Up till now, the Obama administration team has acted as though no matter what Israel did, it was okay. Nary a word except to say the Israelis have a right to defend themselves after the home made rockets of Palestinians landed in the fields a little way in from the border. (Yes, some rockets are more sophisticated and have caused four deaths and two dozen injuries. But that is a far cry from the two ton bomb dropped on a Hamas leader . . . and his family . . . and his neighbors.)
With SoS designate Clinton entering a non-elected position, she may now be free to look more objectively and pragmatically at Gaza and Israel and go back to a view she held when she became First Lady, that Palestinians had rights that needed Israel's attention and respect.
PE Obama has obligated himself to AIPAC but may be able to step back, remember his promise to speak to all parties (Hamas in cluded), and challenge a terrible policy that will be no more successful than the attack on Hezbollah in 2006.
Maybe not this year! But I can fantasize. . . .
But what may prove to be the turning point is that the politics of this Gaza invasion may bolster the Israeli peace movement instead of bolstering the Israeli hawks. It appears that the reason Olmert is pushing this invasion of Gaza is to take votes away from the super hawks of Likud. Initial polls support that strategy. Olmert's supportive legislators are up in the polls.
But as the truth about this invasion continues to get out, Israeli dissidents will gain in popularity. Unlike in the US when we read the papers about Israel, Israeli press is very open to conflicting viewpoints and challenges of government spin. By putting Israeli sons and daughter on the ground to fight in Gaza where the Palestinians live and know the landscape, Olmert has lost the world's support and will lose Israeli popular support.
Can PE Obama read this seed change? Of course. Can AIPAC? Not likely. PE Obama and SoS designate Clinton may have more negotiating to do with AIPAC than with Hamas! The success of that diplomacy is what may finally change our policy toward Israel and Palestine.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Rev. Rick Warren's Invocation
When I first heard that President-elect Obama invited Rev. Warren to give the invocation for the Inauguration, I was saddened. There are so many other pastors to whom he could have turned, Rev. Jim Wallis, Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Catholic bishop, or a Rabbi. Why the pastor who rigged the debate between the two nominees for President? Why the pastor who supported California Prop 8 and verbally beats up on some folks he disagrees with? At least, the pastor giving the benediction, Rev. Joseph Lowrey, is going to get the last word.
Then I saw an article about Rev. Warren which explains some good things about the man. I was much impressed with how he gives 90% of his income to help the poor. Somehow he looks like he is doing very well on the 10% that's left but, still, he has few peers in the generosity department.
I sent the article to my liberal friends and got a response which reflected how I originally felt but quite a bit more angry.
So I tried to figure out why the choice of Rev. Warren might make sense.
The main reason, of course, is what the President-elect said, that Rev. Warren had invited him to speak at Saddleback Church early in his campaign, knowing they disagreed. Sen. Obama reaches out . . . . And he is willing to take the heat from constituents who disagree with him.
My friend said he really shot himself in the foot. Of course, the promises Sen. Obama has made about changing law and policy in ways supportive of the GLBT community are yet to be actualized, but we will be surprised if he does not follow through.
Then I realized that by giving the invocation on Jan, 20, Rev. Warren may not be as effective in furthering the anti-GLBT agenda he has led. Further, even all this negative publicity and controversy puts the subject on the front pages. As they say in the entertainment business, even negative publicity is better than no publicity.
But more moving to me is that Sen. Obama may be forgiving Rev. Warren for the stunts related to the Saddleback debate.
So how will the modern day Billy Graham respond? Will he even look at the forgiveness angle? Will he presume he deserves the attention? Will he actually begin listening to those he has condemned?
Cynics don't like to take a chance on giving an inch to their enemies, certain they will take a mile. Jesus was willing . . . and got crucified. But He changed things.
Who knows? Sen. Obama, a "sermon-soaked pew squatter" for twenty years, may actually be trying to do the Word, and not just be a hearer only.
Then I saw an article about Rev. Warren which explains some good things about the man. I was much impressed with how he gives 90% of his income to help the poor. Somehow he looks like he is doing very well on the 10% that's left but, still, he has few peers in the generosity department.
I sent the article to my liberal friends and got a response which reflected how I originally felt but quite a bit more angry.
So I tried to figure out why the choice of Rev. Warren might make sense.
The main reason, of course, is what the President-elect said, that Rev. Warren had invited him to speak at Saddleback Church early in his campaign, knowing they disagreed. Sen. Obama reaches out . . . . And he is willing to take the heat from constituents who disagree with him.
My friend said he really shot himself in the foot. Of course, the promises Sen. Obama has made about changing law and policy in ways supportive of the GLBT community are yet to be actualized, but we will be surprised if he does not follow through.
Then I realized that by giving the invocation on Jan, 20, Rev. Warren may not be as effective in furthering the anti-GLBT agenda he has led. Further, even all this negative publicity and controversy puts the subject on the front pages. As they say in the entertainment business, even negative publicity is better than no publicity.
But more moving to me is that Sen. Obama may be forgiving Rev. Warren for the stunts related to the Saddleback debate.
So how will the modern day Billy Graham respond? Will he even look at the forgiveness angle? Will he presume he deserves the attention? Will he actually begin listening to those he has condemned?
Cynics don't like to take a chance on giving an inch to their enemies, certain they will take a mile. Jesus was willing . . . and got crucified. But He changed things.
Who knows? Sen. Obama, a "sermon-soaked pew squatter" for twenty years, may actually be trying to do the Word, and not just be a hearer only.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The "War" on Christmas
The American version of Christmas is pretty complex. While it centers on the birth of Jesus, and while many of the icons and much of the music refers to Him, other figures like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and presents have become very important.
As early as mid-summer, stores have sales based on the Christmas theme. Around Labor Day, sections in some stores are decked out in reds and greens in anticipation of Christmas, usually containing toys and home decorations for the holidays. Gradually, over the weeks between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving, nearly all the stores get serious about displays and setting up their holiday merchandising. The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the biggest shopping day of the year.
That same day is often when lights and decorations put up between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving in the business sections of town or on private homes are lit at night. In addition, some radio stations begin to play Christmas music 24/7.
Most churches join in with the pre-holiday festivities. Many add a life-size scene on their grounds including a barn-like setting, a feed trough for cattle, a mother and father, a baby, some farm animals, sometimes some shepherds, and sometimes some oriental wisemen, They may be plastic statues or they may be live.
Therefore, during the late fall and early winter, America prepares for the celebration of Christmas. For more than a month, folks have around them the sights and symbols and sounds of the season.
In the late 1950s, a movement started to counter the commercialism surrounding the holiday. The first thing challenged was the use of X in an abbreviated form of the word Christmas (Xmas). The X is the Greek Letter “Chi,” and was used in ancient manuscripts as shorthand for the word “Christ.” But since most people do not know that, the movement succeeded in eliminating that usage.
Now it is common this time of year to see “Put Christ back into Christmas.” The intent is to refocus people to be sure that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
In the 1960s, satirists also took a shot at the practice of businesses using the music and icons of Christmas in advertising. Some of the more gross ads showing Santa smoking cigarettes have not appeared in magazines or on TV since then, though Americans tolerate nearly everything else.
The wedding of commerce and the celebration of the birth of Christ has not ended in divorce like it did in the Puritan eras in Massachusetts Bay Colony or in Cromwell’s England during the 1600s.
However, that does not mean that there haven’t been controversies related to the holidays in recent years.
With cable news channels running all day every day, some commentators have become famous for raising the specter that atheists are trying to eliminate the celebration of Christmas altogether. They point to situations where public schools are challenged for changing their annual seasonal music programs to drop direct references to Jesus. They are also angered when atheists are allowed to put up displays on public property along side Christian displays.
The personalities making the biggest fuss call such events “battlegrounds of the war on Christmas.”
And once in awhile it does appear that some of the decisions to change Christmas into a more generic “holiday” do not make sense. Removing absolutely everything related to the Christian religion from public buildings and schools seems like a little over much.
The problem public officials face is that America is not just Christian but is also Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and any number of other faiths. America has always had diverse religious groups. Many times, because the major religious tradition has been Christian, its celebration has been enforced to the extent that failure to participate in the Christmas music programs in school affected the grades of those who for reasons of religious conscience could not participate.
