US Democracy: The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices)

New sig. I was thinking of the likelihood of a President Hilary. The idea that the US could be a Democratic Dual Monarchy for almost 25 years saddens me (Bush(4)->Clinton(8)->Bush(8)->Clinton(4?/4+?)). Between her electiveness and the state of US domestic affairs, I fear for the future of the land I love. The other candidates are just as "prepared".

Maybe one day we'll actually have some more choices in our choice. Then again considering how we've made villains of any 3rd party, maybe not. I really hope time will prove me wrong.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

I got reminded of this biblical quote by an X-Files episode. You can view the many translations yourself. Stewardship rather than dominance seems to have been forgotten by many modern American worshipers of the book. If you're sitting there saying "not me", then keep the quote in your conscience and truly ask yourself when the last stewardly act you undertook was. Then think of how often you are stewardly. I bet it's not as often as you would hope.

Time to update my sig again. This one is a David Bowie/Trent Reznor quote from the song "I'm afraid of Americans". My MP3 player cued it up for me and the lyrics really struck home given today's political world climate and the upcoming US Mid-term Elections. I'm a US native (Californian) and I don't think I know who Americans are anymore - my own people and many of them seem to hold beliefs that are alien to me.

I know I'm not alone in feeling this way and frankly that scares the hell out of me. Somehow my national identity has been usurped by people I have no faith in over the past six years or so. Thanks to those people, the world views me (the American not the individual) in a skewed and suspicious manner - perhaps rightly so. I still feel patriotic, but what the feeling came from is being chiseled away and discarded without my consent. I vote. I converse. I write to my representatives. I try to be a responsible citizen, but after so long futility sets in.

If you're unfamiliar with the song here are the lyrics. They remain as eerily true today as they were in 1997.

Johnny's in America
no tax at the wheel
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Johnny's in America

chorus {
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
} (x2)
I'm afraid of Americans
/chorus

Johnny's in America
Johnny wants a brain
Johnny wants to suck on a Coke
Johnny wants a woman
Johnny wants to think of a joke
Johnny's in America

chorus

Johnny's in America
Johnny looks up at the stars
Johnny combs his hair
And Johnny wants pussy and cars

Johnny's in America (x2)

chorus

God is an American (x2)

chorus

Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans

God is an American (x6)

This was inspired by one of those "we care about you - our customers" commercials on TV. I want to see one company be honest and say "We don't care about you, but we do care if you get mad and complain - sometimes". It originally said "When a commercial says a company cares about you, they are talking to the 'you' in your wallet, not the 'you' that owns the wallet.", but that doesn't fit the /. 120 character limit for a sig.

Discovering a better mousetrap has devolved into discovering a better consumer trap.

For supporting info, see these links.

Tis the season.

This sig came from Tyrdium in a post in a slashdot story of course. Thanks Tyrdium!

I would rather read a badly spelled insightful comment than an asenine correctly spelled one.

"DEMOCRACY DISCLAIMER: Past performance does not guarantee future results." - Fiore

"I see your inflection and the way you move your head with it." - John Stewart

Sig Public License - If you resrtibute, copy or alter this sig you must append your changes after the /. character limi

I've decided to just put a sig history in here. Too bad I've already missed a few years of sigs. If you want to comment on a sig, do it here so that the discussions can stay on topic and you don't get modded into the mud in the regular /. stories.