Politics

Protests Halt Congress’ Electoral Count: Live Updates : NPR

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George W. Bush Says He Is ‘Appalled’ By Recklessness Of ‘Some Political Leaders’ : Protests Halt Congress’ Electoral Count: Live Updates : NPR

George W. Bush, the only living former Republican president, said he was "appalled" by the actions of some political leaders since the election, and called the "mayhem" at the U.S. Capitol "a sickening and heartbreaking sight."

"This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic," the former president wrote in a statement released Wednesday evening. "I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement."

Protests Halt Congress’ Electoral Count: Live Updates : NPR

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Shots Fired As Far-Right Insurrectionists Storm U.S. Capitol : Protests Halt Congress’ Electoral Count: Live Updates : NPR

The U.S. Capitol was engulfed in chaos on Wednesday, as supporters of President Trump, responding to his call to head there, breached the complex, resulting in violence in the seat of America's federal government.

The surreal and dangerous scene interrupted proceedings in the House and Senate, as members of Congress were taking up President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

Hawaii was the ‘Florida’ of 1960 election

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Hawaii was the ‘Florida’ of 1960 election

In 1960, the Electoral College consisted of 537 members, of which Hawaii had three. The majority to win was 269 votes.

The initial results of the Nov. 8 election that year showed Vice President Richard Nixon 141 votes ahead of Sen. John Kennedy in Hawaii, and so the new state's three electoral votes were officially cast with Nixon.

The Hawaii vote, however, was so close that a recount was inevitable. Both parties made charges of voter fraud, although a court investigation later showed no evidence of tampering. Electors nationwide were scheduled to cast their ballots on ec. 19 that year, but the Hawaii recount was still under way when the date approached. Hawaii's Republican electors cast votes that day for Nixon, and one minute later, emocratic electors cast their three votes for Kennedy.

Trump Pressures Pence to Reject Electoral Votes – The New York Times

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Trump Pressures Pence to Reject Electoral Votes – The New York Times

The job has occasionally been unpleasant for vice presidents. In 1961, the state of Hawaii sent two slates of electors and the vice president, Richard M. Nixon, who had just lost the election to John . Kennedy, moved to count the emocratic electors, which expanded his own margin of defeat. orty years later, Al Gore was in a similar spot, burdened with overruling objections from his fellow emocrats and declaring the victory of George W. Bush — and his own defeat — after a drawn-out lorida recount that was ended by the Supreme Court. And in 2017, Mr. Biden, then the vice president, had to reject a emocratic challenge to Mr. Trump’s victory.

NPR

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Trump Urges Georgia’s Raffensberger To Overturn Election : NPR

An angry President Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to overturn the state's presidential results, and appeared to at least partly blame him for what could be lower turnout in Tuesday's runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate, according to a recording of a phone call obtained by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

"The people of Georgia know that this was a scam, and because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote [in the runoffs]," Trump said in the remarkable Saturday call. "A lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president."

Become less of a political junkie 💉

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New Years Resolution: Become less of a political junkie 💉

A junkie is defined on Merriam Websters as a narcotics peddler or addict in the most absolute sense of the world. It’s so easy to consume hours and hours of the latest political news and intrigue by just turning on the radio or following virtually any news channel or politician’s social media feeds. But like a heroin addict’s untimely death, I think it has become a bit overwhelming and bad for my health and well-being.

While I’m not going to stop listening to the news on the radio or visiting NPR’s website, I am no longer going to consume news or politics on social media. I am not going to follow blow by blow every political debate or every controversy. Instead I’m going to spend more time trying to understand the world around me – nature, physics, electricity, farming and conservation.

No longer am I going to consume endless hours of media trash – that talks about the politics of climate change or mask wearing but instead try to understand how the changing climate or COVID is effecting me personally. I don’t want to be – and I’m not going to be – an agent of change so I’d rather focus more on myself and understanding the real world and not the politics around me.

I didn’t think 2020 was all that bad of a year

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I didn’t think 2020 was all that bad of a year … I thought it it was kind of fun ! 😀

Everywhere you go, you here people moaning about how awful 2020 was as a year. They didn’t like the decisive election, the shutdowns of community programs and businesses due to the COVID-19. We lost some great people this year from the virus, and it forced us to rethink how did businesses and lived our lives.

Remote work was kind of an experience, especially not having Internet at home. While I did eventually a week ago get hotspot service for my phone, I spent a lot of the summer and autumn working at various free-wifi locations, and also using my phone and occasionally using the work hotspot a fair amount. It really taught me how to use the internet efficiently and liberated me from my bedroom.

With tonight, it work out to 63 nights in 2020 that I wilderness camped. One night I did camp at the Cherry Ridge Camping Area in Brookfield and three nights at Stony Pond in Madison County, but those forest camping areas are still pretty dispersed. It was fun, although sometimes a bit crazy trying to plan my day around work, making sure I had good cell service and enough power in my battery bank.

I will forever remember those days sitting at Lake Pleasant, with my feet in the sand and the laptop in my lap, running out to the lake to go for a swim. Those hot summer days working in my truck, sitting next to fan, trying my best to stay cool, or shivering come late autumn. Those nice spring days working out back. That week I worked from deep in Green Mountains, and managed to burn a hole in my brand new screen tent when I had that grease fire. Well, that wasn’t so pleasant, but I got it patched.

It was an incredibly busy year with work, some late evenings, and some crazy days working into the weekend, fielding client calls including once when I was out hiking to the Pig Rock on NY 30 through the Speculator Tree Farm. It had it’s share of hot and buggy days, and then before you know it days got short and cold.

Honestly, it looks like a while before things get back to normal. Remote work will continue through the end of January, at least, and while it will be difficult to do much camping in January due to cold and road closures, it will still be kind of nice working from home. But I do look forward to a more normal year next year — I kind of miss my colleagues at work, I miss the time to myself taking the bus back and forth to work, and I miss going down to the library and being able to work inside until closing time at 9 PM. But I do think  those days will be back again, just like those lazy, crazy days of summer.

Remote work