Blackbox voting

Election boxes easy to mess with (sunspot.net - maryland news)

Md. computer testers cast a vote: Election boxes easy to mess with
In Annapolis, tales of trickery, vote rigging
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Stephanie Desmon
Sun Staff
Originally published January 30, 2004

. . .

Diebold "basically had no interest in putting actual security in this system," said Paul Franceus, one of the consultants. "It's not like they did it wrong. It's like they didn't bother."

Mark McLarnon had something up his sleeve as he approached one of the voting machines. A close look revealed the cord of a portable keyboard. He had learned that he could quickly pick a lock on the side of the machine, plug in his keyboard and wreak havoc on the results stored inside - all while likely going undetected by poll judges.

Using a low-tech solution, such as tape that reveals tampering, could keep people like McLarnon at bay, at least as a temporary fix, the consultants said.

. . .

Sneaking in, via modem

Meanwhile, William A. Arbaugh, an assistant computer science professor at the University of Maryland, College Park and part of the team, easily sneaked his way into the state's computers by way of his modem. Once in, he had access to change votes from actual precincts - because he knew how to exploit holes in the Microsoft software.

Those holes should have been patched through regular updates sent to customers, patches that haven't been installed on the elections equipment since November.

"There's no security that's going to be 100 percent effective. But the level of effort [needed to get into the system] was pretty low," Arbaugh said. "A high school kid could do this. Right now, the bar is maybe 8th grade. You want to raise the bar to a well-funded adversary."

"Every system is vulnerable somehow," said Karl Aro, director of the state's Department of Legislative Services, who commissioned the study for the legislature. "The system's not bad but it needs some work."

No system is completely secure. In fact, the more elections the state holds, the more opportunities there will be for hackers to see how it works and launch new attacks, experts said.

President Bush is a liar

Look at how the President avoids answering the question (President Bush Welcomes President Kwasniewski to White House), and then tells a whopper:

Q Mr. President, but how do you describe and account for the difference between what you claimed prior to the war about what he possessed and what he was capable of, and what the intelligence said he possessed and was capable of in terms of a nuclear weapon within the decade, and the fact that David Kay says the intelligence was inaccurate and wrong, and nothing has been found? Don't you owe the American people an explanation?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I think the Iraq Survey Group must do its work. Again, I appreciate David Kay's contribution. I said in the run-up to the war against Iraq that -- first of all, I hoped the international community would take care of him. I was hoping the United Nations would enforce its resolutions, one of many. And then we went to the United Nations, of course, and got an overwhelming resolution -- 1441 -- unanimous resolution, that said to Saddam, you must disclose and destroy your weapons programs, which obviously meant the world felt he had such programs. He chose defiance. It was his choice to make, and he did not let us in.

I said in the run-up that Saddam was a grave and gathering danger, that's what I said. And I believed it then, and I know it was true now. And as Mr. Kay said, that Iraq was a dangerous place. And given the circumstances of September the 11th, given the fact that we're vulnerable to attack, this nation had to act for our security.

Hint: the lie is in bold. For the record,

16 September 2002 The Foreign Minister of Iraq informs the Secretary-General that Iraq has decided to allow the return of wepons inspectors without conditions(document S/2002/1034).

8 November 2002 The Security Council adopts resolution 1441

18 -19 November 2002 The Executive Chairman [of UNMOVIC (United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission), Hans Blix] visits Baghdad for discussions with representatives of the Government of Iraq.

25 November 2002 The Executive Chairman briefs the Security Council on his recent visit to Baghdad.

27 November 2002 Inspections resume in Iraq.

7 December 2002 Iraq provides UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad with a declaration of its weapons programmes, required by Security Council resolution 1441.

28 December 2002 Iraq provides UNMOVIC with list of personnel associated with its weapons programmes.

18 March 2003 UNMOVIC inspectors withdraw from Iraq.

You can find UNMOVIC's chronology of events (including links to relevant UN documents) here.
This is not the first time President Bush has told this lie (President Reaffirms Strong Position on Liberia, July 14, 2003).
First, a question about another lie, the notorious one in the 2003 State of the Union Speech:

Q Mr. President, thank you. On Iraq, what steps are being taken to ensure that questionable information, like the Africa uranium material, doesn't come to your desk and wind up in your speeches?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me first say that -- I think the intelligence I get is darn good intelligence. And the speeches I have given were backed by good intelligence. And I am absolutely convinced today, like I was convinced when I gave the speeches, that Saddam Hussein developed a program of weapons of mass destruction, and that our country made the right decision.

