(no subject)

[rm]

While there is much to find disturbing in this article http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/23/politics/campaign/23vote.html

the following particularly sets off my "I've got a bad feeling about this" warning bell:

Reno Oradini, the Cuyahoga County election board attorney, said a challenge would in effect create impromptu courts at polling places as workers huddled to resolve a dispute and cause delays in voting.

Impromptu courts are how bad things happen -- they are the hallmark of neither an organized society nor one at peace. I realize the speaker there probably chose that language specifically for that reason, because everyone on both sides needs to be afraid and alert and vigilant right now to get what they want, but oi!

There's practically no doubt in my mind that we will have (hopefully limited) incidents of violence at some polling places on Nov. 2.

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly wondering if there will be much difference between this sort of nonsense and the gangs of official thugs who show up at polling places in some of the more dubious 3rd world nations to make certain that people vote for the person in power. It's chilling to realize how exactly bad things have gotten. I'm reminded of the feeling I (and pretty much everyone else in LA) got during the LA riots of the early 90s, when the state deployed troops in full combat gear. The shock of seeing city streets patrolled by armed soldiers was profound and produced another feeling that I was in a troubled 3rd world state.