h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

They're election boards are run by democrats. The butterfly ballot was that was used was designed by a democrat. Democrats run those counties. I don't see how there could be a republican conspiracy to keep minorities away from the polls.

I live in Florida. I voted in Florida. Anytime there is a big issue there is some group somewhere that gets highly offended. CRAP! My precinct had funky voting machines, lots of African-Americans, and people that do NOT speak English. We had no problem. But not until very end was it decided that maybe ALL the counties should have a recount. Twist it some more! What about all the other states? And by the way, don't generalize about the South. Racism is EVERYWHERE and should be NOWHERE.

Racism is everywhere. There is no culture that doesn't have racists in it, and people who are not racists. But I felt its presence much more in the South than in the northeastern US, or the western US where I live now. It was impossible not to notice the disadvantages levied on blacks regarding economics and education.

Still, you're of course right that we shouldn't generalize. This sort of broad disadvantage is sadly present everywhere to a greater or lesser extent. And Florida is particularly tricky, since its the northern and southern parts are very different from one another.

I also think we err by assuming that Southern Republicans are racist, while Southern Democrats are not. I don't think this is true at all. I know several die-hard Southern Democrats who are disgustingly racist -- because I'm related to them.

After a couple of rare visits over the past few years, they know I won't couch well to certain of their 'opinions.' If one of them were to be allowed to run a polling place (not likely), I suspect they would attempt to frustrate black voters. In their mind, blacks aren't intelligent enough to vote. *Who* they would vote for is really beside the point.

Luckily, I don't visit my distant relatives too often. Also luckily, fools like that are no more capable of engineering an 'election conspiracy' than a cup of water is to capable of flooding the Sahara desert.

Well said, Fragilis. And I apologize for jumping on the racist issue. It's just more than a black-white American thing, and though we have a LOT of problems, American-bashing gets a bit old.

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I still think the US Constitution could be a good model for a government. But Europeans should do themselves a favor, and learn from our mistakes. Ensure the right to privacy and the right to vote within the Constitution. And then, for heaven's sake, put a hard cap on political 'donations' to various candidates, their campaigns, and their party affiliates -- with no loopholes. And make sure legitimate candidates have a fair method of reaching people with their messages without laying out ridiculous sums of cash.

That said, I seriously doubt the EU could beanything approaching a full government anytime soon even if it wanted to. I think there are a number of countries that are reasonably happy with pacts regarding finances and human rights who would *not* take well to any Europe-wide attempt at taxes, police forces, standards of decency, highway funding, and so forth. And whether indended or not, these are exactly the sorts of things a EU government will attempt to tackle first.

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Did I mention that Driving Licences & Passports are standardised throughout the E.U. ?

Quick plug: http://www.h2g2.com/F19585?thread=98486&post=819588

That's how the United States started.

There were thirteen soviergn nations in a confederation. Then they had trade and tax difficulties, and so they met to discuss solutions. The result was the Constitution with a federal government that shared power with the states. Then southern states wanted to retain control their internal affairs. There was a civil war, and more power was transfered to the central government. Then during trying economic times, the central government enacted economic programs that vastly expanded its power. When the programs were deemed to be unconstitutional, the Supreme Court was packed with justices friendly to the executive.

If you create a government, it will find a way to govern as much as it can.

Remember Europeans are not scared of goverment in the same way citizens of the US are

Good grief! I must admit I'm surprised at everything that has been built up for the EU while I wasn't looking. I'm especially surprised that there have been no protests about it. I mean, it seems Europeans are constantly complaining about the 'Americanization' of the world -- a trend towards a sort of worldwide sameness. But the EU government will soon have more power to force this sort of sameness than any group of American corporations or inventions.

Next thing, Europe will be knocking down its historic buildings to make way for the skyscrapers.

You're right, they'll be a one contient government ruled from Brussells in about (let's see it's 3:41 now), let's say 7:00 tonight.

Two Bit Trigger Pumping Anarchist

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the United States of Europe. May save us all.

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Here's the thing that gets me wondering about the EU... motivation. Why are European countries suddenly so willing to surrender their autonomy to a collective governing entity that will probably not always have the individual country's best interests in mind? This is an area of the world where nationalism and xenophobia have run rampant from the fall of Rome clear until the falling of the Berlin Wall.

When the United States pooled their resources to provide for the common good, it was because singularly, they were no match for their common enemy. Who is the enemy? And in what way are they to be feared? With Russia dissolved, there is only one power that could motivate the European connection, and that is the US. But the US has never threatened Europe militarily (in fact, as a people, we're always been rather annoyed when dragged into European conflicts, and have always tried to get you to fight your own wars and leave us alone), so they must be afraid of the economic power wielded here. So the United States of Europe hopes to create a national economy that eclipses the size and resources of the United States of America. What for? Do the Europeans intend to try to bankrupt us? What will they do with those resources?

Perhaps we're taking another step towards Orwell's 1984... there were only three super-states. If China and the US get around to occupying the rest of the world, we'll be on the right track...

Actually there are female candidated...they just chose to run for the far off/wacko parties (ie Socialist/Socialist Worker/Green)...they just don't get much press.

To bring up two things about the Florida elections real quick. As I suspected, there's NO proof of anyone keeping black people away from the polls. The Jesse Jackson and the NAACP and the their fellow race warlords didn't even bother to show up to the hearing by the US Civil Rights Commision that they insisted on. The three witnesses that did come had very little to say:

We have a man who said that he saw unmanned police cars near a polling precinct on election day. He thought that was unusual. He went ahead and cast his vote.

We had a preacher who said he had been taken from the voting rolls when he was misidentified as a convicted felon. One call to the election supervisor settled things and … he cast his vote.

Then we had a woman who was stopped at a police license check roadblock miles from her precinct. They asked for her driver’s license. She produced it and was allowed to proceed. She says she was “intimidated,” but she voted.

Also, the Palm Beach Post did a recount of the ballots in Dade County, and they found that Bush gained 6 votes.

Of course, now that the furor over the election is over, no one cares about the facts. The story will die and some people will just be left with the feeling that the evil republicans must have doens soething wrong during the election.

Two Bit Trigger Pumping Republican

'Here's the thing that gets me wondering about the EU... motivation. Why are European countries suddenly so willing to surrender their autonomy to a collective governing entity that will probably not always have the individual country's best interests in mind? This is an area of the world where nationalism and xenophobia have run rampant from the fall of Rome clear until the falling of the Berlin Wall.'

Could you think of a better reason? The hope of avoiding a repeat of WWII was one of the main driving forces behind the formation of the trading organisation that was then called 'the Common Market".
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'Who is the enemy? And in what way are they to be feared?'

The E.U. has not been built on military success but economic success, which is why the east European nations are queuing to enter.
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'What for? Do the Europeans intend to try to bankrupt us? What will they do with those resources?'

Merely to continue to compete on equal terms (it may interest you note that similar trade organisations have formed around the world seeking to emulate the E.U., although none have yet reached the same level of integration that the E.U. has.
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'there were only three super-states'

See last answer, but trade blocks are forming in Africa S.E, Asia, South America not to mention the on the US has formed in North America with Canada & Mexico. None of these has reached the level of integration of the E.U. but they do seek to emulate it.