Richard Burr, United States Senator (But Hopefully Not For Much Longer)

Richard Burr Says Shooting Hillary Clinton Is Hilarious, Judicial Obstruction Is Awesome | News: 

And if Trump loses, and Burr loses, then oh well. Give it about three years tops before Burr helps form Burr, Bayh, and Lieberman Global Intelligence Consulting, or does something similarly dystopian in which he can make real money and have a bigger say over policy without being forced to pander to voters anymore.

There's a splash of cold water for those of us hoping a Deborah Ross victory will reduce the amount of harm Burr is able to inflict on the country as a Senator.

Apropos of my recent "Vengeance on Varos" post ...

I don't mean to get all CONTROVERSIAL but Kathryn VanArendonk wrote my favorite paragraph of at least this month: http://pic.twitter.com/sdSSV7akRx

— Joss Whedon (@joss) October 27, 2016

Blogged with IFTTT

"[No] legislature ... has ever done so much, so fast, to restrict access to the franchise."

North Carolina Reckons With its Jim Crow Past - The Atlantic: 

In North Carolina, spending on state races increased by 20 percent from 2008 to 2010, an investment poured mostly into Republican campaigns. Almost all of the independent money spent on state races in 2010 came from conservative millionaire mega-donor Art Pope, his family, and allied groups, who spread over $2 million across 22 races. Of those 22, Republicans won 18, creating GOP majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction. Only this time, Republicans were focused on restricting the electorate rather than expanding it.

My Ballot Has Been Cast

First day of early voting here in Fuquay and there were a ton of us out to vote at the first opportunity. I arrived before the polls opened and waited for an hour more once they did. The line had doubled in length by the time I left. You can see a portion of it behind me.

No angry mob of Trump supporters, no signs of impending violence. No reason not to vote. You might want to bring a thermos of coffee if you're out early. (For some reason, Dunkin' Donuts doesn't have a presence in the parking lot and this mystifies me.)

Regarding media hand-wringing over the prospect of violence, I suspect Tom may be on to something here:

Do you think people are entertaining the Election Day violence scenario because the foregone conclusion result is otherwise kind of boring?

— Tom Breen (@TJBreen) October 26, 2016

In case you're curious, I did write in Jill Stein on my ballot. My sense is HRC will carry NC, perhaps handily. Even if I were inclined to take a "strategic" anti-Trump approach, I would have been comfortable not voting for HRC expecting it not be particularly close. Even if the polls suggested Trump had a narrow lead, I would have voted my conscience though. Stein is, simply put, the candidate who best represents me. Her positions are, largely, my positions. She best represents my priorities and values. I know she is not going to win. But, I think progressives need to make themselves count. I guarantee Jill Stein would be the first choice of more than the 4% or so of voters who answer polls if we didn't didn't self-regulate in line with how corporate interests want us to vote. Until we all vote our consciences, we are choosing to be under-represented. That should stop. That's why I voted the way I did.

The Jujutsuffragettes

The Suffragettes Who Learned Martial Arts to Fight for Votes | Atlas Obscura: 

And that’s where the Bodyguard stepped in—in between their sisters-in-arms and members of law enforcement, their mission to keep these prison breaks as long as possible. The women of the Bodyguard were extremely fit, willing to risk their health, safety and freedom, and almost always single, since it was considered unfair for mothers to be thrown in jail. They came from the ranks of the most radical suffragettes and studied jujutsu in a network of secret locations, using codenames and whatever subterfuge necessary to keep their activity private from prying eyes.