Alrighty Then;
Newsweek recently did a study in which they asked 1,000 Americans to take the same citizenship test required of foreigners applying for naturalization. According to Newsweek, 38% failed the test. Now I’m sure that this fact does not surprise most Americans, I know that it certainly didn’t surprise me for one. But, on the same note, it also hasn’t received the amount of media attention that I would hope it would have received. There is not national outcry, no call for more education in the realm of civic duty (its common knowledge that we already have our hands full enough just teaching the current subjects). This is a statistic that scares me. Therefore I have compiled for you something of a cliffs-notes to citizenship.
I am willing to bet my life savings, the majority of Americans are unable to name their states Senators and Congressional Representatives,
let alone how to contact them to make sure their voice is heard beyond election day (mind you in any given election less than half the population even votes in the first place). Come election day, most Americans blindly cast their vote for a representative or a proposition which they neither know nor understand, and then promptly catch an acute case of amnesia, giving them free rein to impose their will until the next election cycle. This balance goes on uninterrupted year after year, unless of course said representative becomes tangled in scandals web. Funny how it takes hookers and blow, or a hummer on the clock, for American’s to become incensed, despite the fact that were being politically and economically fucked in the ass.
It’s funny that most americans speak of the nation as being theirs;
Therein lies an implied ownership, and therefore some semblance of responsibility and care. I find this implication to be by and large a false one.
The true act of OWNERSHIP, is never an effortless one.
The analogy that I wish to draw is this; It isn’t the title to a car which necessarily makes it YOURS, it’s the acts of care and upkeep which you undertake in the interests of keeping it on the road. When you go beyond the specified amount of miles without servicing your vehicle, it doesn’t stay on the road as long as possible right? Without changing the oil, replacing the brakes, and the tires, or the windshield wipers, maybe taking it into a mechanic when you’re unsure; your vehicle is destined to meet with an untimely demise. Why then is our nation any different, why treat the most important thing in our lives as if it is less than our first car? Why do we treat our country and its governance like we were all once again a kid, making false promises of responsibility to our parents to get that puppy we wanted? I’m sorry, no matter how much you would like to claim ownership, if you don’t feed it, walk it, or clean its shit up, it’s not really yours now is it?
During football season, nobody likes a monday morning quarterback,
Of course it’s easy to see the flaws in logic or execution while using the deep perceptions of hindsight, a prism of 20/20 vision. Why then do we refuse to take action on the issues important to us? Instead of seeking out the news to make informed decisions, we vote on American Idol, or the next new “reality show”. Why are we so content to allow the media to falsify or omit the facts in a tragic rendition of theater fed to the public like chinese manufactured kibbles and bits; tainted and toxic. We allow all this to happen, the wool to be pulled before our eyes, and yet we’re still puzzled at how something as corrupt as the Bernie Madoff scandal, Wall Street bailouts, insider trading from members of congress, Secret Service and escorts, the list goes on… and on…. and on… What do you expect when you structure a society around the accumulation of wealth by any means necessary? Greed begets Greed, Evil begets Evil; There is nobody to blame but yourself that your interests are not being served when you don’t follow through; cause you better believe that corporations or those with money will, and do, especially after the Citizens United decision (a decision made by an institution with our interests in mind?).
Heres a question I would like to pose to you;
considering the fact that corporations hold all the legal rights that you or I do, including freedom of speech. Now that the Supreme Court has lifted the campaign expenditure limitations from them through the ruling in Citizens v. United as infringing upon their Freedom of Speech;
Does all men were created equal still apply?
Do you have as much “free speech” as Nike, or Apple? Are your interests treated the same when it comes time to craft policy? Maybe only in the sense that it is offered freely….
For those of you suffering from the treatable disease of being a natural born citizen of the United States, I have included a little cheat sheet. I do this in the hopes that you will use it, look at it as impartially as possible and make the decision that you feel best. Barring an unforseen accident or illness, you WILL have to LIVE with it.
- Heres a list of your Senators
- the Washington Post has done a nice job of compiling a list of representatives including their voting record, but it only goes back as far as 1992.
- The ACLU also has a similar list provided here
- If you are concerned about Citizens United and wish to get involved this is a good place to begin as is this.
Related articles
- Progressives Push Amendment to Overturn Citizens United (usnews.com)
- Temporary Fix to Citizens United: ‘Tax the Super-PACS’ (bradblog.com)
- Citizens United – How America Became Third World – by Gordon Duff – PLUS Unseen HBO investigative report on America’s rigged elections (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
- Romney’s Disconnect With Average Americans (crooksandliars.com)
- Dems ponder Citizens United overturn (upi.com)
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