We worked with the United Nations -- as Kofi mentioned, not all nations agreed with the decision, but we worked with the United Nations. And Saddam Hussein did not comply. And it's the same intelligence, by the way, that my predecessor used to make the decision he made in 1998.

We are in the process now of interrogating people inside of Iraq, looking at documents, exploring documents to determine the extent that -- what we can find as quickly as possible. And I believe, firmly believe, that when it's all said and done, the people of the United States and the world will realize that Saddam Hussein had a weapons program.

And later, another question:

Q Mr. President, back on the question of Iraq, and that specific line that has been in question --

THE PRESIDENT: Can you cite the line? (Laughter.)

Q I could, if you gave me some time.

THE PRESIDENT: When I gave the speech, the line was relevant.

Q So even though there has been some question about the intelligence -- the intelligence community knowing beforehand that perhaps it wasn't, you still believe that when you gave it --

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the speech that I gave was cleared by the CIA. And, look, the thing that's important to realize is that we're constantly gathering data. Subsequent to the speech, the CIA had some doubts. But when I gave the -- when they talked about the speech and when they looked at the speech, it was cleared. Otherwise, I wouldn't have put it in the speech. I'm not interested in talking about intelligence unless it's cleared by the CIA. And as Director Tenet said, it was cleared by the CIA.

The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in. And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power, along with other nations, so as to make sure he was not a threat to the United States and our friends and allies in the region. I firmly believe the decisions we made will make America more secure and the world more peaceful.

Thanks to Joe Conason (Salon.com) for pointing these lies out.

When the White House spins the Iraq war as a humanitarian intervention, Human Rights Watch steps in and says 'not so fast, Leroy!' War in Iraq: Not a Humanitarian Intervention.
Here is a relevant portion:

Human Rights Watch ordinarily takes no position on whether a state should go to war. The issues involved usually extend beyond our mandate, and a position of neutrality maximizes our ability to press all parties to a conflict to avoid harming noncombatants. The sole exception we make is in extreme situations requiring humanitarian intervention.

Because the Iraq war was not mainly about saving the Iraqi people from mass slaughter, and because no such slaughter was then ongoing or imminent, Human Rights Watch at the time took no position for or against the war. A humanitarian rationale was occasionally offered for the war, but it was so plainly subsidiary to other reasons that we felt no need to address it. Indeed, if Saddam Hussein had been overthrown and the issue of weapons of mass destruction reliably dealt with, there clearly would have been no war, even if the successor government were just as repressive. Some argued that Human Rights Watch should support a war launched on other grounds if it would arguably lead to significant human rights improvements. But the substantial risk that wars guided by non-humanitarian goals will endanger human rights keeps us from adopting that position.

Over time, the principal justifications originally given for the Iraq war lost much of their force. More than seven months after the declared end of major hostilities, weapons of mass destruction have not been found. No significant prewar link between Saddam Hussein and international terrorism has been discovered. The difficulty of establishing stable institutions in Iraq is making the country an increasingly unlikely staging ground for promoting democracy in the Middle East. As time elapses, the Bush administration’s dominant remaining justification for the war is that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant who deserved to be overthrown—an argument of humanitarian intervention. The administration is now citing this rationale not simply as a side benefit of the war but also as a prime justification for it. Other reasons are still regularly mentioned, but the humanitarian one has gained prominence.

Does that claim hold up to scrutiny? The question is not simply whether Saddam Hussein was a ruthless leader; he most certainly was. Rather, the question is whether the conditions were present that would justify humanitarian intervention—conditions that look at more than the level of repression. If so, honesty would require conceding as much, despite the war’s global unpopularity. If not, it is important to say so as well, since allowing the arguments of humanitarian intervention to serve as a pretext for war fought mainly on other grounds risks tainting a principle whose viability might be essential to save countless lives.

