I really appreciate the observation that perhaps the anger and division we hear so much about is not so prevalent, that perhaps most of us do indeed strive to be neighborly and understanding. Easy to forget in today's online climate!!
So true. If profit driven news outlets and the internet were both shut down - we as a nation would be able to make headway on healing our differences - but I'm not holding my breath for either. Thanks for your thoughts Hannah
I agree! Such noxious distraction makes it hard to see straight, let alone think clearly. I'm not holding my breath either, though it's kind of fun to daydream about it!
Yes Hannah, you've got me thinking on two parallel tracks - "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one . . ." AND - "Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, where there be any excellence, where there be anything worthy of praise, think upon these things" . . . and dream.
Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting that the internet should be shut down but merely pointing out that it's very effective at amplifying the misperception that we're all at each other's throats.
Yes, understood. Unfortunately, the living and wellbeing of many of us rely on the internet very heavily and it would be a disaster for it to be shut down. I do still like to daydream about a life with all of the benefits and none of the downsides of such a wild technology, though. Or, a world where it was more, or at least as, enticing and exciting to point out the good and helpful things going on than the depravity and hostility.
Thanks for the peak behind the curtain. On voting days in our little town, the poll workers are generally the same faithful oldsters who know almost everybody by name. It’s always peaceful, there’s a soft murmur from neighbors talking about the weather or the flow of the river. Just a lot of regular folks quietly going about doing democracy.
You're welcome. Your observation was a minimal variation on the theme that was likely repeated in 97.3 percent of the voting jurisdictions throughout the U S of A. It was educational and reassuring. Hopefully more facts than misinformation will be disseminated between now and November - increasing the chances of another pleasant experience for our nation.
In 2016, I also took the training under our county clerk. It is a very small polling place but that year it was the busiest I've ever seen it. I remember one guy who had to file a provisional ballot because our judge was unable to find his registration. He looked like he had not been out of the woods in years. I also remember the woman who came in with a Trump t-shirt glowing about the rally he had in nearby Cape Girardeau the night before. I haven't served since - first there was the pandemic. I was the only Democrat there and so I did think it was important.
I'm glad you got to do it, I'd venture to say it's always interesting if we have the right attitude, much like life. Maybe it's time to sign up again in large part because elections in 2024 really need a good balance of red and blue as active participants and observers. The more people who know the system, the better the chances that someone will get caught if they try to milk it or disseminate false information if they don't know how the system is supposed to work.
I'm not certain what state we will be living in when November comes around. Our property in Missouri is on the market and once it sells, we are moving to New Mexico. I only hope it doesn't affect our ability to vote in this important election but I am glad I did it. I trust the system more from having actually worked within it.
That is certainly understandable - Good Luck with the sale and transition. "I trust the system more from having actually worked within it" - can't be amplified enough.
Ah! Democracy in action! Thanks for sharing this event with us, Mark. Well-remembered and well-written. I have been voting in Central California for over 40 years and don't remember any problem ever at our polling places, for what it is worth. Most of the poll workers, though not of the same party, are my neighbors.
Thanks Sharon. Living in Upstate NY for thirty years, I was not aware of any election fraud either. Only when a likely losing candidate primed the pump of skepticism and then kept fueling it, was the distrust train loosed on our country's election system. As Hitler once reportedly said - Tell a big lie often enough and everyone will eventually believe it - and so many do.
To answer your question - I don't know for certain. I had heard it years ago, but upon being challenged by you today, decided to fact-check myself. I did find -
“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”—Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) but I also read the quote was attributed to Joseph Goebbels, and also Lenin, and others. There is NOT ONE source that cited a source in my few minutes of research. I stand corrected, ashamed and profoundly sad. Please ignore the last sentence. I am fully kidding. As one of my best friends says - Mark you are F.O.S.
However from here on I will say - I heard the following quote once attributed to Hitler . . . Thanks Sharon, I'm smiling.
