So, very soon after at Coffee Paradise, a busful of these people converged upon us. Addressing the nearest name-tag-chested patron, I asked, "So where're you folks goin'?" and she responded, "We're a bunch of conservatives going down to Washington, DC to try and take our country back and get things back to the way they used to be when things were good!"
(!!!)
Well, of course, on the job we're not really supposed to indulge in the discussion of controversial subjects with customers. Being in that arena lo these many years has taught me that discretion is definitely the better part of valor. But here on my blog, I am so free to speak my mind, so this is what I would have said to that good woman, if I only could have:
Dear Lady,
God bless you. I am sure you have a good heart, and equally good intentions. I give you muchos points for investing in this little weekend soiree, but here are just a handful of reasons why I'm skeptical that any group can affect real and lasting change at this time:
We tab the wrong enemy. After all, if it weren't for liberals, there would be no 40-hour work weeks, no unemployment benefits, no worker's compensation, no Medicare. Yet, nowadays, all a Republican has to do to win votes is call his election opponent "liberal", true or not, and compared to whom? So when did "liberal" become a dirty word? Isn't there enough blame to go around? Believe me, you could stand there and list 100 sins one party has committed, and I could stand here and list 100 the other party has committed, but what would that accomplish, except alot of wasted time, breath and upwardly mobile blood pressure? Real change will come when we resist the temptation to play the blame game and get down to the work at hand. There are alot of things we all can agree need fixing. Let's start there, and build some bridges. After all, doesn't the Eagle need both wings to fly?
We too often fall for personality-driven politics. My friend Nancy voted for totally inexperienced Steeler Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Lynn Swann for Pennsylvania Governor a few years ago because "he seems nice". Well, good for him. But will he be a good governor? How do we know? What qualifies him? In the 2008 election, first-time voter Kayla asked for my advice as to how to vote. I gave her a review of the Bush Years and asked her if she wanted a repeat of them, but she was still unsure how to vote, so I said, "Kayla, go to http://www.politicalcompass.org/ and take the test. It'll take about 15 minutes to answer the relevant questions that will help you flesh out your political, social, and economic concerns and viewpoints. Then it will show you where you fall on a graph as opposed to the different candidates. That'll help you decide who to vote for." This she did, and was very happy and proud of her choice. Too bad I didn't suggest the same to Joe, who complained to me that he didn't know who to vote for, as he didn't like either McCain or Obama. But how do you explain to a 70+ year-old that he's not so much electing a candidate as a party? After all, don't most candidates toe the party line the vast majority of the time? You would think having been around the block a time or two he would know this but...
The Media is not doing its job. So much for The Fourth Estate. The reasons are legion: The limited public attention span requires the use of sound bites that in no way give even a reasonably complete and accurate picture of our nation's realities; with recent mergers and acquisitions abounding, the many media outlets are owned by fewer and fewer individuals and companies, making it easier for a privileged few to shape public opinion and push an agenda (not to mention any names -- Murdoch, FOX); because of those same mergers, many of the media outlets with the most consumers have strong military/industrial interests -- for example, GE, with its many major Defense Department contracts, owns NBC. And CBS (formerly Westinghouse Broadcasting, with even more DOD contracts), owns the CW, Infinity Broadcasting and CNET, among others. What would anybody with half a brain expect to have happen here? Also an interesting comment I heard from Dan Rather in a recent documentary, "9/11 Press For Truth", and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't remember exact words, but he said that there is no pressure for journalists to grab the juicy Woodward and Bernstein-type stories anymore, in fact, if anything there is a pressure to bury them, lest a journalist be perceived as unpatriotic/un-American and be fired. Sad.
Recent Tea Party and other events aside, Americans are really not very active participants in the political process anymore. I recently came across a T-shirt in a catalog that read "A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for Democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in an election". A rather dubious distinction, is it not? Yet few elections in this country mobilize very much more than half of its eligible voters to do their civic duty. And how many of these are truly informed by more than just the aforementioned sound bites? A minuscule percentage, I'm sure. And how many do the real legwork: Checking how their Senators and Representatives vote, phoning/sending e-mail/snail mail, expressing how they want them to vote, signing petitions, writing letters to the editor, calling talk-shows, marching in local protests, etc.? Do we really have to throw a humongous rally starring Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin to lure people away from Twitter, texting, Dancing With The Stars, or the latest arrest of the latest pop tart? Woe to us if we do!
