Life of an overgrown Leprechaun

Some Post election analysis using Wikipedia

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:18:38 GMT

Alternate Title: Using Wikipedia against itself.

One thing I noticed that was conspicuously absent from this years post-election coverage were any stories about voter turnout. My highly trained eyes and eared honed in on this. The absence of these stories made it clear that there must be something important there.

Total votes cast for the Senate in 2006: 58,475,456
Total votes cast for Congress in 2002: 74,706,555
(The wikipedia article for 2002 was somewhat lacking, or I'd have Senate numbers)

The Democrats got a very similar number of total votes in 2002 and 2006. They have 31 to 33 million core voters that show up for mid term elections. The Republicans had 12 million less voters this year than in 2002.

Mid term elections are all about who can get there people to the polls. But the author of the wiki on 2006 claims that the elections show that the Republicans need to move to the center.

The Democratic expansion into Indiana, Virginia, and Ohio has "seriously diminished the chances for future Republican success" it claimed. The paper, which has been described as the "quasi-official organ of the Bush Administration[18]" has called on Republicans to move to the center for the sake of the party's future viability saying "conservatives won't want to hear this, but the Republican who maneuvered his way into the most impressive victory... won ... after moving to the center" and that "the South is not enough space to build a national governing majority". It says under the 2006 election article.

(this quote is misleading because it is about governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who lives in a very liberal state that does not represent America as a whole).

The Democrats did not win because they convinced Republican voters to vote for them. They won because Republicans stayed home.

Hopefully no one will be taken in by this wrong view that the Republicans need to move to the center.

If Republicans want to win elections they must remain firm to their core conservative values. The Republicans had nearly 6 years in power and didn't do most of the really important things that they should have like reforming the tax structure, reducing entitlements, dealing with immigration, balancing the budget or bringing the free market back into healthcare. There was far too much pandering to try to make the left like them.

So don't be fooled by the media. They have an agenda. They want to "change the world."

If the Republicans nominate a real conservative in 2008 that knows how to communicate, they will win.

Aurora Anne is born!

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:50:28 GMT

Aurora Anne was born last night at 11:32 PM. She weight 6 lbs. 9 ounces and is 20.5 inches long. She and mama are both doing well.

Ceilidh

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 00:38:29 GMT

Well, I just got back from Suzuki Institute at Ithaca College and my cousin's wedding today. I should have been more organized, but anyhow.

Ceilidh! You are all invited to my house next sunday, July 31st at 5:00 PM for a dancing, music and snacks. If you can help out with organizing, call me, or maybe I'll be calling you.

See you there!

I met a girl named Anne Marie O'Sullivan from County Cork in Ithaca. She tried to teach me irish fiddling. I basicaily only learnt one ornament. I'll keep trying though. Maybe I'll go to Newfoundland sometime and learn more.

Oh Warcraft, you are a cruel master

A few items

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 15:26:19 GMT

For anyone who has wondered what has happened to me lately I've been playing World of Warcraft, and not really reading LJ.

My Paladin has almost reached level 40 though, at which time I'll get....a horse. Yay!

Rabbit has not been hosting Celtic Harvest for the last 2 weeks, I talked to her this week on efnet and she has been in the hospital, but is doing better now.

Early voting is already going on for the City Council elections in C'dale. Vote HARRY HODGDON and write in people for the other 2 slots, Ray Minner and Brian Lauritzen or Mickey Mouse for all I care. Don't vote for the incumbents. Have you noticed that their signs are only on public property? No one has them in their yards. I haven't seen even one in someone's yard. What does that tell you?

timor_noctis called me last night. It was neat.

hansallyo, we should get together and watch the rest of the Invader Zim DVDs that you have.

Musical/Rhythmic

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 21:50:14 GMT

I am really not astounded by these results. I think what they really say is that I am compulsively manipulative of transparent quizzes such as this.

You scored as Musical/Rhythmic. You are sensitive to sounds in your environment, enjoy music and prefer listening to music when you study or read. You learn best through melody and music. People like you include singers, conductors, composers, and others who appreciate the various elements of music.

</td>

Musical/Rhythmic

89%

Verbal/Linguistic

79%

Logical/Mathematical

68%

Intrapersonal

61%

Visual/Spatial

57%

Bodily/Kinesthetic

46%

Interpersonal

46%

The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com

On another note I'm telling my Squirrel story for Children's story tomorrow at Church. yay.

Your Face

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 21:43:27 GMT

Get a picture of yourself. Preferably a passport type photo and go to the following links. It'll be fun.

This site will allow you to do fun morphs to your face
http://www.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~morph/ (for this one you have to have java)

This one will tell you about your personality based on your face.
http://faceanalyzer.com

And a couple more just for good measure that I haven't really checked out.