Ha Ha Ha.! Question authority, we used to say. Now who can we question, I ask you? Read 10 news items on the same subject, get 10 distinct answers. But F.O.S or not, you ask all the very best questions, Mark. I have so much more to say but I have to censor myself... urp.
Thanks, Mark. I've been a poll worker on three occasions and had similar reactions ... well thought out process and rather uneventful days that made me proud to be part of democracy in action. I wish everyone could read your post and understand how difficult it would be to have a major voting fraud.
If there is any glitches in the system, it happens before election day when precincts are gerrymandered and voter rolls "adjusted."
Thanks Joyce including for the restacking. The only way to break the trance about elections being stolen is to have people share their experiences as you've also done. Your closing line is spot on - and it will be a thorn in our nations side until ethics supersedes agendas.
This was so entertaining (and also educational) to read! Poor woman with the gum 😅 (It’s good she doesn’t chew snuff, like our rural Georgia neighbor who spit it at us as we came up her walk 😱😂) Creative types who volunteer to do less creative administrative type stuff and make it creative and human, and then make it more creative by writing about it, are the best, kudos to you and your wife!
It was such a backwards, bookwoods area, we rented there for a year and thought the countryside was beautiful! But after months of drinking what we thought must be pristine well water, we all were getting sick. We researched and found out methyl bromide had been dumped directly into the ground in the surrounding area. That was the beginning of my reading about, and growing knowledge of, toxics dumping, etc. We also learned that some companies in Atlanta dumped their waste in family farms out there and paid the residents to do so. So I started on my journey of saunas to sweat out toxins, nutrients to aid detoxification pathways in the body, etc. So I guess that was the silver lining of the experience, learning 😘
It's so unfortunate that you've been challenged by such a steep learning curve having been immersed in completely irresponsible actions of callous people. It is such an uphill battle, and its solutions require people that actually care - a big step for some. I'm glad you're taking it seriously.
I really appreciate the observation that perhaps the anger and division we hear so much about is not so prevalent, that perhaps most of us do indeed strive to be neighborly and understanding. Easy to forget in today's online climate!!
So true. If profit driven news outlets and the internet were both shut down - we as a nation would be able to make headway on healing our differences - but I'm not holding my breath for either. Thanks for your thoughts Hannah
I agree! Such noxious distraction makes it hard to see straight, let alone think clearly. I'm not holding my breath either, though it's kind of fun to daydream about it!
Yes Hannah, you've got me thinking on two parallel tracks - "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one . . ." AND - "Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, where there be any excellence, where there be anything worthy of praise, think upon these things" . . . and dream.
The perfect recipe for a happier society!!
Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting that the internet should be shut down but merely pointing out that it's very effective at amplifying the misperception that we're all at each other's throats.
Yes, understood. Unfortunately, the living and wellbeing of many of us rely on the internet very heavily and it would be a disaster for it to be shut down. I do still like to daydream about a life with all of the benefits and none of the downsides of such a wild technology, though. Or, a world where it was more, or at least as, enticing and exciting to point out the good and helpful things going on than the depravity and hostility.
I think we're on the same page.
Such a wholesome way of people watching! Very sweet observations.
Thanks for the peak behind the curtain. On voting days in our little town, the poll workers are generally the same faithful oldsters who know almost everybody by name. It’s always peaceful, there’s a soft murmur from neighbors talking about the weather or the flow of the river. Just a lot of regular folks quietly going about doing democracy.
You're welcome. Your observation was a minimal variation on the theme that was likely repeated in 97.3 percent of the voting jurisdictions throughout the U S of A. It was educational and reassuring. Hopefully more facts than misinformation will be disseminated between now and November - increasing the chances of another pleasant experience for our nation.
Excellent nark
In 2016, I also took the training under our county clerk. It is a very small polling place but that year it was the busiest I've ever seen it. I remember one guy who had to file a provisional ballot because our judge was unable to find his registration. He looked like he had not been out of the woods in years. I also remember the woman who came in with a Trump t-shirt glowing about the rally he had in nearby Cape Girardeau the night before. I haven't served since - first there was the pandemic. I was the only Democrat there and so I did think it was important.
