Awhile back I contemplated and discussed the merits of voting with the killogs community. Convinced, resolved to vote, I googled for voting in Texas but was cockblocked! Texas only would allow me to vote absentee 60-days in advance since I am a registered voter there. Seeing that the price of exercising my democratic right would be that of a plane ticket my resolve soon "flip-flopped".
November surprise! I found out yesterday I can vote on a presidential only ballot in Connecticut even if I am not a registered voter in that state. All I would have to do is show up at the town hall and prove I lived in my town with a utility bill. Stuck five miles away at work I was once again discouraged, the price of exercising my democratic right would now be that of a cab ride.
So I devised a cunning plan. I would use my corporate American Express bill that comes to work, and simply walk to the town hall here in Stamford and claim I live at work. It worked, I voted. There is the problem of a little disclaimer on the bottom suggesting fraudulent information could result in a 1 to 5 year prison sentence, but hell if our solders can die out in the field I can risk jail time right?
So I've packed up and I'm on the run, convinced they are after me. I do intend on going somewhere I know they will never look, I'll be going there tonight.
I'll be down there getting high as the states on ice light up blue and red to denote our next great emperor. If anyone wants to meet up there give me a shout.
kiche [email] said at 9:12 AM 11-02-2004: i would be about this but i think i am going to be going to williamsburg tonite to watch the election on tv at somebody's apt.
beer needs to be a big part of this, either to enhance the joy of victory or soften the blow of defeat. and to calm my nerves during the entire ordeal.
i will email you my cell number, though just in case.
dave [email] said at 9:22 AM 11-02-2004: i just hope it's absolutely insane, like people rushing the ice and trying to paint the states the color of their choice.
NathanK said at 11:31 AM 11-02-2004: I really think this coverage is going to be nonsense, worthwhile only for Dan Rather's similes and madness. Crobar and Southpaw are also having parties - I'm going to check it in the morning.
meredith [email] said at 9:27 AM 11-02-2004: Does that presidential only ballot thing work in all states? If so, I should call my boyfriend and wake his ass up to go vote with his phone bill.
"According to Mencken's 'American Language' and the 'Thesaurus of American Slang' by Berry and Van den Bark, 'lam, lammister' and 'on the lam' -- all referring to hasty departure -- were common in thieves' slang before the start of this century. Mencken quotes a newspaper report on the origin of 'lam' which actually traces it indirectly back to Shakespeare's time -- 'Its origin should be obvious to anyone who runs over several colloquial phrases for leavetaking, such as 'beat it' and 'hit the trail'.The allusion in 'lam' is to 'beat,' and 'beat it' is Old English, meaning 'to leave.'
myriam [email] said at 12:02 PM 11-02-2004: that's so random... i love how they think it's obvious that "lam" means "beat."
in any case, i love "on the lamb"--i have this vision of you riding a sheep across state lines, kicking it with cowboy boot spurs... ah ha ha... sheeps are dumb and slow.
ericanm [email] said at 9:52 AM 11-02-2004: credit cards bills don't count as bills for this purpose. you need to use a utility bill or signed lease or both. take it from someone with nj id voting in dc.
julie [email] said at 10:00 AM 11-02-2004: I thought you were voting in NJ? Didn't you say that you and your new boss shared a meaningful glance over why you hadn't gotten DC residency yet?
drew [email] said at 10:21 AM 11-02-2004: i heard CNN was sending out press packets with little STATE stickers in red and blue. so, as the media announces each state's winner, you can fill up a little card cutout of the U.S. with each sticker.
how entertaining! seriously, the presidential election is like American Idol.
julie [email] said at 10:34 AM 11-02-2004: I have one of these! It was a fold-out ad in the New Yorker two weeks ago. I wonder what other magazines they put them into?
myriam [email] said at 10:51 AM 11-02-2004: we have that! we will be dutifully stickering as we get knackered from our red and blue jello shots and sugared up from our chocolate cupcakes. after all that we will be in the perfect state to attent this event. Bon Jovi and Sheryl Crow!!!!!!! WOW!
myriam [email] said at 5:32 PM 07-18-2008: Let me tell you, we did NOT get adequately liquored up for this event. I don't know it it would have been possible. I have never in my life seen so many people so utterly hopeless and dejected. Good grief.
julie [email] said at 11:47 AM 11-02-2004: So... you voted in the wrong district using an invalid form of I.D. because you were too cheap to pay for a 5-mile cab ride??? And you think your vote is actually going to count, and not be thrown out by the zillion lawyers just watching and waiting for voter fraud like yours? I'm sorry, but way to go, dude, you just wasted a vote.
