Richard Rowland

It seems, Tom that rather than attempt to unite, driving wedges seem to be the preferred norm. If you have somehow managed to miss the dust-up between Judge Jeannie Pirro and Whoopi Goldberg, as an example of which I speak, well, that's the norm we're seeing in the country. I'm undecided, has TV programmers discovered that this type of fare sells best, or are other things at work.

One would assume that it would be for the benefit of the country to have the citizenry united and that it would be as easy to promote unity as it is division. It does appear that we humans have an appetite for controversy and limited, at this point, anyway, brutality and violence. If we aren't watching and listening to programs where talking heads are hurling verbal bombs at one another, then perhaps we're watching sports to get our fix. Hockey comes to mind.

In any event, the hostility dwelling in, and coming from all political persuasions, that has taken over the nation, is not going to end well. Measures need to be taken to defuse much of this nonsense. The leadership of both parties should be at the front of measures to bring civility back into the conversation.

jimpack123 Loc: wisconsin

IT IS NOT THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT THAT IS WRONG IT IS THE RIGHT AND LEFT NEWS THAT IS BAD AND OUR POTUS FOR ADD OIL TO THE FIRE CALLING IT F**E NEWS WHEN HE DOESNT LIKE IT ONLY TALKING TO FOX NEWS IS JUST D********G

Fit2BTied Loc: Texas

JP, I know that Fox leans conservative and pro-President Trump (not completely) - but unless you're reading/watching, but not comprehending, what many call the Main Stream Media (MSNBC, CNN, CBS, NY Times, Washington Post, Time, etc.) you must agree that they are anti-Trump (and anti-Trump supporters) about 90% of the time. There is minimal coverage of things he's done that have benefited our country and wall-to-wall coverage of anything he says or does that they don't like. Whether you like it or not, the media has decided that activism is more important than reporting. And we all suffer as a result.

jimpack123 Loc: wisconsin

agreed but Fox news is pro Trump 99 % especially on the radio and Trumps brings most on all by himself with stupid childish tweets he is his own worst enemy

Carol Kelly

You said it, JW, and I agree with every single word. It’s making me sick. All the info to hang people is out there
via Hannity and Tucker and nothing is being done. The Russia investigation has totally ignored all of Hillary’s
collusion. Yet, innocent people are having their reputations shredded. PAUL Manafort is no angel, I’m certain, but does he deserve to be sitting in solitary confinement? It reminds me of Russia. You don’t walk the walk and talk the talk, to jail you go or @ mental institution or Siberia. What are we thinking?

Fit2BTied Loc: Texas

Not quite 99%. Shepard Smith, Juan Williams and others are there for counterpoint - lets say 80%. And as far as the tweets go, I can't disagree. But I respect that he is our President and I want him to succeed. And because it appears he's not a g*******t - and he's certainly not a socialist, I believe in the long run he will make my life and the lives of many others better. Just my humble opinion.

Carol Kelly

He tweets to stay in touch with the American people. No speech writers or prompter available.

Carol Kelly

Amen and ditto.

jimpack123 Loc: wisconsin

Manafort is in jail for attempted witness tampering his own fault he figured Trump would have pardoned him by now But the way its going Pence will be doing the pardoning

maryjane

There has been quite a hullabaloo about the Russians and the last e******n. And we are constantly hearing about China constantly stealing technology and ideas from us. What I want to know is what, if anything, is any state doing about protecting v****g technology from being hacked or otherwise being interfered with?? What are the military and all government agencies doing to prevent access to their files, secrets, etc? What about our infrastructure like electric grids and plants? Technology has taken over almost every aspect of our lives. Where once upon a time, thieves stole mail from your mailbox, went through an embassy's trash, bribed an employee to get specific technology plans, now all they need is an excellent hacker. If I were head of the military, the FIB, a bank, etc, I would be very concerned about this. Can anything stored in any computer really be safe when there always seems to be a talented hacker out there that can find a way into any computer?? What do you folks here on OPP predict for the future in this area?

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

MaryJane,

Good question. The v****g booths are not networked, meaning they do not connect to the Internet in any way. This prevents them from being hacked from an outside source. The only way a booth could be tampered with is inside the building where it is plugged in. Meaning, the supervisor could tamper with a machine or a v**er, if possessing the proper software and a key to the machine (actually on some, only a paper-clip is necessary). The other way is corruption of the individual machine's software. In both cases, only one machine would be affected. This makes manipulation of the actual v**es almost impossible. But, v***r f***d goes beyond casting the b****t. Let me explain. If the v****g oversight is not well trained and check the identification of the v**er or check the names against their v**er eligibility printout, then an ineligible individual could, and often do, cast v**es. If the state has not tied their records into the corner's records or Social Security, a dead person's credentials could be used and therefor an illegal v**e. I think you can follow this on down the rabbit hole.

Now, to address the supposed Russian hacking. What they are being accused of doing is two fold. 1. They are accused of gaining access to the DNC's computers and downloading their mail and making it public. And 2. They are accused of buying ad space on social media (specifically Facebook) and making false or misleading statements. The Russians are blamed because the FBI has tracked Gluficer 2.0 to an office building in Moscow. But, the FBI has never had access to DNC's computer or the software used during the supposed hack. To make matters worse, those computers have either been destroyed or have been completely wiped clean and that is according to the DNC and unverifiable.

Now then what is the WH, military and so on doing to ensure security in v****g. Basically nothing nor can they do much. The computers used by a campaign office is the responsibility of that system administrator. That individual is responsible for installing and managing firewalls and security. They are the oversight, any leaks or hacking intrusion is their failure.

Military computers have tight restrictions on the use of Ports and Protocols, meaning there is a narrow ban width used to t***sfer and archive data. There are also applications that are approved for military computers and any unauthorized software is automatically blocked and can not be downloaded and therefore used on those systems. Classified information is only housed on the SIPERNET, only available inside the work space. You can get access to the SIPERNET from outside, but it requires verification that the intended system will only be connected to the SIPERNET and you have to have log on credentials. They are almost impenetrable if the DOD PPSMs (Ports, Protocol, and Management Services) restrictions are applied and maintained. This is a lite offering of the protections, and I have omitted many details. Of course it only takes one individual sending a classified file to an unprotected server as an attachment to an email to circumvent all the firewalls or port requirements. (Personal emails are permitted in all government offices). This is why Clinton's server was such an issue.... it was a public domain server, open to the public and she maintained plus t***smitted classified information on the unsecured servers.

Bottom line, your v**e when cast is almost untamperable. The government can impose rules on social media preventing them from selling ad space to individuals residing in other countries. And basically that is all the government can do. Banks are, with regret, vulnerable to hacking as is your medical records, DMV, and your school records. It happens more than you want to know. The "bad actors" into these types of records have typically been China, North Korea, and the Ukraine. Keep in mind, the government can not do anything about a poorly trained systems administrator.

I hope this addressed your concerns.

Fit2BTied Loc: Texas

Well done Pennylynn.
The only comment I'd make is that there is currently a battle over who controls the software used by the different states in their v****g machines, and I've read a number of stories (especially during 2016) that indicated that George Soros connected groups either own or have huge influence over the software used in a number of states. Years before that I read that the Bush family had a lot of control in this area and there are claims that they may have swung some local and statewide outcomes. I'd think that if we're going to use electronic v****g, there must be independent, apolitical control over the machines and the software. Incubate that area and clean up the v**er records. It's too important to allow either side to steal an e******n - even for dogcatcher.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Thanks for your reply and your comment "now go back to ignoring me " It made me smile. Can't t***hfully answer your questions on meddling but I do respect you as an intelligent person.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

I totally agree