Sprague Democratic Town Committee
democrats@spraguedtc.org
Commentary and Opinion
Comments, opinions, letters, and essays posted here do not necessarily reflect the opinions, principles, or positions of Sprague DTC. They are posted here in the interest of community conversation. This is a place to post ideas. It is not a place to argue or present misinformation. Click here if you would like to contribute thoughts or ideas. Messages will posted at the sole discretion of Sprague DTC. Messages may be posted anonymously, but the DTC must know who the author is. Messages do not have to agree with DTC principles or positions, but misinformation is not permitted. Contributors may be asked to cite sources.
Interesting Quote from Molly Ivins
I have been writing about politics for forty years. I know where the cynicism comes from, and I would not presume to tell you it is misplaced. The system is so screwed up, if you think it’s not worth participating in, then give yourself credit for being alert. But not for being smart. How smart is it to throw away power? How smart is it to throw away the most magnificent political legacy any people has ever received? This is our birthright; we are the heirs; we get it just for being born here. Don’t throw that legacy away out of cynicism or boredom or inanition: “I’m just not interested in politics.” “There’s nothing I can do.”
You have more political power than 99 per cent of all the people who have ever lived on this planet. You can not only vote, you can register other people to vote, round up your friends, get out and do political education, talk to people, laugh with people, call the radio, write the paper, write your elected representative, use your e-mail list, put up signs, march, volunteer, raise hell. All our life, no matter what else you do…you have another job, another responsibility. You are a citizen. It is an obligation that requires attention and effort. And on top of that, you should make it a hell of a lot of fun.
Molly Ivins was a journalist for the Houston Chronicle and the Texas Observer.
On further thought...here are some DTC messages that appeared in Our Town:
The peaceful transfer of power in government is not a law; it is a norm. It is, or was, a tradition started by our first president and carried on by presidents that followed. When norms are ignored, or flouted, it disrupts the, well, normal flow of things.
The peaceful transfer tradition, if you will, can happen in other forms of government, but our regularly scheduled elections help to act as a pressure release valve. In a monarchy, the leader is usually succeeded by a son. In a dictatorship, the leader is succeeded upon death (or assassination) by another authoritative leader. The interval between leaders can be random, occasionally violent, and possibly take many years.
In a democracy, the leader understands that failing to keep the people satisfied can result in his or her being shown the door and replaced by another. A defeated political party can at least, as sports fans say, "Wait until next year." But, to extend the sports metaphor, when an authoritarian norm of government pays the referes or umpires and makes or changes the rules of the game to suit the moment, that next year may never arrive. Ever.
The peaceful transfer of power is something remarkable; for it to have happened every time, for over two hundred years, some would call a miracle. As Taylor swift said, "People say you don't know what you've got till it's gone, but the truth is, you never thought you'd lose it."
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A previously unknown human subspecies has evolved in the last several years that threatens to displace America’s primary breed, the indigenous Homo sensibilitas. With the elimination of competitors after the Second World War, Homo s. emerged and prospered in the U.S. But since the 1980’s it has significantly declined, coinciding with the ascent of Ronald Reagan and his neoconservative ideological offspring, and was further diminished in the 21st century by Bill Clinton and his neoliberal progeny.
The as yet unnamed human subspecies, is characterized by irascibility, paranoid ideation, infantilism, fetishization of automatic weapons, doltish jocularity, aggressive posturing accompanied by theocratic fantasies, delirium, obstreperousness and on occasion, barking at the moon. Individually, they’re harmless. Yet drawn by the scent of hate, they regularly evince a propensity to gather in herds and are easily spooked into clamorous and sometimes violent behavioral outbreaks, especially when instigated by celebrity alpha male personages intent on exploiting the herd’s free-floating sense of victimization.
The effects of interbreeding between the species have not been scientifically investigated, but there is speculation among experts in the field that any adverse consequences resulting from the genetic transmission of traits may be mitigated by the prevailing cultural environment. Speaking of the continuing dominance of Homo s., an anonymous spokesperson from the science community reported, “No matter how you look at it, we’re in big trouble.”
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At a time when instantaneous communication engulfs our everyday experience, when what happens at home or at the far corners of the world may be summoned to consciousness at the flick of a switch, and when men have the leisure to comprehend events and their interactions, everyone, inundated by this vast flow of data, must choose not only what are the facts, but what the facts are telling us. We must choose by whatever method as is our custom to either ignore or accept what our senses tell us, to give meaning to our experience. This is what is meant by knowledge, and we choose the reality that suits us whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not.
To be alive, to be human, is to choose. Refusing to choose is a choice in itself and the reasons for doing so may vary from the sublime to the brutish, but decide we must. From such contemplations we arrive at our conception of what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong. The human animal separates himself from nature and from others of his kind when he creates a moral sensibility, and if he chooses not to do so, he vacates responsibility for his actions, and submits himself to the vagaries of the herd.
Click here to read Project 2025 and see how it will impact the federal government.