<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;background-color:transparent">On Mon, Oct 12, 2026 at 8:59 AM <<a href="mailto:spike@rainier66.com">spike@rainier66.com</a>> wrote:</span></div></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr"><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg3385051289285610925"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="m_3385051289285610925WordSection1"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color:transparent"> <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">>> </span></span><b style="background-color:transparent"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif">Donald could simply<span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault"> declare</span> martial law and cancel the election<span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault">;</span></span></b><b style="background-color:transparent"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"> </span></b></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"> </blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg3385051289285610925"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="m_3385051289285610925WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"><i style=""><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">> </span>The framers thought of that.  Martial law does not cancel elections,</i></span></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b>It can if the Supreme Court says it can. And a Supreme Court filled with stooges like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito<span class="gmail_default" style=""> will say anything that Donald Trump wants it to say. It's true that the words "martial law" does not appear anywhere in the constitution, but that wouldn't prevent Donald from using it as justification for his fascist actions</span><span style="background-color:transparent"><span class="gmail_default" style="">, or prevent the Supreme Court from saying it was all just fine, nothing to worry about, everything is AOK.  </span></span></b></font></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><b><br></b></font><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"><i><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">> </span>John perhaps you believe the framers of the constitution were too stupid to think of those kinds of scenarios?</i></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b>I believe that<span class="gmail_default" style=""> <u>NOBODY</u></span> is smart enough to figure out a way that squiggles written on a piece of paper can enforce itself.<span class="gmail_default" style=""> </span> </b></font></div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg3385051289285610925"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="m_3385051289285610925WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault"><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">></span><font face="georgia, serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-weight:bold"> </span><i style="">elections happen at the state level. </i></font></span></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b>And that's why the Democrats couldn't<span class="gmail_default" style=""> </span>order a new series of primary elections<span class="gmail_default" style=""> when, just 107 days before election day, Joe Biden withdrew from the election. </span></b></font></div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg3385051289285610925"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="m_3385051289285610925WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="m_3385051289285610925gmaildefault"><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><i style=""><font face="georgia, serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">> </span>The current POTUS’ term expires on 20 Jan 2029 even if there was nothing we recognize as an election.  The electoral college meets anyway, composed of delegates sent by the 50 governors.</font></i></span></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span style="background-color:transparent">So you think<span class="gmail_default" style=""> </span>the only way to preserve democracy is to make sure that a<span class="gmail_default" style=""> </span></span><span style="background-color:transparent">Wyoming voter ha<span class="gmail_default" style="">s</span> <u style="">70 <span class="gmail_default" style="">TIMES</span></u> <span class="gmail_default" style="">as much </span>influence in determining who the next president should be th<span class="gmail_default" style="">a</span>n<span class="gmail_default" style=""> </span>a California voter<span class="gmail_default" style="">, and Dakota with a population of <u>1.7 million people deserves 4 senators</u>, but California with the population of <u>39.4 million people only deserves 2 </u>?! The entire thing is as nutty as squirrel shit. </span></span></font></b></div><div><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"><i style=""> <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">> </span>That’s why we have an electoral college:</i></span></blockquote><div><br></div><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b>The electoral college was a compromise to ensure that free states didn't have more influence than slave states<span class="gmail_default" style="">; if I was an electoral college fan that is not a history I would be proud of. </span></b></font></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b><br></b></font></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><font size="4" face="tahoma, sans-serif"><b><span class="gmail_default" style="">John K Clark</span> </b></font><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div>