Reforming our electoral process

Amidst worries that Tuesday's election will result in a replay of the electoral confusion of 2000, many commentators are revisiting an idea that gained traction after Gore lost the Electoral College vote. If you read between the lines, most of these fears are really fears that Bush will again win despite lacking a popular vote mandate. This foolishness, this lack of intellectual rigor and honesty encourages the idea that we need to "reform" our political system. Perhaps model ourselves after many of Europe's parliamentary systems with their plethora of parties. Engage in direct elections, disbanding or somehow "reforming" the Electoral College so that we're guaranteed a President with a mandate from the people.

I think this shows a true naivete and lack of understanding in regards to our nations history, as well as a serious misconception about our electoral process. Our system has stood the test of time, and shouldn't be tampered with lightly.

HDTV at its best

Family and friends know that I'm an HDTV afficionado. Our local cable provider (Time Warner) recently added HDNet to our potpourri of HD channels, and I've discovered HDTV nirvana; Hogan's Heroes in hi-def.

Apparently, Mark Cuban has financed the restoration and conversion of this series to HD. Since Hogan's Heroes was shot on film, the HD transfer/conversion looks brilliant. Sadly, I don't think that shows shot on video will ever look as good, assuming they ever find a patron like Cuban to convert them to HD.