The Commission on Corrections predicts jail population growth to justify its mandate. However, local history reveals the inaccuracies of its projections. In 1997 our jail's average daily population was more than 89. At the time, a county consultant urged expanding to 196 beds, predicting a population of 112 by 2004.

The consultant suggested implementing aggressive new alternative to incarceration (ATI) programs to reduce the daily population to 95. The consultant also said that aggressive new ATI programs might reduce the population to 95 per day. We did institute ATI programs, and our results far exceed the consultant's prediction. The population averaged just over 65 per day from January through August 2004. Dismissing our results, New York State nevertheless demands that we accommodate more than twice that many people.

[G]ambling ballot measures fared far better in the red areas than the blue areas. Most every blue state clearly rejected expanded gambling. California is the most dramatic example.

In a state where Kerry won with a 10 percent margin, two propositions to expand gambling were overwhelmingly defeated. Proposition 70, which would have expanded Indian gaming, lost by a whopping 76 percent to 24 percent. Proposition 68, which would have authorized expanded gambling at racetracks and card rooms, failed by an even larger margin of 83.7 percent to 16.3 percent. In no county in California did this proposition receive more than 20 percent of the vote. In quintessentially liberal Marin County, Proposition 68 won 10 percent of the vote.

Expanded gambling also lost badly in Washington. An initiative proposal that would have allowed electronic gaming devices at non-tribal locations throughout the state lost by 60 percent to 40 percent.

In Michigan, a constitutional amendment requiring the approval of the electorate to expand casino gambling was opposed by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the state's teacher unions. This additional restriction on gambling passed by 58 percent to 42 percent.

New York's Tompkins County, the home of Cornell University, overwhelmingly backed Kerry, but defeated off-track betting by a similar margin. The blues voted against expanding gambling.

If approved, same sex couples who are legally married or involved in a civil union with a city employee, would receive pension benefits - including accidental death benefits.

Those eligible would include people who were married in Massachusetts, Europe, or Canada, and those in civil unions performed in Vermont.

"The natural-born citizen clause is a real problem, since it's so ambiguous,'' she said. "It's so ambiguous that it could conceivably disqualify (Arizona Sen.) John McCain from running for president, since he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which isn't part of the United States any longer.''

Support for a new amendment isn't just from California voters or action movie fans. Two Republicans, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, introduced constitutional amendments that would allow foreign-born citizens to run for president. Those amendments failed to reach the floor of either house during the current session of Congress, which is scheduled to end this week.

[Hollywood News]: London, Nov 17 : Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell thinks her dogs are gay.

According to Femalefirst, the pop star believes her pet Shih Tzu Harry has been getting frisky with her Pomeranian Daddy.

Geri, who travels everywhere with her beloved pooches, revealed: "They are always kissing each other - but are both boys!"

And it is not just anti-Americanism that has escalated. Just look at this list of courses taught at some of America's top universities:

At Columbia, Sorcery and Magic
At Dartmouth, Queer Theory, Queer Texts
At Cornell, Gay Fiction
At Swarthmore, Lesbian Novels Since World War II
At the University of Wisconsin, Goddesses and Feminine Powers
And, at the University of Pennsylvania, Feminist Critique of Christianity,
to name just a few.

We thought that when the riots ended, that perhaps the dangers went away. But the dangers are now worse, because they are now ideological dangers and philosophical dangers, and ideas that crept in, especially from France.

Well, basically, what they are not teaching are the things you and I learned at college. They are not teaching freshman English nor American history, nor basic mathematics and science.

The highly regimented, six-month program includes military-style exercise, physical labor, academics and intensive substance abuse treatment. The program, which can reduce minimum sentences by up to 30 months, is designed to build character and self-esteem.

Slightly less than a third of shock graduates return to prison within three years of their release. That compares to a 40 percent recidivism rate among inmates who were eligible for shock but did not participate.

Regular viewers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show may remember a profile this past summer of Florida State House candidate Ed Heeney (R). In his interview, Heeney explained how lesbians were ruining his love life and his ability to shoot games of pool. Heeney complained that lesbians had taken over all the good bars in the Fort Lauderdale area with pool tables and that he no longer had any good places to play. He even cited one incident when "a gang of lesbians" confronted him. One lesbian bar owner joked that Heeney was only upset because some lesbians "kicked his ass" in pool. The candidate also explained how "homosexual culture" ruined South Florida and that he could no longer find any single women to date who were not lesbians (Editor's Note: or who were simply telling Heeney they were lesbians in order to not go out with him). Heeney's signature line was that he was not homophobic but "'homo-nausic' ... I'm not afraid of them, I'm sick of the bastards." Heeney lost his run for State House last week by a 40-point margin. Yesterday, Heeney and his former campaign manager were arrested in a bizarre incident. The campaign manager was apparently being evicted from his apartment for non-payment of rent. When a Sheriff's deputy went to enforce the eviction, he found the lock changed. He sawed off the lock, only to find the door was reinforced from the inside by wood and steel. The campaign manager had a past criminal history involving gun violence, so the deputy called for backup. That led to a ten hour stand-off that ended peacefully when the man and Heeney -- who was inside the apartment helping the guy keep the door locked -- were both arrested for trespass and resisting arrest without violence. Heeney didn't post the $100 bond but instead spent the night in jail.

