:: Running from the Thought Police ::

:: Monday, November 29, 2004 ::

I'd Watch This Every Week

Ever wonder what it'd be like if Dubya had to deal with Question Time? Would his party have bothered to nominate him in 2000 if they knew that he would have to deal with it?

There are many improvements that might be made to our government. This is one of them.

:: The Squire 4:27 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

To The Congressional Staffer Prowling Around The Blog

Hi. I noticed you on my sitemeter (I'm not sure how long that link'll be active, click it while you can). I assume you're here about my series of posts on my local GOP congressman's lackluster performance (scroll up) in response to the vote on the Delay rule. I didn't do anything subversive, other than call up said congressman's office and ask what he did. If I had wanted to be a true ass, I'd have asked whether he was going to return the tainted twleve grand he got from Delay's PAC, but since he chickened out and didn't vote at all, that would've been a touch out of bounds.

If you have any further questions, send me an email. Link's at the top of the page, cos I'm too lazy to type out the html in this post for it.

Oh, and if you do work for Tim Johnson's office, could you please tell him for me that he's a coward? Thanks, I appreciate it.

:: The Squire 4:01 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Pet Peeve XLVII

Rewriting pages of essays twice.

:: The Squire 12:50 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Courteous Tresspasser

If you're going to break into someone's home, wouldn't you, ya know, steal something or otherwise try to gain from it?

An unknown suspect broke into a home up for sale at the 2000 block of Michigan Avenue last Wednesday morning.

According to a police report, the owners - a 79-year-old man and woman - found the front door's window broken Thursday afternoon. The offender had turned up the heat of the vacant home and also brought the victims' mail and newspaper into the residence. Nothing was stolen from the home. No arrests had been made at the time of the report.

If you're going to try to be nice to people like this, I think it'd be advisable to ask them for a copy of the house key beforehand so that you don't have to make your own entrance into the house.

:: The Squire 12:38 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Be Careful With Caffine

It can mess you up.

:: The Squire 12:36 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

For Those Who Missed It

Ron Turner has been banished from his position of head coach of the UIUC football team. Even though we were home for break at the time, there was much rejoicing from Illini students. Maybe our team will actually have a winning season next semester.

:: The Squire 12:32 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Pet Peeve XLVI

Rewriting pages of essays.

:: The Squire 11:49 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

A Harrowing Experience

Matt and spouse had an interesting drive to Oklahoma City and back that's better read in person than summarized or exerpted. You'll be thankful that your Thanksgiving travels weren't as bad as this (or, if you were really down on your luck, you wish that they were only that bad).

:: The Squire 11:24 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Musing You Probably Don't Want To Read

If I was less gassy and farted less, would I have to bleach my underwear less often?

:: The Squire 11:00 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Advent

From today's Gospel:

He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
-Isaiah 2:4-5

...While you're thinking along such lines, go over and check out Robert M. Jeffers' post on the First Sunday of Advent at Echaton. In it he has a story about one of my favorite martyrs, Archbishop Romero.

:: The Squire 9:06 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

After Reading The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Go follow this link. It's funny.

:: The Squire 1:51 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

First Aid Tip

If you're bit by ANY mammal, call up your doctor to see if you need to get a rabies shot. Otherwise, your odds for survival without drastic intervention are quite slim.

:: The Squire 9:45 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Slightly Shotgunned

StrongBad still hasn't replaced his computer, while Homestar can be sold nearly anything (don't click on an email title, just wait for the animation to start).

:: The Squire 9:27 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Making Parents Parent

Doshi wonders how parents don't know that their children are buying M-rated games.

:: The Squire 9:17 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

More Proof That Any Student Who Voted For Bush Is Stupid

Via Quiddity at Uggabugga, we hear that over a quarter of Pell grant recipients are having their grants reduced or eliminated. These are among the poorest of college students, the ones who work for their grades and aren't drunk fraternity presidents ::cough:: dubya ::cough::. Other than loans, they have no other place to turn to. Shame on you, Bush, shame on you.

:: The Squire 9:02 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

I'm Sure You Could Make Better Jokes About This Than I

So I'm not going to say anything about it at all.

Blonde jokes to be banned?

Blonde jokes are set to be banned in Hungary after blonde women staged an angry protest outside parliament.

The protestors handed in a petition claiming they were being discriminated against in every walk of life by bad taste blonde jokes.

And spokeswoman Zsuzsa Kovacs said: "Blondes face discrimination in the job market, in the workplace when they get a job, and even on the streets.

"People are banned from discriminating against Jews, or blacks, so why not grant blondes the same protection."

The petition was handed to the equal opportunities minister Kinga Goncz asking her to investigate whether jokes about blondes fall into the same category as religious discrimination.

The petition was just short of the 100,000 needed to force Parliament to debate the matter but Goncz's deputy who spoke to the crowd pledged the government would act to stop any discrimination.

Blondes - real and bleached - protested outside the ministry as the petition was handed in, waving banners with slogans like 'We're blonde, not stupid' and Love us for our minds.

:: The Squire 9:19 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Making Stupid People Dumber

Dave Neiwert has a post on the Discovery Institute, an organization that promotes "Intelligent Design," the half-baked fundamentalist alternative to evolution and other hard science.

CLARIFICATION: the "half-baked" refers to the idea of putting Intelligent Design into science class, where it has no basis, as opposed to social studies (or, in college, philosophy) where it can be talked about objectively.

Also, the watchmaker theory doesn't hold for multicellular organisms - there's a definite progression of complexity as shown by the fossil record. Now, if you want to go and make a functional eukaryotic cell, be my guest - those things don't work without a bazillion parts, all interdependent on each other. A watch has nothing on a yeast cell. Then again, Craig Venter, the dude that brought you the Human genome four years earlier than planned, is apparently trying create an entirely synthetic cell, so I may soon have to look elsewhere for an example of "impossible" biological complexity.

:: The Squire 1:23 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Puerile, But Still Funny

I know the man's family is much too rich for him to be born in a barn, so why is the President's fly down?

:: The Squire 11:58 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Wishful Thought

Sometimes I mourn the fact that the phrase, "Watch it, or I'll go snicker-snack on your ass," isn't in current usage.

:: The Squire 1:57 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Bend Your Mind On This One

Here's a surreal little game to play.

:: The Squire 11:59 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Iraq

The new Vietnam.

:: The Squire 11:30 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Evil

The advertisement on AIM now spawns a pop-up window whenever I merely mouse over it.

:: The Squire 3:56 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Humans Aren't The Only Species To Hunt Recreationally

Apparently, there's a red-tailed hawk in town that likes to kill pidgeons.

