JNS BLOG EDITORIAL: Recycle Your Unwanted Votes By Electing Johnny Northside As Soil And Water Conservation District Supervisor...

Photo of the "Lake Arian monster," Combat Outpost Arian, Afghanistan, 
blog post by John Hoff

You know what voting is like? It's like being invited to a party with all sorts of famous and interesting people like President Obama, Mitt Romney, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Served up at the party are gourmet treats upon which you feast.

Voter identification hot dish.

Marriage Amendment double layer cake.

But toward the end of the party, a bunch of people you don't know arrive and start to dominate your time and attention...

"Rabid Anti-Police Critic" Chuck Turchick Responds To JNS Blog, Says He's Contemplating Pardoning The US Government For What They Did To Him Over Vietnam Era Draft Office Incident...

Stock photo, (Camp Shelby, MS) blog post by John Hoff

Charles "Chuck" Turchick responded by email to my October 23 blog post about him, which discussed his felony conviction for breaking into a draft office in Alexandria, Minnesota and speculated (not without firm basis) that Chuck's criminal conviction and incarceration over that early 1970s incident is why he's so...

Well, so Chuck Turchick.

Chuck didn't ask for the email to remain private and, though he didn't ask, appears to have intended it for publication. So I am printing his entire email, below, fair and square. Along the way I will respond to Chuck's written assertions to prevent his unique and hippy-esque form of self-delusion from further propagating itself into the blogosphere without correction...

Early Absentee Voting Looked A Little Light In Hennepin County Today...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

I voted early because I plan to be out of town on election day, at least until after the polls close. I hope to make it back for some victory parties and/or crying in beer parties, whichever applies. Minnesota is one of 32 states that allows early voting in person, which is called "in person absentee voting" in our state.

If you're there in person, how can you be absent? OK, call it whatever you like as long as my ballot is counted. At the polling location, I didn't witness any interrogation over excuses about why people wouldn't be in town on election day. Whatever you say is apparently good enough, though I suspect if you check the "due to emergency quarantine" box you might get some odd looks.

At about 1:45 PM today at the Hennepin County Government Center, there were approximately 20 people in line not counting talkative small children. In light of the fact this location is serving all of Hennepin County...