Tha "Blue Helmets" are coming!!

[Cliffh]

I just sent Atty Gen Abbott an "atta-boy" letter.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

they sent 44 folks  to cover the entire usa. and have been since 2002.  what exactly are folks afraid of ?

[Perd Hapley]

they sent 44 folks  to cover the entire usa. and have been since 2002.  what exactly are folks afraid of ?

Afraid of the UN?    We're not afraid, just insulted. The U.N. thinks it can help the U.S. conduct free and fair elections? 

I mean, yeah, we've had our troubles recently, but we're not so bad that the U.N. could actually raise our level of competence.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

not the un sorry  i don't care what al jones says.  and its a group we belong to voluntarily. they have been coming for 10 years. both here and other member states  this is like milking a mouse  lots of noise and motion  not much result

[slingshot]

Assuming the blue helmets are actually going to do this, I would hope they would focus on Chicago, Philadelphia, and NYC.  Just find out where the Black Panthers are going to hang out.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

with less than one person per state they will be spread thin.  has texas got the national guard ready?

[ArfinGreebly]

Well, at least we will become accustomed to having our national affairs monitored by the "international community."

After all, we need to be sensitive to the needs and desires of a group made up primarily of thugs, dictators, and socialists.

Nothing to see here.  The conditioning has been in progress for decades and "nothing bad has happened."

[Perd Hapley]

Come on, Arfin. It will never expand beyond just that handful of observers. Never. Never ever.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Well, at least we will become accustomed to having our national affairs monitored by the "international community."

After all, we need to be sensitive to the needs and desires of a group made up primarily of thugs, dictators, and socialists.

Nothing to see here.  The conditioning has been in progress for decades and "nothing bad has happened."

we chose to join the group.  so we could meddle overseas. 44 folks doesn't scare me as much as the texas gov.  how many are going to texas?  has al jones announced it yet?

[ArfinGreebly]

Who is this "we" of which you speak?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Who is this "we" of which you speak?

did texas secede when i wasn't looking?

we've been in it since 1973   and look at our subversive ambassador   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Finley

[Jamisjockey]

we chose to join the group.  so we could meddle overseas. 44 folks doesn't scare me as much as the texas gov.  how many are going to texas?  has al jones announced it yet?

[/b]

Enough of the ad hom.  Consider this a shot across the bow.  Next one goes in the motor.

[roo_ster]

My church is an early voting location.  Thus far it has been the busiest in the county.  As part of the BOT, we read all the contractual verbiage that goes along with such, to include the voting law requirements.  We take pains to comply with them and expect all those involved to do so as well.

We have had trouble with folks in the past.  If it with the poll workers, a call to the voting district folks usually settles the issue.  Other folks rate a call to 911.

This year, we don't even have to call.  We have hired off-duty police folk to help maintain order. 

All that said, I don't think any such euro-weenie observer can legally approach any closer than campaign workers.  The rules were pretty clear on who can be up and in the poll workers business: pretty much nobody excepting voters & other voting district folks.  We even schedule our janitorial staff around the voting times.

All that said, Sarah Hoyt hit the nail on the head:

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/155613/

DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS: The Attorney General of Texas Slaps Down the UN.  I hear Alabama has also served warning UN observers not welcome.  What I wonder is what is wrong with the other states, including mine.  Guys, if it’s not clear to you, the UN is in the grip of the thugocracies of the world.  It was predictable.  There’s more of them than of us.  Their hatred of the only liberal democracy in the Middle East is proof of this, if you need it.  Why we still fun[d] this naive project is something else.  Nostalgia for past illusions?

These people do not like us or America and will use whatever weapon at hand to harm us.

[Balog]

I think folks need to calm on down some, and maybe read past the wildly inaccurate and deliberately misleading headline.

I hate the UN as much as anyone, but this is an organization that's barely affiliated with them, sending a very small number of people to monitor. No military troops to intimidate voters.  I mean really, are Texans such shrinking violets (and mind readers for that matter) that they'll see some Euro-dude in a suit with a pass on a lanyard around his neck and be able to telepathically glean that it's a UN observer whyo wants them to vote a certain way, and then be intimidated by him? That's the scenario you're worried about here? That's the stupidest disenfranchisement argument since "Voter ID is a poll tax."

[MechAg94]

I think folks need to calm on down some, and maybe read past the wildly inaccurate and deliberately misleading headline.

I hate the UN as much as anyone, but this is an organization that's barely affiliated with them, sending a very small number of people to monitor. No military troops to intimidate voters.   I mean really, are Texans such shrinking violets (and mind readers for that matter) that they'll see some Euro-dude in a suit with a pass on a lanyard around his neck and be able to telepathically glean that it's a UN observer whyo wants them to vote a certain way, and then be intimidated by him? That's the scenario you're worried about here? That's the stupidest disenfranchisement argument since "Voter ID is a poll tax."

Aside from maybe a few, I think you and CS&D are reading too much into the posts as well.    I don't think anyone is assuming blue helmeted peacekeepers will be rolling in to take over local elections.  

I think the Texas Attorney General was simply making sure they knew that they were not election workers nor monitors and could not assume access to those areas.  They are little better than campaign workers who have to keep outside the 100 foot limit.  That is fine with me.  If they want to put people in to monitor elections, they can, but they need to work with that office to do it all official and legal-like.  

