Bang the Drum

…and maybe Senate. It’s within reach. It would be a happy, happy day for me.

Here’s how I voted on the ballot initiatives:

• 1A- Transportation Funding Protection: Yes
• 1B – Yes
• 1C – Yes
• 1D – Yes
• 1E – Yes
• Prop. 83 (Registered Sex Offenders) – NO
• Prop. 84 (Water Quality) – YES
• Prop. 85 (Parental Notification) – NO, NO, NO
• Prop. 86 (Cigarette Tax) – NO, NO, NO
• Prop. 87 (Alternative Energy) – Yes, Yes YES
• Prop. 88 (Education Property Tax) – NO
• Prop. 89 (Political Campaigns) – NO
• Prop. 90 (Eminent Domain) – NO, NO, NO
• Candidates: Straight Democratic Ticket, Against Republicans

Technorati Tags: California, ballot initiatives, slate

Pat Buchanan, that advocate for separation of church and state (NOT) had an interesting analysis of the current disillusionment among evangelical Christians:

Although Buchanan didn’t point fingers at Haggard, he conceded that the political disillusionment may drive a wedge between religion and politics for the Evangelicals and fundamentalists who have come to see the political and the religious as one and the same.

Buchanan said there’s some validity to the belief some conservative Christians feel that they have come to close too power and that power corrupts.

Some Evangelicals, Buchanan said, may even consider withdrawing from the political arena, as they were before the 1970s and 80s, and take an example from the Catholic Church, where priests stay out of politics.

Oh, if only they would. And maybe while they’re at it, they could lose the party association, too. As a lifelong Democrat, I get a little tired of having to be the apologist for the maniacs who claim to speak for me.

From your lips to God’s ears, Pat.

Technorati Tags: Pat Buchanan, religion, politics, Ted Haggard

9 ways you can cover tomorrow’s election.

It’s just bizarre to me to think that our elections are being monitored for problems by international observers. How low have we sunk?

Two things that everyone should do on Election Day: 1) Vote; and 2) Be watchful. If you see any abuse or misbehavior at the polls, document it. I’m not calling out for folks to randomly photograph polling places — but if there is abuse, it should be documented.

Hijinks abound already, including vote flipping on e-voting machines.

Update: Stanford Law School’s state-to-state guide for photographing polling places (in case you’re documenting)

Technorati Tags: Election 2006, e-voting, citizen journalism