Push It, Push It Real Good...

How bad do you want it, Dearest Readers? Do you want it bad it enough to fight for it? How much will you fight? Will you protest? Will you go as far as civil disobedience? Prissy thinks it depends on how much you really want it...

Prissy is willing to "do it for democracy"...Will you help a lady in distress? Lady liberty, in this case . How can you accomplish the goal?

Start by voting, then stick around and watch the process as an election observer. Those being watched are much less likely to cheat the results or have the opportunity to do so.

Take your camera, cell phone or video recorder in case there is something which should be documented. This could range from people being turned away from voting, to seeing someone intentionally unplug a machine.

These things happened all over the state here in Ohio 2004-the reason we know is because people documented with video and witness observations. Take paper and pen to record names, times, locations, number of witnesses and any other relevant details. Don't hesitate to call the police, voter fraud is a crime!

The Dept of Justice is supposed to observe the voting process in states with prior problems. This will help, but they cannot cover every precinct. That is where our duty as citizens comes into play. Try to get the day off work, or take a few hours to observe the polls. It's the best way for everyone's vote to be counted, and in a true democracy all voices are heard and each has equal worth. Without our vote, we cease being a democracy. For more info: Project Vote Smart

The CIA Leak case grand jury will expire Monday. Prissy thinks Libby will start telling what he knows when he realizes Fitz is very serious about giving him time in jail and lot's of it.

As per another prosecutors thoughts, keep in mind that Rove is NOT off the hook. Watch Fitz do what will seem like "magic", as the Sealed vs. Sealed is still an active criminal case. Prosecutor Fitzgerald's office never confirmed Rover wasn't indicted. And we know his lawyer has lied to the media before for his clients.

What will happen? Well, Prissy has many clues, but wouldn't dream of tipping them off as to how Fitz could play it. Why give them any advantage at all. Haven't they had plenty?

Hot Links

Talk Left see Fitz' Libby filing for yourself. Then you can verify what the MSM is refusing to tell. Prissy will take Fitz' word (and works) over Scooter's any day! The actual court documents filed yesterday. Hat tip to justice blogger SPB Memory Denial

The judge wasn't buying the memory mumbo jumbo of Scooter's "expert witness." In fact the judge felt it was a waste of the jurors time to even consider it.

Flash back video, when America wasn't such a tense place to be. Makes Prissy want to dance Push It - Salt-N-Pepa

Commercial Appeal, Memphis Voting machine 'Smartcards' missing, GOP says (or why we must all watch them!)

Several electronic voting cards, used to cast ballots, are missing from a polling place in Memphis, according to the Tennessee Republican Party.

In a letter to the Shelby County Election Commission, state GOP chairman Bob Davis Jr. charges the "lack of oversight and control" over the so-called Smartcards "has created a situation which could allow for voter fraud."

He said the missing cards could lead to illegal votes being cast in Tuesday’s election.

"Once cast, an illegal vote made with the reprogrammed Smartcard would be indistinguishable from a legally cast vote," Davis wrote.

CBC Canada near top in protecting privacy rights: survey

When it comes to privacy rights, Canada ranks among the top defenders while Britain is considered one of the worst protectors, according to a new survey.

Britain ranked alongside Russia and China as countries demonstrating "endemic surveillance" of its citizens.

China and Malaysia (1.3) ranked at the bottom, followed by Singapore and Russia (1.4), and the U.K. (1.5).

The U.S. scored a 2, putting it in the "extensive surveillance society" category. In terms of statutory protections and privacy enforcement, the U.S. was ranked the worst in the democratic world.

No kidding, huh? Didn't see this in American media.

Booman Tribune whitewashed "independent report" on the numerous security flaws in Diebold machines

The original SAIC report, coming in at nearly 200 pages, was reduced, redacted and altered such that the only version the public — or even state officials including the Governor and the full State Board of Elections — would ever be allowed to see was a wholly sanitized 38-page version of the report.

Until now.

For the first time, we've been able to review the complete, much sought-after, unredacted version of the SAIC report which has been kept at bay from Maryland state officials…as well as the computer science and security community…as well as the election integrity community and public at large since it was originally completed in 2003.

