Via Netflix, Sal and I are catching up on the past decade of television. Here are some of my impressions while watching The West Wing seasons one and two:

• Oh, so this is what fueled my more political friends' Obama fantasies.
• So many things seem bittersweet in hindsight:
  1. An administration that considers it catastrophic to have an approval rating ( Read more... )

Eleanor heard the fireworks from her room this evening, so I let her out of her crib to see them out the window. I told her there was a new president.

I'm no Larry Lessig or even Randall Munroe, but here's my 2008 U.S. presidential endorsement, for those who care. It's the last you'll hear about it unless you ask.
I support Barack Obama for President. I don't agree with everything in his platform, and I think several other candidates are also good choices, but Obama is best because:

• He sees ( Read more... )

Initiative 872 would change primary elections in Washinton to a "top-two" system. Under the new system, the two candidates with the most votes in the primary would advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Vote yes on Initiative 872. It is good for for democracy, for independent voters, and for voter choice.
( Here's why... )

Following a suggestion from the Verified Voting coordinators, I called my county elections office to ask how I might observe pre-election testing of voting machines. King County elections superintendent Bill Huennekens gave me the following information.

King County Elections Logic and Accuracy test:

• Date: Friday before the election (2004-10-29 ( Read more... )

The Anti-Miscegenation Amendment:
In 1911 Rep. Seaborn Roddenberry of Georgia introduced a constitutional amendment to ban interracial marriages. In his appeal to congress, Roddenberry stated that

"Intermarriage between whites and blacks is repulsive and averse to every sentiment of pure American spirit. It is abhorrent and repugnant. It is ( Read more... )

This morning I went to the local Democratic caucus with John and Treasa. All three of us went to support Dean. 34 people from our precinct shared the Loyal Heights Elementary cafeteria with nine or ten other precinct caucuses, which also had about 30 people each, making for a very crowded and noisy gathering.

In the initial count, our precinct ( Read more... )

AFA representative Buddy Smith:

"It just so happens that homosexual activist groups around the country got a hold of the poll -- it was forwarded to them -- and they decided to have a little fun, and turn their organizations around the country (onto) the poll to try to cause it to represent something other than what we wanted it to. And so far, ( Read more... )