Yes, Veep Biden really has "pushed back" against leftist critics of Kagan by comparing her to Rehnquist. You gotta love Joe Biden.
On a related note - who cares?
Whomever Obama nominates and the Senate signs off on will likely represent the trend towards centralization of powers in the Presidency, the permanent warfare economy - and probably one day down the rabbit hole of stupid, the annexation of Northern Mexico, the occupation of Colombia and/or Venezuela and the economic reconquista of Cuba.
Trying to reform this beast = giant damned waste of human effort and energy.
Fight it, resist it, run for the hills, whatever - but don't try to throw a saddle on this monster and tame it. You'll just get yourself and a whole bunch of other people you love and respect killed.
Crow's Eye: Maintaining a commitment to Pointless Acrimony™ and Hate Filled Invective™! Also available in corvid mischief and traditional sly dog's mistrust.
4 comments:
Unfortunately, J.C., I'm going to have to agree with you 100%. This is a run-away train; the time for "getting a handle on this" has long since passed---if such a time even ever existed at all.
If it were even possible to saddle this monster and tame it, the mere act of doing so would dangerously jeopardize---and likely outright consume---any shred of goodness or decency the would-be beast tamer ever had.
And as you pointed out, such an action is also likely to produce fallout which will hurt anyone connected with the would-be beast tamer as well.
Andromeda,
This is an important point you've made:
"If it were even possible to saddle this monster and tame it, the mere act of doing so would dangerously jeopardize---and likely outright consume---any shred of goodness or decency the would-be beast tamer ever had."
I respect any number of people engaged in the effort, for their motivations, their goodwill, their sense of justice.
But I also believe they're doomed to fail, for this very reason.
By the time the get atop the leviathan, they've become the sort of people who can ride it, and who want to...
Again, I agree completely.
I, too, respect the various people who have spent their time and effort, over countless generations, to try to reform any corrupt system in order to make it less oppressive to those ground under its feet. They are trying to make a positive change for mankind, and have had varying degrees of success.
However, while these people may have the best of intentions, and may (initially) be motivated by compassion or goodwill, the very nature of the power structure (as we know it) is such that, in order to "rise to the top"---i.e. accomplish their goal of wielding enough power to change the system for the better---they will have to become, as you put it, "the sort of people who can ride it, and who want to..."
And the only sort of people who can ride this leviathan are the types who have no interest whatsoever in the common good or welfare of mankind. The core nature of the beast itself mandates that it cannot be controlled but by one who is hopelessly corrupted; one who is interested only in themselves, and in their own power.
If the well-meaning and good-intentioned did not start out with these twisted desires, along the way they adopted them if they were able to make any progress within the power structure.
This is precisely the reason why I believe that "power" and "altruism" do not truly intersect; that is to say, I do not believe there exists an altruistic man-made power structure in which power is taken from the lowly "masses" and transferred to the esteemed "few" for the "good of the many".
Why? Because man himself is imperfect, and always will be; as such, this system will always become corrupted with human greed and power grabs. No matter which name this system goes by---and it has gone by many different names throughout history---at its core lies an imperfect few wielding the power of the imperfect masses "on their behalf," and it will always fail, due to its imperfect nature.
The only power structure that has any chance of lasting goodness and equity for all is one in which the leaders make themselves the servants of the masses, and although "democracy" claims to be just this system, it is not: the elected few claim they are more important, distinguished, esteemed, etc. than those who elected them! Compare this to a good, non-corruptible "power structure": the elected few would consider themselves of no more import, distinction, or worth than anyone else---in fact, if the elected in such a system were to consider themselves as being lesser than those they serve, perhaps mankind could get somewhere for once!
Of course, this is not "power" in any way, shape, or form as we know it---rather, it is closer to servitude---and therefore is not desirable by the egos that are currently controlling this world.
Perhaps others do not see it this way, but for me, this has the ring of truth.
Andromeda,
As long as people treat "power" as functionally equivalent to "using others as extensions of your own desire, and demanding their service and obedience," I suspect you'll remain right.
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