Here is the supposedly liberal Washington Post, finally noticing James Fallows' article "Blind Into Baghdad" in the January issue of the Atlantic:

Actually, Fallows shows, many government agencies -- the Army, the CIA, and the State Department among others -- did lots of planning for postwar Iraq. But the Bush administration ignored their planning, fired planners who disagreed with it and, in several instances, barred Pentagon officials from attending meetings with planners suspected of harboring thoughts not approved by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

And guess what? The planners turned out to be right -- and the Bushies wrong -- about key issues such as how many troops were needed for the occupation, what dangers those troops would face and how much the whole bloody mess would cost.

Is anyone surprised at the incompetence of the Bush White House? And somehow the Republican Party has the stomach to chant Four more years! Four more years!

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2005 to 2014

Hey, everybody, here is the Congressional Budget Office's report: The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2005 to 2014. Fiscal irresponsibility with no end in sight.

Sunday readings

Readings for the Third Sunday of Epiphany:

Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD'S hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah [my delight is in her],
and your land Beulah [married];
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.

I Corinthians 12:1-11

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom,
to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
to another miraculous powers,
to another prophecy,
to another distinguishing between spirits,
to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

John 2:1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

More template tinkering etc.

I enjoy the sliding layers of the template I'm using, but sometimes it doesn't load properly. So I am going to simplify it in the near future: just links to simple pages with the reference material.
I need to do another batch of link-testing to fix the images that villagephotos so courteously de-linked, etc.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

A TV show to miss

UPN is planning a 'reality show': five Amish young people would live with five non-Amish young people and supposedly get enlightened. Ugh.

Classwork

I've had so much library searching to do recently, I've changed the default page of my browser from the Guardian Online to my university's library search page. Much reading about the Voice of America, international broadcasting, public diplomacy, propaganda--I'm trying to find out why jazz was so prominent on VOA during the Cold War; why not rock or country--music that the majority of Americans actually listened to?

South Africa: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Black box voting

Paul Krugman is the only op-ed columnist at the supposedly liberal New York Times worth reading. Here is his latest, on a favorite theme of mine: electronic voting machines.

Democracy at Risk
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: January 23, 2004 in the New York Times

The disputed election of 2000 left a lasting scar on the nation's psyche. A recent Zogby poll found that even in red states, which voted for George W. Bush, 32 percent of the public believes that the election was stolen. In blue states, the fraction is 44 percent.

Now imagine this: in November the candidate trailing in the polls wins an upset victory — but all of the districts where he does much better than expected use touch-screen voting machines. Meanwhile, leaked internal e-mail from the companies that make these machines suggests widespread error, and possibly fraud. What would this do to the nation?

Unfortunately, this story is completely plausible. (In fact, you can tell a similar story about some of the results in the 2002 midterm elections, especially in Georgia.) Fortune magazine rightly declared paperless voting the worst technology of 2003, but it's not just a bad technology — it's a threat to the republic.

First of all, the technology has simply failed in several recent elections. In a special election in Broward County, Fla., 134 voters were disenfranchised because the electronic voting machines showed no votes, and there was no way to determine those voters' intent. (The election was decided by only 12 votes.) In Fairfax County, Va., electronic machines crashed repeatedly and balked at registering votes. In the 2002 primary, machines in several Florida districts reported no votes for governor.

And how many failures weren't caught? Internal e-mail from Diebold, the most prominent maker of electronic voting machines (though not those in the Florida and Virginia debacles), reveals that programmers were frantic over the system's unreliability. One reads, "I have been waiting for someone to give me an explanation as to why Precinct 216 gave Al Gore a minus 16022 when it was uploaded." Another reads, "For a demonstration I suggest you fake it."

Computer experts say that software at Diebold and other manufacturers is full of security flaws, which would easily allow an insider to rig an election. But the people at voting machine companies wouldn't do that, would they? Let's ask Jeffrey Dean, a programmer who was senior vice president of a voting machine company, Global Election Systems, before Diebold acquired it in 2002. Bev Harris, author of "Black Box Voting" (www.blackboxvoting.com), told The A.P. that Mr. Dean, before taking that job, spent time in a Washington correctional facility for stealing money and tampering with computer files.

Questionable programmers aside, even a cursory look at the behavior of the major voting machine companies reveals systematic flouting of the rules intended to ensure voting security. Software was modified without government oversight; machine components were replaced without being rechecked. And here's the crucial point: even if there are strong reasons to suspect that electronic machines miscounted votes, nothing can be done about it. There is no paper trail; there is nothing to recount.