I would have sent you cab fare, and I don't even know you.
dave [email] said at 12:06 PM 11-02-2004: #1) It's CT, i'm pretty certain i didn't need to go out and vote at all for my candidate to take the state.
#2) My ID isn't invalid, the only thing that was acutally fradulant was the address I provided, unless someone follows up on that I don't see why they wouldn't count it.
#3) They don't even count presidental ballots unless the general election is too close, so refer back to #1.
After all I thought voting was a "principle" thing, not a results thing. At least if you do not live in a swing state.
If you still want to send me the cab fare, it's like $10 or $15 bucks, you can send it to me at paypal (lettusb@yahoo.com).
myriam [email] said at 12:56 PM 11-02-2004: yep. from past responses. you must have impressed me or made me laugh because i have a vaguely postitive connotation with the name lettusb.
also it reminded me of an old grocery i used to pass on High St. in Alameda, CA where I grew up... which was named "Lettuce Beef Friends" which I thought was about the cleverest name ever.
dave [email] said at 1:09 PM 11-02-2004: when sisk offered me the opportunity to be lettusb or dave, i decided to finally come out of the blogging closet and expose the true nature of my louisianan evil.
Speaking of clever names, not sure if you know Arnie from the site here, but his sister once made us all vegetarian cookbooks called "Give peas a chance"
togotacoterry said at 9:18 AM 07-18-2008: i think lettuce beef friends was in san leandro on fairmont. could there have been two places with such an idiosyncratic name
myriam [email] said at 5:30 PM 07-18-2008: Random, I wonder if the place is still there!
It could easily have been on Fairmont--my grandparents lived in San Leandro and we headed back and forth all the time. I thought it was High St but I have been known to be very, very wrong...
Meanwhile, I'm glad I'm not the only one who savors this delectable name!
julie [email] said at 12:19 PM 11-02-2004: After all I thought voting was a "principle" thing, not a results thing.
Um, what?
#1): that kind of thinking only serves to keep people from going to the polls. What about a participatory democracy do you hate, exactly?
#2): I meant the address/bill you used.
#3): It's pretty common knowledge that this may be one of the closest races ever. The NYTimes was talking about a 269/269 split. So, what's YOUR definition of the race being "close"?
I already announced yesterday that I have no sense of humor about this election, so I hope you can bear that in mind. I happen to care a lot about the "results" of this election. And I hope you're right, that your vote was not necessary to carry your state. But I also hope you realize that treating a presidential election like some kind of goofy "I sure pulled the wool over THEIR eyes" trick is... well, appalling.
myriam [email] said at 12:28 PM 11-02-2004: um, he voted. why are you getting so uptight? he provided an address, which was verified and accepted at the polls, end of story.
dave [email] said at 12:36 PM 11-02-2004: please come out with me tonight, i've got like 50mg of valium i think you could use some and a few beers.
my vote if needed will almost definitely be counted, my post was meant to be lighthearted and jestful. I am not truely hiding out from the law at democracy plaza.
We do however disagree on something of a more serious nature. The presidental election is a joke in most of the country. Two parties jockey back and forth full of shit giving us the notion of a choice. Not acknowledging that my vote was a "principle" vote is pretty asnine. This is freaking Connecticut home of Joe Lieberman. This chance has as much of a chance of going for Bush as Texas does going for Kerry. I voted simple on the principle of voicing my opinion, my vote valid or invalid will have absolutely no bearing on this election.
kiche [email] said at 12:59 PM 11-02-2004: yeah, julie, i'm angry, i hate republicans, and i'm a little nervous, but i'm really starting to think kerry's gonn a win.
he has a real chance at it, barring republican election fraud a la 2000.
pokey@vegas said at 3:20 PM 11-02-2004: The Packers beat the Redskins which means the president will change. It's a tried and true indicator. If you doubt it, check out the google for Redskins + election.
dave [email] said at 12:43 PM 11-02-2004: Absolutely. Much as people were once promised 50 acres and a mule. The promise in CT was an actual sheep. I didn't see any Rams availabe so I took a cute cuddly lamb with a blue ribbon....
myriam [email] said at 5:29 PM 07-18-2008: wow, this is wayyyy sad in retrospect. To think we were worried about a resident of Connecticut voting with his work address instead of his home address...
