualified for Congress than Shakey Jake, Congressman Ford is in a difficult position no matter what. But is it reasonable to expect a man (Congressman Ford) to support a former opponent candidate over his brother?

Based on his actions, it appears to me that Congressman Ford is supporting his brother's campaign which is understandable. However, Congressman Ford needs to communicate this endorsement to the public, so people will not think he is walking down the middle. That way people will know whether Congressman Ford is more concerned about making the Democratic Party stronger or making his immediate branch of the Ford family stronger.

As Mr. Miyagi once told me when I was a teenager living in Reseda, California during my first foray into the martial arts,

"Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished just like grape."

Same here. Either HFJ supports Jake, or HFJ supports Cohen. If HFJ plays it safe and publicly endorses no one, HFJ will get squished just like grape. Understand?

R.I.P. - Mr. Miyagi!

DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT ELECTRONIC VOTING IS SECURE?

The Center of Information Technology Policy Department at Princeton recently conducted a study on the Diebold AccuVote-TS and its newer relative the AccuVote-TSx electronic voting machines.

The Department analyzed the machine's hardware and software, performed experiments on it, and considered whether real election practices would leave it suitably secure. It was found that the machine is vulnerable to a number of extremely serious attacks that undermine the accuracy and credibility of the vote counts it produces. The full study can be reviewed at:

http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/ts-paper.pdf

The main findings of the study were:

(1) Malicious software running on a single voting machine can steal votes with little if any risk of detection. The malicious software can modify all of the records, audit logs, and counters kept by the voting machine, so that even careful forensic examination of these records will find nothing amiss. The Department constructed demonstration software that carries out this vote-stealing attack.

(2) Anyone who has physical access to a voting machine, or to a memory card that will later be inserted into a machine, can install said malicious software using a simple method that takes as little as one minute. In practice, poll workers and others often have unsupervised access to the machines.

(3) AccuVote-TS machines are susceptible to voting-machine viruses — computer viruses that can spread malicious software automatically and invisibly from machine to machine during normal pre- and post-election activity. The Department constructed a demonstration virus that spreads in this way, installing its demonstration vote-stealing program on every machine it infects.

(4) While some of these problems can be eliminated by improving Diebold's software, others cannot be remedied without replacing the machines' hardware. Changes to election procedures would also be required to ensure security.

PRESIDENT BUSH & BOB CORKER ARE COMING TO MEMPHIS TO RAISE $$$$$$$$

President Bush returns to Memphis later this month to help Bob Corker raise monies at a September 27 luncheon hosted by Pitt Hyde. Pres. Bush hung out at Graceland with the Japanese Prime Minister the last time he was in Memphis earlier this summer.

I also heard that Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. (and Corker's November opponent in the race for U.S. Senate) was a part of that Elvis entourage. Since they are allegedly friends, I wonder if Bush and "Fordy" will be hanging out after the luncheon on the 27th.

You can read the full story about the Bush/Corker visit at the COMMERCIAL APPEAL

HAROLD FORD JR'S SPECIAL FUNDING REQUESTS (2006)

I have heard people criticize Congressman Ford over the last few months. I must admit that I have been one of those critics, because I feel that he could be doing so much more for the community with his talents and the position that he has been given. Yet throughout it all, I only hear the negatives and rarely hear many positives except that Congressman Ford is a great speaker. Since I strive to keep it neutral on this site for the most part, this article from May caught my attention recently.

I have not conducted the research to see if he was able to secure funding for these projects, but on their face, these projects appear to be beneficial to the community.

Some examples of these projects include:

Transportation/Treasury/Housing and Urban Development

• LeMoyne—Owen College/ SoulsvilleUSA Community Development, $1.5 million — To build affordable homes in central Memphis to address the growing demand from professionals moving to areas bordering higher education institutions.
• Memphis Airport Intermodal Facility, $3 million — To improve mass transit and parking at the Memphis Airport.

You can review the entire list of Congressman Ford's special funding requests at:

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/NEWS02/605010389

2PAC TRIBUTE (10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH)

It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since the Friday the 13th death (or assassination as some allege) of Tupac Shakur a/k/a 2Pac in Las Vegas, NV. While 2Pac had his detractors, no one can deny his effect on the hip-hop and rap industries. I believe that 2Pac would have been a great political activist had he not been killed. I do not condone the crimes and negativity that 2Pac was associated with during his life, but he had a good message that resonated with the youth. He also was able to excite young people of all ages, races, and economic status to buy millions of his records both in life and in death. R.I.P 2Pac. The hip-hop world misses you.

Here is a good tribute to Pac from Black Ice at SOHH.com that cites some of Pac's social and political beliefs: 2Pac TRIBUTE

Here is a good video tribute to Pac (courtesy of Youtube.com):

GOP Senate Hopeful Gets Unwanted October Surprise?

By Justin Rood - September 11, 2006, 12:07 PM

In Tennessee, a new development in a three-year-old lawsuit may force new revelations out of the state's GOP Senate candidate, just weeks before the November election.

A judge today required Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker to testify and provide documents in response to a subpoena from a group of environmental activists with Democratic ties, who have filed suit over the former Chattanooga mayor's involvement in a questionable land development deal. Typically, such documents and testimony are public.

The judge ordered the information shared on Oct. 20 -- just three weeks before Tennessee voters are to decide whether he or Democrat Harold Ford Jr. will represent them in Congress. The two candidates are in a statistical dead heat, according to a new Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll.

The flap: Corker, a millionaire developer with a yen for public office, had a hand in two sides of a three-way deal to develop a Wal-Mart "supercenter" in the town of Chattanooga. His company sold land to the developers of the site -- and as mayor, his city administration allowed environmental concerns to be pushed aside in favor of the development.

Corker has tried -- and failed -- to get the case dismissed. His lawyers convinced a judge to seal certain records in the case which pertain to trade secrets or confidential financial information.

About three weeks ago, the plaintiffs subpoenaed Corker to testify and provide documents. His lawyers tried to quash the subpoena, but today a judge in Hamilton County, Tenn. refused the request.

Corker's lawyers had argued that he should be excused from testifying because he was running for office. The plaintiff's subpoena, they said, was both "unreasonable" and "oppressive."

From: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001499.php

U.S. Spends More on Education, Gets Worse Results, OECD Finds

What about "No Child Left Behind?"

Bloomberg News

HOW BUSH'S GRANDFATHER HELPED ADOLF HITLER RISE TO POWER

I've heard a lot about these allegations over the years, but this is one of the first articles I've read with specified details.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1312540,00.html

CHINA'S TRADE SURPLUS WIDENS TO A RECORD $18,800,000,000.00

Excluding our sales of military goods and weapons, will the USA ever see a trade surplus again?

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093126596

HOW HAS THE WORLD CHANGED SINCE 9/11?

It is important that we do not forget the people who lost family, friends and colleagues on 9/11.

Various comments and voices from BBC readers, those effected, and a global panel: 9/11 COMMENTS FROM BBC ONLINE

6.0 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE HITS GULF OF MEXICO

I thought it was hurricane season. I did not realize that the Gulf had earthquakes.

http://wwsb.com/frameset.asp?page=http://wwsb.com/news/details.asp?id=48701

The 10 Most Brazen War Profiteers...

http://alternet.org/waroniraq/41083/

AMERICA: 14 Characteristics of Fascism!

Thanks to Jim Maynard for this link.