Let's Pretend

Let's pretend that NASCAR had mandated the Car of Tomorrow to be in use on Jan 1 of 2006. Now let's suppose that all of the teams went to work right away to build a brand new car, one that had never raced before and was absolutely untested.

The teams managed to come up with a version of that CoT but it had a flaw. Due to a minor parts failure it crashed one lap out of every five if the radio was turned on. No radio, no crash. The system was certainly flawed but, so long as the teams left the radio off, there were no crashes caused by the new system.

On August 6 of 2008 one of the teams (Let's call it GAB Racing) came up with a radio system which they were confident would run without causing crashes. They had failed at the letter of the law but had satisfied the (rather stupid) substance of it. They knew that the next race would be okay and, as part of their job, they said so.

But their was one team owner who was not satisfied (Let's call him AG Goodhair.) He was mad that GAB had not satisfied the fullest letter of the most draconian edict of NASCAR (Let's call them Flyin' Jim.) He sold his soul and filed a frivolous lawsuit, something he once thought he was deathly against, to force every team to run the Daytona 500 with the radios which were in use in 2006. Nevermind that there would be crashes at random 5 lap intervals. Nevermind that there was a way to run the race safely. Goodhair was convinced that if all of the other teams were caught up in the carnage that some would simply not bother with the race. Some teams, who had done all that was asked of them, would be swept aside and never scored.

AG Goodhair had a car in the race, an old and cranky car but a car nonetheless. If he could put roadblocks and obstacles in front of the other cars he thought that his car would stand a better chance of coming through in first.

It's a fable, kids but only just barely. JB van Hollen has filed suit to take an action that will cause confusion and delays based on database errors rather than criminal behaviors. He is trying to force the state to use a computer program with a proven 20% failure rate to decide who gets to vote. The state of Wisconsin does not have a 20% voter fraud problem. van Hollen knows that. But he sees a chance to create havoc at the polls and doubts in the minds of legal voters and the cynical SOB is charging into the breach.

JB van Hollen is ready to do what Steve Biskupic stood against. van Hollen is executing the GOP's voter caging program by filing suit 8 weeks before the election. He should be ashamed but I won't hold my breath.