We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
So far, for the second straight election, the Dems overspent for a "Blue Wave" and as yet it seems more like a ripple.
It's early, but if everything holds pretty much as it is now, it's instructional. Dems do not know how to spend money properly. They spend too much for too small a payout.
Excitement and anxiety are running high in the USA today. All I can say is that Trump "left nothing on the playing field." What a campaigner. It will be interesting.
My favored scheme would be for the rest of the population to go about its business as normal, with the over-65s remaining as much as possible indoors, taking precautions and not mixing with younger persons except with great circumspection. The degree of risk they were prepared to run would be up to them; there is no objectively “correct” level of risk to run.
With the Superbowl of politics coming up, let's address real daily life. So many people seem hyper about the election. Relax. Life is good, except for House Mice.
Mus musculus was a native to northern India but is now worldwide, spread by shipping.
They are clever enough to realize that living in houses and barns are a good deal. They are annoying but cute pests for sure. Cats, in fact, were introduced to Europe from Egypt to control house mice on farms. Even today, you do not know how much House Mouse poop is in your flour.
Native wild mice of all varieties do not tend to invade homes or barns. Hardly ever, just the highest IQ ones.
What a life he led, from poverty to fame and fortune. He had the luck to be born handsome with an animal masculinity which, in some ways, limited his range. No matter what role he played, I always saw him through the role.
Sure, he defined James Bond, but if you never saw Hunt for Red October, watch it.
23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
23:2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;
23:3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.
23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
23:6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,
23:7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.
23:9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father--the one in heaven.
23:10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.
23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
23:12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Voted today since NJ does not have in-person voting. Here are my thoughts. Let's just say I was careful to read the instructions. And while it's not hard to do - it is NOT easy either.
In other words, I fully expect to see some large percentage of the elderly vote just fall off the map in NJ. Or be manipulated as they request assistance.
I was careful - and I could easily have made mistakes.
Some examples of where errors may occur: 1.Wrong color pen. Blue and black only. But there are 3 different instruction sets. The most useful part of the instruction set is the pictures...which are for the easiest part of the process - filling the circles and putting it in the envelope. I noticed it said nothing about pen color, which I'd read was an ongoing issue. But there were instructions about the pen color...on a small slip that has "IMPORTANT" on the top of it and then a list of additional instructions. Seems to me, it would be useful to have that pen color information on the part about filling in circles. Maybe I expect too much from people. 2. A mistake I almost made was tearing off the certification slip. There is a dotted line across it, at the top. I almost tore it off on the dotted line to put in the envelope then noticed it said "Do Not Tear". So I looked around and found the 3rd set of instructions, which explains you just fill out the certification and leave it on. So WHY is there a dotted tearing line there? No idea...definitely misleading. 3. Signatures. There are several places for signatures. There is only one for yours, as the voter. But if someone assists you, or transports it, they must sign it as well. Which makes some sense, but could theoretically mean some get disqualified if they forget or ignore this. 4. Signature. I was assured my signature will be checked to verify and avoid a false vote. Except my signature on record is 26 years old...and my signature is not the same today. I get away with that in-person as the people at the voting booth know me. Some schlub in our vote verification center does not.
I don't need to go further. The reality is that mail-in is trouble waiting to happen. In addition, the box is at the county center (you can use regular mail if you choose, but I can walk to the county center and I don't trust USPS) and while there is a video camera trained on the box, do you really think that's enough? Some sketchy guy (I know who he was and have seen him around town...but why he was at the box was beyond my comprehension) was hanging out there, just staring at it when we arrived.
I do not like, nor do I trust, the mail-in process. It is designed for fraud. I will not be at all surprised to hear many complaints.
I cannot imagine that a single person watching Joe Biden actually thinks he’s a competent person who can accomplish any part of what he says he can. The votes for Biden are votes against Trump and/or for the leftist agenda, period.
The town square in Jackson (for what it's worth, the town is Jackson and Jackson Hole is the surrounding region leading up to the Tetons), has entrances adorned with elk antler arches. Every year the Boy Scouts go to the elk refuge and collect antlers. The story of the elk is both interesting and contentious. They should just pass through but growth of the town has blocked migration routes, and a bad winter many years ago trapped them in the valley. So many died it was said you couldn't walk without stepping on them. Originally, a privately funded rescue was created and the elk were fed in the area. Now it is a National Refuge and they are fed there every winter. It is a mixed blessing...and one which has detractors on both sides. An unnatural state of affairs but a great tourist opportunity.
Many are not traveling, many are hiding out, so it will be a bummer of a TG this year for lots of people.
We typically have 25+ (my sibs, nieces and nephews, my in-laws, some friends), two turkeys, everybody brings something, and we have a prayer time too. This year, apparently not all of that.
I like a big crowd for TG, and the forced child labor for dish- and pot-washing is essential because we give all of the help the day off here.
This year, I have even thought about Thai takeout (although venison and turkey is traditional here), but a pal sent me an interesting idea: Browned Possum with Taters. Plenty of them around here, but not available at Costco, frozen or otherwise.
Is crispy Possum tastier than stir-fried Raccoon? You be the judge.
Oregon Becomes 
Excitement and anxiety are running high in the USA today. All I can say is that Trump "left nothing on the playing field." What a campaigner. It will be interesting.
With the Superbowl of politics coming up, let's address real daily life. So many people seem hyper about the election. Relax. Life is good, except for House Mice.
What 50 gravitational-wave events reveal about the Universe - 
Many are not traveling, many are hiding out, so it will be a bummer of a TG this year for lots of people.