[Winstonm]

 pilowsky, on 2022-April-16, 16:20, said:

True. We use the space lasers that we brought with us from the lab to shoot the viruses on our way to the polling booth.

Finally someone talking sense.

[barmar]

 johnu, on 2022-April-15, 21:10, said:

Actually, there is no need for a voting day holiday. The US should have national vote by mail laws. Many states already have vote by mail legislation that allows anybody to vote by mail and mail-in ballots are sent to every registered voter. If you don't have a mail in ballot when you are trying to vote, you can go to some government locations to vote in person. All voters need to do is fill out a ballot, and drop it off at a mailbox sometime before election day. Nobody waits in line for hours, or half a day, or an entire day.

Which is why many Republican legislatures are cancelling vote-by-mail -- it makes it too easy to vote.

[Chas_P]

 barmar, on 2022-April-18, 13:06, said:

Which is why many Republican legislatures are cancelling vote-by-mail -- it makes it too easy to vote.

And to cheat.

[kenberg]

There is a possibility of distortion from mail-ins but the one that I think is the most likely is seldom spoken of, namely the control freaks. These tend to be males and my guess is that they are more likely to be R males although there is no shortage of D males who think everyone should do as they say. It has never been my style to monitor how any of my three wives voted so I don't know much in the way of details, but surely if someone puts a ballot in an envelope at home it is easier for a spouse to check on this, eg, "Show me how you voted before you seal that" than it is at a voting place.

Sure, you can offer money, or whiskey, or sex, to others for voting as you tell them to and it would be easier to get away with that on a mail-in ballot. But that would come with substantial risk, it seems like a bad idea, and as I understand it various studies suggest that it is not widespread. That fits with my expectations. I am interested in voting my preference, I have no interest whatsoever in paying someone a hundred bucks to vote as I say, even if I thought, probably erroneously, that I could get away with it.

I have known guys, we all have, who think that their wives are supposed to do whatever they say. And it can be the other way around but that is less common. Know-it-alls who seldom miss an opportunity to tell others what to do are a problem. On balance, I still think voting by mail should be an option.

I think the Maryland primary is in July but I have not thought much about it. Becky said we got something we should send in if we want to vote by mail. Probably we will just go to the local voting booth on the day we are to vote.

[mycroft]

Canadian elections are always on a Monday (*) - and a work day. But they require companies to provide 3 hours of uninterrupted time during voting hours to their employees - and that includes people with 2 jobs if I remember correctly (not sure how that works, though). The time off during regular work hours *must be paid* (but if voting is open 0700-1900, and you work 0800-1600, there's your three hours right there, unpaid).

On the other hand, they also work very hard to ensure that 3 hours is easily enough to vote - I've never had it take longer than 30 minutes from the time I rolled up to the door. In fact once, I voted advance poll because it was two blocks from my work; started an install of my company's software, walked to the voting booth, voted, walked back, just in time for the install to finish (20 minutes or so).

It doesn't have to be as bad as it is in the U.S.

Our Beloved Leader Harper introduced mandatory ID to protect against vote fraud make homeless people's lives uglier (but it's easier to resolve than in some U.S. States), and restricted access to voting for "Canadians of Convenience" (along with removing health care and the right to return in case of emergency) - those who are Canadian but live abroad full-time ("unless something goes wrong". He really didn't like the "It's no longer safe to live in Beirut, we're coming back to Canada" people for some reason). A bunch of that has been rolled back by the courts, but not all. If Polievre gets in, expect it to get more American really fast.

(*)Tuesday if the Monday is a federal statutory holiday. I don't think I remember that ever happening.

[y66]

Scott McCarthy said:

The NYT reporting on me is totally false and wrong.

[Winstonm]

Concerning Trump, I would have to say the best description of Mark Meadows and Mitch McConnell is: pussyllanimous.(sic)

[y66]

Scott McCarthy said:

He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened.

Donald Trump said:

No, that’s false. I never claimed responsibility.

[y66]

Marjorie Taylor Greene said:

I don’t recall. I don’t remember.

Brian Kolfage, co-founder of the “We Build the Wall” project said:

I knew what I was doing was wrong and a crime. I’m terribly, terribly sorry for what I did and I humbly beg the court for mercy.

[kenberg]

Largely I have just ignored R comments about Jan 6, sort of a good grief why even try attitude, but Greene's claim that she can't recall whether she did or did not suggest to the president that he impose martial law stands out even in the current lunacy. I can be oblivious. I can forget what I had for dinner last night. I am confident that I would recall whether I did or did not suggest to the president that he impose martial law.

[Winstonm]

 kenberg, on 2022-April-23, 07:57, said:

Largely I have just ignored R comments about Jan 6, sort of a good grief why even try attitude, but Greene's claim that she can't recall whether she did or did not suggest to the president that he impose martial law stands out even in the current lunacy. I can be oblivious. I can forget what I had for dinner last night. I am confident that I would recall whether I did or did not suggest to the president that he impose martial law.

The bigger issue to me is not whether or not these people lie but whether or not they are criminally charged for those lies that have statutory criminal consequences, i.e., lying under oath or lying to the FBI.

I would say that it would be fairly simply to convict Greene on this charge with a DC jury (for just what Ken says) but probably impossible in Texas. And that divide over the rule of law is, or soon will be, our ruination as a viable republic. There is already a great divide between rich and the rest; when we add an unpunishable political class to that equation, the answer as to how many days of the republic is left is zero.

[Winstonm]

 y66, on 2022-April-23, 07:24, said:

Let's not forget that the other member of this gang of convicted thieves, Steve Bannon, was pardoned for this same crime by Trump on his way out the door.

[y66]

[Winstonm]

I’m particularly fond of coconut Macrons; not so much of the poison le Pens.

[y66]

 Winstonm, on 2022-April-24, 13:36, said:

I’m particularly fond of coconut Macrons; not so much of the poison le Pens.

You are une carte électorale.

[y66]

New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said:

I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 a day

[Winstonm]

I wonder if Steve Bannon can get Arizona to challenge the French election?

[barmar]

So Trump is being charged $10K/day. If he were really as rich as he claims, this would be pocket change.

[y66]

Aaron Rupar said:

Fox News/Business mentions so far today [as of 5:46 PM April 25]:

Hunter Biden: 32
Mark Meadows: 1

[barmar]

 barmar, on 2022-April-25, 19:25, said:

So Trump is being charged $10K/day. If he were really as rich as he claims, this would be pocket change.

But of course he's appealing it....