What appears to be a red-tailed hawk that likes to hunt pigeons – but doesn't always eat them – has deposited several victims in downtown Champaign parking lots for the past week.
A favorite perch is the northwest corner of the five-story One Main Building.
One Main's Cynthia Faullin, who is selling and leasing out its condos, thinks Hawky is an "awesome" new resident.
"The more pigeons he kills, the better, as far as I can see," she said Thursday. "It's neat that we've got a little stowaway. I saw him perched on a chimney and the first thing I thought, pigeons better watch out!"
Some join the hawk in considering pigeon a delicacy; others consider them "rats with wings." One thing is certain: The hawk likes to kill them.
The parking lot immediately north of The News-Gazette at 15 Main has had several pigeon corpses gracing it in the last few days, all looking untouched by the raptor.
Steve Amundsen, a scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, says it's not surprising that the hawk leaves its prey uneaten ... for now.
"It's saving them for later, for a more suitable time to dine," he said.

:: The Squire 3:43 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Student Death An Accident

The Champaign County Coroner's office has ruled the death of Carolyn Jeffers an accident. A doctoral student in the Biochem department, she was struck and killed by an MTD bus on the 27th of October.

:: The Squire 1:18 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Got The Call-Back

He was there for most of the proceedings but had to leave before the vote, supposedly due to a "constituent meeting," and has no official position on the Delay rule.

How unimpressive.

:: The Squire 3:01 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

More Confusion

Archpundit and the Naperville Dems (whom I didn't even know existed) are reporting that Judy Biggert's office can't even give the same answer to all the people who've called.

:: The Squire 2:55 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Update On The Delay Vote

It appears that while I got shunted off to the press dude that wasn't there, someone else got told that Tim Johnson wasn't there for the vote. Yet another reason not to re-elect the guy in 2006 - he can't even show up to represent his constituents.

Still waiting on the return phone call...

:: The Squire 2:41 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

On Being An Ass

Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX), the current House majority leader, is currently on the fast track to being indicted in some shady deals that went down during the whole Texas redistricting fiasco. The GOP caucus, in yet another show of how they are the party of "moral values," recently voted to change current rules that would force any member to step down from their leadership positions upon being indicted.

Josh Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo is encouraging members of the press and common citizens to call up and ask their GOP congressmen how they voted on the rule. Apparently there've been some interesting responses so far, but as yet no report on how my own Republican congressman, Tim Johnson, voted. Tim claims to be a moderate Republican, but I doubt he strayed from party line on this one. However, just to make sure, I called his Champaign office to find out. The dude who picked up the phone said that I would have to speak with the Congressman's press person - already a sign of spin working, though correct me if I'm wrong - who had just stepped outside for whatever reason. I got forwarded to voicemail and left my name and phone number. Once someone gets back to me, I'll post here.

NOTE: I should read Archpundit more before saying things on state politics - he's got a good summary of the whole deal leading up to the vote.

:: The Squire 2:08 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Sticky, Sticky, Cheesy, Cheesy

Kudos to whoever thought up the idea of having cheese sticks at late night.

:: The Squire 10:44 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Arguably..

Kos notes that depending on the criteria, the worlds greatest and most powerful nation is, or may soon be, the European Union.

With that, the Flag of Interest will now change to that of the EU.

Previous flags of Interest:
The Maple Leaf Flag
The United Nations Flag
The Polish Flag
The Gadsden Flag
The World Organisation of the Scouting Movement Flag

:: The Squire 3:31 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Really Cool

My Prof for my Genetics class just agreed to recommend me as a TA for next semester. As I know of no other undergraduates who are TAs in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, I'm a little bit psyched about this. Not only will I get to be on the good side of one or more professors, the better to get med skool recommendations, esp. without having to do labwork. I also get to teach, which is the best way to learn, and I get to have a job and get paid.

:: The Squire 3:08 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Homogenization Of American Retail

Kmart and Sears are merging.

:: The Squire 7:44 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Time Management

It really sucks when one realises at 2am, when one is getting ready to go to bed, that it has an assignment due later that morning which he/she has not even started on yet.

:: The Squire 6:28 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Note To Self

This letter in the DI requires a response, due to her claim that Kerry's "standing on every major moral issue is in contradiction with the Church." I should use "Moral Priorities for Public Life" from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement Faithful Citizenship:A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility as a rubric for my refutation.

Oh, and if anyone wants to source stances of Bush or Kerry on any of the stuff mentioned in that section of the statement, feel free to send them my way.

:: The Squire 1:03 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Science Nerdiness

Have some fun with Binomial nomenclature, thanks to Teresa Nielsen Hayden of Making Light.

:: The Squire 10:26 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Not Very Nice

Someone pulled a DOS attack on campus yesterday afternoon.

:: The Squire 3:54 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Cyber-Security

StrongBad's Compy 386 gets a few viruses and everything goes haywire.

:: The Squire 8:40 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Democratic Ideals, Beliefs, And Goals

Because much of the whining on the blogosphere right now is about how the Dems don't have a message, I'm going to give the small part of the world that actually listens to me my synopsis of Democratic beliefs.



Modern Democratic thought has been propelled by the Great Depression and the New Deal, though many people today fail to realise this. The Great Depression, and Pres. Hoover's handling of it, proved a number of things.

1)Business and the private sector at large cannot be trusted to self-regulate.

2)What regulations business can come up with will be self-interested and likely detrimental to the public good.

3)Private, non-governmental institutions are, by themselves, unable to meet the needs of the public in any crisis, sudden or prolonged.

4) Government, especially the Federal Government, is the only entity with the resources, power, and mandate to actively persue the public good, either by providing public services or regulating other entities.

The short and sweet version of this is, "Democrats believe that things can always be better, and that Government is a key tool in making this so."

There, everyone who reads this should now be able to, when asked, spout off Democratic core beliefs. I have done my part, for the moment.

:: The Squire 7:16 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Powell To Resign From Sec. State Job

There are officially no more grownups in the Bush administration. God help us.

:: The Squire 10:12 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Just Lovely

Even though we've thrown away dozens of lives in taking Fallujah (after declaring to all the world that we were going in there, allowing time for the insurgents to escape), the US seems to have a larger problem in Mosul, which is ten times the size of Fallujah.

:: The Squire 1:40 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Took The Weekend Off

So sue me.

:: The Squire 1:15 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

For The Sake Of Understanding

My gf doesn't like Doctor Who. Perhaps it's 'cos I'm more interested in seeing episodes I haven't seen with my meagre video rental money than re-watching "classic" episodes with her. More likely, though, is that she doesn't quite get it. However, thanks to a letter to the BBC that Matt was so kind as to link to, written back when the new series was just a rumor, I can at least try to explain why people like the show.

