How then, do we move backwards? How does a society, with most of the people having no clue of future events, move from being dependent on a vast and intertwined network of goods and services produced by the indigenous people of whereever, to a local resource and renewable energy based society, and do so in the timeframe available (20-30 years using the most liberal extimates, 10-20 with resonable estimates, 5-10 with worst case scenarios), all the while prices on everything increasing, world politics getting more militaristic, governments continuously reducing civil liberties, shortages of goods on the market and weather patterns resembling bad Hollywood movies?
Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 307 Location: In freefall speed right down to the claws of the devil
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
In a very significtive importance, I mean ......
Quote:
Software from Voting firm tied to Hugo Chavez still in use in US elections
By Alek Boyd 29,04,08 |
The death of one Smartmatic founders in a plane crash yesterday in Catia La Mar, Alfredo Anzola, brought back to reality the huge conflict of interests behind its firm. In May 2006 Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), wrote to the Department of Treasury to ask if the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had reviewed the Smartmatic deal to buy Sequoia, which they had not. This prompted an investigation that coupled with the fiasco in Chicago in March 2006, where Sequoia's electronic voting devices -- supervised by Venezuelan personnel-- did not perform adequately, accelerated Smartmatic's alleged departure from the lucrative US election industry business.
However, as people connected to Hugo Chavez have accustomed us, no word coming from them can be trusted. It turned out that an independent investigation by US authorities wasn't in Smartmatic best interest so it decided to skip it, and announced that it was to sale its stake in Sequoia Voting Systems. That would have been the end of it, alas it is not. As a recent ruling from the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware demonstrates there's far more to the deal than what meets the eye. Thus starts the ruling: “This litigation centers on the terms of a stock purchase agreement (the “SPA”) under which SVS Holdings, Inc. acquired 100% of the issued shares of stock of Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc. (“SVS”) from Smartmatic Corporation.1 In exchange, SVS gave Smartmatic a $2 million unsecured promissory note (the “Note”). The SPA expressly allows Smartmatic to sell the Note to a third party, provided that Smartmatic gives SVS notice of the sale via a “Sale Notice,” defined as a written bona fide offer stating the terms and conditions upon which the purchase is to be made, and offers SVS 60 days to match.”
Smartmatic found in Hart Intercivic, America's 4th largest voting machine vendor, an interested party for its Sequoia Voting Systems stock, allegedly 3rd largest voting machine vendor. Hart then launched a hostile take over of Sequoia, according to an investigative report published by The BRAD BLOG.
All the while Chicago's Alderman Edward M. Burke kept trying to unravel who was behind Smartmatic and Sequoia. On 11 January this year Burke sent a letter to Mr Langdon D. Neal, Chairman of the Chicago board of Election Commissioners, requesting the following information:
• Who are the owners of Sequoia and what were the terms of th management-led buyout announced?
• Please provide all copies of shareholders registries and beneficial owners of Sequoia.
• Please provide a list of the 10 largest present creditors of Sequoia and/or its affiliates.
• Do Sequoia machines used in Cook County use any software which was supplied by Smartmatic and/or its affiliates?
• Please list any license, royalty and/or other intellectual property between Sequoia and Smartmatic and/or its affiliates.
• Are Sequoia and/or its affiliates party to any agreements and/or contract with Smartmatic and/or its affiliates?
• Are Sequoia and/or its affiliates party to any agreements with the Government of Venezuela, any departments and/or subdivisions of the Government of Venezuela and/or any entities controlled by the Government of Venezuela?
• Please provide a list of directors and executive officer of Sequoia.
• Please rovide a list of any present employees and/or contractors of Sequoia who were at any time directly employed by Smartmatic. Were any of the present managers and/or owners of Sequoia at any point affiliated with Smartmatic, and if so, how?
• Please provide a list of any lobbyists who have worked on behalf of Sequoia in Illinois.
• To the extent any of the above materials have not been provided by Sequoia to your office, please request from Sequoia and review them. Please also provide a copy of any reports and reviews which were prepared by your office regarding your office's vetting of Sequoia as part of the hiring of Sequoia to supply electronic voting machines to be used by voters in the City of Chicago.
Burke's pertinent questions are to be commended. Further, publicly available evidence shows that Jack Blaine, Sequoia's current director, has been both a Smartmatic and Sequoia employee.
However the most worrying aspect of this unresolved saga for US electors and authorities is not Blaine's conflict of interests and altogether untrustworthy character, nor the murky nature of Sequoia and Smartmatic deals. Rather, as content of ruling linked above shows [pages 13-14], it is the fact that Smartmatic software, written and produced in Venezuela by Smartmatic employees, is still in use:
"... Hart promises not to compete with Smartmatic in Latin America, the Philippines, and Belgium. In return, Smartmatic promises to grant to Hart a license to use its intellectual property currently found in Sequoia’s machines."
At oral argument, Hart’s counsel stated Sequoia currently uses that intellectual property pursuant to certain license agreements.
