] Roy Michael Moore has squatted for several years in a
] cave at the US nuclear weapons facility Los Alamos
] National Laboratory. His solar-powered home features a
] glass door, stove, and marijuana garden. After smoke from
] his stove alerted authorities, Moore was busted for
] possession, posted bail, and was released. His website
] micromike.com explains his scientific and philosophical
] theories about cosmology and astrophysics.

Boing Boing: Los Alamos hermit - Its Lazlo!

] In February, the president's new budget will probably
] call for sizable cuts in almost every program except
] defense and homeland security.
]
] "Then will begin a long fight ... that will not just
] cause tremendous discomfort to Democrats but will rend
] the Republican Party," says Robert Reischauer, president
] of the Urban Institute in Washington.
]
]"The next four years are going to be unusually challenging
] from the standpoint of America's economic stewardship,"
] warns Stephen Roach, chief economist of Morgan Stanley,
] an investment firm. "Never before has the United States
] pushed the envelope to this degree.... The US economy is
] an accident waiting to happen."

Roach's complete comments are here:
http://www.morganstanley.com/GEFdata/digests/20040823-mon.html
He is referring to debt problems that many economists have been sounding the alarm about for over a year

After all, goes the logic, the world has learned to live with America’s outsize deficits. Why can’t it continue to do so indefinitely? In my view, this is yet another example of the “greater fool theory” that took NASDAQ to 5000 four and a half years ago. All the classic symptoms of a US current-account adjustment are now evident.

Red states won - now the red ink | csmonitor.com

] A U.S. judge has handed down a jail sentence to a US
] spammer recommending that he stay behind bars for nine
] years.

Technology News: Security: US Spammer Facing Nine Years in Jail

] The most intense speculation centers on Secretary of
] State Colin L. Powell, whose rumored retirement would
] reconfigure the war team and perhaps lead to a broader
] reshuffling of Bush's national security team. Powell,
] however, has told friends he might stay for a few months
] or well into next year.

Lost of speculation here, including about Rumsfeld.

The Post seems to spin John Danforth as being connected to the fundamentalists, but other sources (including earlier post articles) seem to indicate that he is a moderate.

President to Consider Changes for New Term (washingtonpost.com)

] The Congress may, if two thirds of each House agree,
] reverse a judgment of the United States Supreme Court--
]
] (1) if that judgment is handed down after the date of the
] enactment of this Act; and
]
] (2) to the extent that judgment concerns the
] constitutionality of an Act of Congress.

Once again, these changes can only be accomplished by Constitutional amendment. Not by passing a law. This proposal would make Congress, and not the Constitution, the ultimate arbiter of law. It has 26 cosponsors.

Another anti-court bill

Things are often funny because they are true. I'm watching the Daily Show right now, and they just made a point that made me laugh out loud at first and then, well, it really pissed me off. It goes back to previous comments I've made about the split in this country being urban vs. rural.

As we know, voters for Bush overwhelming said Moral Values and Terrorism where their top concerns in the election. Voters for Kerry cited Iraq and the Economy. See the BBC article in my MemeStream.

Now, consider that by and large the "Red States" where people are really concerned about Terrorism are places where there is almost no practical risk of a Terrorist attack. Al'Q is not going to set off a dirty bomb in Nebraska. Al'Q is not going to deploy chemical weapons in Arkansas. Al'Q is not going to crash airplanes into buildings in Montana. There are several exceptions to this, but most of the places where the risk of Terrorism exists are "Blue States."

Manhatten, where terrorist attacks actually occured, and is still the highest risk area, voted Kerry by 82%!
Washington DC, where terrorist attacks actually occured, and is still the second highest risk area, voted Kerry by 90%!

Furthermore, even in "Red States" any terrorist attack is still likely to happen in an Urban area. The urban counties in Atlanta went Kerry by 60% and 73%.

The Daily show went on to note that the gay people that the Red states are so concerned about also tend to live in urban areas.

Their response, from New York, was to thank the Red States for "saving us from ourselves."

It appears that Bush has won. It appears that the Republicans have control of the House and Senate. This is a complete victory for the Reds.

I offer the following predictions:

On the WOT:

Iraq will slowly become an Islamic fundamentalist state. The U.S. will be largely out of there within a year and on to Pakistan. We'll get Bin Laden, but Islamic Fundamentalism will continue to fester and will rear it's head again in a decade or so. Bush will be seen as having won the WoT in the short term. You'll feel safe. You'll focus on domestic issues in the next election.

Domestic:

The economy will improve considerably as the security concerns wane. The social security nightmare looms. You will see safety valves that allow wealthy people to protect their savings from the coming cataclysm. If you are smart you will save as much as you can over the coming years.

You'll see some barking about a flat tax. I don't think it will actually happen in this session. They are setting the stage for 2008.

You'll get faster internet access, from freed RBOCs. You'll see hydrogen infrastructure appear in the odd place like electric car chargers are today.

The health care situation will continue to deteriorate. I do not take the Republican's proposals on this matter seriously. I'm not saying they won't make a serious proposal. This issue is impacting our international competitiveness. I'm saying they haven't made a serious proposal yet.

I predict that you will see an amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed within a year. I believe that several amendments will be passed within 4 years.

Early:
Gay Marriage
Flag Desecration

Later on:
Abortion Ban
Public (Read as Government) Display of Religious Iconography
Prayer in School

Maybe:
Victim's Rights (Which is a misnomer. Read as "Plaintiff Right's" in MOST contexts. FYI this is the only one on the list that is bi-partisan. I say maybe because it has logical flaws you could fly a plane through, and it doesn't have widespread grassroots support.)

You will see federal legislation passed in the next four years which contains a passage which says that its Constitutionality cannot be challenged in a Court. That law will be declared Unconstitutional by a Court. This will set the stage for what I would call the "big one." Once all of these amendments have been passed the amendment machine will be geared up to make significant changes to the way that government works. That change will entail limiting the power of the Courts as a check upon the Legislature and the Executive. I think thats where the vector points. I'm not going to say anything else about that. I don't think that anyone will propose it for several years. We'll talk about it then.

Democrats:

Its over. The Democrats have to significantly reformulate. I haven't figured out how I think they'll do it. One word I heard on CNN last night about what Blues are likely to feel in the face of this was alienation.

On a personal note, I'm not impressed with the widespread support for the Gay Marriage ban amendments. Are we really saying that America hates fags? Why is this a central goal for religious people? Why do Christians focus on homosexuals, as opposed to, say, feeding the poor, or peace, or other things that Jesus was concerned with? Why do we care about this in particular? What does it say about who we are? What does it communicate about the values that are important to us?

] BALLOT MEASURES / GEORGIA AMENDMENT 1 / EXIT POLL

I'm surprised by the way different age groups voted. The Religious attendance breakdown is amusing. So is the breakdown by income.

Breakdown of GA Gay Marriage Ban

Inspired by Elonka and Rattle, I'll offer my feelings on this evening.

I've had several friends comment that they felt trepidation on the eve of this election... That excitement you once felt as you watched the polls close and the results pour in has been replaced with a sinking feeling in your stomach.

My friends blame 2000. They say they're worried about whether this election will be resolved simply and legitimately.

I think it goes deeper then that. We are a deeply divided nation. Whatever the results of this election, they will be terribly bad for a large number of people who live here. Zogby says that most people won't accept the legitimacy of their opponent's government if their side looses. That worry isn't just about the outcome. Its about what happens afterward.

If Kerry wins the Reds will howl. They'll scream and kick. They'll hate him. More then they hated Clinton. More then the leftists hate Bush. They'll hate him absolutely and they will rail against every decision that he makes. They'll also hate the crazy "do whatever" liberals who put him in office. You'll have about a third of the country acting toward the President with about the level of rational objectivity shown by those who think Bush knew about 9/11 and attacked Afghanistan to build an oil pipeline. A third of the country will act like the "Swift Boat Veterans" all the time.

But they'll have the Congress, and they'll get what they want most of the time, and that may temper them.

If Bush wins cleanly the Blues will be forced to stop pretending that his Presidency is illegitimate. They'll be completely marginalized, loosing control of the Presidency, both houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court. The Democrats with have absolutely no power in the federal government. They will loose much of their middle ground interests and the Reds will be able to successfully pursue some of their more radical interests. Ultimately, the Blues will have to come to terms with the fact that their problem is not with one man nor one election, but with a majority of the American electoral power if not the majority of the American people.

How will they react? Will they attack the electoral college? Will they attack the Senate? The distribution of seats in the House? Will the cities see brain drain as their elite split for warmer pastures in more liberal countries? How will the Blues reformulate their strategy when faced not with a single person to focus their energies on, but with an entire nation?

If Bush wins cleanly the Democrats will find themselves in a very, very deep strategic hole which will probably take years and years to dig out of.

If Bush wins controversially, the Blues will find themselves just as marginalized, and yet still not fully comprehending why, and even more furious about their position, thinking it unfair and illegal. The result will be explosive protest.

None of these scenarios is comforting... The political future of this country promises to continue to be very intense.

You are about to be punched in the stomach. That sinking feeling is your heart wondering which direction the swing is going to come from.

] So c'mon America, lets make this work. C'mon Congress, get
] serious on this and hold hearings and let's get to the
] bottom of why a report of 4 out of 10 "carries the day".
] If we must, let's look at how we electronically transmit
] trillions of dollars all around the world and use that
] same knowledge and technology to transmit military votes.
] Lets look at how we electronically transmit secure TOP
] SECRET messages all around the world and lets use that
] same knowledge and technology to transmit military votes
] so our troops don't lose their right to vote because the
] mail didn't catch up to them.

A blisteringly angry commentary on the failure of the DOD voting website.

Votes Don't Count?