Rollcall of scumbags
"The world is wearied of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians."
Benjamin Disraeli wrote this in Lothair, published in 1870. Perhaps nothing has maintained itself so well over time as the innate dishonesty and criminal nature of politicians. I realize that it takes a particularly ambitious and focused person to rise through the ranks of politics in this country. It's just too bad that the vast majority of their idealism (if they had any to begin with) gets worn away by the journey.
Politics is about compromise. Unfortunately, far too many politicians confuse compromise with corruption.
It's no secret that I'm no fan of the Republican party. Our president is a joke and his cabinet is populated with morally repressed (and, in my opinion, morally reprehensible) right wingers who've taken it into their heads that we need to spread American doctrine (and dogma) worldwide. Call it a neo-manifest destiny.
Meanwhile, the ranking members of their party continue to dodge ethics violations, all the while touting their high moral standing and inspired vision of a more perfect America. The hypocrisy makes me ill. However, the Democrats are no better. The above article cites three important Democratic party members who are themselves skating on thin ice. We're tumbling dangerously into "pot calling the kettle black" territory when the Dems call out the Reps these days.
I find all of this intensely frustrating. Would that the politicians in this country would focus more on the well being of their fellow citizens and less on that of special interest groups and their own pockets. PACs should be banned. Stringent campaign finance reform needs to be enacted. Tom DeLay needs to tarred and feathered.
OK. Went a little overboard on that last one.
I realize that America is a HUGE place and is therefore extremely difficult to govern. We're not a small European country where most people think the same and a person could walk from one end of the country to the other in a couple of days. Our size and our diversity makes for interesting politics, yes. However, that very size and diversity also makes for boundless opportunities for people to be dishonest in politics. Would that it weren't so.
OK. Done for now. Just kind of riffing off the top of my head anyway. Sometimes it helps to simply rant.
Today's tasty audio shortstack:
Dither - Neve
(the glitch platter du jour; lots of good synth washes in this, too)
Pitchshifter - Desensitized
(PSI in their pre-dnb days; think Godflesh's Slavestate, crunchy industrial)
Miles Davis - Steamin' With The Miles David Quintet
(Miles, Trane, Red, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe; can you beat it? no, you can't)
Howlin' Wolf - His Best
(270 pounds of bellowing bass, channeling them Delta blues)
Benjamin Disraeli wrote this in Lothair, published in 1870. Perhaps nothing has maintained itself so well over time as the innate dishonesty and criminal nature of politicians. I realize that it takes a particularly ambitious and focused person to rise through the ranks of politics in this country. It's just too bad that the vast majority of their idealism (if they had any to begin with) gets worn away by the journey.
Politics is about compromise. Unfortunately, far too many politicians confuse compromise with corruption.
It's no secret that I'm no fan of the Republican party. Our president is a joke and his cabinet is populated with morally repressed (and, in my opinion, morally reprehensible) right wingers who've taken it into their heads that we need to spread American doctrine (and dogma) worldwide. Call it a neo-manifest destiny.
Meanwhile, the ranking members of their party continue to dodge ethics violations, all the while touting their high moral standing and inspired vision of a more perfect America. The hypocrisy makes me ill. However, the Democrats are no better. The above article cites three important Democratic party members who are themselves skating on thin ice. We're tumbling dangerously into "pot calling the kettle black" territory when the Dems call out the Reps these days.
I find all of this intensely frustrating. Would that the politicians in this country would focus more on the well being of their fellow citizens and less on that of special interest groups and their own pockets. PACs should be banned. Stringent campaign finance reform needs to be enacted. Tom DeLay needs to tarred and feathered.
OK. Went a little overboard on that last one.
I realize that America is a HUGE place and is therefore extremely difficult to govern. We're not a small European country where most people think the same and a person could walk from one end of the country to the other in a couple of days. Our size and our diversity makes for interesting politics, yes. However, that very size and diversity also makes for boundless opportunities for people to be dishonest in politics. Would that it weren't so.
OK. Done for now. Just kind of riffing off the top of my head anyway. Sometimes it helps to simply rant.
Today's tasty audio shortstack:
Dither - Neve
(the glitch platter du jour; lots of good synth washes in this, too)
Pitchshifter - Desensitized
(PSI in their pre-dnb days; think Godflesh's Slavestate, crunchy industrial)
Miles Davis - Steamin' With The Miles David Quintet
(Miles, Trane, Red, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe; can you beat it? no, you can't)
Howlin' Wolf - His Best
(270 pounds of bellowing bass, channeling them Delta blues)
posted by Ben at 10:24 AM
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