American Politics

[olympe]

I'm far from an expert on anything blowing up, but it seems to me like it can't have been fireworks or the like. Does anyone have an idea much time passed between both explosions, though? Haven't found the answer yet, but it seems to be several minutes at the very least, most likely in the double digits. (There was one person interviewd who stated that he didn't know what happened, only that the city center (?) was supposedly on fire and then the bigger explosion happened. Badly paraphrased, but that was the gist of it.) If it was a warehouse filled with explosives where one blew up, shouldn't the others have followed suit much sooner?

 

This, however, is all conjecture since I don't know the facts yet.

[catstaff]

4 hours ago, olympe said:

I'm far from an expert on anything blowing up, but it seems to me like it can't have been fireworks or the like. Does anyone have an idea much time passed between both explosions, though? Haven't found the answer yet, but it seems to be several minutes at the very least, most likely in the double digits. (There was one person interviewd who stated that he didn't know what happened, only that the city center (?) was supposedly on fire and then the bigger explosion happened. Badly paraphrased, but that was the gist of it.) If it was a warehouse filled with explosives where one blew up, shouldn't the others have followed suit much sooner?

 

This, however, is all conjecture since I don't know the facts yet.

 

I don't know the facts yet either - I don't think anyone does. But I follow a YouTuber who lives in Beirut, and he posted about an hour ago, with what information they had there as of the time of his upload. The explosion happened at the port. There appeared to be a fire in some sort of storage facility, which then exploded in a rather spectacular fashion. He's got a couple of video clips, one looked like it might have been from a traffic camera or something similar, while the other was someone taking video of the fire from their apartment balcony when the explosion happened. I personally didn't see anything that looked like fireworks... loads of smoke billowing up at first, then flames becoming visible as if the fire had perhaps either hit something very flammable or else got a sudden influx of air/oxygen that made it flare up, and then the explosion.

 

Anyway, here's the link to his video, in case any of the clips and pictures he's got show different perspectives from what's on the news.

 

[JaneMcAsh]

ABC is reporting that the cause was Ammonium nitrate stored at site. https://abcnews.go.com/International/massive-explosion-shocks-beirut/story?id=72167623&cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_twopack_hed

[purplehaze]

Trump has actually come right out and admitted that he is blocking aid to the post office to prevent mail-in voting.

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-admits-he-wants-block-usps-funding-sabotage-mail-voting-2020-8

President Donald Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Thursday morning that he would block additional funding and election assistance for the US Postal Service to sabotage mail-in voting.

Throughout the pandemic, Trump has rejected giving emergency funds or grants to the cash-strapped USPS, which has seen a major revenue shortfall. He has also aggressively spread false and exaggerated claims that voting by mail is inherently fraudulent. In reality, rates of fraud are extremely low, and there's no evidence that expanding voting by mail hurts or benefits either political party.

Trump said in a press conference on Wednesday evening that he would not sign off on either the $25 billion in emergency funds for the USPS or the $3.5 billion grant to help it process election-related mail that Democrats have advocated in a federal COVID-19 relief bill.

He said the same thing during the Fox Business interview on Thursday morning.

"They want $25 billion — billion — for the post office. Now they need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," Trump said. "Now, in the meantime, they aren't getting there. By the way, those are just two items. But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting ... because they're not equipped."...

So who is trying to rig the election now?

Putting lives at risk from the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be what Trump does best!

[trystan]

GAH

[olympe]

For me, that would be the one big reason to get up early, go to vote early (if there are a lot of people voting in that place) and vote against Trump. I know I'm not a nice person when angered, and this certainly angers me. (However, I'm not a US citizen, so I can't do squat.)

[trystan]

so i've requested a mail-in ballot.

 

but i'm still torn between mailing* it in the day after i get it, or masking up and actually going to the polls.  i've been told that if i go to the polls, i'll need to fill out a provisional ballot,since my name in the book may have been updated to say that i got the mail-in ballot.  i mean, if i DO go to the polls, i'll bring my ballot to show them that i haven't mailed it off.

 

*right now there's two options - one is putting it in my mailbox.  when it gets to the county seat - Doylestown - they'll scan in my envelope and tell me they received it.  the inner envelope, with my actual vote in it, goes into a big bin or somewhere, to be counted.  how will i know it gets counted?

 

the second option is delivering it to the drop-off box at the Board of Elections - which is in ... Doylestown.  because there's no good route across my county, this will take about 45 minutes to get there! 

 

in september, the PA voting page should be updated with provisional ballot information, and hopefully it'll help me with my decision.  maybe there'll also be ballot boxes all over the county, not just in Doylestown?

 

and of course trump wants to delay the vote-by-mail process... he's already said if everyone's able to vote, republicans would never be elected again (i know, it's an old article.  but he still said it.)

[Classycal]

I'm not sure I trust the mail in ballots with all the ones being mailed in.  I fear they won't get counted.  That's why I'll be going to the polls - very early in the morning so I won't have to wait in line.  

[olympe]

7 minutes ago, Classycal said:

I'm not sure I trust the mail in ballots with all the ones being mailed in.  I fear they won't get counted.  That's why I'll be going to the polls - very early in the morning so I won't have to wait in line.  

You might still have to wait in line - but at least probably less long than others coming later.  I'm afraid this might be the most important US election in recent history (= post WWII).

[AngelsSin]

I too requested a mail in ballot.  From what I understand you can track your mail in ballot and if you mail it in early (which I intend to mail it as soon as I get it) if it isn't in you can still go to vote in person. It won't double count your vote, and they should still let you vote in person. That's just B.S. Trump and his cult are spouting to keep people from mailing it in or so he can contest the election. At least that is my understanding of the mail in ballot process.

