As we roll through the mid-term primaries, there’s a fierce behind-the-scenes battle in Washington (and everywhere else) over control of these elections. Every voting district in the US is controlled by either Republicans or Democrats. That party essentially controls the votes & voting machines in all the polling stations in the district.

We all know by now that these electronic voting machines (EVM’s) can be (and are) manipulated. These machines are actually designed to be vulnerable, for several reasons: 1) it’s easy for them to tamper, and 2) since anyone can do it, it gives the manipulators cover. Hence the ubiquitous but ever-mysterious “Russian hackers,” etc.

America’s tech giants including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat have reportedly met in private to discuss strategies for countering “information operations.” FYI: this site (RicSize.com) is an “information operation,” by definition. I thoughtfully inform people on how things operate. Why am I being targeted & censored, as if I was a Russian intelligence agency? Can I be put on a kill list?  Makes me wonder…

This whole Internet censorship campaign has been targeted at dissidents such as WikiLeaks, the WSWS & myself– from the start. America became a de facto police state on 9/11 under Bush/Cheney (2001-09), and the intelligence/spying apparatus was vastly expanded under Obama/Biden (2009-17). In 2018, it’s a free-for-all in terms of who controls the EVM’s (& social media) in key districts, because that will decide these “elections.”

Has Russia hacked into Florida’s election system? There is no evidence. [1]
By Salvador Rizzo   Washington Post   August 17, 2018

— Exchange with reporters before a campaign event in Tallahassee, Aug. 7

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.): “At the urging, I might say, of the chairman and vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, we wrote and signed a joint letter to all 67 county supervisors of election to tell them that the Russians are in Florida’s records. And they need help. And they can get that help free of charge from the Department of Homeland Security that will come in and help secure their database, their election records. But it’s got to be at their initiative to do that.”

Steve Bousquet, Tampa Bay Times: “Do you know what records the Russians are meddling around with in Florida?”

Nelson: “Say again?”

Bousquet: “Do you know which records the Russians are accessing?”

Nelson: “That’s classified.”

Nelson (above) told the Tampa Bay Times on Aug. 8, “They [Russians] want to sow chaos in our democratic institutions. Every intelligence agency in the United States government has said that they are going to try to disrupt the 2018 elections, just like they did in 2016.” The Democrats never stop with this charade because they have no answers real issues such as: no good jobs, low wages, unbearable student loan debt, ICE raids, the opioid addiction crisis, US wars of aggression, and so on…

It is no coincidence that incumbent Senator Bill Nelson is in a death match campaign with Republican challenger Rick Scott, Florida’s term-limited governor. Rick Scott (above) is a win-at-any-cost conservative conman, so he will definitely get Donald Trump’s endorsement after the Florida primaries, which are to be held August 28. Here’s a sample ballot from my district that was mailed to me, which is “proof” that “Russian meddlers” are in the Florida voting system, I submit to you as “Exhibit A.” The State of Florida also sent me a voter registration card, which I’ll keep in reserve as “Exhibit B.”

The gubernatorial race to fill Scott’s seat will probably be won by Republican billionaire Ron DeSantis, who has Trump’s endorsement already. Rick Scott may be term limited, but he surely wants a Republican to fill his shoes in Tallahassee. Gwen Graham, daughter of longtime Senator Bob Graham, has the Democratic machinery behind her, but she registers about as much excitement as Hillary Clinton. The political machinery in central Florida is owned by the Republican party, and that is the swing part of this battleground state. I expect Rick Scott to buy & steal both seats.

My vote is for a worker’s revolution, which means I don’t participate in this nonsense anymore. I don’t recall ever being told to think like this by a foreign intelligence agency, or any of their propaganda arms– I just feel that way on my own. I wonder if anyone in the “mainstream” can ever acknowledge that?

Update:  Sunday August 26, 2018 ~ 4:30 PM ET

Are our streets and public places safe? Here’s your answer, and it’s capitalism that is truly responsible. The Good Luck Have Fun Game Bar at the riverfront mall in Jacksonville, FL was hosting a Madden NFL 19 qualifying tournament this afternoon. and this video is what happened: the latest mass shooting atrocity in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=VzfK-ir1Zt8

Notice the laser focusing on the black kid’s chest at 25-26 seconds, then the shooting starts and the video is quickly disabled. The audio runs the full 60 seconds, and it’s just as terrifying.

Primary Day:  August 28, 2018   ~3:00 PM ET

It’s Primary Day, and I don’t vote; but that doesn’t mean I’m not politically active. On the contrary, this is the perfect day to express your political opinions. Everyone else is, so those who abstain should find a way to support their politics. My advice is to: observe, ask questions, listen, and speak up when necessary. My political sign for fascists and liberal apologists on Primary Day is a one-fingered salute, and I use it to good effect as needed.

The first thing I notice when I look at my voter registration card is that my selected polling station is far away, in a congested area. There are several locations that are much closer and even within walking distance, but those aren’t my stations. I’m registered “NPA,” which means No Political Affiliation. Sometimes in the past this has locked me out of the primaries altogether, but not this time as there are amendments & initiatives on the ballot, so everyone is encouraged to vote “Yes” or “No” on that at least. If you try to find information on where the polls are located online, this is a typical Florida political machinery response:

Sanford, FL is (demographically) largely black working class, but the machinery that controls the polls is Republican, as Governor Rick Scott and State Attorney General Pam Bondi have things locked up. Central Florida has been gerrymandered & carved up between the two ruling parties, just like every other state. The nearest polling station to me is the Sanford Civic Center, located in the historic downtown. On my way walking to it I pass War Memorial Park, where “Old Glory” flies at half-mast for the recent death of Senator John McCain (R-AZ). It’s City Hall & the courthouse across the street, with the police substation that controls the local Internet just past that. Do you think that’s partisan politics on Primary Day?

It’s late morning when I arrive at the station, and activity is light. I speak with one of the workers, who has been at this for 15 years. He says turn-out is a slightly above-average so far, and it was the same with early voting, which took place across the street at the public library. Early voting for the Florida midterm begins October 22.

I notice it’s all old people going into the polls. That’s not to say that people aren’t energized, because some definitely are; it’s just that so many have no clue. They exist on one form of fake news or the other. What’s largely going on at the booths are zombies pulling the handle, hoping everything will turn out alright. They may even be energized, but it isn’t going anywhere positive.

I approach a young black girl stumping for a local candidate. On top of her bad weave, sits a “Happy Birthday” tiara, which is a common election day tactic to woo voters. I allow her to give me her speech. She starts, then stops– as if she’s made a mistake. I reassure her that whatever she says isn’t going to influence my political opinion, because I don’t vote. She stops stunned and then asks me why not?

Me: I haven’t voted since 2000.

Her: That’s no reason to give up…

Me: I haven’t given up, I just don’t participate in a corrupt & manipulated process. Our votes don’t count– that was the Supreme Court ruling. That’s what 2000 Bush v Gore proved, so I don’t vote- since they aren’t accurately counted. You know that 10-year-old kids can hack these voting machines, right?

At this point an old lady who just voted and has been eavesdropping on our discussion hollers at me, “If you don’t like it then vote, otherwise shut up!”  To which I turn and directly respond, “Fascists always say that.” There are now three women who are completely stunned that someone would say that, even if it’s true. I give them all (and their candidates) a one-fingered salute– my political message to them as I walk away.

In 2000, I voted in Mount Dora, Florida at St. Edwards Episcopal Church. I checked Ralph Nader for President. It was a paper ballot that you marked with a pencil, which was then fed into an electronic vote counting machine. After that, well… who knows?

I’m in a very strange position, living in a small town where a lot of people know who I am, and I don’t know anybody. I get admirers & fans, along with creepers & haters, constantly crossing my path. Today it’s the latter, as I’m soon verbally assaulted by a large black woman whom I’ve never met. We are approaching each other on the Riverwalk and she begins hurling abuse at me from a distance. “I know who you are! You’re the anti-Christ!! God will see that you die a horrible death, when Abraham rains his vengeance on you!”

This 200+ pound psychotic zealot also screams, “Don’t you rape me!” She’s obviously a religious fascist with some #MeToo feminist hate sprinkled in for good measure. I reply, “Dream on, you deluded fascist bitch,” in repeated variations as we separate. It wasn’t over until the fat lady stopped singing, and it took awhile until her vocal cords finally went shrill in the distance. This is the shit I have to deal with, and it doesn’t make me popular with certain demographics. Luckily, I don’t care about being popular. It’s a Trotskyist’s responsibility to tell it like it is, which is called “Russian meddling” in Newspeak.

Florida is a (very large) mixed bag, which is why it’s always a key political state, whether it’s the governor, house, senate, and/or presidency up for grabs. Consider Florida the “Wild East” of Southern politics. You’ve got good ‘ol boys who have lived here forever and control much of the local machinery– overwhelmingly supporters of the Republican party. Florida continues to explode with new residents from all over the nation, and the world. Large populations of Hispanic, Asian and other ethic groups add to the already rich mixture of African Americans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and any other race you can imagine. The total number of all these groups probably is a majority in of itself, with Caucasians being the largest ethnic group in Florida.

In there, it’s a diverse group as seniors are no longer the main white voter base in Florida. Skilled workers for decades have moved themselves and their families to the Sunshine State. College students and millennials now make up a significant portion of the population and voter base. This is the most energetic element, which both parties but particularly the Democrats, need to win. When the kids stop voting for these parties, then a collapse of the two-party system becomes immanent, and we are nearing that threshold. These midterms are a litmus test, as kids are definitely being politicized, and if it doesn’t translate into significant votes for the Democrats, that means the kids have moved past them (and identity politics & trade unions), and into the field of revolutionary politics & socialism.

To summarize from a mainstream perspective: the 2018 Florida primaries were infiltrated by Russian agents, particularly in key swing districts. Their intent was to sow discord through information operations. This can’t be allowed to happen again on November 6th. We need increased police state measures, in order to ensure the security of our elections. After all, this is the foundation of American democracy, and all foreign interference must be removed.

Tuesday, ~7:00 PM ET

I live in a pet-friendly corporate apartment complex. Since I’m radioactive politically, I try to keep a low profile around the neighborhood. One of my favorite past times is feeding the wild mallards. This was their home, until humans decided to build apartments here, so food has become more scarce for the ducks and other water fowl.

In nature, mallards live partly on vegetation, and the rest on protein from insects, grubs, small amphibians and fish they can gobble down their gullets. Mallards are incredibly adaptable, I’ve come to learn firsthand. With weekly routine lawn maintenance, and pesticides killing bugs, their survival in places like here depends very much on human intervention. Why do humans refuse to recognize the problem with how we’ve been doing things, that capitalism is managed chaos driving us into an abyss? In “official politics” there is no accountability by any rational standard.

That’s what I like about the ducks, they’re always fair– and for the flock. When I feed them generously, they shake their tails in delight. When I neglect them for a time, they begin to quack louder around my door. There’s shit to pick up, and that’s part of the deal too. Ducks demand consistency, as here-today, who-knows-tomorrow doesn’t work for them.

Mallards live as a social group. They split off (male & female) during the summer months. Here, it’s all females competing for food, and these new yearlings are always hungry. There are some real beauties for sure, and it gets competitive, but that’s nature.

Learn early that you must control the feeding, otherwise it becomes a frenzy and violent behavior erupts. We are ALL emotional about food, so when you wave it in front of wild animals, they become aggressive– as this is life-or-death for them. Ducks always think and behave as part of a social order, in other words the group of ducks are an organism of itself, with a much higher level of awareness and effectiveness than they could achieve individually.

There are currently about 12-15 female mallards in my complex, and they run around in gangs of 3-5, trying to find food while protecting one another. The ones who are best at that become dominant. The mature females (who have laid eggs and hatched a brood), aren’t as active in seeking food, although they’ll take a free meal anytime they can get one. “Free meal” means they aren’t risking getting their feathers plucked or wings snapped. Feeding a proper & healthy diet to the yearlings determines the success of this generation. Here they compete with these buzzard birds, which I will compare to the mafia. The buzzards are pirates in that they are ugly, vicious, and eat everything. They are larger and more aggressive than the mallards. If left unchecked, they will get all the food.

I feed the ducks raw peanuts, which I shell indoors, then quickly & precisely dispense outdoors. Peanuts are complex carbohydrates, packed with protein & fat, which they need. This adds muscle & (later) fat, making their plumage shine. These are beautiful young female mallards that are going to get fucked this fall, when the males return and they begin to pair up. I like that!

You have to be fast, while in control, otherwise a flock of any type can overrun you. If it’s mixed birds and it happens, only the most aggressive & dominant will get food, and “accidents” will happen to the rest. One of these buzzard birds snapped this mallard’s left wing (below, in front) during one of my feedings. When you know you become responsible, and that’s why people don’t want to know. Then you have to live with the results, and make amends. I make sure this one always gets a full ration– and a bit more. I like her feather & fighting spirit. She just stuck her nose in where she shouldn’t have when she was young & naive. That shouldn’t be a death sentence, agreed?

As I mentioned, you have to find a way to make sure you are always in control of your actions & emotions while handing out the love. If you maintain fair rations consistently, they will engirth you, as I engirth them. If you can get any human neighbors to understand this animal magnetism, then more mallards will thrive. I think everyone wants that, and it doesn’t cost too much. Actually, peanuts, to be precise.

Bread, corn, and other vegetables don’t help ducks. They get enough of that junk already, as it fills their gullets but doesn’t give them what they need. It’s cruel ignorance & animal torture. These wild ducks need protein to replace the bugs & critters that used to thrive in their swamps, before humans moved in and “developed” it. The ducks aren’t going anywhere. They’re staying– one way or another. They have nowhere else to go, so it’s really up to us to do better. You either stand with them, or leave them behind.

Tuesday ~ 9:45 PM ET

The Florida polls have closed, and the returns are mostly in:

In only a mild surprise, Gwen Graham lost to black Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillium in the Democratic primary for governor. Also of note, longtime big wheel among the congressional Democrats, Alan Grayson was decisively defeated in his comeback attempt.

The Democrats have tried to get younger and have shifted towards two prerequisites for party candidacy: 1) CIA-intelligence connections, or 2) identity politics with a significant & energetic base. Whether you’re black, Hispanic, female, gay or any combination– it’s considered an asset to the Democrats as long as you can hustle votes. Beyond that reactionary hype, there really is no unified platform for the Democrats. That’s the message here in the Sunshine State, where it’s hotter than two rats fucking in a sock.

Final Primary Wrap-up:  Thursday August 30, 2018  ~Noon  ET

Andrew Gillium is backed by Bernie Sanders, and financially supported by “liberal” billionaires Tom Steyer & George Soros. Gillium’s platform includes expanding Medicaid, investing in public education, medical marijuana, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The only one of those planks that is even achievable is medical marijuana, which was voter-approved in 2016 by 71%, and is a sop to the left. Gillium is also stumping for abolishing the ICE & impeaching Trump, even though the Governor of Florida has no such power. What does all this tell you?

This campaign for Florida governor pits billionaire Republican Ron DeSantis, a Trump supported fascist & outright racist, against an African-American huckster of the Democratic party, who may become the target of a FBI/DoJ investigation into City Hall corruption in Tallahassee. This campaign and all their partners in the media are planning to incite ignorance, extremism & violence of the worst sort on both sides: white racism vs. black racialism. These false narratives must be exposed & thoroughly discredited for any progress to occur.

Andrew Gillium surely has more popular support than Ron DeSantis for governor, but as we all know, that can be manipulated. Reading between-the-lines on political sites & Florida news outlets, the polling number Rick Scott & Ron DeSantis both need to win is 48%– minimum. Usually it’s assumed by voters & pundits that you need over 50% to win a two-horse race, but that is only true in a vacuum. Florida is just the opposite, a political battleground, with well-oiled Republican machinery which has been in place for 20 years. They can easily fudge 2+%. Anything more than that gets dicey, and the Washington Democrats generally won’t allow it.

………………….<><><><><><><>………………..