Florida Legislature imperils voting rights; two Federal injunctions prevent implementation.

NAACP v. Browning
Federal injunction issued December 18, 2007

League of Women Voters v. Cobb
Federal injunction issued August 28, 2006

Both lawsuits name the Florida Secretary of State -- Kurt Browning replaced Sue Cobb.   Read More »

Congressional Hearing on KBR Rape Case set for
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
at 10:15am EST

Washington - [Republican] Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02) announces today that the House Judiciary Committee will hold Congressional Hearings into the sexual assault allegations of former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones against several of her coworkers in Iraq. The Hearing on "Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law to Protect Americans Working for U.S. Contractors in Iraq" is set for Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:15am EST in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

From Congressman Poe's website.
http://poe.house.gov/

The audio of the original ABC News Broadcast plays on the Jamie Leigh web site,
http://www.jamiesfoundation.com/
if you scroll down you can see the video too.

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

Obama also seeking answers to contract employee's allegations
Houston Chronicle, United States - 6 hours ago
© 2007 AP WASHINGTON �" A second Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, has joined in chastising federal officials over a woman's allegations ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5380241.html

Given the copyright symbol, I just quoted what Google quoted. I assume that is fair use under the copyright law.

So far:
Barack Obama
US Senator Clinton (D, NY)
US Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL)
US Senator Daniel Akaka (D, HI)
US Senator Jon Tester (D, MT)

have sent letters to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and the inspector generals of the Defense and State departments.

Finally, in an unconventional move on a Democratic blog, I would like to congratulate a Republican Congressman from Texas, Congressman Ted Poe (R,TX) who was instrumental in obtaining the release and safe passage of Jamie Leigh Jones:

Finally, Jones says, she convinced a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas.

"I said, 'Dad, I've been raped. I don't know what to do. I'm in this container, and I'm not able to leave,'" she said. Her father called their congressman, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas.

"We contacted the State Department first," Poe told ABCNews.com, "and told them of the urgency of rescuing an American citizen" -- from her American employer.

Poe says his office contacted the State Department, which quickly dispatched agents from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to Jones' camp, where they rescued her from the container.

ABC News blog
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=3977702&page=1

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

Thanks Annie B for drawing this story to the attention of PartyBuilder's community, thanks to Senator Clinton for supporting Jamie Lee Jones and thanks to Brian Ross of ABC News. The legal case is:

Jones, Et Al v. Halliburton Company et al

Plaintiff worked at Camp Hope in Baghdad, Iraq. She alleges that employees at Halliburton Company and Kellogg Brown & Root sexually harassed her, retaliated against her when she complained and also sexually assaulted her. Furthermore, she also alleges that the Defendants were aware of the hostile work environment and were negligent in hiring and supervising its employees, providing a safe working environment, and providing a safe living environment.

Link

I have notified Alan Grayson, an Orlando attorney with experience with whistle-blower/contractor litigation in Iraq (and who also happens to be a Democratic seeking the 8th Congressional District in Florida).

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

A CNN poll released today concluded that Senator John Edwards is the only Democrat who can beat all four major Republican candidates.   Read More »

There will be some testimony in Congress this week that will lay these myths to rest:

the delay in our funding will means this for our military:

* Unless Congress acts, the Defense Department will soon be required to begin giving layoff notices to about 100,000 civilian employees.

* Unless Congress acts, the military task force developing ways to better detect and protect our troops from roadside bombs will run out of money by early next year.

* Unless Congress acts, the Army will run out of operations and maintenance money in February.

* Unless Congress acts, the Marine Corps will run out of similar funds in March.

Link

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

NYT: Foreclosures hit a snag for lenders

A federal judge in Ohio has ruled against a longstanding foreclosure practice, potentially creating an obstacle for lenders trying to reclaim properties from troubled borrowers and raising questions about the legal standing of investors in mortgage securities pools.

Judge Christopher A. Boyko of Federal District Court in Cleveland dismissed 14 foreclosure cases brought on behalf of mortgage investors, ruling that they had failed to prove that they owned the properties they were trying to seize.

* * * On Oct. 10, Judge Boyko, 53, ordered the lenders� representative to file copies of loan assignments showing that the lender was indeed the owner of the note and mortgage on each property when the foreclosure was filed. But lawyers for Deutsche Bank supplied documents showing only an intent to convey the rights in the mortgages rather than proof of ownership as of the foreclosure date.

Saying that Deutsche Bank�s arguments of legal standing fell woefully short, the judge wrote: �The institutions seem to adopt the attitude that since they have been doing this for so long, unchallenged, this practice equates with legal compliance. Finally put to the test, their weak legal arguments compel the court to stop them at the gate.�

A spokesman for Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the ruling. But the inability of Deutsche Bank, as trustee for the pools, to produce proof of ownership at the time of the foreclosures will fuel borrowers� concerns that they are being forced out of their homes by entities that may not even hold the underlying loans.

