Monday Morning Update: 11/04/24

I am not okay. You may want to take anything I say with a grain of salt and double-check my sources. I’ve already had to delete a post and a couple of Facebook messages this morning. I apologize if anyone was offended. Yes, I’m sober. I’ve had a headache for the past four days, though, and have moments where I completely lose track of reality. Yes, I sent a message to my doctor this morning. No, I don’t expect it to help. The best thing for me to do is keep to myself and not post anything stupid.

Kat will be back at the house this afternoon. She misses the kids (maybe me). The cats are still going to be an issue, though. She was shaving yesterday and accidentally brushed her finger across the blade. The resulting cut, though small, took an hour to stop bleeding. In my opinion, she needs to be wrapped in soft foam. Bubble wrap is useless because the cats like to play with that. She’s still planning on trying to take a couple of clients on Thursday and possibly Friday. If she sees someone on Friday afternoon, G will be there in case there’s a problem. I don’t know about Thursday, though.

Tipper spent the weekend with friends. I’m amazed that they’re willing to travel an hour to pick her up. She says she had “the best fucking time ever.” I told her to watch her language. They’re all furries, and, as a group, walked through their small town while wearing furry heads. No one bothered them and one person even stopped them to show off their pictures of a furry convention. She also came back with a robotic skeleton on her right arm. It’s a good thing she goes to a school that doesn’t mind. I’m sure that one day in the future she’s going to walk in with a full sleeve done. The trip was exhausting apparently. She came home and crashed. I didn’t see her again until this morning.

G is headed to the Purdue University campus at Ft. Wayne this morning for a field trip. I’m rather curious as to why they would consider Ft. Wayne when there are closer options. He has a set of questions to ask and is looking forward to trying out the food. He’s growing up fast and I fear I’m going to blink and he’ll be off to college. He spent much of yesterday playing with his new sewing machine. I’m now the proud owner of two small pouches. make of felt. He’s not pleased with them, but I think they’re rather impressive. No, I have no idea what this kid is going to do with his life. I’m pretty sure it will be impressive, though.

There have been some server issues with the website overnight. I woke up to go to the restroom a little after 3:00 and discovered multiple messages about the site not being accessible. When I sat down and tried to troubleshoot the problem, I got no response. That always makes me so happy [sarcasm]. After trying a couple of things, I finally bit the bullet and opened a support ticket. I hate doing that. Problems are usually small and something I could have fixed on my end. I feel stupid when that happens. This time, though, it was an issue that required technicians to fix. Everything should be up and running now.

The crushing news this morning is the death of long-time music producer Quincy Jones. This hurts in ways I can’t express. As long as I’ve been alive, Quincy Jones has been making music. I was still in grade school when I first heard his name. I’ve spent hours studying the music he produced, finding the special, subtle touches that made his records exceptional. As he’s become less active in recent years, I firmly believe his absence is a significant part of why contemporary music doesn’t have the hold of music he produced in the 60s-90s. The music industry can never be the same without him.

Tornadoes were a problem in Oklahoma over the weekend. Storms hit the greater Oklahoma City area, encompassing everything from the University of Oklahoma campus at Norman to pretty much everything eastward along I-40. The town of Choctaw took a pretty good hit and I’m told the tiny town of Hannah (pop. 102) was pretty much blown off the map. Miraculously, as of this morning, there are no deaths reported. While tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, we mostly associate them with spring weather patterns. A November storm this strong is still rare, but we’ve seen more of them in the last few years. Climate change, anyone?

To ensure accuracy, I’m going to lift this next part directly from the Associated Press: “The trial of eight people in Paris on terrorism charges started on Monday over the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed by an Islamic extremist after showing caricatures of Islam’s prophet to his middle school students for a lesson on freedom of expression.

Paty’s shocking death left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. Paty was killed outside his school near Paris on Oct. 16, 2020, by an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, who was shot to death by police.”

This is what happens when religion is out of control. This is why making sure we DO NOT elect Christian Nationalists is important. Don’t think for a second that these extremists wouldn’t do similar things here. They’re dangers to all of society and need to be stopped.