Date: Wed Nov 03 19:11:50 2004

Straight male seeks Bush supporter for fair, physical fight - m4m

I would like to fight a Bush supporter to vent my anger. If you are one, have a fiery streek, please contact me so we can meet and physically fight. I would like to beat the shit out of you.

A poster named 'TruthIsAll' on the DemocraticUnderground.com forums laid out the questionable results of Tuesday's election in succinct fashion:

"To believe that Bush won the election, you must also believe: That the exit polls were wrong; that Zogby's 5pm election day calls for Kerry winning Ohio and Florida were wrong (he was exactly right in his 2000 final poll); that Harris' last-minute polling for Kerry was wrong (he was exactly right in his 2000 final poll); that incumbent rule #1 - undecideds break for the challenger - was wrong; That the 50% rule - an incumbent doesn't do better than his final polling - was wrong; That the approval rating rule - an incumbent with less than 50% approval will most likely lose the election - was wrong; that it was just a coincidence that the exit polls were correct where there was a paper trail and incorrect (+5% for Bush) where there was no paper trail; that the surge in new young voters had no positive effect for Kerry; that Kerry did worse than Gore against an opponent who lost the support of scores of Republican newspapers who were for Bush in 2000; that voting machines made by Republicans with no paper trail and with no software publication, which have been proven by thousands of computer scientists to be vulnerable in scores of ways, were not tampered with in this election."

AUSTIN, Texas - The State Board of Education approved health textbooks for Texas high school and middle school students Friday, after publishers changed the wording in their books to reflect marriage as being between a man and a woman.

The decision could affect many states because books sold in Texas, often are marketed elsewhere.

A day earlier some board members had argued that health textbooks should not contain "asexual stealth phrases" such as "individuals who marry" instead of husbands and wives.

"I want the reader, the child to know that marriage is between a man and a woman," Republican board member Terri Leo said in a written statement released during a board meeting Thursday.

"Why would I listen to losers? Let's be honest -- they have lost every single ballot in the Bay Area."

"Yes. Again, you violated the one-question rule right off the bat. Obviously, you didn't listen to the will of the people."

John Kerry received a slightly higher percentage of votes from gay Americans than Al Gore did four years ago--77% versus the 70% that were cast for Gore in 2000. Kerry picked up more votes from those who voted for independent Ralph Nader in 2000.

"What's different about New York City is it tends to bring people together and so we can't ignore each others' dreams and values and it creates a much more inclusive consciousness. When you're in a more isolated environment, you're more susceptible to some ideology that's imposed on you."

As an example, Ms. Camhe offered the different attitudes New Yorkers may have about social issues like gay marriage.

"We live in this marvelous diversity where we actually have gay neighbors," she said. "They're not some vilified unknown. They're our neighbors."

But she said that a dichotomy of outlooks was bad for the country.

"If the heartland feels so alienated from us, then it behooves us to wrap our arms around the heartland," she said. "We need to bring our way of life, which is honoring diversity and having compassion for people with different lifestyles, on a trip around the country."

So how can you tell if you were too vested in this election?

Warning signs that perhaps you've invested too much emotional stock in this election include "feeling fatigued, stressed, despair with the news reports," points out Bedford, New Hampshire-based psychologist Pamela M. Brill, EdD. "For some, the physical signs of being too engaged include racing heart rate," she says. "When you get there, you can take that as a sign that it's time for a break, a literal breather."

"I'm calling NH for Kerry!

In those two tiny Republican towns that vote at midnight, Kerry just picked up 4 votes that went for Bush in 2000! (In 2000: Bush 38, Gore 18. In 2004, Bush 34, Kerry 22.) That is a huge percentage shift. If Republican voters in small Republican towns are sick of Bush, we might as well call the whole darn country for Kerry."

---

In Washington D.C.: "Four years ago, at 7 in the morning, I walked right in, voted, and left, all in about two minutes.

Not this year. I could see the line from two blocks away, out the school, down the block and around the corner. I've been voting in DC every year since 1986 and I've never seen anything like it."

In a recording of a phone call played for The Associated Press, a young woman says: "When you vote this Tuesday remember to legalize gay marriage by supporting John Kerry. We need John Kerry in order to make gay marriage legal for our city. Gay marriage is a right we all want. It's a basic Democrat principle. It's time to move forward and be progressive. Without John Kerry, George Bush will stop gay marriage. That's why we need Kerry. So Tuesday, stand up for gay marriage by supporting John Kerry."

Hey! I'm Shane... a proud gay progressive Democrat who has recently relocated to New York City from Ithaca, NY. As I am no longer in Ithaca, I haven't quite decided the fate of this blog.

Drop me a line!
shane@happilystuckinithaca.com

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