And here is the news on this Election Day in Columbia:
- Obama limits US nuclear arms use — Kind of a biggie. And this comes two days before President Obama is to sign a landmark nuclear arms reduction pact with the Rooskies (as Slim Pickens would say, just to be darkly ironic).
- Turnout continues at moderate pace throughout afternoon — Before today, I’d have said that the thing that would surprise me most in the Columbia city election would be a light turnout. I had expected the biggest ever. And with this beautiful weather, even more so. But so far, it’s “moderate” — though that’s just anecdotal. We’ll see.
- District 2 election on hold until feds grant preclearance — Seeing how it’s now 5:19 p.m. on Election Day, I’m just going to go out on a limb and say the Justice Department isn’t going to get back to us in time to allow the election to replace E.W. Cromartie to go ahead today. Call me impulsive if you like…
- F.C.C. Rules for Broadband Fairness Set Aside by Court — Seen as a big setback for the federal agency’s ability to enforce “net neutrality.”
- Mine Explosion Leaves Coal Town Stunned — What bitter irony that, the very day after the Chinese (who have an atrocious mine safety record) miraculously rescue more than 100 miners trapped for a week, an explosion kills 25 American miners in West Virginia.
- Utah: SC waste won’t have to be shipped elsewhere — I don’t know about you, but I didn’t even know Utah was thinking of sending some waste back to us. Good to know that’s not going to happen, though.
The pollen storm may have suppressed turnout…
Re: the Rooskies
Wonder what Slim would call the ancient Persians?
Note the ‘Peace is our profession’ billboard @ 2:38. A Mohammed slogan prototype?
~ROPMA~
I wouldn’t call it beautiful weather. I couldn’t have stomped across Sims Park to vote without the five separate allergy medications I’ve had in the last 24 hours. We need some kind of “snowmaggedon” term for this. Pollenpalooza?
Anyway, I was the only person at Sims at 8 am — seems like there would have been a big crown on their way into the office, but no. Maybe folks around here don’t care so much if Morrison or Benjamin won as long as its one of them, and were confident at least one would make it to the runoff, so they’ll come out and vote in two weeks?
Actually, that’s not true, I wasn’t the only person there. There was a woman arguing with the poll volunteers and taking all their names, but she didn’t get to vote. They said her ID didn’t look like her? It was weird.
Pollenpocalypse
The Yellow Menace
I like Pollenpalooza–nice rhythm