Here is Al Franken being sworn in to the U. S. Senate:
Tag Archives: Norm Coleman
How to Make a Republican Firing Squad
First, draw a circle. Then, assemble your most incompetent boobs and make sure anyone who is competent you undermine. Such as the case of RNC Chairman Tom Steele … keep him in power only long enough to demonstrate (because you’ve totally undermined him) that his sort should be avoided in the future, once and for all.
The most amazing bit of news we’ve heard since the Party of Racism cynically and quite temporarily appointed a black man to lead them, is that Minnesota’s Norm Coleman could be appointed to replace Steele. The reaction of one Democratic Party official when asked what the Dems are going to do about this: “When the Republicans are forming a circular firing squad, the last thing we’re going to do is step into the middle.”
The rumor was first posted on Politico, and is discussed in more detail here.
What I think actually happened was this. Top Republican Party officials were talking about the future of the party while riding the subway into the city from their posh Virginia neighborhood. Nearby, a crafty reporter was listening in, trying to get some news to report on Politico.
One of the party officials said to the other: “Let’s convince Norm Coleman to leave the Republican Party” but the reporter heard this as “Let’s convene Norm Coleman to lead the Republican Party” because just then the subway, which is normally quite quite in DC (seriously … those trains whisper compared to NY and Boston), went rattling over a bad piece of track.
That is the only possible explanation.
Computer Security, A Bug in Google Docs(?), and Norm Coleman Is a Ghoulish Skeletal Idiot
…. Not to pick on Norm’s physical appearance or anything, but those of use who find his continued existence in Minnesota politics both enigmatic and unconscionable (for us, for allowing it) are starting to see him like that. Anyway, somebody who is too busy to blog sent me this interesting item: Wikileaks comes back at Coleman on donor database exposure. The long and the short of it: Norm Coleman’s campaign donor database, including such interesting items as name and credit card number, became internet-visible a couple of months back. Since that time, this error was exposed, and Norm Coleman decided to blame the Franken campaing and/or other forces of supposed evil for causing the mistake, or exploiting the causing of the release, or whatever. Additionally, the Coleman campaign has pretty clearly violated the law (which is not surprising given Coleman’s alleged long history of being a self absorbed misogynous racist renegade bastard, allegedly) by not reporting the release as required. By law.
The bug in google docs …. I’m not sure if I can reproduce this or not, but … If you use the Google Docs spelling tool (which I’ve used only this one time) and leave a bunch of words misspelled (because they really aren’t misspelled, perhaps) then turn off the tool, then copy and paste the text into, say, a web-form box somewhere, then the spaces that existed before the word (as the text flows) may disappear.
We had a computer security seminar yesterday at which our unit-local IT boss discussed security issues with various unit heads, staff, and so on. He’s a great guy and really know his stuff, even if he does think Windows is OK. (Or maybe it’s just the chip making him think that, I dunno.) Anyway, the idea that nefarious operatives with radios could listen in on your wife, or even your wireless keyboard, was brought up and discussed. That may seem a little extreme to worry about (but it is not, actually) however it turns out that it is WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT!!!
That PC keyboard you’re using may be giving away your passwords. Researchers say they’ve discovered new ways to read what you’re typing by aiming special wireless or laser equipment at the keyboard or by simply plugging into a nearby electrical socket.
And no, we are not talking about wireless keyboards here. Details here.
Coleman rests, pays fine, asks Judges to overturn election.
Norm Coleman had to pay a $7,500 fine yesterday for failure to disclose important evidence in the 26 day long Franken-Coleman Senatorial Election Challenge Trial. The plaintiff, Coleman, also claimed in a written statement to the court that since the number of illegal votes cast in this election exceeds the narrow margin of difference between the two candidates (which has Franken as the winner), the election needs to be set aside. However, Coleman has failed to show that any votes were actually cast illegally, or to make any compelling legal argument that this extraordinary request be honored.
The judges indicated to Coleman that additional fines would be charged if his shenanigans continue. They also indicated that “In the event this sanction fails to deter future conduct on the part of [Coleman’s] counsel, the court will not hesitate to impose harsher sanctions, up to and including dismissal [of the case].”
The essence of the unethical behavior by Coleman: Republican election judge Pam Howell had been on the sand a couple of times last week, but was pulled off the stand as the result of documents she secretly passed to the Coleman lawyers. The crux of her testimony seemed to be unverified hearsay about a Souh Minneapolis (= Democratic) election judge stuffing a ballot box. But the Coleman camp and Republican Howell also seem to have bee in cahoots, and worked out the exposure of evidence that seemed to (ineffectively) support Coleman’s claim, but the suppression of evidence having the contrary effect.
Continue reading Coleman rests, pays fine, asks Judges to overturn election.