Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let me label you as they may. 

                        Mark Twain, American humorist and patriot

 

The scariest idea has become settled in the minds of a lot of people I know or see on television, or read about in the newspaper.  They believe that patriotism is demonstrated by agreeing with the President of the ffice:smarttags" />United States, supporting whatever the guy is up to.  fficeffice" />

Patriotism is not the love of George W., it’s the love of one’s country and the desire for one’s country to be worthy of that love and of the sacrifices that may be necessary to preserve the things that make it worth the allegiance in the first place.  Thought, not blind acceptance is necessary to the practice of patriotism, and a conscience is a necessary piece of equipment in that as well.  Sometimes a conscience tells us something that is unpleasant to know, but ignoring what it says will muffle it’s voice and make it impotent.

Today is Election Day.  I am taking my God given powers of reason with me as I exercise my God-given right to voice my wishes for the leadership of my country.  I think I may be in the minority there at the polls today; the people I’ve talked to don’t seem to have much in the way of reasons for voting for the people their signs and stickers tell me they support and discussion never includes listening, only stating and restating the same ignorant support of the status quo.

Things will change, things always do.  But I suspect they won’t change in time to affect the election results today.

I’m sorry.

Here are the latest election results, just posted on Yahoo!. 

You will note that although a lot of people are not very bright, Wisconsin people are more bright than not.  It took all night, it's 7:28 AM and this was just posted, but Kerry won in Wisconsin.  I'm going to keep that thought in mind for the next four long years.

Nevada just made George W. a burr under the saddle for another four years.

Nevada.  It figures.  Nevada is famous for the unwise decisions made there. Doesn't the country know that "What happens in  Vegas stays in Vegas?"  That's the slogan Nevada sends out to the rest of the world, giving it permission to go there and act with complete reckless stupidity  and now they've sent the message in a spectacularly stupid manner.

I'm listening to a press conference on the radio and President Bush II is, in that smug sanctimonious way he has, insisting that the Press Corps now stick to the One Question Rule.  Each correspondent may ask one question, with no supplemental questions and no follow-up questions after his answer.fficeffice" />

The insistence of Life by The Rule was introduced with a tone of humor, not actual humor, but the kind that is used to dress up the introduction of an unpopular measure.  His humor is wearing off the iron underneath, though as the journalists persist in asking questions in a competent professional manner. Their questions are asked in two or three related questions, seeking real information, not pat answers.  No real information can be gotten with one question; the answer can be a misleading statement or a dismissal, a refusal to take up the issue disguised as an answer to a related, but unasked question.

Back before I realized it was the writing I liked and not the pestering, I majored in Journalism, and what Prez Bush II is doing is classic, something we learned about in first semester Newswriting class.  The Prez is hobbling the press, which has a roll in the government too.  Called “The Fourth Estate” and described by Henry Fielding as being the “mob” or the common people, the press calls attention to issues, ideally examines them without its own agenda, and helps hold the government responsible.

In the Press Corps at that Press Conference, the reporters are fighting their own egos, their desire to look good, presenting a question if they are called on during the conference and to be called upon in the first place; really aggressive truth seekers can be controlled by not calling on them.  For those that are called upon, in that group of people infected with their own self interest, the likelihood that they will adopt a pack or swarm mentality isn't very good.   They seldom follow up on each other’s questions, chasing down the truth together, but are usually manipulated into being a rather ineffectual flock of sitting ducks, Maybe dodo birds would be a better term, but either way, they aren’t the keen eyed raptors we’d like them to be.

That Prez!  Someone’s giving him some good advice.  Oh, not good for the country, of course, but for working without having to  be honest.  Returning to the One Question Rule may be a change, but this kind of advising is just the same old same old.

>>>>>+<<<<<

This was originally written November 3rd, the day after the election, posted public for a few hours, then tucked away as private, and hauled out again after a comment from Cat on a different post.

 I realize that my reaction to this kind of thing might strike some people as being hypersensitive.  I see the return to the One Question Rule being cast as an issue of courtesy and abiding by the rules instead of what it really is, a way of taking control of access to information and insistance on accountability,  as an issue of truthfulness, a very fundamental aspect of character. 

And again, it's my blog, so even if I'm hypersensitive, I get to be totally honest about it here.

Well, I thought that the first joke post went rather well.  Someone pointed out that there was a reference to a subject that I had declared myself done with, but I hate to be inflexible, and there's just so much material about that one subject I'm quite sure it will come up again this week. 

But not today. 

Wednesday's joke

A woman went to the rectory and spoke to her pastor.

"Father Flanagan, my husband is dead."
"Did he have any last requests?"
"Yes, he did. He said 'honey, put down the gun.'"

And someone's thigh-slapper in the comment section has inspired me to include a bonus joke:

Wenesday's Bonus Joke

Q:   Why did the chicken cross the gymnasium floor?

A:    Because the officials were calling fouls.

See you tomorrow!