conflict of the orders

"the upshot of the conflict of the orders was not popular revolution but the creation of a new governing class, composing rich plebeians and patricians. the first qualification for most political offices was wealth on a substantial scale. no one could stand for election without passing a financial test that excluded most citizens." mary beard. "spqr: a history of ancient rome"__________________________it is true that the framers of the constitution did not impose any financial qualification for office seekers...it's also true that washington was the first president not only because of his service in the revolutionary war ( or war for independence for you all who cannot tolerate the idea of a revolution....and that actually may be more accurate since one elite supplanted another...but i love a good goad ) but because he was one of the richest of the new elite...and when madison goes off on a rant in federalist X about protecting the "minor party" from an "interested and overbearing majority" he isn't talking about defending those with a small political voice...he's talking about defending an elite...it's a republic on purpose...more tractable to manipulation...the word democracy is rooted in the word demos...which means the "common people"...for madison, hamilton and jay "the people" were a mob...common rabble...so where does that leave us viz the current foul zoo parade of elitists and elitist wannabes? well...we have one incredibly self-absorbed and pretty much baselessly arrogant billionaire up to his nativist, jingoist ass in the campaign and another threatening to join in because even he sees that this bozo is just that and he could easily cash in on the general disgust of the republican old guard by luring them away from the party..hillary may not have billions but she did stop river traffic on the hudson for her daughter's wedding reception...i'd call that the power of the elite...they would have laughed me into some star chamber somewhere if i tried that...labeled "terrorist" and tossed into some oubliette somewhere and conveniently forgotten...old jeb has $100 million and can't seem to buy a vote and bernie can out fundraise old hildegard but unless she shoots herself squarely in the foot ( again ) he'll lose because her status can be cashed in...money and power are fungible commodities...same difference...so the election pretty much comes down to who has the most capital...who's richest..toss in the fact that in this particular state my vote in both the primary and the general election isn't going to much matter because the results aren't proportional, but "winner take all" and you have set the stage for my ( and your, like it or not ) exclusion from any meaningful participation in the government that allegedly draws its authority from the mob...it is a foul and miserable political season even by whoretown standards...my disgust is seemingly infinite...fuck these people....2:15 p.m. addendum___the new york times endorsed hillary clinton for the democratic nomination today...they also ran ads for upscale hotels, a $68,000 table and condominiums at 53 west 53rd avenue so pricey there wan no cost printed in the ad..."if you have to ask you cannot afford it" the elitist paper of record endorses an elitist because she'd be good for them...the rest of us can go pound sand...fuck these people...twice.

throughout history

"wilhelm promised the church leaders he would make berlin a second vatican. so much has happened in this church since then, the benediction for the armies of 1914, the weekly prayers for hitler, goring's wedding, that it is a miracle that the building itself did not go completely, despite the heavy damage it incurred in the second world war, by the sword." geert mak " in europe "________________________"i haven't done anything," says the child. "yes," says the chaplain, "but that's not the question now. you must get ready to die properly." "it can't be that no one understands me." "i am your friend and, perhaps, i understand you. but it is late. i shall be with you, and the good lord will be to. you'll see how easy it is." the child turns his head away. the chaplain speaks of god. does the child believe him? yes. he believes so hence he knows that nothing is as important as the peace awaiting him. but that very peace is what frightens the child. " i am your friend," the chaplain repeats. the others are silent. he must think of them. the chaplain turns towards the group, turning his head away from the child for a moment...the child leans against the canvas covering, which gives a little. he notices a narrow space between it and the truck body. he could jump if he wanted. the chaplain had his back turned and, up front, the soldiers are intent on finding their way in the dark. the boy doesn't stop to think; he tears the canvas loose, slips into the opening, and jumps. his fall is hardly heard, the sound of running on the pavement, then nothing more. he is in the fields where his steps cannot be heard. but the flapping of the canvas and the sharp, damp morning air penetrating the truck make the chaplain and the prisoners turn. for a second the priest stares at those looking at him in silence. a second in which he, as a man of god, must decide whether he is on the side of executioners, or on the side of the martyrs in keeping with his vocation. but he has already knocked on the partition separating him from his comrades. "achtung!" the alarm has been given. albert camus. "second letter to a german friend"_____________________________________________"the theologian and the hangman have been intimates throughout history." michael wood "legagcy"__________organized religion is spiritually bankrupt and a font of behavioral control...we have enough of that in political public relations and the eternal advertising...keep your proselytizing distance...you can keep your teleologies too.