New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
In a rational world, government would serve one actual function. A government should be there simply for the management of the needs of the people it represents. Beyond that, what do we even have governments for?
Sadly, this is not a rational world.
Government has become the tool of the self-righteous and the power-hungry. Many of those who govern will conveniently hide behind the concept of “I am doing what is best for my country and its people,” but in reality all they are doing is serving personal agendas. The few who genuinely care about “the people” are fighting a constant uphill battle against those who cannot see beyond their own comfort and need to control. This holds true no matter the type of government. The only difference between a tyranny and a “democracy” is how many of the elite are truly benefiting.
I have never been more disgusted with the leaders of our world as I have been in recent weeks. I live in a country that prides itself in being the “leader of the FREE world”; a country that claims that such things as freedom of speech and belief are core rights of ANY human, yet does not hold to this practice in reality. My country has become a true caricature of its own beginnings … and it is not a flattering one. But the really sad part is much of the rest of the world can claim no better.
It seems every time there is a regime change, suddenly any semblance of actual “governing” stops dead, and a variety show starts. The economy is struggling … make sure there is plenty of war. War is money. But we know that the people will not be happy with this, so lets practice the art of distraction; get them focused on nonsense so the REAL issues will be ignored. That way we can do as we please. Once upon a time this may have been done with a bit of finesse, but apparently our leaders have decided that we are too stupid for finesse, and make no effort to even PRETEND that the are actually there for anything other than self-fulfillment. It is like watching professional wrestling, but with even worse scripts.
A few comments on recent “issues”:
- See what it says on our front door above? What part of that says that those who seek a better life are not welcome here. Exactly what part of that says we should lock the door? “Free” countries do not live behind walls.
- Using weapons means people die. One person or thousands, child or adult, death is death. So don’t sit here and tell me that I only use weapons to defend against THEIR weapons. Don’t try to tell me just because you kill fewer people than THEY do you are somehow morally superior. Until we all get it in our thick skulls that violence breeds violence, a non-violent world is pretty much an impossibility.
- By its very definition, FAITH cannot be proven. So stop trying to use faith as the background for that which needs substance. Making laws based on faith is like making the framework of buildings out of columns of air.
- Closing your eyes and saying “NANANANANANANA” loudly with your fingers in your ears will not make the bad things go away.
- If justice is BLIND, politics and money should not be in any way involved with a justice system. Unfortunately, I have yet to encounter a justice system that is either just or systematic.
- Progress for the sake of progress is simply greed. Stopping progress for the sake of stopping change is simply fear. And avoiding the issues altogether and not making decisions is simply cowardice.
- Quoting random statistics does not make anything right or true. Nor does speaking loudly.
Having money does not make us good people. Unbending laws does not make us good people. Speaking English; having an education from the best schools; having the “right” job; carrying a gun; being close minded … none of these and a slew of other criteria makes us good people. What makes us good people is acting like good people. Wake up world! Stop being mesmerised by this reality show we call government and simply start doing what is RIGHT for a change. Making new laws will not suddenly fix things. Arguing over nonsense will get nothing done. Blind faith in ANYONE is just a recipe for disaster.
It really is time that WE THE PEOPLE wake up.
