Tuesday, August 16, 2005
The most important things in life can be learned from T-shirts.
When I went to Civics class in eighth grade, we learned that we had a representative government. I thought (wrongly) that that meant that my legislators represented me. Back in 2002 when congress voted whether to give the president the power to go to war, I wrote my senator (at the time it was Diane Feinstein) and told her that I was against doing that. They apparently put me on their mailing list because I started getting her blast emails. After the vote (she voted for it) she wrote a letter outlining her feelings which included the text of her speech on the floor of the senate. I am paraphrasing but it went something like this...
"Many people from my state have contacted my office to weigh in on this issue and were I to go solely on their opinions, I would have to vote against it. However, ..."
She went on to tell the senate that she knew better than us and that she was voting for it. I thought representatives were supposed to vote in a way that represents their constituency. Even if it was against their own feelings. I now realize that they vote whatever way 'they' want. It's up to us to guess which ones will vote the way 'we' would, and vote for them.
I have grown concerned about my world. Things seem to be changing more than they should. No, I don't mean the babies effect on our lives. The patriot Act really annoys me. We seem to be trading some of our freedom for security. I was in Las Vegas the other day. I was standing behind this guy. He was...well...there's no other way to say it...a loser. It was 9am and he was buying 'more' liquor. I was impressed, however, with his t-shirt. The personal billboard of our lives. On the back of his shirt was one on my favorite quotes by Thomas Jefferson. It goes:
"...A society which trades a little freedom for a little order, will lose both and deserves neither..."
I see this coming in our country since 9/11. And the way senators and congressmen are hacking on the supreme court...Don't get me started.
When I went to Civics class in eighth grade, we learned that we had a representative government. I thought (wrongly) that that meant that my legislators represented me. Back in 2002 when congress voted whether to give the president the power to go to war, I wrote my senator (at the time it was Diane Feinstein) and told her that I was against doing that. They apparently put me on their mailing list because I started getting her blast emails. After the vote (she voted for it) she wrote a letter outlining her feelings which included the text of her speech on the floor of the senate. I am paraphrasing but it went something like this...
"Many people from my state have contacted my office to weigh in on this issue and were I to go solely on their opinions, I would have to vote against it. However, ..."
She went on to tell the senate that she knew better than us and that she was voting for it. I thought representatives were supposed to vote in a way that represents their constituency. Even if it was against their own feelings. I now realize that they vote whatever way 'they' want. It's up to us to guess which ones will vote the way 'we' would, and vote for them.
I have grown concerned about my world. Things seem to be changing more than they should. No, I don't mean the babies effect on our lives. The patriot Act really annoys me. We seem to be trading some of our freedom for security. I was in Las Vegas the other day. I was standing behind this guy. He was...well...there's no other way to say it...a loser. It was 9am and he was buying 'more' liquor. I was impressed, however, with his t-shirt. The personal billboard of our lives. On the back of his shirt was one on my favorite quotes by Thomas Jefferson. It goes:
"...A society which trades a little freedom for a little order, will lose both and deserves neither..."
I see this coming in our country since 9/11. And the way senators and congressmen are hacking on the supreme court...Don't get me started.
// posted by Chris @ Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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