In the wake of Pete Stark's Moscow Trials moment on the floor of the House, Henley calls one-party rule and rues a caveat in a pre-election post in which he otherwise predicted exactly this eventuality. Looking back through my archives, I'm happy to report that I was writing posts with titles like "First, Kill the Democrats." So, you know, my ass is covered, clairvoyantly speaking.
Now I know we all live happy-happy lives full of nice-nice things, that the wind still blows and the rain still falls, that coffee still warms your belly on a fall morning and whiskey on a fall eve, that the earth still goes 'round the sun, that there are still beautiful books, lovely melodies, artworks transcendent of their mere moment, that the touch of skin to skin is still pleasure, that, after all, it's still possible to have some small measure of happiness in our lives. So long as there exist orgasms, red wine, and the works of Bach, let it not be said that I'm a cynic. On the other hand.
On the other hand, I think it's high time to face a set of uncomfortable facts, all of which are best expressed in that Orwell line I've lately quoted: There are no laws in Oceania. Curiously enough, though, there are plenty of jails. We live in a nation that practices the most vicious and unforgivable forms of torture. We live in a nation of men, not of laws, in which what is or is not prohibited depends on the day of the week, the inclination of the earth's axis, the waxing or waning of the moon, the steam from the chicken entrails, the grotesque boondoggledom of the venal Democratic congress, and the halting utterances of the Warlord. Our laws are even more imaginary than our money, and that's saying something. We live in a nation that has effectuated the death of a million people in Iraq. A million! The displacement of millions more. God only knows what we'll do in the next year. But it don't take no God nor angels to know for durn sure it'll be a sight worse. To some degree, these things have always been true of America. To some degree, they're true of all societies, everywhere, anytime. But as the saying goes, that don't make it right.
Meanwhile, Jim links Libby at the Newshoggers, a blogger I like on a site I admire. And yet:
Stark's emotional apology was admirably gracious. But I'm with Jane. I find a Democratic machine that would not only allow, but require, such humilation to one its own deeply offensive. If we're ever going to save the Democratic [party] from itself, we have got to get rid of these people.I mean, if we're ever going to save rape-murder torture-cannibals from themselves, we're going to have to get rid of everyone who rapes, murders, tortures, and cannabalizes. You cannot save a thing from what it is. I don't mean to sound a note of alarm, here, but if the brighter lights among us are still crowing "more and better Democrats," then I . . . I . . . I . . .
10 comments:
Fuck, that's depressing. Incredibly well-written and insightful and on the fuckin nose, but still, depressing as Phoebe Cates story about why she hates Christmas in Gremlins. Damn.
yeah I agree...but WTF? What the hell are our choices besides mo betta Dems? A new party? Withdraw in toto from the body politic and it's corrupting decaying stink? Or generally forgive and forget and stay with the tried and true pleasures of aforementioned frothy beer, orgasms, and the lovely Ludwig Van?
Yes, John B., you have roughly three choices.
(1) Drop out of politics and wait for the eventual knock on your door dragging you off to the labor camp/debtor's prison, as the economy collapses around us. In America, dropping out can be comfortable and fun, and the labor camps are probably still a long time in the future. Most Americans will choose this choice. But many of 'em, like we do, know very well that this is what they're doing.
(2) Vote for a third party, knowing full well that they will lose and the election will be rigged anyway. This is the only non-violent alternative with any slight prayer of success (witness, the Velvet Revolution, the Orange Revolution, etc.) Even in the 21st century, governments still have to make some kind of sham attempt to cite a mandate from the masses, and if this is clearly denied by many millions of people, some sort of change might occur. Change might not be complete or it might not be the way we want it, but it's a start. Odds definitely stacked against this one, though.
(3) Violent revolution. Made increasingly difficult by 21st century technology (the NRA just makes me laugh when it argues that your constitutional right to keep a .22 will scare the government away from using its high-tech eavesdropping powers and microwave weapons to remove you from play long before you approach seriousness). However, as IOZ has pointed out, Americans are too fat, lazy, and complacent to make this alternative very feasible, and that might not be accidental.
So pick one and good luck! The default is #1. Hope it works for y'all.
(Oh forgot to mention but perhaps it's overly obvious: I think IOZ's main point is that continuing to vote for Democrats, or Republicans, no matter how enlightened the policy positions of the particular Democrat, is merely a more sanctimonious shading of #1. Waxman doesn't run the party and he never will, and even if he did, he'd probably be about as effective as Al Gore was in reducing the nation's carbon emissions from 1992-2000. Things are past the point where one charismatic political leader can accomplish anything at all besides making things worse.)
More and better Naders?
More and better suicide bombers?
More and better [x]?
Answer: none of the above. The problem isn't with Democrats (that too, of course) it's with the idea of solving problems by electing people. Electoral politics is useless when it becomes obvious to everybody and their grandmother that there ain't no "people." Everything is permitted. There are no laws in Oceania.
Extra-municipal representative government was always a pretty kooky idea, but it has an especially hard time surviving cable TV.
Sing it, preacher, sing it.
Couldn't we, like, all join communes but without all the hippie bullshit or guns and withdraw from society and governmental control as much as possible? Keep in mind I'm high and probably missing the many, many ways in which this idea is less than feasible.
I'm an excellent cook and I've always wanted to try my hand at real farming.
I do think a gun or two is a worthwhile investment for living off the land, however. Or at least a good compound bow.
"then I . . . I . . . I . . .".....
might want to rethink that "brighter bulbs" assessment?
On the other hand, those who fantasize about killing innocent, defenseless creatures who've done you no harm with a compound bow may not be the most qualified to be sitting in the Assessor's Office.
"Torture-cannibal" much?
Consistency, mon, consistency,
Fucking animal rights activists. Clearly that's our biggest problem right now. Trader Joe's selection of Tofutti might not be so good once the pogrom starts.
Post a Comment