Have you noticed that more and more folks are opting for complacency as a life strategy? Politically, socially, religiously: it seems that fewer folks are really actively involved. Which means that those who are involved often represent the kind of kook-fringe that exists at the edges of every human endeavor. In the end, society is the poorer...for we no longer benefit from a public discourse that is both passionate and informed, both challenging and respectful.
The brewing hub-hub in Washington over Samuel Alito is a perfect case in point. I'd love to hear more about the man's rulings and qualifications. Instead, we're treated to an endless barrage of blah-blah-blah over how he might rule on the issue of abortion.
Maybe I'm missing something. But it's possible there is more to the court's agenda than that one issue. Yes...it's important. But it's not the only yardstick by which we measure a person suitable for such office.
And the by-product: beyond the kook-fringe yelling at each other about Mr. Alito as baby-killer or baby-savior, no one else can get a word in edge-wise. So more and more simply retire from participation, and the extremists of every ilk get to set the public agenda.
This is not a good idea. It's time to get off our fannies and take our public institutions back from the strident and the overly-agendized. Think. Do your homework. Respectfully ask challenging questions. Hold public leaders accountable at the voting booth and in the newspapers. We can be a fairly reasonable people, if we choose to work at it.
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