Is it Election Fraud, or the Way It's Supposed to Be?

Submitted by on

As someone who believes the show will go on no matter who is elected President, with occasional doubts due to the crazies on the right, I've never delved into the issues of electronic voting.  Also, in the state of Washington where I reside, I've always used the option of mail-in ballots, never having the experience of voting by machine.  Sometimes I get so cynical I think everything election is bullshit and pay no attention at all.  Except the referendums and initiatives which seem to be the only real democracy we are allowed, some of them anyway.   

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The Coming Conflict

Submitted by on

Just read an interesting article by Dennis Ross concerning the choices the next President will have to make regarding Iran.  It is estimated that, sometime next year, Iran will have refined enough uranium to the 20% level that they could, quite quickly, enrich it to weapons grade and deploy it on a weapon.

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Favorite Songs: Scary and Spooky Edition

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Also available in Orange...

A couple of things about posting videos with the new WYSIWYG interface: You click the media button and then choose Web and then paste the link and it should work.

Howdy howdy howdy everybody! Yessir, it's Tuesday evening so you know what time it is! Yes, thank gawd - it's time to leave all the bad news and politics behind and escape into our favorite tunes instead!

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On the Ad Hominem Argument

(reprised from DailyKos.com)
 

I am simply amazed by the number of people here who think that ad hominem arguments are valid -- or maybe what I'm amazed at is the sheer quantity of time they spend making such arguments.  Here I hope to explain, simply, what an ad hominem argument is, and how it functions.

 

***********

Ad hominem argument, as follows:

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"it's virtually impossible to be a citizen"

Submitted by on

New Orleans has a reputation among people who don't live there as a place where almost anything goes. Maybe it's the Mardi Gras spirit. Maybe it's simply the name of the tourist destination of Bourbon Street.

The reality does not live up to the reputation for some of the people who live in New Orleans.

Ann is a young transwoman of color. In September she left her residence to walk to a friend's house on Tulane Avenue. She was spotted by a NOPD officer who decided she needed to be stopped and questioned.

After a short "conversation" Ann was handcuffed and arrested for crimes against nature. She was then taken before a local judge who verbally abused her.

Her "crime" was being young, black, and transgender.

Ann did not relate her story herself because she feared for her safety. It was rather told by another young LGBTQ person.

At an October 24 meeting Ann's story and other stories were shared with members of the New Orleans City Council's Criminal Justice Committee. The meeting was part of a consent decree New Orleans entered into years ago with the USDOJ. The Department of Justice found that the NOPD has a history of discriminatory policing on the basis of race, ethnicity, and sexual status.

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Open Thread: "Superstorm" Sandy Update and Check-in

Submitted by on

I'm just tuning in to The Weather Channel to see what Sandy has done to the East Coast... it's still a giant storm covering the eastern third (!) of the US - some 1.8 million square miles.  

What I've heard so far:

  • The subway system in NYC has sustained significant damage.
  • Massive dumps of snow in some areas (which to me is just surreal).
  • Estimated 6+ million people without power at this time.
  • The storm is turning north and is starting to wreak havoc in eastern Canada.

Any other updates?

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Most Interesting Thing You've Read This Past Week

Submitted by on

Howdy! Welcome to the our weekly open thread on interesting reads!

What is the most interesting thing you've read in the past week?

It can be anything - a book, a news article, a blog post, a recipe, a cartoon, anything goes...

And please - if there's a link, link it; if it's a recipe post it. :D

And if you are a VOTSer in Sandy's path, please let us know you are ok...

 

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Hurricane Sandy GREAT opportunity for terrorists

Submitted by on

If Katrina is any indication, the primary concern around Sandy from the government will be terrorism. In Katrina, they successfully stemmed any would-be terrorists plots by detaining or killing every civilian, i.e., survivor, without due process and indefinitely. This is not an exaggeration (thank you, Dave Eggers and Zeitoun).

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