[purplehaze]

1 hour ago, Classycal said:

I'm not sure I trust the mail in ballots with all the ones being mailed in.  I fear they won't get counted.  That's why I'll be going to the polls - very early in the morning so I won't have to wait in line.  

I'm thinking of doing the same. I want to be sure my vote is counted! I am afraid of going in person, but it may be necessary.

[trystan]

24 minutes ago, AngelsSin said:

From what I understand you can track your mail in ballot and if you mail it in early (which I intend to mail it as soon as I get it) if it isn't in you can still go to vote in person.

i voted by mail for the primary here in PA.  the outer envelope has a bar code on it that the Board of Elections scans, and then it emailed me to let me know my outer envelope had been received.  i'd like to think my vote in the inner envelope had been counted as well.

 

i may need to either take a road trip to Doylestown (county seat) and put it in the ballot box myself - or mask up and vote in person.  i should have more info in a few weeks on the PA Voter website about provisional ballots.

 

1 hour ago, olympe said:

I'm afraid this might be the most important US election in recent history (= post WWII).

yes, yes it is.  it's very scary to think what might happen in the future if Biden doesn't win.

 

also Kanye West met with Jared Kushner - all the articles i clicked on in my google results said they talked about policy - and not about West being a spoiler for the election and wanting to hurt Biden by running.  this is so up 

[AngelsSin]

This is the first time i will be voting by mail as long as I get it in time and mail it out on time. Which for Florida is October 5 so I should be fine. For my state here is some info on the mail in ballot process it might help those of you who are skeptical of the process of whether it is counted or not,etc.

For me I'm more skeptical of the in person voting as I have not forgotten the fiasco in Florida in which ballots went missing for hours in the Bush/Gore election.

 

Source:

https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/politics/2020/08/12/how-to-check-the-status-of-your-florida-vote-by-mail-ballot

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/fl-ne-vote-by-mail-florida-how-to-guide-20200811-kq5vog3oyfeq3cx3vi5o6d3bmq-story.html

Edited August 14, 2020 by AngelsSin

[trystan]

so i had one of my zoom chats tonight, and one of the women said there was a ballot drop-off box in the little complex near one of my local libraries.  so, i feel much better about that!  

[Astreya]

I really wondered why no reporter did this before:

Actually the whole thread is worth a read: https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1294033254174150658

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Astreya

[Lagie]

6 hours ago, Astreya said:

I really wondered why no reporter did this before:

Actually the whole thread is worth a read: https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1294033254174150658

 

It's interesting how many people agreed the next reporter should have asked the same thing! About time someone asked.

[olympe]

5 hours ago, Lagie said:

It's interesting how many people agreed the next reporter should have asked the same thing! About time someone asked.

Well, if I had been the reporter following after that unanswered question, I'd have asked the very same question again. And kept my fingers crossed that the colleage following after me would have caught on.  

[AngelsSin]

Trump looked totally flabbergasted that anyone would have the audacity to ask him flat out like that and he looked like he was at a complete loss for words. I know people call him out on lies  (for some reason auto correct changed lies to whiskies and as I typed this it changed lies again to kids???) all the time but not quite like that. It was priceless!

[olympe]

48 minutes ago, AngelsSin said:

Trump looked totally flabbergasted that anyone would have the audacity to ask him flat out like that and he looked like he was at a complete loss for words. I know people call him out on lies  (for some reason auto correct changed lies to whiskies and as I typed this it changed lies again to kids???) all the time but not quite like that. It was priceless!

Imagine the quote above with the autocorrect you expierenced.

"after three and a half years, do you regret all the whiskying you've done to the American people?"

"after three and a half years, do you regret all the kidding you've done to the American people?"

Might as well be a conspiracy.  

 

Sorry, it's late around here, and I'm easily amused when tired.

[TacticianLyra]

I'm honestly more concerned about all the people saying that now they won't vote at all because of who Biden's VP pick is. I mean, I know it's hopefully just a small amount of people being loud about it, but

I'm really friggin' terrified here

[Astreya]

@TacticianLyra

What objections do they have against Kamala Harris? That she's a woman? That she's a person of colour? That she's a succesful woman? That she is able to hold herself very well in an argument?

[Kith]

My husband has some policy-related issues with her, but that's not going to cause him to abstain from voting this year... I don't know, though. It's like some people want a political candidate of any kind to exactly represent them personally, and that's practically impossible. 😕

[Fuzzbucket]

4 hours ago, Astreya said:

@TacticianLyra

What objections do they have against Kamala Harris? That she's a woman? That she's a person of colour? That she's a succesful woman? That she is able to hold herself very well in an argument?

 

I'd guess - yes to all

[trystan]

7 hours ago, TacticianLyra said:

I'm really friggin' terrified here

i am too.  my mom told me she's also worried for not only her grandkids (my two, and my brothers each have one), but their kids too, shoudl trump win again.  i'm really terrified that he just might.  i don't think enough people see what kind of disaster this really is.

 

[olympe]

Uhm, is this really a thing? Trump wants to increase the amount of water flowing through a shower so his own hair looks perfect?

Seriously, how messed up is that?

 

Also, he's surprised Europe doesn't stand behind him on his weird course against Iran? What the eff? First, he decided to cancel that atomic whatever treaty pretty much on a whim, now he demands consequences against Iran. On the other hand, he's been antagonizing Europe in general and Germany in particular pretty much from day one and at any opportunity that presented itself - and is now surprised he doesn't get backed up? I don't get it.

Edited August 16, 2020 by olympe