What is the essence of Doctorness? Not, as Colin Baker says, his morality, the fact that he always does what is Right. Some images of the Doctor have been more cynical than others; early Hartnell had something of the callous Holmsean misanthrope. Even Tom Baker could be a thug; look at the way he sacrifices lives in "Fang Rock".

The essence I think, is that he is outside of time, outside of the script, outside of the rules: he can joke and behave madly because he is the one fixed point, and the rest of the universe revolves around him. He knows it's TV show, and can occasionally wink to camera. This is true when Tom Baker treats the entire universe as the set of a not very well assembled pantomime, and equally true when Sylvester McCoy winks cryptically and starts unravelling schemes which he has been preparing for since Time began.

If someone asked me what was the point of 'Doctor Who', I might show them 'Androids of Tara'. Not a classic story, in many ways. But it understands the point. The subsidiary cast deadpan their way through a pastiche of Prisoner of Zenda, taking it all quite seriously and sensibly, even though it involves androids. Doctor Tom wanders in like some Shakespearean fool, cast in the wrong play. Instead of chasing the Key to Time, he goes fishing. When the baddy zaps him with a raygun, he says 'Put that thing down. My hat's on fire.'

...Some programmes, such as 'Star Trek', depend on their setting; 'Enterprise' would not work if you did not have some awareness of what is meant by 'Vulcan' 'Klingon' and 'Federation'. 'Doctor Who' was never like this; there never was a 'Doctor Who' setting outside of the minds of the fans. 'Doctor Who' was an anthology series, along the lines of 'Twilight Zone' but which used the device of the time machine to have a continuing set of characters.

It gave writers the freedom to plonk the Doctor into a 'galactic empire in the far future' and not expect it to connect with last week's galactic empire in the far future, or next week's galactic empire in the far future. It was part of the freewheeling experimentation of the show that entire settings could be introduced and exhausted in 100 minutes. So what if no one understood "Warriors Gate"; you only had to put up with it for a couple of weeks, and then you could go back to random chase scenes through the streets of Paris. Even with recurring villains like the Daleks writers paid only the most minimal attention to what had happened in previous appearances; the Daleks of 'Genesis of the Daleks' have nothing whatsoever in common with the Daleks of 'Dead Planet.'

...'Doctor Who' is not about special effects. In particular, it is not about massive space battles and action sequences. 'Doctor Who' is character driven costume melodrama. The costumes and sets, should, of course, be done as well as possible. But the moment it tries to sell on its spectacle, it ceases to be 'Doctor Who'.

The reason that 'Doctor Who' survived 28 years with 'bad special effects' is not because people in the 1960s were so stupid that they couldn't see the wire on the Dalek's spaceship. The reason that 'Doctor Who' survived 28 years with 'bad special effects' was that 'special effects' were never relevant to what the series was doing.

A misunderstanding of this point has kept the series off the TV for twelve years. The argument goes like this

A: 'Doctor Who' is sci fi

B: People watch sci-fi movies for their 'special effects'

C: 'Doctor Who' had poor special effects

D: Therefore, 'Doctor Who' was poor sci fi.

This argument is put forward by people who assume that 'Doctor Who' and 'Star Wars' are very much the same kind of thing, and who like neither. It is perfectly true that post-Lucas, there has been a market for movies whose main selling point has been the spectacle. It does not follow that all 'science fiction' is by definition spectacular. Some people want 'Doctor Who' to be 'Attack of the Clones' with a police box in it. They are wrong.

It is unquestionably the case that TV sci-fi, because of budget and the size of the screen, can never have the spectacle of movie sci-fi. It is also the case that TV cop shows cannot have the stunts or the action of movie blockbusters, but no one argues therefore that the BBC should stop making police drama.

...The original version of 'Star Trek' had a special effects budget of slightly less than zero; spacecraft simply hung in front of painted backdrops. Roddenbury therefore created a style of space-ship battle which required more or less no model work: it consisted of enemy captains threatening each other on view screens; close ups of captain's faces and the bridge shaking and filling with smoke. This forced the writers to create battle scenes which turned on characterisation; perhaps Kirk bluffs the Klingons into thinking that his ship has a secret weapon called 'corbonite' , or maybe the two captains beam down to an alien planet and settle it with fisticuffs. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' was free to use post-'Star Wars' special effects if it wanted to, but it very largely stuck to the grammar of the old version; so, in fact did the movies and 'DS9'. Partly, because that style of battle had come to define what 'Star Trek' was about; partly, because it was exciting and it worked. Any re-vamp of 'Doctor Who' should apply the same reasoning.

Small space ships, men in rubber suits. But hopefully, technological advances will ensure that the rubber suits actually fit.

That being said, I think that, of all the things that make Doctor Who unique, the following sums it up nicely.

The Doctor is a wanderer with a time machine.

The Doctor is a traveller.

'Hello, I am the Doctor. I travel in time and space.'

That is the only thing which the new viewer needs to know.

:: The Squire 2:10 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

A New Round Of Protests

Anti-Chief groups held a rally last night to try to sway the opinion of incoming university president B. Joseph White. My guess is that it won't really do anything except stir up the pro-Chief people, who'll get quoted in the DI saying vaguely bigoted statements.

:: The Squire 7:40 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Makeup Is Bad For You

And you don't even know it - yet.

Students use cosmetics every day, but sophomore in ACES Joanna Rinaldi is trying to get students to understand how those products are really affecting their bodies.

Rinaldi is beginning an educational awareness campaign on campus about makeup products and the dangers that exist for those who use them.

"I just want people to become more aware and to think before they consume," Rinaldi said. "We have a tendency to assume that the government is going to protect us and it's not."

Rinaldi started investigating makeup products as an honors project for her Community in Environmental Social Movements (ENVS) 430 class. She said the topic caught her eye because of the lack of regulation in the United States. Rinaldi said the Food and Drug Administration strictly bans only nine chemical ingredients from products while European regulations ban more than 40 ingredients.

Statistics show that 89 percent of the ingredients in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety, according to Environmental Working Group, an organization that conducts environmental investigations. Rinaldi said that although some of the ingredients used in cosmetic products can accumulate in the body and cause birth defects for women, she's noticed that most products do not even list their ingredients.

:: The Squire 7:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

The Shit's About To Hit The Fan

Arafat's dead, leaving the whole question of who's going to run Palestine open, as well as who pro-Israeli people are going to villify. Not that Arafat was a nice guy, don't get me wrong, but they've been going after him for so long that they'll have to readjust.

