Tuesday, December 28, 2004

The Blackwellian World



Isn't that clever of me? It's a take on the Orwellian world in which we also live right now. Kenneth Blackwell is the Ohio Secretary of State and also an eager supporter of George Bush for president. This created something that to others might look a little like a conflict of interest, given that Blackwell was in charge of the elections in Ohio. Never mind. Mr. Blackwell is above the law, too:

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has requested a protective order to prevent him from being interviewed as part of an unusual court challenge of the presidential vote.
Blackwell, in a court filing, says he's not required to be interviewed by lawyers as a high-ranking public official, and accused the voters challenging the results of ``frivolous conduct'' and abusive and unnecessary requests of elections officials around the state.
Citing fraud, 37 people who voted for president Nov. 2 have challenged the election results with the Ohio Supreme Court. The voters refer to irregularities including long lines, a shortage of voting machines in minority precincts and problems with computer equipment.


Or so he hopes. Time will tell if we have gone that far into the Blackwellian world (a little repetition never hurt in creating a new frame!).

Also in Ohio, the Kerry/Edwards campaign has filed "two motions to preserve and augment evidence of alleged election fraud in Ohio". Is this important? It seems that some believe Kerry is close to unconceding the elections, whereas others argue that this means nothing at all. So take your pick. I'm sceptical about anything coming out of this, because it doesn't go with the Blackwellian world view (am I getting on your nerves yet?). Who cares if the elections were fair? What's on television?
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