Codependence Day

"Just say goodbye it's Independence Day
It's Independence Day this time" - Bruce Springsteen
Say goodbye to high expectations. Welcome to a country where the dreams are mediated by the people in charge. There is an old saw about "We get the government we deserve" and that thought has been knocking around my head for the past few days. A lot can be made of the results of the past two presidential elections, but the simple truth is, it never should have been that close - not unless a mighty large portion of the voters who are both registered and drag themselves to the polls didn't want a Pinhead to be the leader of the free world.
Today we have five hundred and sixty-five days left of the Cheney regime, and I confess that by acknowledging that I have fallen into the same pit I am complaining about. This government no longer serves the majority of the people that it represents. We live in an oligarchy, maintained by a group of wealthy white men. As we approach another presidential election (and since the violent overthrow of oppressive governments is something that we thrust on other countries), I find it odd that we are now getting regular updates from the campaign trail not about the new ideas that are being put forth by the candidates, but by the amount of money that each of our lucky contestants has been able to raise. Is this the leading indicator of potential political success?
We can express outrage and frustration, but there is no tea in the harbor. The reason we hear all those shots is because they're being heard around the world. The solutions don't rest on the shoulders of the politicians, they rest on the shoulders of the people (we) who elect them. Celebrate your independence and exercise your first amendment right to ask for something more - something better.
"This land is your land" - Woody Guthrie