:: The Squire 10:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Rumble, Rumble

Mt. Rainier apparently has decided that it needs to get a piece of the media attention being showered upon Mt. St. Helens and started a little bit of moving and shaking.

Mount Rainier shook with a 3.2-magnitude earthquake, but scientists said Tuesday the quake was not related to recent rumblings at Mount St. Helens, its sister volcano 50 miles to the south.

The quake was centered one mile below the surface of Rainier's crater, said Bill Steele of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network at the University of Washington.

"Directly under the volcano, that's a significant size," Steele said. One other 3.2-magnitude quake has been recorded at the mountain in the past 30 years: on February 19, 2002.

Sunday's quake occurred within a cluster of 17 to 18 shallow temblors over several hours, he said.

Steele said quake activity at Rainier has increased over normal levels in recent weeks. Five quakes greater than magnitude 2.0 were recorded October 25-31, he said.

Mount Rainier, which has been volcanically active for between a million and a half years, last erupted about 150 years ago and scientists say it's likely to erupt again at some point.

Insert your evils of Microsoft (headquartered in Redmond, WA, in the volcano's shadow) joke here.

:: The Squire 5:44 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

A Search I Hadn't Thought To Do Before

Apparently someone found the blog by using Google to find all the blogspot sites referring to UIUC.

:: The Squire 4:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Think I've Posted This Before

But it's become relevant again.

Sports, not Religion, is the opiate of the masses.

Think about it.

:: The Squire 4:28 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Not This Again

Drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge is back on the table. Kevin Drum points out that Bush's first three major policies, ANWR drilling, Social Security privitization, and Tax Reform, weren't even part of his campaign - so one wonders where he gets the justification of proposing these things when he only won by 51% of the vote.

:: The Squire 4:16 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Yes, Doctor Who Fans Are A Bunch Of Children

This photo's from the set of the new Dr. Who episodes being shot in Wales right now..



I guess this confirms that the Daleks will be in the new series.

:: The Squire 1:39 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Do You Remember...

Bump in the Night?

:: The Squire 1:37 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Logical Extensions Of Stupidity

If people put disclaimers on science textbooks that discuss evolution, where will it stop? (Please follow the link, I'm not going to post all the necesary images here.)

:: The Squire 8:14 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Interesting Blue State/Red State Trends

Josh reports that they're not what you think they'd be.

The oddity of this Red State moralism argument emerges most clearly when you look at statistics for virtually every form of quantifiable social dysfunction. Divorce, out-of-wedlock birth, poverty, murder, incidence of preventable disease --- go down the list and you’ll see that they are all highest in the reddest states and lowest in the bluest.

There are exceptions certainly --- the Prairie states being the key examples. But the pattern is striking and consistent.

The issue that interested me most were the statistics on murder, in part because they seemed to have the most interesting historical roots. Murder rates are also least affected by cultural bias. For instance, non-reporting of rape varies widely from country to country and region to region. The same can be true of assault. Murder, on the other hand, tends to get reported, regardless of the cultural context.


Thankfully, murder rates in the United States have dropped rapidly over the last decade. But the regional patterns remain. Broadly speaking, New England and the parts of the country originally settled by New Englanders have low murder rates --- some only a fraction of the national averages. The South on the other hand, and the parts of the country originally settled by Southerners, have higher murder rates. (The highest homicide rates are in the Old Southwest --- Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.)

The regional patterns get even more interesting when you drill down deeper into them.

Commonsense would probably tell most of us that big cities have higher murder rates than suburbs and small towns. And that’s true. But not everywhere. In the North and in much of Blue State America, for instance, big cities have higher rates of homicide. But in the South the pattern is turned on its head. The murder rate is highest in the small towns and rural areas.

:: The Squire 4:32 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

It's Alive, ALIVE!

The finished, 1.0 version of Mozilla Firefox is finally out. Remember - because Firefox has such a little share of the browser market, and is remarkably stable, most/all viruses don't exploit it. Use Firefox - it's more secure.

:: The Squire 1:13 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Aurora Borealis

Due to a series of coronal mass ejections over the weekend and ending today, the Aurora has picked up strength. Apparently it reached as far south at Decatur last night. I'm going to see if I can see it tonight. Supposedly, tomorrow night's going to have a real good show.

:: The Squire 10:28 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

The Ever-Quotable Sibling

On sorority girls:

"I talked to one and she was like, 'Some people say that we buy our friends, but I think it's just nice, that I have someone who will go with me anywhere.' I think I responded 'Great, so you bought yourself an escort service.' She didn't talk to me anymore."

:: The Squire 10:15 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Fun With Maps

As someone who likes maps, I really like the red/purple/blue cartograms that some University of Michigan guys put together using county-by-county data in the presidential election. Scroll down to the bottom for that one and you'll see how evenly divided our country really is.

:: The Squire 9:30 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Doozy Of A Day

More stupid people rear their heads in Wisconsin, where the school board has just mandated that Creationism be taught in science class.

Last month, when the board examined its science curriculum, language was added calling for "various models/theories" of origin to be incorporated.

The decision provoked more than 300 biology and religious studies faculty members to write a letter last week urging the Grantsburg board to reverse the policy. It follows a letter sent previously by 43 deans at Wisconsin public universities.

"Insisting that teachers teach alternative theories of origin in biology classes takes time away from real learning, confuses some students and is a misuse of limited class time and public funds," said Don Waller, a botanist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Wisconsin law mandates that evolution be taught, but school districts are free to create their own curricular standards, said Joe Donovan, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Instruction.

:: The Squire 8:07 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Apparently A Pretzel Wasn't Good Enough

There's a legend out there that Tecumseh put a curse on the Presidency in revenge for the slaughter of his people, such that Pres. Harrison, each president elected in twenty year intervals (so that the year ends with a "0") will die in office. There's a pretty decent track record for this which only Reagan has completely escaped so far.

Harrison: Died of illness.
Lincoln: Assassinated, shot.
Garfield: Assassinated, shot.
McKinley: Assassinated, shot.
Harding: Died of illness.
FDR: Died of illness.
Kennedy: Assassinated, shot.
Reagan: Shot in an assassination attempt, but lived.

As the headline suggested, I was hoping that the pretzel counted for Bush (he's a pathetic guy, he deserves a pathetic way to go) but apparently something more impressive (or more fittingly pathetic) will be in order before the next election.

:: The Squire 6:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Places Peopled By Loonies

Via Archpundit, the Sun-Times has a map of Illinois showing which counties went for Obama and which ones went for Keyes.

