Friday, March 02, 2018

In Action

Congress is back to work, or what they refer to as "work." In this case, it means more partisan bickering with a side of hope that no one notices just how little they are getting done in spite of all the noise they make.
The Supreme Court has announced that they will keep their mitts off the DACA issue for the time being. The justices had this to say: "It is assumed the court of appeals will act expeditiously to decide this case." Pundits like to suggest that this means that the "President's" effort to shut that program down has been dealt a serious blow. 
Welcome to Washington D.C. where inaction translates into power. If you have spent any time watching the snail's pace in which change occurs, you tend to rejoice when something is "up for discussion" in one house of Congress or the other. This could lead to legislation, which could lead to laws being created or made. The Supreme Court might be asked to give an opinion on the relative constitutionality of all that legislating, and then the "President" might use that lovely penmanship to sign or veto that law-like object.
Currently the occupation that preoccupies so many of the empty moments of those elected officials is securing their jobs as elected officials. One of the things that can get in the way of maintaining their position of power is by exercising any of that power. Instead, we are asked to be impressed by the sheer volume of the wind that is moved about with the debate and discussion that borders on making decisions but never quite makes it to that sweet spot. 
A couple weeks ago, there was wild talk about heading back to Washington to make those common sense changes in gun laws. No more hand-wringing. No more idle chit-chat. The time had come for action. 
Or not.
It seems as though the stage we forgot in our process is that of finger-pointing and shame. There must be some other way to impact gun violence than talking about the gun part of that equation. And violence? Don't get me started. There is violence everywhere all day long. Tigers eat their young! How can meaningful change occur in a world that allows Chocolate Frosted Flakes? 
And the beat goes on. 

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