Tag(s): ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (more...) ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , Add Tags  (less...)
Add to My Group(s)

View Ratings | Rate It

Permalink
View Article Stats      (12 comments)

Voting as Political Narcotic

Add this Page to Facebook!
Submit to Twitter
Submit to Reddit
Submit to Stumble Upon

Tell A Friend

Become a Fan
Get Embed HTML Code
By (about the author)

Become a Fan Become a Fan  (11 fans)   -- Page 2 of 2 page(s)

opednews.com

 

But voter turnout has not been sufficiently low to forcefully discredit, dishonor and de-legitimize American democracy.  Though low, it has become an accepted norm, allowing the manufactured myth to continue – that we live in the world’s greatest democracy, though nothing could be farther from the truth.

 With false hope, voters believe that the right Democrat or Republican will do what none of their predecessors has done, and that campaign rhetoric and promises will actually translate to post-election action and policy.  Voters fail to understand the depth of our culture of dishonesty that has also invaded the voting process. Held secretly in private hands is proprietary source code that instructs the voting machines on to how to count the vote.  More than 1/3 of all votes cast in our nation are made on touch screen machines driven by proprietary source code and 90 percent of all votes cast are counted by software that’s unverifiable. No sane American should trust the political system, the politicians, and the voting process.  And when you cannot trust all three, you have a fake democracy.  Many of us thirst for major change, but mainstream politicians simply exploit this and lie.  By voting for any of them we ensure no serious change.  The way to shake up the system is to boycott voting. 

In sum, despite personal freedoms we also have political tyranny as oppressive in its own way as any authoritarian, dictatorial government.  Americans have lost the revolutionary spirit of their ancestors.  Americans are unable to revolt, despite revolting conditions.  They have accepted the tyranny of taxation with MISrepresentation.  The political criminal conspiracy has successfully used cultural genetic manipulation to replace the DNA of revolutionary courage with the DNA of distractive, self-indulgent consumerism.  Our primary freedom is to borrow and spend.  Our currency should read “In Greed We Trust.”  We have populist consumerism, not populist politics.  Divisive politics keeps people fighting each other rather than uniting against the rotten system.

 

Delusional prosperity is what our delusional democracy creates for the majority.  Many millions of Americans are hurting from loss of good jobs, crippling health care costs, staggering debt, unaffordable college education, imminent foreclosure or bankruptcy, rising economic insecurity, working two lousy jobs, time poverty, dependence on food stamps and charity.  Millions more are angry about endless political corruption and bipartisan incompetence, the inability to get a new 9/11 investigation, uncontrolled illegal immigration, and our national debt.  The rebellion needs all of them.  And they need the rebellion.

 

True, we have plenty of passive nonvoters, a good head start.  Now we need active, vociferous nonvoters – proud protestors and dissidents urging others to join the civil disobedience to reach the tipping point for revolutionary change.  After we achieve major political reforms we should pursue mandatory voting – when voting once again has civic meaning.

 

Massive, unprecedented nonvoting has the power to produce systemic political reform by defiantly discrediting, dishonoring and de-legitimizing America’s fake democracy.  When I choose not to vote I do not make the votes of others more important.  Their votes already serve an evil system.  The critical choice is to vote or not vote, not picking a particular Democrat or Republican.  When I choose not to vote I embrace an honorable, patriotic rebellious act of civil disobedience.  I no longer buy the BIG LIE that there still is an American democracy worth participating in.  As James Madison said, “Conscience is the most sacred of all property.”

 

Mass nonvoting sends the message of rejection – as powerful as using guns.  The Second American Revolution begins with this recognition: We must work together to drive voter turnout down to abysmal levels – so low that everyone gets the rejection message.  We must let the world know – and America’s power elites fear – that we sovereign Americans intend to take back our government.  But how?

 

It begins with a boycott of voting.  See it as a populist recall of the federal government that makes our Founders proud.  It is followed by demanding what the Founders gave us in our Constitution for exactly the conditions we now have: an Article V convention of state delegates that can propose constitutional amendments, especially ones to reform our political system to make it honest and trustworthy.  Learn more at www.foavc.org.

 

Why have we not had one in over 200 years?   Why has Congress been allowed to disobey – actually veto a part of the Constitution and violate their oath of office?  There is only one logical explanation: An intensely watched convention could wreck the political status quo and take away the power of those running and ruining our nation.  That so many Americans fear a convention just shows the success of the social conditioning and political narcotics the elitist plutocracy has imposed for decades.  Imagine an amendment that required at least 90 percent voter turnout for federal elections to produce a winner.

 

When it comes to our nation our choice is not to love it or leave it, but to accept the painful truth and take responsibility for restoring American democracy – because we love it.  Let’s move forward with this slogan: “Don't vote--it only encourages them.”

Next Page  1  |  2

 

Joel S. Hirschhorn is the author of Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government. His current political writings have been greatly influenced by working as a senior staffer for the U.S. Congress and for the (more...)
 

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author Contact Editor View Authors' Articles

 

Share this page: (what's this?)                   Tell a Friend: Tell A Friend

Add this Page to Facebook!      Submit to Stumble Upon      Submit to Reddit      Add This Page to Mr Wong!           NEWSVINE      DEl.ICIO.US      Looksmart Furl      My Web      Blink List     (More...)

Comments

The time limit for entering new comments on this article has expired.

This limit can be removed. Our paid membership program is designed to give you many benefits, such as removing this time limit. To learn more, please click here.

Comments: Expand   Shrink   Hide  
12 comments
To view all comments:
Expand Comments
(Or you can set your preferences to show all comments, always)

very good by Mark Sashine on Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007 at 1:33:11 PM
Profound And Brilliant As Usual by Zena Crenshaw on Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007 at 6:08:41 PM
Correct. by Geraldo on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 8:55:36 AM
What is the by richard on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 10:08:42 AM
Right on as always, Joel! by Susan Guest on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 10:52:29 AM
Joel... by C.Bid on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 11:05:24 AM
"Our Dreams Do Not Fit On Your Ballots!" by Mark E. Smith on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 1:44:21 PM
It has to be by Mark Sashine on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 2:03:14 PM
Joel and you both ring true. by Robert N Smith on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 8:11:12 PM
Democrats be Damned by PrMaine on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 2:40:46 PM
"All the main candidates are part of the conspiracy" by john riggs on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 5:31:35 PM
Devils advocate POV... by Steven Leser on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 6:08:46 PM