...Izee's Thread

[Izee]

...Poetry...
 
I am somewhat indifferent to poetry.  Some really moves me, others are just tedious.  I have been told that I can write acceptable and amusing stories and tales, but I just can't write poetry.   

I was a bit of a cut-up in Jr. H.S.  Hormones were raging in me, asthma and allergies kept me exhausted, and my manic/depressive illness first entered my life.  I was in a slight manic mode when our English Teacher assigned all of us to memorize a poem, and then recite it to the class.  The poem had to be at least 8 lines.  She then waxed lyrical, saying how a truly gifted girl had memorized 'Annabel Lee', a long poem, and the class had clapped when she finished it.  She said that it was so wonderful that the class applauded.

I looked over Annabel Lee, and didn't particularly like it, and so I looked through the poetry book.  I found 'Casey Jones'...and was DELIGHTED!!!  In the schoolyard, sometimes, we would sing that short popular song about Casey Jones...

...Casey Jones, gonna reach Frisco
...Casey Jones, but we'll all be dead
...Casey Jones, gonna reach Frisco
...Gonna reach Frisco
...But we'll all be dead

The version of the poem I found, which starts, "Come all you rounders, if you want to hear, the story of a brave engineer" was very long, longer than Annabel Lee.  In between the narrative paragraphs, it had a 'chorus' which were the lyrics I set out above.  So, the chorus repeated itself about 15 times, there were a lot of paragraphs.  So, I studied, and memorized the entire damn thing.

So, came the day of the recitals, and I just slumped in my seat, I was a quiet kid back then and didn't talk much. (I changed as I got older... ) I didn't raise my hand when the Teacher asked for volunteers.  So, everyone else recited their short poems, and then the teacher called on me.  I walked to the front of the class, and nerves got to me...and I COULD NOT remember the opening lines.  I asked for the first line, and the Teacher just shrugged, and read it to me, probably thinking that the next few minutes were going to be difficult. 

But...thank goodness...my nerves left me...and I remembered the poem, and began reciting it.  After the third stanza, after I had repeated the 'Chorus' three times, my mind let loose, and I began singing the Chorus instead of just reciting it when it came up...and added a little dance as I sang.  I finished the entire poem, without missing a line or leaving out a word, and finished by singing and dancing the Chorus. one more time.   

The class cheered and applauded, and the Teacher...

Gave me one of the 'dirtiest looks' I have ever received...but gave me an 'A' for the assignment.     She just HAD to...I DID memorize a poem.

I got over it...

[Izee]

...Liberal Cities....

San Francisco is running a series of TV ads saying that it is such a wonderful city that everyone would enjoy.  They show pictures showing very clean areas, and nicely dressed people having food and drinks.

Talk about ABJECT MISINFORMATION!!!!   

They don't show the small tents and large boxes that are all over the place, even in the financial district and the Wharf, and that it is not safe to walk the streets at night.  They don't show the 'Street People' who are swarming all over the place, shaking people down for money.  A few years ago, I was in the nice area on business, and a, well, a bum was laying on dirty blankets on the sidewalk, and he held out his hand and asked for change.  I kept walking, and he said, in an angry voice, "Hey, you owe me some money!"  He then got up, and began staggering after me.  I walked VERY QUICKLY to the first office building I saw and went in, and alerted the Security Guard when I was in the lobby.  The bum started to come in, but staggered away when the Guard approached him.

I am always VERY SCARED of Street People.  I studied Martial Arts, very seriously, in three different schools, and achieved high ranks, and I can hit and kick very hard and with precision.  But, the Instructors ALWAYS said to avoid a fight with a Street Person.  They said, just walk fast, or run, if you have to, but DO NOT try to stand your ground.  They explained that the lifestyle the Street People lived was very harsh, and the ones that were able to do it were usually physically very strong.  He also said that they were deadened to pain, either due to damage to their nervous system, or the drugs they were on, or because they just didn't give a damn.  So, they all said to just stay clear, you could break a couple of their ribs, but they would keep coming after you.  An Instructor at one Dojo drilled me in a way that could work, if I was cornered.  It was a downward kick, almost a stomp, on the kneecap of my opponent...but he would be very close to me.  It could actually break the knee, and would probably disable him enough that I could run away, but if he already had a hand on me, I would have to do more.  He said, "Just let your Bitch Kitty loose...scratch, bite, go for the eyes...and SCREAM...do WHATEVER you can."

