Bible at Weccacoe Playground polling place?

[Hal]

Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions.
Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them. - Tom Jeffferson

Which actually leads to a follow up point.

State a position - bring it to a vote.

I was re-watching a state court argument about a district attorney's limits of discretion.
One of the Judges, Leavitt IIRC, had an interesting comment about the remedy if you don't like something.
- if people don't like how the DA does the job, then vote the DA out.

Your local polling place is run by an elected official.
If the majority of the people (as in "We The People") disagree with how the polls are run, the election officials are voted out.
If the majority of the people agree with how the polls are run, the election officials are voted in.

It would appear that the majority of the voters in Shosh's area do not share her non-bible position.
Shosh, if you don't like it, run for the office and change it.

Query
If you run for office on a "no-bible on the table" platform and lose by popular vote, are you required to accept the vote of the majority?
Don't you have to accept the authority of the election officials who were elected based on a majority of voters?
An elected election official has broad authority in who they choose to do their job, compared to being ordered to exercise their discretion in a particular manner.

Hmm, so-
Elected officials get to exercise their discretion.
Shosh wants to exorcise that discretion.


Hal

[Bob_Head]

It would appear that the majority of the voters in Shosh's area do not share her non-bible position.
Shosh, if you don't like it, run for the office and change it.

Query
If you run for office on a "no-bible on the table" platform and loose by popular vote, are you required to accept the vote of the majority?
Don't you have to accept the authority of the election officials who were elected based on a majority of voters?

Your position is as idiotic as her's is overly rigid. Yes, of course....in a nation of laws and rules, let's turn every simple matter over to popular referendum. That's just stupid.

[Hal]

Your position is as idiotic as her's is overly rigid.

Of course it is, that's the rhetorical reason for hyperbole.

Hal

[Philly414]

I'm not offended by the Bible. In fact, I follow it. I just don't think it should be displayed on the table of the municipal building where I vote, and where I hope people with differing opinions/faiths from me also vote. Taking into account the diversity of this city, I guess I was just surprised to see it there. But yes, we do swear in on Bibles and I don't really get that either, so maybe it's time for me to bow out gracefully from this cause. Glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed it and found it odd.

[FKD19124]

OMG! A bible at a church! go figure!
Get over it. people have rights and its not all about you!

Welcome to Philly. There's a very long thread here somewhere that I started years ago about the Bible at St. Stanislaus. Or, rather, my run-in with the poll workers when I told them it offended me and should be removed. The "long thread" was mostly people telling me that I was getting all worked up over something stupid.

But, the Bible hasn't reappeared on that table in about two years.

[FKD19124]

Democracy only matters if you think like people like her. I deal with this crap in my own family
where everything is about them and screw everyone else.

So, sounds like you've got a structural problem with the idea of democracy




How does a 19% a minority get to impose its views on the majority of citizens?

Hal

[Hal]

I just don't think it should be displayed on the table of the municipal building where I vote,
and where I hope people with differing opinions/faiths from me also vote.

Nay, just kidding Shosh is correct, there is a conspiracy.


Ever think about this - the voting machines are electronic, but they still weight alot. Why?

Once Shosh leaves, they start serving free cocktails to the other voters waiting in line.
The bottom half of the voting machines houses a stocked bar. The machines are plugged in to run the ice maker.
The new machines are nicer than the old ones, the new touchscreens tilt over backward to become a high top bar-table.

It's just like the bus in Eddie Murphy's documentary for SNL... (at the 2:37 mark)
Hulu - Saturday Night Live: White Like Me

The Bible's actually hollow, it holds the pony-shot measure, swizzle sticks and the martini strainer.


Hal

[ShoshTrvls]

Hal, did you really pass the bar exam? Did they forget to teach you about separate of church and state, or the fact that the constitution exists to protect the rights of the minority against majority rule?

[Hal]

Hal, did you really pass the bar exam?
Did they forget to teach you about separate of church and state, or the fact that the constitution exists to protect the rights of the minority against majority rule?

9. Why do some Voters question the presence of a Bible in the Polling place?
It may be disconcerting for Voters, who are generally unaware that Poll Workers are often sworn in on a Bible,
to see a Bible next to the Poll book, due to the concept of separation of church and state.
Should a Poll Worker be questioned about the presence of a bible in the Polling place
they need only briefly explain the swearing-in process to the Voter.

There's a real star-wars Yoda aspect to this

The angrier you get, the funnier that mental image of the polling place celebrating when you leave becomes.



"Ok, crabby attorney-lady just left."
Good, glad that's over with.
Do they still send us a bible? Where'd the bible come from.
Actually, it's the Guiness Book of World Records, we put a bible book jacket on it, just to piss her off.



Hal

- Some people bring joy wherever they go, and some people bring joy whenever they go.
Mark Twain

[catmom3]

So the rationale for the Bible is for swearing people in? But Bibles aren't even used in court for that anymore. Within the last five years, I had to give testimony at a preliminary hearing and I was on a jury. At the hearing, a group of witnesses were sworn in together, no Bible used, and no one was sworn in or asked to attest "so help me God" at the trial. So why at a polling place?

[JoeBaker]

Has anyone else noticed this and been slightly put off?

I was highly offended and extremely put off by the fact that my tax dollars were used to pay for those "I Voted Today" stickers that were being handed out.

[Hal]

So the rationale for the Bible is for swearing people in?

Yes.
During poll setup, each polling place has a Judge of Elections, who swears in the other elected officials, the Majority and Minority inspectors, and IIRC, the appointed positions of clerk and machine operator.

There's a little known provision in Pennsylvania law 25 P.S. 3050,
http://lccr.3cdn.net/85795ab571a2ae5e51_eem6bh216.pdf

6. Challenges. Any person, although personally registered as a voter, may be
challenged by any qualified voter, election officer, overseer, or watcher at any primary or election as
to her/his identity, as to her/his continued residence in the election district or as to any alleged
violation of the provisions of section 1210 of this act, and if challenged as to identity or residence,
s/he must produce at least one qualified voter of the election district as a witness, who must make
affidavit of her/his identity or continued residence in the election district; provided, however, that no
person will be entitled to vote as a member of a party at any primary, unless s/he is registered and
enrolled as a member of such party upon the district register, which enrollment will be conclusive as
to her/his party membership and will not be subject to challenge on the day of the primary. 25 P.S. §
3050(d)

that any person at the polling place (voter, official or poll watcher) can challenge whether a particular person can vote based on A) identity or B) residence.

Before the challenged person can vote, they need to be put under oath,
the challenged voter needs to get someone to vouch for them under oath or by affidavit.

But Bibles aren't even used in court for that anymore.

It depends on the discretion of the judge.
Essentially, on election day, each polling place has a "Judge of Elections" who takes the sworn facts and adminsters oaths.
You could describe that as duputized "Municipal Court Judge for a Day".

So why at a polling place?

As I understand it, during the Richardson Dilworth election, lots of challenges occurred,
at least one poll worker was charged for voter fraud for letting in false voters.

So, think of the bible on the table as a quaint reminder of a half century ago
when Philly's D/democratic reformers won against "machine politics".

Yes, it does have an odd STAR WARS "revenge of the sith" quality,
"So, the hegemony-machine started out as a good guy reformer?!?"


Hal

Lets at least make this Star Wars analogy fun.
For the movie version, the late Coumcilman David Cohen is definitely yoda,
I can envision Marge Tartaglione as Palpatine shooting lightning out of her hands,
what should the rest of the cast be?
Waddya think, Darth John Street, which means Sharif is Luke?

[loveisnoise]

I seriously can't believe you... you just twisted some malarkey just so you could use an SNL clip stolen from another thread where you were spewing equally inane nonsense.

Nay, just kidding Shosh is correct, there is a conspiracy.


Ever think about this - the voting machines are electronic, but they still weight alot. Why?

Once Shosh leaves, they start serving free cocktails to the other voters waiting in line.
The bottom half of the voting machines houses a stocked bar. The machines are plugged in to run the ice maker.
The new machines are nicer than the old ones, the new touchscreens tilt over backward to become a high top bar-table.

It's just like the bus in Eddie Murphy's documentary for SNL... (at the 2:37 mark)
Hulu - Saturday Night Live: White Like Me

The Bible's actually hollow, it holds the pony-shot measure, swizzle sticks and the martini strainer.


Hal

[Hal]

I seriously can't believe you... you just twisted some malarkey just so you could use an SNL clip stolen from another thread where you were spewing equally inane nonsense.

Well, I know who to cast as the egregiously annoying Jar Jar Binks.


Hal

[loveisnoise]

Well, I know who to cast as the egregiously annoying Jar Jar Binks.


Hal

I'm not familiar with any movies about a googling lawyer who provides bass ackwards advice to the internet, so the closest movie character you can portray would be Lenny from Of Mice And Men.

[Hal]

I'm not familiar with any movies about a googling lawyer who provides bass ackwards advice to the internet, so the closest movie character you can portray would be Lenny from Of Mice And Men.

Sorry about the tangent, I have papers for this guy.

A) Dutch Auction?

How much is LIN's identity worth?
PM me with your bids

Lets start the bidding at $100?

You need to provide a Full Name and Address

Prices drop every 5 minutes

Payment upon valid service of legal papers.

Start NOW


Hal

[ShoshTrvls]

Dear Idiot Hal,

LIN hasn't been "anonymous" on PS in years.

[loveisnoise]

I told you my name before the last time you were suing me dumb ass.

I want my $100.

Sorry about the tangent, I have papers for this guy.

A) Dutch Auction?

How much is LIN's identity worth?
PM me with your bids

Lets start the bidding at $100?

Full Name and Address

Prices drop every 5 minutes

Start NOW


Hal

[Hal]

Prices drop every 5 minutes

Drop

[Hal]

Drop

Drop