From owner-freebsd-chat Wed Dec 20 12:17: 4 2000 From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Dec 20 12:17:02 2000 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mailhost01.reflexnet.net (mailhost01.reflexnet.net [64.6.192.82]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2ECDA37B400 for ; Wed, 20 Dec 2000 12:17:02 -0800 (PST) Received: from rfx-64-6-211-149.users.reflexcom.com ([64.6.211.149]) by mailhost01.reflexnet.net with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.5.1877.197.19); Wed, 20 Dec 2000 12:15:03 -0800 Received: (from cjc@localhost) by rfx-64-6-211-149.users.reflexcom.com (8.11.0/8.11.0) id eBKKGT584672; Wed, 20 Dec 2000 12:16:29 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from cjc) Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 12:16:28 -0800 From: "Crist J. Clark" To: Brett Glass Cc: Doug Young , cjclark@alum.mit.edu, Jeremiah Gowdy , Jason , ldmservices@charter.net, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Will It Never End? (was Re: CA Power Shortage (was Re: Why do you support Yahoo!)) Message-ID: <20001220121628.C83116@rfx-64-6-211-149.users.reflexco> Reply-To: cjclark@alum.mit.edu References: <001d01c06a2d$279654d0$aa240018@cx443070b> <002301c06a1d$a52783c0$19bad818@debbie> <002701c06a25$27e7c9d0$aa240018@cx443070b> <006a01c06a40$11ffc580$ad181f40@bignet.net> <06fc01c06a28$7d9c3840$847e03cb@apana.org.au> <00b401c06a45$4d279020$ad181f40@bignet.net> <001d01c06a2d$279654d0$aa240018@cx443070b> <4.3.2.7.2.20001219223202.0467c4e0@localhost> <000d01c06a4e$15def320$847e03cb@apana.org.au> <4.3.2.7.2.20001220120244.04767ed0@localhost> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 1.0i In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20001220120244.04767ed0@localhost>; from brett@lariat.org on Wed, Dec 20, 2000 at 12:20:09PM -0700 Sender: cjc@rfx-64-6-211-149.users.reflexcom.com Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org On Wed, Dec 20, 2000 at 12:20:09PM -0700, Brett Glass wrote: [snip] > Bush became a candidate because monied interests thought that he would > favor them and thus contributed many millions to his campaign. He won > because a majority of the Supreme Court justices, some of whom wished > to retire and be replaced by members of the same political party, were > willing to defy their own long standing principles to ensure that party's > victory. Two of the justices in the majority had close relatives who were > actively campaigning, and yet did not recuse themselves -- a horrendous > breach of judicial ethics. And the whole reason it was tossed to the US Supreme Court was that the Florida state court made an blatently partisan ruling in the first place. Still, even if the Florida Supreme Court was itself misguided, I personally don't see how it was a manner for the Feds to get invovled. As long as the state of Florida had its Electoral College representitives casting their votes by the deadline, I think it would be up to the Florida executive (in the form of the Sec. of State in this case), the court (Florida Supreme Court), and the legislature (who is GOP dominated) to duke it out for themselves. And _that_ would have been a fun show to watch. In the end, I believe the legislature had the final say on the Electoral College reps by Florida law, so it most likely would have gone the same way if things had been up in the air to the last minute. Each state casts its votes for the President, and how they decide to cast them, as it currently stands in Constutional law, is deliberately vague and separated from the popular vote. Unless the state has Constitutional issue to be raised (and the only one I ever saw seriously raised, certain fringe groups' accusations of civil right violations aside, was whether the FL recounts could be done in time (they realistically could not) and whether a revote was even possible (that was rejected before it got near the US Supreme Court)), I don't see why the Feds have much say in how a Florida county or the state add up their votes. Say what you want about Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon, but at least he had the grace to spare the country this kind of thing in '60 when he conceded to Kennedy. They'd still be counting the chads of deceased (and I don't mean ones that have died since the election) voters in Illinios to this day. -- Crist J. Clark cjclark@alum.mit.edu To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message