VIDEO: "The Original Knickerbocker" - Washington Irving (tags)
Washington Irving was an American author best known for his fictional works, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" & "Rip Van Winkle." Andrew Burstein discusses his book, "The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving."
Scandal: Did Expatriate & SoldierVote COUNT? (tags)
U.S. CitiZeNs; ON The FrontLines Of Int. Relations- DID Expat. & SoldierVote get Left Behind? A Pivotal, Hotly contested 'election of a lifetime' spurring Worldwide interest saw OverSeas Voters registration increase fourfold as these Americans are the Country's spokespeople, and best face forward. Recalcitrant insistence on conflict creating perpetual war, was on the table for We Decide, you saw the BillBoards reminding US whose Will was to be measured- The People's! RiP van Winkle Voters came out of the woodwork, contributing herculean volunteer efforts & enthusiasm were unprecendented and encouraging. NEVER in U.S. Presidential politics have MASSIVE crowds shown up to endorse an incumbent. But to throw out, Reject malfeasence and Get Rid of incompetence! The 51st state, as American's abroad were called because of it's swing potential, an estimated 4million civilians and 500,000 military, of course many in dubious, difficult, dangerous and DeaDly situations, it's numbers giving it an impact larger than the 24 smallest states. Participation was cool this time, many expressing eager desire to voice their vote. Also though, a haunting anxiety that the systemic flaws characteristic of confusing procedures and snafus investigated by the GAO in previous efforts at smooth and fair election process run by a mosaic of federal & state agencies would DisCount NOT AcCount accurately the absentee Vote. Expatriates tend heavily liberal, outnumber military significantly and the soldiers especially rank and file were said to be more mixed, varied not so monolothic, or predictable as usually seen said veterans of multiple elections. However, the pentagon, which for some reason took over from the state department, the handling of ballots, was criticized for registration websites not working, unequal mishandling of the CivilianVote, absentee ballots mailed late in 8 of 15 swing states, ballots hard to get, too many hoops to jump through and doubts whether they would get back in time, count and be honored fairly as a private firm owned by a republican donor and of the reelection team, was handling ballots historically counted at local levels. Typically 8% of absentee votes are discarded, with Bush possibly winning the popular vote by 2-3%, HOW assured at Legit can we be? when you also ADD the percents lost of provisionals thrown out, the undervotes thrown out, unequal distribution of election hardware, not random in the stunting of turnout toward one of the choices, including GAINS from unreal certification of results with more votes than voters, when the long lines were in the democratic precints!. Registration going up, up, UP Machines going DOWN, down, down, DOH! What level of fraud is sufficient to BeSmirch Confidence? Reports below abound of systemic pre-election suppression and NOW BlackOut and silence of OverSeas results are Signs of a Sinister Scandal. These OverSeas American's are ambassadors, this vote should not be treated cavalierly but be traceable, honored and COUNTED, foreigners, frontlines in someone elses HomeLand, they REALLY understand Vote or Die. I asked my roomate for a historical quote which could speak to this unseemly realization, scenario we've allowed to happen? She said there is NONE, because it has never happened before. So I say, an UNprecendented, UNheard of, UNfair, UNacceptable, UNnatural Results can only be Remedied, Adjudicated, Balanced by SomeThing that hasn't happened before a NewVote to Ameliorate this WaterShed MoMent! POST AS COMMENTS WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, FOUND OUT, RESEARCHED ON THE ACCURACY & VALIDITY OF OVERSEAS VOTE COUNTS. NO SoldiersVote Left Behind.