The Mark(ings) of Zorro

The Mark(ings) of Zorro

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H.L. Mencken

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More ruminations, rambles, rants and raves from the downhill side of the mountain.

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What's the Matter with Kansas?

Friday, August 22, 2003

by El Zorro Viejo (aka; Jim)

Milestones and Dirty, Rotten Liars
So, yesterday I celebrated the most recent anniversary of my 39th birthday...and, no, I'm not responding to requests for the actual anniversary number. My mom had a dinner party for me which I found exhausting. Although her intentions are good, her ability to throw a party is waning. I worked harder, even though I was the putative the guest of honor, than I would have if we threw the same party her at home. The next big family affair will be Thanksgiving, and I think we have reached that point in time where we have to tell Mom that the dinner will be here and not there. This is not something I'm looking forward to, but it is something which must be done. *sigh*

Tonight we were at a small dinner party given by very good friends. I managed to get involved in a major political discussion with a slightly right-of-center Republican. My wife tells me that I should have let it go, but I couldn't. I will not go into what we discussed per se, rather I will respond to the over all theme of Charlie's attack on the liberal parties in this country. What I really wanted to say (and should have said) was, "Charlie, for a society or nation to lay claim to greatness, it has to take care of the least of its citizens in a humane and enlightend manner. That means that every American citizen should have access to, at the minimum, adequate shelter, adequate clothing, adequate nutrition and superior education. In return, every citizen should give back to society that which he/she is able." For those of us who have used the above to gain good jobs and good lives, this means giving back either monetary or personal time (or both) as one can. Monetary contributions to the welfare of the society (also know as "taxes") are simply a way of giving of our time without actually having to devote some of that most precious of our personal resources solely to the benefit of the state. We should have no kids going hungry or living on the streets. We should have nobody living on the streets because they "have to". If it is your personal choice to live the life of a hobo or tramp, that is one thing. If you are living in a cardboard box because of illness (alcoholism or mental illness, for example) society should provide someplace for you to go.

This is my idea of what Liberals should be fighting for. All else is secondary. What the liberal wing of the political spectrum has done, though, is allow the Reactionary Right to obscure this. We, the Liberals (of which I count myself one), have allowed the Conservatives to duck this issue and, instead, focus the debate on things like the 2nd Amendment or Affirmative Action or the "Death Tax".

I have to make it a point to stop being drawn into these side debates. I have to make it a point to challenge my friends of the political right with this central idea. If we can, one person at a time, focus the political debate on what is important and leave the fluff for airheads like Ann Coulter.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. ©El Zorro Viejo 2002-2005

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