Unity with Ukraine

I can't hardly believe that it has been over two weeks since I last posted anything. To my few readers, apologies. With the Thanksgiving holiday, deadlines at work, projects at home, and so on, I have been just plain too busy to write. The next few weeks don't appear to be any less frenetic, either. I'm still nowhere near code complete on my project at work, but code freeze is supposed to be this coming Friday. Cursing and gnashing of teeth! I hate being late for deadlines, but I've been warning management for a long time that the schedule isn't realistic, so no one should be surprised that we're late. Of course, that won't stop the pointy-haired bosses from being dour. Scapegoats will be found! Chief among the scapegoats, of course, will be yours truly, since I (as the project technical lead) didn't (this time) conjure up a miracle to rescue afore-mentioned pointy-haired bosses backsides from the proverbial sling.

Ah well. Life goes on. How does one gnash one's teeth, anyway? I've never really understood that phrase.

Rather than spend much time focusing on the trivial and unimportant, I want to express my solidarity with the people of the Ukraine. I'm not well-enough informed to know very much about the presidential candidates there or the politics of the region. It's pretty clear, however, that some rather nefarious, underhanded maneuvering has gone on. In the Ukraine, it appears that the election really was stolen. It is heartening to see the U.S. and the European Union standing together to denounce corruption and fraud in the electoral process there. I am standing with the people of the Ukraine as they seek to establish a legitimate government whose power is derived from the consent of the governed:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

United States Declaration of Independence

Let's all pray for the people of the Ukraine, that they will be able to elect a president in free, fair and open elections, and that the Ukrainian people will have confidence in and accept the result as legitimately representative of the will of the citizens as a whole.

You know, I really don't want to turn this post into a partisan political rant, but I think some people here in the United States should look long and hard at what has happened in the Ukraine, and take a lesson from it. The political turmoil and chaos is troubling and frightening. This is what happens when elections truly are stolen and illegitimate results forced on an electorate that knows it has been ripped off.

Whither Washington?

Our presidential election was not fraudulent, much as some leftists might like to claim it was. George W. Bush won a clear and decisive victory. However, in Washington (the state), where I live, there is a definite possibility that the election for the state's governor could be stolen by the Democrats. If it happens, I doubt that things will get as chaotic as in the Ukraine, but it could be pretty rancorous.

After the initial machine count, Republican candidate Dino Rossi lead by roughly 260 votes out of around 3 million cast. After a mandatory machine recount, Rossi's lead narrowed to just 42 votes. It is unbelievably close, but Rossi won in both counts. Now the Democrats want a hand recount, but are still deciding whether to recount the whole state (which will cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars) or just selected counties. You can bet that if they choose to recount some counties, they will choose those few that favored Democratic candidate Christine Gregoire. In King county (Seattle and surrounding areas), Gregoire had a large majority, and in the first recount, King county election officials "enhanced" some ballots to make them readable.

Now, this kind of thing seems to me to be opening the door to rampant electoral fraud, and it will be much more likely in a hand recount than in a machine count. If the results of the first two counts are overturned by a third hand recount, how will anyone be able to say with any confidence that election was legitimate? It will appear to many people, including me, that the election was out-and-out stolen. It establishes a horrible precedent that undermines people's trust in our democratic electoral processes. It also establishes in people's minds that the Democrats are sore losers, which isn't going to help them in future elections. I don't think there will be violence should the first two counts be overturned, but I do think there will be a long, drawn-out, and bitter fight in the courts, with neither side satisfied with the outcome. It will lead to even more divisive partisan politics in the state, to the detriment of us all.

The Democrats in Washington state need to look at what has happened in the Ukraine and think about whether or not they want to head down that path. Is winning this one election so important that they are willing to undermine our electoral process and the people's confidence in our government? Christine Gregoire and the Democrats of Washington state should do the right and honorable thing, putting the people and institutions of our state ahead of personal and party ambitions, and concede the election.

An Orange in Solidarity with the People of the Ukraine
(thanks to Dean Esmay)

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