Liberals!!!  They say that they are showing 'compassion' to Street People by letting them live on the Street, and not making them live a healthier lifestyle, and be contributors to society.  Since when is letting people live in cardboard boxes and defecate in public...(Lovely S.F. has 'poop maps' tourists can get that show where poop is left on the sidewalks by bums)...and take illegal drugs and eat who knows what a compassionate act? 

Decades ago, when S.F. WAS a TRULY WONDERFUL city to visit, they handled the Street People properly.  They got them off the street and evaluated them.  If it was someone out of their luck, or had an injury or illness, they were treated and guided to places that could help.  If they were addicts or alcoholics who just couldn't control their needs, they were Institutionalized.  If they were criminals, they went to jail.  That kept the City safe, and many people have testified that such an approach saved their lives.  Getting treatment, or staying in jail for a few months, caused many people to actually see the errors in their life style, and they recovered and became very good citizens.  That sounds more like 'Compassion' to me.

But, those 'Ivory Tower' Liberals in Academia and seeming every other Profession, think that just mouthing off nice thoughts is 'Compassion'.  Compassion means you actually get involved in helping people, not just giving lip service.

*G*  I just now saw a new clip that showed a couple "Climate Protestors' running onto the stage while a couple was on the stage in a live, televised, ballroom dance competition.  A cameraman swung his huge camera, that was on a long and heavy support boom at them, aiming at the banner one was holding, and knocked him over.  Security rushed on stage and hauled the idiots away.  And...the couple just held on to each other and kept dancing through the whole thing!!!   

[Izee]

...H.S. Flag Football...

Sometimes the guys would let we girls play flag football with them.  Being small, I wasn't of any use on the line, but I could run fast and catch a football.  I was also good at running rather convoluted routes, and often could lose the person covering me.  So, I would play an end or halfback on offense, and linebacker on defense.  Once, though, after I mouthed off a bit to our team Captain, he placed me on the line as a Guard.  I would line up, and look at the guy I was supposed to block, or get by.  It was Steve P., who was on the Varsity Football team and made it to college on an Athletic Scholarship.  He was gentle, I did have to get off of the ground a number of times, but he didn't do any really rough stuff to me.

One thing I would do, and I often got away with it, was to join the OTHER TEAMS huddle.  I would let my hair cover my face, and keep my face down, and a number of times...I GOT AWAY WITH IT!!!     I would quickly pass the word to my team, and ignore what I was supposed to do, and just run to where the guy who was going to get the ball was.  Of course, I only got away with it a few times, their QB would be describing the play, and would see me, and kick me out.  A couple times I got away with it by standing NEXT to the QB in the huddle, but word got around about my antics, and the other team would watch to make sure that I didn't join their huddle.

Once, I actually lined up as fullback with the other team after the huddle, and when the ball was snapped, I ran to the QB and snatched his flag...

...I thought I was clever...

[Izee]

...Playing the Cello...

I performed this work a few times when I was young, I got a very high mark form the Judge at a Music Competition.  I also performed this at a couple Catholic Church Services.  It always took a LOT out of me, even practicing at home, it is a very introspective work.  Being a Catholic, I am not familiar with Jewish Prayers or Services, but I think I experienced what they are about when I performed this.  I did try to express a 'Prayer', and that is what was running through my head.  IMHO, this is a work that can only be properly expressed by the cello.  The cello is very close to the human voice, and the melancholy overtones that those big hunks of lumber can emit are so complex.  When you play a note on a cello, you don't just hear the one frequency of the note.  You hear 'overtones' that relate to that note, and many are not that note.  I was always amused when I was paying a 'C' with my fourth finger on the G string...the open C string next to the G string would also vibrate.