So what should be done? Representative Rush Holt has introduced a bill calling for each machine to produce a paper record that the voter verifies. The paper record would then be secured for any future audit. The bill requires that such verified voting be ready in time for the 2004 election — and that districts that can't meet the deadline use paper ballots instead. And it also requires surprise audits in each state.

I can't see any possible objection to this bill. Ignore the inevitable charges of "conspiracy theory." (Although some conspiracies are real: as yesterday's Boston Globe reports, "Republican staff members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media.") To support verified voting, you don't personally have to believe that voting machine manufacturers have tampered or will tamper with elections. How can anyone object to measures that will place the vote above suspicion?

What about the expense? Let's put it this way: we're spending at least $150 billion to promote democracy in Iraq. That's about $1,500 for each vote cast in the 2000 election. How can we balk at spending a small fraction of that sum to secure the credibility of democracy at home?

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Making Light: Something new in Short Creek

Note to self: follow the links in this story: Making Light: Something new in Short Creek:

Something new in Short Creek
Elizabeth Mitchell has pointed me toward a strange little story that's developing in Colorado City (formerly Short Creek) Arizona: The town's children are fleeing. It started less than a week and a half ago, when two girls named Fawn Broadbent and Fawn Holm ran away for fear of being forced into polygamous 'marriages'.

Krugman on State of the Union Speech

From the New York Times: Going for Broke by Paul Krugman, on 2004 State of the Union Speech
Well, since NYT links rot, here is the complete text of Krugman's piece:

Going for Broke
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: January 20, 2004

According to advance reports, George Bush will use tonight's State of the Union speech to portray himself as a visionary leader who stands above the political fray. But that act is losing its effectiveness. Mr. Bush's relentless partisanship has depleted much of the immense good will he enjoyed after 9/11. He is still adored by his base, but he is deeply distrusted by much of the nation.

Mr. Bush may not understand this; indeed, he still seems to think that he's another Lincoln or F.D.R. "No president has done more for human rights than I have," he told Ken Auletta.

But his political handlers seem to have decided on a go-for-broke strategy: confuse the middle one last time, energize the base and grab enough power that the consequences don't matter.

What do I mean by confusing the middle? The striking thing about the "visionary" proposals floated in advance of the State of the Union is their transparent cynicism and lack of realism. Mr. Bush has, of course, literally promised us the Moon — and Mars, too. And the ever-deferential media have managed to keep a straight face.

But that's just the most dramatic example of an array of policy proposals that don't withstand even minimal scrutiny. Mr. Bush has already pushed through an expensive new Medicare benefit — without any visible source of financing. Reports say that tonight he'll propose additional, and even more expensive, new initiatives, like partial Social Security privatization — which all by itself would require at least $1 trillion in extra funds over the next decade. Where is all this money going to come from?

Judging from the latest CBS/New York Times Poll, these promises of something for nothing aren't likely to convince many people. It's not just that the bounce from Saddam's capture has already gone away. Unfavorable views of Mr. Bush as a person have reached record levels for his presidency. It seems fair to say that many Americans, like most of the rest of the world, simply don't trust him anymore.

But some Americans will respond to upbeat messages, no matter how unrealistic. And that may be enough for Mr. Bush, because while he poses as someone above the fray, he is continuing to solidify his base.

The most sinister example was the recess appointment of Charles Pickering Sr., with his segregationist past and questionable record on voting rights, to the federal appeals court — the day after Martin Luther King's actual birthday. Was this careless timing? Don't be silly: it was a deliberate, if subtle, gesture of sympathy with a part of the Republican coalition that never gets mentioned in public.

A less objectionable but equally calculated gesture will be Mr. Bush's demand that his tax cuts be made permanent. Realistically, this can't make any difference to the economy now, and it makes no sense, given the array of new spending plans he will simultaneously unveil. But it's a signal to the base that any seeming moderation needn't be taken seriously, and that the administration's hard-right turn will continue.

Meanwhile, the lying has already begun, with the Republican National Committee's willful misrepresentation of Wesley Clark's prewar statements. (Why are news organizations letting them get away with this?)

The question we should ask is, Where is all this leading?

Some cynical pundits think that Mr. Bush's advisers plan to leave the hard work of dealing with the mess he's made to future presidents. But I don't think that's right. I can't see how the budget can continue along its current path through a second Bush term — financial markets won't stand for it.

