Natalie wrote: >Joey would sound like that kid on South Park that is strung out on caffine Tweak! Yes, we have known "tweaks"; it's actually used as a word around for folks who act like him, but some ferrets do fit. Randy wrote: >I really don't want to start a raging debate on gov', but doesn't the US >Constitution provide a gov't that is for the people and by the people? >What is happening to the majority rules, and voting of the people being >their voice to uphold what they want? What it does is to put the responsibility in the people's court for making sure that those who misrepresent them get voted out or removed. (That's made harder if the media are more likely to have owners that fit too tightly in one camp, of course, which leads to the point that though there are conservatives who like to say "liberal media" most of the media in the States today is owned or CEOed by conservatives and has been for well over a decade; I expect that there is the feeling that if the people think that the media must be liberal then extreme things in the other (conservative to reactionary) direction will seem more middle-ground.) Anyway, every type of political system has its weak points. The weak points for our's are things like: sound-bites, lack of detailed and balanced information held by the voters, failure sometimes of people with issues of concern to find ways to address the voters directly to help vote-out those who misrepresent (The folks in CA did that successfully at least once if I recall right so that it using the system the way its meant to be used!), tendency of people to pretend that it's a team-sport rather than an essential way to tackle real issues, and most of all failure of people to simply care enough to want to learn and to vote. You can't expect the politicians to be afraid of the people's part of the system of balances if the people wimp out. If people don't care enough to do more than only gripe (because that is easy, esp. to a group of people who feel the same way) then nothing will get done, plain and simple. Randy also wrote: >I love this country, My wife and I fought for this country in the armed >forces, but there is a cancer about in this country and it's spreading. >Will your town and city be next to be infected by insincere politicians >and corrupt gov't officials? Do you want to be governed by people who >would serve only to use their positions to twist the laws to serve their >own purpose? The only way to change that is to work toward change, and to somehow get the sleeping populous to wake up and realize that i fit doesn't care then it will be screwed-over. The method for us to change things is right in the Constitution,but if too many people would rather be done-to than run things through knowledgeable voting and comments to politicians during their stays then it won't work. This is something which EACH OF US HAS TO START IN OUR OWN LIVES; if any of us wait for the "other guy" then that other guy will wait for us. Folks who want to be quiet little mice will one day find their necks in sprung traps. Folks who want to be sheep will find that wolves love faceless tightly-pressed-food. Folks who want to vote as if they were supporting teams will one day be made to remember that Hitler was one heck of cheerleader. [Posted in FML issue 3428]