Please enjoy this...

https://youtu.be/rTso0wYH4f4

[Izee]

A friend of mine had a daughter who had musical talent.  We invited her to play the violin or the viola in our string quartet, and also got her admitted into the Community and Semi-Professional Orchestras we played in.  She became very skilled on the viola, and was accepted into the S.F. Conservatory of Music as a Performance Major.  (You have to audition to be accepted to be a Performance Major at the Top Conservatories.  I had to audition at the Conservatory at UOP, and was accepted as a Performance Major.    )  She came home one break, and told her parents that her string quartet had gone into the local park, and played music, and got a lot of dollar bills dropped into an open violin case.  Her Father was the Administrator of a large Hospital, and wasn't all that happy about her majoring in music, he hoped she would go into science.  When he heard that she had performed in the park, he referred to her as "My daughter, the street performer".  I would tease him, saying, "Good deal paying the school 30K a year to train your daughter to become a street musician."  He would just growl at me. 

But, we are all very proud of her.  She did become a respected classical violist, and has performed at Carnagie Hall and other venues and made a nice living as a musician.

[Izee]

https://youtu.be/KvGC8hZC29U

How I am feeling right now.  I had to call an Ambulance for my elderly Mother, she was having a 'spinning head' sensation and couldn't sit up.  I didn't try to carry her , I tried to get her to sit up, but she couldn't.  So, I called an ambulance, and then pulled on a long shirt and drove to the Hospital.  (It was 5:00 am).  I got to the E.R., and she was very uncomfortable, and kept saying that things were spinning.  The MD's gave her some injections and an IV, and I sat by her, but didn't try to get her to converse...she was coherent...but very weak.  She improved, and was coherent, but kept complaining that things were spinning.  The MD said that it could be an inner ear problem, or something in the brain.  My brother arrived, and sent me home...I had been awake for all night long.  I have fallen into keeping nocturnal hours.  I go to bed at 6:00 am, and wake up at 2:00 pm.  I just got an e-mail from my Brother who said that she is better, and tests indicated an inner ear problem.  But, she will be getting an MRI to check for any brain disruptions.  I have been up for a long time now, but can't sleep until I hear more.  My brother said that they will send her home if the brain scan is normal.

This work is one of my favorites to perform...but I dread it at the same time.  Again, I am not some cute blonde girl who sits with her legs spread around her cello and smiles as she plays.  I GRIP the DAMN PIECE OF LUMBER with my legs to control the DAMN THING!!!  The notes sound different as how you hold the cello, and where you aim the f-holes. When playing the cello, I move the instrument...I will hold it away from my body so I can hammer the bow without hitting my knees, or cuddle the  woody thing in my arms and against my breasts as I play a soft work.  Playing this, I was always on the outside chair of the cello section, and I FELT the eeriness of the opening.  Just 4 notes, then 4 notes...then 4 notes...and then FOUR NOTES!!!  But...it takes off.  You can hear the four note motive repeated in different ways, and the work is very uplifting and serene at times...and then just a BATTLE at the other times.  When playing this, I would imaging armies fighting...or worse...a fight inside one's own mind.  I had a LOT of those battles...in my own mind.  Campaigning for Political Office, arguing a case before a Jury, presenting a case before the Federal Appellate Court...and taking on the GODDMAN IRS was NOTHING compared to went on with my mind with what would be going through my mind when playing the cello.

I was a good performer, I would get the music out of the lollypops on the sheet, and not just play a perfect 'C' or 'A' or such.  At times, I would purposely play a note slightly flat or sharp in order to get across the mood of the passage.  Playing the 'Elegy' left me almost ready to be described by the piece.  I would be focused on getting my fingers and hands to get across what I was hearing in my mind, and any Romantic work needs to have the notes 'tempered' to really get across the feelings.