Face Recognition
http://www.gabitus.com/eng/analogia/2.html

Face Transformer
http://www.metaphorical.net/boredom/transform.html

Caroling

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 20:28:09 GMT

I'm planning a little caroling run on my road next tuesday, December 14th in the evening.

As many of you who can please please PLEASE come. It'll be fun.

World of Warcraft

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 21:49:08 GMT

[Non gamers ignore this post]

I'm planning on going to buy WoW tonight. But I was hoping that I could recruit some other people to play it with me.

Maybe I'll call you and we'll talk about it. It seems like it would be alot funner to play with others.

somethingawful and Hot Topic

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 22:10:33 GMT

I never discovered somethingawful.com until today when a followed a wayward link on slashdot.

And while it is true that this website will never help me become a rockstar, this little tidbit greaty amused me, especially the last bit.

"Our trips to Hot Topic were numerous and always left us feeling cheap and slutty yet oddly revitalized as though we had caught a brief glimpse of the elysian fields where happys are grown. The modern day goth still has the same morbid obsession with death as his natural ancestor, the artsy vietnam photographer. However, a newfound self-awareness has allowed him to make some curious discoveries. For one he's found that it's pretty easy to feel angsty and depressed when you're dressed like a homosexual pirate/gypsy."

The force is strong with this one

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 16:17:38 GMT

http://www.penny-arcade.com/index.php3#braying

Just go there, today, I don't think the link will work tomorrow.

Race Track

Sun, 14 Nov 2004 04:24:13 GMT

When I was driving my Plymouth, I discovered that my car had pretty crappy acceleration when I put gas from Race Track (in Ooltewah) as compared to getting gas at other places.

I thought it might just be my car.

The other day I got gas their in my BMW, and yet again, crappy acceleration (in comparision).

So I'm wondering, if other people have had this same experience with Race Track 87 Octane fuel?

Arafat is dead

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 15:04:20 GMT

Will the good news never end!

The terrorist Yasser Arafat is apparently finally dead.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/11/arafat.mourning.reut/

Now that he's out of the way I think there is a real chance for peace. And if peace finally breaks out between Isreal and the Palestinians, that will be one less reason for the radical islamicist terrorists to stop wanting to kill us all.

And then we won't have to kill as many of them hopefully before they finally catch on.

Hooray!

Ashcroft out

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 14:12:35 GMT

God Bless America!

That paragon of prudishness, John Ashcroft, has resigned!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/251400p-215253c.html

I think that this portents some...uh...changes to the USA Patriot Act, good ones.

And, if this sort of thing amuses you, here is the John Ashcroft songbook, with songs about John Ashcroft, bad ones.

http://bootnewt.tripod.com/ashsongs.htm

UPDATE The thread about this on slashdot has more comments than I have ever seen before.

The end of the IRS

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 15:54:21 GMT

This makes me so excited I'm just tingling!

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2004/august/0802_hastert_irs.shtml

Its not just fringe type people that want to abolish our national terrorist organization anymore. The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert is in favor of this! The Speaker of the House.

Even if I have to pay more in taxes under another plan, I still think it would be better because it would be less invasive.

Its a bright new day people. A bright new day.

No more gloating

Thu, 04 Nov 2004 15:21:04 GMT

After my last post I realized how many people read my posts. Possibly as many as 8 people read them!

Anyhow, to my loyal readership (all 8 of you). During the next 12 months I promise to not have any more gloating posts.

Instead, I will carefully, thoughtfully, kindly try to convince you to stop being liberals. This doesn't mean I'm going to try to convince you to be Republicans, you can become Socialists for all I care (just kidding, you aren't allowed to be Socialists, or Greens).

Republican, Libertarian, Constitution Party, Whig, whatever.

So if my last post offended you so much that you considered stop reading my journal, don't worry. For the next 12 months I'll be kind (and maybe even Conciliatory, whatever that means).

The Taste of Victory

Wed, 03 Nov 2004 16:01:37 GMT

I'd like to thank all of you have posted bitter pussfilled scabs of posts either right before, or right after the election.

Your visceral backwash of hate brings a great big smile to my face on this beautiful day of triumph over the Left.

Its nice to know that most people on slashdot and most of my friends IRL and on LJ are nationally in the minority.

The worst part is that many of your paranoid fears about this administration are either unfounded, or your guy wouldn't have changed anything. So there wasn't much point in supporting him in the first place. I can only attribute it to irrational hate. Is this the legacy of the party of JFK? irrational hate?

So thank you </a></b></a>cmpriest </a></b></a>judgedreddv and </a></b></a>dyskordus for making this day even better for me, and the 58,487,137 people that agree with me.

P.S. Conciliatory? What does that mean?

