May 26, 2005
Airheads

My column in this week's The Stranger is up! (It's a longer riff on a brief item I posted last week).

In Yiddish, the word Luftmensch (literally “man of air”) means an impractical, ungrounded person. That’s an apt description for the three King County Election officials whose disconnect from the practicalities of ballot counting led us to this week’s election trial in Wenatchee. The trial should help expose the meltdown at the elections office and the importance of putting it in the hands of sturdier folk.

Running an election is a complex endeavor of industrial engineering. An affinity for detail and numbers is a plus. The prototypical Elections Man-of-Air was revealed last week to be one Garth Fell. Fell testified at his deposition that he earned a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the UW, but admitted he couldn’t remember “the exact year” he graduated. The UW says he graduated in exactly 1997, but who’s counting? Fell, whose title is Assistant Superintendent of Ballot Processing and Delivery, also admitted he never counted the exact number of ballots he delivered and processed—which is exactly why the election is still unsettled and the subject of this week’s trial.

Read the whole thing

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at May 26, 2005 10:38 PM | Email This
Comments
1.
Der Mensch ist ein Luftkopf, Ya? Und Die Demokratische Dame ist kaput, ich glaube.

Posted by: richard higgs on May 26, 2005 11:04 PM
2. Can you raed tihs? Olny srmat poelpe can.I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on

Posted by: Ted on May 26, 2005 11:34 PM
3. Gee thanks Ted. That post was so profound and, shall we say, airy? Its just the thing this blog needs.

Now please go to sleep and leave the adults to their politics.

Posted by: Deadwood on May 26, 2005 11:42 PM
4. Outstanding article.

Posted by: Michele on May 27, 2005 12:01 AM
5. That's funny. Ted's been posting that article everywhere. He loves it.

Posted by: Erik on May 27, 2005 12:15 AM
6. Nice article Stefan, It is interesting that no one has counted up the absentee envelopes yet, or have they? hmmm..

King County is going down! I would love to see Rossi win a re-vote, but if that doesn't happen I will enjoy watching the King County democratic machine go down in flames.


Posted by: Ted on May 27, 2005 12:28 AM
7. priceless

Posted by: righton on May 27, 2005 02:04 AM
8. Heeheeheee....this is more like it! I've been reading this blog since last November - when the first recount took place. Since then, I've read all about the misfits in your state and local media, your municipal railway boondoggles, the eastern county people who may as well ge i a gulag, and so on, impatiently waiting for stories like these!

Yes, yes, I know those other issues are important to you.....we have similar issue down here. But those topics are banalities by comparison. This is finally.....well.....sweet!

I sincerely hope you folks get your new election. I love watching the Demonrat election fraud machine getting its comeuppance as the light of truth is shown upon their vast leftwing conspiracy of corruptions. I read about the trial every day and wish there was a source for viewing it here in CA.

Posted by: Kitty of California on May 27, 2005 03:05 AM
9. Ted, tehn why are we so good at cthacnig silpnlneg eorrrs? Aslo, do you rlaieze taht you are frcoed to slepl terhe-lteter wrdos rhgit wehn you do tihs? Aslo, fuor-lteter wrdos taht hvae dbloue lteters in the mdilde can not be mlpsieeld eethir.

Posted by: Kitty on May 27, 2005 03:15 AM
10. Great article Stefan!

Posted by: sgmmac on May 27, 2005 05:14 AM
11. Don't we still have 90 or so unopened King County ballots? And a lesser number in Pierce County? If we use King County Elections logic, that might account for up to, I dunno, at least 130 votes?

Posted by: zapporo on May 27, 2005 06:39 AM
12. In case you forgot: TOM DELAY. Hah! I told you so.

Posted by: headless lucy on May 27, 2005 07:29 AM
13. Hey richard higgs,

Das Stimmt!

Posted by: Danny on May 27, 2005 07:36 AM
14. Anyone read Westneat this AM in the Times? Is he watching the same trial the rest of us are?
Let the spin begin.
Hey headless - I think the missing screw in your head has company.

