Stop bitching and start a revolution.
I often wish that I had a time machine, in the form of a VCR remote control. Imagine the possibilities: you can pause a magic moment, fast-forward through a lecture on your behavior, rewind your latest stupid mistake and get a do-over. Things would run a lot smoother if I mastered this technology. Well, maybe they would, but probably not.
Anyway, if I ever did master this technology, and if I ever stopped being self-involved long enough to realize its implications in the world around me, I might just have to use it out in the world. I could run around town, preventing crises Early Edition-style and generally making the world a better place for everyone. Hell, I could even get involved in politics. (What? Stop laughing. It's not that stupid.) At the very least, we could go back and fix some of these election problems.
The first thing I'd do is go back and run an all-out campaign blitz against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who just doesn't seem to know when to quit. I would counter the religious right's blind support of the man by pointing out to the rest of the world that the man is akin to Dana Carvey's Church Lady and has a one-track mind on and off the bench. Somehow I think the story about him sneaking that Ten Commandments monument into the state judicial building in the dead of night would have swayed a few voters. I mean, if there were no law against that sort of display, why not just truck it in during the day? Oh wait.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is only the latest in a long line of courts to explain to Moore that his monument is in violation of our country's Constitution because it implies an affiliation between religion and the state. But Moore keeps on appealing the decision, because as one of the Blues Brothers once said, he's "on a mission from God." That's noble and everything, but the guy is tilting at windmills. Nonetheless, he plans to appeal this most recent decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The local news' "make an ass out of yourself in front of your friends and neighbors by calling our 800 number and giving an uninformed opinion about the news" question tonight was whether Moore should just give up and remove 5300-pound monstrosity. (I mean, we already know that he's breaking his oath by judging cases on said commandments instead of the real, actual law, which means no one other than an Anglo-Saxon Protestant will be judged fairly; impeach the mofo already!) My knee-jerk reaction was that he totally should, but the more I think about it, the more I'm excited about the prospect of the Supreme Court explaining to Moore that government and religion are not the same thing, that when he dons that black robe each day, it's not because he's a minister, and that the voters of Alabama are morons for electing him.
See, there are the voters that dutifully trot to the polls every time Preacher Bob starts in about fire and brimstone if Alabama doesn't elect so-and-so. They are too lost a cause for me. Also on their own are the people who just flip a coin in the booth and punch their ballots accordingly (I've had debates on whether the random selection method is more or less socially responsible than not voting at all that rivaled "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" in both intensity and length).
There are a whole bunch of young people out there that don't like the way things are being done. They have zero interest in the government, which sucks because that means they have zero interest in the laws and taxes and decisions that affect their daily lives. These people are the reason I want to get involved in politics.
America is ripe for change. As Peter Ian Cummings pointed out in xy39, "There could be a quick shift with big cultural change, and many new adults who will demand quality in government and products and insist on human rights." Without trying to go all anarchy on everyone, I'd like to point out that the easiest way to get the government back on the right track is through its own processes. No one thinks that his or her vote counts, but if you got enough people whose votes "don't count" to go out to the polls, before long it would start to make a difference.
The Supreme Court, of all government bodies, has reminded us that we all have equal rights. You have just as much right to make your voice heard as the representative you elected. If you think your roads are for shit and you want someone to fix them, when the next election rolls around, vote for a county commissioner that will get the trucks out there in a reasonable amount of time and with a minimum amount of traffic congestion. It's your call!
Speaking from personal experience, the general public likes to get what it paid for. If you give them an inferior product, they will kick and scream like no three year old you've ever seen. Why, then, do they not hold the government (which takes, like, 1/3 of their money in TAXES!!!) to the same standard?
Meanwhile, back at my point, 100 miles away, the stage is set. We found out last week (to everyone's shock) that gay people are people too. If Moore's case makes it on the Supreme Court docket, I suspect we'll find out that Jesus is a nice guy, but he isn't the president. And by being the tiniest bit proactive, we can start a revolution in our government and all live together in a happy home thanks to Sloppy Joe.
And the next time we're appointing a state Supreme Court Justice, maybe we'll look at his politics before we look at where he spends his Sundays.