The Constitution of the United States calls for the free expression of religion with the state not being allowed to support any one faith. That was made fundamental law for America to prevent forcing non-Christians into performing Christian acts. The early leaders in America had seen how such disrespect for other traditions actually violated Christianity’s own teachings of “doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.”
But the struggle against disrespect of non-Christian traditions and people has been on-going and unevenly applied. Human beings have the tendency to want to think their own way is superior to others. So Americans will probably always have this problem.
But this is not a “war” against Christmas. It is the attempt of Christians to live respectfully with their neighbors.
There is at least one neat thing about Christmas as we celebrate it with all its secular commercialism and saturation of our life during the fall and early winter. No matter who fusses, big name radio or TV or political person, he or she is pretty much drowned out in the joy and excitement the color and light bring during these long nights and often dreary days.
As early as mid-summer, stores have sales based on the Christmas theme. Around Labor Day, sections in some stores are decked out in reds and greens in anticipation of Christmas, usually containing toys and home decorations for the holidays. Gradually, over the weeks between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving, nearly all the stores get serious about displays and setting up their holiday merchandising. The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the biggest shopping day of the year.
That same day is often when lights and decorations put up between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving in the business sections of town or on private homes are lit at night. In addition, some radio stations begin to play Christmas music 24/7.
Most churches join in with the pre-holiday festivities. Many add a life-size scene on their grounds including a barn-like setting, a feed trough for cattle, a mother and father, a baby, some farm animals, sometimes some shepherds, and sometimes some oriental wisemen, They may be plastic statues or they may be live.
Therefore, during the late fall and early winter, America prepares for the celebration of Christmas. For more than a month, folks have around them the sights and symbols and sounds of the season.
In the late 1950s, a movement started to counter the commercialism surrounding the holiday. The first thing challenged was the use of X in an abbreviated form of the word Christmas (Xmas). The X is the Greek Letter “Chi,” and was used in ancient manuscripts as shorthand for the word “Christ.” But since most people do not know that, the movement succeeded in eliminating that usage.
Now it is common this time of year to see “Put Christ back into Christmas.” The intent is to refocus people to be sure that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
In the 1960s, satirists also took a shot at the practice of businesses using the music and icons of Christmas in advertising. Some of the more gross ads showing Santa smoking cigarettes have not appeared in magazines or on TV since then, though Americans tolerate nearly everything else.
The wedding of commerce and the celebration of the birth of Christ has not ended in divorce like it did in the Puritan eras in Massachusetts Bay Colony or in Cromwell’s England during the 1600s.
However, that does not mean that there haven’t been controversies related to the holidays in recent years.
With cable news channels running all day every day, some commentators have become famous for raising the specter that atheists are trying to eliminate the celebration of Christmas altogether. They point to situations where public schools are challenged for changing their annual seasonal music programs to drop direct references to Jesus. They are also angered when atheists are allowed to put up displays on public property along side Christian displays.
The personalities making the biggest fuss call such events “battlegrounds of the war on Christmas.”
And once in awhile it does appear that some of the decisions to change Christmas into a more generic “holiday” do not make sense. Removing absolutely everything related to the Christian religion from public buildings and schools seems like a little over much.
The problem public officials face is that America is not just Christian but is also Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and any number of other faiths. America has always had diverse religious groups. Many times, because the major religious tradition has been Christian, its celebration has been enforced to the extent that failure to participate in the Christmas music programs in school affected the grades of those who for reasons of religious conscience could not participate.
The Constitution of the United States calls for the free expression of religion with the state not being allowed to support any one faith. That was made fundamental law for America to prevent forcing non-Christians into performing Christian acts. The early leaders in America had seen how such disrespect for other traditions actually violated Christianity’s own teachings of “doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.”
But the struggle against disrespect of non-Christian traditions and people has been on-going and unevenly applied. Human beings have the tendency to want to think their own way is superior to others. So Americans will probably always have this problem.
But this is not a “war” against Christmas. It is the attempt of Christians to live respectfully with their neighbors.
There is at least one neat thing about Christmas as we celebrate it with all its secular commercialism and saturation of our life during the fall and early winter. No matter who fusses, big name radio or TV or political person, he or she is pretty much drowned out in the joy and excitement the color and light bring during these long nights and often dreary days.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Green Bay Packers
When the Houston Texan field goal kicker, who had been terrible all day, kicked that 40 yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Packers, I felt awful.
Like many Packer backers who live out of state, away from the likelihood of getting to see our team on TV this year, following the scruffy play-by-play on NFL.com, I still was caught up in the ebb and flow of the game.
Collins injured? Oh no, that guy's a walking ambulance passenger. Tausch is out with a wrecked knee? There goes the right side of the offensive line. Hawk hasn't made a tackle all game? That groin injury really messed him up. Bigby can hardly move? No big hits from him for months.
And middle linebacker Barnett and DT Cullen Jenkins are on IR? Who's left to play defense?
But somehow, the Packers were still in it till the very end. . . for the fifth time to lose by less than four points.
There are many (including some of my favorite sportswriters) who are saying the Packers have lost it and aren't going anywhere because of this coach or that misplay or the general manager or even the club president.
But let's remind ourselves of a few things.
One, the Packers had one of the easiest schedules last year because they were playing teams with terrible records from the year before.
Two, they knew they lucked out in some of their games because they played some of the better teams when those teams were down because of injuries.
Three, they got some calls and breaks that helped keep them in the game.
Four, they won several games by less than four points.
Five, Brett Favre and Rob Davis's mature years were still not enough to keep the Pack from being one of the very youngest (and least experienced) teams in the league.
It was an incredible season topped off by playing even up into overtime with the team which went on the win the Super Bowl. That feat, though a losing effort, really validated their right to their record, even though it was obtained with no small amount of luck.
That the general manager and head coach were able to provide what the team needed in that sterling season cannot be overlooked.
Major league sports are games of inches and seconds, of speed and power, of injuries and luck.
This year, playing against a much tougher schedule which included many teams on the rise like Tennessee and Carolina who pulled out tight wins against this still immature team, it is amazing to realize that with a little bit of luck, maybe this bunch could have been 10 and 3 instead of 5 and 8.
We fans live and die emotionally with our team. We put a lot of ourselves into hoping and, well, physically pushing and squirming in our chairs as we watch.
Calling forth that kind of involvement from us takes its toll when our guys lose. It is a little harder to watch in that circumstance. But we come back next time and hope and squirm some more on the chance that we will see a victory.
That's entertainment!
As Jim Irwin, longtime sportscaster at WTMJ Milwaukee who called many Packer seasons, used to remind everyone: Hey, it's a game.
We get to watch grown men play a boy's game for entertainment. If we were not in it for the entertainment value, there would be no explanation for how come there are still Cub fans!
I look forward to Packer games. Win or lose, they give me a few hours of distraction. Having been a fan for over 65 years, I understand how sports franchises often survive recessions because they are so successful at giving us something else to think about.
I'm really feeling good about this year's team and its coaches and management. The games are entertaining, keeping me on edge and hopeful for a good result, right down to the end. Even the blow-out in New Orleans was a treat because I did get to see one of the finest exhibitions of passing I've ever seen, even if it was against my favorite team.
This is a good year, despite the losing record, for my Green Bay Packers. So, despite the negative press and comments from disgruntled fans, next Sunday can't come soon enough. I know the team will give its best effort. Maybe the breaks, the calls, the luck will go for us this time. And maybe all the rookie mistakes will be behind us. And maybe we'll finally get off the snide and our guys will come home with a victory.
Even if that doesn't happen this time, there are still two more games to anticipate.
Like many Packer backers who live out of state, away from the likelihood of getting to see our team on TV this year, following the scruffy play-by-play on NFL.com, I still was caught up in the ebb and flow of the game.
Collins injured? Oh no, that guy's a walking ambulance passenger. Tausch is out with a wrecked knee? There goes the right side of the offensive line. Hawk hasn't made a tackle all game? That groin injury really messed him up. Bigby can hardly move? No big hits from him for months.
And middle linebacker Barnett and DT Cullen Jenkins are on IR? Who's left to play defense?
But somehow, the Packers were still in it till the very end. . . for the fifth time to lose by less than four points.
There are many (including some of my favorite sportswriters) who are saying the Packers have lost it and aren't going anywhere because of this coach or that misplay or the general manager or even the club president.
But let's remind ourselves of a few things.
One, the Packers had one of the easiest schedules last year because they were playing teams with terrible records from the year before.
Two, they knew they lucked out in some of their games because they played some of the better teams when those teams were down because of injuries.
Three, they got some calls and breaks that helped keep them in the game.
Four, they won several games by less than four points.
Five, Brett Favre and Rob Davis's mature years were still not enough to keep the Pack from being one of the very youngest (and least experienced) teams in the league.
It was an incredible season topped off by playing even up into overtime with the team which went on the win the Super Bowl. That feat, though a losing effort, really validated their right to their record, even though it was obtained with no small amount of luck.
That the general manager and head coach were able to provide what the team needed in that sterling season cannot be overlooked.
Major league sports are games of inches and seconds, of speed and power, of injuries and luck.
This year, playing against a much tougher schedule which included many teams on the rise like Tennessee and Carolina who pulled out tight wins against this still immature team, it is amazing to realize that with a little bit of luck, maybe this bunch could have been 10 and 3 instead of 5 and 8.
We fans live and die emotionally with our team. We put a lot of ourselves into hoping and, well, physically pushing and squirming in our chairs as we watch.
Calling forth that kind of involvement from us takes its toll when our guys lose. It is a little harder to watch in that circumstance. But we come back next time and hope and squirm some more on the chance that we will see a victory.
That's entertainment!
As Jim Irwin, longtime sportscaster at WTMJ Milwaukee who called many Packer seasons, used to remind everyone: Hey, it's a game.
We get to watch grown men play a boy's game for entertainment. If we were not in it for the entertainment value, there would be no explanation for how come there are still Cub fans!
I look forward to Packer games. Win or lose, they give me a few hours of distraction. Having been a fan for over 65 years, I understand how sports franchises often survive recessions because they are so successful at giving us something else to think about.
I'm really feeling good about this year's team and its coaches and management. The games are entertaining, keeping me on edge and hopeful for a good result, right down to the end. Even the blow-out in New Orleans was a treat because I did get to see one of the finest exhibitions of passing I've ever seen, even if it was against my favorite team.
This is a good year, despite the losing record, for my Green Bay Packers. So, despite the negative press and comments from disgruntled fans, next Sunday can't come soon enough. I know the team will give its best effort. Maybe the breaks, the calls, the luck will go for us this time. And maybe all the rookie mistakes will be behind us. And maybe we'll finally get off the snide and our guys will come home with a victory.
Even if that doesn't happen this time, there are still two more games to anticipate.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
OJ's finally going to jail
The judge just couldn't insist enough that she was not punishing OJ to make up for what so many think should have happened to him years ago. How many times did she insist? Enough to think she maybe "doth protest too much."
Ann and I looked at each other when we heard the news and asked, "What do ordinary people get for doing something stupid like that?"
Yah right, they get hit with a fifteen to thirty three years sentence.
How about six months in jail with time already served counting against that total? And maybe a year of community service.
Good grief. No one was hurt. No property damage occurred.
A badly handled misunderstanding does not deserve such a sentence.
-----
Would someone please look into who is bankrolling Fred Goldman so he can devote full time to harassing OJ?
Ann and I looked at each other when we heard the news and asked, "What do ordinary people get for doing something stupid like that?"
Yah right, they get hit with a fifteen to thirty three years sentence.
How about six months in jail with time already served counting against that total? And maybe a year of community service.
Good grief. No one was hurt. No property damage occurred.
A badly handled misunderstanding does not deserve such a sentence.
-----
Would someone please look into who is bankrolling Fred Goldman so he can devote full time to harassing OJ?
Recession: Our Great Opportunity
Ann and I enjoyed a visit in Den Haag, Netherlands, where our son works and where his family recently took up residence.
I was struck by how few old cars and trucks there were. Despite being an "old" nation, Holland is sparkling and mostly fresh-faced. Same with Belgium where we visited Brugge over the week-end.
Our son works for one of the major banks there so we talked economics a lot.
One of the things he made clear is that there is a load of money on the sidelines. Trillions have been lost on the stock markets of the world but major stake holders pulled out their money early on and will jump back in when they see things headed up.
Another thing is that although millions of people are struggling, millions more are not. Everyone is being frugal right now until everything settles down.
So there is a lot of corporate money and a lot of personal money squirreled away waiting to be spent.
What will "settle everything down?" A vision of what changes can be made to improve everyone's lot.
In our country, our infrastructure desperately needs attention. Our cars need to be replaced with fuel-efficient ones and with mass transit systems. What a time for a renaissance!
Having mostly gone backwards over the past eight years because of inattention to so many problems, our country really has no place to go but up.
In ten years, I don't think anyone will be thanking President Bush for letting everything go to pot so bad that we almost had to start all over again. But now seems like a good time for freshening up our own face, not just with cosmetic changes, but with serious restructuring. Now is the time to let our creative juices flow so that the future that we dreamed of as kids can come closer to being a reality instead of just an extension of the way things used to be.
Rather than getting more specific, I'll let you begin to fill in the opportunities that lie ahead. We will inevitably drag along some old ways, because new things are not always better.
But we are on the verge of something that can renew us. Enjoy the ride! With your seat belt on. . . .
I was struck by how few old cars and trucks there were. Despite being an "old" nation, Holland is sparkling and mostly fresh-faced. Same with Belgium where we visited Brugge over the week-end.
Our son works for one of the major banks there so we talked economics a lot.
One of the things he made clear is that there is a load of money on the sidelines. Trillions have been lost on the stock markets of the world but major stake holders pulled out their money early on and will jump back in when they see things headed up.
Another thing is that although millions of people are struggling, millions more are not. Everyone is being frugal right now until everything settles down.
So there is a lot of corporate money and a lot of personal money squirreled away waiting to be spent.
What will "settle everything down?" A vision of what changes can be made to improve everyone's lot.
In our country, our infrastructure desperately needs attention. Our cars need to be replaced with fuel-efficient ones and with mass transit systems. What a time for a renaissance!
Having mostly gone backwards over the past eight years because of inattention to so many problems, our country really has no place to go but up.
In ten years, I don't think anyone will be thanking President Bush for letting everything go to pot so bad that we almost had to start all over again. But now seems like a good time for freshening up our own face, not just with cosmetic changes, but with serious restructuring. Now is the time to let our creative juices flow so that the future that we dreamed of as kids can come closer to being a reality instead of just an extension of the way things used to be.
Rather than getting more specific, I'll let you begin to fill in the opportunities that lie ahead. We will inevitably drag along some old ways, because new things are not always better.
But we are on the verge of something that can renew us. Enjoy the ride! With your seat belt on. . . .
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Casting a ballot in Florida
A few weeks after the Republican Convention, I got a letter from the McCain Campaign asking for a donation. Once I saw that, I put the letter and its enclosures into the recycling pile. A couple weeks later, I heard someone else got the same letter. He took the time, even though he was a Democrat, to look through the papers and discovered the letter informed him he was a registered Republican, including an elections' office registration number. A call to the office cleared up the matter quickly but it was confusing for him for awhile.
That was not a nice passage through which to go to get to vote.
To vote in Florida, you may be automatically registered when you get a driver's license. -- I'm not positive because there is also the requirement that registration must be at least 29 days before the election. --
That's the easy part, presuming you can afford to drive a car regularly.
Finding the polling place may be a project. Sites are changed for many reasons and can be changed any time. Our poll is in its third home in three years. In addition, the addresses used to identify the polling places come from phone directories and lists that were made up before Hurricane Charlie four years ago.
At the polling site, upon getting to the first table, the voter need only present a driver's license. Those that have none may bring their passport or something like a credit card with the voter's picture and signature on it. Without something with a pic and signature, the person may do a provisional ballot which is not counted until the ID has been checked. We encourage that voter then to contact the supervisor of elections office frequently over the next two days until that is resolved. The office is supposed to handle provisional ballots within 48 hours.
Even in our small precinct with adequate booths and two counting machines, we frequently had someone sitting on the side filling out something or waiting while the clerk was on the phone. Other voters could see the disruption the person was involved in.
The voters with the needed pic and signature is next asked to confirm their address. It should be the same in the book we have and on the license. If it is, then the voter signs the book, fills in a small oval like the one on the ballot, and then signs a signature slip (about 2" x 8-1/2").
If the addresses differ, the voter is given a change of address form and is sent to the clerk to verify with the elections office the change of address. The office checks to see if that address exists and is the same as their most recent address information. That usually clears the matter and the voter then proceeds.
We had a case where a brand new house in a section previously undeveloped was not anywhere in the records at the office. That man got a provisional ballot until his location could be verified with another county office.
The voter then goes to the "next" table. There, the white signature slip is taken and a tag torn off the bottom of the ballot which includes the ballot number. That tag is then stapled to the signature slip and kept to verify the count (and could be used to trace the ballot if someone wanted to know how that person voted).
The ballot is then given to the voter with basic instructions about filling in the ovals next to the ones they are voting for.
The voter then goes to the next open booth to fill out the ballot using pens provided in each booth.
Besides filling in ovals for candidates for the various national, state, and local offices, the voters face "yes or no" votes on a half dozen sitting judges' effectiveness in office.
The hardest part of the ballot is the constitutional amendments everyone is asked to vote on. The ballot print is small, the light by which to read them is 25 watts about two feet from the ballot, and the amendment is summarized. This time there were seven. Six were obsurely worded about property and tax policies the legislature wanted the voters to decide about and one which glorified marriage as possible only between a man and a woman without saying it would abrogate rights already in Florida law for other kinds of partners (not just homosexual).
Many people had studied on the amendments and came with sample ballots from the newspapers to aid them in their filling out the ballot. Those who had not prepared but wanted to try to be conscientious took the time to try to figure out what those amendments meant. Those folks took up to a half hour.
Once a ballot was completed, it was taken to the poll workers who showed how to insert the ballots into the counting machines. It was no problem for most to go through (we only had two clog but clear after only a couple minutes of unlocking and opening various gates to the innards of the machine). The voters were then given a sticker saying they had voted and were sent on their way with thanks for coming.
Those with stickers could go to several fast food places to get a sandwich or drink or other benefit offered to encourage voting.
If I wanted to discourage people from voting, the first thing I would do would be to put at least a half dozen obscurely worded amendments to the constitution on issues that most people had no notion about. Being expected to sort that all out before comng to the polls is bad enough. Having to wait for others who had not prepared is really bad! While the tactic looks legitimate, it is really discouraging.
Another tactic is to make sure that the equipment is barely adequate so that things like poor lighting or paper clogging can happen easily without looking like a set up.
The third tactic I'd use would be to change the poll sites frequently in those precincts I wanted to discourage. I would say it was to use free facilities even if those facilities were built for elementary school children with few if any adult-sized chairs and tables. Hopefully, the new site would be a long walk inside a large building. That would seem like good use of county-owned resources even though it would be uncomfortable for many people, especially the differently-abled and elderly.
Then I'd make sure the addresses were not right. That would look like incompetence but not intentional voter suppression.
I'd then make sure that the person coming to vote could not use the voter registration card sent out a month or so before the election but had to use something the voter might not have. Not many poor people have passports or credit cards with their pictures on them. Not all of them have driver's licenses.
Then I'd have everyone have to sign twice and go find another table to get a ballot.
This kind of thing is Katherine Harris' dream-come-true.
And it is how we operate here in Charlotte County, Florida.
That was not a nice passage through which to go to get to vote.
To vote in Florida, you may be automatically registered when you get a driver's license. -- I'm not positive because there is also the requirement that registration must be at least 29 days before the election. --
That's the easy part, presuming you can afford to drive a car regularly.
