An Infinite Number of Monkeys

I was confused for a little, but figured it out. I think a quick trip to Frye's when I get a moment will fix things so we have living room net again.
Access occasionally spotty back here in the bedroom, but so much better since we tinkered and monkeyed. (:

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tersa.livejournal.com

will fix things so we have living room net again.

Actually, I was checking your laptop Sunday because *my* computer was net-less. I was going to see if the laptop was having issues, too, and [insert noticings here].

I finally got my network back, after rebooting everything and much cursing and swearing, although I don't actually know if anything *really* fixed it.

Access occasionally spotty back here in the bedroom, but so much better since we tinkered and monkeyed. (:

The access in my room is probably even spottier than yours. I was having a *bitch* of a time last night.

If it wasn't for the iMac, I would probably be investing in a Linksys-G wireless hub. Maybe I'll talk to

katchoo_too about it.

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lil-m-moses.livejournal.com

Problems may also be the fault of the latest virus/worm thing going around. Do your windows updates and virus updates ASAP.

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I think it's pretty fair to say that Gray Davis has done a rather shitty job as governor of this state. He's easily the most pandering politician in Sacramento in years -- probably not since railroads regularly bought politicians has someone been so inured to interest groups, especially labor unions like the prison guards (ahem, correction officers) who are getting fat payraises while education, health services and unemployment(!!) are getting the axe.

There's Davis' bungling of the power contracts, his utter refusal to grant ANYONE parole for any reason, even when the parole board recommends it.

If you couple Davis' inept management of the state with his blatant pandering to special interests (big labor, especially) and his cold-slimy personality you're going to end up with 22% approval ratings regardless of party affliation.

The man is unpopular, and it's not just Republican oriented voters who think that.

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miss-friday.livejournal.com

Pandering? Yes. Incompetent? Yes.

But are these qualities worthy of recall? Probably not. This state has withstood inept leadership before and will again. The power of recall should be a last resort, to get rid of actual (not perceived) criminals who are in office.

What the press and Darrell Issa have missed is that a heafty amount of blame for the deficit rests solely on the California Legislature who has actually written the budgets and passed the idiotic tax code. Shouldn't they all be recalled (or shot) too?

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I think you'll find that I'm on record as being against the recall. That being said, a lot of people are voicing dissatisfaction and there's a legitimate case for doing so.

Does the legislature share responsibility? Of course it does. But the governor sets the tone by proposing the budget. The governor approves the budget into law by signing it.

Does Davis *deserve* a recall? No, I don't think so. Does that matter? No, not really. A recall is occurring.

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Are you planning on visiting the polling booths on election day? Since the recall is happening, will you vote for it since Davis is a boob?

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Since we are having a recall election, I will definitely vote; I haven't fully decided how I'm going to vote.

I didn't vote for any gubernatorial candidate in the previous election. But since we're having a recall whether or not I personally like it, I have a bit of trouble voting in favor of keeping Davis in office.

It's also pretty safe to bet I wouldn't vote for Cruz Bustamonte. He's the prototypical California Democrat, the kind of unctuous career politician that shares the blame for our current disgusting mess.

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Let me be the last person on the face of the earth to say Gray Davis is a good man or that he's done a good job. He's an unctuous and soulless being who is possibly even more pandering to special interest money than George W. Bush.

However, even given the shitty voter turn out at elections, even given his pegging the hate-o-meter polls before elections, a lot of people voted for him. I say it's because they're idiots.

However. My point was that the California Republican Party's spokesbeing has stated that the turn of the economy is worthy of a recall, and I'm very pleased by this because that means they'd support a recall of our Beloved President.

I can't wait. If they want to hire me to collect signatures, my email address is cyranoATnogDOTnet

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a lot of people voted for him. I say it's because they're idiots.

I say it's because of two factors:

1) The California GOP would rather piss and moan and whine about being out of power when it's patently obvious the ideologues acceptable to the party's hard right (and hence survive through a primary) will never ever get elected in centrist California. Only a slightly right of center Republican (there is a derisive term for such a person: RINO, Republican In Name Only) can really win in this state.

2) Davis' hachet men took out the only realistic GOP opposition in the last election: Riordan. The Bill Simon campaign was the most spectacular failure I've ever watched.

The axes are being sharpened for Ahhhnold, just like Riordan. In the next few weeks, we'll see the following memes about the Gubernator: 1) He has Nazi affliations, 2) He's a philanderer, and 3) He's run some shady business deals.