Posted by: Paladin on May 27, 2005 07:37 AM
15. Headless, your choice of response speaks volumes about your side's case.

I guess you never heard that "shut up" is the better part of valor.

Posted by: Bostonian on May 27, 2005 07:39 AM
16. Headless Lucy,

"Overruled."

Posted by: GMT on May 27, 2005 07:47 AM
17. Paladdin has two d's, wiseguy.

Posted by: headless lucy on May 27, 2005 07:49 AM
18. In defense of Fels, who did make elections mistakes... until you've gone through a deposition like this, I think you should cut the guy a little slack that he forgot what year he graduated.

Posted by: Unicorn on May 27, 2005 07:49 AM
19. And please don't think that I'm defending Fels or the King County Elections commission. They made some terrible errors. I'm only saying that I think it was a low blow to critique somebody for forgetting a graduation date. This is speaking as somebody who's been through a long deposition before.

Posted by: Unicorn on May 27, 2005 07:51 AM
20. Gee whiz Unicorn, sorry! Golly, that really was a low blow.
Now you can go back to the bong.

Posted by: Amused by liberals on May 27, 2005 08:01 AM
21. Let's see .... Today the Dems start presenting their difense of failings and fraud with fanciful fallicies of fact.

Headless Lucy shows up on the blogs...

Coincidence? Or is she their "expert" witness?

Great article Stefan!

Posted by: Victor on May 27, 2005 08:03 AM
22. hl: Paladdin has two d's, wiseguy.

Wrong, as usual. The term "wise guy" is two words, though, not one.
(lucy, it's mind over matter; if you do not have a mind, it does not matter.)

Posted by: otto on May 27, 2005 08:57 AM
23. Nice come-back Otto!

I thought it significant that headlice would reoccur on a thread titled "Airheads".

headlice - you are a caution!

Posted by: alphabet soup on May 27, 2005 09:04 AM
24. Where's the rabbit? This has never been about turning over the election, this has just been about getting the sheep all riled up.

Westernat was right. it doesn't matter to you what the law says. You only believe in the court of public opinion, that you form with your BS.
The bigger the lie, the louder and more often you repeat it, still doesn't make it true.
Stephan Goebbels.

Now let's go look at Ohio, you might have a better chance to overturn an election there. actual proof of voter intimidation and skunky practices.

I bet were all for paperless ballots here, aren't we?

Still no response to how much money that the BIAW sends to this SS Blog?

BIAW funds court challenge, supreme court justice and Unsound spin machine.
No conflict of interest there. Wake up sheep, your news is being produced for you.
We can't protect you idiots from yourselves forever.

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 09:06 AM
25. Dan Dan Dan

You still dont get it. We dont want your protection. In fact, this election contest is really about you "protecting us from ourselves" isnt it ... I mean, we voted Rossi to be our governor and all Logan & Company did was try to protect us from ourselves. Right?

Mr Logan ... TEAR DOWN THAT WALL

Posted by: Itsasquak on May 27, 2005 09:15 AM
26. Ted -- yes, it is interesting that no one has counted the absentee ballot envelopes. What is most interesting is that the GOP has not introduced any evidence of the actual count they claim. A damning admission that they have no case. This lawsuit never has been about evidence, though, so no surprise there.

Stefan -- do you ever do anything other than name call? Making fun of Handcock's name, luftmensch, all indications of your own
credibility.

Posted by: Northern Coho on May 27, 2005 09:19 AM
27. The trolls keep missing the point (avoiding the point is more likely). If their candidate truly won then a revote would do nothing but confirm it. Obviously these morons know that their candidate is not the true winner or they wouldnt keep trying to blow smoke up our butts. Me thinks thou doth protest too much.

Posted by: lesterman on May 27, 2005 09:25 AM
28. You know danw, it is amazing that you are surprised that people or groups contribute to causes they believe in. Why? So what if BIAW is helping finance this? George Soros is financing many other groups. So what? Contributers to get John Kerry elected are supporting this too (though from the other side). Do you think that is ethical? 'I gave money to JK's campaign as a NY resident and the money is being spent on a local election in WA.' At least BIAW is local supporting a local issue!

