At 09:46 2003-08-06 -0700, Tim May wrote: I was intensely opposed to the gibberish about how the Republicans "stole" the Florida vote, for multiple reasons. First, the Dems wanted to change the rules after the outcome went against them...they wanted "hanging chads" counted in their favor (ultimately, of course, this wouldn't have even swayed the outcome, as careful studies by newspapers showed). Second, they wanted the Elections Commission to somehow adjust the outcome based on exit interviews with little old Jewish ladies who claimed they wanted to vote for Algore but who actually voted for Pat Buchanan or Jeffery Dahmer or whomever it was that was opposite Chad Gore on the ballot (note that Democrats designed the ballot). Third, they wanted only precincts known to be leaning toward Chad Gore recounted from scratch. (I would have _opposed_ a statewide recount on general common sense and legal grounds, too, but for sure I was aghast at the proposal to only recount selected precincts: "We'll keep recounting until the outcome fluctuates in our favor!") This was certainly a farce, but the decision by the SC to intervene was worse. The matter should have been thrown into the House of Representative where the Constitution has provisions for its resolution (or lack thereof). steve "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams