Danger! Political Rant Ahead! Proceed With Caution!

Mates, I’ve got to get this off my chest before my heart explodes. If you don’t want to hear the Captain rant about politics, just walk away now and join us again in a couple weeks.

You’ve been warned.

So yesterday, in the fair Commonwealth of Kentucky, there was an election.

By law, the original date for the primary election was scheduled for May 19^th (the first Tuesday after the third Monday in May), but because our Governor cares about the people of Kentucky and the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, the date was moved to June 23^rd.

Kentucky’s late primary date means we have little influence over who the candidates for President will be. [More on that later.]

As yesterday approached, suddenly there was a firestorm of controversy because, whereas in the last election there were 3,700 polling places open, this time there would only be 170.

I first heard about this controversy Monday morning when a friend from Tennessee shared an alarmist meme on Facebook created by an organization called “Vote To Live”.

Captain’s Note: I’d never heard of “Vote To Live” until Monday and even after checking them out on the internet was disinclined to send them a donation (which was what the meme was really about anyway.)

 “Thousands of Polling Places Closed!”

“Voter Disenfranchisement!”

 “And we know who they don’t want to vote!”

The same post was shared by another friend in California.

Then Newsweek picked up the story… and even CNN!

One can only imagine what FOXNews was doing with it!

Captain’s Note: I can only “imagine” because I refuse to actually watch FOXNews.

So the Captain began explaining to these “outsiders” what was really going on in Kentucky.

As noted above, our Governor, Andy Beshear, cares about the people of Kentucky. He has gone to great lengths to keep Kentucky safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With little help from the state legislature.

In fact, our local legislator published a letter this week denouncing the Governor’s handling of unemployment benefits – yes, the system was not designed to handle the thousands upon thousands of requests the pandemic has created. The legislator noted how people were standing in long lines out in the hot sun, waiting their turn to talk to someone in the UI office. He noted how a local business provided pizza to those waiting in line; someone else provided bottled water.

And it’s all the Governor’s fault!

And what exactly was the state legislature doing about this?

Nothing.

Not. One. Damn. Thing!

Because, well, you know, the legislature is not in session right now…

And they want this Governor to fail.

He's a Democrat.

But I digress.

So, in addition to moving the date for the election, Governor Beshear (a Democrat) worked hand-in-hand with Michael Adams, the Secretary of State (a Republican) and the State Board of Elections to change voting procedures to keep people safe.

Yes, polling locations were shuttered, largely due to the fact that polling places are staffed by elderly volunteers.

But the Board of Elections then broadened the use of Absentee Ballots “for medical emergencies” to include, without explanation, anyone who chose to vote by absentee ballot.

Captain’s Note: I did just that. Easy as pie!

A post card was sent to every registered voter in the state encouraging them to request an absentee ballot this time. It was widely promoted through the Governor’s daily COVID-19 televised briefings and on news broadcasts and in newspapers.

And it was reported that there were more requests for absentee ballots than had voted in the previous election.

So no voter suppression there.

But that’s not all.

In addition to absentee ballots, while Kentucky law does not allow for “Early Voting”, the State Board of Elections approved allowing the limited number of polling places to open as much as a week early. In one heavily-trafficked area early voting began on June 8^th.

Again, no voter suppression there.

And on June 23^rd, in some of our major cities, the city bus lines provided free rides to the polling locations.

And I haven’t yet mentioned that 170,000 citizens in Kentucky had their voting rights restored this year.

But none of y’all knew that because you don’t live in Kentucky!

Instead, you get your knickers in a twist because of some freakin’ meme you saw on Facebook!

And the Captain is especially disappointed with Newsweek and CNN running the ill-informed stories that they did about this.

All they had to do was call the Governor or the Secretary of State.

OR ANYONE ELSE WHO LIVES IN KENTUCKY!

But the Captain isn't finished yet…

Today I wake up to another Newsweek story crying about how, because of the absentee ballots, we won’t know the results of the Kentucky primary election for at least another week!

Again, the “outsiders” got their knickers in a twist!

Captain’s Note: I suspect that some people just live that way.

Suddenly the concern is not about voter disenfranchisement.

It’s about the lack of immediate gratification!

“Outrageous!”

“Someone ought to sue!”

But again, if anyone had bothered to ask they would have learned this was a necessary part of the plan to ensure that every vote counts.

