We The People
Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856
I've been depressed. It isn't the adolescent angst, the negative, no future state of mind or the vibrantly reckless attitude toward my own continued existence that freed me to do great climbs in the mountains; a condition that produced great depression in its wake. Those days were clear and sharp. It's not melancholy either as that always helps me produce good art and I'm not producing much these days.
No, I am dismal because I see the collective, once-free and enthusiastic spirit of our great experiment being crushed under the weight of top-down, "we know what's best for you", often coercive federal governance. I am disappointed in the current lack of resistance as I watch notions of liberty, freedom to believe, speak, print or broadcast, assemble, and petition twisted and turned and ignored entirely, and see these actions being easily accepted if the right hand offers something seemingly more valuable than what the left is taking away. And here I am, writing words, doing nothing, just as my hardcore, anti-establishment musical idols did back in the day.
All of the punk anthems of my youth were just punk rhetoric. None of those shouters did anything meaningful, and some are still shouting against the wind to this day. God, I am sick of words without actions ... sick of myself because I include me in my accusations of having not done enough. Damn, I tried, I fought, I led by example, and wrote well about it but none of it mattered; the audience was too small and too weak. Yeah, we used the accepted, acceptable paths, we petitioned, we voted, we protested ... and the State did what States do to preserve their power and position.
We missed the opportunity to do something meaningful back when we had nothing to lose.
Now though, too many do too little for the whole because they want to protect what they have earned for themselves and their own. This view, shortsighted as it is, gently fucks everyone who comes after us ... and that's not something I want to be remembered for.
I could have but I didn't
I saw something but didn't say something
I bowed my head when I could have pushed my chest
I bent over when I could and should have made a fist
Yeah, I don't expect to be thanked for this
I sometimes look in the mirror and ask, "Are you happy?" Some days I am, and genuinely so. Incredibly so. Other days crash against me in waves of sadness, usually for who and what has been lost, and for the many things left undone, now undoable. When I ask myself if I'm in a better place than I was 15 years ago, or ten or five, I have no answer. My definition of better has changed as I have, and how I might measure such a thing has also shifted. The depression comes along when I look ahead and can't see the horizon I once aimed for; it is darkened, diminished by a collective and political momentum that refuses to laissez faire, and restricts rather than expands many expressions of freedom. Society has begun to reflect government actions — seeking rights exclusive to a particular group while simultaneously demanding the suppression of the rights of others (that may or may not conflict when expressed). Perhaps I am ignorant but I still believe that laissez faire, laissez passer, let do, and let pass, is the higher ideal we might could strive for socially and then, as a reflection, politically.
Do what you want, as long as you don't interfere with me doing what I want, as long as I'm not interfering with you doing what you want ... quite simple, really; it's a circle. OK, I'm not ignorant, but reading these words back to myself I do recognize in me an idealistic fool who should perhaps instead deal with reality.
We the people can erect barricades to slow the momentum of so-called progression but without a united resistance the momentum cannot be stopped. Authoritarians in progressive clothing will overrun individual ideals, easily, because they control all manner of information transfer which means they control (y)our thoughts. Current power-drunk lawfare rewards some forms of protest while penalizing others but also ignores protestors' voices and actions regardless of political lean and simply maintains course while the little people parade, shout and gesticulate. We have all seen how ineffective physical protests have been ... unless property damage is the metric. OK, yes, those protests were effective at serving the immediate interests of particular groups but they were not aimed at changing conditions for the whole (of society) and therefore failed, while also alienating many whose minds may have been open to a more sophisticated argument.
Baked into the Constitution is the citizens' right to change a government that does not serve them but damn, the behemoth is just that, monstrously large. A little vote here, an email to an elected official there, a phone call or a personal visit, these are insect bites that a dose of, "thank you for sharing your opinion" antihistamine easily resolves. Until those insects swarm the votes and emails will not matter. Until the voices unite, in service to a higher ideal, the opinions will not be heard. Self-serving, self-interest divides while often promising to unite, and to improve the conditions for everyone. Uniting in an "overlap of logical relations" aimed at redirecting our leaders toward the ideal of individual freedom would nudge the compass needle more than the periodic outbursts from isolated, discordant groups.
But could we do it, could we the people change the power structure that affects us? I am skeptical. I think those in power are much like the Hydra of Lerna and no single offensive will cause meaningful change. Another head will emerge, another administrative arm will replace the one defunded and disbanded by way of united protest, united action.
Some folks talk about the last of the Four Boxes, often from their keyboards. I've typed about them too; the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box but I don't believe in the validity or utility of the last resort. Our enlightened and disciplined Founders filled the power vacuum they created using the force of arms with a representative republic, constrained by law and the Constitution. I seriously doubt any leaders today could or would resist the temptation of greater power. No, no. I have a much better idea. In fact, it's the main platform for my run at a Senate seat.
You want to clear out the swamp? Then ban AC in DC.
And save the climate at the same time.
STOP AIR CONDITIONING NOW
Shout it from the rooftops, throw the compressors into the streets, and the rats will flee the steamboat faster than you can say "refrigerant".