an alert to voters in the USA

Via ellen_datlow: Is Your Vote Safe? Are You Sure?. All it takes is a single typo on the part of a clerk, and they can remove you from the registry. If so, since half of my official paperwork says "Laura Anne Gilman" and the other half says "Laura A Gilman," according to this article I may not be allowed to vote, despite both being valid legal uses of my name, and having registered properly. You might want to check with your local regs to make sure this isn't happening in your area! (or do as many folk are doing and get an absentee ballot).

I've checked around and not found a yea/nay debunking, so I have to assume that this is a valid warning (or risk being unhappily surprised in November). Voter discrimination is nothing new -- it's as much a part of our history as voting itself. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be fought, tooth-and-nail. If you give up your vote, you give up everything, even if you don't realize it at the time.
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Meanwhile, off a discussion in another LJ... a challenge:

Tell me something about John McCain and/or Sarah Palin that will make me think well of them as candidates. Not as human beings, but as political candidates who have something to make me sit up and pay attention.

I'm serious. I'm here, I'm willing to listen. Tell me.

EtA1: okay, the man himself has answered. CNN Breaking news: "-- John McCain suspends campaigning to work on economy, requests postponing Friday debate; asks Obama do the same." Yeah, it could [and probably is] just be a ploy, seeing as how his approval numbers are sinking faster than Palin's desire to attend a NOW convention, but it's still, IMO, a good response to an undeniable crisis (whatever you may think of the cause or the lets-protect-the-offenders suggested-so-far solutions) I still want to see that debate, though. Son-of-ETA: someone reminded me that this is McCain of the Keating 5 scandal. Nevermind, forget about what I said, let's all agree to keep McCain the HELL away from any discussion of any possible cure. Onward with the debate!

EtA2: Oh, somebody fkcued up. Either that, or something nasty's being said in politics. My sister just pointed out that the the VP debate was scheduled for erev Yom Kippur. That, for those of you without a single observant Jewish friend, is sort of like scheduling it on Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve, all at once.

Nice. Very nice. /sarcasm

a post of absolutely no political content

thought for the day:

Life is uncertain. Hit deadline first.


( And a tiny snippet from the WiP: )