Absentee Ballot

 

As you can see, Ellie is riveted by the soccer game between USA and Iran.  

Alison and I have become devoted soccer fans (or what is known everywhere else in the world as 'football'). We love Atlanta United in the MLS and the Portland Thorns in the NWSL. We are thrilled to have a competitive USA team in the World Cup/

But that's not my only reason for following the sport. It's a way for me to communicate with my far-flung older boys (Greg in Pasadena, California, and Doug in the Catskills of New York State). It gives this aging introvert a chance to text each other while we watch the games. I get to know more about their lives and just share everyday bonding. Do I love soccer? Yes. Do I love even more being able to share time with my boys? Absolutely!

Here's a picture of the celebration as America goes up 1 to 0 (the final score). Christian Pulisic dramatically gave up his own body to score the goal, colliding with the goalie, injuring himself, and was out the second half.  

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Oh yes. I forgot. The title of this post is Absentee Ballot.

We have a crucial election coming up. Georgia has a runoff and must decide between the professional and highly competent current Senator, Reverand Raphael Warnock, and Texas resident/Trump sycophant Herschel Walker. Seems like a no-brainer, but given the MAGA impulses that overrule common sense among many in this state. and the blind partisanship that leads people to vote for people THEY KNOW THEY SHOULD NOT, this election is much closer than it has any right to be.

Georgia Republicans, in a fit of voter suppression frenzy, have changed the runoff from nine weeks to four. They originally had scheduled only five days of early voting, with no Saturday voting (a big ef you to working voters). My son, Benjamin, is away at school and will not be here for the initially scheduled voting days.  

He started filling out an absentee ballot request form online a couple of weeks ago but hit bureaucratic snafus when it required steps that he could not readily complete. By the time he came to visit us for Thanksgiving, he had completed the form but had yet to mail it.

MEANWHILE...Georgia courts ruled that Saturday voting could not be barred. I read that some Georgia counties were now offering Saturday voting.  

We went to our county election board and discovered that our county was NOT offering Saturday voting. Okay, fine. Benjamin turned in his absentee ballot request. They looked at it, said it was fine, and that they would mail him an absentee ballot to his college address that day. I thought they could just give it to him, but that is not allowed. It has to be mailed. Fine.

I'm not trying to say anything negative about the election board. They have been friendly, polite, and helpful. They understandably have to follow the rules. They were also frustrated that the legislature had created such a tight turnaround time.

I checked with Benjamin this morning. He had yet to receive the absentee ballot. Look, Benjamin is very busy right now. He is trying to prepare for some very stressful finals and end-of-the-semester projects. He is trying to do the best he can.

At this point, if he gets the ballot, he'll have to overnight it to be sure it gets back in time. Do I hate the idea that he has to, in essence, pay to have his vote counted? I'm not thrilled, but the vote counting means more to us at this point.

Benjamin is not alone in this. Post-election analysis shows that GEN Z (Benjamin's generation) had an outsized effect on the election. Young people made a difference.  

So, this runoff will be hard for many college students to turn around in time.

But that's not a bug of the Republican election changes. It's a feature. They want to minimize the youth vote, and this is a wicked clever way to accomplish that.

I wish Georgia would go to an instant runoff system like they have in Alaska and Maine. Then we wouldn't have to go through this mess.

But Georgia probably won't do that. It makes too much sense.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Proud Warnock Voter

Unextemporaneous Speaking

 I'm going to speak at the Library today. This will be a follow-up to last August's speech defending the rainbow display at the Library.

Yesterday, I spoke as part of the church's stewardship campaign. I talked extemporaneously, very unusual for me, to see if I could pull it out. I had a few notes but basically spoke off the cuff. It was scary because I usually like to plan out every word. But nevertheless, the speech was successful. People laughed "(in the right places), and they listened, they 'got' the message and seemed to enjoy it.

The main speaker for our side at the library meeting is Ken Taft. He is a lawyer who attends our church. The other side has upwards of 14 speakers. I told Ken how it might affect his speech if they talked about things his planned speech might not cover. He said he would adjust his speech accordingly, answering whatever challenges they may have brought up. I'm not sure I could do that. Well, he's a lawyer used to the back and forth of the courtroom - I'm an actor used to having his lines written out.

