A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Richard A. Stitt

"As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know."

-- Donald Rumsfeld, Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing

Some of that statement actually might make some sense if you assume there are some things we know from past elections that certainly apply today. But who could have known that a word as simple as "refine" could make Barack Obama call a separate press conference to explain what he meant by the word refine when he said he'd listen to the military commanders on the ground in Iraq and refine his strategy based on what they told him? To Republicans, that translates into "flip-flop" and a reversal of his earlier positions on ending the Iraq War.

Because of a virtual explosion of bloggers, instant news and simple words such as "refine" taking on new meaning, we have become more divided than ever. Everything is scrutinized. Remember Clinton's "It depends on what is is?"

I see this election as a quadrennial exercise, comparable to the Olympic Games or the World Cup soccer championships. Our guy versus your guy every four years, so let's bring out the tailgate parties and do it up right.

Therefore, for the upcoming election, here are a few things that we know we know:

1. The Confederate flag. When it's not an issue in non-presidential elections, it becomes a rallying cry for the good ol' boys during general election years when they demand that their "Southern Heritage" must be expressed by waving the Confederate flag over the capitol rotundas of the former slave-owning states. Any initiative that appears on these states' ballots is sure to energize and bring out the Republican base.

2. Guns. Even when there's no controversy, i.e., guns are now allowed almost anywhere and not just any old guns. With "only" 270 million guns already in the hands of Americans, approximately 9 guns for every 10 citizens, the NRA says we need more guns.

The NRA demands that anyone and everyone should be able to keep and bear a loaded AK-47, AR-15, fully automatic, nuclear-tipped ammo ready for Yankee-huntin' or anyone trying to regulate (some might have the audacity to call it protect) 4-year-old kids at home from being able to play with guns and shoot each others' neighbor kids, wipe out the entire family, or shoot themselves accidentally.

Nosiree-bob, the NRA now wants total unregulated, no restrictions, no safety requirements or training -- just good old-fashioned anarchy where it's every man for himself. Sounds kinda radical and apoplectic huh?

For those who don't follow Texas politics as closely as did the late Molly Ivins, here's an excerpt from a story that appeared recently in the Austin Texas Statesman: "Governor Rick Perry stated that Texans who are licensed to carry a firearm should be able to pack heat wherever they wish. 'I think it makes sense for Texans to be able to protect themselves from deranged individuals, whether they're in church, or whether on a college campus or wherever they are,' Governor Perry told reporters after meeting with education officials to discuss the Virginia Tech disaster. 'The idea that you're going to exempt them [guns] from a particular place is nonsense to me'."

3. Taxpayer dollars to support stamping Jesus and Christian crosses on state vehicle license plates. No Star of David or other religious symbols have been proposed so far, but maybe they should also be allowed. What about Wiccams, Muslims, Hindus, Shintoism, Confucianism? You know the mantra: "I want support for my religion, not yours."

Soon we may have the activist, partisan Republican U. S. Supreme Court pentad of Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia (RATS) plus one so-called swing vote, Anthony Kennedy, jumping into the fray by eviscerating the Establishment clause (the dream of the Religious Right) of the First Amendment. They'll replace it with a new interpretation (essentially writing their own law as they did with Bong Hits 4 Jesus) based on Texas's Supreme Court "Exorcism is good for you" decision supporting religious dogma that inculcates the use of violence and physical abuse against its congregants.

4. One final point. After the 2000 election, We the People were promised that there would be no more fiascos such as the Republican-owned and operated Dieblod voting machines that occurred in 2000. Tens of thousands of votes in Florida, for example, were tossed out due to "over-votes" even when it was clear which candidate, Gore or Bush, the citizen was voting for. Conveniently for the Republicans, far more votes were trashed in districts and precincts with heavy Democratic Party registration.

Yes, we were promised election reform and tamper-proof computer voting machines after the elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006, but guess what? Almost eight years later, there has been no national standard or legislation protecting voters from computer hackers and Republican-instigated election fraud.

There is one thing in this election that we know we can expect: in close state elections such as Ohio and Florida were in 2000 and 2004, Barack Obama's current 5% lead in the major polls over John McCain may well trigger the Republicans' Five Percent Doctrine -- meaning that if the election is within that 5% range, the advantage goes to the Republican owners and operators of the computer voting machines that may be more easily hacked into than in the previous two national elections.

Democrats may well "lose" another election to the depraved, corrosive, corrupt Republican political apparatchik. Even if the exit polls presage a significant lead or convincing win by Barack Obama, we could well see the "surprise" vote tally suddenly and mysteriously shift to John McCain.

The Republicans' Five Percent Doctrine is the push bet that automatically goes to the Republicans who have the software and codes to hack into and alter the voting machine results. It hasn't failed them in the last two presidential elections and there's every reason to suspect it may once again work in their favor in November.

The only way that doctrine may not work is if Barack Obama builds a 10% or 15% lead in the polls during the last two weeks before the election. No doubt, the Republicans have a 10% Doctrine backup plan for just such "emergencies."

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

Richard A. Stitt
Austin, TX

 

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