We Interupt this Blog for the Following Politcal Announcement...

Don't panic, I am not going to talk about the candidates or campaign for any of the Presidental hopefuls. What I am going to do is get on my soapbox. We live in Texas and I had wanted to registar to vote in the primaries, especially since pre-Super Tuesday it looked like a wide-open race. While ordinarily this is a fairly straght-forward process, let me tell you what happens when you venture into what I like to call the "Bethel-Triangle"...

First off, I had put this off until the last minute because I still have my Oklahoma drivers license...I know, I know. But I have several GOOD reasons why I still have an Oklahoma license even though we have been in Texas for a while. Like, I just got my Oklahoma license right before we moved and dagnabbit, that would just be a waste of money to throw it away and get a new Texas one.

Also, I have this disturbing fear that (a) I might have to take a drivers test to get a Texas license (you know, the DRIVING kind, not the written). I have been told that's not true, but why take the chance, I say. or (b) If I move back to Oklahoma, I might have to take a drivers test to get another OKLAHOMA license (you know, the DRIVING kind, not the written). I think you see the pattern here. Let's just say, I had a bad experience (ok, ok) 2 bad experiences when I took the Driving test at 16 and would strenously prefer that I not put myself through that again.

Soooo, back to the registering. I looked it up online and of course Ft. Bend county was practically the only county in Texas where you can't get the form off the internet. However, the web said the library keeps forms available. So I make a trip to the Library and guess what...They just gave out the last form and its too late in the day (on the last day) to drive to the county seat. Great! So after picking out a few books (who can resist) I overhear that there may be some forms upstairs. Cool! I know the Knitting Books are upstairs too! So I go up and find a crochet book to take home AND score 2 forms for DH and myself.

Well, I fill out these beauties, photocopy a utility bill with our Texas address and notice that it asks for a Texas driver's license number. Drat! However, it says you can use the last 4 digits of your SSN. But then I notice that there is also a box that says if you don't have a Texas Driver's license OR a SSN, just check here and enclose a copy of a photo id (anything works) and send it in.

So, in essense, you can registar to vote without a driver's license or a SSN. Now I thought you HAD to have a SSN to ... let's say work, file your taxes, even your kids have to have one now by their 1st birthday!

Basically, you can be completely undocumented and registar to vote. Is it just me or is this a sneaky way to let illegal aliens vote??

But it gets worse for my "trying to be a voting citizen" - I fill it out, put in my Oklahoma Driver's license number and a copy of my license with a very, very scary picture of me and slap that baby in the mail by 5 pm to beat the deadline for the primary.

Then I get a letter saying I am denied and can't vote in the primaries but can re-registar and vote 30 days later if I put in my last 4 digits of my SSN and/or check the box that says I don't have either a Texas Driver's License OR a SSN. GOSH! So, that's what I get for not going to the DMV. GRRRRR.

But on to crafty matters, I had unofficially resolved to make 12 dishcloths this year - averaging 1 a month. I have already made 5 so I have a big jump on that pledge. These include a blue and yellow Darrell Waltrip cloth (he's a Nascar driver) and a round petal discloth that I mailed to my Aunt Bethel (yes, I was named after her..), a washcloth with the Marines symbol for a former neighbor of ours who is stationed in Japan, and a coffee cup patterned cloth. All great "short-attention-span" projects!