So it seems to be over. This IS POLITICAL.    

I wince in the across-the-board snow job that the Republicans are putting out for spin. How can they remain so brain dead and still live and breathe? Never before, according to Allen Dersowitz, has Rhenquist, Thomas or Scalia used "equal justice" as measure to settle a constitutional suit. Never again will they.

Breyer had the handle that states they had no business in this business. They did not, but that is water under the bridge now.    

Al Gore seems about to withdraw. End of story. I think that the entire Democratic side of the Congress should rise and turn their backs on Bush when he comes to address them. And my Day of Many Moons idea has had its own seeds planted. This may be time to organize.    

I have never been one to endorse radical action. It seems to me to be counter-productive. I will, however, be purchasing a firearm in the near future. I see terrible consequence from this. Consequence that will make the Sixties seem mild...even in light of what was done to the Black Panther Party.    

Brookings, Heritage, et al are seat to proactive conservative foolishness that wages war wihout victory, creates political dissent, drives free enterprise into the ground through favortism, and makes issue where none should righteously exsist.    

Dershowitz called for widespread dissent over this Supreme injustice. I concur. However, as insulated as they are against public scrutiny and interaction, there has to be some manner available to demonstrate protest on a personal level. They live and breathe the same air. I think they need to be made uncomfortable, as uncomfortable as history will see this patisian ruling acting on this republic's sence of fairness and rule of law.    

Enough of this. For now.

We survived Nixon AND Ford AND Regan AND Bush Sr. We can survive these fools. It will be President Cheney (until he kicks) and the Front Guy. I am hoping it is sooner than later for Dickless Dickie.

The really scary thing is Congress. Regan ran up a three trillion-dollar debt in taking down the Soviets and hocked the future in the process. Now Congress will redistribute the wealth to the wealthy. The retirement I am looking forward to will now probably be in a cold climate RV park.

The behind-the-scenes Supremes is a "sole it fair and square" item. I knew about O'Conner and Rhenquist, always saw Sirica as an "unmitigated a-hole" and Clarence Tom-ass as both "black" (note quotes and reference to somebody’s uncle) and inept. The rest are a toss up; I like Ginzburg, Stevens, Souter and Breyer. That is, with some reservations; they are just not as bad as the others. Kennedy, Tony?...what is that all about?

But, I think back to the scandal over Pete Rose and how Bart Giamati fell dead soon after giving Pete the kiss of death. (There was a back room deal there, too, according to Rose.) History will bear its fruits upon the sower of the seed. Remember the saw about "even the President has to put his pants on one leg at a time"...? Is there a real Karma or is that just more "dust on the mirror?" At this point, I only wonder.

I am not so certain about what "the decision" says or does not say; what it means seems beyond even the legal pundits on the networks. As of right now, it is not online, but I suppose it will be soon. I will probably "read it and forget it," for what it is or is not. In sum, what this means to my life is abstract. (Even this man does not have the "stones" to cut veteran's rightful benefits; knowing for guys like me that the consequence of that, even an attempt, will be met with action.) You have more to be upset about than I do. I can guarantee that, like Nixon, everything this guy puts his hands on will turn to dog poop.

By the way, I am a registered REPUBLICAN! Unlike Massachusetts, Nevada is one of those states that has closed off the Independent as a political alternative. If you register Independent here, you do not get to vote in the primaries. So, I figured to vote for the weaker of the Republican nominees; in hope of giving the Demo an edge. In a general election, one can vote for whomever they wish. Nice of them to allow us "unwashed" to do that, isn't it? I also like to think that the Republicans can look over the precinct I am in and see a false figure. Makes for a small protest I am hoping will become popular when it becomes known. No way to change the law  in this "right to work" state where employees work "at the leisure of the employer," a direct quote from state law.

I look at the deal the Texas Rangers (which George W used to own a piece of) just made for the services of Alex Rodriguez, the former shortstop for my Seattle Mariners. It is for a QUARTER BILLION-DOLLARS over ten years! That is more than the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians are FOR SALE for COMBINED! I have to applaud Arod for his talent, but this is going to destroy a game that I love.

Ditto with this election: the doors to Fort Knox have been pried open; the keys to the asylum given to the inmates. It will take men and women of extraordinary fortitude to face the onslaught that is about to come. At best, the middle will again prevail and little will actually occur.

In looking in "my part of the national neighborhood", the view here traditionally gives rise to pessimism and conservative right wing government. It is desert and more than 60% federal land. Las Vegas is taking a dump lately, part of the Wall Street roller coaster. It has been built mostly on junk bonds. Reno is an urban war zone, with another casino downtown closing its doors last week. That makes five since the one mega-resort, the Silver Legacy, was built four years ago. I both want to run from this corrupt city and get involved at a grass roots level. Now, the implications have changed. Waiting is called for until a direction is seen.

So we wait.

One searches for a gesture of such a stature to rise to capture the essence of the event at hand. Art is supposed to do this. I have been noodling around and think that a number of people, designated by a drawing from online volunteers, find their way to Washington DC for the Inauguration. In accordance to the rules, they then take their places along the Presidential parade route. When the newly sworn in President rides by, they rise to "moon" him, each having painted a consecutive number on their posterior adding to the total of the tally. I think that would do nicely. Especially if Bush pulls it off. Assuming, of course, there is an Inauguration. The other thing is the Senate. I think that Joe Leiberman has a decision that I doubt even he has considered. I mean, resignation from the Vice Presidency to take his Senate seat for Connecticut. If he becomes Vice President, the governor of Connecticut will appoint a Republican and the 50-50 tie will go to that side. If he quits and keeps the seat he rightfully won, the tie remains and his predecessor Vice President become the tie breaker. Consider the two alternatives: Gore and a dead locked Congress; Bush and a stacked deck Congress. The only hope is that Gore wins the Presidency (eventually) and Leiberman gets the Senate side to the Democrats. Then the veto controls the exuberance's of the House and the Senate becomes the seat of legislative initiative. Else, the Bush veto gets no over rides, the House makes breathing without a license illegal, and the Senate becomes a rubber stamp. Get my drift?

As for the Supremes, they are about to define robotics and differentiate social precription in face of ancient de facto segregation. That is, if they are cognizant of the Big Picture. It is Man vs. Machine; the human judgement of an intent to cast a vote in a flawed mechanized environment. The machines don't read their own process...which is why IBM gave up on punch card readers about 25 years or so ago. The normal process is to accept the 2% error factor the machine creates by this failure to read "chad-ish" error. Now, the question is or is not if the whole statewide reject ballots or no reject ballots are to be actually placed in the subjective judgement of a human being. I find it significant that the Republicans object. This not only because of the fact they are continually losing ground, but because the guy (who is maybe about to be elected) kills people regularly and justifies it with presumptions that THE LAW has taken its rightfull course. Republicans do that and now are trying to justify the dismissal of the re-count (by humans) as a change in THE LAW after the fact. We are told to wait and change THE LAW by the party that is about to take absolute control of the entire mechanism. As though that were possible. Nope. The Electoral College is here to stay (baring actual revolution). The Supremes (National) probably will send it back to the Supremes (Floridian) with stipulation that Curly, Larry and Moe be put in charge of the vote count. I am in a quitting mode, so I figure that I have found the one guy in America with the right attitude about this election: http://store.yahoo.com/whatpresident/index.html Now, there is American enterprise in action. Wish I had thought of it myself.

The Court of Supremes issued a new tape today and it looks like mud. I didn't like their first release and the press that followed, but that is another story. This time round, the legalities may make moot the actual count. Maybe its time to call for "A Day of Moons" volunteers? Running down what I think of the group individually is not of any good purpose, but to say that the only appointee younger than me (Clarence the Clod) stood moot. (No brainer...he has no brains!) As for the candidates, the least said the better. From all the truly dumb crap emoting from all concerned, I figure this country deserves whatever happens. But, I am pulling for Gore. Still...from what the Tilden-Hayes contest evidently had, this could go on for a very long time to come. A "hunnert years ago", they thought they had cleaned up the process, BUT, like campaign reform after Nixon-McGovern, we are again reminded that "no good turn goes unpunished!" About the Leiberman resignation thing: this is only in the event that Gore were to win the Presidency. Somewhere in the back of my memory is a faint recollection that the Vice President is sworn in somewhere other than the Capitol building an hour or so before the new President. I guess that is for security reasons, since the entire country will explode into outer space if we do not have a Head of State. Anyway, the Senate is locked up 50-50 with Leiberman elected with Dodd to represent Connecticut. The governer of that great state is a Republican and has stated he will appoint a Republican if Joe gives up his seat to be Vice President. My point is that he should not because doing so will give the Republicans both houses of Congress, leaving nothing but the "bully pulpit" of the Presidency to initiate bills that could be expected to pass Congressional muster (like the Budget). Else, the mess that Knute Ging-rich made a couple years ago that shut down the federal government (but not really) is certain to come from the likes of De-lay, Are-me and the Mississippian. If Joe gives up his Veep office before being sworn in, Big Al names whomever he wants. Who? Buncha names like Harry Reed (Minority Senate Whip), Diane Feinstein (California), or that sandy haired guy who whant to be Speaker. In Reeds case, not good. Republican govenor again. Feinstein would be fine (and she is Jewish besides). I personally would name Bill Clinton just to spite the frigging Republicans. Talk about a Constitutional crisis!