Category Archives: government in action

For love of country

Patriotism is something that Conservatives “owned” or thought they did. Then along came the crazies in the GOP. Matt Gaetz (not unlike his boss) is a destroyer. The only pledge of allegiance he’ll have to sign is to (ugh) the president elect.

Patriotism runs deep in all Americans who understand the values that are fundamental to the United States of America.

It’s love of country, not fealty to a would be strong man. We, the people, are not bossed by our leaders. We choose them to serve us.

Thank you

We are thanked for voting.

Voting is our privilege, a right that comes with democracy.  We should treasure it. No thanks necessary.

The video artist I passed in front of our local school[slash]polling place seemed to share that p.o.v.

“In Argentina,” I think I heard her say, “You have to vote.”

Apparently, it’s beyond your right  so that it’s illegal not to cast a ballot.

Hmm.

Learning as I go

Being a proponent of American style freedoms as they evolve and move forward, I have often used the term democracy.

Origins? Dêmos (the people, or perhaps the many, or ¿the mob?). Kratos [power], so could it be simpler? Yeah, it could.

It’s already muddled by the question of who the dêmos might be. Add to that that the word for assembly ecclesia is a root with associations to religion, and I am reeling in uncertainty.

Critics of the Athenian model of dêmoskratos abound of late. Socrates, anyone?

As it has been pointed out the gents who framed the document that establishes our form of government called our nation a Republic. They based their pre- cedence on the Roman formula.

I don’t want to take this issue lightly. “And for the Republic for which it stands.”

The principles of rights and freedoms are honored in that Latinate model as well, of course.

May we always embrace the 4th of July and uphold the privileges of a free nation.

Presidents

Today two presidents are in my thoughts. Both represent the good perhaps even best impulses of our country.

Biden’s campaign motto to Build Back Better has been followed by a campaign to restore the nation’s infrastructure.

Today, President Biden joined Ukraine’s President Zelensky in a significant moment of solidarity.

He showed the Ukrainians our support for democracy by showing up in Kyiv this morning.

The other United States President in my thoughts is Jimmy Carter. He’s a gentleman who has literally been building America for some time through Habitat for Humanity.

This year Presidents Day is theirs!

Positive thinking

Millard Fillmore, remember him? Well, I hear he was head of a supremely negative political movement that was proud to call itself the Know Nothing Party.

An aside here: the fool is proud of that which the wise man finds embarrassing.

old Yugoslav expression

Ignorance goes hand in hand with the kind of pride that revels in conspiracy theories. It is the foundation on which falsehoods and misinformation [aka LIES] are built.

Along with the untruths, there is a new kind of pornography spreading in negative political advertising.

The good news for us is we can eschew the Know-Nothings and disdain far-fetched theories.

We know something; we know better.

We can use our knowledge. We can come to rational conclusions. We can be wise and principled.

Government @ work

The last dozen years or so the national legislators have failed to legislate. Somehow, miraculously, the Senate managed to pass a BIG bill.

It will help mitigate climate change, impose taxes on large corporations, and help reduce inflation. It will improve health care pricing and access. It goes to the House and then can be signed by Joe Biden.

This is today’s good news.

More along the good things path? Turns out murder rates are down. That’s a statistical fact – despite the dire news of mass shootings which alarm us. This would be better news if noone had access to AR-15 rifles.

Congratulations, America.