And what about the growing military crisis? The mess in Iraq has placed our volunteer military, a magnificent but fragile institution, under immense strain. National Guard and Reserve members find themselves effectively drafted as full-time soldiers. More than 40,000 soldiers whose enlistment terms have expired have been kept from leaving under "stop loss" orders. This can't go on for four more years.

Karl Rove and other insiders must know all this. So they must figure that once they have won the election, they will have such a complete lock on power that they can break many of their promises with impunity.

What will they do with that lock on power? Their election strategy — confuse the middle, but feed the base — suggests the answer.

I missed the Mission to Mars part of the State of the Union Speech. Why didn't President Bush promote his great vision last night? The President is great at spending money foolishly--massive government spending is fine--just as long as the wealthiest don't have to pay their share of taxes. Young people are encouraged to sacrifice their lives in the so-called war on terror, but wealthy people can't bring themselves to pay higher taxes. It's their money, after all. What do they owe their country that allows them to prosper, gave them opportunity, etc? Apparently nothing.

State of the Union Address

Worst State of the Union Address Ever

And one reason is clear: For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.

So all the lies the Bush administration told about Iraq's WMD--'words must be credible'?? what is he talking about here?

from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific, to a mess hall in Baghdad.

Cheap stunts.

already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.

Lies on top of lies. 'Words must be credible'???

This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq.

How many of these coalition partners have troops on the ground in Iraq? More lies.

And we should limit the burden of government on this economy by acting as good stewards of taxpayer dollars. In two weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the homeland, and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending to less than four percent. This will require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be wise with the people's money. By doing so, we can cut the deficit in half over the next five years.

By limiting limiting the growth in discretionary spending to less than four percent . . . we can cut the deficit in half over the next five years. More lies.

State of the Union

Since my foreign policy was such a raving success last year, I think I will concentrate on domestic policy this year.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Taliban Drug Control Was Effective

from Reuters --Study Says Taliban Drug Control Was Effective by Peter Apps
Mon January 19, 2004 09:33 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The Taliban's attack on Afghan heroin production was the 'most effective' drug control policy of modern times but production soared again after the regime was ousted, researchers said Monday.
A study showed that a Taliban crackdown in 2001 led to global heroin production falling by two-thirds, said criminologist Professor Graham Farrow of Loughborough University, with production in Taliban-controlled areas falling 99 percent.

More from Professor Farrow:

It was difficult to draw many lessons from the example, he said, because such measures were not acceptable to western countries.

"In free democratic society, harsh corporal punishment for relatively minor drug crimes is not something we want to recommend," he said.

No, in civilized western countries we lock non-violent drug offenders up with violent sociopaths in prisons. No harsh corporal punishment in prisons? Right.

War on Terrorism--what about Pakistan?

Unfulfilled Promises: Pakistan's Failure to Tackle Extremism from the International Crisis Group published 16 January 2004

It has been more than two years since President and Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf pledged to reform Pakistani society by reversing the trend of Islamist extremism. In a televised speech, he promised a series of measures to combat extremism. One of the key issues was to bring all madrasas -- the religious schools that educate many Pakistani children -- into the mainstream and to increase scrutiny of them by controlling funding and curriculum.
President Musharraf's call for an end to the promotion of an ideology of jihad was welcomed around the world. Two years on, however, the failure to deliver to any substantial degree on pledges to reform the madrasas and contain the growth of jihadi networks means that religious extremism in Pakistan continues to pose a threat to domestic, regional and international security.

Sunday Readings

For the baptism of Jesus.
Isaiah 42:1-7

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
He will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope."

This is what God the LORD says--
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."

Acts 10:34-38

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached--how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him."

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:

"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

The sermon touched on the different ways heaven opened up during Jesus' life:

the angels appearing to the shepherds

the star appearing to the Magi

the dove at the baptism of Jesus

the light at the Mount of Transfiguration

the earthquake when Jesus was crucified

the empty tomb after Jesus rose from the dead.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Busy, busy

Moving my desk and computer today (to make early morning studying easier.)

Tim cooked pancakes for dinner. When he ran out of pancake mix, he just followed the recipe on the box using flour. But he didn't know about baking powder! The pancakes had an interesting texture but were quite edible (if you were hungry.)

