So much for my hiatus from this journal . . .

My favorite court in the land--the ninth circuit, for those of you so uninformed--put the California recall election on hold, due to the fact that some of the precincts voting would be using the old punch-card system--read hanging chad and oh, isn't this fun!--outlawed by California voters.

Now, the problem here is layered: When California outlawed the punch-card method of voting, they believed that they would have time to implement the new, computerized version before a major election was to be held. Then, the Republican party, those illigitimate legal wranglers of elections, decided that since they can't WIN the California gubanatorial race, they'll steal it, hence producing an election of substance far sooner than anticipated.

If Mr. Davis is recalled, a minority voice will elect the next Govenor of the most powerful state in the union.

Then, the ninth circuit court rightly ruled that California could not proceed using outdated election methods.

For a group of people who put Bush in office with political wrangling and legal challenges based upon hanging-chad arguments, they sure are whining an awful lot, aren't they?

But that's nothing new for the Christian-right dominated Republican party. C'mon, hypocisy is their staple; their primary trade.

Gawd do I love the ninth circuit. They the ones who ruled "Under God," an unconstitutional addition to our pledge of allegiance.

Don't worry, the Republicans are staying true to form and asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decision, and with Justices like Anton Scalia, it might just happen.

It's easy to laugh at California right now. Their recall election is populated by porn stars, ex-child actor midgits who stature dwarfs their talent, the Terminator and severe right-wing assholes. (Oh yeah, the luitenant gov is in there too.) But this is a serious issue, folks. The state is going through extremely difficult financial straights at the moment, and whoever takes over is going to have difficult choices to make. It's not about looking good or sound bytes or freak-shows. California has always been a microcosm of our county. What tends to fly there has a way of making its way across the airwaves, thereby influencing the rest of the country. The old saying is "As goes Maine, so goes the nation," but the reality truly is on the opposite coast.

Could we be watching the future of American politics? The Republican party has shown it has no difficulty in trying to win positions of power through recalls (impeachments) when it can't obtain the will of the American voters through standard means. It has shown that no election is over until the courts have their say. It has shown that logic and reason have no place in a nation founded "under God." You're with us, or you're a traitor.

And now, Bush not only wants to expand the Patriot act, but proof has emerged in the form of a memo obtained through the freedom of information act that a senior White House official was in contact with a major oil company asking for their assistance in filing a lawsuit prohibiting the E.P.A. from issuing its findings on the greenhouse effect. (Yes, it's real. Yes, it's bad. Yes, it's getting worse. Yes, the only way to stop it is through research and implementation of alternate fuel sources. Yes, this hurts the oil companies.)

If we don't do something now, the repulicans will God Bless us to death.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of The Abyss.