[Balog]

Aside from maybe a few, I think you and CS&D are reading too much into the posts as well.    I don't think anyone is assuming blue helmeted peacekeepers will be rolling in to take over local elections.  

I think the Texas Attorney General was simply making sure they knew that they were not election workers nor monitors and could not assume access to those areas.  They are little better than campaign workers who have to keep outside the 100 foot limit.  That is fine with me.  If they want to put people in to monitor elections, they can, but they need to work with that office to do it all official and legal-like.  

Anyone aside from the initial headline on the OP, and all the folks talking about voter intimidation, and the folks posting blue helmet targets...

Texas' actions don't seem unreasonable (for Texas anyway) but some of the folks in this thread certainly are.

No,no, no. Send them to Philadelphia, where they can "co-monitor" with the NBPP. The "armed thugs at polling places" vibe should help them feel right at home. We should be hospitable, after all...

Cool -- using the UN to intimidate conservative voters, under the guise of "monitoring" polling places.

Black Panthers must have been unavailable this year.

Intimidate?  Really?

Heck, I go out in the desert every year around October 24th ("UN Day") with cheap pots from Goodwill and a can of blue spraypaint and practice my 300+ yard headshots.

I pity any UN "authoritahs" that try to intimidate any conservative or libertarian voters.  They won't be looked upon kindly.

If the UN is really getting involved, I'm betting sales of rifles will go up quite a bit....

If the Gov. forces the issue, methinks some UN pukes are um....gonna trip and fall on some bullets.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I think the Texas Attorney General was simply making sure they knew that they were not election workers nor monitors and could not assume access to those areas.

i think politicians posture. it doesn't make em look smarter but they feel driven to pander. from both sides of the aisle

[roo_ster]

I think the Texas Attorney General was simply making sure they knew that they were not election workers nor monitors and could not assume access to those areas.

i think politicians posture. it doesn't make em look smarter but they feel driven to pander. from both sides of the aisle

Well, he is posturing in accordance with the law and giving the euroweenies fair warning.  See, they come from uncivilized places that jail folk for exercising our style of free speech and all.  Before you let such folk in, you want to assure them that peeing on the rug is not considered proper behavior.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Any reports of peeing on the rug the.other 5 elections they were here for?

[Jamisjockey]

Anyone aside from the initial headline on the OP, and all the folks talking about voter intimidation, and the folks posting blue helmet targets...

Texas' actions don't seem unreasonable (for Texas anyway) but some of the folks in this thread certainly are.

If you haven't figured out our resident keyboard-commandos by now....

[Perd Hapley]

Any reports of peeing on the rug the.other 5 elections they were here for?

I'm not sure why you keep bringing that up. I wasn't pleased to hear about them being here for past elections. I don't like them any more now, regardless what they do. Well, on second thought, it would be nice if they had applied a little pressure on our AG to prosecute the actual case of voter intimidation that should have been prosecuted. I don't recall hearing anything about that. I guess they're not much use.

[zxcvbob]

I'm not sure why you keep bringing that up. I wasn't pleased to hear about them being here for past elections. I don't like them any more now, regardless what they do. Well, on second thought, it would be nice if they had applied a little pressure on our AG to prosecute the actual case of voter intimidation that should have been prosecuted. I don't recall hearing anything about that. I guess they're not much use.

It depends on whose access to vote is being restricted or intimidated.  (why couldn't the state AG's prosecute the NBPP?  Because they didn't want to)

[RocketMan]

A better response, should you actually see one of these semi-UN Eurotypes at a polling place, might be to point and laugh.  Then go in and vote.

[RevDisk]

Anyone aside from the initial headline on the OP, and all the folks talking about voter intimidation, and the folks posting blue helmet targets...

Texas' actions don't seem unreasonable (for Texas anyway) but some of the folks in this thread certainly are.

Ayep. This was a non-story. OSCE, which is not part of the UN, wants to send folks to watch elections. Per their own rules and charter, they must comply with local regs. OECD acknowledged that they had and understood the rules, which includes distance restrictions. Because it's common sense that you don't want electioneering near the actual booths, for all kinds of good ideas (security, intimidation, efficiency, prevent voter fraud, etc). So, electioneering must be x feet away and cannot impede traffic. Some desk idiots half away across the world who aren't involved don't understand reality and say "X feet sounds like a lot!" Everyone involved says "No, it does make sense and we're following it." Makes sense to everyone involved, except the Texas AG who apparently wanted to make a name for himself with FUD.

OSCE is sort of like a political NATO. It's not part of the UN. It sends folks to the UN, but so does everyone else in the world. Including NATO. Which will undoubtedly make someone go tinfoil on NATO.
 
Abbott apparently wanted to make partisan name for himself by alleging the UN or UN affiliated goons wanted to help attack Voter ID statutes. OSCE made it clear that yes, they did meet with Voter ID opponents but they meet with a lot of folks. If pro Voter ID folks want to meet with them, they'll meet them. Basically, a politician flies off the handle on questionable information, folks that support the FUD applaud loudly, everyone rational facepalms at both sides.

But yes, RocketMan is right. If you do see any semi-UN or UN eurotypes, feel free to laugh at them. Then go in and vote.


Mind you, I think I qualify as the person on this board that hates the UN the most from first hand experience with them.

[Ron]

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to mock and despise them