Finding the polling place may be a project. Sites are changed for many reasons and can be changed any time. Our poll is in its third home in three years. In addition, the addresses used to identify the polling places come from phone directories and lists that were made up before Hurricane Charlie four years ago.
At the polling site, upon getting to the first table, the voter need only present a driver's license. Those that have none may bring their passport or something like a credit card with the voter's picture and signature on it. Without something with a pic and signature, the person may do a provisional ballot which is not counted until the ID has been checked. We encourage that voter then to contact the supervisor of elections office frequently over the next two days until that is resolved. The office is supposed to handle provisional ballots within 48 hours.
Even in our small precinct with adequate booths and two counting machines, we frequently had someone sitting on the side filling out something or waiting while the clerk was on the phone. Other voters could see the disruption the person was involved in.
The voters with the needed pic and signature is next asked to confirm their address. It should be the same in the book we have and on the license. If it is, then the voter signs the book, fills in a small oval like the one on the ballot, and then signs a signature slip (about 2" x 8-1/2").
If the addresses differ, the voter is given a change of address form and is sent to the clerk to verify with the elections office the change of address. The office checks to see if that address exists and is the same as their most recent address information. That usually clears the matter and the voter then proceeds.
We had a case where a brand new house in a section previously undeveloped was not anywhere in the records at the office. That man got a provisional ballot until his location could be verified with another county office.
The voter then goes to the "next" table. There, the white signature slip is taken and a tag torn off the bottom of the ballot which includes the ballot number. That tag is then stapled to the signature slip and kept to verify the count (and could be used to trace the ballot if someone wanted to know how that person voted).
The ballot is then given to the voter with basic instructions about filling in the ovals next to the ones they are voting for.
The voter then goes to the next open booth to fill out the ballot using pens provided in each booth.
Besides filling in ovals for candidates for the various national, state, and local offices, the voters face "yes or no" votes on a half dozen sitting judges' effectiveness in office.
The hardest part of the ballot is the constitutional amendments everyone is asked to vote on. The ballot print is small, the light by which to read them is 25 watts about two feet from the ballot, and the amendment is summarized. This time there were seven. Six were obsurely worded about property and tax policies the legislature wanted the voters to decide about and one which glorified marriage as possible only between a man and a woman without saying it would abrogate rights already in Florida law for other kinds of partners (not just homosexual).
Many people had studied on the amendments and came with sample ballots from the newspapers to aid them in their filling out the ballot. Those who had not prepared but wanted to try to be conscientious took the time to try to figure out what those amendments meant. Those folks took up to a half hour.
Once a ballot was completed, it was taken to the poll workers who showed how to insert the ballots into the counting machines. It was no problem for most to go through (we only had two clog but clear after only a couple minutes of unlocking and opening various gates to the innards of the machine). The voters were then given a sticker saying they had voted and were sent on their way with thanks for coming.
Those with stickers could go to several fast food places to get a sandwich or drink or other benefit offered to encourage voting.
If I wanted to discourage people from voting, the first thing I would do would be to put at least a half dozen obscurely worded amendments to the constitution on issues that most people had no notion about. Being expected to sort that all out before comng to the polls is bad enough. Having to wait for others who had not prepared is really bad! While the tactic looks legitimate, it is really discouraging.
Another tactic is to make sure that the equipment is barely adequate so that things like poor lighting or paper clogging can happen easily without looking like a set up.
The third tactic I'd use would be to change the poll sites frequently in those precincts I wanted to discourage. I would say it was to use free facilities even if those facilities were built for elementary school children with few if any adult-sized chairs and tables. Hopefully, the new site would be a long walk inside a large building. That would seem like good use of county-owned resources even though it would be uncomfortable for many people, especially the differently-abled and elderly.
Then I'd make sure the addresses were not right. That would look like incompetence but not intentional voter suppression.
I'd then make sure that the person coming to vote could not use the voter registration card sent out a month or so before the election but had to use something the voter might not have. Not many poor people have passports or credit cards with their pictures on them. Not all of them have driver's licenses.
Then I'd have everyone have to sign twice and go find another table to get a ballot.
This kind of thing is Katherine Harris' dream-come-true.
And it is how we operate here in Charlotte County, Florida.
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