(I shouldn't even have to say it anymore...)

Absentee ballots were allowed to be turned in up to and on Election Day. Naturally, it will take time to verify and count these ballots.

The Secretary of State promised results on or before June 30^th.

But it’s not like this vote is going to make much of a difference. By the time Kentucky votes, most of the major races have been settled.

We already know Donald Trumpf is going to be the Republican candidate for President. And even though twelve Democrat contenders were listed on the ballot, we already know Joe Biden is going to be the Democrat candidate.

We already know Mitch McConnell is going to be the Republican candidate for Senate. We don’t know if Democrat Amy McGrath or Charles Booker will be his challenger, but that doesn’t matter either. I’ll vote for anyone running against McConnell.

As the Captain responded to this morning’s Newsweek story, so I say here:

“If you do not live in Kentucky, then take a seat and shut up!”

This concludes today’s rant.

I feel better.

Carry on.

Mission Accomplished

On May 1, 2003, President George Bush flew out to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to deliver a speech declaring that major combat operations were over in the war with Iraq, part of Bush’s “War on Terror”. On the tower behind him, a banner declared, “Mission Accomplished”.

 CAPTAIN’S NOTE: U.S. troops were finally withdrawn in 2011, but sent back in 2014.

 This week, Vice President Mike Pence had his “Mission Accomplished” moment.

 As appointed head of the U.S. COVID-19 Task Force, on Monday Pence declared, “Our whole-of-America approach has been a success. We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives… That’s a cause for celebration.”

 In a phone call to the nation’s Governors, the VP advised them to put forth a positive message: downplay the virus and blame the increase in numbers on an increase in testing.

 Essentially, encouraging them to lie.

 [But more about that in a moment.]

 On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed piece written by Pence, in which the VP declared, “We are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.”

 He insisted there is no “Second Wave” as many scientists have predicted will follow.

 He blamed the media for attempting to “scare the American people every step of the way.”

 Of course, one can hardly blame the White House toady.

 His boss, the POTUS, has downplayed the pandemic since the very beginning.

 In a speech on Monday, the POTUS made the infamous statement, “If we stopped testing right now we’d have very few cases.”

 True. And if I stopped paying my bills right now, I’d have more money in my bank account too.

 But that’s not how this works.

 On Tuesday, the POTUS predicted we’d have a vaccine by the end of the year, but “even without it, [the coronavirus] goes away.”

 You may recall that in the early stages of the pandemic, Trumpf announced there were 15 cases in America, but soon they’d be gone.

 Poof!

Magic!

Nonetheless, the 19,000 attendees at Trumpf’s election rally in Tulsa, OK on Saturday will have to sign a waiver of liability indicating that they won’t sue if they contract the virus.

Which, most likely, they will… sign the waiver…

And contract the virus.

But the Captain is getting ahead of himself…

Here’s the truth, as of Wednesday morning:

Nine states are showing dramatic – even record-high – increases in positive cases and hospitalizations as states re-open for business.

There is no “Second Wave” because we are still in the midst of the First Wave.

 And it doesn’t take much effort to realize the truth.

Nonetheless, people are listening to Pence and Trumpf and parroting their lies.

 Just yesterday, the Captain was looking at information from our local Health Department. We’ve had a sudden surge in positive cases.

 Many of those are 19-year-olds who reportedly attended a Memorial Day party together.

 But, ignoring the facts, one commenter declared, “We’re just seeing more positive cases because more people are being tested.”

 The POTUS would be so proud of you…

 The Captain, being in a foul mood, countered her statement with: “So what you are saying is that there are a whole lot more cases out there we don’t know about; they just haven’t been tested yet.”

 And that, in your Captain’s opinion, is the fatal flaw in the Trumpf / Pence argument.  

 The COVID-19 virus is real.

 It is highly contagious.

 The U.S. has the most confirmed cases of any country in the world.

 It seems a majority of the infected are recovering, but many are dying.

 And others who “recover” do so with life-long disabilities.

 And yet, after only 3 months, the POTUS and the American public have wearied of the precautions, returning to previous habits and refusing to abide by the necessary precautions.

 Actually, the Captain is surprised we’ve made it three months.

 But, according to Dr. Fauci and others in the medical community, we’ve got a lot more than three months to go.

 Batten down the hatches, mates! It’s going to be a blow!