As Hactivists out a cop in New York for brutally macing peaceful protestors on Wall Street, many people are wondering if they could also hack our next election? And now the government wants to know if it's possible. A team of computer science and security experts working within the Department of Energy say they’ve hacked into a Diebold electronic voting machine and were able to change voting results without leaving a trace behind. And they were able to do it using only $26 of equipment and what they claim is just an 8th grade understanding of science. The Vulnerable Assessment Team – as they are called – that performed the hack said, “this is a national security issue.”

And according to investigative reporter Brad Friedman – this is, “one of the most disturbing e-voting machine hacks to date.” Nearly every other country in the world has ditched electronic voting – arguing that it’s not secure. Yet here in the United States – for some reason we keep it in place. In fact – in next year’s election – about 30% of voters will use these very same Diebold e-voting machines.

So it’s no longer about who gets the most votes in our democracy – but which side can hack the vote. I can see it now - 35 million write-in votes suddenly appear on Diebold machines for Lady GaGa, the next President of the United States!

-Thom

(Who would you want to "win", and why? Tell us here.)

"GOP Debate"

The Daily Stack

Article: "Pilots protest Continental-United merger" by Alison Bowen.

Article: "Actress booted for airline kiss speaks out" by Natalie Finn.

Article: "Southwest-Booted L-Word Actress Leisha Hailey: Kissing My Girlfriend Wasn't a Stunt!" by Natalie Finn.

Article: "Why I Was Maced at the Wall Street Protests" by Jeanne Mansfield.

Article: "Diebold voting machines can be hacked by remote control" by Brad Friedman.

Site: "BradBlog".

Site: "Velvet Revolution".

Site: "Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT)".

Site: "#OCCUPYWALLSTREET".

Event: "Occupy LA - Saturday Oct 1st".

Site: Governor Don Siegelman.

Article: "Surveys: Health insurance costs shifted to workers, even as premiums surge" by N.C. Aizenman.

Article: "Vt. Lawmakers Push for Health Care Waiver" by Chris Garofolo, January 19, 2011.

Article: "NYPD Spokesman: We Used Pepper Spray 'Appropriately'" by Susie Madrak.

Site: "Robert McKee".

Site: "Learned Helplessness Research " by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman.

Limbaugh alert: "Rush Limbaugh: Herman Cain Would Be First “Authentic” Black President" by Kirsten West Savali.

Book: "They Thought They Were Free" by Milton Mayer.

Article: "The Myth of National Victimhood - All Wrapped and Delivered for Christmas" by Thom Hartmann.

Site: "Get Money Out".

Site: "Move to Amend".

Article: "14th Amendment".

Bill: "H. R. 1351: `United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011".

Hour Three: "Time for Outrage" Stéphane Hessel, author/activist and former resistance fighter.

Book: "Time for Outrage: Indignez-vous!" by Stéphane Hessel.

Book: "Indignez-vous!" (French Edition) by Stéphane Hessel.

Article: "Prophet of Outrage...How an obscure pamphlet by a former resistance fighter inspired Europe’s grassroots protesters" by Tracy McNicoll.

Article: "Gov. Rick Scott Brags About Laying Off 15,000 Government Workers After Decrying Florida’s High Unemployment" by Marie Diamond.

The good: Veterans for Peace: "Protesters Greet Former Defense Secretary " by TheBostonChannel.com.

The bad: "Even Those Cleared of Crimes Can Stay on F.B.I.’s Watch List" by Charlie Savage.

The very, very ugly: "Republican Crowd At Christie Speech Cheers Laying Off Thousands Of Government Workers" by Travis Waldron.

Article: "If You Want To Win An Election, Just Control The Voting Machines" by Thom Hartmann.

Video: "We'll Take Care Of The Counting".

Article: "73 Percent Of Americans Support The ‘Buffett Rule,’ Including Two-Thirds Of Republicans" by Travis Waldron.

Article: "Listeria-laced cantaloupes tied to 13 deaths, CDC says" by Ryan Jaslow.

Article: "Big Bank Cuts Costs Via Layoffs And Smaller Cups, While Increasing Bonus Pool" by Rebecca Leber.

Article: "GOP Congressmen Propose Plan To Forcibly Deport Undocumented Domestic Abuse Victims" by Marie Diamond.

Article: "Postal workers rally to fight layoffs" by Jennifer Liberto.

Hour Two: Profiting from prisons...the push to privatize, bad for inmates and bad for America? Len Gilroy, Reason Foundation

Hour Three: is America's youth truly screwed? Saving the future by learning from the past classical economist Wayne Jett, author of "The Fruits of Graft: Great Depressions Then and Now".

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program... your media support group for we the people.

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