I never promised regular updates.
Anyhow. I've been doing a bit of thinking over the last month or two about the election on 03NOV and all the aspects of it (including Biden's "Office of the President-Elect" bullshit. Seriously, what the fuck is that all about? There is no "Office of the President-Elect"!) the "unity" and "healing" rhetoric coming from the Democrats now (as opposed to the constant stream of demonization and castigation of the last four years or so, and even the calls on Twitter for "deprogramming," "concentration camps," and a "return of the firing squad" for people who don't think like Democrats. And no, those tweets didn't get taken down, they can probably still be found. If I looked, I could probably give you the news item I saw them in as well.
Oh - and now the Left wants to "cleanse" Donald Trump from society.
I don't suppose any of this rhetoric sounds at all familiar to anyone? Soviet Russia? ChiComs? Vietnam? 1984 (sales of which have spiked over the last couple of months?) Animal Farm? Even elements of Brave New World, if I recall correctly. "Cleansing" society is rhetoric of dictators, despots, and stars; "deprogramming" is done to the "politically unreliable;" "concentration camps" are reserved to the "hard cases" that won't "deprogram," or just a class of enemy being used to motivate the people (like the Jews in Nazi Germany,) and I need not explain the use of the firing squad, do I? This is what the political Right has to contend with, this is what we potentially face, this is what we have a very real possibility of having arrayed against us now.
But now that the Democrats have the House, the Senate, and the Oval Office - we're just supposed to move forward in "unity," to "heal and move onward," and act like the last four years didn't happen. They want to "deprogram" us. They want to put us in "concentration camps." They'd probably bring back the stocks or the pillory if they thought of it, just to humiliate us.
How can we trust those people ever again? They have shown their true colours - both the Democrats and the "Never-Trumpers" who voted for Biden, and therefore supported the idea as well. I have people I've known well - we're talking 20-30 years here - who are Biden voters (for whatever reason,) and I can't bring myself to trust them fully anymore. These are people I'd have trusted my life to before - now, given what they've supported, I can't do it anymore. The basis for trust is no longer there.
This election has shown everyone who everyone really is. Some people are fine with much of what they see - the Democrats are happy with being surrounded by their Democrat echo chamber, the Republicans likewise, and we Constitutionalist conservatives have managed to find each other. The NeverTrumpers? Not quite sure where they fit in, hopefully they manage to find each other and they can commiserate on why they're Republicans who could not vote for a Republican. I don't know, and I have a hard time trying to care, to be honest.
Meanwhile, I have some ideas for election reforms:
- Anything Dominion, related to Dominion, derived from Dominion, or whatever - gone! Likewise whatever software they were running, I don't recall the name of it at the moment.
- Poll observers are not to be ejected except for egregious conduct, like assault, battery, and the like. They challenged a ballot? That's what they're there for. Meet the challenge - prove it wrong, or make it right.
- That said, a poll watcher ID shall be considered a pass to where they're counting the ballots, and whoever is securing the room needs to move out of the way. That's General Order One
- General Order Two - At all times, there will be at least four security personnel monitoring the goings-on inside the room. This is as much for general security as to prevent false accusations of "egregious conduct."
- If one side "cures" a ballot that isn't done in full view of the other, that ballot gets shredded and a new one generated - under both sets of eyes.
- All observers shall be afforded a clear, unobstructed view of the goings-on at all times. No-one is to be kept at any sort of distance, other than that strictly necessary to maintain orderly operations (don't be in the poll worker's pockets - stand back a couple of feet. But no putting one party behind a rope on one end of the room, that dog won't hunt.) General Order Three - If one party tries to set up such a barrier, Security will remove it and allow the other party to take their proper places.
- Any suspect ballots, late arrivals, &c, are to be kept in lockboxes in a separate area (even a locked closet off the main room will serve.)
- General Order Four - There will be security personnel present as soon as the counting room is opened for setup, and they will remain there continuously until the counting is finished. No "table skirts" or other concealing devices are to be used in the room setup.
- General Order Five - Ballots incoming will have the chain of custody examined and then signed by Security personnel before being given to the poll workers. (It's as close to a disinterested third party as one can find in this situation - they're not counting, they're not observing for one side or the other.)
- Any Security personnel found to be in violation of any General Order shall find himself subject to disciplinary actions, which may include suspension and/or fine. Half of the fine is to be paid to the worker/observer whose work was interrupted, the other half to their party or organization.