I would rather try to speak extemporaneously again, but I only have one minute to speak. That's not much time. So, unfortunately, I probably shoulda oughta write it out, partly to ensure I could be somewhere around the time limit.

Anyhoo....here's my first draft.

At August's local board meeting, I spoke about how the Library is for everyone...every single person. In that regard, I am grateful for the Libraries are for Everyone mural in the entryway.

In the spirit of Libraries are for Everyone, I want to encourage everyone to come. Come visit the Library. 

If you see a book you don't like, don't take it out  If you see a book you like, take it out  If you can't find the book you're looking for, ask the library staff - they can find it for you, and even check to see if they can get it from another library and bring it here for you.

If you see a book club you don't like, don't join it. If you see a book club you like, join it. If you want to start a new book club, ask the library staff, and they can help you create a new one.

Everyone here has an equal right to the Library's resources. But no one here has the right to base their participation on the exclusion of other people - the people themselves, their books, their clubs, or their displays. Because the Library is for everyone. Every. Single. Person.

Thank you for your patience,  I think I've got it down to one minute and five seconds.  Hopefully, they won't give me the hook for that.

And yes, I had to do a lot of editing.  There is so much to say and so little time to say it.  I'm sorry for all the stuff I didn't get to say, but on the bright side, we have eleven speakers.

November Seconds

 

Just a short one today, and thematically unsound to boot. Feel knee twinges, so I need to make my desktop time short.

It's November already. I didn't write Monday or Tuesday - involved in Church Treasury work that disrupted my schedule. I know I'm writing less, but maybe next week will be better. Yeah, right.

With Reverand Kit retired, there's more to do now. We have to cover more bases.

I'm preparing for two speeches. One as part of the Church Stewardship campaign this Sunday. And then Monday at the Regional Library Board. I will do my best to adopt an extemporaneous style and not write everything down. It's a risk, but it may help the speeches seem more natural.

We distributed candy on Halloween night. We had a good crowd, but it was down since the last time we did it. There were a wide variety of costumes, although Harley Quinn and Spider-Man had a slight edge. Harley Quinn's history is varied. Sometimes she's a villain, sometimes a hero. There is an all-age version, a teen version, and an adult version. I'll have to do a blog story about it sometime.

Time keeps on slipping into the future, although there is a slight blip as we repeat an hour to adjust back into standard time (bye, daylight savings time). Someday we'll end this mess, as whatever point for it has long since passed. But that would take an act of Congress. Good luck getting those people together.

Seeing examples of it in France and now Brazil, I like the runoff system of electing the President. It guarantees whoever wins will have the majority of votes (at least 50% plus). Yes, I know. Our constitution is not set up for it. But it should be. It helps diminish the possibility that extremists can capture the Presidency. 

I posted this meme yesterday on Facebook. To clear up any confusion, this is meant to warn you to vote against fascists and fascists-wanna-bes in November's election. And by that, Rev. Pavlivitz and ME are referring to NOT voting for Republicans who are MAGA, deny the 2020 election outcome, deny teaching the truth about history, deny the LGBTQ+ their rights, want to cripple democracy and move towards a Christo-fascist state. To think anything else is delusding yourself and misconstruing what facsism is.

Knee twinges.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

The Center Will Not Hold: Saturday Political Soapbox 289

 

Most of the electorate is set. They vote 95% plus for one side or the other. Many may call themselves independent, but they're really not.

I call myself an Independent Progressive, but in reality, I align now with the Democrats. If ever there is a Republican more progressive than the Democrat, I'll seriously give them a look-see. But in today's bitterly divided politics, I'm more likely to see a unicorn in my backyard.

Many other Independents are actually conservatives who, for whatever reason, shun formally attaching themself to the Republican label. A lot of Trumpeteers are Trump first, party and country second. Nevertheless, they will always vote Republican.

Yet, there are a small number of independents, enough that most of our closer elections are determined by them. You know, the type of person that voted for Obama and then somehow rollercoastered to Trump (that's just one example).

Yes, there may be a few independents that genuinely research and think critically each election. But the majority are simply people who pay little attention to politics and go by their gut each election.

So, what are these true independents thinking this year?

