[extropy-chat] Politics: US talks of suspending elections

[Dan Clemmensen]

Adrian Tymes wrote:

>--- Dan Clemmensen <dgc at cox.net> wrote:
>  
>
>>My first reaction: The senior people in the Bush
>>administration have 
>>demonstrated a profound ignorance of the US
>>constitution, and it 
>>underlying principles. This is merely the most
>>recent and most egregious 
>>example.
>>    
>>
>
>Umm...Samantha said *the press* are talking about it.
>Do you have a single specific instance of *the Bush
>administration* talking about it?
>
>Bush has done enough things to be worth voting him out
>of office, without attributing to him violations he
>has not in fact even contemplated yet.  The case
>against him is far stronger if it relies only on the
>truth, just like most such cases.
>  
>
 From the first hit at google news:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-12-postpone-elections_x.htm

"[Newsweek] cited unnamed sources who said the Department of Homeland 
Security asked the Justice Department for advice last week.

/Newsweek/ said DeForest Soaries, chairman of the U.S. Election 
Assistance Commission, wants Ridge to ask Congress to pass legislation 
giving the government power to cancel or reschedule a federal election. 
Soaries said New York suspended primary elections on the day of the 
Sept. 11 attacks, but the federal government does not appear to have 
that authority."


Recall my third reaction: what should we do if someone nukes Washington 
on election day? As horrible as it sounds, our society really does need 
to answer this question.