   We musicians NEVER agree on what a note should sound like.  Once, the Conductor asked each of us cellists to play an f natural, separately, and each note was slightly different.  We were embarrassed, I was the ONLY ONE who INSISTED that I PLAYED IT IN TUNE!!!  And the rest of the orchestra laughed.  So, that is why string sections sound so wonderful, we are ALL playing the note slightly out of tune, but heard at the same time, it is very rich.  That is why, whenever I was invited to play in a Chamber Orchestra, I ALWAYS  made sure that there were at least three cellos.  Three sounded wonderful, two clashed...especially when they tried to tune each others note with the other. 

[Izee]

More about playing out of tune...

I was asked to take on a very good private student when my friend, who taught him, was going to be away for several weeks.  "He is very good, but needs to be coached, keep his bi-weekly lessons and you can keep the full fee his parents are paying.  And, they pay CASH!!"  Well, no-one had to tell Me, "Ms always needs cash to buy nice snacks", to accept the student, I REALLY LIKE CASH so I asked what he was working on so I could get familiar with it.  He was working on pieces I had performed, so I felt comfortable teaching him.

He showed up, and was a very neat looking boy, and his Mother looked like a vulture and SHE DROVE A LARGE MERCEDES!!!  i WANTED IT...but I was somewhat poor at the time.  She looked me over, and insisted in looking into my studio, and commented that I needed to straighten things up, wondering how I could find my music.  I also had several bows sitting on tables and three cakes of rosin on the floor, and a broken student cello in the corner, and I just said "Been busy".

He played a slow movement from a Brahms, and I carefully listened.  Every note was PERFECTLY in tune...and I was left empty...there were no emotions of feelings communicated.  He sat back and grinned..."I have this one mastered, we can work on something else."  I sat for a moment...and almost gave up.  I would select something new for him to work on.  But, I actually LIKE getting someone to look at things differently.  I told him, "Play the first 16 measures again".  He did, and it was just as dank and empty.  I said, "Here, listen to this..." and I played it, modulating the notes to help lead to the next note and to get color in the work.  He stared me, and I said, "Play yours again".  He did, and I played mine, and said, "We played the same notes, why do they sound different?"  He stammered, and said, "We were not playing the same notes."  I nodded, and said, "Let's play it together".  We did...and clashed.  I asked him, "Which did you like better?"  He nodded, "You played better."

I chuckled as he sat, confused, and said, "You are almost at the level where you can begin to temper your notes.  I was playing my notes slightly out of tune, but they were 'tempered'...not really out of tune,,,and they better expressed the work.  Listen carefully to the Masters...they temper their notes all over the place.  That is why it is so difficult to put together a string quartet.  You get Musicians who don't temper the notes the same, well, they just play out of tune."

The Teacher called me later, and said, "He is much more enthusiastic about playing the cello, and he isn't just sitting in his chair and sawing the bow back and forth.  He is listening to the sound he is producing, and working on changing it.  What did you do?"

I replied..."I played out of tune" and hung up on her...giggling..

His parents contacted me, wanting me to take him on as a student, but I had to decline.  I was a busy trial lawyer, and only had three students, and HATED when I had to cancel a lesson because I got a new case, or a case I thought I had control of grew fangs and tried to stomp me into the ground.

I should have married the Business Admin guy who chased me in college, when I was cute music major.  He did well, and his wife had nice stuff and a cute little Mercedes. I could have remained a cute music major and done my best to remain a cute music performer.

[Izee]

I may have discussed this piano work in the past, it is the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.  Everyone knows the first movement, it is slow, and romantic, and is heard in many movies.  The First Movement is, technically, easy to play.  But...to express the MUSIC and EMOTIONS in it is very difficult.  That is where the pianists hands do the work.  You can pound a key on the piano, or caress it, and the sound is different.  Most amateur pianists I have heard play it play it too fast, and it just sounds like an Etude.  But this, the THIRD MOVEMENT, is a different creature.  Beethoven was obviously struggling with heavy emotions when he wrote the Third Movement, and it is very expressive, what do you think?  I hear anger, frustration, and a lot of challenging emotions in it.

