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January 6, 2008

Voting machines finally get mainstream scrutiny; Colo. news blogger, an Army major, killed in Iraq; NFL playoffs: who you rooting for?

Can You Count on Voting Machines: What matters here is that the New York Times is finally writing about this.

Computers have always been controllable by those with the (hardware or software) keys. Reporters didn't understand this in earlier elections despite many bloggers' attempts to explain. Now everybody can. Just in time.

The earliest critiques of digital voting booths came from the fringe — disgruntled citizens and scared-senseless computer geeks — but the fears have now risen to the highest levels of government. One by one, states are renouncing the use of touch-screen voting machines....

Good writer dies in war: Leading the Rocky Mountain News site now, the sad news that their guest milblogger has been killed in Iraq. The links:

Javier Manzano / The Rocky Mountain news
Maj. Andrew Olmsted listens to a briefing of the unit's mission as part of a training exercise at Fort Riley, Kan. The prolific blogger deployed to Iraq in July.

Just devastating news: Andrew Olmsted, 38, dies in Iraqi ambush
He was the first 2008 casualty in Iraq. And a small part of Maj. Andrew Olmsted likely would've chuckled at that fact. It would be droll and play into his sense of self-deprecation.

He had left that "final post" to be published in the event of his death. It's here as well.

In it, he asks that his death not be used to further anyone's political position on Iraq.

Sometimes going to war is the right idea. I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it.

NFL Playoffs: Who to root for?

In the AFC, Jacksonville (#5) beat Pittsburgh (#4) last night. Later today, San Diego (#3) meets Tennessee (#6) -- 4:30 p.m. on CBS.

Next Saturday, the Patriots (#1) will meet the lowest-seeded survivor of this weekend's games, Indy (#2) the highest-seeded survivor.

San Diego is #3, so if they beat the Titans, they play Indy and Jacksonville plays the Patriots. If San Diego loses, Jacksonville plays Indy and Tennessee plays the Patriots. I'd like to see the Jaguars blitz Peyton Manning, (although Indy beat the Jags Oct 22, 29-7), so I'm rooting for Tennessee later today, although the smart money is on San Diego. I hope I don't regret that next week.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 12:32 AM | Permalink