Tag Archives: fraud

Plain speaking…

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I like to think that finding a sitting President of the United States hectoring a state election official for over an hour to just make up results beneficial to the president’s reelection is unprecedented. Maybe it isn’t, but even if it’s not, it’s a rare enough occurrence that it’s something I’ve never heard of before during an adult lifetime keeping at least one eye on politics.

Having listened to the audio and read the transcript of President Trump’s call to the Georgia Secretary of State, it at best an utterly graceless act and at worst it’s a felonious attempt to subvert the electoral process through intimidation. Even with the benefit of the doubt, it trends strongly towards the latter, in my opinion.

With 16 days left to run in the Trump administration, there’s hardly enough time to haul him up on impeachment charges again, but I almost hope there’s some intrepid young US Attorney sorting out what charges can be brought as soon after noon on January 20th as possible.

Look, I voted for the guy the first time around. I supported (and still support) a fair number of his overall policy positions even though he didn’t earn my vote in 2020. I’m willing to overlook all manner of his historic quirks and foibles, but I can’t and won’t abide a direct assault on the democratic process without speaking out plainly in opposition. 

Donald Trump and I both swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. The difference between us is I aim to keep mine. 

Election month…

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I’m old enough to remember a time when we had an election day in America. On the Tuesday after the first Monday in November everyone showed up at their designated poling place and voted. By 11:00 that night the results were reported on the three major networks and everyone went to bed more or less satisfied that the results were the results.

What we seem to have now is an election month instead of just a day. We have early voting for a few weeks, then we have actual election day, then the batch of ballots that someone finds unsecured somewhere, then there’s the inevitable batch of recounts and legal challenges that stretch out for God knows how long. It doesn’t feel like we’re making progress on this front. In fact I tend to think we’re making the opposite of progress.

I don’t foresee a circumstance that will take is back to a place where we all agree to just show up on one day to register our vote in the local elementary school, or fire hall, or church basement… but I think we should. We’ve overcomplicated the plumbing on what should be a very simple exercise of the franchise. We’ve over complicated it and everyone is busy looking for the perfect way to stop up the drain.

Sometimes the old ways aren’t better because they’re the old ways – they’re better because they’re just better.

Snarl…

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Here’s a breakdown of three recent charges on my debit card…

– DirecTV = $170.15
– Direct Insurance = $168.75
– AT&T prepaid cell phones (3) = $87.93.

The problem is mainly that none of those charges was actually mine. So, currently I have $1 in my wallet along with a debit card that is deactivated. I have a police report that I can pick up tomorrow afternoon, and Bank of America looking into the situation. Fortunately, they were nice enough to credit my account after I filled out an affidavit and faxed it back to them this morning.

I talked to a “fraud specialist” with AT&T this afternoon who was able to tell me that the charges were made by someone using the name “Jackie.” They declined to give me any more information about the individual until I fax them a copy of the police report. So, Jackie, hear this… I’m coming for you. And when I find you, I’m going to latch on like a bulldog and make your life absolutely miserable. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to loose months of frustration on a singularly deserving target.