It has been called "The Pentagon Papers of Electronic Voting Systems" by some members of the computer science and security community. [...]

CFRA Canadians Believe Bush a Threat to the World: Poll

An EKOS poll found 62 per cent of respondents believe Bush has made the world less safe since early 2001.

The poll also found 34 per cent of Canadians felt Bush is a "great danger" to the world.

The EKOS poll in Canada for the Toronto Star and Montreal's La Presse was conducted ahead of Tuesday's US mid-term election.

Bush ranked third, behind Osama bin Laden and North Korea leader Kim Jong-il, as the person who posed the greatest danger to the world.

NYT Ethics Questions Haunting Races of Democrats, Too (but the worst is with the republicans-PP)

In a letter in June, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney, said the investigation “has now implicated multiple state agencies and departments” with help from “a number of credible witnesses.”

Mr. Blagojevich has denied any wrongdoing, pointed to ethics reforms that he said his administration has put in place, and distanced himself from the indictment of his former fund-raiser.

“What you’ll see is that a lot of these activities center around the Republicans — the continuation of a scheme that occurred long before I was governor,” Mr. Blagojevich said on Thursday.

The previous governor, George Ryan, a Republican, was sentenced in September to six and a half years in federal prison for racketeering and fraud. Mr. Blagojevich has made certain to remind voters that his Republican opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, served as treasurer during Mr. Ryan’s long tenure as a Republican leader in this state. “She was there, hand in hand with George Ryan, part of creating the mess that we’ve been fixing,” Mr. Blagojevich said.

What is wrong with these people? Anyone voting republican and calling themselves a "Christian" should seek professional help. Evangelical sex scandal on Good Morning America

Pravda Laura Bush cautions Americans to speak carefully when debating Iraq

First lady Laura Bush cautioned Wednesday that Americans discussing the war in Iraq especially politicians should be careful what they say because other countries are paying attention.

"The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our country great and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people around the world are listening to these discussions," Laura Bush said at a suburban Columbus recreation center during a campaign appearance with Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce, reports AP.

"Responsible candidates understand that the men and women of our military are risking their lives for us, and that we must conduct our debate here at home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops in harm's way," she said, calling for "conversations conducted with civility and respect."

Listen up, Mrs. Stepford -of whom has daughters the ages of many dead soldiers, your hubby is the one who chain needs yanked regarding caution with statements about the war. He is one repeated insult to our soldiers and their families.

CBC Two Palestinian women die serving as human shields for gunmen

Two Palestinian women were killed by Israeli fire on Friday after hundreds of women answered a call for human shields to protect gunmen holed up in a Gaza mosque, news agencies reported.

The women's presence outside the mosque allowed the gunmen to escape, ending a 19-hour standoff with Israeli soldiers in tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

Two women died and at least 10 were wounded, while at least two gunmen fled in the guise of veiled women, the Associated Press said in a report from the town of Beit Hanoun.

From Prissy's Inbox:

Anti-War Service Academy Grads To Mount Silent Protest As President Bush Stumps in Greeley, Colorado

Anti-War Service Academy Grads To Mount Silent Protest As President Bush Stumps in Greeley, Colorado November 4, 2004

Where: Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley, CO (Northern Colorado – a little over an hour from Denver).

When: Saturday, November 4, 2006 – the President is scheduled to speak at 10:00am. I intend to arrive NLT 6:30am.

What: A silent protest against the war in Iraq. Please note: We lost 100 soldiers last month alone.

Why: Because we as USMA and other service academy graduates, as veterans, as a family of veterans and graduates, have the duty to speak out and to challenge an administration – against a President – whose policies have perpetrated and perpetuated an illegal and immoral war the cost of which is immeasurable.

All area service academy graduates and their supporters are encouraged to attend.

Salon The antiwar GIs

Today, there are echoes of the Vietnam experience in the protracted Iraq war -- including a growing protest movement in the military. Its trappings are starkly different this time. Rather than insubordination and violence, it has formed around a form-letter campaign, presumably conducted within the bounds of military regulations that restrict what soldiers are allowed to say. Last week, a group of current troops, with support from a handful of antiwar organizations, announced plans to petition Congress with a collection of "appeals for redress," which call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. They had 65 signatures from active-duty troops and reservists.