Meet Mortimer Snerd.  Mortimer, please take the rest of this column.

Hi. Morty here. What an election year this is!

Anyhoo...

Yeah, I think climate change is real, more or less. And we probably should be doing more about it.

That Rowing Wade thing overturned? Yeah, that's pretty bad. Maybe abortion ain't the best, but no exceptions? C'mon! That ain't right. A pregnant 10-year-old that's been raped having to go out of state to get an abortion? Ridiculous. The whole Supreme Court thing has gone wacko. What's next? Gay marriage? Interracial marriage? I hear they may even restrict contraceptives!  

And it would be nice if the minimum wage were to go up. Of course, I get paid more than that, but I don't know how others survive on $7.25 an hour. It's been stuck there a long time. And maybe raising it will goose everybody's wages some.

Look, yeah, parents need to be involved in their children's education, but Good God! Slavery was real and evil, and the country hasn't been perfect, and we need to teach about the truth, warts and all.

And can we stop talking about the last damn election? Whining about it just makes you look like a poor loser. Overall, I like democracy, and some of the voter suppression efforts of the Republicans make me nervous. And the Covid response? What a mess. Y'all should have just worn a mask and taken the vaccine. I lost some people close to me, and it makes me mad that some of you could not take it seriously.

And, geez Louise, gun violence is wrecking this country. So what's wrong with a couple of common sense measures? How about some background checks? And weapons that are the equivalent of machine guns? You don't need a gun that shoots hundreds of rounds a minute to hunt deer or even self-defense.

And, yeah, we should be supporting Ukraine. We got to draw the line on this Putin dude, or we're gonna wind up with half of Europe swallowed. Does nobody remember how appeasing Hitler worked? Not so hot.

And taxing the rich more is not the worst idea in the world. I hear that some billionaires pay less proportionally than their janitors, and that doesn't seem right. No one wants to see the rich persecuted for being rich. But, good golly, can't they just pay their fair share?

And our healthcare system is a mess. How do people afford the drugs they need, like insulin? It would be good to cover more people less expensively. Even Obamacare turned out to be not so bad. So, maybe some form of universal healthcare would be...

WAIT! WHAT?!? I HAVE TO PAY HOW MUCH FOR GAS? AND MY GROCERIES ARE GOING UP?

That does it.

I'm voting Republican.

Back to me again.

Yep. That's right. I fear some independent voters will chuck all their other concerns out the window and vote based on gas and grocery prices. And, in the back of some of their minds, they must know that a President has little control over oil market prices or the worldwide inflation that's occurring due to pandemic recovery, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and corporate exploitation.

It doesn't matter.

The gut does what the gut does.

The future of democracy be damned.

The ConKemptible and DeSatanic Lie

It's been a tough political ad season. 

And living in Southeast Georgia, where most of the broadcast stations we receive are from Florida, we get the worst of both worlds, Georgia and Florida.

There is so much wrong with the advertising we have been inundated with. For example, did you know that Senator Raphael Warnock is personally responsible for worldwide inflation? Who knew one man had so much power?

But, to me, the most contemptible is the big lie being spread by Kemp and DeSantis, and no, I'm not talking about Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election.

I'm talking about how both their ads brag about their great job handling COVID.

Are they out of their frigging minds?

Even though the statistics from both states have been heavily manipulated, they still show that the two states have record malfeasance and are among the leaders in the country in the number of cases, and a disproportionate amount of deaths.

Florida ranks number ONE in its proportion of the number of cases among the 10 largest states. They rank higher than Texas, which is not exactly a ragingly liberal state. The largest state, California, ranks number 7, even though its first surge occurred earlier when the virus was at its worst.

Georgia and Florida are tied for the rate of death, with only New York (early surge) and Michigan slightly higher.

Only five states have a poorer vaccination rate than Georgia; they are all small, very red states.  

Kemp closed down the state late compared to other states but was also the first to open back up. He brags about this grave miscalculation in his advertising. Sort of like, "Yay! Our state is open for bidness! Grandma's dead, but we're open!"

DeSantis openly berated people wearing masks, including school kids. Rebekah Jones, a Florida data scientist, was fired from her position at the Florida Department of Health for speaking out about how Florida officials were manipulating COVID data, trying to make the state look like it was doing better. 