We close the barn door after the horse has been let out. Take gay marriage, a very hot-button issue of late. In the 1950's, how many openly gay people were there, really? In 1959, after filing a libel lawsuit against the London Daily Mirror, one of whose articles had suggested he was homosexual, superstar pianist Liberace was asked at trial if he had ever engaged in homosexual practices. Liberace replied, "I am against the practice because it offends convention, and it offends society." Of course it was revealed in an equally contentious court case some 25 years later that Liberace had lied through his teeth, but what kind of career would he have had in those days if he had done otherwise? The 1960's changed everything. The sexual revolution, civil rights, women's liberation, these were issues that transformed our society into one that became accepting enough of gays that by the 90's there was pressure to allow them to serve openly in the military for the first time, leading to President Clinton's unpopular "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" compromise. At the same time, a fair number of prominent corporations began to allow coverage of "domestic partners" in their company insurance policies, and due to myriad legal battles over wills, trusts, and living wills, many states enacted laws permitting "civil unions", designed to allow gay couples similar rights as heterosexual married couples in many legal issues. Each one of these changes opened the door a little further than the last. And with nine of the world's countries, as well as five U.S. states, and the District of Columbia permitting gay marriage, as well as the states and countries that don't permit it, but acknowledge the ones performed elsewhere, gosh, Wally, whaddaya think's gonna happen next? By the time people are debating, Should we or should we not allow this -- let's pass a law allowing/forbidding this practice, it's too late. Once society has moved to the place where the question has been asked, one way or another the ones that want it will agitate to legalize it, and they will succeed. By that time, the ones opposed have already given up too much ground. Their mistake was in allowing things to get to the point where the question could even be asked. Why? Because just as with any other item of social change, once the question is asked, there is a logical progression of popular reaction: "First, they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win." So said Gandhi, and time and time again he has been proven right. So how do you keep the question from being asked? Beats the hell outta me. If we could fight progress we'd still be living in caves eating raw meat. We may not like all the "progress" that comes down the pike, but we are kings and queens of our own castles and we can choose what we let into our domains, and how we raise our children. Let's start there.
The Left-Right Paradigm is no longer valid. It's just a way to keep good people down, divided, distracted and deceived while the politicians and their corporate sugar-daddies rob and oppress us. Simply put, Democrats and Republicans need to stop demonizing each other and unite against a common enemy. Another T-shirt slogan that sums up this point perfectly: "Politicians should be made to dress like race car drivers. Then at least we'd know who their corporate sponsors are." Yep. Or how about this one, "Government of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations." Uh-huh. Google "January 21, 2010 Supreme Court decision on corporations" if you don't believe me, and you'll see what I mean.
So, what to do about all this?
Let's start being real about who's to blame: US. Yes, that's right, us. 230 years ago, after our Revolution against England succeeded, we had power. REAL POWER. Our Founding Fathers, with most astounding wisdom and foresight, hammered out an inspiring document that in no uncertain terms defined our position as Americans; and our fighting men, though largely untrained and badly outnumbered but, I'm convinced, Divinely-ordained and protected, followed up on that bold Declaration by soundly defeating a vastly superior British fighting force not once but twice in 36 years. After which, America led the way in the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars, solidifying its position as a dominant world power.
And what have we done? We've squandered it. How? By becoming too comfortable. By not paying attention. By starting to think that acquiring stuff was more important than keeping the life of Riley we were holding in our hands. By losing sight of what's really important.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." -- John Philpot Curran, 1790
Let's refamiliarize ourselves with the vision of our Founding Fathers and their concept of our country: Remember this: That amazing document from 234 years ago testified to "a candid world" that we are all equal; that we have definite Creator-endowed rights; and that governments only have the power that they have with the "consent of the governed" who employ them (that'd be us); that government's job is to secure the Creator-endowed rights; and whenever any government became "destructive of these ends" it is our right to "alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...as to effect (our) safety and happiness". We take them for granted now, if we're aware they existed at all, but the ideas set forth in the American Declaration of Independence were novel, cataclysmic, transformative and aroused patriots and nations all over the world and throughout the intervening years to their own revolutions. And those ideas are arguably even more relevant today.
Let's get our heads out of the sand, out of our TVs, our computers, our iPhones and our asses, and let's get a clue about what's really going on. When so many gave so much to define, secure and defend these rights against so many long odds and obstacles, how can we, in all good conscience, continue to fumble the baton so badly? We need to stop being reactive, and start being proactive. Go on http://www.politicalcompass.org/ and find out where you fall on the graph, then find out (if you don't know already) who represents you, and vote every chance you get. Then keep an eye on them -- read "How Representatives Voted" in your local newspaper, and keep checking out that paper to see what's going on in the world. Peruse "Newsweek" and its ilk to get some in-depth coverage, or for a refreshing change, check out some foreign newscasts -- the BBC, CBC, whatever suits your fancy -- you'll find alot of U.S. and international news that affects us that never makes the headlines here.
Let's take a page from countries where the governments are afraid of the people, and the citizens have the balance of power in their favor. Send those who represent you, including the President, an e-mail, or snail mail, or give them a call, and tell them how you want them to vote, and why. Then keep after them, and if they consistently don't vote the way you want, get them the hell out, and replace them with someone who will. They work for you, don't they? They are public servants; you are the boss. Then join an organization -- or two -- whose goals are compatible with your values system, and really participate. They're easy to find. March in some parades or demonstrations, raise some hell! Then teach your children and grandchildren to do the same. They're inheriting this country from us, and it's about time we acquaint them with some citizen's rights and responsibilities, (perhaps long-forgotten by many) and get them used to working for them -- and fighting for them, if necessary!
I hope you'll think about it -- then join me in a new revolution, a real one, not party- or personality-driven, but idea- and ideal-driven. One where we build courage, faith, hope and bridges, not doubt, fear, apathy and division.
Good vibes to all of you (especially The Dear Lady!),
Claudia
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