Proud to live in a blue county.

:: The Squire 6:07 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Litmus Test

Considering the violent reaction on the right to Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-PA) remark that Bush should be cautious in promoting anti-abortion judges, I'm pretty sure that Shrub's remark that there wouldn't be a litmus test for judicial nominees has been revealed to be complete bullshit. Then again, we all knew that anyway.

:: The Squire 4:47 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Not A Coincidence

Notice how the press for the battle for Falluja started immediately after the election, and that the battle itself started less than a week after the election. Perhaps they were thinking that people wouldn't like the large amount of casualties this would cause. If so, the Bush administration is playing politics with people's lives. Shame on you, Shrub.

:: The Squire 3:22 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

And People Still Think Global Warming's Not A Problem

The artic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, with summer artic ice projected to be completely gone by the end of the century. Not only, as the article notes, would this suck for polar bears, but releasing that much fresh water into the world's oceans, not to mention the loss of all that albedo, can do nothing but further contribute to global warming.

One of the things that's truely lacking in climatology is a holisitic understanding about how different things affect one-another. This isn't a fault of the discipline - there just isn't enough data. However, because of the lack of understanding of the synergystic effects I'm inclined to be very pessimistic about our climate's future.

:: The Squire 10:25 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

More Stupid People

Creationism isn't based in science, so when will people learn that it shouldn't be taught in science class?

A sticker in suburban Atlanta science textbooks that says evolution is "a theory, not a fact" is being challenged in court as an unlawful promotion of religion.

The lawsuit, filed by six parents and the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, begins Monday and is expected to last four days.

Cobb County school officials adopted the disclaimer after science textbooks it adopted in 2002 were criticized by some parents for presenting evolution as fact. More than 2,000 people signed a petition opposing the biology texts because they did not discuss alternative theories, including creationism.

County school officials said their stickers simply encourage students to keep an open mind, but the lawsuit claims the warning promotes the teaching of creationism and discriminates against particular religions.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that creationism was a religious belief that could not be taught in public schools along with evolution.

:: The Squire 9:43 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

The Facts On Social Security "Privitisation"

Basically, it won't work, it opens up huge fraud opportunities, and if you privatize it you'll end up having to recreate it when the private funds fall through - if you listen to Atrios, at least, which most sane people should.

First off, anyone with a liberal bent knows that privitization wouldn't be funded - you take millions of people out of the current pay-as-you-go Social Security system, put their money, or part of it, into "private accounts" that are government managed, and still expect to pay our current seniors their full benefits. It can't work - you can't pay people the same amount and reduce revenue into the system. Then again, this bunch doesn't care if they do deficit spending - their kids have tons of money anyway and won't mind the higher taxes it'll cause five or ten years down the line.

Atrios brings up a couple new points. First off, he digs up a piece in which major mutual fund firms say that under the current system such small-dollar accounts would have high administrative costs and therefore be unprofitable - so basically your money would earn nothing while it sat there. Atrios also points out that brokerage firms aren't the most trustworthy of companies anyway, and have yet to merit the trust of the entire nation's retirement savings.

Then there's Atrios' favorite flogging horse on the issue, that people are going to start wanting to treat their private account just like any other savings account and the gov't will likely end up letting them. Then they'll squander the money and end up old, poor, and destitute, which was what the Social Security system was designed to prevent in the first place.

:: The Squire 9:09 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Wish I Could Find A Less Radical Compilation Of This Stuff

But occasionally the weirdos do a better job of getting all the sources in one place. The Bush Administration is gearing up to overhaul the Selective Service System. I, personally, think updating the draft to take into account skills people already have is a good idea and one that's a bit overdue. As long as they couple it with making the draft co-ed I'll be happy with the reforms. I don't think that overhauling the SSS will mean that it'll be used, but then again, look what happened with the Iraq resolution that Congress OKed back in 2002 - you give Bush a gun and he'll shoot the country in the foot with it, guranteed.

:: The Squire 1:03 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

A Liberal Catholic Speaks Up

I'm not going to send in a straight me-too letter to the DI, but it's nice to know I'm not the only one around here.

I will not try to speak for all Christians or even all Catholics, as some have attempted. But I feel compelled to speak for myself, because I cannot stand by and listen to other people tell me how to vote for my government based on my spiritual beliefs. I am Catholic. I spent 13 years in Catholic school and my entire life in a great Catholic community. During that time I was consistently taught in class, at home and through the actions of those around me that God's greatest commandment is to love others. Period.

I voted for Kerry. I refused to vote for someone who signed 155 death warrants from behind a desk in an expensive office in Texas. I refused to vote for someone who symbolically signed thousands of death warrants when he bloodied the United States' hands by declaring war on Iraq. I refused to vote for someone who wants to declare 10 percent of U.S. citizens less than citizens by writing into the Constitution they don't deserve to be married. And I refused to vote for someone who now believes he has a mandate from God to impose his religious and moral beliefs on others, someone who will only reach out to those who share his faith-influenced goals (Daily Illini, "Bush Prepares to Pursue Goals," Friday).

Catholics, and I believe Christians in general, aren't all ignorant sheep, and I repudiate that characterization from those who would love nothing more than to classify themselves as such as an excuse for keeping comfortable at the expense of others.

Bridget Geraghty

sophomore in LAS

:: The Squire 12:44 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Low-Level Noise

There are some in the blogosphere who are saying that the Ohio vote counts may have been rigged - I personally think that these are slightly desperate people. However, the Chairman of Diebold, a company that makes, among other things, video-voting machines, promised Ohio for Bush in this election - so this is not beyond the realm of possibility. That, combined with Keith Olbermann's discovery that concession speeches aren't binding on candidates, means that this may not be over yet.

:: The Squire 12:33 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Courteous

I don't have comments here ('cos I'd prefer to limit who can comment and no package I've seen will let me do that) so I encourage people to email me their thoughts on posts, even and especially if they disagree with me. If your arguements are logical, I'll refute them, if it's a flame, I'll post it verbatim and ridicule you for resorting to an ad hominem attack. However, this doesn't fly on a comment-enabled blog. If you don't like a post, put that in the comments, don't send hate screeds to the blogger - it's not very nice.

That being said, if you're being emotional about people being anti-Bush and in your face, don't go putting up a photo mosaic of the servicemen and women who have died in Iraq.



The point of projects like this one is to illustrate, among other things, about how Bush's image as a "war president" is created by the deaths of these men and women. It's not a very flattering message for the president.

This mosaic popped up on Michael Moore's site on Wednesday after the election.