Link

If it were not so sad, it would be really funny.

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

"Florida is behaving as though we were in a national recession," said Amy Baker, coordinator for the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research. * * * the 2007-08 spending plan will wind up another $1 billion short before the fiscal year ends June 30.

Link
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL   Read More »

I have to admit, I'm getting excited about November 27th. That's when Central Floridians have a chance to meet Alan Grayson, face to face, in an informal question and answer session. How often do you get to interact with your representation in this fast paced world? How often do you get to do it for FREE?

You see, that's where I think a lot of us become disillusioned with the process. A candidate who we're interested in comes to our area, and the dinner is $500 a plate. It's the epitome of exclusion. Nobody can represent waitresses, students, cab drivers and care givers by charging $500 a plate to hear their concerns. Ain't gonna happen. I'm not saying candidates shouldn't fund raise; that's naive. But candidates need to also hear from the bulk of their constituents, and those people are the workers, not the flush.

On November 27th, at 7 pm, I'm hosting a Meetup at the North Orange Library -- yeah, I know it's not in the district, but it's a central location and the Ocoee library was booked :). You can RSVP to attend here. I hope you will.

The first step to breaking voter apathy is to feel a stake in your local election. Meeting candidates, talking to them, and wanting their representation enough to go vote for it is the best way to dismantle a system that no longer works for you and the majority of voters in your district. Staying home can no longer be an option.

So, what have you got to lose? Invest 2 hours in the future of your community and come meet Alan Grayson. Ask your questions; find out why he's a progressive candidate we can be proud of, and one who will EARN your support.

The best way to find the fire in your belly is to START. You can do that November 27th.

Politicians normally break down into two camps in my book. The first are the "what will this do for me" crowd. You know who they are - the ones that look at political office as a stepping stone to power. Throw a rock into a crowd of politicians and you are sure to hit one that fit's that description. I'd say they are a dime a dozen, but that really seems like over paying in my mind.

The second type of person who seeks office, unfortunately much rarer kind, is the person who seeks it not out of self service, but a genuine desire for public service. The men and women who are willing to give up careers, money and all semblance of privacy to help make the country a bit better.

It isn't always easy to tell one type of candidate from the other. Nobody stands up and says that they are a selfish power hungry empty shirt - Vote for me (Republicans just assume you know that already), but you know as well as I know that's what most of them are.

Is it any wonder our political system is so screwed up?   Read More »

President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency today as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was too expensive. The bill includes money for Florida Everglades restoration efforts. Details and continuing coverage at www.orlandosentinel.com

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting:

WASHINGTON - Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will vote as early as Friday on legislation that would spend $50 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but require that President Bush start bringing troops home.

The money is about a quarter of the $196 billion requested by Bush. It would finance about four months of combat in Iraq, Pelosi told reporters on Thursday.
* * *
The bill would set the requirement that troop withdrawals begin immediately and that soldiers and Marines spend as much time at home as they do in combat.
* * *
Pelosi said the bill also would require that the government rely on an Army field manual when conducting interrogations.The field manual makes no mention of waterboarding, a harsh technique that simulates drowning and is believed to have been used by the CIA.
* * *
Republicans also would likely oppose applying Defense Department interrogation standards government-wide because it would limit the CIA's use of aggressive techniques against high-value terrorism suspects.
* * *
Without the $50 billion for combat operations, the Defense Department would have to transfer money from less urgent spending accounts to keep the wars afloat.

Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the top Republican on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, predicts the Army would run out of money entirely by January if Congress does not approve some war money.

Link

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

Wesley Snipes' attorney, in change of venue motion, claims racial bias in Ocala...
Link   Read More »

While researching the progress to date on investigation of the anthrax attacks on two Democratic US Senators, I reached three conclusions:

1. BETTER BACKGROUND CHECKS NEEDED FOR BIO-DEFENSE WORKERS
The anthrax investigations have turned up two colorful individuals Steven Hatfill and Ken Alibek. Steven Hatfill apparently submitted a fake diploma, while several of Russian defector Ken Alibek's scientific claims appear doubtful.

2. DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL CONFLICTS BY MEDICAL RESEARCHERS AND REGULATORS
Reporting by David Willman of the LA Times suggests that there are substantial conflicts of interest not only in defense, but in prestigious medical research labs such as NIH and in regulatory bodies such as the FDA.

3. MONITOR CONTRACTS FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND BIO-DEFENSE
Very large and ambigious contracts going to SAIC, Battelle, etc. Pay attention!

