US Election info

From the League of Women Voters, 5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day. If you turn up to vote and they can't find your name on the list, ask for a provisional ballot. The LWV Web site tells you more. (They're non-partisan and the info applies to men too.) Pass this info on.

Political gunge

Australia:

We pretty much have a Senate result. The Coalition (between the conservative Liberal and National parties) have a majority of 39 seats, meaning they can pass their own legislation unamended and can quash Senate inquiries into their doings. Labor has 28 Senators, the Dems and Greens each have 4, and Family First have 1.

Democrazy: ten ideas for change. The draft final chapter of Margo Kingston's book Not Happy, John.

Speaking of John Howard: Iraq war spurs local terrorists, says ASIO. Thanks a bundle, mate.

US:

Wickedness from The Onion: Republicans Urge Minorities to get Out and Vote on Nov. 3

UK:

Australian novelist Sophie Masson has a fit of the filthy quislings over the Church of Satan guy in the British Navy, worried that spoooooky things will happen. This is amusing up to a point: drawing a connection between Polanski directing Rosemary's Baby and the vicious murder of Sharon Tate is, frankly, offensive. The Guardian's Catherine Bennett takes a more fruitful path by taking the piss, but sadly also comes down firmly on the side of religious bigotry, perhaps without noticing that at least some of the stuff she finds hilarious about Satanist rituals, such as the extensive equipment, can also be levelled at mainstream religions. (Certainly Wiccans would be "excluded from public life" and left unprotected against religious vilification if Bennett's standards were applied.)

ETA: A letter in the Herald quips that the sailor need not choose between the devil and the deep blue sea.

And just generally:

How Yehudi Menuhin got his name.

We've gotta lock this guy in a room with Comptroller Schaefer.

Hey Leon

A shout out to Leon, if he happens to be reading. Great to meet you, dude!

Randomness

Teh Pudge: a History. An extensive investigation into Alan Rickman's midriff. Keep going forward in her journal to get the complete story.

This Your Cat?

I've been up since 3 am. I think the valerian is starting to work now.

Australian Politics

I was interested by the letters page in one of our local newspapers, the Northern District Times - lots of letters bemoaning the PM's re-election. One wondered if any previous PM had suffered a swing against him in his own electorate while his party increased their vote overall. This nicely answers a Howard supporters' suggestion that "Disingenuous sermonising and apparent ownership of our collective moral conscience by the Left" plus "constant vilification of Howard" and those who voted for him only encouraged voters. This is the sort of tactical rubbish pointed out in that essay, What Is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with It?: the lefties think they're morally superior to us. What's more, I don't think John Valder, former Liberal Party president and founder of the Not Happy John! campaign, could be put on the Left of Australian politics*. Besides, we know from exit polls that the big issue was interest rates, not giving the pinkos two fingers. If anyone has ignored the will of the common people, it was Howard when he took us to Iraq, against overwhelming disapproval, massive protests, and without debate by the peoples' representatives. All that said, I do worry that smug remarks about the fools and blaggards who voted for the Libs are useless sour grapes: if the franchise doesn't share our values, we need to promote those values.

Similarly, if a quarter of Australians are Creationists, scientists have some serious educating to do. So do the major religions, none of which accept Creationism. (Today's best headline: "Gay bishops will split us, says Jensen". Ahem.)

On the federal election, analyst Antony Green reckons Reform is needed of the Senate voting system run by party bosses. Arcane preference deals are electing Senators that almost no-one voted for, and it's almost impossible for voters (or party members, I add) to find out how preferences have been allocated. He also points out the potential hazard for the government of changing the rules to exclude minor parties: it could mean handing a hostile Senate to the Opposition. In the meantime, Treasurer Peter Costello reckons they'll be pushing through "All of those bills that have been blocked for the last two years ...", probably starting by eliminating unfair dismissal laws for small companies - so far rejected by the Senate 41 times.

ETA: disturbing allegations of an extremely dirty trick in the electorate of Greenway - the distribution of a fake ALP pamphlet emphasising that the Labor candidate was a Muslim.

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* It must be said that, in comparison with American politics, pretty much everyone here is a raving Communist.