:: The Squire 11:34 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Don't Want To Die In A Desert

The draft is coming. Just you wait. They're calling up people in the "Inactive Ready Reserves" who've been out over ten years. How long 'til they start calling up people who haven't served at all?

:: The Squire 11:17 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Josh Explains The Obvious

There are two major reasons why Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) should not run for president in 2008.

:: The Squire 8:49 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Good For Them

The Russians ratified Kyoto.

:: The Squire 8:38 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

"We Should Let You Rot"

Someone mailed to El Reg a Blue State manifesto, which sums up current liberal sentiment quite nicely.

We Blues will come out of the Bush era no worse for wear, although you Reds will come out very much diminished, deeper in debt, and less able to improve your circumstances by your own powers. But because you wish to be flattered more than helped, you will be grateful for your ass fucking from the Blue-state Republican elite that is laughing behind your backs today.

We did not wish it so. We honestly did want to help.

On 2 November, you thanked us by electing a shrewd, manipulative handmaiden to corporate America who panders to you while ruthlessly exploiting your ignorance and weakness for the benefit of his patrons in the national plutocracy. There is nothing we can do about that. You won fair and square.

We should let you rot. We should secede and leave you to fend for yourselves. Then you will see firsthand just how dependent you are. We are sick of fighting for you by fighting against you. Perhaps, when you see how dreary your lives have become without us, you will finally develop the spine to fight for your basic, human rights. And then we will gladly confront the plutocracy alongside you. We need your help to defeat the Blue Republicans, who, I assure you, are just as decadent as we are, though often richer.

But until you finally learn to respect yourselves, we can't respect you, and we therefore can't be bothered to give a rat's ass about you.

:: The Squire 1:53 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Bill Cosby's Getting Old

But he's still funny.

:: The Squire 10:15 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Vegitating

Contemplating, among other things, the backs of my eyelids.

:: The Squire 8:57 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Apparently, We Did Show Up

Outlandish Josh, who runs a diary at Daily Kos, dug up a map that shows the electoral map if only people under 30 counted. The result: Kerry 375, Bush 163.

Money quote: "Luckily for America, old people die."

:: The Squire 6:54 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Now That The Bastard's Been Legitimized

Atrios lays out how it's going to be for the next two years, minimum.

Today Bush said:


I will reach out to every one who shares our goals.



Translation: My way or the highway.

Alternate translation: You're either with us or against us.


For Democrats in the Senate:

Any "compromise" you try to achieve on various bills inevitably gets stripped out by DeLay's goons in the conference committee. Amendments should be written as land mines (metaphorical, of course) for the Republicans to trip on, not because any of them will end up being law.

For Democrats in the House and Senate: If you vote for the Republican agenda, you cannot later credibly criticize it. That's just the way it is...

Yes, I know I'm overquoting Atrios. He's just running at full speed now and posting important stuff.

:: The Squire 3:46 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Populism

Seeing as the Republicans tend to propose things that sound good but are really bad for people (social security privitization being a current example), Atrios asked for suggestions of such programs that'll help out the Democratic position. The first fruit of that effort is the "Tax Fairness Act of 2005," whose premise is that no state should get more money out of the federal government than it puts in. Sounds good and fair, right? It does, 'til you consider that most red states get more money from the federal government than they put in, while most blue states give more money than they get back. The average joe doesn't know this, but the GOP on the hill sure as hell does and they'd bend over backwards against this thing, making themselves look silly at the same time.

To bad it'll never be proposed. The only problem is that the GOP might actually pull a Clinton and enact it, but since it'd be something that hurts their base, I don't think this is something they'll let pass.

:: The Squire 3:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Be Careful With Your Information

Posted announcement on the university housing main page:

Security Alert

Residents should be aware of a potential scam targeting college students. Recently, an unknown caller phoned a resident and identified himself as a representative of a federal grant processing agency. He asked for the resident's bank account number. Please be aware of this scam and do not give out personal information over the phone to unknown callers.

The phone numbers for the dorms never change, so the scammers know that these rooms house students and will tailor their schemes accordingly. Be smart with your information.

:: The Squire 3:32 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Disappearing Act

I think Hesiod was quite upset with yesterday's news. He'd been on permanent hiatus earlier and only came back when the swift boat ads pissed him off too much. Apparently he killed his blog entirely; his URL is only bringing up an error screen now.

:: The Squire 2:46 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Just About Sums It Up

This recently appeared on a door in my gf's hallway in her dorm.

The GOP announced today that the Republican Party is changing its mascot from an elephant to a condom. The RNC chairman explained that the condom more clearly reflects the current adminstrations stance since the condom 1) accepts inflation 2) halts production 3) destroys the next generation 4) protects a bunch of dicks 5) and gives you a false sense of security when you're actually getting fucked.

:: The Squire 2:26 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Yet Another "Flag Of Interest"

Right now it's the Maple Leaf flag, 'cos Canada's looking kinda inviting right now.

For those who are new to the site, the Flag of Interest is something I have on the side of my page in amongst the links, and will relfect something occuring in my life or on the national stage. The previous flags of interest have been, in order:

The World Organisation of the Scouting Movement Flag
The Gadsden Flag
The Polish Flag
The UN Organisation Flag
The Maple Leaf Flag

:: The Squire 2:56 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Lost In The Election

The University of Illinois has a new President, B. Joseph White, formerly Dean of the hated University of Michigan's College of Business. He apparently gets rave reviews from those in the know.

:: The Squire 2:38 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

More Global Realignments

Arafat's in a coma and I'm waiting for the blogosphere to start meditating on what'll happen when the old man dies and someone else'll have to start running the Palistinian Authority. Would anything actually change?

:: The Squire 2:15 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Horse Race Results

In my lethargy, Matt beat me to reporting the Champaign county results, so I'll link to him for the more in-depth stuff.

The roundup is as follows:

Senate: Obama, won by a record landslide

15th Congressional District: Dr. Gill, lost, even though campus went for him

County Board: Democrats kept their hold on the government body that makes sure your toilets flush and that your water's clean. No Green Party candidates were elected, though some got upwards of 20% of the vote.

103rd State Rep. District: Naomi Jakobsson was re-elected with over 60% of the vote, even though her opponent both tried to play the Chief issue and called Naomi a racist.

State's Attorney: Julia Rietz won, unseating the incumbent.

County Auditor: Mike Frerichs won, keeping the job he was previously appointed to.

Coroner: Medlyn lost, which wasn't surprising, as I never saw him at a College Dems event. If you're a dem and you want to be elected in this county, you at least need to show up to one or two of our functions to get face time and be elected.

