DOWN TO THE WIRE

[Mythsaje]

We're STILL seeing a lot of "the election has already been rigged" posts here at DU.

A recent one cites Thom Hartmann as saying as much.

Lovely.

I guess I should be glad that this sort of information isn't going to prevent DUers from voting, but it's still noxious. This sort of defeatist attitude isn't helping and it's genuinely starting to really piss me off.

One of the things that has struck me about this whole thing is that there's a MAJOR difference between tweaking a single Presidential election and tweaking several dozen Congressional elections. It's one hell of a lot easier to drag a branch across one trail than to cover up a hundred.

Another thing is that more of America is aware of the potential for election fraud than in 2004. Despite the fact that the media has been trying to paint everyone concerned about it as "conspiracy nuts" a sizeable portion of the American electorate is not only AWARE of the issue, but is concerned about it as well.

The other thing that keeps on surfacing is the possibility that any post-election protests will give Bush the excuse to declare Martial Law. Possible, I suppose, but I truly believe that doing so would spell the end of the United States.

While there are millions of Americans who will roll over and take it, I also believe that there are millions who won't.

They can't keep the peace in Iraq or gain control there. What gives these knuckleheads the idea that they could do so here? It would be even MORE difficult here for a number of reasons. In Iraq they can jump the gun and assume someone's an enemy combatant because no one is really watching. Here in America, EVERYONE is watching. Everyone with a cell phone, a digital camera, or any other piece of high-tech equipment that can record what's going on.

Anything they could do to suppress our ability to get the information out would push even more people over the edge. They'd have to disrupt the very thing that has so far protected them--the American sense of security and entitlement. Disrupt the daily life of the average American TOO much and the disinterest would evaporate like so much water spilled on the dry, dusty ground of Iraq.

They'd have to shut down the internet to keep information from getting out. That would piss off MILLIONS of people who use it every day. They'd no longer be insulated from the reality of the situation.

They'd have to shut down cell phone service. That would disrupt business and bring our economy to a grinding halt. And piss off even MORE of the people.

We are not well served by paranoia. Quite the opposite. If you're one of those who thinks that martial law and setting Bush up as a dictator is their fall-back plan, you just might be the same kind of conspiracy nut we all made fun of when the RW was talking about black helicoptors and the United Nations takeover of America.

Declaring martial law in America would be a DISASTER for these people. It would strip their malfeasance bare for the whole world to see. It would infuriate millions of people who didn't, until that moment, really give a shit about the politics behind it. The complacent would suddenly be thrust into the middle of the whole thing.

Okay, I'll admit that they just might be crazy and stupid enough to do it. But are they really?

I guess we'll see.

If it all goes to hell in a hand-basket, I guess I'll be seeing you on the Other Side.

Be Well...and Be Careful.

[blm]

1. Be Aware. Vote. Be Aware. Make sure everyone you know votes. Be Aware.

That's what DU is all about. I don't think anyone at DU really wants to depress the vote. If they did, it would be obvious to alot of us and they wouldn't be around for long.

[mitchtv]

2. Don't be too hard on us

I try not to think about it too much, or get involved in long threads about it.Great mesage, in all,
thanks,
mitch


Besides, I have enough to worry about with the CA governor's race.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Thank you, Mythsaje....

We're fighting hard here even against what appear to be insurmountable financial odds. I will never give up.

[JeffR]

4. No matter how horrible things are, right in front of us.

No matter the horrors that are a matter of public policy and public record, no matter the cold, ugly reality we see in words and pictures and in our streets and cities, there are some who have made a vocation of imagining worse things yet to come and sharing their unsolicited imaginings with everyone else.

I will never grasp why there isn't more than enough wrong, injustice, criminality and sheer wickedness right here in plain sight to satisfy even the most cynical soul.

Thanks for a good and very timely post.

[Mythsaje]

5. Imagination is my stock in trade

but I am, at my core, an optimist. I see all too clearly how things can go wrong, hence my anxiety issues, but I tend to believe that looking forward with a hopeful eye is preferable to living in a hell of your own choosing.

[JeffR]

9. That's exactly the choice.

And every minute wasted on fantasizing about American concentration camps full of liberals is a minute that could have been spent on fighting conservatives in the here and now.

[Mythsaje]

11. Oh, I'll probably use the scenario in a future novel

just so I can have my heroes swoop in and blow the whole thing out of the water, but I get PAID for thinking up things like that.

LOL

[JeffR]

12. It's a rich theme for fiction, but not for a progressive discussion forum

I'll go as far as to say, quoting Poor Richard's Almanac, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." No further than that though.

[Mythsaje]

18. Sure...given my fiction, it's not that outrageous a scenario for me.

But better left to fiction that trying to convince others it's a reality.

[AndyTiedye]

22. Actually, Bush** Turned Out Far Worse Than Any of Us Imagined in 2000

Even now, he isn't very far behind our worst imaginings.
He has not declared martial law, but the "Military Commissions Act" gives him
many martial-law-like powers without the need to declare martial law.
Another recent act gives him the power to take over state National Gurard units.

I think we have every reason to be concerned.

[Mythsaje]

26. Damn straight... never said otherwise...

But we have to temper that concern with some sort of rationality as well...