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

When Science is Politicized . . .

I don't know why we should expect any better from the Bush administration, but can any sane person say there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans? Which party is really looking out for the American people? Here is on an especially obvious example of political bureaucrats rewriting a scientific report to make it more palatable to the Bush Administration and all those lovely Republicans controlling Congress. (download links on this page)
Or you can save you sanity by jumping ahead and reading the report by Democratic members of the House Committee on Government Reform:
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM — MINORITY STAFF
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION
JANUARY 2004

A CASE STUDY IN POLITICS AND SCIENCE--CHANGES TO THE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES REPORT (PDF, 252 Kb)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In March 2002, the Institute of Medicine found “overwhelming” evidence that racial and ethnic minorities suffer disparities in healthcare and concluded that “the real challenge lies not in debating whether disparities exist . . . but in developing and implementing strategies to reduce and eliminate them.” In the months that followed, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was faulted for not pursuing many of the strategies recommended by the Institute of Medicine to counter healthcare disparities.

On December 23, 2003, HHS released its own long-awaited National Healthcare Disparities Report. Unlike the Institute of Medicine, however, HHS did not describe healthcare disparities as a national problem. In fact, the HHS report emphasized that in some ways racial and ethnic minorities are in better health than the general population.

At the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, Rep. Michael M. Honda, Del. Donna M. Christensen, Rep. Hilda L. Solis, Rep. Danny K. Davis, and Rep. Dale E. Kildee, this report investigates why HHS reached conclusions on healthcare disparities that differ from those of the Institute of Medicine. The investigation is based on a comparison of two versions of the healthcare disparities report: (1) the final version that was released by HHS on December 23 after review by political appointees in the Department; and (2) the draft executive summary that was prepared by HHS scientists and widely circulated in the Department.

The investigation finds that HHS substantially altered the conclusions of its scientists on healthcare disparities. In the June draft, the Department’s scientists found “significant inequality” in health care in the United States, called healthcare disparities “national problems,” emphasized that these disparities are “pervasive in our health care system,” and found that the disparities carry a significant “personal and societal price.” The final version of the report, however, contains none of these conclusions.

This investigation finds:

• The final version of the National Healthcare Disparities Report deletes most uses of the word “disparity.” The scientists’ draft defined “disparity” as “the condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree” and included the term over 30 times in the “key findings” section of the executive summary. By contrast, the final version leaves “disparity” undefined and includes it in the “key findings” section just twice.

• The final version eliminates the conclusion that healthcare disparities are “national problems.” The scientists’ draft found that “racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities are national problems that affect health care at all points in the process, at all sites of care, and for all medical conditions — in fact, disparities are pervasive in our health care system.” The final version states only that “some socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and geographic differences exist.”

• The final version drops findings on the social costs of disparities and replaces them with a discussion of “successes.” The scientists’ draft concluded that “disparities come at a personal and societal price,” including lost productivity, needless disability, and early death. The final version drops this conclusion and replaces it with the finding that “some ‘priority populations’ do as well or better than the general population in some aspects of health care.” As an example, the executive summary highlights that “American Indians/Alaska Natives have a lower death rate from all cancers.” The executive summary does not mention that overall life expectancies for American Indians and Alaska Natives are significantly shorter than for other Americans or that their infant mortality rates are substantially higher.

• The final version omits key examples of healthcare disparities. The scientists’ draft concluded that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, die of HIV, be subjected to physical restraints in nursing homes, and receive suboptimal cardiac care for heart attacks. The final version drops these examples. The report instead highlights milder examples of healthcare disparities, such as the finding that “Hispanics and American Indians or Alaska Natives are less likely to have their cholesterol checked.”

A previous report for Rep. Waxman by the Special Investigations Division documented a growing pattern of political interference with science at HHS and other science-based federal agencies. [see Politics and Science in the Bush Administration (Aug. 2003) (Minority Staff, Government Reform Committee)] The alterations made by HHS in the National Healthcare Disparities Report provide another example of the increasing politicization of science under the Bush Administration. In this case, the changes to the National Healthcare Disparities Report minimize the scope and extent of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, undermining efforts to address these problems.

