1.
Adrian Fontes, running for Secretary of State in Arizona, got a write up in the Guardian. That’s how important this election is, folks. According to Ed Pilkington, writing from Phoenix, the election of secretary of state is relatively obscure and in normal times would barely get a mention outside Arizona. But these are not normal times, and Fontes’s race is attracting international attention.
He goes on to write that Mark Finchem, an extremist dressed in cowboy’s clothing, is arguably the most radical of the 12 Republican secretary of state candidates who have disputed Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. He has tried to decertify the 2020 election results in three key Arizona counties, and supported the convening of a slate of fake electors for Trump in an effort to subvert the outcome. Were he to win in November, Finchem would become Arizona’s top election official. The nuts and bolts of election administration – including the levers that control presidential elections – would fall into his hands.
Even Liz Cheney, an outcast among the MAGA Republicans, has called on fellow conservatives in Arizona to vote for the Democratic candidate.
2.
In other Arizona news that made the Guardian, due to the shit-show of election deniers based here, Cochise County (Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Tombstone, Benson, Douglas, Willcox) is the latest to pursue a hand count, predicated on false claims of a stolen 2020 election and compromised tabulation machines. The county, which voted for Trump in 2020, had about 75,000 registered voters as of this August’s primary. In the 2018 midterm elections about 46,000 people cast ballots there.
According to Rachel Leingang writing in Phoenix for the Guardian The Cochise county board of supervisors voted 2-1 to approve the hand count, with the two Republican members voting in favor. But the next steps of the count – and whether it will happen at all – are still up in the air, as legal threats loom and elections officials await details on how, exactly, they could follow the board’s directive.
Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State who is running against the wacko Kari Lake for Governor, warned the county that it would be sued if the hand count was approved, saying there’s no legal precedent for the move. There’s no evidence that hand counting ballots is more accurate; in fact, hand counts tend to be more costly and less accurate providing more room for human error.
3.
Speaking of election deniers, did you know of the company Uline, makers of mail-order boxes and grocery store bags? The video below explains how important and interesting makers of boxes truly are…
According to ProPublica, Dick and Liz Uihlein of Illinois have emerged as the No. 1 federal campaign donors for Republicans ahead of the November elections. They were the largest contributors to Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who attended the Jan. 6 rally and was linked to a prominent antisemite, and have given to Jim Marchant, the Nevada Secretary of State nominee who says he opposed the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020. They are major funders to groups spreading election falsehoods, including Restoration of America, which, according to an internal document obtained by ProPublica, aims to “get on God’s side of the issues and stay there” and “punish leftists.”
Dick Uihlein is also a major funder of the American Principles Project, which runs ads attacking what it calls “transgender ideology,” abortion and the teaching of “critical race theory.”
And get this. As part of the ‘handbook’ for employees of their company, the dress code is simply archaic: Women are not permitted to wear pants except as part of a pantsuit or on Fridays; hose or stockings must be worn except during the warmer months; dresses “that are too short” and corduroy of any kind are strictly prohibited. Hey, and no flannel shirts!
Alternatives to Uline include International Paper, WestRock, Veritiv, and Greif.
4.
I’m somewhat caught up posting our BIG TRIP photos on Facebook but way behind here on my blog. I was unsure whether to keep posting them but my friend Aspen Green, whom I visited with at Don Armstrong’s gig on Wednesday, said I must!
On Tuesday, October 18, as Connie was busy working her conference, I drove my rental car north to Silves and Monchique. Silves is a historic town that was originally the ancient capital of the Algarve. During the Moorish era (9-12th centuries), it was a major stronghold and important trading centre. The Moors defended the region from the solid red-brick castle, which I toured for 1.40 euro. Here are the fort photos from there with more of that beautiful village to come.
And now…