Month: October 2004

Bush Today:

I made it very plain. We will not have an all-volunteer army.

I really try to avoid the “tinfoil hat” stuff out there in Internet-land. But after 3 debates’ worth of snapshots of the weird wrinkle on Bush’s back, I really have to ask, what IS that thing?

I suspect it’s a flak vest of some sort and the Secret Service won’t let anyone confirm it … but who knows?

Wasn’t really inspired to blog much about the last debate.

One comment though — I think the most telling moment of the debate was when Bush was asked about what he would say to a person whose job had been sent overseas. His response? To talk about “No Child Left Behind”. Again. As if the testing of grade school children has any bearing at all on the predicament an adult who is out of work today.

As if he eventually realized that the quality of public school education was not really appropriate as an answer, he belatedly mentionted that there is trade adjustment assistance money available to help people whose jobs have gone away retrain for new jobs.

Interesting, I though, I’ll have to check into that. One quick Google later, I find that even the Heritage Foundation — hardly a bastion of liberalism — calls the TAA program inadequate and flawed.

Typical.

Last night, a classmate noted to our Statistics teacher that there’s a class on Election Night, and would he consider cancelling class. Unfortunately the teacher refused, so now I get to decide whether to cut class or be incommunicado from roughly 5PM to 11PM PST that night.

I think it’s very much up in the air whether we’ll know who wins on Election Night or not. Given the rumblings in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, and elsewhere, it may well be that the morning after Election Day we’ll see a tidal wave of lawsuits and accusations, and will not know who won for weeks. Again.

On the other hand, the poll numbers are starting to shift in Kerry’s favor. It could happen that a Kerry win will be of sufficent numbers to make it clear that despite any shenanigans, real or attempted, Kerry’s victory will be secure. I well remember how happy and relieved I felt in 1992 when Clinton won. If something similar happens again I want to be there for it in real time.

Or God forbid, the reverse could happen. In which case I will have to drink myself into oblivion for a while and then start trying to figure out how to survive the next 4 years.

Either way, I think I want to be at home, or with friends, watching the events unfold.

Sorry, Professor.