Frequently Feingold

You know how there are those literary and cinematic clichés and conventions used to depict dystopic societies- things like secret laws, trials without transparent process, hyper-militarism, government seizure of people and property without any suspicion of wrong-doing, and perhaps worst of all the categorization of everday behaviors as potentially threatening and criminal? They are elements of some of the most significant literature/art because these conventions are able to hold a critical mirror up to our existence. The irony of it is we know they are horrible as a matter of entertainment (or even seen in someone else's country) but then we embrace these things as our civic salvation when a matter of our own governance. It's very much like the irony of self-described followers of Jesus embracing the very same modes of being he confronts and challenges in the Gospels. Isn't that funny? Strange funny, not ha ha funny.

Also, you know how in those same stories there is a hero who stands against the world by simply doing the common? The world is so screwed up the mundane has become heroic.

Remember any of that from high school English classes?

Anyway.

In completely unrelated news Russ Feingold, PBUH, has introduced/sponsored legislation undoing MY PRESIDENT'S creation and use of secret laws and challenging DHS policies that allow security agents to flout the 4th amendment of the Constitution.

A completely unheroic and common thing to do would be to let your Senator know what you think of Russ Feingold's proposed legislation. Unless of course you're a 30 percenter, in which case you should just go watch TV.

I was going to write, "in which case you should just go read your Bible," but that sounded needlessly harsh though I thought it would fit with the Sinclair Lewis chestnut "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." See how thoughtful I am to have not written it that way.

In Former Soviet Union, Meaning Carries Symbols
Higher Ground- Stevie Wonder
Maggie's Farm- Bob Dylan
Get Back- The Beatles
Night Train- James Brrown
I Held Her in My Arms- Violent Femmes
Alienation's For the Rich- They Might Be Giants
Anatome- Joe Wise
Kid A- Radiohead