ANTHRAX INVESTIGATION
I don't know who sent the Anthrax to the US Senators. The absence of any Arabic or Islamic symbols suggests that it was NOT sent by Al Qaeda. Many on the right wing including the Eagle Forum and AIM believe that Al Qaeda was involved.

REVISED PROFILE
An analysis of the targets and the notes suggests that the Anthrax was sent by someone:
1. Who does not like Democrats (NO Republican Senators targeted)
2. Has had some exposure to complex moral and/or ethical reasoning (examples might include Jewish moral reasoning or Jesuit moral reasoning, but certainly not limited to these two and the perpetrator may only have attended a course or two or have been exposed to the culture -- hardly a devout follower). There seems to have been some moral calculus involved however wrongly applied, depraved or misguided.

The attack was NOT optimized for mass killing and contained some useful warnings. The attacker(s) also attempted to conceal their identity with false return addresses and likely misleading slogans. The return addresses were demonstrably false, how misleading the slogans were depends on who sent it.

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

That's it. We're done kids. The greatest experiment in democracy can't survive long term. Our addiction to drama, turmoil, and petty bickering will kill it. Our passions for ridiculous dramas are so ingrained, we invent them and call it news. Then, we quote this to each other like it’s from God's mouth to our ears. Americans can no longer be happy except when quivering with indignation. We're beyond caring whether our positions are supportable, as long as they make it possible for us to point at people, Jerry Springer style, and hold forth on their differences.

This county was founded on an argument; our governing precepts grew from a thousand arguments, and for two hundred years we have argued in order to grow. This was a good thing. Nowadays, we no longer argue with any sort of fact based premise. Nope, not us. We bicker. Our passions are rooted in contrived shallow positions on topics shaped by people who have a stake in the outcome, not a sincere ideological imperative. We disregard facts that don't suit us and squabble with the carefree obstinacy of three year olds.

Perhaps we've reverted to childishness because the world is hard. If that's the case, we deserve to lose American style democracy. Do you think founding this country was easy? Do you think wrestling with the unwieldy language to produce simple, clear rules that hold up over centuries was a first draft effort? The passion of our founders faltered in the wee hours, but it did not quit. These were remarkable people. What they did was unprecedented, radical and visionary.

What we're like today is anything but. We lap up cheap shots like it's the new mother's milk. We hold truth, not as self evident, but as suspect. Our filters are more important to us than our liberty. Once upon a time, Americans were willing to die to safeguard liberty. At all costs, preserving the most basic cornerstone of American democracy was crucial. We don't feel like that anymore; at least, not enough of us are frightened by the alternative to take a stand.

Why should we, when there are distractions like homosexuals and abortions and burning flags to proselytize upon? We get rabid upon issues of personal dislike, control and symbolism and never see our flag of liberty captured. It happens all the time. It happened yesterday.

CNN's headline was a blaring “Obama Supporter: God Delivered Me From Homosexuality”. Inside, the article was full of divisive rhetoric mocking the relevancy of having disparate viewpoints on the Obama stage. The blacks loved it, the gays hate it, blah blah blah. We are stupid to buy into the red herrings, here, and CNN should be razed for running with it. It's just a ruse to objectify a candidate whose appeal is so broad he is a real threat to the hate mongers. They've done all they can do to separate their people. The current objective is to divide the rest of us into powerless fringe factors.

As long as we follow this lead, we desecrate our democracy. Trifling in the fringes, wallowing in the petty sniping of backroom agendas, we leave our liberty vulnerable to the planners of the Patriot Act, demolishers of the FISA protections, purveyors of Read ID, and the hundreds of small attacks crumbling liberty day in and day out.

It's hard to break out from the easy ire and look for the facts. Fleshing out your personal opinion with facts, and not rhetoric, takes time and self reflection. Beyond that, it requires putting America in front of personal agenda. Breaking the strangle hold of talking points leaves a void that most don’t want to deal with. It's hard to invest yourself in liberty; she's not flashy, trendy or hip, she's just oxygen.

If you divide us from her, we all fall.

If there is one thing the internet has given us, it’s an eyeful of ourselves. There are a lot of bright, passionate, caring, selfless, strong, diverse, original thinkers on the net. I'm always learning something new, seeing a point of view I hadn't considered or revising an opinion that no longer seems based on all the facts. On the surface, with such an amazing tool, it seems liberty has never been safer. The arena for discourse and truth is infinite. We have the ability to override false media, watchdog our government, and protect liberty without violence.

How truly scary the internet must have seemed to the neocon agenda, which required fear and subversion for success. They undermined this tool frequently and well, the resultant chaos personified in the barking world of blogs, the corporate paid non-news stuffed insidiously into Americans faces at six o’clock every night and the lapdog media, dutifully carrying the talking points uninvestigated to the people in exchange for just being allowed into the pressroom.

