Polly Ticks

[vovat]

As I'm sure you all know, the Democrats are set to take the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, but the Senate is still too close to call. That's according to projected results, anyway, which are probably pretty accurate at this point, but people seem to want to call these races REALLY early on. "Well, three votes are in, and two are for the Democratic candidate, so we predict he'll win!" I guess it's hard for the newscasters to talk about other stuff on Election Day. Well, aside from Nancy Grace. bethje was flipping through the channels yesterday evening, and while all of the other news networks were discussing the election, she was talking about how pit bulls are evil. Sure, media, blame the DOGS, and not the people who goad them into violence. I actually think pit bulls are cute, when actually treated with loving care. They have those teddy bear faces, you know?

Was anybody REALLY bothered by John Kerry's botched joke about ending up in Iraq if you don't do well in school? Yeah, Bush, it was an insult to the military. Aren't there any other straws you could grasp at? Like when he made fun of a guy for wearing sunglasses that he needed for medical reasons? Oh, wait, that was YOU. Anyway, I think it's kind of weird that Kerry is still getting so much attention. I don't recall Gore getting that much until several years after his election, and that was for his anti-global-warming stance. But then, I actually like Gore quite a bit, while Kerry's main qualification in the 2004 election was not being Bush.

You know, when I hear about the supporters of the Iraq war spouting their new mantra about having to fight the terrorists abroad or they'll follow us home, I can't help but thinking of a kid saying, "Hey, mom! This terrorist followed me home! Can I keep him? I'll walk him every day, and keep his beard trimmed!"

The last I heard about Saddam Hussein, he'd been issued the death penalty, but was going to appeal. While I definitely think the guy deserves a really harsh punishment, death kind of seems like overkill. Who's he going to hurt at this point? Why not just let him write poetry in prison until he dies of natural causes? Regardless of what ends up happening, though, I'm glad of the fact that he was tried and convicted in a court of law. It bugs me how American politicans (including both Bush and Kerry) kept talking about how they wanted to "hunt down and kill" terrorists. Yeah, I'm sure the best way to spread American-style democracy in the Middle East is to deny the people there the right to due process.

Okay, I guess that's all I have to say on the political front.

Comments

[countblastula.livejournal.com]

>but people seem to want to call these races REALLY early on.

I believe they call the races based on exit polls, which are notoriously accurate unless the machines are messed with, and we all know that could never happen.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

There are plenty of reasons why exit polls might not be accurate even if the machines AREN'T tampered with as well, but I guess if there's usually accurate, that's fair enough.

It annoys me that there are still machines in use that don't leave paper trails. If you're not sure if your vote is going to be counted, it makes voting somewhat pointless at worst, and a gamble at best.

the nature of the offense

[bec-87rb.livejournal.com]

Was anybody REALLY bothered by John Kerry's botched joke about ending up in Iraq if you don't do well in school? Yeah, Bush, it was an insult to the military.

Yeah, they were. And yeah, it was.

The reason the Kerry botched joke was so offensive is because it is true, but no one wants it brought up.

Some smart, well educated people end up in the military, sure. BUT, for some people who aren't as smart, or who didn't do well in school for whatever reason, they end up IED-fodder. Everybody knows that.

What was so offensive is that someone said it out loud accidentally - Kerry didn't tell the joke wrong by leaving out a word; he read it the wrong way in his head, sort of a horrific Freudian slip, and out came that ugly truth no one likes to acknowledge, that lack of money, brains, or hard work can land you in the military as a career of last resort.

Now, Kerry being a tall smart white guy who fought in Viet Nam, who didn't get a deferment, he has the right to talk about it. But I can understand the offense that was taken.

Re: the nature of the offense

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Do you think it would have been preferable if Kerry (or someone else) had addressed this issue seriously, rather than in the context of a joke? Or would that have been MORE offensive?

Re: the nature of the offense

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

It's a stereotype-- and while it's true most stereotypes exist for a REASON, it's still pretty offensive all around if someone uses them.

Of my husband's, say, five best friends, not counting me, three are in the military, and they've all been on active duty abroad at some point since the Iraq thing started-- one IN Iraq. I know they, each three very unique individuals, don't belong under some umbrella of a stereotype, any more than, let's switch political sides here, my best friend (also not counting my husband) should be seen as a stereotype for being a lesbian.

I mean, stereotyping is something everyone does, regardless if they are liberal or conservative or whatever. It so happens that one side gets offended if the people on THEIR side get stereotyped, but somehow never can see that they themselves hold stereotypes. People only fight it if it's what they disagree with, and are blind to their own misconceptions. Yet another reason why I claim my post as a Fiercely Loyal Independant.

Re: the nature of the offense

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Oh, I also forgot to mention, although it is sort of related, speaking of stereotypes-- my sister in law has a dog that is part pit bull and it is the sweetest nicest dog you've ever met. Powerful (even with only three legs), but sweet. We actually think he was abused (he came from a shelter), possibly BECAUSE he wouldn't be the mean and nasty pit bull the original owner wanted.

Re: the nature of the offense

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I've known some pit bulls and pit bull mixes that were really nice. Sure, the fact that they're big and strong means that, if they ARE vicious, they can do some serious damage. But they're not vicious by nature. Yet I've heard tell of animal shelters that would put pit bulls to death pretty much immediately, which they wouldn't do with other dogs. It's really unfair.

Re: the nature of the offense

[bec-87rb.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd, I have no idea. :) I just thought it was weird that no one in the media was talking about the elephant in the room on this one.

[k1cup.livejournal.com]

death kind of seems like overkill.

Hmm. Can a dead person be made too dead? :P

I think if I were a family member of someone he terrorized, I'd like my own chance at punishing him. And, personally, I think in that case I'd think that death would be too lenient a sentence for him.

Public stoning at the hands of all the relatives of the people he raped, killed, etc. might be the ticket.

[k1cup.livejournal.com]

If the above sends a chill up your spine for its ferocity, sorry. I don't plan to act on it.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I think if I were a family member of someone he terrorized, I'd like my own chance at punishing him.

Oh, I'm sure I would, too. But I think that's one reason why sentencing isn't done by victims or their families, and juries are suppose to be impartial. Can the justice system in an allegedly civilized society reasonably be based on vengeance?

Believe me, if Saddam IS put to death, I'm certainly not going to feel sorry for the guy! And I'm not opposed to the death penalty in principle, but it seems like it's often unncessary. When there's obviously no way for a person to atone for his or her crimes and no chance of rehabilitation, it seems to me that the primary purpose of punishment is to stop the criminal from doing any more harm. And in many (but probably not all) cases, they presumably can't do any more harm when they're in jail for life than they could do dead. I guess that's the main point I'm trying to make here.

Of course, I know nothing about the Iraqi justice system, and maybe I'm assuming it's like ours in ways that it really isn't.

[dragonxbait.livejournal.com]

Feel sad for me. My state senators are John Kerry and Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy was up for re-election but he did not campaign. As far as I can tell neither did his opponent. I voted against him knowing full well it was irrelevant, as indeed it turned out to be.

Speaking of paper trails, our town has paper ballots, with squares that you mark an X in. It all goes into a big locked box. I left wondering who counts them and if my vote would ever see the light of day.

Politics makes me cry.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

In Pennsyvlania, we had paper cards that we punched holes in. I think I remember hearing that Pennsylvania adopted a new system this year, but since I voted in New Jersey, I don't know what it was. Here, we had touch screens.

[dragonxbait.livejournal.com]

Someone told me that MA has paper ballots statewide. The liberals hate electronic voting (apparently) so I guess it shouldn't surprise me. In NY we always had the old lever machines with the curtain that open and closed when you pulled the big lever. They were excellent.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

The liberals hate electronic voting (apparently) so I guess it shouldn't surprise me.

Electronic voting in general, or electronic voting that doesn't leave a paper trail? While there's no way to know for sure whether your vote is counted under ANY system, when paper ballots are in use and there's some suspicion that they weren't counted correctly, investigators can demand that the physical ballots be handed over. With an electronic system that doesn't leave a paper trail, there often isn't any way to double-check.