Tuesday, November 23, 2004
I've been through the desert on a post with no name . . .
The various stories I've been exposed to, both via MSM and the Blogosphere have my mind racing on many various topics. I'll apologize in advance for the scatter-gun nature of this post, but, as the title says, nothing really wraps these ideas together . . .
'I cut her arms off' A Plano, Texas mother severed the arms of her 11 month old baby. There's a pretty convoluted story about how her husband called a daycare center and asked them to check on his family, then the daycare center called 9-1-1. Nevertheless, she was calm while on the phone with the operator, stating, "I cut her arms off," in regard to her baby. I will be a very old man before I understand how police could take someone who has done such a thing into custody. She's charged with capital murder, but has a history of "postpartum depression," so look for a temporary insanity defense. I'm sorry, but PPD is the reason women cry because the baby won't eat--not the driving force behind brutally murdering your child. This woman should be killed just as brutally as this little baby. It's only right.
Here is a post is regarding seat belt laws. The lengthy comment I posted to Rogue Angel's blog regarding this question probably explains my viewpoint, but I'll hone it to the topic at hand. It isn't the government's business to protect me from my own stupidity. I believe that safety belts are the single best piece of protection you could have in a crash (I hate airbags, but that's another topic). I've seen horrible accidents with a wide variety of outcomes, and there's simply no factor that contributes to your safety like something that keeps you in the vehicle, in the place, engineered through multitudes of tests, to best protect your body. So I am certainly not an anti-seat belt person. It's my firm belief, however, that government has no business dictating their use. In my (not particularly humble) opinion, there's no limitation in sight to the government's power over personal choices when personal safety is legislated.
The UN should be totally abolished. It is an organization that, due to woeful mismanagement, flagrant abuses of power, and inept leadership, has been politically neutered. It has served as nothing but a catalyst for anti-US sentiment worldwide, and would fall flat if we, as Americans, refused our financial support. Oh, and Kofi Annan is an idiot.
I've been incredibly impressed with Bill Clinton's behaviour since he left the White House. I've never considered him to be a bad man, just a poor President. Many folks see him as just the opposite, but his greatest mistake, in my opinion, and the thing that I cannot excuse completely, is the fact that he lied while under oath before the court. I'd be jailed for that. Still, he has shown that he is indeed a true statesman, and probably will go down in history as one of the most noble "Former Presidents" in American History. Jimmy Carter isn't even in the running.
I get the distinct impression that the one thing that really horrifies non-religious folks is the idea that somehow, someday, something comes to light that undeniably proves that a religion (any one of them) is actually right. The other thing I've noticed in this vein lately, is that while there are many intellectual Agnostics in conservative circles, the non-religious on the Left are generally Atheistic in philosophy, and therefore much more hostile to religion.
Springing from that last thought, and I'll just say in passing that I'm not sure which is more imbecilic, PETA, ALF, or the ACLU.
One last thing. It's an overcast, rainy, dreary day here. We're expecting severe weather this afternoon and evening. I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle in over a week without getting drenched. I had planned to make a fairly long (500 miles each way) trip this weekend on the bike, but finances and weather have cancelled it. I'm working today, and probably tomorrow when I was hoping to be able to take off for the holiday after yesterday. But this morning, my four year-old little boy told me he loved me. It's been a beautiful day ever since.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!
'I cut her arms off' A Plano, Texas mother severed the arms of her 11 month old baby. There's a pretty convoluted story about how her husband called a daycare center and asked them to check on his family, then the daycare center called 9-1-1. Nevertheless, she was calm while on the phone with the operator, stating, "I cut her arms off," in regard to her baby. I will be a very old man before I understand how police could take someone who has done such a thing into custody. She's charged with capital murder, but has a history of "postpartum depression," so look for a temporary insanity defense. I'm sorry, but PPD is the reason women cry because the baby won't eat--not the driving force behind brutally murdering your child. This woman should be killed just as brutally as this little baby. It's only right.
Here is a post is regarding seat belt laws. The lengthy comment I posted to Rogue Angel's blog regarding this question probably explains my viewpoint, but I'll hone it to the topic at hand. It isn't the government's business to protect me from my own stupidity. I believe that safety belts are the single best piece of protection you could have in a crash (I hate airbags, but that's another topic). I've seen horrible accidents with a wide variety of outcomes, and there's simply no factor that contributes to your safety like something that keeps you in the vehicle, in the place, engineered through multitudes of tests, to best protect your body. So I am certainly not an anti-seat belt person. It's my firm belief, however, that government has no business dictating their use. In my (not particularly humble) opinion, there's no limitation in sight to the government's power over personal choices when personal safety is legislated.
The UN should be totally abolished. It is an organization that, due to woeful mismanagement, flagrant abuses of power, and inept leadership, has been politically neutered. It has served as nothing but a catalyst for anti-US sentiment worldwide, and would fall flat if we, as Americans, refused our financial support. Oh, and Kofi Annan is an idiot.
I've been incredibly impressed with Bill Clinton's behaviour since he left the White House. I've never considered him to be a bad man, just a poor President. Many folks see him as just the opposite, but his greatest mistake, in my opinion, and the thing that I cannot excuse completely, is the fact that he lied while under oath before the court. I'd be jailed for that. Still, he has shown that he is indeed a true statesman, and probably will go down in history as one of the most noble "Former Presidents" in American History. Jimmy Carter isn't even in the running.
I get the distinct impression that the one thing that really horrifies non-religious folks is the idea that somehow, someday, something comes to light that undeniably proves that a religion (any one of them) is actually right. The other thing I've noticed in this vein lately, is that while there are many intellectual Agnostics in conservative circles, the non-religious on the Left are generally Atheistic in philosophy, and therefore much more hostile to religion.
Springing from that last thought, and I'll just say in passing that I'm not sure which is more imbecilic, PETA, ALF, or the ACLU.
One last thing. It's an overcast, rainy, dreary day here. We're expecting severe weather this afternoon and evening. I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle in over a week without getting drenched. I had planned to make a fairly long (500 miles each way) trip this weekend on the bike, but finances and weather have cancelled it. I'm working today, and probably tomorrow when I was hoping to be able to take off for the holiday after yesterday. But this morning, my four year-old little boy told me he loved me. It's been a beautiful day ever since.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Ashcroft Out, Gonzales in . . .
Fox News reports (and White House confirms) that Gonzales will replace Ashcroft as Attorney General. Gonzales has a very long history with Bush, going back to Bush's Gubernatorial days in Texas.
Good move for the Bush Administration, IMHO, because Ashcroft has been a rallying point for the Liberals for a very long time now. They'll keep the same arguments, but they at least will have to change the name on the T-shirts.
I'm sure I'm behind some of the other bloggers in reporting this, but at least I tried . . . lol.
Good move for the Bush Administration, IMHO, because Ashcroft has been a rallying point for the Liberals for a very long time now. They'll keep the same arguments, but they at least will have to change the name on the T-shirts.
I'm sure I'm behind some of the other bloggers in reporting this, but at least I tried . . . lol.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Maybe I was brain-dead . . .
I don't know why, but as I was watching the returns last night and processing all the rhetoric from the Democrats, both on television and in the online community, the significance of the "Help America Vote Act" and the push for provisional and absentee ballots finally dawned on me.
Florida 2000 redeux.
Think about it. How many times were the ballots in Florida gone over with a fine-toothed comb in search of that elusive 500 votes for Gore? That's just not possible when there aren't any paper ballots. There's also the question of all those absentee ballots--something that the Dems were pushing for very strongly, telling folks that voting by absentee ballot would ensure that their vote would be counted. Well, it also ensures that their vote could be counted, recounted, altered, thrown out, or multiplied to suit the DNC's purposes.
Absentee ballots have a place. There are some people who, because of work, school, or other committments, must be away from their home area on election day. These folks deserve an absentee ballot. It's generally not their fault or choice to be away, and they still should have the option of making their voice heard. This year, however, many people unnecessarily cast their ballot through the absentee process. This produces scores of ballots that must be verified and counted after-the-fact, and leaves more room for human error. As we saw in 2000, the DNC is more than willing to use human error to benefit their candidate.
The idea of provisional ballots reads well on paper. If someone shows up at a voting precinct and their name isn't on the rolls, they now have the option of casting a ballot that will be evaluated for validity at a later time. There is a huge problem here, however. The number of provisional ballots exploded this election, and this turns into a mess as people have to evaluate whether an individual is actually a registered voter. By necessity, part of the ballot may be invalid, even if they're registered, because of the local races that differ precinct to precinct, but at the same time, without an extensive amount of research on each ballot, many will be impossible to solidly verify. Consider that a provisional ballot may only be certified as valid if the voter is proven to be legally registered, and that there exists no evidence that the same person has voted, whether by provisional ballot or not, in any other precinct in this election--nationwide! Looking further into the logistics of this mess, every provisional ballot would have to be recorded in a nation-wide database, and compared with every precinct's voter roll, then every matching name checked and double-checked against other information, possibly calling into play witnesses from the polls in question to verify that someone actually did or did not appear in person at a given precinct. Got a headache yet?
Not one to throw out a problem without a fix in mind, I'll address the better way of doing things in a later post.
Florida 2000 redeux.
Think about it. How many times were the ballots in Florida gone over with a fine-toothed comb in search of that elusive 500 votes for Gore? That's just not possible when there aren't any paper ballots. There's also the question of all those absentee ballots--something that the Dems were pushing for very strongly, telling folks that voting by absentee ballot would ensure that their vote would be counted. Well, it also ensures that their vote could be counted, recounted, altered, thrown out, or multiplied to suit the DNC's purposes.
Absentee ballots have a place. There are some people who, because of work, school, or other committments, must be away from their home area on election day. These folks deserve an absentee ballot. It's generally not their fault or choice to be away, and they still should have the option of making their voice heard. This year, however, many people unnecessarily cast their ballot through the absentee process. This produces scores of ballots that must be verified and counted after-the-fact, and leaves more room for human error. As we saw in 2000, the DNC is more than willing to use human error to benefit their candidate.
The idea of provisional ballots reads well on paper. If someone shows up at a voting precinct and their name isn't on the rolls, they now have the option of casting a ballot that will be evaluated for validity at a later time. There is a huge problem here, however. The number of provisional ballots exploded this election, and this turns into a mess as people have to evaluate whether an individual is actually a registered voter. By necessity, part of the ballot may be invalid, even if they're registered, because of the local races that differ precinct to precinct, but at the same time, without an extensive amount of research on each ballot, many will be impossible to solidly verify. Consider that a provisional ballot may only be certified as valid if the voter is proven to be legally registered, and that there exists no evidence that the same person has voted, whether by provisional ballot or not, in any other precinct in this election--nationwide! Looking further into the logistics of this mess, every provisional ballot would have to be recorded in a nation-wide database, and compared with every precinct's voter roll, then every matching name checked and double-checked against other information, possibly calling into play witnesses from the polls in question to verify that someone actually did or did not appear in person at a given precinct. Got a headache yet?
Not one to throw out a problem without a fix in mind, I'll address the better way of doing things in a later post.
Bush!
Bravo!
I think our President showed incredible tact and finesse throughout the entire campaign, not letting Kerry and company significantly change his tone and mood through this whole mess. His plan for America and his proven leadership equated a well-deserved win and a strong vote of confidence from the American public.
Congratulations are in order.
I think our President showed incredible tact and finesse throughout the entire campaign, not letting Kerry and company significantly change his tone and mood through this whole mess. His plan for America and his proven leadership equated a well-deserved win and a strong vote of confidence from the American public.
Congratulations are in order.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Exit Poll Explanation
Does anyone really put any credence in these "early exit polls"?
No official exit poll data has been released, and even if poll numbers are accurate, they probably come from areas where a particular candidate is known to be very strong. For example, does anyone think Bush will pull the Miami area? If you want to show that Kerry will take Florida big, all you have to do is "unofficially" poll some voters in that area.
This is why the "official" exit poll data is processed and averaged across a state, instead of "leaked" onto the internet as raw data comes in.
Don't expect the above facts to slow down Dan Rather tonight, though.
No official exit poll data has been released, and even if poll numbers are accurate, they probably come from areas where a particular candidate is known to be very strong. For example, does anyone think Bush will pull the Miami area? If you want to show that Kerry will take Florida big, all you have to do is "unofficially" poll some voters in that area.
This is why the "official" exit poll data is processed and averaged across a state, instead of "leaked" onto the internet as raw data comes in.
Don't expect the above facts to slow down Dan Rather tonight, though.
Pennsylvania Voting Machine tampering
According to Fox News, a woman in Pennsylvania entered a polling place, signed in as a Green Party registrant, and went straight to the back of one of the machines. She began to tamper with the machine, completely disabling it, then fled. Nobody stopped or caught her. Voters still have several other machines to use, but no word as to whether votes in the machine at the time of her stunt could be counted, or if they were lost.
Furthermore, Pennsylvania machines that were said to already have hundreds of votes tallied when they arrived at the polls this morning are still in question.
Furthermore, Pennsylvania machines that were said to already have hundreds of votes tallied when they arrived at the polls this morning are still in question.
An oversight . . .
Seems I've not made an official "prediction" on today's voting.
I'll do so, state-by-state, but I don't have time to do the math to see how this pans out in the EC tally.
New Hampshire - Kerry by a nose. This will be sufficient to bring Kerry some serious worry, as the race will be too close to call until around 80% of NH precincts are in.
New Jersey - Bush will win this state by a very narrow margin. Expect the DNC to legally challenge these results, provided Kerry is within striking distance (less than 20 EVs). This won't be called until a few hours after polls close.
Pennsylvania - expect an initial call for Kerry from one or more of the MSM outlets. This won't last, as rural boxes come in overwhelmingly for Bush, the Kerry lead from Pittsburgh will be overwhelmed, and the state will go to Red. Bush by 2-3 percent.
Ohio - The MSM will hold this one as "too close to call" until enough other states have been filled for Bush. The DNC will hold this as their Florida for 2004, unless (and I hope this is the case) the margin is too wide for Kerry to overcome, even with Ohio and New Jersey.
Florida - The Sunshine State will go big for Bush this time. CBS will call it for Kerry based on Miami returns in an effort to re-create the 2000 results--but Panhandle folks won't be fooled again. Bush's supporters, energized by Jeb, will turn out in droves this time, making it a 50K spread or greater.
Nationwide - Overall, Bush, and by a significant popular vote margin. If somehow, he loses on EVs, expect Democratic pundits and commentators to laud the virtues of the Electoral College. I dont' expect that, though. Bush is poised to carry as much as 18% of the black vote, nearly 50% of women's votes, around 30% of the Jewish voting bloc, and maybe as much as 25-30% of the Hispanic vote. Bush will wait until about midnight in D.C. to allow Kerry plenty of time to do the proper thing an concede, but Kerry won't. At about that time, Bush will claim victory. During his speech, never the one to behave as a gentleman should, Kerry will take the podium in his HQ to start a tirade about how the election isn't over until all the votes are counted, citing the numerous provisional ballots that haven't been counted, all the "questionable tactics" used by Republicans in the polling places, especially in Ohio and New Jersey, and the absentee ballots that were thrown out because they weren't signed or because the signatures were deemed forgeries. Despite what he says today about a "stronger America" after the elections and his desires that Americans be again unified after the vote, he, like Gore, will never make a legitimate concession speech, in his last public "flip-flop". After one more uneventful and unremarkable term in the Senate, he will retire from the public spotlight. Bush, on the other hand, will remain in office and push to amend the Constitution in such a way that Arnold can run in 2008.
Hey, I figure if I hit 50% of the above accurately I'll be doing as well as most folks today . . . lol
I'll do so, state-by-state, but I don't have time to do the math to see how this pans out in the EC tally.
New Hampshire - Kerry by a nose. This will be sufficient to bring Kerry some serious worry, as the race will be too close to call until around 80% of NH precincts are in.
New Jersey - Bush will win this state by a very narrow margin. Expect the DNC to legally challenge these results, provided Kerry is within striking distance (less than 20 EVs). This won't be called until a few hours after polls close.
Pennsylvania - expect an initial call for Kerry from one or more of the MSM outlets. This won't last, as rural boxes come in overwhelmingly for Bush, the Kerry lead from Pittsburgh will be overwhelmed, and the state will go to Red. Bush by 2-3 percent.
Ohio - The MSM will hold this one as "too close to call" until enough other states have been filled for Bush. The DNC will hold this as their Florida for 2004, unless (and I hope this is the case) the margin is too wide for Kerry to overcome, even with Ohio and New Jersey.
Florida - The Sunshine State will go big for Bush this time. CBS will call it for Kerry based on Miami returns in an effort to re-create the 2000 results--but Panhandle folks won't be fooled again. Bush's supporters, energized by Jeb, will turn out in droves this time, making it a 50K spread or greater.
Nationwide - Overall, Bush, and by a significant popular vote margin. If somehow, he loses on EVs, expect Democratic pundits and commentators to laud the virtues of the Electoral College. I dont' expect that, though. Bush is poised to carry as much as 18% of the black vote, nearly 50% of women's votes, around 30% of the Jewish voting bloc, and maybe as much as 25-30% of the Hispanic vote. Bush will wait until about midnight in D.C. to allow Kerry plenty of time to do the proper thing an concede, but Kerry won't. At about that time, Bush will claim victory. During his speech, never the one to behave as a gentleman should, Kerry will take the podium in his HQ to start a tirade about how the election isn't over until all the votes are counted, citing the numerous provisional ballots that haven't been counted, all the "questionable tactics" used by Republicans in the polling places, especially in Ohio and New Jersey, and the absentee ballots that were thrown out because they weren't signed or because the signatures were deemed forgeries. Despite what he says today about a "stronger America" after the elections and his desires that Americans be again unified after the vote, he, like Gore, will never make a legitimate concession speech, in his last public "flip-flop". After one more uneventful and unremarkable term in the Senate, he will retire from the public spotlight. Bush, on the other hand, will remain in office and push to amend the Constitution in such a way that Arnold can run in 2008.
Hey, I figure if I hit 50% of the above accurately I'll be doing as well as most folks today . . . lol
Voter intimidation in Florida
Hat Tip: Sharp
Election Eve headache
An interesting story about the theft of a computer in Pasco County, Florida, that contains a database of registered Republican voters. Somehow, I find it hard to believe that this isn't MSM newsworthy.
Election Eve headache
An interesting story about the theft of a computer in Pasco County, Florida, that contains a database of registered Republican voters. Somehow, I find it hard to believe that this isn't MSM newsworthy.
First lawsuit filed in Ohio
Woman claims to be denied the right to vote, based upon the fact that she had properly applied for an absentee ballot, but never received the ballot. Now she can't vote because of that application. A Federal lawsuit has been filed.
Question: Can she be considered "disenfranchised" if she's trying to vote Republican?
Update: The suit was apparently filed by the DNC, so I'm certain she was "disenfranchised"
Question: Can she be considered "disenfranchised" if she's trying to vote Republican?
Update: The suit was apparently filed by the DNC, so I'm certain she was "disenfranchised"
Tires slashed in Wisconsin . . .
Hat tip, VodkaPundit
More evidence of exactly how low the moonbats will stoop . . .
Tires slashed in Milwaukee, story indicates that the vehicles in question were rented by the Wisconsin State Republican Party to be used to transport either poll workers or voters to the polls.
Also, link here to a story about a voter who was told she had already voted by absentee ballot.
Anything goes, as long as their guy wins.
Funny how quiet Oliver has been today . . .
More evidence of exactly how low the moonbats will stoop . . .
Tires slashed in Milwaukee, story indicates that the vehicles in question were rented by the Wisconsin State Republican Party to be used to transport either poll workers or voters to the polls.
Also, link here to a story about a voter who was told she had already voted by absentee ballot.
Anything goes, as long as their guy wins.
Funny how quiet Oliver has been today . . .
NBC10.com - News - Hazmat Incident Forces Evacuations At N.J. Elementary School
Hazmat Incident Forces Evacuations At N.J. Elementary School
OK . . . first of what will probably be a very long list of similar attempts by some wackos to totally disrupt the election today. I believe that more than coincidence is at work here . . . this is in a state that may well be leaning for Bush. Not to mention the fact that this was done at a SCHOOL.
The substance in question was salt. No word as to whether this polling location will be allowed to stay open longer to compensate for time lost while the matter was cleared up.
If anyone's reading me today, I'd love to see someone do some research as to which way this precinct has typically voted, "red" or "blue."
OK . . . first of what will probably be a very long list of similar attempts by some wackos to totally disrupt the election today. I believe that more than coincidence is at work here . . . this is in a state that may well be leaning for Bush. Not to mention the fact that this was done at a SCHOOL.
The substance in question was salt. No word as to whether this polling location will be allowed to stay open longer to compensate for time lost while the matter was cleared up.
If anyone's reading me today, I'd love to see someone do some research as to which way this precinct has typically voted, "red" or "blue."
Update on Pennsylvania Machines
Possible explanation . . . the Republican poll monitor misread the vote tally on at least one machine, actually confusing the current vote count and a "lifetime" count for the machine.
The hole in this bucket? How likely is it that the total lifetime votes for these machines combined amount to only about 1500 votes?
Again, if the shoe was on the other foot, there'd already be a motion filed to nullify today's election completely.
The hole in this bucket? How likely is it that the total lifetime votes for these machines combined amount to only about 1500 votes?
Again, if the shoe was on the other foot, there'd already be a motion filed to nullify today's election completely.
Who's stealing this one?
Now, I know this is a "breaking story," and may turn out to be nothing at all . . . but Republican Party officials in Pennsylvania have discovered voting machines that may have approximately 1500 votes already cast on them at the opening of the polls this morning.
Of course, this would be splashed all over every news network, special reports pre-empting regular programming on everything from NBC to Nickelodeon if it had been discovered by the Dems.
More to come . . .
Of course, this would be splashed all over every news network, special reports pre-empting regular programming on everything from NBC to Nickelodeon if it had been discovered by the Dems.
More to come . . .
Monday, November 01, 2004
Final pre-election entry . . . maybe
I don't know. I would sincerely like to think that Bush will win tomorrow's election in a landslide, but I'm not at all confident of a Bush victory, much less one so decisive.
First, this map shows why the electoral college works. We have forgotten in modern times (I could actually point back to the Civil War, but I'll save that for a later post) that our nation is a union of sovereign states, not a single national entity divided into various subservient districts. Because of that, our founding fathers took measures to ensure that the states would have some sort of balanced representation, such that a handful of states, whether by population density or land mass, could rule the new republic. Wholesale ignorance of American history and government contributes to the cry for the electoral college to be abolished, but it is the only measure that stands between the democracy we enjoy and mob rule.
Moving right along, I'm appalled that the "big boys" in electronic and print media have been allowed to get away with some of the shenanigans we've seen in this election campaign. There are certain guarantees in the bill of rights that extend towards the press, but at the same time there must be a level of accountability and responsibility exercised by that body. As the child of a newspaper family, I know to what extend stories should be examined before they're run as fact. I also know that errors will invariably occur. But I know, above all, that the ultimate in irresponsibility in journalism is exhibited when stories are validated by the agenda they serve, not by their veracity. CBS should be taken to task over their memo scam, as well as their plans to air the "scandal" regarding the Al Qa'qaa munitions storage site on the 31st of October.
Michael Moore should be quite proud of himself. Even Osama Bin Laden recognizes Moore's genius. In a more clear-thinking society, F-9/11 would have been seen as treason.
Anyone who thinks Kerry will ever take a hard and fast stand on any issue just hasn't been paying attention.
Anyone who truly thinks that Iraq had no terror connections is a fool.
I will vote for Bush tomorrow. By his actions and words when he has been viciously attacked by his opponents, he has demonstrated substantial character. By acting in the best interests of the United States, he has proven that he is a capable and solid leader. By fighting for the rights of the unborn and standing against the assaults on the sanctity of marriage, he has displayed moral integrity. By doing what was right, not whatever it took to appease a vocal minority, he has proven himself to be a true statesman.
Kerry, in his stances on all of the above, has demonstrated himself to be a genuine politician.
That's not a compliment.
Finally, the true colors of the Democratic Party and its allies have been displayed quite openly already. They are willing to do anything it takes to win the election, with no regard whatsoever to the welfare of our republic. This is obvious in the way they have approached questionable registration forms and/or ballots. They have fought against any measure to curb election fraud, and have characterized the enforcement of any law that stands against fraudulent registration or voting as "suppressive measures" targeting minorities. This assault on our most basic tenet as a representative democracy is shameful, and should be rewarded accordingly.
First, this map shows why the electoral college works. We have forgotten in modern times (I could actually point back to the Civil War, but I'll save that for a later post) that our nation is a union of sovereign states, not a single national entity divided into various subservient districts. Because of that, our founding fathers took measures to ensure that the states would have some sort of balanced representation, such that a handful of states, whether by population density or land mass, could rule the new republic. Wholesale ignorance of American history and government contributes to the cry for the electoral college to be abolished, but it is the only measure that stands between the democracy we enjoy and mob rule.
Moving right along, I'm appalled that the "big boys" in electronic and print media have been allowed to get away with some of the shenanigans we've seen in this election campaign. There are certain guarantees in the bill of rights that extend towards the press, but at the same time there must be a level of accountability and responsibility exercised by that body. As the child of a newspaper family, I know to what extend stories should be examined before they're run as fact. I also know that errors will invariably occur. But I know, above all, that the ultimate in irresponsibility in journalism is exhibited when stories are validated by the agenda they serve, not by their veracity. CBS should be taken to task over their memo scam, as well as their plans to air the "scandal" regarding the Al Qa'qaa munitions storage site on the 31st of October.
Michael Moore should be quite proud of himself. Even Osama Bin Laden recognizes Moore's genius. In a more clear-thinking society, F-9/11 would have been seen as treason.
Anyone who thinks Kerry will ever take a hard and fast stand on any issue just hasn't been paying attention.
Anyone who truly thinks that Iraq had no terror connections is a fool.
I will vote for Bush tomorrow. By his actions and words when he has been viciously attacked by his opponents, he has demonstrated substantial character. By acting in the best interests of the United States, he has proven that he is a capable and solid leader. By fighting for the rights of the unborn and standing against the assaults on the sanctity of marriage, he has displayed moral integrity. By doing what was right, not whatever it took to appease a vocal minority, he has proven himself to be a true statesman.
Kerry, in his stances on all of the above, has demonstrated himself to be a genuine politician.
That's not a compliment.
Finally, the true colors of the Democratic Party and its allies have been displayed quite openly already. They are willing to do anything it takes to win the election, with no regard whatsoever to the welfare of our republic. This is obvious in the way they have approached questionable registration forms and/or ballots. They have fought against any measure to curb election fraud, and have characterized the enforcement of any law that stands against fraudulent registration or voting as "suppressive measures" targeting minorities. This assault on our most basic tenet as a representative democracy is shameful, and should be rewarded accordingly.