Cowboy Jubilee

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 18:46:42 GMT

The Cowboy Jubilee is going to be live this weekend from Ackerman starting at 5:30 PM on sundays.

If you've never listened to the show its on 90.5 WSMC every sunday at 6 PM.

Call for reservations at 236-2905.

More info near the bottom of the page at.

http://www.wsmc.org/events.php

Voting

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 18:30:04 GMT

You know how everyone is telling you to vote? Even if you disagree with them? They say its your civic duty..or whatever.

Have any of you really thought about that? Why does everyone want you to vote? I'm going to tell you.

Because it validates the election.

If too few people vote, then the general population will not feel that the election is valid. Eventually, this will result in revolution and a radical change in our government.

So, if you are dissatisfied with the candidates or with the way that our government works don't vote or vote for a 3rd party candidate. In this way, your voice will be heard that you don't like the candidates and you are dissatisfied with the way the government works.

The War on Terror

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 17:07:17 GMT

It's rare that there is a post on slashdot that I totally agree with, especially one of this length.

Anyhow, here it is, give it a read.

http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=127923&threshold=1&commentsort=0&tid=226&tid=95&mode=thread&cid=10685728

Wedding trip stuff

Sat, 16 Oct 2004 01:46:11 GMT

Here I am at Nilo and Nilosgirl's wedding.

I got 3.5 hours of sleep last night and then drove for about 9 hours to get here. It was great! First road trip in the BMW.

Right now Ronan is asleep and Nettas is in the shower and this hotel (La Quinta) is giving me free internet access! How cool is that. Bike gave me the patch cable as I didn't think to bring one. Of course, I could still get on the internet even if I didn't have a patch cable by using Nilos Linksys router that is 2 doors down.

You know those nextel walkie-talkie things? I keep hearing them beep...while I'm in my room. Also, what's really strange is that there is about 30 cable TV installation vans in the parking lot of this hotel. I should go count, but I swear its at least 30. Isn't that odd?

BMW

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:08:46 GMT

Oh yeah, I bought a 1998 BMW 328 on monday. It's so beautiful.

When I get well I'll try to take some of my own pictures.

Its a perfect car. It makes me want to be a better person so I'll actually be worthy of its amazing German engineering.

its like 5 in the morning

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:05:40 GMT

The Big news. And remember that you heard it here first, is that little Gabe was born. http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2004-09-13#braying

I wonder what its like to be born with fans ready made.

Here's to you little Gabe! May you have a charmed life.

I'm so congested that I haven't been able to sleep.

Thanks people that had colds at the Bible Study. I didn't know they made colds like this.

I feel like I'm in college though. I've basically spent all night playing games, web surfing, and making stuff with iMovie.

I've drank alot of tea, taken hot and cold showers, taken multi vitamins, charcoal, garlic, tylenol and I ate two garlic cloaves raw, oh yeah, and sudafed. And I ate some eggs. My throat is so sore that citrus burns it.

I know that when I go to sleep (finally) all the mucus that's in my sinuses will run down my throat and I'll wake up trying to remove my own esophagus.

I think I'll go take another shower.

Liberal News bias on parade

Tue, 24 Aug 2004 18:55:23 GMT

Well, it looks like a veritable barrage of Political Posts will be coming along in my LJ.

Its the campaign. Its just so interesting.

http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040712.asp#1

Anyhow, the above link quotes Evan Thomas, the Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek saying that the media wants Kerry to win.

Nature -v- Nurture

Tue, 24 Aug 2004 15:29:06 GMT

I found the following Nature -v- Nurture, Con -v- Lib comment on Slashdot quite fascinating.

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=119003&cid=10045208

It really typifies my main interest in political stuff. I want to know why people believe what they believe. And this sheds some light on it I think.

Please post your thoughts if you want.

War on Terror

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 17:40:21 GMT

I usually eschew political posts. And while I have made them before, I usually only do it only because I am pretty upset about something.

This isn't quite the case here. I would like to put forward my views on the War on Terror that you won't hear anywhere else.

The Best Defence is a good Offense.

Forget all this Patriot Act, heightened alertness, government taking over baggage screening, closer inspection at airports, spying on people's communications crap. Forget all that. It costs too much, wastes everyones times and makes people angry and frustrated. If a few people are killed every so often is that really so bad?

Instead, respond forcefully to attacks or against potential attackers before they get us. Shoot'em, bomb'em, blow them up, whatever. I'm not really particular. Get them so bad that there is no way that they can respond. Peace through obliteration. (I'm all for negotiation, but there isn't anyone to negotiate with in this case, is there?). So obliteration is the answer in my view.

I am quite aware that probably each and everyone of you disagree with me. And that's neat. Tell me why if you feel like it.