The Scarlet Letter

What drives America is people, real people, down to earth folks much like you and I, NOT Congress. Shocking words to hear, huh? The scarlet letter belongs on the politicians, not the voters. How many times have I heard people here and at other poli-venues bashing one another for voting for so and so, or for "that other party"? Hey!!! They voted!? Right?

It is time for us to rear our ugly heads in unison; it is time to take a few things back. From the time a freshman legislator hits the beltway, he is running for re-election, fighting for his/her political life, and learning the game of survival. Little wonder that picking the right ones can be a little tricky. How will she play the game? How will he turn down the soft money? How in the world are they going to fare when asked to stand up to campaign illusions?

These are some serious questions posed to us by us, and the time is drawing near for yet another round of decisions to be decided, and we cannot let the Decider have a say...other than his one vote that is. One man, one vote. It really is that simple still. I don't care how disgusted or disgruntled with American politics you are people, it still boils down to one man/woman, one vote. How will you use yours?

Far too many times I have personally seen the wasted vote. We all have, neighbor Fred who didn't have time? Nurse Betty who thought it was a wasted effort to register? How about Johnny the pizza delivery guy who thought it was an establishment conspiracy to categorize the masses? Yes there are extremes of all flavors, but the worst waste of all that I have seen is the growing mass of common folk like you and I, who just plain don't believe they can make a difference anymore, that buy in to the lie that we are doomed no matter what.

Take my Dad for instance, a few months back he wrote me a letter, which I eventually plagiarized into an excellent post by the way, (thanks Dad!), he had a quote in that letter that still haunts me today...

"I see you are still keeping at it. I would read your blog – and others like it – more often but I am so fed up with all the bullshit of the world’s so-called “leaders” that I just don't think I want to keep up with it much any more"

This in response to my own personal blog, and my love of writing here at BIO. This from a well educated (a couple of Bachelor's degrees, a Masters maybe two, and A Doctorate for sure, too many for me to count), and a man to whom society at large has meant a great deal (a former professor of humanities), not you ordinary run of the mill shirker anyway. I know I tend to talk about both my parents with frequency here, but they are my base, my gauge against reality, my take on things past and present from a more educated view? All of our parents are that to all of us.

How are the people you know and love approaching this landmark voting season? Have you stepped back from your busy lives, your aspirations and tasks to take in what some of them may harbor in fears or exasperations? How are you and I going to help people step back up and get on the saddle again with a true sense of hope? We are bloggers, it has fallen to us you know. We are the new revolutionaries without a radical cause, nay, a simple cause to restore, that's all.

I think one of the most knowledgeable things I remember from that letter was a statement my Dad heard and simply repeated.

"I heard something I liked yesterday: Thank god the people who run this world aren't smart enough to run it forever."

Simple, short, sweet, and straight to the heart. That is what living does to you, scans a better perspective onto your soul, so to speak. Not to be outdone, Mom slid me a line just last week that lead to my post re. Andy Rooney, and was tickled that I followed her lead. And why the hell not? It was a lead to an 8 month old piece by Andy that still rings so true today on the fallacies of our War on Oil.

The blogosphere has been accused as of late, of preaching to the choir. As a son of a preacher who has seen a little preaching in the past, I am bringing this sermon to you, wrapping with a question or two, and ending with a thought for meditation (can I hear an Amen!)

What are you going to do with your powerful message centers other than rag on your adversaries? How are we going to make a difference? What is our collective plan of action going to be in November when one man, one woman, one vote can take the day?

I propose to you that a little thought is in order, a little careful listening to those around you for background, and a word of perspective to all my non-believing friends. Hell is on earth my friends. Every time your apathy or misdirection affects the way you live your life today, you will for certain see a little Hell played out in front of you, right here, right now, right like that.