I found this story via Atrios and Calpundit.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Blue Whales

Here is an excerpt from a recent Science News article by Susan Milius, Whale Haunt: Nursing, feeding spot found off south Chile (January 4, 2004 issue) with links added:

A systematic survey has discovered a hangout for blue whales in the Gulf of Corcovado, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean between the southern Chilean mainland and the largest of the Chilean Islands. Last year, 47 blue whale groups, some including mothers and youngsters, were sighted in that area.

In the first 60 years of the 20th century, commercial whaling wiped out 97 percent of the Southern Hemisphere's blue whales, note Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete of the Southern University of Chile in Valdivia and his survey team. As of 2000, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) estimated that 700 to 1,400 blue whales remain in the Southern Hemisphere. Observations that can be made at the new, midlatitude site should fill in some knowledge gaps and help refine conservation efforts, Hucke-Gaete and his colleagues say in an upcoming Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biology Letters. (abstract)

"It's an exciting discovery," says another blue whale researcher, Bruce Mate of Oregon State University in Newport. Usually, blue whales are sighted near the poles or at the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, scientists have found some blue whales that frequent midlatitude spots. But in the Southern Hemisphere, a midlatitude location was "unexpected," says Mate.

Whaling records from 1907 and 1909 describe abundant blue whales in the area. An IWC survey in the late 1990s turned up a modest number of blue whales along the Chilean coast. But when several members of that survey team subsequently went on a sightseeing cruise in the area, they saw more blue whales than they had observed during months of official whale counting, says Mate.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Back to classes

Classes start up this week; today is the first class: Biology.

UPDATE 14 January 2004

To encourage responsible behavior, the professor cited the phony McDonald's coffee spill lawsuit (link from findlaw). 'Frivolous lawsuit wins $2.9 million judgement.' Alas, the lawsuit was not frivolous; everything that's commonly remembered about the case is wrong. Read more here (Public Citizen) and here (Consumer Attorneys of California) and here (Washington State Trial Lawyers Association). What bugs me about this is that most of the students in this class were about 10 years old when this case was in the news--they have no memory of the facts of the case, just the frivolous lawsuits are out of control myth that never seems to die. Even a website that gives out 'Stella' awards (named after the plaintiff in the McDonald's coffee spill case) for frivolous lawsuits admits that the Stella case doesn't qualify for one.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Sunday Readings

Readings for the first Sunday of Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.
Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Ephesians 3:2-12

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Busy, busy

I am working on a Mad Cow/BSE post; have patience while I try to learn what's going on, and try to understand why cows are fed to other cows. . .

Saturday: we enjoyed our in search of eagles tour at Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge--we did see some Golden Eagles (at a distance) but also some Northern Harriers (formerly known as Marsh Hawks.) Of course, we also saw bison and longhorn cattle and prairie dogs; deer, coyotes, and even elk (first time we've seen elk here!) Alas, we didn't see any Bald Eagles; here is some info about Bald Eagles in Oklahoma (from the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
. Look for the link to download the set of hyperlinked pages.

We picked up a schedule of tours for 2004; Tim noticed a 'strenous' wilderness hike in April--so we'll probably try to get reservations for that one! (There are also wildflower, star-gazing, elk, fall foliage, night animals tours.)

Before the tour, we had a picnic lunch at the refuge. Crested Titmice begged for bread crumbs--which the boys were happy to provide. Joe took some photos--we'll have to wait and see how they turned out.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Mars Rover Spirit

Some of the raw black and white images from the Mars Rover Spirit look eerily like some early daggeureotypes: sharp in the center, fading at the edges. And get out your red and blue 3D glasses for this first panoramic 3D view of mars from the Spirit Rover.

Eagles!

Golden Eagle, photographed at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, 1990
The Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge will be conducting "In Search of Eagles" tours in January. We will ride a bus into the 'special use area' (normally off limits to the general public) to observe birds, especially looking for Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles.

Tim should be especially interested--he keeps a daily tally of the hawks he sees near our house (mainly Red-tailed Hawks--beautiful birds when seen up close.)

UPDATE Dec 30, 2003 8:00 am

Yesterday, National Public Radio's Morning Edition had a story on the Endangered Species Act (audio link on this page, RealPlayer required), which featured the recovery of the Bald Eagle from near extinction. Some Bald Eagles live quite near urban areas!