https://youtu.be/BV7RkEL6oRc

I did learn to play this at the Conservatory, and at the speed in the clip.  My mind works very strange at times, and early in my life, when I played the violin, viola, cello and piano, I would get frustrated at my hands.  I mean, I could play a work the way I wanted in practice, or a performance, and other times my fingers would be stumbling around or doing something I couldn't figure out.  (And, I didn't drink or ingest any drugs at that time of my life.)  So, to explain the problem, I decided that my hands were independent intelligent creatures stuck on the ends of my arms, and in return for me feeding, cleaning, and applying nice nail polish on them they would usually do what I wanted them to do.  But, being independent creatures, they would do what they wanted to do at times, or were angry at me and were trying to frustrate me.  For some reason, I called them 'Sniffers' in my mind, and when practicing, I would yell at them..."Left Sniff, land on that D...Right Sniff, you can play that faster"...and so on.

So, in this work, I decided that the Sniffers were trying to run up a hill, but would slip and tumble back down, and try and try again...but still tumble down.  They would STAMP their feet with frustration, and speak to each other about the problem.  The melody does shift from hand to hand, so it made sense to me.  Then, after a final tumble, and they are ready to give up...they gather their resolve and run up the hill and down the other side and leap with delight.

Just the interpretation of a deranged mind...

[Izee]

...This young man has 'Sniffers'...he just calls them 'hands'...and does realize that they work hard to play the piece as he just sits on his butt.   

He plays it very well, and his comments are VERY amusing, and REALLY DO reflect what goes on in a pianists mind while playing Beethoven

https://youtu.be/xzrt_6VCwVo

[Izee]

Joseph Haydn had a sense of humor.  Critics were commenting that people in the audience were getting bored and would fall asleep during the slow movements of his symphonies.  So, he wrote the "Surprise Symphony' in response.  The first movement is standard Haydn, and the second movement starts slow and very quiet. The first repeat is actually marked 'ppp'...which is short for 'pianimismo' (I think I spelled it wrong) which means 'play VERY soft.  Then, the next chord is marked 'fff" which means 'play VERY loud!!!'  He said that he placed the loud chords in it to wake up the old people who would fall asleep during his works.

I have played this several times, and the Conductor has a BLAST!!!  The Conductors I was with would overact getting us to get quiet...leaning forward and down, moving his hands very slowly, and making 'shushing' motions with his lips.  Then, we would all just HAMMER the loud chord.  The audience always laughed.

Those were very nice times in my life.  Working hard as an Attorney and an Accountant, and playing music in several orchestras and string quartets.  My male friend and I enjoyed the weekend retreats.  It would just be the two of us, we left our spouses at home, and stayed in a nice hotel in separate rooms and would have WONDERFUL meals and play music all day and into the early evening.  We would even stay up late, and watch a movie in my room and sip some wine.  We never got intimate, I insisted that I would have the bed, and he would have the armchair, although a few times we both sat on the bed.  That was, I admit, ('blush'), kind of fun.  I would be wearing my long robe over my nightgown, and he would be in casual clothing.  We would prop ourselves up with pillows, and lay side by side and pass wine and snacks back and forth.  A few times my 'frisky' mind said..."Hey, babe...just wear your cute little babydoll, the one that gets your husband all excited, and see if he will keep his hands off of you!"     But, I never did anything close to that.  As an Attorney, i would hear from clients how their nice marriage broke up over a similar event that went too far.  I certainly did not want to risk that, for either of us.

[Izee]

https://youtu.be/VOLy6JxEDLw

Here is the symphony...

[Izee]

...*Sighs*...Glad that I retired as an Attorney...

The CA Legislature, in it's infinite wisdom, is passing a law that REQUIRES attorneys to report on other attorneys if they see what they consider to be unethical or illegal conduct.  That does occur, I did report to the D.A. an opposing attorney who I could see was stealing money from his clients.  That was decades ago, when the refugees from Viet Nam were arriving.  They had no idea of how the system operated, and unethical attorneys had runners chasing down any refugee who was involved in an auto accident.  The attorney would arrange for thousands of dollars in medical and chiropractic treatment...one asshole got his client to go to a Chiro EVERY DAY for six months, and had a $20,000 chiropractic bill and demanded $100K for a lightly strained neck injury.  They would settle a case for $30K, and the attorney would pay the Chiro 1/3rd of what he billed, and give the client $1,500, and keep the rest.  The refugee would be happy, thinking that that is how America operated. I actually became friends with the Vietnamese interpreter, and asked him to tell me how much the client got when a case was settled.
 That was ethical, I figured, there is no Interpreter privilege, and the Interpreter was happy to get feedback from me on if the settlement was fairly handled.  And some attorneys got investigated and charged because they really were stealing from their clients.  The usual fee was 1/3 of the settlement.

 (*G*  I got a HUGE dressing down when I briefly worked at a firm that dabbled in personal injury claims.  I took $350 out of a $15,000 settlement because I felt sorry for my client , his case was worth a lot more than $15,000 but the other side was destitute, and I had only made two phone calls and got the others sides $15,000 policy limits.  The Partner SHOUTED at me that I should have received 1/3...$5,000.  I pointed out that $5,000 translated to about a fee rate of $25,000 per hour...which I thought was a bit high...but I still got my ass chewed and was ordered to not settle any more personal injury cases on my own, but always get the partner involved in settlement discussions.)

 But I held off if I just suspected something, I figured that it was up to the client to handle his own attorney, and stepping in was actually interfering with the Attorney/Client Privilege.  That privilege is SO important, a client and an attorney need to be able to openly speak to each other about ANYTHING...as long as it isn't conspiring to commit a crime. 

I was kicking the other sides ass in a business dispute, and they made up a story and reported ME to the Bar Association.  They investigated me, and found nothing wrong.  I was FURIOUS, and the Partners just laughed and said, "Hey, the Bar Association says that you are not a crook, you should be pleased."  I was a lioness at Trial, I refused to settle the case, and the other side got squat from the jury.

So, now with this new Law, the Bar Association and Court System is going to be BURIED with claims by attorneys against other attorneys.  I mean...think it through.  If I even just SUSPECT that the other attorney is acting unethically to his client, then I CAN BE CONVICTED OF A CRIME if I don't report it.  So, if I see or hear something that is suspect, then I will NEED to report it in order to cover my own ass.

Just what California needs...more lawsuits...some attorneys like to file lawsuits...

[Izee]

...Cocaine at the White House...

...Explains why things are going the way they are...

I think it is pretty clear who brought it in.  If it was a staff or a visitor, they would have publicly arrested that person by now.  And, they can't find a loyal staff member to take the fall...the staff has probably said that they will tell all they know about other illegal and unethical conduct by the Bidens if the Bidens falsely accuse them.

Boy, if this happened when Trump was in office, that is ALL we would hear from the Newspapers and TV Newscasters.  The Dems would also be insisting on criminal charges so they could impeach Trump.  I mean, they are trying to impeach Trump for allegedly mishandling 'confidential' documents.  The Honorable Nancy Pelosi AND Biden argued as a Senator that the Law establishes that 'Presidential Papers' belong to the President, and he can decide what should be done with them.  But, that was back when people were questioning how an Ex-Dem President was handling his 'papers'.  The News says that the papers discuss...*GASP*...INVAIDING IRAN!!!  Sheesh, I am sure that we have a boatload of documents on invading pretty much EVERY hostile Country in the World, and THOUSANDS of people know about them. 

All of this crap about Trump is just an effort by the Liberal NEWS MEDIA to keep Trump from running again, as are the baseless criminal charges levied by the Biden Justice Dept.  This is scary.  That is how 3rd World Countries operate.  The people in charge levy criminal charges against political opponents and lock them up...or 'disappear them'.  This is the U.S.  It was designed so that the PEOPLE would decide who would rule us.  But, the early Members of our Government did warn us about what would happen if we devolved into just having two powerful political parties.  They would want to maintain power, and would enact Laws and do other things to maintain their power.  And, why?

