Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 14 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H4'ed 3/1/09

Robbin' the Hood

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   19 comments
Message Rady Ananda
Become a Fan
  (2 fans)

Remember when you could pay all your bills and still save?  Remember when you could go to the club every weekend, and to the ballet, and to the Shaw Festival up in Canada?  Or, travel the country on a two-week road trip every couple years, taking your time and seeing everything you’ve heard about and more?  Remember when women fawned over you and you realized that popularity had an emotional price? 

Remember when politics were interesting and important and that’s all you could talk about?  Then, years later, remember when you avoided it?  Couldn’t stand to hear stupid opinions from people who hadn’t cracked a book in ten years.  Couldn’t stand how people erupted in anger and name-calling.  Couldn’t understand foreign policy or economics, though you always got good grades, so couldn’t talk about it anyway.

Remember attending college in your 40s and having to stifle laughter at the absurd myths perpetuated by college professors?  Whatever.  Get the A.

Remember when voting seemed like the most important thing you could do as a citizen?  As simple as it was, it seemed even more important than any of the protests you attended, or signs you painted, or letters or articles you wrote.  Remember when you learned that software is undetectably mutable?

Do you remember when the cracks began to form in your illusion of the US of A?  Do you remember the moment when Humpty Dumpty fell of the wall? And no matter what anybody said or did (all the king's horses and all the king's men), you could no longer buy the illusion.  You were forever changed.

Do you remember the 60s when the most beloved leaders of our nation – civic and political – were assassinated?  If not, do you remember Paul Wellstone (2002) or Gary Webb (2004) or Michael Connell (2008)?

If not, do you remember 911?

The USA PATRIOT Acts?
The Military Commissions Act?
The Clear Skies and Healthy Forests Acts?
The bloated military budget?
FISA?
Telecom immunity for spying on citizens?
Outing spies?
Cameras on every street corner?


(Image by Unknown Owner)   Details   DMCA

Do you remember bailing out criminal bankers while millions in America lost (lose) their homes?

Remember how they partied when the government handed their bad debts to the public?  Debts we didn’t incur and can’t ever pay?  They’re robbin' the 'hood - of our homes, our money and our privacy.  As they said in the film, Swing Vote, "If America is the richest nation on Earth, how come so many of us can't afford to live here?"

For an intelligent, detailed discussion on these issues, see Change for the Worse and The Money Party at Work.

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   Supported 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Rady Ananda Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

In 2004, Rady Ananda joined the growing community of citizen journalists. Initially focused on elections, she investigated the 2004 Ohio election, organizing, training and leading several forays into counties to photograph the 2004 ballots. She officially served at three recounts, including the 2004 recount. She also organized and led the team that audited Franklin County Ohio's 2006 election, proving the number of voter signatures did not match official results. Her work appears in three books.

Her blogs also address religious, gender, sexual and racial equality, as well as environmental issues; and are sprinkled with book and film reviews on various topics. She spent most of her working life as a researcher or investigator for private lawyers, and five years as an editor.

She graduated from The Ohio State University's School of Agriculture in December 2003 with a B.S. in Natural Resources.

All material offered here is the property of Rady Ananda, copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Permission is granted to repost, with proper attribution including the original link.

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." Tell the truth anyway.

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend