Our very way of life is being threatened

On this Independence Day, take a moment or two to educate yourself on this. It is an attempt to steal the country from the majority, subverting our democracy and everything the United States of America has stood for, that my father and three of my grandparents who served in the military defended. It sickens me. I have worried for a long time that we are heading to a terrible time where our country (and others) are basically run by fascists and capitalists. It's a horrible combination that we cannot allow to happen. Don't be silent. And vote like your future depends on it--because it does.

From the Wikipedia article on Project 2025:

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts said in July 2024 that "we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be." Paul Dans, the project's director, said in April 2023 that Project 2025 is "systematically preparing to march into office and bring a new army, [of] aligned, trained, and essentially weaponized conservatives ready to do battle against the deep state.

This is what is coming if we remain silent. Remember the excellent quote from Pastor Martin Niemöller in his poem 'First They Came':

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Kentucky has allowed early voting for a couple of years now...

Kentucky also has one of most watched races in the country, between incumbent Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and current Attorney General David Cameron (who is Republican, and very much in the Trump camp). Beshear is seeking a second term in a Red State, and there's a good chance he will get it. He's very popular across politics, due to his handling of the pandaemic and also natural disasters, including tornadoes and floods. I have no doubt that if former Matt Bevin, a Repbulican [and in my opinion, a dangerous nutjob who should not have been governor ever], had been in office, more Kentuckians would have died of Covid-19. Daniel Cameron would make history, however, by being the first Black governor in the Commonwealth's history.


You can probably determine how I voted from my shirt.

I know this is meant to be comedy

but seriously...watch this. It's got good points.

This is kind of sad, don't you think?

Brits Scramble to Google “What is the EU?” Hours After Voting to Leave It

A bit late, don’t you think? A report from Google shows the British are madly searching to figure out what the European Union is.

According to Google, “What is the EU?” is the second most searched term about the EU since the announcement of the historic Brexit referendum this morning. Oh, and in the hours prior to the vote, Google says one of the top questions was “What is Brexit?”

Which only serves to remind us that a democracy only works well if the people voting educated themselves on the issues before casting that vote (and hopefully more than a few hours before, especially on such a complex issue). It's easy for the rest of us to be snarky, but look at what's looming in our own general election. People, take note.

I did find a good overview on what will happen as a result of the Brexit referendum on the BBC: The UK's EU referendum: All you need to know. It makes for an interesting read.

I am sorry

I am too absolutely annoyed with the way things went in our state elections today,  particularly in the Kentucky governor's race,  that I cannot blog tonight.  I should be back to normal once I 've cooled off. Good night!

I voted

Did you?

Not to be a total and utter wuss

But I'm in quite a bit of pain, due to tendonitis in the elbow and shoulder, so I'm going to keep this short. Today I:

• Voted in a special election for state senator. My candidate came in second of three, but hey, at least I voted.
• Got caught up on all the work I was behind on at, well, work.
• Lent an ear to someone who had to talk out their feelings regarding a family situation.
• Stopped by the library and got a couple of books and some CDs.
• Installed a new aquarium filter. The fish are SO much happier. Thanks Amazon!
• Watched several episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' with YKWIA because 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural' were preempted by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
• Heated up a microwavable bandage for my elbow numerous times tonight. It does help. If only I could take care of the shoulder as well. First thing to get when I get paid Thursday--a heating pad. I had one that was my grandmother's, and probably it was about 40 years old. I think I gave it to Goodwill, damn the bad luck. But for now I'll keep with the microwavable things. They're like the rice-in-the-sock sort of thing, except there's a velcro strap for affixing it around the affected joint.
• Came home running on my gas light the whole way. I have $7 for gas tomorrow, before I get paid. Here's hoping I don't get vapour lock or something similar tonight--it's in the low 20s right now (Fahrenheit) and it's supposed to go down pretty far. I usually try to keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car for cold weather. Wish me luck.

Okay, enough typing already. Have a good night.

Staying up late watching the election results

Which are overwhelmingly favourable in my eyes, with the exception of our Congressional race, where Chandler lost to Barr. But we'll have four more years of President Obama! Woo-hoo! We had high relevance of the vote of women and minorities. Marriage equality passed in Maine and Maryland. Todd Aiken and other candidates who made asinine comments about women and rape got trounced. Anyway, I'm happy and just waiting (hopefully) for Romney to concede and Obama to give his speech.

Had a long day. One friend had an emergency so another one stepped up to take me out to my appointment and we got several essential things done. She is now a pro at getting a wheelchair in and out of her car. I was so tired when I got back though that I went to bed for about three hours and finally got up about 10 when A called me about some of the election results. So I think I can stay up for awhile if need be.

Oh, thank goodness, Romney's going to speak in about 10 minutes. Think I'll grab something to eat in the meantime. Hope you all voted, no matter how you did!

Well, that was incredibly easy

Just called my county clerk and requested an application for an absentee ballot. I wasn't sure there was enough turn around time, but she assured me there was. I just had to give my name or social security number, verify the information they had, and they're sending out the application today. I then have to mail the application back, they'll mail me the ballot, and I have to get it in by 6 pm Election Day, so mail it back a few days before. Yay!

Sarah Silverman does it again

Warning: Explicit words, but good video, and pretty darn educational. There is also a 'clean version' if you can't handle the 'f'-word.



Be sure to check out the LetMyPeopleVote webpage.

I live in a state that requires an ID, but it doesn't have to be a photo ID, so a Social Security card or credit card works, according to the requirements as outlined by the Council of State Legislatures' web page and then there's this from our Secretary of State's office:

All voters must produce identification or be known by a precinct officer prior to voting. KRS117.227 and 31 KAR 4:010 provide the types of ID that can be used by the voter such as: Personal acquaintance of precinct officer, Driver’s license, Social Security card, credit card, or another form of ID containing both picture and signature.

Fortunately, I have a driver's licence. But I know of one person who would have to use the credit card option to vote. Not everyone has a valid state ID or driver's licence, and the hoops to get even the ID can be daunting if you don't have some form of proof of identification in hand already, even if you're a native-born American. So while requiring photo identification seems quite reasonable on the surface, the use of it to disenfranchise certain groups who tend to vote one way by politicians in the other party is, well, wrong.

How to rig an election--and get away with it (?)

Forget Anonymous: Evidence Suggests GOP Hacked, Stole 2004 Election

Three generations from now, when our great-grandchildren are sitting barefoot in their shanties and wondering how in the hell America turned from the high-point of civilization to a third-world banana republic, they will shake their fists and mutter one name: George Effin' Bush.

Ironically, it won't be for any of the things that liberals have been harping on the Bush Administration, either during or after his term in office. Sure, misguided tax cuts that destroyed the surplus, and lax regulations that doomed the economy, and two amazingly awful wars in deserts half a world away are all terrible, empire-sapping events. But they pale in comparison to what it appears the Republican Party did to get President Bush re-elected in 2004.

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/news/11/07/1789905/forget-anonymous-evidence-suggests-gop-hacked-stole-2004-election#ixzz1TLSROecF

Okay, I'm not familiar with the news source, so I'm not saying I'm swallowing this hook, line, and sinker. But like a lot a liberals I've thought something screwy went on. Apparently there are a couple of books alleging IT companies with Rupublican ties really did change the course of history in 2004. Go read for yourself and see what you think.

At the very least, it gives food to thought for the vulnerabilities in the system, both in terms of people and technology.

I voted! Did you?

Well, it's been less than an hour and a half since our polls closed and already my choice for mayor has won here. Yay! But it should be interesting to see how the other races go. I've actually got the TV on (rare for me) for the results as they come in. Unfortunately, WLEX is also calling the race as of now for senator as Rand 'Aqua-Buddha' Paul--definitely NOT my pick. Of course, they're calling it with only 20% of the votes counted. I personally think that's a little early.

Did you vote? If not, are your polls still open (ours close early, at 6 pm)? Some of you may still have a chance. Please go out and vote!

PS As a first, I should point out that Gray ran as an openly gay candidate. And won. In Kentucky. Yay!

VOTE!

So says a sign that was hanging on my apartment building door last night. It was a pleasant reminder to get up early and vote (and provided details where for those who might not know.) So I set my alarm for 6:30 (it sometimes takes a good hour to actually get up), and just after that a very politically involved friend called to remind me. :) We talked politics for awhile and then I got ready. Now I am, and the fact of the matter is that I have to go to the polling place by about 8:30 so I can then catch my bus to arrive at the right time for work, but I have about 45 minutes to kill before leaving. I'm so excited, I just want to go ahead and go, but the library itself doesn't open until 9:30, when I'll already be at work, and although I could stay at the bus stop and read, it's a bit chilly for that. So I will rein in my enthusiasm. I guess I could take an earlier bus and get something to eat on the way to work, but really, I'm trying to be frugal at least until payday Thursday.

Oh, well, get out and vote, and exercise you're right to choose your representation. I won't tell you which way to vote, but please, just go ahead and go.

Electionless

We didn't have an election on Election Day. There was no one to vote for, no race to watch. It was an off year, without even local races. Even the Secretary of State's website for the Commonwealth of Kentucky featured only ballots from last year. How odd. It's like everything happened all at once last year and now it's going to take two years to get over.

So what happens to those who did marry?

Same-sex marriage ban wins

Some thoughts

I really wish Kentucky would extend its voting hours. 6 am-6 pm (at least in many areas--we have a variable schedule--some areas have until 7 pm) doesn't work for many workers or parents trying to get their kids to and from school. I took the day off just in case of problems. Not everyone has that luxury.

I apparently belong to one of only two precincts in Lexington with less than 100 voters registered. I know this because a news story mentioned that there were two with only one voting machine because of this. I guess that means if I don't want to encounter lines, I have to stay put. :)

I really think McCain lost this election not because the oeconomy tanked in September (let's face it, it's been doing so for months now--it just became more palpable due to Wall Street tanking), but because 1) his campaign never really found a direction to go forward with (chasing issues from here and there, not really presenting what John McCain himself stood for well, not like Obama's platform for change and slogans that included people like 'Yes, we can') but even more importantly, 2) the choice of Sarah Palin as running mate. No matter how much he might have been liked by many voters, it proved to be a very telling about his judgement, and I think many voters could not stomach her being a heartbeat away from the presidency--not because she is a woman, I think that has nothing to do with it--but because she is Sarah Palin. She has some very scary ideals that believe it or not do not resonate with the majority of Americans, and is obviously unprepared to be vice-president, much less president.

I think the gender card got played way too much during this race. I did not favour Hillary Clinton based on her personality. It had nothing to do with her gender. And I found the selection of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate insulting, knowing that there were many other Republican women who would have served very well. It seems like some people had an idea that as long as someone had the female plumbing than we are all interchangeable, which is not the case. I would love to have a female candidate I could really have gotten behind like I did with Obama. But whilst I won't say I would have voted McCain over Clinton in this election, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to vote for her, and would only have done so out of necessity. I could not have voted for McCain, however, once he selected Palin, because among other things I question his judgement strongly over that one. I'd rather have a candidate I can believe in. I found that with Obama.

Also, I'm happy that in the end, race was not as important as say, oeconomy. Obviously there was a huge turnout among blacks and apparently a very good one among Latinos. And looking at the breakdown in Applalachian counties (at least in my state), the numbers for McCain over Obama were very strong--but it's unclear whether that had to do with race or if they're just such Republican counties). But one of the pundits also pointed out that a different demographic which Obama did well with were college-educated whites, a group Democratic candidates have not done well with in the past. Since I'm part of that demographic, I'm glad we were able to make a difference.

That's nice that her wishes will be recorded, even if because of a technicality

Hawaii officials to count Obama grandmother's absentee ballot

Although the law would normally require that an absentee ballot cast by someone who dies before election day to be discarded, Kevin Cronin, the Hawaii elections chief, confirmed that it would still be counted, as the elections office did not receive a list of deceased residents - which included Dunham's name - from the state department of health before Tuesday.

I voted!

(okay, I really tried to get a sharp picture and just couldn't get the camera to focus well enough on the sticker, but there it is, anyway)

There was no line for my precinct, as per usual, but the other precinct that also votes at the Eagle Creek library was out the door and maybe thirty people beyond that. A lot of people had brought their kids with them, which was nice.

I did pretty well until I got to the soil conservation board. I mean, how much do you hear about that sort of race?

But we have a couple of very hotly contested races: Obama-McCain of course, and Lunsford-McConnell. McConnell is one, if not the, most powerful Republican in the Senate and has been in office for over 20 years. Lunsford does have a few drawbacks, but the Republicans attacked him over stupid things, at least from what I saw, like having homes in other states (he lives primarily in Louisville, though). I saw one of their ads and it was attacking him on it, and the very document they had circled on it also listed his Louisville address. Sheesh. You think they could do better than that.

I'm curious as to how things will turn out tonight. I'm taking a friend or two to the polls at 3 this afternoon. Their precinct tends to be pretty crowded. There was a mayoral (yes, mayoral--not presidential) race where we got stuck at the polls for something like three hours there. We're trying to go before people head out from work this time.

Remember, be sure to vote!

Get ready, set, go!

My voting precinct is small and includes mostly just my apartments and some townhomes, a population that doesn't NORMALLY vote. Of course, this is no normal election. So, just in case I get trapped in line:

1) Bathroom (check)
2) Comfortable shoes (check)
3) Taken medicine (check)
4) Eaten something (check)

Can't really get any caffeine (although Starbucks is apparently giving out cofee to those who have voted, in a possible legal violation). [Check out Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's for general election day freebies as well]. :)

But otherwise I think I'm ready to hit the voting machine.

Oh, and it was so sad that Obama's grandmother died so soon before the election. I wish she'd been able to see the outcome, whatever it may be.

Whatever else you do today, and however you do it, be sure to VOTE! and exercise your right as an American. (Oh, and if you're not an American, be sure to watch the candidates duke it out as the rest of the world waits to see how bone-headed/smart we are.)

Tomorrow's to-do

1) VOTE!
2) Take a friend to vote!
3) Take some things back to the store for exchange.
4) Clean!
5) Notes!
6) Read 2 chapters of Lumley.
7) Keep a weather eye out for the election returns.