Where's Ratchethack?

[mznyc]

Been wondering that myself for the last couple of weeks.Looked and saw that he was on a few weeks ago,late Oct,so hoping just busy with life.

Would be interested on his take of the recent political discussions and censorship and lack of it going on in these parts of recent.

Oh great,Ive unleashed the Beast!

At least he kept it short. <_>

Good to have ya back,..

[dlaing]

After we got off the train, we’d sobered up waaaaay too much, and somehow got connected up with me old Pals from Florida -- up in the Iron Range of Minnesota, of all places! – Why, we had a great walloping “We’re Putting The Band Back Together Again” reunion! Wot a party. It was a delight to see all the old familiar faces working together again from 8 years back. None o’ these chaps had got any prettier, but as always -- man, can they drink! No problem a-tall switching over from counting pregnant and swinging chads, to discovering 100% same-ticket ballots everywhere, all over the soon-to-be frozen moose moss of the Iron Range -- behind every rock, every tree, strewn helter-skelter amongst the shrubbery, and even in car trunks! The girls were offering quickie trips to the back room for the most ballots found every hour. That turned out to be very productive, so to speak. . . These election judges can be SO careless, you know. Testy, too. But once we had e-photo’s of ‘em with one o’ the girls in one hand and a bottle o’ CC in the other -- well, suddenly they got as docile as pussycats. . . We were havin’ a blast!

 

Anyhoo, no question about it, election results and constitutional choice o' The People be damned -- we’re putting Al Franken in office one way or another – wotever it takes (evidently, not much!) Once we’d pried Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Richie's nose out o’ the extensively cultivated anal portal of Acorn, we got him liquored up pretty good and took him out in the woods behind Frostbite Falls and shot us a great big string o' Republicans. To say that he LOVED IT would be an understatement! From that point on, the festivities cranked up another 2 marks on the mayhem-o-meter. Not coincidentally, that’s also when all the pesky investigations and squawking voting judges all quieted down simultaneously. Well, we figured this was our "green light" to really wick things up! Come to think of it, that’s about the time the endless list of sudden problems with the configurations of the voting machines started showing up – exactly as it happened in Florida 8 years ago! -- and they weren't even remotely the same kind of machines! The Coleman idiots hadn’t the faintest clue wot hit 'em once we'd coaxed a few o’ our guys up off the floor by cracking open a fresh case of CC for refreshments whilst “helping” the judges jointly conjure up “voter intent by consensus of all present” -- that is, consensus of any judge capable of lifting his head off the floor. But the fool Republicans still keep popping up from time to time, and we gotta keep ourselves in ammo and loading up as fast as we can pull the triggers most o’ the time. Never had so much fun!

 

As you can tell, there’s lots to do just now. Gotta go.

 

Judges are my friends.

Let’s Party!

Here's the facts, which Ratchet hates so much, being from the People's Wikipedia:

 

On February 14, 2007 Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008.[1][2] Although an official count was not available as of November 7, 2008, the Minnesota Secretary of State website showed Franken trailing Norm Coleman by 221 votes (under 1/100 of 1%), out of more than 2.4 million votes recorded for the two candidates, as of that date.[3] As of November 11, 2008, the difference had shrunk further to 206 votes.[4] However, under Minnesota state law, an automatic recount was mandated because the unofficial margin was less than one-half of one percent of the roughly 3 million votes cast. The recount may take weeks to complete, according to the Secretary of State's office.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken

[dlaing]

in the interest pretense of fair and balanced, here is the WSJ version of the alleged left wing conspiracy to get a comedian in office:

 

You'd think Democrats would be content with last week's electoral rout. But judging from the odd doings in Minnesota, some in their party wouldn't mind adding to their jackpot by stealing a Senate seat for left-wing joker Al Franken.

 

When Minnesotans woke up last Wednesday, Republican Senator Norm Coleman led Mr. Franken by 725 votes. By that evening, he was ahead by only 477. As of yesterday, Mr. Coleman's margin stood at 206. This lopsided bleeding of Republican votes is passing strange considering that the official recount hasn't even begun.

 

The vanishing Coleman vote came during a week in which election officials are obliged to double-check their initial results. Minnesota is required to do these audits, and it isn't unusual for officials to report that they transposed a number here or there. In a normal audit, these mistakes could be expected to cut both ways. Instead, nearly every "fix" has gone for Mr. Franken, in some cases under strange circumstances.

 

For example, there was Friday night's announcement by Minneapolis's director of elections that she'd forgotten to count 32 absentee ballots in her car. The Coleman campaign scrambled to get a county judge to halt the counting of these absentees, since it was impossible to prove their integrity 72 hours after the polls closed. The judge refused on grounds that she lacked jurisdiction.

 

Up in Two Harbors, another liberal outpost, Mr. Franken picked up an additional 246 votes. In Partridge Township, he racked up another 100. Election officials in both places claim they initially miscommunicated the numbers. Odd, because in the Two Harbors precinct, none of the other contests recorded any changes in their vote totals.

 

According to conservative statistician John Lott, Mr. Franken's gains so far are 2.5 times the corrections made for Barack Obama in the state, and nearly three times the gains for Democrats across Minnesota Congressional races. Mr. Lott notes that Mr. Franken's "new" votes equal more than all the changes for all the precincts in the entire state for the Presidential, Congressional and statehouse races combined (482 votes).

 

This entire process is being overseen by Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who isn't exactly a nonpartisan observer. One of Mr. Ritchie's financial supporters during his 2006 run for office was a 527 group called the Secretary of State Project, which was co-founded by James Rucker, who came from MoveOn.org. The group says it is devoted to putting Democrats in jobs where they can "protect elections."

 

Mr. Ritchie is also an ally of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn, of fraudulent voter-registration fame. That relationship might explain why prior to the election Mr. Ritchie waved off evidence of thousands of irregularities on Minnesota voter rolls, claiming that accusations of fraud were nothing more than "desperateness" from Republicans.

 

 

Mr. Franken and fellow Democrats are already waging a full-scale public pressure campaign to help turn the recount their way. That includes a push to turn what should be a straightforward count of existing legal ballots into a complete do-over -- mau-mauing election officials into accepting tossed ballots. The Franken campaign recently showed up before the Hennepin County canvassing board, demanding that its liberal members count 461 previously rejected ballots. To the board's credit, they unanimously voted no.

 

The Franken campaign has also been wrapping itself around Barack Obama's popularity to increase its recount potential. Minnesota has a voter intent law, which means that election officials can take a second look at ambiguous ballots. Mr. Franken's people are already arguing that a vote for Mr. Obama certainly indicated a vote for Mr. Franken. This can't possibly be true, however, because nearly every campaign poll showed Mr. Franken lagging Mr. Obama by five to 15 percentage points -- and on Election Day he trailed by 12.2%. Mr. Franken ran a nasty, polarizing campaign, and in any case he was part of a three-man contest.

 

The Coleman team is demanding the tapes from the voting machines on election night, and that's the least Mr. Ritchie can do. The Secretary of State should also investigate miraculous discoveries like the "forgotten" 32 car ballots. He needs to show voters, the press and the Coleman team that he's running a transparent process that focuses on previously counted votes, rather than changing the rules after the election is over.

 

With their party only three Senate seats from the 60 needed to break a filibuster (and two still not decided), Democrats have a political incentive to cut corners to steal a seat if they can get away with it. Mr. Franken and his left-wing allies also know that if Mr. Franken couldn't win election in this fabulous Democratic year, then the not-so-funnyman never will. If Minnesota wants to retain its reputation as a state with clean elections, it needs to run an honest recount.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122644940271419147.html

[dlaing]

Maybe, the most accurate picture comes from the dreaded NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/polit...amp;oref=slogin

[jihem]

Altough I really do appreciate the tech help from you two guys, and the MP frenzy, this fast reminder on how it was when Ratchet and D were battling really reminded me how much I DO NOT miss your political fights

 

Now, where can i get Miata, i love these small devils !

[dlaing]

It has been a nice vacation from bickering politics, has it not?

Miatas are less controversial, unless they have chromoly hard cush rubbers.

Of course it could be argued that Rotary powered Mazdas are Better.

[jrt]

Of course it could be argued that Rotary powered Mazdas are Better.

 

Luddite.

[Guest ratchethack]

Of course it could be argued that Rotary powered Mazdas are Better.

Being a long-time owner of a Turbo Rotary, and current owner of 1 of each, I respectfully decline to comment, lest this quickly degenerate into something even less appropriate for a Guzzi Forum than the "usual". . . (if possible). . .

 

Nope. Can't make me.

[sullvarni]

Being a long-time owner of a Turbo Rotary, and current owner of 1 of each, I respectfully decline to comment, lest this quickly degenerate into something even less appropriate for a Guzzi Forum than the "usual". . . (if possible). . .

 

Nope. Can't make me.

Hav'nt been in this forum long but have noticed you two hold a lot of sway in one way or another,which is ok to a point,but i just wish you would kiss and make up if your in the same area,"kidding",Mazda rotarys are some of the best engines that were ever made,"IE" 1300cc putting out a Gazillion HP they had to gov'ern the rev's otherwise the motor would rev till it disintigrated,i forget what year it was they won Le Mans with that Prototype,but it sure put the big boys in there place for a while.

 

The problem with the production models was the cone shaped pistons would ware rarther quickly and gas mileage was not to great,the latest version in the RX8 has been a bit of a flop i think more to do with the design of the car,dont see to many on the road,anyway back to Guzzi stuff,does anyone know where i can get touch up paint,iv'e got a 2002 Le Mans,i think the colour is called Champagne' silver,thanks in advance.

 

Let Me Atta, Stu.

[gstallons]

Twin turbo R-X7..fastest go-kart i have ever driven...I got out, walked away and vowed never to do it again.

[pasotibbs]

And here in the UK we had the Norton's in British Superbikes, they sounded wonderful and seemed to have more go than the 750 fours they competed against.

There are a few RX8's about here now but memorys of the NSU RO80(and the price of fuel) put people off rotary engines for many years !

[mike wilson]

And here in the UK we had the Norton's in British Superbikes, they sounded wonderful and seemed to have more go than the 750 fours they competed against.

There are a few RX8's about here now but memorys of the NSU RO80(and the price of fuel) put people off rotary engines for many years !

 

So they should with over twice the capacity. This "only one side of the rotor" blarney doesn't count with me.

[pasotibbs]

So they should with over twice the capacity. This "only one side of the rotor" blarney doesn't count with me.

yes, I think the fuel consumption gives a better guide to the true capacity !!

[mike wilson]

Indeed. 23mpg(imp) from a 1300? Pull the other one.

[pasotibbs]

Indeed. 23mpg(imp) from a 1300? Pull the other one.

Too right, double the capacity and the MPG figures (and power)start to look something like !!