As far as specific comments of some GOP shill, well, I didn't hear 'em, but I think it's a pretty good case to throw someone out of office when they manage to turn a $10 billion surplus into a $38 billion deficit in just two years. Now /that's/ some spending for ya.

Bush is weak on this issue. It makes me wonder why Dean and his fellow Presidential hopefuls are foaming at the mouth about Niger and yellowcake instead.

(More on that at my right wing death beast blog.)

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bumblepudding came up with a similar name. He was using Governator. Hee!

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miss-friday.livejournal.com

only two people representing two parties (Well. One.) are allowed to comment

I count three. Schwarzenegger - Republican. Simon - Republican. Bustamante - Democrat.

Am I wrong? Is Arnold going as an independent?

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Arnold is running as a Republican. :p

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Let me be more explicit. This morning on the Today Show they had the head of the California Democratic Party and the head of the California Republican Party as guests to discuss the recall election and the candidates involved.
An election with, it looks like, over 200 candidates. Many of whom are not Republicrats. However, as is par for the course, the media is keeping the Third Party Man down by refusing to acknowledge his existence.

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You mean Camejo? Huffington?

Don't be so oblique.

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It is not a complaint specific to this election, and I've done it before, over and over. One of the reasons I was oblique.
The two huge parties in this country have a stranglehold on political power and they aim to keep it. The media are extremely helpful in this regard, perpetuating the myth that nobody has any choice but to hold their noses and vote for 'one of the two candidates'.
This was especially infuriating during the guber race here in California, as article after article bemoaned the fact that both candidates for guber were so hated and so awful.
Even the ultra-liberal communist fronted San Francisco Chronicle, which had the audacity to suggest that the two men selected by their party might not be the best choices, would only present alternate selections from the same two tired and worn out useless parties rather than dare to mention that there were other choices on the very same ballot that these candidates were on.

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The media are extremely helpful in this regard, perpetuating the myth that nobody has any choice but to hold their noses and vote for 'one of the two candidates'.

It isn't just the media, I'm afraid. Election laws themselves are written mostly with regard to the Democrats and Republicans. There's the "winner take all" voting system, for starters.

Another reason is the rampant gerrymandering of political districts to make seats "safe" for a Democrat or Republican. That makes races between candidates and even parties quite uninteresting for the most part.

Yet another good example (of many more) are the rules surrounding federal matching campaign contributions, which require that a given party achieve such and such a percentage before the government will match funds.

Anyway. On a national level, it's going to be very difficult, it not impossible for a third party candidate to achieve an office. Maybe in a small state (like, Vermont) which embraces ideology more than party labels it's possible.

On a statewide level, again in a smaller state, it's not impossible, but certainly quite rare. In California, it's going to be impossible for a third party to win. There just isn't enough money available to buy TV ad time or the county by county organization to support such a candidate.

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Again, far be it from me to say that this is a media conspiracy or that if it weren't for big bad CNN the world would be a perfect place.
But I am strongly resistant to just sitting back and letting the Republicrats hijack the greatest democratic experiment I have ever seen.
Best tactic is probably start small--city elections, county offices, state congressmen--but at the heart of it, I just got to the point where I didn't want to live with my conscience after I voted for somebody I found repugnant on the theory that if I didn't vote for the candidate I thought would do the best job I was 'throwing away my vote'.
If I get serious and passionate enough about this, maybe I'll end up moving to Wyoming or New Hampshire or someplace small enough to be controlled by my psychic mind control.

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I vote my conscience, and not "pragmatically" so I feel your pain, as Clintonesque as that sounds.

Sometimes that means I don't vote for any of the available candidates. That's kind of sad.

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It is. I find more and more that I'm not going to elections to vote for people. I'm going to vote for ballot measures and other 'things' because, as usual, people have disappointed me.
But those 'things' are important enough to keep me coming back to the old school gym and voting.

From:

miss-friday.livejournal.com

An election with, it looks like, over 200 candidates.

Little off. As I posted it's somewhere between 155 and 195, depending on which article you read.

However, as is par for the course, the media is keeping the Third Party Man down by refusing to acknowledge his existence.

Actually, the media I've read/heard hasn't gotten enough of acknowledging other candidates --- in snorting laughter. Have yet to read anything truly substantial about the whole affair, aside from the judicial decisions regarding Davis' objections.

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