RANT ON:

I listened to testimony today from a voter who was on her way to the polls late in the election day in the Florida Panhandle. She stated that she received a phone call from her husband stating Florida had been called for Gore, and that her vote did not count and she should come home.

I cannot believe this person decided her life on what people on TV say, and then does not have a mind of her own to tell her husband she is going to vote anyway. How is this anyone else's fault but her own?

I have been thinking about this post for a few months now, not the specifics, of course, but the general turn in our society toward blaming every else for our own mistakes. We have become a society of ready victims, willing and able to be "victimized" so that we can have something to complain about, someone to blame our pathetic lives on.

This is ridiculous, and I cannot believe that in a court of Law this victim mentality is given credence. At least two lawyers wanted to draw this poor victim's plight of being persuaded by TV to our attention. I am sitting there in front of the TV saying I cannot believe this; I cannot believe that anyone could take this women seriously.

We need to wake up as a society and take responsibility for ourselves. We need to stop blaming our employers, spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, and anyone else who is an easy target for our unhappiness.

RANT OFF

-- SydBarrett (dark@side.moon), December 03, 2000

Answers

I couldn't agree with you more, you crazy diamond. Not so crazy afterall. I think of it as the general infantilization of America. I am not sure if that is a word, but it is the best one to describe the process.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), December 03, 2000.

Syd,

You are awakening to the reality of why Republicans feel disdain toward the Democrat entitlement mentality.

To put it bluntly, it sucks, doesn't it?

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), December 03, 2000.

Please refer to Democrats as "DUMBOCRATS." It is now a proven fact that they cannot read or follow instructions. They are incapable of impregnating a ballot (a lack of Viagra?). I therefore declare that all DUMBOCRATS are IMPOTENT and INCOMPETENT!

-- Mrs. Cleaver (Mrs. Cleaver@LITBBBB.xcom), December 04, 2000.

I saw that, Syd, and felt the same way. I don't know why Mrs. Cleaver responded as she did, as the woman involved was a Republican.

I voted for Gore in Texas, meaning that I voted despite the fact that I knew MONTHS ago that my vote for president would be meaningless in a state where 60% of the electorate was already slated for a Bush win, which they got. I can't say that the local offerings were much better, but why would anyone NOT cast their votes based on hearsay? Did the local elections mean nothing to this woman?

I'm sure you noticed that Boies didn't even respond to these claims, Syd. I was waiting for him to respond to the ONE claim that I felt had some meat to it, but I didn't see that either. I forgot the attorney's name, but it started with a Z...something like Zarnia. He was representing a Republican slotted for the electoral college in Florida, [Thrasher?] and his argument was that the case should be dismissed because neither Gore nor Bush are running for office and all the precedents presented were for people running for office. Our votes don't go for Bush or Gore as PEOPLE. They go toward the electorate that will represent these people.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

First Syd, not many people have been screaming about this but in reality about 10,000 (I think that's I heard) decided to go home after the media had given Florida to Gore. I did hear this person speak so I can't say for sure, but my guess is that she made a decision based on erroneous data. If as the democraps keep shouting, every vote count, well they hers wasn't even counted once. No big deal; no one's going to court over it and there's nothing that can be done about it. That's just what happened.

Now let's look at Miami county, where seven lawsuits were filed because "they were confused" about a ballot. Where's you're outrage over this. Maybe you did post but based on your statement "for a few months now," I can only assume you didn't find these lawsuits frivolous. You thought they had merit. Well, it's the same thing, but these stupid people took it all the way to court, wasted time and money on the issue.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 04, 2000.

I haven't had my coffee yet, please excuse all the typos. There were a couple did's when there should have been didn'ts and vice versa. A they when it should have been then. And of course the infamous you're should have been your. You may return now to your regularly scheduled broadcast. :P

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 04, 2000.

Maria:

If 4,567,987,504 people did not go to the polls based on what they heard on TV it is STILL their fault. They made a CHOICE not to have their vote counted. That is completely on them. No excuses. Bringing up Miami-Dade is a red herring because you have an untenable position on the panhandle idiots who decided not to vote. You CANNOT make a valid argument that these folks votes were not counted.

-- (dark@side.moon), December 04, 2000.

No big deal; no one's going to court over it and there's nothing that can be done about it. That's just what happened.

The interjectors were in court yesterday representing many people who had retained them to file suit on their behalf. One guy even testified that he had rested his stylus on Gore, changed his mind, and wanted to be sure his dimple didn't get counted. The witness list was reduced profoundly to save time, but their affidavits [sp?] were introduced into the court records.

I do believe that the butterfly ballot suits were dismissed with prejudice.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

Sauce for the goose. If the Dems want suits, we'll give 'em moot-suits, fruit-suits, coot-suits and zoot-suits.

-- (nemesis@awol.com), December 04, 2000.

Sorry for the misunderstanding dark side but that was exactly my point. They only have themselves to blame for not goint to vote based on the media. And they weren't blaming anybody as evidenced by them not filing any lawsuit to lay blame on anybody but themselves. (As on the other hand, many stupid people did actually go to court over their stupidity.) No red herring there just an example of how people like to place blame outside themselves. Just pointing out that this example used by Syd was not truly an example of someone placing blame.

"who had retained them to file suit on their behalf"... File suit against who?

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 04, 2000.

uh, people....HELLO!?! You do NOT have the individual right to vote for president. That vote may only be cast by an elector, NOT any individual.

No president has ever been elected by the "people"

-- (wake@up.america), December 04, 2000.

I am used to getting a sample ballot in the mail, before an election. That way I can sit down and figure out just what I want to do, marking up the sample ballot so that I don't have to make any decisions in the voting booth.

Does anyone know if this was done or not done for the "butterfly ballot"?

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), December 05, 2000.

Yes Peter, the sample went out two weeks before the election. It was published in the news paper also. I do the same thing, mark up the sample after reading each initiative and deciding which way to go. I take this sample into the booth with me and mark my vote. After I've completed, I take out the card, flip it over to make sure all the "chads" (I never knew the proper word until now) are punched all the way through. Then I return the ballot. I know it sounds complicated and confusing but somehow we struggle through. :)

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 05, 2000.