The New York Times is following conversations on the Telegram app where right-wing groups are already beginning to organize as they plan to take action in response to tomorrow’s election. Fueling this danger is the Republican nominee himself who now says he ‘shouldn’t have left’ the White House. His rhetoric over the past week has grown dark and brooding. There’s trouble brewing and law enforcement is largely helpless to try and stop it. This could get very nasty over the next few days.

As you look around the various news sites today, you’re going to see a number of variously-angled articles on what to watch during tomorrow’s election. Let me give you my own list:

• Senate Races. The US Senate has been as close as possible with only one seat separating the majority, often resulting in deadlock. As prescribed, a third of the seats are up for grabs. I’m especially concerned that Indiana nut job Jim Banks is running for the seat Mike Braun vacates in his run for Governor. As bad a senator as Braun was, Banks would be 1000 times worse, putting education, women’s rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights on the chopping block. ONE VOTE could change the entire course of the US.
• House Races. The margin of majority in the House has been pretty slim for quite a while. All of these fuckers are up for re-election. Think of the deadlock that has kept anything from happening over the past four years. No, it’s not the President’s fault. These jackasses can’t manage to get a bill to his desk! Expect to see a number of seats change butts, but watch…
• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. While he’s up for re-election, no one seems to think that his seat is in any danger. Here’s the rub: the Speaker has a lot of power during an election. If he sees that the vote count isn’t favoring Republicans, he can open investigations, demand recounts, and threaten state officials with lawsuits. Do we trust this idiot? Not one bit. Pay attention if you see his ugly mug pop up on your television. It won’t be good news.
• Poll watchers. Both parties have them, but right-wing extremists are the ones most likely to cause a disruption at the polls. This is an intimidation tactic often deployed in underdeveloped countries in support of dictators.
• An early and unsubstantiated claim of victory. There have been numerous reports that the Orange Felon may declare victory shortly after the polls close in Arizona. Such an inappropriate claim is designed to give him support among followers should the actual count show him losing. This is all it will take to fuel violence. If it happens, take cover.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I’m not looking forward to voting tomorrow. I will, but I won’t feel good about it. The weather forecast predicts rain. The lines will be long. I’ll have to stand the entire time. I worry whether my vote will be counted, or if it will matter. I’m a Blue voter in a historically Red state. I’m used to being disappointed, but this time the consequences could be a matter of life or death for too many people I care about. The ACLU of Indiana has published this notice:

For help at the polls, or if you believe your rights have been violated, the quickest way to get help is by calling the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (Spanish: 1-888-839-8682), or texting MYVOTE to 866-687-8683.

If you witness what you feel is voter intimidation, which is highly possible this year, the ACLU has the following recommendations:

Your rights 

• It’s illegal to intimidate voters and a federal crime to “intimidate, threaten, [or] coerce … any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of [that] other person to vote or to vote as he may choose.” 

Examples of voter intimidation 

• Aggressively questioning voters about their citizenship, criminal record, or other qualifications to vote. 
• Falsely representing oneself as an elections official. 
• Displaying false or misleading signs about voter fraud and related criminal penalties. 
• Other forms of harassment, particularly harassment targeting non-English speakers and voters of color. 
• Spreading false information about voter requirements.
  • You do not need to speak English to vote.
  • You do not need to pass a test to vote. 

What to do if you experience voter intimidation 

• Report intimidation to the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en español). 
• Report intimidation to your local election officials. Their offices will be open on Election Day. 

I don’t see how I can make the matter any more clear. This could be the vote of your life. This vote could save your life. YOU HAVE TO VOTE. Staying home or voting for a third party guarantees an outcome you will not like, and yes, this time there will be consequences that affect you.

My head is hurting so badly now I quite literally can’t see straight. I’m eating breakfast, taking my meds, turning off the lights, and going to bed. Don’t @ me. Don’t call me. Don’t text me.

Just fucking vote!