Friday Night at 8: What Are We Fighting For?

I made a comment in buhdy’s essay, “Repealing the Status Quo – A Race Against Time” about a couple of conversations I had at work today.  After I made the comment, I had yet a third conversation.

I work at a law firm.  During the day, I heard from both a fellow secretary and a senior partner that they simply would not vote for Hillary Clinton.  My co-worker explained she was disgusted at whoever from the Hillary campaign compared Obama to Ken Starr.  The senior partner didn’t explain his reasoning at all.

Then in the afternoon I ran into another fellow secretary.  She said she was worried that because the tone of Hillary’s campaign was getting nasty, Obama would have to go negative and the whole dialogue would get worse and worse.  She didn’t seem angry as much as just plain sad.  I agreed that would be a lousy turn of events.

I’ve written before that I feel the present 2008 Presidential campaign is nothing but a shiny distraction, bread and circuses for the masses so that we don’t pay attention to what is really going on in this country, how the goons and crooks inhabiting the White House are, along with their enablers, continually committing crimes of treason and just plain crimes against humanity.  And I still feel that, and it shapes my view of what is going on with the Presidential election.

But I can also chew gum and walk at the same time!  So I do pay attention, somewhat, to the campaigns.

I’m not going to critique the Republican Presidential campaign.  The Republican Party is bankrupt of ideas and has nothing new to offer.  So I’ll restrict this essay to the Dems.

Hillary’s campaign is so Twentieth Century!  Bleh.  The Democratic machine will decide what is best for the population of the United States of America and will use raw power to grab the nomination.  Nothing new there, been going on for quite some time.

Obama has an innovative ground game and a lot of grassroots support.  But he also is spending tens of millions of dollars, so I doubt he is innocent of being affected by corporate and other powerful special interests.

And the Democratic Party has an outmoded and byzantine structure for choosing our Presidential candidate, so let’s add that into the mix.

This is what we have to work with.

There is one other thing, though.  There’s a massive Democratic voter turnout in the primaries.  Big numbers.  This is a good thing because I feel it shows folks are indeed waking up and speaking out over what is going on in the United States of America.  And that, to me, is completely separate from both Hillary and Obama.  Yes, they are the ones in the running now, but I think this large Democratic voter turnout says something more than just who folks want to have in the White House in January of 2009.

I think we ought to listen to these folks and pay attention to them.

There are people who aren’t insured, or who are underinsured, who are worried about the health of their families and themselves.  There are people who have loved ones in the armed forces and have seen the horrible reality of death and PTSD and horrible wounds that do not heal.  There are people who see their children receiving a bad education.  There are people who are beginning to be aware of the lies and fear-mongering of Mister Bush and his minions.  People all over the country want change and are hoping for change.  I also think people are ready to sacrifice and want to help each other.  I think that willingness to sacrifice was abruptly stifled in September of 2001.

What are we fighting for?  Why are we so outraged over torture, over lies, over the raw greed for power and money that we see all around the highest offices of the land?  What is it that we are looking for that these things prevent us from having?

I read about so many private charities that are helping people around the world, about private charities that are doing far more in New Orleans to rebuild than our federal or state government.  And that’s a good thing.  But I think it does one thing that isn’t so good.

It shuts people out of the process.  It keeps us from feeling we are giving by being citizens of this country.

I think one of the worst feelings in the world is the thought that I have nothing to offer, that I am useless.  That I am not needed.  That everything will be taken care of without my help or input.

This will sound idiotic, but during the Clinton Administration I was happy to pay my taxes.  I was happy to know that my tax dollars would go to help folks.  I didn’t mind that folks were on welfare, I was glad that my little amount went to help them have a roof over their heads and food to eat.  I felt a part of things.  I was happy that my tax dollars would build roads and hospitals and big things that no private fortune could build.  And I’m not either complimenting or putting down the Clinton Administration, this isn’t about that.  It’s about feeling a part of things, that I have something to offer.

But now I see my tax dollars go to help kill people who never attacked us.  My tax dollars go to fill the coffers of evil corporations who profit off the suffering of other human beings.  I’m not a part of anything positive when I pay my taxes these days.  Every program paid for by my tax dollars that helps others, that gives folks a helping hand, is being cut and many have either been entirely killed or horribly distorted into programs that help no one and only further political agendas. Although I don’t agree with paying taxes, it is something that we all have to do. When tax season comes around, it’s important to spend time working out your taxes to make sure there are no mistakes. If there are, it’s likely that the IRS will be in touch. To solve these issues, people normally have to contact companies that can help with resolving tax problems. Before choosing one, make sure to read some tax-resolution-testimonials to see what other people thought. That way, you can be sure that you are working with reliable tax professionals to solve any problems.

What are we fighting for?  Some human dignity, I think, the dignity that comes with being a citizen, whether of a nation or of the world, that each individual does make a difference and is needed, there’s not a person to spare.  That we don’t have to feel ashamed to want to go to the doctor and be treated like a valuable human being, or have a home, or when we are injured in war, we will be taken care of by the efforts of our entire society.

There’s no worse feeling, I think, than being considered superfluous.  To feel unwanted and unneeded.

That, to me, is the terrible part of Hillary’s campaign apparatus.  That others will make the decisions that affect us all, and that our voices will not be respected.  I’m not praising Obama here, either.  I’m still annoyed with his chastisement of the netroots, lol.  Nor am I against Hillary as a person, for this Democratic machine has been around for a long long time.

But times have changed.  I think the massive voter turnouts show that folks know this.  There are many human needs, of course, and I’m not claiming the one I’ve written about is the only one or even the most important.  But I do think it is a need and it is worth fighting for, that each person be valued as a human being and each person should have the opportunity to contribute to the public good and have their voice heard.

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So that’s my screed for this Friday Night at 8.  And here’s some lagniappe.  I think there’s one other thing we are fighting for, and it may seem frivolous and silly in the face of all the real and serious problems we are facing in this world.  But it’s Friday, oh all you Dharmaniacs, so I don’t give a shit.  I made it through the week and I am in wage-slave heaven!

I like to pay attention to the young generations that come to the Big Apple.  It’s a great scene, fashion, art, fads, hardworking, beautiful as only youth can be, horrible flaws and wonderful virtues … and now it’s almost spring … I see the 20-somethings and 30-somethings doing the age-old mating dance, falling in love.  And that’s happening all over the world, even in the worst war-torn places, young people falling in love.  I want them to have that experience, it’s one of the things I’m fighting for.  For them to have a world where they can fall in love and make crazy unrealistic promises to each other and be miserable over the smallest fight and maybe feel that the older generation has a smile and some love for them.

And as for teenagers!  I’m sure that many parents, teachers and community workers could tell us tales that make West Side Story sound like a tepid romance, lol.

So here’s the great Gene Pitney … he sings this better than I can write about it.  There are better recordings, but I liked this one for some reason.

Friday Night at 8 officially wishes everyone an extremely groovalicious weekend, with gratitude for the fine hepitude of all who visit!