[In case it needs to be said: I don't agree with every word of everything I link to. --L.]
- As California goes, so goes the nation?
- [O'Reilly Radar - Alex Howard]
When California secretary of state Debra Bowen endorsed open source voting systems at the Gov 2.0 Summit, the validation naturally struck many people in O'Reilly's community as significant, given the size and prominence of the Sunshine State.
"Open source election software saves us a ton of money, and can be re-used in other states," she said. Bowen's interview with Tim O'Reilly at Gov 2.0 Summit, embedded below, featured a wide-ranging discussion of trust, digital literacy and the future of electronic voting in thousands of California's precincts. While open source voting poses challenges in implementation, Bowen's perspective on the subject is worth reviewing.
[video]
- Sharron Angle’s ‘Second Amendment Remedies’ Considered Mainstream Now?
- [Crooks and Liars - Heather - video, transcript]
After Sharron Angle…reiterated…that if Republicans don't like the election results, they may end up turning to…armed insurrection, Rachel Maddow asks, just what does a Republican political candidate have to say these days to finally be considered out of the mainstream?
[GOP lies about majority public opinion help legitimize armed revolt, and the pretence that violence is an expression/restoration of democracy, rather than its greatest enemy. Our leaders have long pretended that bloodletting is more civilized than, say, actual voting.
Dem leadership too, by pretending to be moderate and bipartisan when dealing with rabid authoritarians and plutocrats, have allowed words like "democracy" to be hijacked by the most depraved and cowardly tendencies of humanity; they are revolting in their hypocrisy/spinelessness, and are unworthy of the name of a Democratic Party.
...I just needed to get that off my chest.
-L]
- Terror Alert over Koran Burning
- [Talking Points Memo - Josh Marshall ]
Interpol has issued a global terror alert warning of an increased risk of terror attacks if the Koran burning in Florida goes ahead as planned.
- The Day Our Democracy Died
- [Shakesville - Melissa McEwan]
When the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which granted corporations, unions, and nonprofits the latitude to donate freely to political campaigns [...] I grimly mused: "It is not hyperbole to say this decision is paving the way for America to become a fully-fledged corporatocracy [...]"
Today, under the ominously blunt headline "Super PACs Multiply to Sway Election as Companies Freed to Give," Bloomberg reports on the proliferation of Super PACs, political action committees which can accept unlimited donations from corporations, unions, nonprofits, and individuals, and can "explicitly urge voters to support or oppose candidates, unlike ordinary PACs and nonprofit groups."
At least 25 of these Super PACs have already formed, one of which is linked to conservative mastermind Karl Rove and has already raised more than $17 million since the SCOTUS decision earlier this year.
- Teeny Tiny Mongeese
- [ZooBorns - Andrew Bleiman]
Two Dwarf Mongoose Pups, each the size of a chocolate bar, have been spotted enjoying the September sunshine in Chester Zoo. Squeaks were heard by the keepers three weeks ago but the pups were not seen until they ventured outside…
- All Political Mud-Slinging Ads Should Be This Adorable
- [Daily Squee - Cute Baby Animals - bradofarrell]
Give that porcupine his job back! This is a video of a porcupine at the unemployment office!
- Microsoft Releases Free Cyber-Security Ebook
- [Lifehacker - Jason Fitzpatrick ]
Microsoft has released a free—and lengthy—ebook covering a wide range of security topics. Although intended for teenagers, the book offers a solid enough look at using the internet safely, and it's suitable for anyone looking for a primer on internet security.
- Guy Lands Face-First on Third Rail, Takes 625 Volts to the Head, Survives
- [Runnin' Scared - Jen Doll]
We would not show you this if he didn't live. In two words: Holy crap.
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The Of interest (Thu, Sep 9th, 9am) by Lee Salazar, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Terms and conditions beyond the scope of this license may be available at leesalazar.com.