I voted yesterday. In Illinois, in-person early voting began on Thursday, September 24. [FN1] In most elections past, I voted in-person on Election Day. For several reasons, I encourage anyone reading this blog to vote, under relevant State laws, asap and in-person. 1/10

1) They want to stop voting. In 2024, 45/47 [FN2] bragged, at a Turning Point Action gathering, that if you voted for him “in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote," [FN3] a sentiment he repeated later. [FN4] 2/10

2) They’re fusing a “Christian” nationalist “God” w/the military. On 9/30/26, Sec’y of Defense Pete Hegseth [FN5] bragged that he had fired 10% of generals & admirals, eliminated 10% of the slots for generals and admirals, and established an Office of Religious Affairs. 3/10

Five schools that will receive priority in officer commissioning include Liberty University [FN6] and Hillsdale College. [FN7] Obviously, Hegseth cares little for maintaining even a semblance of the separation of church and State. Girding the loins of the white, male “Christian” 4/10

nationalists w/Hegseth’s “God’s” blessing brings to mind the Dark Ages and the crusades that the spawned. The only good that came from that was Monty Python’s “Holy Grail” - and that was an overt farce. This all seems too scary, but that’s because it is scary. 5/10

Footnotes:
FN1. Relevant dates for registering to vote and where to obtain information on the status of a voter’s registration vary by State. In Illinois info is at elections.il.gov For other States, search on-line. The Secretary of State in many State’s is that State’s chief election officer. 6/10

FN2. The 1st term of office, from 1/20/17 to 1/20/21, is counted #45 while the 2nd term, from 1/20/25 to today, is counted as #47. President Joe Biden’s term of office is considered #46.
FN3. Tim Reid, “Trump tells Christians they won't have to vote after this election,” Reuters, 7/28/24. 7/10

FN4. “Donald Trump repeats controversial ‘you won’t have to vote any more’ claim – video,” The Guardian, 7/30/24.
FN5. He’s not Sec’y of War. See, Ralph W Tarr, “Limitations on Presidential Power to Create a New Executive Branch Entity to Receive and Administer Funds Under Foreign Aid Legislation,” Memorandum Opinion for the Counsel to the President, 8/23/85. 8/10

FN6. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was founded by Jerry Falwell in 1971. Falwell made a name for himself in the early 1980s as the head of the so-called Moral Majority. Jerry Falwell, Jr, made a name for himself via pool boys. 9/10

FN7. Hillsdale College, a private school in Hillsdale, Michigan, played a part in Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. See, Steve Corbin, “Who’s Pulling Trump’s Strings? Inside Project 2025 and the 7 Think Tanks Reshaping America,” Fulcrum, 11/1/25, accessed 10/1/26. 10/10