...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, July 12, 2004
      ( 10:07 AM )
 
Constitution Schmonstitution

So what if the Constitution says specifically that national elections MUST take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November? Who cares if one of the most embedded and basic tenants of the Constitution is to keep the state separate from the church? These things are merely details that can be overcome. So says this administration.

The debate about gay marriage is a total red herring. The Congress can't debate anything else that is an issue for Americans - I don't know, like revising that horrible health care bill, or perhaps discussing computer voting machines, creating jobs or maybe getting rid of those tax cuts for the rich that have blown up our deficits? Nope, we have to debate the idea of whether the Constitution should be overthrown for one of its basic tenants: separation of church and state (not to mention equal protection). Well, if the GOP wants to focus on trying to "sanctify" marriage itself, fine. But the rest of us have better things to focus on. Their total denial of the Constitution is no longer shocking. It's almost tiring to think about how ludicrous these things are. It's time to get rid of this farce of an administration.

But even WORSE... Tom Ridge is looking into how our national elections can be postponed if there is a terrorist attack. That's right folks. They're not even TRYING to hide their hubris anymore - they're not even trying to fake that they are going to do everything they can to either steal the election or at least make sure it never happens.

As a result, sources tell NEWSWEEK, Ridge's department last week asked the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel to analyze what legal steps would be needed to permit the postponement of the election were an attack to take place. Justice was specifically asked to review a recent letter to Ridge from DeForest B. Soaries Jr., chairman of the newly created U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Soaries noted that, while a primary election in New York on September 11, 2001, was quickly suspended by that state's Board of Elections after the attacks that morning, "the federal government has no agency that has the statutory authority to cancel and reschedule a federal election." Soaries, a Bush appointee who two years ago was an unsuccessful GOP candidate for Congress, wants Ridge to seek emergency legislation from Congress empowering his agency to make such a call. Homeland officials say that as drastic as such proposals sound, they are taking them seriously—along with other possible contingency plans in the event of an election-eve or Election Day attack. "We are reviewing the issue to determine what steps need to be taken to secure the election," says Brian Roehrkasse, a Homeland spokesman.

There IS no legal way to postpone elections. It would not be unreasonable to have a contingency plan if the elections are LITERALLY interrupted by a terrorist attack. But if some sort of event happens before the election or something else occurs that doesn't directly keep people from voting, then this is a moot point. They would have to change the Constitution to make this happen, which of course is impossible.

If people are willing to let THIS go by, then it will be obvious we have finally become a nation of unthinking sheep. I hope this is not the case.

UPDATE: Kos has a good review of this issue, and there are great comments too.

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