For those who are focused on Congress, you might be surprised to learn that Alaska may be among our best shots at picking up one Senate and one House seat. Keep an eye on Alaska. Republican corruption has been exploding, with four State level politicians arrested, some pleading guilty. One Alaska Senator and their single House Rep are also  implicated. This gives us a great shot at winning the state. Alaska may turn blue this year if we pay some attention to it.

On a personal note, I have a new scientific paper coming out in the Journal of Cell Biology. This comes from work I did more than two years ago! My current work is going slower, but overall looks promising. I hope to write up my current work within a year.

This week I discuss the Bush family's endorsement of John McCain, re-enforcing my assertion that McCain offers nothing but a Third Bush term. I also discuss Republican corruption in Alaska and voting irregularities in NYC. And I continue to highlight local events in all the states where I have had a good number of readers. I also highlight some peace rallies, alternative energy events and impeachment events around the nation. Don't forget to visit an advertiser or two and if you want more, please visit Culture Kitchen.

By now you have probably heard about the Princeton Video that shows yet again how easy it is to compromise the Diebold systems.  Here is a picture of our heroes: Dr. Felten and his students, Feldman and Halderman

As you can see, not all patriots are firebrands from central casting.  They are normal folks like you and me.  And that is important because Diebold is starting to push back... and it is going to take normal folks like you and me to help our heroes keep Diebold's feet to the fire.  Let's look at where Diebold is vulnerable and how Diebold is trying to defend itself ...

I'm a technically savvy guy.  I've had my own PC since the 8088 days when DOS was putting the final nails in the coffin of CP/M and Leading Edge was getting flak for cracking the compatible wars wide open.  I was online before BIFF stole his brother's Commodore 64.  Before spam.  Before nuking. Before Gopher. I know the answer to the UNIX riddle, "Why a mouse?"  (actually there are two surrealist punchlines to that joke). I even know the plural for VAX (hint:it's not VIXEN).  

When it comes to computers, I know Jack. So trust me when I tell you, "To err is human, to really $#@#!!*& things up you need a computer."  I say all that to underscore the fact that my discomfort with electronic voting machines is not borne of ignorance.  My contempt is a direct result of my familiarity with the technology.  

I have got some bad news for you....

Why you should vote anti-republican in 2006 and 2008, I never thought I would be saying those  words myself. I am a military man, thru and thru, I joined the Army at age 18 in 1973, I served this nation from the Vietnam War era, served on the DMZ in South Korea, armed combat patrols, border incidents.I went to Germany and saw the Cold War up close and personal, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the feeling of impending doom from the Soviet Union. I left the Army in 1982 after helping  establish this nation's desert warfare training center at NTC Fort Irwin.

Facts after the fold.......................

After all the electronic voting nonsense, some registrars may be getting it right SacBee [reg. req'd]):

Registrars want total vote-by-mail election
By Kevin Yamamura -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, January 15, 2006
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee

Cutting-edge electronic voting was supposed to solve ballot-box flaws in the wake of the 2000 presidential election. But now some California registrars believe that good old-fashioned snail mail is the best way to go.

[edit]

The registrars point to a successful mail-ballot system in Oregon and the fact that most counties in Washington state now do the same.

California is heading in that direction, considering that nearly two in five voters statewide used absentee ballots for the 2005 special election. The state has seen a surge in mail ballots since a permanent absentee voter program took effect four years ago.

No machine, no problem.

Hold your nose. It's election day!

Many people become aghast at the mere mention of voting along party lines. "How could you?" "Why don't you think for yourself!" blah, blah, blah. I encourage these people to first take a deep breath and second to think deeply about how American government works. For clarity, ask yourself this one question, "Does your view on most issues tend to (more often than not) a) follow the Democratic line b) follow the Republican line c) be evenly mixed between the Democratic and Republican line, or d) lie completely outside the Democratic or Republican lines?"

If your answer is either a) or b), then your best strategy for the long-term promotion of your positions is to always vote along party lines. This is why:

...do you know where your polling place is?

"Do you have wireless inter-net?" I asked the twenty-something check-in girl at the front desk of the Johnson City, Tennessee Best Western motel.

"Jes here in the lobby...or in the bar there," she said pointing with a pencil to the door behind me over which flashed in red, white and blue neon, the words, NASCAR Grille.

I was driving my way from New York to Hendersonville, NC. to tend to my ailing mother-in-law.  After 12 hours behind the wheel, I had said, "Uncle," and pulled in to the first available motel.

Priorities being priorities, immediately after unloading the trunk and checking out the room, I grabbed my laptop and headed for the NASCAR for a beer and some blogging. It was, after all, near the end of the Plame/CIA leak investigation and I had been without the "real" news all day.