County Clerk and Recorder: The dem candidates lost these too. Again, these were people I never saw at College Dems events.

Referenda: Urbana defeated the push to add two at-large seats to the city council. A tax was approved to fund care for people with disabilities in the county. A move to create an Elections Commission failed by about 6%, with campus providing most of the support for the failed attempt.

As Matt said, the county moved more Democratic, while the country moved otherwise. I almost wish it were reversed.

:: The Squire 1:28 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Need To Stop Reading Political Websites For A While

It's making me too depressed. My problem is that I know full well what the next four years will entail, and I don't want to live through it or experience the consequences.

:: The Squire 10:05 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

I'm Tired

I've been going non-stop since Saturday, between studying for my biochem exam last night and electioneering. Last night's lackluster performance, and today's news, didn't help me either. I'm taking a nap and hoping the country doesn't find a way to fall apart even further in the meantime.

:: The Squire 3:26 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

To Make You Feel Better

Kevin Drum has a special, one time only, re-appearance of cat blogging.

:: The Squire 3:19 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

A Sad Day

Kerry conceeded the election to Bush earlier this morning. As evinced by blogs all over the left, there's going to be some post-mortem and mourning for a while as we figure out what the hell just happened and why things didn't go the way we thought it would. But, once we deal with that, we have to move on. Kos posted, again, large sections of Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention this summer, reminding us of the reason we're Democrats - that we believe that things can be better, and that government can be a tool for making it so.

:: The Squire 3:14 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Daschle's Out

The Dems in the senate will need a new Minority Leader, and Atrios is pushing for our very own Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Seeing as Illinois is becoming one of the safest Democratic states in the nation, this would be a wise choice, because Durbin would be free to persue a progressive agenda. Daschle, especially in recent years, had to tone himself down in order to keep his seat in increasinly Republican South Dakota.

:: The Squire 3:04 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Early Post-Mortem

The youth vote didn't show up. Where were we, then? Campus had record turnouts, and I expect other colleges had the same experience - so which youth demographic(s) didn't vote?

:: The Squire 2:49 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Reminder

As the editor at Blah3 so pertinently states, Bush does not have 270. It is not over. Don't think or act like it is.

:: The Squire 2:46 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Could Put On My Tinfoil Hat Now

But I'm too tired to go into conspiracy theories now - even though I have a few weird ones right now. Once I figure out what's wrong with my copy of Adobe Acrobat, I'll post some final tallies for local candidates. Until then, I, like the rest of the country, will sit and hold my breath for the 10+ days for the absentee and provisional votes in Ohio to be counted.

May God have mercy on our country if Bush wins.

:: The Squire 2:39 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Sen. John Edward's Statement

"It's been a long night, but we've waited four years for this victory. We can wait one more night.

Tonight, John and I are so proud of all of you who are here with us and all of you across the country who have stood with us in this campaign.

John Kerry and I made a promise to the American people that, with this election, every vote would count and every vote would be counted.

Tonight, we are keeping our word, and we will fight for every vote. You deserve no less.

Thank you."

-Sen. John Edwards, Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee, Nov 3, 2004

:: The Squire 2:24 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Boot To The Head

In a college town where the college democrats win elections for the county, one should not have your post-election party in a place that kicks out under-21 year olds at 9pm.

:: The Squire 2:10 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Vote And Tell

Jim Capozzola is collecting stories of people who voted today. You can send yours in by email and he'll post it on his blog. See if you can find mine.

:: The Squire 3:41 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Polling Place Update

Last I checked, Snyder Hall's polling place was only 200 voters away from beating the 2000 turnout, with hours left to go. The line there was pretty impressive, too. The line at University YMCA was out the door. The Rehabilitation Education building, though, was not busy at all - then again, it's out in bufu away from all the residences, so it's more of an effort for students to get to.

:: The Squire 3:38 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

For Those Watching At Home

After my biochem exam I'll be hanging out with the College Dems as we watch the returns come in. Those staying home can surf on over to Media Matters, where they'll be watching ALL the networks and recording when who calls states for whom. They'll also be tracking returns and will aggregate the projected winners for states as they are called.

:: The Squire 3:32 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

My Sister's Away Message Today

I got my special sticker today. Did you?
Go VOTE!!!!!

:: The Squire 3:18 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Good News, But With An Ocean's Worth of Salt

Early exit-poll results have Kerry ahead in PA, FL, and OH, not to mention NM, MN, and NH. However, these don't yet have the after-work rush accounted for, nor do they account for the absentee ballot totals. Things are looking good, though.

:: The Squire 2:43 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Volunteer

If you want to help out with the election and getting some good Democrats elected, swing by the McKinley Foundation at Fifth and Daniels to volunteer for Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts on campus.

:: The Squire 8:58 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Voted

At 8:42 am CST, I punched a chad (sorry dude, had to be done) for John Kerry and John Edwards.

Polls are open until 7pm, and if you are in line by then they HAVE to let you vote. That being said, the earlier you go, the shorter the lines will be, so go vote and let your voice be heard.

:: The Squire 8:56 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

I Hate Biochem

I'm going to fail the exam tonight. Short of everyone in the class bombing the exam, I see no way for me to do well on it.

:: The Squire 2:29 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Cue Kosh Quote

Voting has already begun in some areas, though it won't start until 6am CST here.

As always, brownie points to the person who figures out what the actual quote is, what show it's from, and one of the contexts in which it appears.

:: The Squire 2:07 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

Hopefully

This will be the last day before Bush becomes a Lame Duck.

:: The Squire 12:21 AM :: email this post :: ::
...

From The Onion's Voter Guide

"If you live in Florida, for Christ's sake, look at the ballot very, very carefully this time." -The Onion

:: The Squire 10:31 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Pre-Election Traffic

My own traffic has hit levels not normally seen when I'm not linking to a certain open-source blogging software's website. Kos's must be astronomical - he had almost a dozen servers running and his site, Daily Kos, still couldn't handle the strain. It's down for now, hopefully not for long.

:: The Squire 8:37 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

ACLU MASSMAIL

Here's what the ACLU, via the University, sent out to all UIUC students.

WHEN TO VOTE:
Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 2, 2004.
Polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Since voting may take longer than you expect, be prepared to face a wait. Show up early just in case. If you are in line at the polling place before closing time at 7 pm, you will be allowed to vote, even if everyone is not able to vote until after 7 pm.