2nd UPDATE Jan 4, 2004 7:00 pm

We have reserved our spots on the tour next Saturday, January 10. We'll let you know what we learn about eagles and what we get to see.

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing. --Psalm 146:1-4 NIV

Statue of Liberty Stamp Album Pages

I've been putting together a group of stamp album pages for stamps portraying the Statue of Liberty. I'm just including United States stamps for now, except for an issue by France for Statue of Liberty's centennial. I promised to reward Joyce and the boys for completing these pages--20 dollars! (But they will have to spend some money to get the high values of the 1922 set and possibly the Liberty and Americana sets too!) I plan to include pages about the history of the statue, its symbolism, and also Emma Lazarus's poem The New Colossus.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Mars

Last night I enjoyed watching (or listening really) to coverage of the landing of the Mars Spirit Rover at the NASA Television Landing Page (several links on page). It worked beatifully last night until the Rover landed; then apparently the server was overwhelmed and I wasn't able to re-establish the connection. (It was time for me to go to sleep, anyway.) I thought it odd that scientists would feel the need to open lucky bags of candy--what was that about?

Sunday Readings

For the second Sunday after Christmas:
Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3

I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD'S hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Image host troubles

Village photos no longer allows external links to image files.

I'm bumping up against Ripway's daily usage limits.

It's just a matter of time until I pay for better service, or stop putting pictures in Ghost Town Orange. . .

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)

Random Topic- Afghanistan

From US News end of year issue (December 19, 2003 / January 5, 2004)

Q: What is your assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan?
A (Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff): In the winter, it is harder for the Taliban and al Qaeda to operate because some of their safe havens are in the harshest parts of the country. Having said that, the overall trend in the security situation has been positive for a long time. In the summer, when the Taliban were starting to mass north of Kandahar and trying to make a major push, we disrupted that, killing many hundreds. And we sent a lot of them scurrying back to the border area for sanctuary. What we've seen since then are just isolated incidents where they are doing what terrorists do . . . . You can't stop all terrorist acts . . . it's a violent place, but it's a hell of a lot less violent than it was over two years ago when they were killing people in soccer fields.

Maybe a reporter should ask: why are there still safe havens and sanctuaries for the terrorists? What is being done to stop the growing of opium poppies?


For general information on Afghan redevelopment:

Afghanistan Redevelopment

Afghan web but don't look here for information about opium--the 'economy' page doesn't even mention the role of opium in the Afghan economy.

For information about drafting the new Afghan Constitution:

The official Afghan Constitution website

Here are recent articles on the difficulties in drafting the new Afghan Constitution:

Radio Free Europe (run by the US government)

Al Jazeera

The Age (Australian newspaper)

For information on Afghan opium:
UNODC Opium Survey 2003 for Afghanistan (PDF file, 5.09 MB)

Conclusion

The results of the 2003 survey confirm that opium poppy cultivation and production continued to increase, though moderately, in Afghanistan. Their extension to previously unaffected, or marginally affected, areas is worrying. It can partly be explained by the persistence of high opium prices, which stimulate an activity now involving 264,000 rural families (representing 1.7 million people, or 7% of Afghanistan’s population). These families derive a potential income from opium that amounts to about US$ 1.02 billion in 2003. Although it is down 15% from last year, that income is still equivalent to almost one fifth of the country’s legitimate GDP. Taking into account the additional profits made by traffickers, the Afghan authorities must grapple, in their efforts to rebuild the country, with an illicit opium economy that generates revenues about half the size of the legitimate GDP. Even if forecasts of rapid growth of the legal economy materialize, the huge revenues generated by the illicit opium economy will continue to compromise governance of the country.

The Afghan Government has developed a drug control strategy to tackle the formidable task of dismantling the drug economy. Achieving that objective requires the implementation, under adverse conditions, of a complex and well balanced set of measures. They must increase the risk of illegality, unknot the intricate web of warlords and traffickers’ relations and remove the pressure they exert on local communities, while creating a socioeconomic environment that offers a way of life to rural households that reconciles the need to secure bare necessities with a sense of civic responsibility. Reaching these goals demands an effort on the part of Afghan society that is unlikely to be sustained unless the international community demonstrates an equal determination to support it.

Blah, blah, blah.

September 2003 article on Afghanistan's Opium (Asia Times) (Block pop-ups before clicking this link.)

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)