I'm glad you got to do it, I'd venture to say it's always interesting if we have the right attitude, much like life. Maybe it's time to sign up again in large part because elections in 2024 really need a good balance of red and blue as active participants and observers. The more people who know the system, the better the chances that someone will get caught if they try to milk it or disseminate false information if they don't know how the system is supposed to work.
I'm not certain what state we will be living in when November comes around. Our property in Missouri is on the market and once it sells, we are moving to New Mexico. I only hope it doesn't affect our ability to vote in this important election but I am glad I did it. I trust the system more from having actually worked within it.
That is certainly understandable - Good Luck with the sale and transition. "I trust the system more from having actually worked within it" - can't be amplified enough.
Ah! Democracy in action! Thanks for sharing this event with us, Mark. Well-remembered and well-written. I have been voting in Central California for over 40 years and don't remember any problem ever at our polling places, for what it is worth. Most of the poll workers, though not of the same party, are my neighbors.
Thanks Sharon. Living in Upstate NY for thirty years, I was not aware of any election fraud either. Only when a likely losing candidate primed the pump of skepticism and then kept fueling it, was the distrust train loosed on our country's election system. As Hitler once reportedly said - Tell a big lie often enough and everyone will eventually believe it - and so many do.
Oh my God. Was it Hitler that said that? Are you sure?
To answer your question - I don't know for certain. I had heard it years ago, but upon being challenged by you today, decided to fact-check myself. I did find -
“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”—Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) but I also read the quote was attributed to Joseph Goebbels, and also Lenin, and others. There is NOT ONE source that cited a source in my few minutes of research. I stand corrected, ashamed and profoundly sad. Please ignore the last sentence. I am fully kidding. As one of my best friends says - Mark you are F.O.S.
However from here on I will say - I heard the following quote once attributed to Hitler . . . Thanks Sharon, I'm smiling.
Ha Ha Ha.! Question authority, we used to say. Now who can we question, I ask you? Read 10 news items on the same subject, get 10 distinct answers. But F.O.S or not, you ask all the very best questions, Mark. I have so much more to say but I have to censor myself... urp.
"Question authority" - We could write a book on those two words alone!
Thanks, Mark. I've been a poll worker on three occasions and had similar reactions ... well thought out process and rather uneventful days that made me proud to be part of democracy in action. I wish everyone could read your post and understand how difficult it would be to have a major voting fraud.
If there is any glitches in the system, it happens before election day when precincts are gerrymandered and voter rolls "adjusted."
Thanks Joyce including for the restacking. The only way to break the trance about elections being stolen is to have people share their experiences as you've also done. Your closing line is spot on - and it will be a thorn in our nations side until ethics supersedes agendas.
This was so entertaining (and also educational) to read! Poor woman with the gum 😅 (It’s good she doesn’t chew snuff, like our rural Georgia neighbor who spit it at us as we came up her walk 😱😂) Creative types who volunteer to do less creative administrative type stuff and make it creative and human, and then make it more creative by writing about it, are the best, kudos to you and your wife!
Thanks so much for the validation. Your comment about the snuff and your encounter with your neighbor is quite funny . . . and sad.
It was such a backwards, bookwoods area, we rented there for a year and thought the countryside was beautiful! But after months of drinking what we thought must be pristine well water, we all were getting sick. We researched and found out methyl bromide had been dumped directly into the ground in the surrounding area. That was the beginning of my reading about, and growing knowledge of, toxics dumping, etc. We also learned that some companies in Atlanta dumped their waste in family farms out there and paid the residents to do so. So I started on my journey of saunas to sweat out toxins, nutrients to aid detoxification pathways in the body, etc. So I guess that was the silver lining of the experience, learning 😘
It's so unfortunate that you've been challenged by such a steep learning curve having been immersed in completely irresponsible actions of callous people. It is such an uphill battle, and its solutions require people that actually care - a big step for some. I'm glad you're taking it seriously.