Posted by: Fred on May 27, 2005 09:31 AM
29. Why is it that when these liberal pinheads want to make an argument, they always have to change the subject. It smacks of the the childhood argument, "But Tommy down the street did worse than I did on the test mom!" It speaks to the inescapable fact that liberalism = lies. Liberal lies cannot endure a debate against the truth, so the liberals telling them must resort to changing the subject endlessly in the desparite hope that they can confuse everyone else.

Posted by: Jarhead on May 27, 2005 09:34 AM
30. Not that I wish to dignify the wild claims of an anonymous troll, but neither BIAW nor any other organization has ever compensated me in any way for Sound Politics. The only compensation is tips from individual readers and the Blog Ads on the right sidebar. I write this blog as a hobby and to express my opinions. It is not a money-making venture.

Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on May 27, 2005 09:38 AM
31. As Seattle's Deputy Airmarshal, I must protest Stefan's conflating King County's election workers with Airheads. (See, www.airheads.org.) Airheads, who are members of the Airheads Beemer Club, are far more intelligent (and honest, and educated, not to mention tasteful) than K.C. management. We have to be, to keep our ancient motorcycles running.

Posted by: Th.B. Nast on May 27, 2005 09:43 AM
32. Stephan;
Let's make it absolutly clear to all your Minions, that you are absolutley denying any compensation whatsoever for your bogus reporting?
That No Donations have come from BIAW or other corporate officers. Be careful here.

Let's be as transparent as HA...you can go to his beer money, and see the amount, how about you?
Is this something you learned from Tim Eyman?
How to be in the Novelty watch business and make 100k a year without selling a watch.

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 09:49 AM
33. Danw -- I'll respond to you on your own level. I get less money from the BIAW than you get from North America Man-Boy Love Association.

Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on May 27, 2005 09:52 AM
34. Also be careful that the BIAW worked with the ACLU on one of their cases...so your side ads are conflicting with the sugar daddys buddy.
How convinient to use the ACLU when you need them, then to trash them in the next sentence.
Is this a "burnt earth policy"?

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 09:53 AM
35. From no money to less money from some odd group you accuse me of belonging to. So let's assume I get $12,257.00 a year from that odd group. Do you still get less than that? Be very honest with the sheep here. They don't mind packaged news that much, but they like to know.

I'll release all my records that I have from my contributors, if you do the same.

Make sure you make the denial on KVI this afternoon....it's better to have you on tape.

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 10:00 AM
36. danw,

Do you ever make any sense? Do you ever type a grammatically correct sentence? Do you ever have a complete thought? Do you ever have an original thought?

Personally, I couldn't care less where Stefan gets money nor where you get money. Why does that matter? If Karl Rove personally wrote a check to Stefan, would that make prima facia make his reporting inaccurate?

You're an ignorant parrot. In fact, I shouldn't denigrate such a fine avian species by comparing you to them.

Posted by: Larry on May 27, 2005 10:06 AM
37. Very good article. Thank you for leading the charge in educating the public in what is realy going on, not what the newspapers want us to believe.

Add Ron Sims to the list of people who should be given a pink slip. Hopefully the voters will consider Ron's involvement, although minimal, in this mess as well. His faithful support of Logan, even as the evidence of his ineptitude poured in, was something to behold.

Posted by: Gary on May 27, 2005 10:20 AM
38. Oh oh!
Danw is on the prowl! This is his Big Chance! What do you suppose there dan-boy? Are the headlines going to read: "Troll-boy single handedly takes down notorious web-blogger?!!

Methinks he's got a tiger by the tail!

So far you've limited your outbursts to the demo toilet-drinker talking points. I hope you don't lose your head over this (and start spouting lunacies like headlice ;'}

Posted by: alphabet soup on May 27, 2005 10:36 AM
39. Speaking of side ads, I notice you dropped the one about Newsweek. That speaks volumes.

Posted by: headless lucy on May 27, 2005 10:38 AM
40. Stefan,
Thanks for a great article and thanks for adding a great new word to my vocabulary "Luftmensch".
What a perfect synonym for the Democrat party - "The Luftmensch Party". What a great bumper sticker "Elect Ron Sims, candidate for the Luftmensch Party", etc.
Wayne

Posted by: Wayne on May 27, 2005 10:46 AM
41. Stefan - You da Mensch!

Posted by: Dogbert on May 27, 2005 10:52 AM
42. Larry

Why does that matter? If Karl Rove personally wrote a check to Stefan, would that make prima facia make his reporting inaccurate?

Inaccurate?..No, questionable?...for sure.
But I know you don't like to question anything, you are willing to concede fraud on the demos without a shread of evidence. (things allowed in courts, not on paid blogs) But not willing to admit that conflict of interest might be a consideration when the reporter is bought and paid for.

PS I didn't find the evidence of Karl Rove sending money to Stephan. Should I be looking there too?


Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 11:12 AM
43. No, Auto, wiseguy is correct.

Posted by: Dr. Quest and Rance on May 27, 2005 11:28 AM
44. Danw, give us a break.

It's easy to claim vaguely these things happened in Ohio.

If these things had in fact happened in Ohio, shouldn't we be seeing some details by now? Come on, point us to someone who is researching it. Give us the goods. Don't be coy now.

Posted by: Bostonian on May 27, 2005 11:56 AM
45. Bostonian,

I wonder why danw didn't point out all the problems in Milwaukee, WI that the papers are reporting and the Feds are investigating.

Oh, that's right - those were perpetrated by Democrats, so there's no problem there.

Posted by: Larry on May 27, 2005 12:04 PM
46. danw - "But I know you don't like to question anything"

It's readily apparent that you know little about anything.

The whole point of this exercise is examination, exploration, and discovery! Shark has asked more questions than anyone.

Although he "reports" via his site, it is obvious (at least to normal people) that he holds his own views (I'm not gonna speak for you, Shark!), and that these views are partisan. So what? If you don't like it LEAVE!

Posted by: alphabet soup on May 27, 2005 12:10 PM
47. If the evidence in Milwaukee is better than this load...go for it, it should be done. In the meantime, lets call for a Papertrail. Okay with that?

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 12:47 PM
48. Boston;

When the GOP control all levels of government, and own most of the media. these things don't tend to get the attention or judicial review they deserve.

Similar to the Downing street memo. Bet you don't even remember what we were told why we need to go into Iraq for?
88 congressman asked Bush to explain the Memo. Any response to our elected officials?

But the research has been done, and it is more compelling than any of the windmills tilted at here by Stephan Goebbels, mouthpiece for the BIAW

http://rawstory.com/images/pdfs/finalreport.pdf

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 12:57 PM
49. The Papertrail is what the Democrat lawyers are objecting to, sheet by sheet, this Friday. It looks too much like physical evidence.

Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on May 27, 2005 01:02 PM
50. Danw, don't be insane. There would be a lot of people who noticed things. There would be whistleblowers. There would be records that don't match up. In fact, there would be all the evidence that we see here. Nobody can control that much stuff and that many people--sorry, not even the government.

Has anyone even ATTEMPTED to look for this evidence or do you guys just say whatever you like all the time?

Put another way, if you are admitting that there's no evidence, then why do you make the claim?

Posted by: Bostonian on May 27, 2005 01:18 PM
51. Oh and if you think the GOP controls most of the media, then please do kindly explain why the press was entirely SILENT on the Swifties until their book was NUMBER ONE on the best seller list?

I mean, they had their press conference in May and the papers didn't make a peep until August. (So much for GOP control!!!)

Posted by: Bostonian on May 27, 2005 01:20 PM
52. danw,

You've officially crossed over from being a worthless troll to being a worthless piece of sh!t.

I suggest you be a little more appropriate than to call Stefan Sharkansky 'Stephan Goebbels.' You obviously know nothing of history to make such a statement.

Ever visited Oswiecim? I suggest that you go there and take a tour before you make another such statement that shows the depth and breadth of your ignorance and hatred. I pity you and pray for you.

