it just occurred to me...
you know how (it seems) everyone is complaining about the problems with incumbency in our present political system? you know, the burgeoning sense of self-importance and entitlement that grows as a person's tenure in a particular seat goes on? (google "robert carlyle byrd" for one particularly egregious example of a man who has parlayed heading--not just belonging to--a ku klux klan cell, avowing "rather i should die a thousand times ... than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels", not to mention filibustering against the civil rights act of 1964, into one of the most powerful positions in the current US senate, from which he has opted to skip over 40% of this session's votes).
it's as if these old hacks see the seat as THEIR seat... like, somehow, since they've been re-elected to it, that they more or less OWN it...
and you know what?
it's our own fault.
to wit: in today's lowell sun, there is a story at the bottom of the local news section, on page 3, about "Cox drops out of Garry's rep race". yup, not OUR rep race, or the 36th middlesex's rep race--GARRY's rep race. our fourth estate, the great and mighty free press, defender of truth and liberty and all that rot, is just like the rest of us--so far gone down the rabbit hole, that words are lost to express anything resembling a people's democracy, and all we have left are "it's yours, so why don't you keep it".
it's really frightening when you think about it.
it's as if these old hacks see the seat as THEIR seat... like, somehow, since they've been re-elected to it, that they more or less OWN it...
and you know what?
it's our own fault.
to wit: in today's lowell sun, there is a story at the bottom of the local news section, on page 3, about "Cox drops out of Garry's rep race". yup, not OUR rep race, or the 36th middlesex's rep race--GARRY's rep race. our fourth estate, the great and mighty free press, defender of truth and liberty and all that rot, is just like the rest of us--so far gone down the rabbit hole, that words are lost to express anything resembling a people's democracy, and all we have left are "it's yours, so why don't you keep it".
it's really frightening when you think about it.
Labels: lowell sun, politics, rant
posted by kad barma at 8:55 AM
1 Comments:
Going along this line, it used to irritate me when then President George Bush would use "I" when talking about the US doing something. (I almost typed "it used to drive me crazy", but thought that it was over the top—but deep down inside that was what it was.)
I thought that the President should have been using "we". Not the imperial "we" but the "we are all in this together" "we".
And, I apologize for not running for office, but it was just not in the cards this year. Regardless of one's political orientation we need to keep the pressure on the incumbents. Once in a while the People will decide it is time for change. When that happens, there needs to be an alternative available.
Regards — Cliff
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