SAMPLE BALLOT:
A sample ballot is available online at: http://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/fullspecimen.pdf
[ed. note: go to your registration status page (link below) to see your specific ballot instead of a generic one for the whole county]

WHAT TO BRING:
When you go to the polling place make sure you have two things that have your name and local address:

One of these two things must be one of the following:
Bank statement
Utility bill
Paycheck
Government refund check


Any government document showing your name and address, this includes anything you may have received from the University of Illinois

If you live in the University Residence Halls, you can get a Move-In Notice as proof of your address from:

University Housing
100 Clark Hall
1203 S. Fourth St.
Champaign, IL 61820

If you registered by mail, through a registration kiosk, or by Motor Voter, you are required to present ID. [ed. note: this also applies if you registered at a table on the quad] It is possible to check whether or not you will be required to show ID due to how you registered by checking your voter registration status here, as well as your designated polling place: https://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/registrationstatus.asp

Even if you are not listed as having to show ID to vote, it is better to be prepared in the event of complications.

WHERE TO VOTE:
Follow this link if you aren't sure where your local polling place is:
http://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/registrationstatus.asp

WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE:
Regardless of what happens, you should be able to cast a provisional ballot. Even if your vote is successfully challenged, your name is not on the list of registered voters, or you are not able to present proper identification, you should still be able to cast a provisional ballot as a last resort. When you cast such a ballot, you should be informed how to resolve the complication that prevented you from voting, which you will likely be required to do within the next day or two.

If you feel that your right to vote has been violated, you should immediately contact your local election authority, the local States Attorneys office, or the Federal Election Commission.

Additionally, if you believe you are unjustly kept from voting or if there is an unreasonable delay at your polling place, we encourage you to contact the local media to tell your story. The Daily Illini newsroom can be reached at 337-8351, the News-Gazette newsroom can be reached 351-5252.

QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions or concerns regarding voting you can contact the Champaign County Clerk at 384-3720.


This mailing approved by:
The Office of the Chancellor

:: The Squire 8:04 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Moron

Where does Alan Keyes get off telling me that my vote for Obama tomorrow will be a mortal sin? Cardinal Radzinger, speaking for the Vatican, has stated that voting for a pro-choice candidate is not sin as long as that is not the reason one votes for that candidate. Keyes apparently isn't a very good Catholic if he doesn't keep up with such things, then.

By the way, for all the people surfing in on election-day traffic, I am Catholic, so don't send me any hate mail.

(Link thanks to Jim Capozzola at The Rittenhouse Review.)

:: The Squire 6:51 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Yes, It Can

Dave Neiwert concludes his series, The Rise of Pseudo-Fascism, on election eve with the last entry, "Part 7 [Conclusion]: It Can Happen Here"

Interestingly, part of his arguement is that the outcome of tomorrow's election may have some bearing on whether or not the Pseudo-Fascism of the American conservative movement transforms into real Fascism.

:: The Squire 5:46 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Hi, Guys

In honor of the UN Elections Observers now in the country (yes, the world doesn't want a repeat of the last time around) I've repleaced the Polish flag with the United Nations flag as the "Flag of Interest."

:: The Squire 4:17 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Polling Places

For those of you who don't know, in order to vote one must report to their designated polling place tomorrow (unless you're doing in-person absentee today or something similar). If you live in champaign county, and are registered to vote, you can go to this site, identify yourself, and the database will tell you your polling place, as well as give you a sample ballot.

Common campus polling places include:

Illinois Disciples Foundation, Lower Level, 610 E. Springfield Ave., Champaign

University YMCA, Accessible West Entrance, 1001 S. Wright St. Champaign

Snyder Hall Lounge, 206 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign

Skelton Place Community Room, 302 S. Second St., Champaign

Rehabilitation Education Center, 1207 S. Oak, Champaign

Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 808 E. Bradley Ave., Champaign (Melrose residents)

Daniels Graduate Hall, 1010 W. Green St., Urbana

Illinois St. Residence Hall, So. Main Lounge, 1010 W. Illinois, Urbana

Lincoln Ave. Residence Hall Lounge, 1005 S. Lincoln, Urbana

Pennsylvania Ave. Residence Hall, 906 W. College Court, Urbana

St. Patrick's Church Parish Center, 708 W. Main, Urbana

First Presbyterian Church, Green St. Entrance (North side), Accessible Entrance on Orchard (east side), 602 W. Green St., Urbana

Twin City Bible Church, 810 W. Michigan Ave., Urbana

Lincoln Square Mall - South Entrance, 300 S. Broadway, Urbana

As always, check your registration before just showing up someplace. Also, some places, like the Illinois Desciples Foundation, have multiple precincts polling there, so check your precinct first before going in order to speed things along.

Also, go early. Record turnout is expected, with large lines expected in the afternoon.

Go vote - democracy depends upon it.

:: The Squire 4:04 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

It Just Doesn't Matter

For those who are coming here on google searches like julia rietz abortion stance or something similar, let me remind you that the State's Attorney has absolutely NO power over abortion. That power rests in the Federal Judiciary as a result of Roe v. Wade, and as such only the President, who appoints judges, and the US Senate, who confirms those appointments, have even an indirect say in the matter. When it comes to an office as lowly as a county State's Attorney, you need to use other social justice-oriented decision making criteria.

Contrary to what conservative Catholics and other conservative religious people will tell you, abortion isn't the only issue, nor is it the most important one in most political races.

:: The Squire 3:54 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Good News

A judge in Ohio has banned poll watchers from parties from challenging voters. The Ohio Republicans are, of course, pissed, since voter challenges are one of their principal means of intimidating voters and disenfranchising those they don't want to vote.

The order by U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott found that the application of Ohio's statute allowing individuals to challenge the legitimacy of a voter at the polling place was unconstitutional.

The presence of challengers inexperienced in the electoral process questioning voters about their eligibility would impede voting, she said.

Mark Weaver, lawyer for the Ohio Republican Party, called the ruling erroneous and said the party would ask the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to overturn it.

Dlott ruled on a lawsuit by a black Cincinnati couple who said Republican plans to deploy challengers to largely black precincts in Hamilton County was meant to intimidate and block black voters.

Republicans said they wanted to prevent voter fraud.

Dlott said in her order that the evidence "does not indicate that the presence of additional challengers would serve Ohio's interest in preventing voter fraud better than would the system of election judges.

:: The Squire 3:26 PM :: email this post :: ::
...

Notice

The Obama rally tonight has been moved to the McKinley Foundation, which is at 809 S. Fifth St. in Champaign (corner of Fifth and Daniel). It still starts at 7pm, and still features both Barack Obama, the next US Senator from Illinois, and a host of local Democratic candidates.

:: The Squire 3:22 PM :: email this post :: ::
...