Posted by: Larry on May 27, 2005 01:40 PM
53. Anybody notice that Dr. Quest and Rance are commie-socialists from the Anti-American website chomsky.info. Another of headless lucy's(chomsky.info) friends. I would suspect that danw is one their freinds. And he still can't spell Stefan right. Went to a seattle school, I'll bet.

Posted by: Howard on May 27, 2005 02:37 PM
54. Boston;
I suggest you at least glance through the Conyers report. There were plenty of whistle blowers..but the Republican congress refused to allow an investigation...this is much more of the stuff of fraud than anything being heard in Wenatchee.

As for comparing Stefan to Goebells, I know plenty about the Holocaust, but if you knew who Goebbels was, you would understand he was the Propoganda minister....so if you would like me to compare him to Tariq Aziz I can. But Goebbels is more of a compliment, because of his effectivness with the sheep.

Posted by: danw on May 27, 2005 02:48 PM
55. danw,

I know exactly who Goebbels was, which is why I would never compare anyone (other than possibly Baghdad Bob) to him.

You say you know plenty about the Holocaust, but you obviously do not fathom it.

I repeat what I said before, dano, the breadth and depth of your ignorance and hatred is coming through five-by-five.

Posted by: Larry on May 27, 2005 03:34 PM
56. Headless, every dictionary I've consulted (using the English language) spells Paladin the way I do - one d. I guess that explains a lot about you. A) you don't know how to use one: B) You don't speak English and C) You are as ignorant as your posts make you out to be.
Thus endeth the lesson!

Posted by: Paladin on May 27, 2005 04:23 PM
57. Danw
1 Who cares where he gets the money as long as the money is legit.
2 I'll donate money to the ACLU when they stop supporting terrorists and non-americans.
3 I would support a party like the Democrats if they didn't rewrite history, weren't racist, supported the constitution, supported the military, supported democracy, supported the flat tax initiatives, had a straight party line of balancing the budget, prosecuted terrorists here and abroad, supported the ultimate criminal punishment, were against murder of all forms (the previous statement doesn't count as its a justice issue), I would even support them if they were pro entrepreneur and business.......Never mind though as they will never support any of the above and they won't even come clean on their history of supporting spys, terrorists, and racism.

Danw, do you and the other trolls here support the democrats in racism? What about supporting terrorists and spys against our country and allies? DO you support the democrats in not supporting the military? Do you blame america or our military for every wrong in the world? Do support democracy? Guess that means you support our current presidency. Thanks, just had to ask you and the rest of the trolls this.

Posted by: Mark Beyer on May 27, 2005 08:14 PM
58. Danw
Ohio, the Conyers report, a partisan report in which election fraud in Ohio was alleged but not proven. You should look up the old posts here> they couldn't find any votes nor machines that had the problems they claimed. The election officials also proved the number of machines in each precinct were the same as the previous presidential election. Basically, the report was a fraud and was solely put together as a media grandstanding attempt. Now Milwaukee is not as bad because it happened in only one city and there were people arrested for "direct" physical interventionand crimes of vandalism. Here, the vote tally error is larger and the variety of laws broken far wider. Makes you think. Base your posts on facts troll or remain one forever.

Posted by: Mark Beyer on May 27, 2005 08:27 PM
59. I agree with Larry who wrote Personally, I couldn't care less where Stefan gets money nor where you get money. Why does that matter?

headless lucy aka Dr. Quest and Rance, thanks for waxing hyperbolic, I wouldn't expect anything less from you.

As for your using Auto for my name: you have broken my code, as my moniker otto is partially derived from the pronunciation of the word auto, and not my real name.
Also, it is borrowed from a real Otto, who was a judge I unfortunately had to appear before.
He was known as "Judge Otto-matic 90 days." But that is another story, and no, I am not a convicted ex-felon.

Posted by: otto on May 28, 2005 07:04 AM
60. Danw,

There was also the Potrezebie report, the Trunchausen missive, the Dipswizzle account, and the ever popular Uppyouassa expose. Good job.

Thanks for exposing those pesky conservatives so skillfully. You got em on the run now.

Posted by: Amused by liberal morons on May 28, 2005 10:05 AM
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