Well...explain to me how a Rep can be elected having a net worth of a few thousand dollars...and then leave ten years later worth $20 Milliion...on a salary of about $125,000 a year.  Decades ago, I was hired by the local House of Rep Member to handle a business dispute, and...boy...did I learn a LOT!!  She actually wanted me to become part of her staff, but I wanted to live a quiet life and play music in the local orchestras, so I declined.  Shit....biggest MISTAKE of my life.  If I had accepted, I may have had a chance to become wealthy and seen a lot of interesting things.  Or, since I was also cute back then...I would have just been a 'playtoy' for the Movers and Shakers.  That could have also been 'interesting'...

[Izee]

...OK, OK, OK...I confess...in College I...

...could NOT be trusted to count the votes in an election...

I was very active in Student Government, and held a number of elected positions in the Conservatory, my Sorority, and University wide positions.  I don't really know how I did it, I guess my cute face, nice smile, and winning personality won the day.     When I ran for the University Senator at Large Position, and won it...(I was proud...I wasn't beholding to any group and could VOTE AS I WISHED) I spoke to the people who had counted the votes.  One winked, and told me, "You are the only one who actually WON your election."  I was confused, but the next year when I was one of the vote counters...I saw what they meant.

There were several people on the ballot, that we, the ballot counters, did NOT want to win the election.  There were no independent observers, so we 'interpreted' the ballots as we wished.  If a candidate, who we didn't like, name was misspelled as a write in, we would toss the ballot.  Ballots that were invalid because they had too many choices made were determined to be votes for the people we wanted. And, well... ...sometimes we just couldn't make out how a ballot was marked so we threw it out.  Plus, ballots were 'lost'.  "I thought I saw a box of ballots over there, but it must have been moved."  The one thing we did NOT do was to manufacture ballots in favor of the people we wanted to win...with what we were doing...we didn't have to resort to that.

So, as it has been said, "It really doesn't matter who votes, what matters is who COUNTS the votes."  That is why the idea of voting on a machine or a computer really bothers me.  With paper votes, and ethical independent Observers of the vote counting, an election can be true.  But, when machines are involved, the people programming and controlling the machines decide the outcome. 

Ah...ALL of the above was just a story...NONE OF IT REALLY HAPPENED!!!!   

[Izee]

...Hogging the Votes in College...

As they say, when there is an election, vote as often as possible.   

The University Student Council had twelve voting members.  One from each college, one at large, and five members of the student government had votes.  I got on the Council as a Soph, when I was elected President of the Conservatory...and I got a huge case of the 'Politicians' Disease'.  I wanted more power to vote, and to be one of the unseen influencers.  I got elected to the two year Senator at Large position in my Junior year, so I had a vote, and since I was very close to the Conservatory, although I had switched to the School of Business, their President often gave me his proxy to vote.  That was fun...when the vote was called...I could hold up two fingers and say "Two aye" or "Two nay".  With twelve votes total, having two of them gave me some power.  But...it got BETTER!!!  In my Senior year I was appointed the Student Social Director, which was a voting position, so since I was still a Senator, I had two votes of my own now...and the Conservatory still often gave me their proxy...so out of twelve votes...I had THREE of them!!!   

Needless to say, I became somewhat popular.  Groups would seek me out when a bill that affected them came up, and I let them talk to me, but they needed to buy me some ice cream at the campus cafe so I could carefully listen.  And, I did have a weekly meeting with the President of the University...   mostly to discuss what I was plotting as Social director...he didn't want ANY surprises over a band or act I would bring on Campus, but he also wanted to hear what the Council was discussing, and provide me with his thoughts.  It was kind of fun when I had three votes.  To show just how powerful I was, in my juvenile mind, I would reserve my votes until everyone else had voted, and then cast my three votes.  I ESPECIALLY loved it when the vote was two ahead on one side, and I would cast my three votes for the other side and my side would win.

Once, I got very snarky when I had three votes, and the vote was tied, and I announced, "Me, as Senator vote aye, me as Social Director vote nay, and me as President of the Conservatory abstain."     I almost got punched out, so I changed my vote to three nay.   

Ah...Politics...