Since then, the effort has quietly swelled to nearly 500 troops, and continues to grow. Organizers, including 22-year-old Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, say they are currently working to validate the identities of several hundred more troops who have signed on, and will send the validated collection of letters to the soldiers' respective congressional representatives in January.

The group already includes 76 officers, four of whom are colonels. And while that number is also quite small in comparison to the 1.4 million troops now on active duty, some participants and observers expect it will continue to grow rapidly, exposing significant and expanding disillusionment with the war in Iraq among the rank and file.

A minority of the troops who have signed on so far are reservists, while more than 75 percent are active-duty service members -- more than 60 percent of whom have served in Iraq. They include people like Madden, who served in Haditha, Iraq, with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines in late 2004 and early 2005.

FAS Federation of American Scientists New Tool for Biology Students Teaches Biosecurity Awareness by Example

Scientists must lead the effort to manage dual use research as they are best qualified to identify opportunities for misuse. The research community has a moral obligation to prevent the misapplication of their technologies or findings. The risk of not becoming engaged may be governmental actions that impose blanket restrictions and cumbersome rules for scientists that have little impact on real security and could slow legitimate research. In the future, FAS will develop more modules and dramatically expand the education materials available to train scientists to be aware of the consequences of “dual use” research.

POGO Department of Homeland Security Violates Whistleblower Protection Laws

WASHINGTON, DC, - The Government Accountability Project (GAP) and the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) are challenging a decision by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to fire a Federal Air Marshal for revealing an unclassified plan that would have removed air marshals from nonstop long-distance flights, similar to those hijacked for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The whistleblower, Robert MacLean, is the first federal employee to be terminated for the "Unauthorized Release of Sensitive Security Information (SSI)." Today, MacLean filed documents in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, challenging TSA's claim that the information constitutes SSI.

In July 2003, only days after DHS issued warnings that stemmed from a foiled hijacking plot, MacLean exposed that the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) was planning to drastically reduce air marshal protection of long haul flights. Although the nationally broadcasted cellular phone text message that MacLean disclosed only mentioned reductions planned until August 9, 2003, "FAMS officials said that these program reductions would have continued for the remainder of the fiscal year," according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in March 2004 . High-risk flights would have been affected for three months.

How Dubya's America treats patriot whistleblowers

The Economist A boost on jobs

The headline unemployment figure has been good for a while, of course. But many economists have suggested that this conceals softness in the labour market. Wages have been stagnant since George Bush took office, and labour-force participation is still a full percentage point below the levels enjoyed under Bill Clinton. Critics of Mr Bush and his economic policies have been arguing in the run-up to the election that the strong economy is a myth, with ordinary Americans sinking into misery while the lucky rich snatch all the gains from robust growth.

But the new report contains good news for those ordinary Americans. Average hourly earnings grew more than expected in October, at an annualised pace of nearly 5%. More pertinently, for the Republicans, the data show earnings are up by almost 4% since last year. And though labour-force participation is still lower than it was, this is not necessarily a sign of a weak market. Overheating economies often draw marginal workers into the labour force, but in a way that is not sustainable.

This "good news" about the job market seems unrealistic here in Ohio.

Forbes Manufacturing Auto Sales: All Shook Out?

A strange thing seems to be happening on auto dealer lots across the nation: People are buying the cars they need.

OK, so no one needs a Hummer H2 or a Porsche (other-otc: PSEPF - news - people ) 911 Turbo, yet they still find very happy buyers every month. But the large-SUV bust and the large-pickup slump may be over.

"We're not seeing that flood of customers exiting, and that's a plus," said General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) sales analyst Paul Bellew while announcing October sales Wednesday. "We've taken off the intense pressure."

LA Times Negroponte Makes Unannounced Iraq Visit

Al-Maliki met with Negroponte in the Iraqi leader's office in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, according to the prime minister's spokesman.

The spokesman, Yassin Majid, said the visit was part "of a continuing series of meetings between the Iraqi government and the U.S. administration." He did not elaborate. U.S. Embassy officials confirmed Negroponte was in the capital but would not comment further.

Video from the prime minister's office showed Negroponte and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad greeting al-Maliki, with three kisses on the check.

Relations between the United States and the Iraqi government have been strained in recent days after al-Maliki issued a series of bitter complaints, at one point saying he was not "America's man in Iraq."

Negroponte served as the ambassador to Iraq before Khalilzad.

Fifty-eight more civilian bodies found in Iraq today-bound and shot.

Prissy isn't convinced Negroponte has the best of intentions, as a founder of central America's death squads known as "the Salvador option".Which one is the hangman?

Yahoo Iraq on alert ahead of Saddam verdict

The Iraqi High Tribunal trying Saddam for crimes against humanity will deliver its verdict on Sunday, and Iraq has cancelled all military leave to thwart any outbreak of violence before or after the ruling.

"All military personnel are on alert. Leave has been cancelled and we are on alert for any possible emergency. Those on leave should report to their units," said defence ministry spokesman Major General Ibrahim Shaker.

Saddam and seven former regime officials are accused of ordering the deaths of 148 Shiites in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad, where the deposed president escaped an assassination attempt in 1982.

The tribunal is expected to deliver a death sentence on the former Iraqi military strongman, a judgment that could further escalate violence.

Dubya wanted Saddam executed before his trial was over...and now spokesliar Tony Snow acknowledges the "timing" of the verdict is for the team neorepublicans benefit, coming the day before the election. Perhaps they are hoping it will eclipse any announcement from Patrick Fitzgerald...See more about Tony below:

Australian Daily Telegraph Republican push to oust Rumsfeld

Democrats look almost certain to take back control of at least one house in Congress and the strength of their showing is being attributed to their attacks on the Bush administration over its handling of Iraq.

Now, more than half a dozen Republican candidates in tight races against Democrats are calling on Mr Bush to fire Mr Rumsfeld, while still more are distancing themselves from the Iraq war.

Polls indicated this week that approval in the US for Mr Bush's handling of the Iraq war had fallen to 29 per cent - its lowest level in his presidency.

"We need a change in direction," said Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker, in the conservative southern state of Tennessee. "If we're going to bring in a change in Iraq, maybe it is time to look at a change in leadership at secretary of defence."

Tom Paine Bush The Cheerleader by Ray McGovern

When President George W. Bush was asked at his news conference last Wednesday whether we are winning in Iraq, he answered, "Absolutely; we're winning." The disingenuousness was almost enough to provoke sympathy for the beleaguered president as he lived through another bad week with further diminished credibility.

A letter winner in cheerleading at Andover and Yale, the president knows how tough it is to keep spirits up when it becomes clear that his team is not winning, but the bedlam in Iraq has become the supreme test. Some of his fellow cheerleaders have quit cheering, and even the Fox News Channel is having trouble putting on a brave front.

Wired In Message to Industry, Government Fines Adware Purveyor $3 Million

Government regulators fined rogue adware distributor Zango (formerly 180Solutions) $3 million following charges that the company deceived internet users into installing its pop-up software and tried to prevent them from uninstalling it.

Zango, which bundles its pop-up software with downloads such as screensavers or games, agreed to the Federal Trade Commission settlement, but did not admit guilt.

Swissinfo.com Battle for U.S. Congress heads to tense finishAdd story to my swissinfo panel

Independent analysts have predicted gains of 20 to 35 House seats for Democrats and at least three Senate seats. Senate control could hinge on close races for Republican-held seats in Virginia, Missouri, Tennessee and Montana.

Republicans have tried to make the election a contest between individual candidates and not a referendum on Bush or the war, with opinion polls showing both increasingly unpopular. But Democrats were happy to keep the late focus on Iraq as Bush defended his policies.

"President Bush's failed, 'stay the course' rhetoric is not only bad for America but has been a drag on Republicans on the ballot who have rubber-stamped the White House's failed agenda," Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said in a statement.

Bush is in the midst of a 10-state final campaign blitz to largely Republican strongholds to whip up support and help the party's candidates.

Quotes of the Day

Faith is a passionate intuition.--William Wordsworth, English poet

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.--Blaise Pascal

In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?--Saint Augustine

I'm an idealist without illusions.--John F. Kennedy

My father always told me that all businessmen were sons of bitches, but I never believed it till now.--John F. Kennedy