John (Hindsill), I appreciate the sentiments you expressed. I don't personally believe that the time you describe ever existed in quite the way you characterize it -- we all are tempted to put on rose-colored glasses when we recall the past, conveniently forgetting all the evils that existed alongside the good. But I certainly would like to see such a time in the future.

I also think there is a lot less "interpretation" going on than is being alleged. The recounts are being closely scrutinized, and for the most part the only objections to the process have been bogus claims about runaway chads and the counters trying to "divine" the will of the voters (all the Republican spin doctors use this word; evidently they think it's a good sound bite, inaccurate though it may be). The people doing the counting are normal, decent folks, and generally seem to be serious about doing this in an impartial way. And with all the scrutiny, even if they were inclined to be dishonest about it they wouldn't really be able to do anything. The whole bogus allegation of "divination" really just highlights the bankruptcy of the Republicans' position, in my opinion.