Sam’s random musings

CNN::

Report: U.S. troops watched weapons-site looting. Not enough troops. Poor planning.

The question for me is whether or not the press will truly start doing it’s job or if it will continue to be the lap dog for access (of both parties)

(Via Dangerousmeta.)

A new map of North America…:

A new map of North America courtesy of Civicspace.

Scary and kinda true…

(Via Scripting News.)

Blogs Blamed for Exit Poll Fiasco:

News networks say they will investigate why Election Day exit polls were skewed toward Kerry, while blasting bloggers for quickly spreading poll numbers that may have misled readers.

In my experience when the ‘bad’ polls started to come out, some friends of mine in ohio and other swing states started to get a high volume of calls to get out and vote and to vote Bush. The polls were used as a motivating tool by the ‘other’ side to help ‘get out the vote’

(Via Wired News.)

Yahoo! News - U.S. faces ominous fiscal picture with huge deficit Comptroller General David Walker’s most troubling briefing paper shows the federal budget growing progressively larger until spending reaches nearly half the economy’s total output in 2040.

Blackboxvoting.org Raises Vote-Audit FOIA request:

aacool writes “Blackboxvoting.org has raised the largest Freedom of Information request in history. At 8:30 p.m. Election Night, Black Box Voting blanketed the U.S. with the first in a series of public records requests, to obtain internal computer logs and other documents from 3,000 individual counties and townships. Networks called the election before anyone bothered to perform even the most rudimentary audit. Among the first requests sent to counties (with all kinds of voting systems — optical scan, touch-screen, and punch card) is a formal records request for internal audit logs, polling place results slips, modem transmission logs, and computer trouble slips.”

Let the audits begin, transparency is important

(Via Slashdot.)

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: October 31, 2004 - November 06, 2004 Archives

Well, what to say? Two years ago, after some surprisingly disappointing election results I quipped something like, “Well, that could have gone better.” But somehow, that sort of irreverent, grim humor doesn’t seem appropriate. This isn’t just a disappointing election result. The consequences of what happened last night are too great.

Please take the time to read the rest

President Bush and the Republicans now control the entire national government, even more surely now than they have over the last four years. They do so on the basis of garnering the votes of 51% or 52% of the population. But they will use that power as though there were no opposition at all. That needs to be countered.

How this Democrat is feeling at the moment.:

The Democratic Party needs to start doing the deeper work immediately. There will be a powerful backlash within the party, and against the party. Our hopes and dreams have been built up, and are now dashed on the political rocks. How will you restore our faith, so we can band together and fight for the issues we so strongly believe in?

We must get over the hurt, the anger and pull together swiftly, so we can begin to work for the issues we feel so strongly about. This election has been a bloodbath, with Mr Daschle gone, and the Republicans picking up Senate seats to a near filibuster-proof majority. Even the NY Times is calling the Bush win an “electoral mandate.” We must pull together and face this adversity with our chins up, shoulders squared. It starts with a cold analysis of what we did wrong, and moving forward from there with optimism and clear thinking.

It is critical that we protect what we hold most dear, and start laying the foundations now for 2008.

(Via Dangerousmeta.)

Watchdogs Spot E-Vote Glitches:

Activists watching the election say they received hundreds of calls from voters reporting e-voting problems — some small, some significant. The observers file lawsuits in precincts where the glitches cause alleged disenfranchisement. By Kim Zetter.

(Via Wired News.)