who?

a citizen ~ nobody of consequence

  The What.  The What.  The What. . . . is key.  Keep your eye on that ball.

     There is a question of sanity and insanity.  It lies not with me, . . . or at least not much. 

     The Who is entertainment, me blathering on about what interests me, perhaps fodder for your own hopes and dreams.  You do your own thinking; we’re all gifted with the ability to do so.

Both photos are a bit disingenuous . . . a somewhat younger self. Taken in India during several weeks of traipsing ‘round the countryside, my daughter and I had attended the World Parliament of Indigenous People outside Bangalore. She and I are mostly indigenous to England and France, she to Ireland too; but none of these really qualify in usual parlance. The parliament was a highlight of my life. Boy do people around the world have some legitimate beefs with white folk. I’m sitting in a ‘tuk-tuk’, delighted that I am surviving the chaotic traffic in all of India’s metropolises.

Good authority suggested that this photo is “a turnoff and creepy, totally undermines your effort.” Hard to let it go. The matter of “creepy” as descriptive of me, I will leave to you. “Creepy” as reference to our current situation does not seem much off the mark. Lots of folks out here saying ‘scary’; I prefer ‘alarming’. As in, “Sound the Alarm! Man the Barricades!” We do face some mighty difficulties; but our best course will be to come out of our huddled corners and join hands in common cause. And, anyway, what other pose would be appropriate to standing in front of PSYCHO? A corrective photo is offered down and left.

THE BASICS

#1 - I am Christian. Of the 10 things that might come to mind, 7 do not apply to me.

#2 - I am a small “d” democrat, only vaguely a large “D” Democrat too, long since become deeply troubled by the party’s complicity in the political money problem.

#3 - I am a socialist. Oh scary, scary. Don’t be, not a chance anything “social” could take root in soil so polluted with division and hatred. No such thing here as “We, the People . . .”

Announcement of Candidacy

              John Vail of Easton, New Hampshire hereby announces that he will be a candidate for president in 2024.   As follows, in no particular order:

1-  The question for 2024 is What? not Who?.  The What is money out of politics (elections, influence of corporations, lobbying, rule by monied elites, etc., etc., etc.).  As Potter Stewart said about pornography, we (or most of us) know it when we see it.  

2-   An important task for the ‘campaign’ will be to make it abundantly clear that John is not an ideal candidate for the job (perhaps the easiest piece of the work here), such that it is also abundantly clear that anyone voting on that ballot line is voting for the What? not some Who?,  clear that such a vote expresses preference for naming the job to be done rather than choosing the craftsman, and clear that the voter seeks to avoid what at best might be called another Who Ho Hum and what at worst might amount to another Who Dun It telling the dismal tale of our next step toward the edge.   These would be people who prefer democratic rule to what now afflicts us.  

3-  There is no “We, the People” in this country.  Do we dare not dedicate ourselves to reclaiming at least some of that?

4-  Other things play.  Faith is fundamental for me.  But, as to our political situation, we can expect to remain basically stuck or worse as long as government is controlled by wealthy elites and the corporations they control.  And, we can also expect to lurch forward (gracefully, naturally, thankfully, decisively, at last) at that moment when our government is no longer bought and paid for.

5-  The country has long had an implicit, if not explicit, request from the general citizenry to the congress to eliminate the undue influence of money on the policy and law-making process, whether this be bribery outright, influence peddling, or lobbying for hire, if there is much difference among these at all.

6-  The problems we face as a nation, as a culture, as a civilization, and as a planet all have large amounts of money devoted to preventing their solutions.  

7-  We speak of dark money. And indeed it is.  Our work and cherishing, our debate and struggle, our view of one to the other, are all done in fog and darkness.  This campaign amounts to little more than an idiot in the corner suggesting that we turn on the lights.  Aside from the dramatic shift out of what is essentially corrupt, our situation, our understanding of our neighbor’s situation, and our ability to find common ground can only trend positive following relief from the distortions and negative inputs of political money. 

8-  Some speak of “draining the swamp.”  The reference points to a worthy task; the image, of course, is all wrong.  A swamp provides wildlife habitat, water filtration, coastal flood and erosion control, beauty, recreation, and spiritual renewal.   Not the sort of thing to be drained, unless one is set on “paving paradise to put up a parking lot”.  

9-  Looking for more suitable figuration,  I allude to my carpentry vocation.  One orders up a building project to be done and employs someone to do the work.  Again the What and the Who.  We do elect some Who’s who do generate useful public benefits; but what is more reliably delivered is too many boondoggles that are sops to the rich or worse.  What’s needed, badly, is a new bathroom, particularly its toilet.  Any journeyman carpenter could deliver us, in fairly due course and at the very least, the means to flush away a good bit of corruption’s substance and stench.

10-  If I must, I will speak of who I am; though, I assure, all fits the useful summary of “nobody of consequence”.  This, hopefully, is further assurance to voters that, come election day, their vote will be seen as demand for an end to political money and most certainly not a nod of confidence in my ability to lead our troubled nation . Can it really be so simple?   Alas and fore-warning, asking me the Who question is likely to provoke a rant, further evidence of non-suitability for the office. 

11-  Oh.   And the question for 2024 is also What?not How?.  The task of doing the American people’s work shall be left to those chosen, hired, and paid to do it.  Make no mistake, there are folks in the Congress with the integrity and devotion to our country to create something preferable to the current system.  Sadly, there are also Congressional scoundrels who will have to be brow-beaten or pushed around a bit to get things moving forward. 

12-   Of course, agreeing that there is but one set of facts would be useful.  Our dis-agreeableness leaves us inclined to insist on grasping after facts and disinclined to actually look for them.  

13-   sendnomoney.org is a website dedicated to making this vision reality.