[populistdriven]

6. GOTV! It is easy and all it takes is an hour - I just finished 2hrs - give it a try!

GOTV! http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/c4c.html

[Mythsaje]

10. I've got a thing about phones, unfortunately...

I can't even call people I know without some serious 'bucking up' most of the time.

I really don't like calling strangers.

I don't even answer my cell phone unless I know who's calling.

[fasttense]

15. So, you are a complete phone phobic.

I'm a partial phone phobic and I've passed it on to my daughter. We don't like calling strangers even if it is about business. Though answering the phone has never been a problem for us. I think it is more wide spread then people let on. We should start a support group.

[Mythsaje]

17. Yep...

I've had to do it for work and I can manage, but answering a phone is easier than placing calls. I've literally dialed and hung up several times before managing to complete the call.

If someone calls my cell and I don't recognize the number, they better leave a message if they want to hear from me. I'll call people in that case because it's rude not to do so, assuming its actually someone I know or something I HAVE to deal with.

My dad is that way to a certain extent too...and my ex, the mother of my children, though she blames ME for it. LOL

[populistdriven]

21. You sound like a candidate for VOIP - voicepulse.com

the list of features is the most comprehensive you can find.

you can even choose from a dozen different ways to handle incoming calls. You can even filter individual calling numbers and do over a dozen different things wtih them (see bottom).

this is copied from my account:

Manage Features


Voicemail
Voicemail Settings
Mailboxes
Notifications

Dialing
Speed Dial
Seven-Digit Dialing

Forwarding
Absolute Forwarding
Line Unavailable Forwarding

Filters & Hunting
Filters
Call Hunt

Ringing & CallerID
Multi-Ring
Distinctive Ring
Call Waiting
Contacts
Outgoing CallerID Number

Privacy
Do Not Disturb
Scheduled Do Not Disturb
Anonymous Call Block
Telemarketer Block

Blocking
CallerID Block
Directory Assistance (411) Call Block
International Call Block

Extended Features
Bandwidth Saver
Conference Rooms
Line Naming

FILTERS:


Always busy:
Calls will always go to a busy signal
Always forward:
Calls will always get forwarded to the forwarding number you have set for that line
Always ring:
Calls will always ring your phone, even if you have Do Not Disturb on
Always voicemail:
Calls will always go to voicemail
Hunt Group:
Calls will ring in the order defined by the selected hunt group
Not in Service:
Calls will go to a not-in-service message
Rejection Hotline:
Calls will be directed to a humorous message provided by The Rejection Hotline

And this is all for a total of 15 bucks a month!

[populistdriven]

16. what I do to relax: open www.flickr.com and view a slideshow

pick a key word and click slide show

I usually go for nature or bikini's - it keeps you mind off of arrogant people

[Eurobabe]

7. I agree, what is with the defeatist, depressive, paranoia on DU?

Maybe it's just Mercury Retrograde talking, but some of the threads lately are enough to make you want to hit the HIDE button!

[NotGivingUp]

25. hmm...perhaps it's from watching our country go down the tubes!!!

[Sugar Smack]

8. I love your message, but we just want to be prepared for

anything!! I think you can't be too careful, and I consider myself optimistic. :D

[NanceGreggs]

13. I guess you already know where I stand on this topic ...

... that's why I'm giving this a Recommend, as well as kick!

:kick:

[K8-EEE]

14. No We Have To Vote EN MASSE To Make It More Difficult

for them to steal it....VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!!!!!!

[eridani]

19. All we are saying is "What's Plan B?"

We have to be prepared to contest every election in which there is any evidence of voter intimidation or cheating. We have to protect our own voters. If we don't do that, we aren't worth shit.

[Mythsaje]

20. Prepare to be ignored...

The only ones who can challenge the various race results with any hope of success are the candidates themselves. We can back them, but any attempt on our part to launch protests, unless we can get the kind of numbers out there that the Hispanics did on the immigration issue, the media will either refuse to acknowledge us at all, or paint us as a few disaffected "conspiracy theorists."

That's simply the reality of the situation.

And asking everyone to go to D.C. to protest is just fucking stupid, since a LOT of us live out here in the West and can't possibly afford the time or money it would take to get there and set aside our daily lives for the duration.

One thing a lot of DUers seem to forget, or fail to acknowledge, is that the Hispanics who protested in various cities around the U.S. are already THERE in large numbers. We liberals are spread all over the goddam place.

A hundred of us in Seattle or Phoenix or wherever with signs and chants isn't going to convince ANYONE. If anything, those little protests would just detract from our argument and make us look MORE like "fringe loonies."

[nashville_brook]

23. this is defeatist... nothing we can do? okay.

fringe loonies? okay.

defeatist.

[Mythsaje]

27. Directly?

Not really. We can protest, but we'd best damn well be out there in fucking UNBELIEVABLE numbers... or else that's how we're going to be painted. Again.

On edit: Let's just say that if we do what we're expected to do, which is to protest in little clumps around the country, we will accomplish absolutely nothing.

[NotGivingUp]

24. if i hear the words conspiracy nut or conspiracy theorists or

conspiracy WHATEVER one more time, i think i'm gonna scream.

[Mythsaje]

28. Then get some honey and lemon

If the elections go the wrong way on the 7th and we don't do something totally amazing, you're going to hear it often enough that you're going to need medicine for your throat.