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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Anonymust1
Published Letters: 562
Chris Floyd's high-flown language is exactly what is called for... now in these (Bush-driven-syntax) days when we can no longer count on any silver-tongued senators (or even an articulate congress person) to say what needs to be said. That we've been cooked. Only much more eloquently than that. Something akin to the language used by the Founders.
I especially loved this part:
If there is to be any way out of the nation's death spiral into darkness, ruin and dishonor, this noncooperation must begin at the top. There is not enough time left now for a broad movement from the general public to rise up and force the ouster of these criminals.
And those two sentences built upon his understanding that true public servants-- of which we once had just enough to keep us out of trouble-- who, recognizing the need, would indeed rise to the occasion. Just imagine if there were a wholesale walkout or sickout-- or a simple lack of cooperation with evil-- by our publicly-salaried government employees, etc. It could be the germ of a Frank Capra movie, or an elite trickle-down of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. (Except that our movies have grown too cynical for such notions, and my own preference would be for a playwright to take it up.)
So, I must also agree that it (probably) won't happen. Still, putting such notions out there into the universe cannot possibly hurt, and who knows who else (besides Senator Dodd) might also be inspired to fight to restore the Constitution. We simply cannot predict. Just as we cannot know a person's breaking point in advance, neither can we know their making point.
So, better that we repeat Chris's notion, instead of merely criticizing it, until it becomes a Meme, an actual talking point, a natural part of any political discussion. Just as we have recently asked who would be the next member of the GOP to be outed from his closet, or the next maladministration official to resign before scandal hits... we might now ask something far better, as in... "So, who do you think will be next public servant to stop cooperating with the Bush regime?"
* * *
Thoreau, btw, is not quoted nearly often enough. Perhaps it's because a complete quote from him would often involve an entire paragraph?
For your valiant effort at uniting the pro-Floyds and anti-Floyds. Clearly, many/most of us really do want the same things. And, in general, we even prefer the same means to our ends. We simply appreciate different styles. There's nothing wrong with that, either. I just think we haven't had enough of Floyd's style for some time (i.e., since-Bush, if not even before). A little inspiration really can increase the air quality for awhile.
just one of the pro-Floyds
p.s. Glenn, you should have warned us about how much more time your blog would require this week. Who among us really expected three or more posts each day? I know I didn't.
Good luck with that march, RMP!
Perhaps we can all agree that we actually need both effective & inspiring narratives AND direct action?
For how long now, have so many of us complained about the RWA-GOP control of the national debate and the M$M talking points? The media environment has been changing, but isn't the slowness of the change still a good enough reason to welcome Chris's style of rhetoric? Not to mention that it is in such stark contrast to the simple, declarative sentences favored by the other team... And doesn't he ask for exactly the kind of direct action we would really like to see?
I suspect that there are many others here doing things like calling/faxing, etc., as ondelette mentioned, or marching as RMP will be this weekend, but for whatever reasons, prefer not to mention them here. Privacy, perhaps, and who would blame anyone for trying to maintain what precious little bit they have left.
from MemoryAlpha at 8:00 am:
One thing to keep in mind is that the Telecoms probably received a lot of sweet cash as part of their devil's bargain to cooperate in the first place.
Does anyone have an idea how such cash (if received)-- from supposedly secret and classified contracts-- would show up on a financial statement?
Or, if it didn't show up, wouldn't that be an even greater problem?
So far, MSM, the administration and the telcos have been quite successful at keeping news of the stalled, endangered Senate bill very low key. In the last week I've spoken to numerous people who aren't netroots, who are totally oblivious to what's going on with telcom amnesty (and are outraged and appalled when I describe it to them). If this gets aired out in some very visible court proceedings, can you picture both the marketing and regulatory disaster it could become for the telcos?
I understand that Chris Dodd is to be the guest on Meet the Press tomorrow... for the whole hour. Should be interesting, and he'll undoubtedly discuss this issue.
I don't usually watch MTP, since Huffington Post reviews it, but tomorrow I may make an exeption.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
