Today, I happened upon a post that had a link to Alexis Madrigal’s story in The Atlantic about The Unknown Blogger Who Changed WikiLeaks Coverage. The article was very interesting and the blogger in question had posted an analysis of some essays of Julian Assange (essays located here in a PDF document). The blogger’s analysis is located in a November 29, 2010 post entitled Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy; “To destroy this invisible government”.
The blog post was, in my mind, well thought out and expressed very well many of the thoughts that I’d had since this whole thing came to a head and the US government began to act like a petulant child of 2 who was forced to admit he’d eaten all the cookies in the cookie jar. From reading these articles, I can see why the petulant child analogy, while apt, didn’t go far enough. The blogger ends his article with a quote Assage used in his essay. The quote is from Theodore Roosevelt and seems very apt in describing how Congress and our government seems to be REacting to events worldwide.
In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck-rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muckrake in his hand; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck-rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor…the Man with the Muck-rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of on spiritual things. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. Now, it is very necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck-rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed. But the man who never does anything else, who never thinks or speaks or writes save of his feats with the muck-rake, speedily becomes, not a help to society, not an incitement to good, but one of the most potent forces for evil. There are, in the body politic, economic, and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil practice, whether in politics, in business, or in social life. I hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform, or in book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful… Quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s words from his 1912 Progressive party presidential platform
Occasionally my liberal politics causes me to get very impatient with my government. I used to be so proud of being American, back when the entire country stood erect with joy and pride in our Constitution, or Bill of Rights, and our position of defending the rights of those who had no voice throughout the world. When I was growing up America stood for something. That shining beacon analogy actually had some substance to it.
Over the years, this country — my country — has been slowly becoming greedy, mean, and callous. If it was a person rather than a government, many of us would say its personality has changed and maybe we should test for physical causes. Well it’s not a person but some of the causes are that we’re afraid. We no longer stand tall, we cower in fear that someone might hurt us. We no longer stand up for the rights of others, we don’t even stand up for those who live within our borders. Throughout the land people say, “if they’re not US Citizen’s they don’t deserve the protection of our laws”. In fact, maybe we shouldn’t even let them become citizens if they’re not already because they’re not like us.
People don’t vote as they should. I’m not talking about not voting the way I’d like them to, but not voting at all. Many people pride themselves on not paying any attention to politics because, and this is hard to believe, “their Senators, Representatives, or TV/Radio talk show hosts will tell them what’s important”. Our government is corrupt, if not legally, then morally, when one party holds the welfare of the unemployed hostage while they negotiate getting the richest 2% of Americans a tax break; while contemplating a tax increase on the lower incomes (excuse me it isn’t a tax increase, because it’s only an increase on the tax on gas — the gas everyone must use to get to work and back), raising the retirement age, and cutting medicare spending — we’ve lost our moral center.
Maybe instead of wasting so much time on persecuting Julian Assange and Wikileaks, we should be spending more time worrying about why our country has become so secretive. I’ve seen the reports and looked at some of the documents that were leaked as they were posted. For heaven sakes, the barn door is open, the horses are out, and you’re complaining and playing the National Security card because documents that weren’t exactly flattering to the sender or the subject got published; lists that, if looked at with brain engaged, make the reader wonder what black ops we’re getting into to make that particular site of such importance, got into the ‘wild’.
Every American owes it to their country to read the three articles mentioned at the top of this post, think about them, and then take a good hard look at what’s happening in this country. Then think back over what this country was like in its dealings with its citizens, its neighbors, and the world at large just 10 years ago, 20, 30 or however far back your own memory takes you and then look again at what’s happening now.
At this time of year, it’s important to think about how you live your life and what legacy you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren, or just those who will go on living here beyond your lifetime. Part of that legacy is how you participate in your government and what it does in your name.
What can we do as citizens to make our country one we can be proud to live in?
I got the following publicity release from Sourcebooks. They’re celebrating Jane Austen’s birthday on Thursday, December 15th, and asked me to let you know what they’re doing to celebrate. 