Until we learn to wield our internet tool better than the liberty snatchers, liberty is in dire peril. We have bolder and greater access to the truth than any time in history. The questions are, can we put down the gossip pipe and wean ourselves from cheap-shots crack in order to save ourselves? Do enough of us want to?

Major pre-Columbian archaeological discovery at US Army Corps of Engineers dam construction site in Puerto Rico. Pre-Columbian remains were being excavated by a contractor with a back hoe!

The lead investigator for Georgia-based New South Associates, the archaeological and historical consulting firm leading the excavation, said a back hoe that scrapes inches at a time did break some centuries-old bones, but that the same thing would have occurred during a manual excavation.

Link   Read More »

Web sites, data bases, polling, statistical analysis, and redistricting are all software intensive and ripe for free software and community building.

This is just a raw dump of some things I have been looking at. Almost every program listed will run in Windows, Apple Mac OS/X and Linux.   Read More »

ORLANDO 3 RING CIRCUS THIS WEEKEND
1. Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Convention
Link

2. Anti-War Demonstration
Orlando is part of a national 11 city anti-war demonstration. Gang of 4, please note, Senator Gravel and Congressman Kucinich will attend.
http://www.oct27.org/orlando

3. Special Election for House 34: Stephen Bacallao
Almost all of district is in massively Republican Seminole County. Volunteers from convention may pitch in to staunch expected losses.

Voters in Seminole and Orange counties will decide Nov. 6 on a replacement for Mealor, in a district [Governor] Crist [R] carried with about 60 percent of the vote.

Republican Chris Dorworth had raised $127,455 through Friday, boosted by $2,750 at a Tallahassee fundraiser Thursday at the Governor's Club. "You have to raise more than I thought," Dorworth said.

His main opponent, Democrat Stephen Bacallao, raised $15,577.

Democrats in heavily Republican precincts are welcoming Bacallao volunteers at the door. Weather is cooling off, not quite as hot as August and September.

ORLANDO 3
Yesterday, I attended a First Amendment rally in support of the three Orlando Weekly employees who were arrested last week by the MBI. New Orlando Weekly article on MBI expected out today.
Link

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

The New York Times has an article on social networking for Apartments and Condos, "Meet your neighbors, but just not in person" after discussing a service that charges $6,000 to set up a site for one complex, it goes on to discuss a free experiment at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Link

Others have experimented with social networking Web sites aimed at city residents without intending to make money. I-Neighbors.org is a site set up by Keith N. Hampton, a sociologist at Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, to study the role that Web sites can play in strengthening offline social ties.

Mr. Hampton said that I-Neighbors continues to grow, with 45,000 people now using the free service. He said, however, that people in apartment buildings generally do not pursue social connections with their neighbors.

I have created GrandeDowntownOrlando in the 32801 zip, but sorry it is private and for residents only. Create your own!

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

Abandoning a negative attitude is hard. As a blogger, I'm constantly in defensive mode, arguing my viewpoint with people who frequently exspouse right wing talking points so beyond the pale in terms of reality, that it leaves me convinced America has gone raving starkers.

Working a campaign is the polar opposite. Here it is how well you can connect, get along, and produce that matters. My second event on the Grayson campaign was at the Lake County Dems DEC meeting. I got there early and started talking to folks. In my county, the faces of volunteer patriots are lined, the gaits shuffle a bit, but the passion burns fierce and steady. They are aging warriors, but the call for glory still beckons.

That was prosy, but hey, I'm a writer; I love my craft. I compose, cut, sweat the nuance. In short, I'm a believer in do-overs. Face to face campaigning, however, is a one shot game. You have to get out there and work the crowd. I think lots of politicians grow plastic on purpose. It's insulation, and after you get it down, it's far less work. Being genuine with strangers carries a risk, both that you're vulnerable when people are mean, and that by being specific about where you stand will, of necessity, turn some people off. Being the real deal means every encounter requires you to bring it.

Watching Alan Grayson move through the DEC crowd after his speech told me a great deal about him. He is ruthlessly real, genuinely interested in the conversation, and you can tell he likes interacting with voters.

I like that. After years of Keller, I want my representation to be comfortable in the trenches, listening to voters, and hearing what they have to say about their situations. After all, how can our representation make the changes we need to make the lives of Central Floridians better, if he doesn't hear us in the first place?

Two great web sites:

Visualizing Economics
Link
1. Has poverty maps (and says they are from "Social Explorer")
2. Has link to hilarious spoof on Onion about rivalry between rich and super rich (George Bush's haves and have mores).

Social Explorer
Link
Has easy to use maps of population, income and poverty variables by US Congressional District or Census Tract.

Including a map showing the proportion of people with less than 2X the poverty line (relevant for SCHIP debate).

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL