I’m writing for tomorrow, day 197, and more important, election day. At this point, I think I can honestly say that I’ve done everything I possibly could to help influence the outcome, and now it’s time for me to do the one thing I hate doing most in politics: become a spectator. Lets just hope that the Republican Party suffers from electile dysfunction, and that when it comes to turn out, they can’t get it up.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:31` (average 5:20). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos (Hat-Tip Pat A from Care2): …The header on this [Republican] mailing says "Your Voting Record is Public Information!"
Then, this ominous note: "The News and Observer reported last week that Barack Obama and Harry Reid’s operation plans to publish and share your voting records with your neighbors after this election."
That’s big news right there. Raleigh has a newspaper? But I digress.
The mailing continues…
"The Republican Party wanted to make you aware of this, so Reid and Obama don’t have the chance to embarrass you for staying home on election day."
And then… at the very bottom… is the (unintentional?) punchline…
…there’s a list with my wife’s name at the top and a note that she didn’t vote in 2010, but did in 2012.
Then, it lists the names of 4 of my neighbors, with notes showing whether they voted in 2010 and 2012.
Let me say that again. They have the very voting record they say the scary and threatening president is going to send to my neighbors, and they’re sending it to my neighbors…
Click through for the whole story. Have you ever seen a more classic example of criminal projection?
From NY Times: A stealthy coterie of difficult-to-trace outside groups is slipping tens of millions of dollars of attacks ads and negative automated telephone calls into the final days of the midterm campaign, helping fuel an unprecedented surge of last-minute spending on Senate races.
Much of the advertising is being timed to ensure that no voter will know who is paying for it until after the election on Tuesday. Some of the groups are “super PACs” that did not exist before Labor Day but have since spent heavily on political advertising, adding to the volatility of close Senate and House races.
Others formed earlier in the year but remained dormant until recently, reporting few or no contributions in recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, only to unleash six- and seven-figure advertising campaigns as Election Day draws near. Yet more spending is coming from nonprofit organizations with bland names that have popped up in recent weeks but appear to have no life beyond being a conduit for the ads.
Groups like B-PAC, supporting Joni Ernst, center, in Iowa, have poured millions into Senate races. Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times
The groups’ last-minute fusillade of attacks helped push outside spending in races around the country to an average of at least $20 million a day last week. Total spending on Senate races reached $200 million in October alone, significantly more than in the same period before the 2010 midterms.
As much as the Times tries to paint the problem as bipartisan, click through and note that virtually all the examples are Republican.
From Think Progress: An federal district court in Oregon has declared Secular Humanism a religion, paving the way for the non-theistic community to obtain the same legal rights as groups such as Christianity.
On Thursday, October 30, Senior District Judge Ancer Haggerty issued a ruling on American Humanist Association v. United States, a case that was brought by the American Humanist Association (AHA) and Jason Holden, a federal prisoner. Holden pushed for the lawsuit because he wanted Humanism — which the AHA defines as “an ethical and life-affirming philosophy free of belief in any gods and other supernatural forces” — recognized as a religion so that his prison would allow for the creation of a Humanist study group. Haggerty sided with the plaintiffs in his decision, citing existing legal precedent and arguing that denying Humanists the same rights as groups such as Christianity would be a violation of the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which declares that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
“The court finds that Secular Humanism is a religion for Establishment Clause purposes,” the ruling read.
The decision highlights the unusual position of the Humanist community, which has tried for years to obtain the same legal rights as more traditional religious groups while simultaneously rebuking the existence of a god or gods. But while some Humanists may chafe at being called a “religion,” others feel that the larger pursuit of equal rights trumps legal classifications.
The Court correctly ruled what I’ve been saying all along. Atheism is a religion. In my opinion, it is the religion that requires the most faith of all.
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–11/4/2014”
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3:03 Crabs. TC has 'em!
Now I guess I'll sidle on down to my Doctor's appointment.
Doc says I'm good. No arterial blockages. Hooray!
I voted. I hope everyone else has too.
Excellent news.
Excellent news Patty!
3:09 These puzzles make me crabby!
3:02 Had I beaten TC, you all could have had a crab feast since I am allergic! I guess TC was more motivated . . . I can see the drool on his chin and paws from here!
“All religions are flawed as are men.”
Congratulations on a half year tobacco free!!!
I can find amusement from local and sometimes statewide election efforts that do not appear until after I've cast my ballot early; this year was no exception.
Big money behind campaigns locally usually means developer money wanting to skirt rules put in place to keep rural areas rural and prevent gridlock on roads–this year was more than most with a run-off pitting a developer, who is stalled with a big housing project violating county plan not yet approved, up against a limit developer influence candidate and three initiatives related to beefing up protections from development and strengthening the traffic impact evaluation and spending components of statute.
I also got a robocall with a voice identified as Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (married to Michelle Rhee) supporting a candidate who was responsible for 20 So. CA charter schools, where there are reportedly many allegations some would classify as corruption.
At what point do election and campaign violations invalidate an election? Are we approaching the point where courts might invalidate results completely and require a redo? Could the redo include restrictions on those who donated to the illegal efforts not being allowed to donate in the new election?
I saw Pat's find, too–and am apalled by how transparent this effort was willing to be.
Kudos to Judge Haggerty–CA's corrections folks have long tried to pretend non-Christian faiths do not exist and thus not honor elements related to hair and diet, etc.
5:10 average unchanged. I doubt if anyone will beat TC to lunch, although it's possible.
Daily Kos – Criminal stupidity along with projection. I see an implication here that your entire ballot ballot is going to be published, which is NOT public information. WHETHER you voted is indeed public information. HOW you voted is still private. When I was an election judge our poll watchers, who really didn't watch, just came in occasionally to look through the names of who had already voted. They had party lists, and used the info to GOTV. That was perfectly legal and acceptable, with proper documentation. No one would publish it after an election, as there would be no point. Pretty clear what they are trying to do. I hope it backfires.
NY Times – Eventually spending al that money is going to backfire on them. The Kochs threw away a lot of money in 2012. Let's hope a lot more will turn out to have been thrown away this time.
Think Progress – Of course we all know atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, freethinking – all shades of difference – are not religions but worldviewS. But every religion is also a worldview. The problem is, the term worldview didn't exist in the 18th century! The establishment clause was written witht he word religion, and that's what any group has to address to get respect. In my opinion the judge got it EXACTLY right. He didn't say that atheism, or Secular Humanism, is a religion. He said, "Secular Humanism is a religion FOR ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE PURPOSES." And when TC referred to atheism requiring more faith than actual religion, I suspect he meant something like, when you are surrounded by religious people with cockamamie ideas, you need extra focus to stay on track. He can correct me if I am wrong. In the Netherlands, I don't think atheists are quite as surrounded by the religious as they are in the US. But here – OMG!
Cartoon – I did, thanks.
I do hope we have all done enough to help the election – though apart from a few notes here all I can do is to pray like mad that all the Democrats come out to vote and don't get misled or frightened by the Repugs lunatic lying schemes; I know that everyone in the US who is a regular contributor to PP has done much much more – God bless you all!
Thanks for putting Daily Kos article up – I thought that now the Repugs were openly projecting their own actions – in the past they have always blamed the Democrats for their own behavior, now we actually have it in writing! It is very worrying that the Republican voters probably won't see through it – they really seem to be part of a cult, where no-one is allowed to question the actions of the powerful ones in the cult! (If questioned about these letters in the next few weeks/months, we can imagine the excuses they will come up with!).
I am glad to hear your views on Atheism TC – I have thought this for some time, certainly about some proponents of it – Richard Dawkins seems to be a fervent supporter of Atheism, and it was hearing his views that clarified my own thinking on the subject.
I voted as I have in every election since I was eighteen years old. My candidate lost and I am totally disgusted with my fellow Kentuckians for sending McTurtle back for another six years of blustering, blocking bills, and filibustering.
Daily Kos: These are the tactics the Republicans use, they have plenty of help from the media, too. They take a small truth and turn it into a big lie, and idiots believe it because they either read it in a newspaper or saw it on tv.
NY Times: Of course, most of these groups are related to the Republicans and the Koch brothers who are determined that the USA will be an oligarchy. This was the most expensive senate race in the history of Kentucky because Mitch had so many different PACs fnancing him. I am afraid I am going to be depressed over Alison's loss for quite a while, and if he becomes Senate majority leader, so wil the rest of the country. Chaff always floats to the top. This is exactly what SCOTUS planned when they issued the Citizens United decision. Term limits for Supreme Court justices is a must if we ever plan to take back our country.
Think Progress: I think the ruling was correct according to our constitution.
Cartoon: I did and I will again, no matter how many votes I lose.
Puzzle — 3:02 Had I beaten TC, you all could have had a crab feast since I am allergic! I guess TC was more motivated . . . I can see the drool on his chin and paws from here!
Daily Kos — "There's a sucker born every minute." an aphorism often attributed to PT Barnum, or to David Hannum who was criticising PT Barnum. Seems appropriate here. If this isn't a criminal act, it should be, as should the deceptions and misinformation spewed by the Kochs in NC.
NY Times — The only way to beat this BS is to have some very serious campaign and election reform, which will not happen with a Republicanus/Teabagger dominated Congress. They love their money too much!
TPM — Interesting but I wonder how long that will stand before the right wing evangelical pseudo Christians get their claws into it. Interesting to me is that the court has said that this is for the Establishment Clause.
To me, this is a legal technicality to ensure equal rights and not a pronouncement that secular humanism is a religion.
Cartoon — Vote like your life depends on it, because it does!
I was cruising through Huffington Post and came across this article, which, for you TC, should be mandatory reading if you want to own a Canuck!
www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/03/canadian-slang_n_6095232.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular&ir=Canada+Living
There are 116 slides etc to go with it. Not all is about slang, despite the title . . . also covers history, political topics like marriage equality, election finance, and of course food!
Enjoy! I certainly did.
🙁