Saturday, July 08, 2006
politics still stink
"Hi! My name is Newbie, and I'm a political junkie."
That's how the meeting would start. Me and a lot of other guys would sit around telling war stories, how much they missed it, and trying to convince one another the new things they fill their time with really replace the thrill of politics.
Sure there's backsliding. Secretly sneaking a peek at the headlines. A rant to the spouse about the latest political flap. Maybe a letter to the editor.
But it makes you feel dirty. Used. You tell yourself never again. But you come crawling back.
Maybe there will be a day when I can overhear something about the latest scandal and not feel that flicker of interest that grows into an insatiable need to know more, and an irresistable desire to try and do something about it. To right the wrongs and keep the bad guys at bay.
When I saw the film with Noam Chomskey Manufaturing Consent I came away with a feeling that I was merely a news consumer. Either get in or get out, I said to myself.
So in the last presidential election I got more involved. I followed the twists and turns of the campaign, and tried to educate voters about what was at stake.
Despite all the heat and the noise it came down to nothing. As important as I, and the people I was arguing with, thought the election was little more than half of the eligible voters actually voted. And it was close! Well, close enough.
The evidence for massive fraud in the last election is disheartening for those who believe in representative government in America. After the 2000 vote it was to be expected. What was unexpected is the apparent indifference with which the news is treated. The most powerful nation on earth subjected to a criminal coup and no one seems to care.
The great experiment of our Founders has come to a close. Can a government of the people, by the people, and for the people long endure? Apparently not. Complacency has won out over patriotism.
Had this happened in virtually any other country the people would spill out into the streets in protest against having their birthrights stolen from them. But that can't happen here. We've still got our bread and circuses, thank you very much.
So, do you get in deeper or get out? When half the people don't even care to vote when the nation's very soul is at stake and more people care about vote fraud on American Idol than in a presidential election, I'm getting out. And I hope I don't miss it too much.
But I may slip now and again...
That's how the meeting would start. Me and a lot of other guys would sit around telling war stories, how much they missed it, and trying to convince one another the new things they fill their time with really replace the thrill of politics.
Sure there's backsliding. Secretly sneaking a peek at the headlines. A rant to the spouse about the latest political flap. Maybe a letter to the editor.
But it makes you feel dirty. Used. You tell yourself never again. But you come crawling back.
Maybe there will be a day when I can overhear something about the latest scandal and not feel that flicker of interest that grows into an insatiable need to know more, and an irresistable desire to try and do something about it. To right the wrongs and keep the bad guys at bay.
When I saw the film with Noam Chomskey Manufaturing Consent I came away with a feeling that I was merely a news consumer. Either get in or get out, I said to myself.
So in the last presidential election I got more involved. I followed the twists and turns of the campaign, and tried to educate voters about what was at stake.
Despite all the heat and the noise it came down to nothing. As important as I, and the people I was arguing with, thought the election was little more than half of the eligible voters actually voted. And it was close! Well, close enough.
The evidence for massive fraud in the last election is disheartening for those who believe in representative government in America. After the 2000 vote it was to be expected. What was unexpected is the apparent indifference with which the news is treated. The most powerful nation on earth subjected to a criminal coup and no one seems to care.
The great experiment of our Founders has come to a close. Can a government of the people, by the people, and for the people long endure? Apparently not. Complacency has won out over patriotism.
Had this happened in virtually any other country the people would spill out into the streets in protest against having their birthrights stolen from them. But that can't happen here. We've still got our bread and circuses, thank you very much.
So, do you get in deeper or get out? When half the people don't even care to vote when the nation's very soul is at stake and more people care about vote fraud on American Idol than in a presidential election, I'm getting out. And I hope I don't miss it too much.
But I may slip now and again...
# posted by newbie @ 6:10 AM 
Comments:
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This issue certainly pushes my button. You may have forgotten, but it took 100 years in the United States for women to get the right to vote like other adult citizens. There were 100 years of protests and lobbying and rallys and beatings and jailings and ridicule. The vast majority of Americans (including women)were against women voting. Somehow, today women vote and it is no big deal.
I always think of the suffragette movement when I think of quitting political action. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. There are no innocents. There are no abstainers. You don't have to get angry; you don't have to drive yourself mad; you don't have to devote your life and fortune to the the movement; but you do have to speak up when the issue comes up and push for change when you can (like on election day). This is a burden that you will be faced with every day for the rest of your life. Otherwise, like the 50% who don't vote on election day, you *are* the problem.
I always think of the suffragette movement when I think of quitting political action. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. There are no innocents. There are no abstainers. You don't have to get angry; you don't have to drive yourself mad; you don't have to devote your life and fortune to the the movement; but you do have to speak up when the issue comes up and push for change when you can (like on election day). This is a burden that you will be faced with every day for the rest of your life. Otherwise, like the 50% who don't vote on election day, you *are* the problem.
# posted by 
: 9:19 AM
: 9:19 AM
Most likely my frustration stems not from involvement, but from the ineffectiveness of what I chose to do. But those who are willing to bend the rules and break the laws have a built-in advantage. And it will always be an uphill battle against the apathy of the general public on one hand and the ruthlessness of those who seek to undermine our democracy.
But it is unlikely that I can drop out completely: I'll always have a sense of right and wrong, I'll always have an idea of how society should be ordered, I'll always stand for truth and justice. It's just that the game as it is currently rigged is stacked against me. And that makes me angry.
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But it is unlikely that I can drop out completely: I'll always have a sense of right and wrong, I'll always have an idea of how society should be ordered, I'll always stand for truth and justice. It's just that the game as it is currently rigged is stacked against me. And that makes me angry.
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