The 2016 United States Presidential Election

We need to remember that life was much better back before women could vote and the Bible itself forgives knocking off a husband if necessary to bed a broad or even banging a virgin and knocking her up before the wedding.

We need to remember just how nasty past US Presidential elections have been and understand that today we are simply scraping in bottom of a relatively clean stainless barrel instead of the older tar barrels. It's been quite awhile since a Congressman has been beaten with a cane while not just in-office but in his office or since one Congressman went after another with fire tongs or spit in another Congressman's face. We've survived President like Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan as well as James Buchanan, Milord Fillmore and Zachary Taylor.The system set up in the US has proven to be remarkably resilient and that even the extreme sanction, sending kids off to get killed, has never been so destructive that the Nation itself has not been able to survive. With that one exception, the Federal Governments powers to adversely effect the average citizen is fortunately limited.

If Trump were to get elected as US President, what should other nations do?Are there preemptive actions the US Congress should take immediately (for example codifying Obama's ban on waterboarding and other tortures into law) or any treaties that need to be ratified before Trump takes office?Is there a clear statement of what constitutes High Crimes and Misdemeanors?If Trump is elected President what provisions exist to prevent using the Presidency to fund or support his personal and corporate businesses?

But again, that would simply be classic Trump. Bankruptcy is just smart as long as it is not his Personal bankruptcy.

Right now there are almost 100 Federal Judgeship vacancies with over 50 nominated but pending confirmation.Edited by jar, : fix sub-title

The US has what must seem very strange election laws. This is yet another of those examples.In the US how someone can vote varies by location; some states have what is called open primaries where you can vote for anyone in any combination. A Republican can vote for a Democrat in one race, an Independent in another race and Republicans in yet other races. In many cases this meant if one party was not running opposed then that parties members could decide which of the other parties candidates won the primary.But in other states you can only vote in the primary of your registered party, Republicans cannot vote in the Democratic Primary and independents can't vote in any primary.

Absodamnlutely. The power to inflict harm on people is far greater at the state and local level than any harm the Federal Government can impose beyond that exception I mentioned. State and local governments can directly kill individuals but not en masse.And a Federal Government can and does help people en masse.

Absodamnlutely two.But this does show echos of an earlier election.Il Donald last night would not say that he would except the outcome of the election. Back in 1860 the first Republican President was elected and at that time his election was also not accepted. Yet history shows that President served his full term and was even reelected four years later.Edited by jar, : hit wrong key

Exactly. It was not sarcasm. Il Donald has awakened and legitimized the very worst in Americans and I am not at all sure what to expect should he lose the election.Even more, I'm not sure what to expect should he win the election.I remember all too well waiting in line to pick up my lunch at a McDonald's when we were all told that a bomb threat had been received and to leave the building immediately. I remember the summer the cities burned.I lived through a nasty period in the US and had hoped that once would be enough. At least at that time the protests were actually demanding progress and not repression.

I really like that idea and would love to see it extended to legislation as well. Let those who represent the community of science propose and write bills dealing with science...

A runner up.

The day started with all of us standing, hands on our heart and pledging allegiance to the flag.We then all sang the first, third and sixth stanza of Maryland, my Maryland.

quote:

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The despot's heel is on thy shore,
Maryland! My Maryland!
His torch is at thy temple door,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Avenge the patriotic gore
That flecked the streets of Baltimore,
And be the battle queen of yore,
Maryland! My Maryland!

​

Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Thy beaming sword shall never rust,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Remember Carroll's sacred trust,
Remember Howard's warlike thrust,-
And all thy slumberers with the just,
Maryland! My Maryland!

​

Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Virginia should not call in vain,
Maryland! My Maryland!
She meets her sisters on the plain-
"Sic semper!" 'tis the proud refrain
That baffles minions back amain,
Maryland! My Maryland!

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Then we had a "Drop and Shelter" drill and a "Drop and Roll" drill for when the bomb would drop and all our clothes caught on fire. And learned that we had to keep our eyes closed tightly with one arm over our eyes so we would not go blind.Then classes until recess and lunch.We learned how the first thing you should know when you go into a new store is where the Fallout Shelters were. And when you walked on the street always remember where the closest Fallout Shelter was. During recess we played "Bomb" were when some one yelled "Bomb" we all dropped and rolled in the dirt with our eyes squeezed tight until the person called "All Clear". If you peaked you were blind and if you stopped rolling you were burned and the last one down was DEAD.Soon it was summer but we couldn't go to the pool that year. It was closed because polio was too big a risk.But I grew up and put the childish fears aside. We got a Geiger counter and all of us learned how to use it and learned basic decontamination procedures. We had a designated meeting place where we all would gather after a disaster and also a fairly complete first aid kit as well as a smaller kit we each had in our car (those of us old enough to drive).Lots of my friends Dads were in Korea. And then the Red Chinese drove the good Chinese out of China and the US sent the 7th Fleet to patrol the Formosa Straight and the question was whether Russia would support the Commies and were we about to start another war?But then we got a new President who told us that Russia had put missiles in Cuba with nuclear warheads that could reach every city on the East Coast and it seemed we were really going to war with Russia.But we made it through that and the President got shot and Martin Luther King got shot and the Presidents brother got shot and there were riots all over the country and cities were burning and the police dropped a fire bomb on top of a row house where protesters were holed up and banks were getting bombed and there was helter skelter and police were turning fire hoses on people and setting dogs on them and the National Guard was shooting students and crowds were protesting the war in Vietnam.And we got another new President and he said we won in Vietnam and brought all the troops back and authorized a break-in and built an enemies list and got impeached and then a new President who pardoned him and another new President and in Iran our embassy got invaded and the staff held hostage and every night the news was about the hostage crisis and so we got another new President and when he got shot it didn't kill him but he did spend all our money and things were so much better in the past.

Locally there is a very active and seemingly successful effort to register college and first time voters particularly in the Hispanic community. Voting itself is electronic and in either English or Spanish and when I went to early voting the polling place had absolutely no signs of active on site marketing, few posters evident anywhere on the grounds, polite bilingual staff, more machines than voters present, no line but a continuous stream with regular turnover and the biggest issue was the machine that printed out the labels to put in the register ran out and had to get a new roll inserted. That took over a minute.The ballot itself was set up to allow straight party voting as well as individual selection within each race. One nice feature was a selection for large type display for the visually impaired. First time I had seen that option.I must say it was the most hassle free voting I have experienced in the over 50 elections I've experienced.Edited by jar, : appalin spallin One not OnEdited by jar, : Fix sub-title.

Actually, the answer seems to be "the party in power". Democrats have been every bit as guilty as Republicans when they are the party in power. Liberals have been every bit as guilty as Conservatives of creating barriers to the democratic process.The difference right now is that power to control and influence the Democratic Process is held by a group of super conservative Republicans.But I remember the Democratic South and the Democratic political machines in Chicago and Texas and also the Liberal Weatherman and Students for a Democratic Society and the Days of Rage and "The Elections Don't Mean ShitVote Where the Power IsOur Power Is In The Street" and the Democratically controlled police in Greensboro that held the police back while labor organizers and voting registers and Doctors and members of the American Communist Party were gunned down.The answer is that our courts have failed to support democracy and instead allowed things like you describe to continue; but it is not anything new and not limited to Republicans but rather seems a characteristic of US democracy in action.

I might be convinced if you dropped it down to the last 10 years or maybe even 20 years but cannot swallow a span of 40-50 years.