689

Chewing Wax:

(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 8:30:38 am)

Myk Murphy:
yikes, that's an awful way to start the morning.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 8:36:27 am)

Alexander Hamilton:
It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 8:39:00 am)

U.S. Constitution - Article II Section 1.:
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.

The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; A quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 9:10:29 am)

Amendment XII (1804):
The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;--The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;--the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 9:38:36 am)

Amendment XX (1933):
Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 9:45:53 am)

Mrs Dr GB:
Thank you, that was lovely. Did anyone else bring something to show and tell?
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 9:57:26 am)

:
With a document that important wouldn't ya think they'd redraft it?
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 9:57:38 am)

Chewing Wax:
You can't redraft it. You can only amend it. Unless there's a new Constitutional convention, but that would be crazy.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:07:11 am)

Chewing Wax:
There's people down south just dying to make slavery legal again. You can't let them get the chance.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:11:01 am)

Myk Murphy:
they don't have to hold a convention, wax. don't forget the real threat: a supermajority (2 thirds, i think) of state legislatures can pass new amendments if they vote together.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:20:04 am)

:
foment
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:22:40 am)

Chewing Wax:
True. They could just appeal them civil rights amendments. For the good of the plantations and such.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:23:56 am)

Chewing Wax:
But a convention would be a crazy free for all where anything could happen in smoked filled back rooms full of drunken good old boys. It could happen.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:25:31 am)

Heruka:
I like the idea of slave ownership. It just seems natural. Wax, your bleeding-fucking-heart is make a mess all over the place. Pleas clean up after youself.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:29:11 am)

Chewing Wax:
My bleeding heart? Myk's the one with the bleeding heart.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:32:44 am)

Chewing Wax:
I'm just against slavery because I want to keep the southern man down.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:33:22 am)

Myk Murphy:
lovely, heruka, just lovely.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:33:40 am)

Myk Murphy:
bleeding heart? me? i'm the reasonable one here. i cherish my moderate position.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:34:52 am)

Heruka:
Slavery still exists in America. Doesn't it? Let's face it, blacks are still slaves. These days they're just slaves to a system which keeps them dependent on it. Liberals think they're so kind in helping them out. Such a sham.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:38:05 am)

Chewing Wax:
I think you may be simplifying the situation
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:40:23 am)

Heruka:
Luckily Mexicans are becoming a sizeable part of our culture. So at the industrial end of the stick. Businesses can still keep their quota of "minorities" and have employees that are worth a damn.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:45:14 am)

Myk Murphy:
blacks and other minority groups are showing great progress with the recent economic boom, but there's always more work to be done. the best thing for the black community has been the growing black middle-class, which is quite sizeable in the DC area. it is sometimes theorized these days that racism, per se, is dead. in its place is a general fear/distrust of the lower class by the upper class. a money thing, really. if we work to eliminate poverty and improve education, we can shrink the problem.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:45:15 am)

Chewing Wax:
You see, I agree with everything Myk just said. He's exactly right.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 10:48:23 am)

Myk Murphy:
thank you, wax. i should ammend the statement about racism, however. it should be noted that in many parts of the deep south, racism (by appraisal of skin color) is very much alive and well. what's almost comical is that, in the poorest parts of the US south, it's the only thing separating poor whites and poor blacks in economically depressed areas. "fighting for scraps" is how i've uncharitably described the scenario.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:00:18 am)

Heruka:
Does anyone know where the term 'Balloon Man" came from? I remember reading it in a poem before. I simply for the life of me cannot think of who it is who used it. "eliminate poverty", who the hell wants to eliminate poverty? Poor people are poor for a reason. Too much compassion. Far too much compassion. Don't forget Myk, this will come at your expense. Education is quite good now. Those who want it, get it. Those who don't, fall behind and end up poor. It's a good system. They claim that other countries are better than us. But in the end I think Americans are better at more independent thought. Which is why we are the greatest civilization that has ever existed.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:00:33 am)

Heruka:

(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:05:14 am)

Chewing Wax:
I propose an amendment, which says that once every ten years, as they do the census, they collect all the really poor people, who are poor for a reason, ie: lazy, stupid, etc, and take these people, put them all in barges and send them over to some socialist country, like say Sweden, where they'll know what to do with them. Or better yet, we could just enslave them.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:06:55 am)

Chewing Wax:
Soylent green!
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:07:40 am)

George W Bush & Al Gore:
Actually, we think Heruka would make a better President.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:07:44 am)

Cushca:
And how come Heruka is suddenly Ali G?
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:07:56 am)

Chewing Wax:
Hasn't he always been Ali G?
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:09:02 am)

Chewing Wax:
I'm going to an early lunch. Everyone have a wonderful weekend. And.. er.. GO BILLS.
(Fri Dec 1, 2000 - 11:10:26 am)