The fact that Sequoia keeps using technology that does not perform adequately --jointly developed with Smartmatic-- in US electoral processes was confirmed by Marianna Cutter, Executive Assistant to Jack Blaine, CEO & President of Sequoia, in letter sent on behalf of Blaine to Chairman Neal. Hence, how can the fact that triggered the initial CFIUS investigation by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, read involvement in US elections of a highly suspect firm set up with seed money from Hugo Chavez, be reconciled with Blaine's admission that Sequoia machines continue using technology developed in Venezuela?
Sequoia proudly boasts in his website "The company’s voting equipment is currently used by hundreds of jurisdictions in the United States throughout 17 states and the District of Columbia." That's about 34% of the US electoral map...
Another evidence of those petrodollars put to work by the hollowed pdvsa.
Joined: May 27, 2007 Posts: 1071 Location: The Post Peak Oil Historian
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 10:59 pm Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
So, you're telling us Chavez was responsible for the last 8 years of Bush? I say take him out to the tree and string him up! _________________ In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
- George Orwell
Last edited by Cid_Yama on Sun May 11, 2008 3:24 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Dec 04, 2004 Posts: 2337 Location: perpetual state of exhaustion
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 2:28 am Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
I call bullshit. The US hates Chavez, they sure as hell aren't going to let him and his infidels (or anyone who agrees with him let alone supports him) have anything to do with US elections voting machine, or handling any part of the process. Give me a break.
The closest they might come is some of the anti-chavez refugees in Florida where they used the govenor to win the election for them, but we all know Jeb Bush hates Chavez too.
If they were going to use some illegal alien types for cheap elections staff they'd be mexican.
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 Posts: 472 Location: USS Poland
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:57 am Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
Another paranoidal thread.
I love this board. _________________ Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by
this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten
future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is
ours, chew and eat our fill.
Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 661 Location: The Canada of America
Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:18 am Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
Yeah, come on. Everybody knows Diebold decides who wins elections in the United States... or, at least, whoever pays them, I guess. ...Say, you don't suppose Chavez is a major shareholder, do you?
Well ...... well ...... ignorance is your ultimate choice, ain´t it?
Quote:
When the council announced the deal, it disingenuously described Smartmatic as a Florida company, though Smartmatic's main operations were in Caracas and the firm had incorporated only a small office in Boca Raton. It then emerged that Smartmatic's ''partner'' in the deal, Bizta Corp., also directed by Anzola and Mugica, was partly owned by the Venezuelan government through a series of intermediary shell corporations. Venezuela initially denied its investment but eventually sold its stake.
When the vote finally came, exit polls by New York's Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates showed Chávez had been defeated 59 to 41 percent; however, when official tallies were announced, the numbers flipped to 58-42 in favor of Chávez. Venezuela's electoral council briefly posted machine-by-machine tallies on the Internet but removed them as mathematicians from MIT, Harvard and other universities began questioning suspicious patterns in the results.
Ahh ...... yet never say you weren´t warned from remainingon it!!
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 Posts: 472 Location: USS Poland
Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:03 am Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
Nickel wrote:
Yeah, come on. Everybody knows Diebold decides who wins elections in the United States... or, at least, whoever pays them, I guess. ...Say, you don't suppose Chavez is a major shareholder, do you?
Nickel as you may not see it but this thread is complete paranoia. That's why there will be nothing valueable in threads like that.
Create so good machines which count for you and lose referendum. Let me put it straight, if you think George Bush and Hugo Chavez are in one team it means deep paranoia.
Thinking that Chavez is in a pocket of the president of the US is unthinkable science fiction unless you did some LSD before. _________________ Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by
this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten
future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is
ours, chew and eat our fill.
Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 307 Location: In freefall speed right down to the claws of the devil
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:07 pm Post subject: Re: Guess who´ll be deciding who the next emperor will be?
Quote:
Millions of Venezuelans are convinced that their votes are being manipulated, that the official results of their elections do not reflect the will of the electorate and that they have voted but not elected. Ever since the Recall Referendum on August 15th 2004 (RR 04), an unceasing debate began, continuing with the presidential election of December 3rd 2006 (3D 06).
The National Electoral Council’s (CNE) bias, the incorporation of challenged voting and identification technologies, the bloating of the electoral registry (REP), the millions of unrequested voter migrations, the announcement of incomplete and uncertified results and the refusal to give the opposition essential information about the electoral process are part of the evidence accumulated that questions the behavior of this electoral institution.
This document chronicles how the CNE’s bias came about and the violation of the fundamental principles that define the right to vote (impartiality, transparency and confidence in the secrecy of the ballot), along with summaries of papers presented by distinguished professionals and scientists regarding the official electoral results and the REP since RR 04.
Let me put it straight, if you think George Bush and Hugo Chavez are in one team it means deep paranoia.
Just a couple of thoughts here:
First, as grandpa always said: "Extremes, and their interests, always reach out and touch each other up ". Although I am NOT , in any way, considering them in such positions.
To my most clear understanding, both of them are nothing but the two sides of the same coin.
Another saying from grandpa was: "When the river sounds, stones ought to be carried through by its stream. Better watch out!"
....... well, the third, and that´s mine, I´d better watch for the number of times I´d write the word "paranoia".
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