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THE VIEW FROM CHAOS MANOR

View 128 November 20 - 26, 2000

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This is a day book. It's not all that well edited. I try to keep this up daily, but sometimes I can't. I'll keep trying. See also the monthly COMPUTING AT CHAOS MANOR column, 4,000 - 7,000 words, depending.  (Older columns here.) For more on what this place is about, please go to the VIEW PAGE.

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Monday  November 20, 2000

There is a lot of new stuff over at www.byte.com so go have a look. I am going to go let the physicians try to clear up this crud that plagues me, so there will not be a lot today. The news tonight on the Florida elections ought to be interesting.

I cannot say I greet with joy the prospect of the generals getting involved in political discussion as to who shall be President. I also see no way they would not be. If the troops are denied the vote, or even appear to be denied the vote, then the whole legitimacy of the Republic is undermined with the one group that MUST, MUST, believe in the legitimacy of the current Commander in Chief. They may hate the President but there must be no doubt as to who IS the President. But when one candidate questions the very right of the troops -- who until now voted in small numbers if at all -- to cast their ballots, it is quite different from worries about "the will of the people" when the people are one county in Florida. We can have a stable Republic with or without the consent of 50% of Palm Beach County. We cannot have a stable government without the consent of the overwhelming majority of the military. It matters not who has won compared to whether those who wield the instruments of violence assent to that winner.

When Pompey the great questions who is Consul of Rome, the clash of arms can be heard in the distance. You blocks, you stones, you worse than useless things, you hard hearted men of Rome, knew you not Pompey? We can hope that this particular drama will not play itself out here.

Then there is this puzzling mail>

Jerry -

If a postmark must be assumed for the pittance of overseas military ballots, than a vote for AG must be assumed for the 19K AG/PB dual votes by elderly Jews.  

Ray Solomon

The logic of this escapes me entirely, but surely something has been meant? But I fear I do not know how one follows from the other.

 


The Annual Nominations for Chaos Manor User's Choice Awards, and the Annual Orchid and Onion Parade, are now open. Send to AWARDS@jerrypournelle.com . I don't promise to do anything more than read them, but I will read every one that comes in. I reserve the right to quote or not quote as I see fit. 


It now appears that the QAZ Virus does NOT spread through Email. For the latest, see the note in MAIL.

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday, November 21, 2000

Two weeks after Election Day it does appear to be just about over: the results of the hand counts do not appear to be changing the outcome, so the legal wrangles may be moot. For long rants on this issue see mail.


 

 

 

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Wednesday

Under the weather

 

 

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Thursday,

Now Roberta has it. I am not at a local SF convention I usually enjoy because I just don't feel up to going. But I think things are getting better.

I have received at least 40 copies of a message from a Mr. Terry Sullivan supposedly in response to my request for a business program of some kind. He even includes his name, Terry Sullivan, and a telephone number, and other information:

Thanks,

Terry Sullivan

1(800)941-2709

Go To: http://www.tmmg.net/freetalk

www.terrytalks2@hotmail.com

Calling the number gets what sounds like a human being named Terry Sullivan in a recorded message inviting me to leave a message. I did, imploring him to stop bombarding me with his unasked for messages that purport to be in reply to a request. This sounds less like a monster and more like an incompetent, but I have had enough of his emails, which come to every possible address I own.

If anyone is trying to access me through my IBM account, I haven't been able to log on to that for a while, but they tell me it is all fixed now, and should work in about an hour. The only things I normally get on that are press releases and spam anyway.

 

Regarding the election: I cannot say I have any agreement with Bush's decision to bring the Federal Courts into a Florida election. If he wants to appeal the Florida Supreme Court decision his path is simple: the Florida Legislature can choose electors any way it sees fit. It can confirm the Bush slate. It can appoint entirely new electors ignoring the election itself. Appealing to the Feds is dangerous and needless as well. The Constitution is very clear that the state legislatures may use any means they wish to select electors. It is not a Federal matter. The only requirement is that they be chosen by a date certain and that their votes be in the Congress in time for them to be opened by the Vice President. That was a rule agreed upon in advance of this election. All clear rules agreed in advance are in place, and should be.

The rest of this is very odd. Very. One county wanted to count ballots in a small closed room without observers. Then it decided if it couldn't do it that way it would not do it at all. This is an odd decision and an odd strategy.

Regarding dimple: if all the choices on the ballot are dimpled we are dealing with a feeble voter, and OK, we can count all those that would have been valid if punched. I think everyone can agree to that. But if only the presidential choice is dimpled and the rest punched through, we are dealing with something else, ranging from a voter who deliberately cast a blank ballot to mean "none of the above" to an election worker with a quick fingernail. There is absolutely no way to know what that ballot indicates; and since it is clearly not in compliance with the instructions to the voter, and does not show any clear provenance of how it got that way (unlike a ballot with multiple dimples) surely it should not be counted?

Finally: what if there is a clear punch AND a dimple in the presidential field? Does that become a spoiled ballot? Surely not? 

Rules in contests are stated precisely so that there is a way to choose a winner. There may be room for interpretation, but surely not to change them unilaterally after the contest is over? 

 

 

 

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Friday,

I am supposed to be signing books at LASCON, but I am home. And will be home.

 

 

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Saturday,

Missing Dinner with Larry and others at LASCON. But Recovering if slowly.

 

 

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Sunday, November 26, 2000

As expected the Florida Secretary of State certified the election of Bush, and as expected Gore announced he would contest it. 

Maybe a hand of showdown poker? Except the loser would then say his hand was an "Old Cat" which beats everything including a Royal Flush....

30/30 rifles on horseback beginning at 1000 yards? Loser is the first one to dismount...

Abrams Tanks in the Mojave starting at 5,000 yards?

Or lawyers at 3 paces.

 

 

 

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