~~~

From CNN.com:

Officials discuss how to delay Election Day

Talks stem from recent fears of terror attack timed to vote

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. officials have discussed the idea of postponing Election Day in the event of a terrorist attack on or about that day, a Homeland Security Department spokesman said Sunday. . .

Newsweek said the discussions about whether the November 2 election could be postponed started with a recent letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge from DeForest Soaries Jr., chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

The commission was set up after the disputed 2000 presidential vote to help states deal with logistical problems in their elections.

Soaries, who was appointed by President Bush, is a former New Jersey secretary of state and senior pastor of the 7,000-member First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset.

Newsweek reported that Soaries expressed concern that no federal agency had the authority to postpone an election and asked Ridge to ask Congress to give his commission such power.

Ridge warned Thursday that al Qaeda terrorists were planning a large-scale attack on the United States "in an effort to disrupt the democratic process�. . .

*

Call me a �Conspiracy Theorist� if you like; call me crazy (you wouldn�t be the first one), but�I smell something fishy, here.

And that�s all I�m gonna say about that, because I�d rather not talk politics right now (I just ate lunch and would like to hold on to it), except to say that I am pleased with Kerry�s pick of John Edwards as his running mate�you know, like I predicted he would do about four months ago. OK, yes, I wasn�t the only one to make such a prediction, but humor me. I like to feel as if I�m smart.

I�d rather talk about more important matters right now, though�such as the Lakers.

What is up with the lame-brained idea to trade Shaq away for three players and a future draft pick from Miami?

Kobe is a free agent now. Even IF he doesn�t go to another team (and doesn�t go to jail), we can win a Championship without Kobe � we can�t win one without Shaq. He�s the most dominant player in the NBA right now and without him we�re left with no real Center at all - even with the new additions from Miami. And without Kobe, Shaq could be convinced to stay. I guess it could be argued that Shaq only has 2-3 good years left anyway, but still...now we're gonna have 2-3 BAD years, probably.

I don't understand why some people don't like Shaq. Contrary to popular opinion, he certainly doesn't have any bigger a mouth or more an ego than anyone else in the league and I think he is far more gracious in a lot of ways - especially when you consider how he is attacked at every freakin' game, with only a fraction of the fouls committed against him actually called. Plus, he's funny. Oh yeah, and he's a great player.

In less agitating news...My trip up north with John last week was fabulous!!!! I highly recommend the Mendocino area. It was so beautiful. It was actually rather chilly most of the time we were there, though - it was only in the mid-sixties at most and was overcast and foggy most of the time. Although there are wineries EVERYWHERE, we didn't do much wine-tasting (I did discover some nice red wines at the Brutocao winery, though). I was already spending way too much money, so instead we did a lot of hiking. There are several state parks in the area, all of which are gorgeous. Sadly, I didn�t get in any kayaking, though � it is a great area for kayaking. We spent time playing in tide pools, hiking through redwood forests and along ocean bluffs, driving along Pacific Coast Hwy. and generally just enjoying the beauty of the area. We even checked out a couple of old (but working) lighthouses.

We also got a lot of rest because Mendocino pretty much rolls up the sidewalks at like 6:00pm and we didn't even have a television in the room at our B&B (I know...I don't know how I survived with my sanity intact!).

Since today is my first day back at work, I really don�t have any more time to write (or read others' diaries), but rest assured I will be back at �em in no time at all.

Until then�hasta!

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