And yet...

DeSantis has a formidable lead to win re-election.

Kemp is in a tighter race but is better than even money to pull out a victory.

I'm going to be blunt about it.

These politicians and their policies resulted in many unnecessary deaths. And I hold them responsible.

The fact that the majority of voters in those two states will most likely not, shows how ugly our politics have grown.

Some of you may be able to forget what they've done.

I will not.

Sunshiney Monday Musings

 This is a picture of my church.  Grace Episcopal in downtown Waycross.  We are undergoing a transition as our Reverand of 11 years has retired.

I'm happy to report that our attendance has remained high, and many are pitching in to help the church continue to function and thrive.  It may be a while before we have a new priest, but our faith and people keep us strong.

Speaking of witch, we are having one of our major events of the year, Holy Ghost Weenie Roast.  It's a church celebration, including a service and plenty of fun!  All are invited!

Two of my friends, Julianna Leverett (painting) and Cathy Dee Janes (photography), had entries in the Annual Okefenokee Heritage Center Arts Contest.  I went to the Heritage Center Thursday and saw the fantastic local art.  The winners were announced Sunday (I think), but I don't know who they were.

I've been looking for a focus for this coming second year of my retirement (in addition to writing), and I have set the far-fetched goal of learning enough about drawing to enter next year's contest.  I would not anticipate winning, but I would like to become good enough to enter.  Wish me luck!

Although plans to see my Grandaughter this Thanksgiving have fallen through, we are now planning a major trip this Spring.  When one door falls shut, another one springs open!

Musingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

The Lady or the Duck?

 

The lady or the duck? Or cat? We can look at the same thing and see different things. One thing can be two things.  

The world is filled with joy and wonder, but it is also filled with sadness and terror. One day we see hope on the horizon. The next, we see nothing but despair and the promise of a better tomorrow fizzle away.

One day you feel that you have done the best you can and helped make a better future for yourself and the ones you love. The next, you feel overwhelmed by how you have fallen short, and even the things you thought you did well were just an illusion.

It may seem I'm referring to bipolar or other health problems. These are serious concerns that need to be addressed, but it is not what I'm centering on here. Instead, this is the natural fluctuation most of us experience.

I once tried out for a play that was several counties over from where I lived. I knew no one else in the group. I went to prepare for a reading with another person I had been assigned to audition with. I tried to be helpful, giving my best advice as to how we could improve our performance and make a good impression. I thought what I suggested must have worked because we both got good parts in the play.

Later, when we had successfully performed our play (winning the Best Play Award for a seven-county theatre association), she told me she had initially thought I was an ass, that she thought it was weird for this person out of nowhere to give her advice on how to audition. Turns out, she was an insider in the theatre group and was pretty much pre-picked to get the role she did. One day, I did a good deed. The next, I was an ass.

I've always battled the fear my whole life that people talk to you one way to your face and another way when you're not there. And that many things you think you're doing right, you're actually doing wrong. They think you're bossy, and you think you're making positive input. You think you're shy and reserved, and they think you're sullen and mean. You speak out with passion, and all they hear is you're out of control. You think you're giving them a book, and they think you're forcing something on them and cluttering their living quarters.

You think you're creating a special occasion for people, and they think you're intruding on what they really want to do, and what they really want to do may not involve you.

I know it's impossible to please everyone all the time. Still, not knowing whether you're doing more harm than good is frustrating. 

And, on a broader scale, it gets frustrating thinking there is hope for the world, that we will straighten up, take on problems like global warming, the income gap, universal health care, and become stronger in democracy and diversity. And then I see it all slipping away as I see so many denying the climate crisis that confronts us, when they choose politicians who run based on hate and fear and who do not value democratic processes, when they descend on public libraries and demand to demonize and exclude others, when one brutal narcissist* gets away with multiple crimes, when we refuse to face our complex past, and so much more.

Please don't read too much into this. I never promised you a blog of nothing but puppy uppers. Sometimes there are doggy downers. I promise to try to be more upbeat next time.

Of course, even if I am upbeat, I can't promise some might misconstrue it anyways.

Sigh.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.**

*I'm referring to Trump, of course.  

**Charles Dickens, from A Tale of Two Cities.