Do good fences make good neighbors?
September 17, 2021
Another in a series of observations of life as I know it.
As soon as politicians have learnt to buy political support from the ‘public purse’, and conditioned electorates to embrace looting and bribery, the democratic process reduces itself to the formation of ‘distributional coalitions’ – electoral majorities mortared together by common interest in a collectively advantageous pattern of theft.
― Nick Land
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Morning! Is everyone suited up, armed to the teeth and ready for Part Deux of Thug Fest tomorrow? The District of Columbia once again looks like San Quentin, with 8 foot fencing and (this time) with National Guard troops on stand by. It resembles Angola prison on an execution day, with media and counter protestors on the perimeter. This time, however, our brave legislators of both parties are conveniently out of town. On another endless recess. This spares the already bruised and battered Capitol Police from laying down their lives for the fetid likes of Louis Gommert or Matt Gaetz. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition.
There is speculation aplenty about crowd size. Most of the Proud Boys and 3 Percenters have been banned from social media, so the planners have resorted to smoke signals. These were obscured and made illegible in the fire plagued areas of California. What might have read “bring guns” was rendered “bring Tums” in the region north of San Francisco where raging fires threaten the Giant Sequoia forest. Gangs of jackbooted brutes in Texas are actually sending telegrams to expedite communications among combatants. Note to Postmaster DeJoy: the USPS has delayed priority mail by a week. Hence the telegrams. In short, it’s difficult for our intelligence services to read the tea leaves. There may be messages on the Dark Web that are encrypted. Who knows? The buzz is muted so its tough to get a reasonable head count. There could be seven or seven hundred. Ruh roh, Scooby Doo.
My beautiful birthplace, Washington DC, has become a staging ground for loonies and the cognitively-challenged. It’s hard to recognize its marble landscapes, veiled as they are by razor wire. The majesty of the Capital city is, what? I can’t find an adequate adjective or adverb. Even the vast expanse of the English language fails to encapsulate the dark damage. Washington is more akin to Batman’s grungy, villain-infested Gotham. Suffice it to say, Mr. Smith has opted NOT to go to Washington anymore. Idealism is but a frail old concept. And speaking of idealism, what was AOC thinking when 1) she accepted an invitation to the $300k a plate Met Gala (did she save her allowance?) and 2) she donned a white off-the-shoulder designer gown with blood red text that spelled out Tax the Rich? Didn’t she recall Melania’s major fashion faux pas jacket that asked, I don’t care do u? My advice to Alexandria is to keep her dissents to the floor of the House. This one fell with a resounding thud. I don’t know who paid for her supper, but it was a poor investment. Some damage is self-inflicted.
Whether or not tomorrow develops into a major event or a colossal flop is irrelevant. We have had to pay heed to a metastatic and malignant threat. Money has been spent on security fencing and overtime for police. As a result, we are not contributing to the care and feeding of our democracy. The First Amendment doesn’t offer any person or group unfettered rights to instill fear among the citizenry. And do damage to persons and property. If that is, indeed, how we are now interpreting the Constitution now, then let the fences remain in place in perpetuity. And admit that the Republic for which this stands is in mortal peril. Democracy is a living thing that needs constant attention. Otherwise, it will wither on the vine.