Poly Ticks: by definition, this is multiple insects consuming a lot of blood. It is pronounced, "politics." And, that word, "politics," as we all know, perfectly describes multiples of blood-sucking insects. Our first impulse, on discovering one of these horrible creatures on our persons is to squish it. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem: one must carefully pry it off, and THEN squash the blasted thing!
I loathe politics. And I'm actually trying to be low-key and polite about it. But the more I see of where politics has led us, the less inclined I am to be polite in my loathing. But, polite I shall be. For now.
The main point of my writing this is to muse, openly, about the discontinuance of my Facebook page. I've been on there a long time. Not, perhaps, by some standards, but 6 years which, to a fossil like me, is a significant amount of time. So, mulling over the possibility of quitting a social media site that has served well for 6 years is rather a mind-bender. I have a LOT of friends on Facebook, people I know in person (real life) and others I met on social media, both Facebook and the now-defunct Newsvine. I don't want to lose my friends, but I also do not want to be aiding and abetting a site that is everything this country's Constitution is against. I am finding it more and more difficult to tolerate a site that is intolerant in the extreme. Every time I learn about someone's page being taken down without warning, my gut does a flip-flop and my already-taxed heart follows suit.
Politically, I guess you'd call me a "liberal" or a "progressive." Yet, I'm not in lock-step with any particular ideology. I care about others. I care about the environment. I care about animals. I want everyone to have the necessities of life and to be happy and to live in peace.
Which means I must not be an american. Or a united-states-ian. BTW: I will NOT capitalize those horrible names until such time as they earn my loyalty. That is probably not going to happen in my lifetime. I have read the Constitution. I have read it many times. And the Constitution, as it was written, has not one thing to do with this gawd-awful country in any way, shape or form. For that, you may thank poly ticks. Or politicians. You know, those wretched life-forms that we, the sheeple, voted into office and to whom we gave away our rights AND our dignity.
And so, here and now, I vow never again to vote for a democrat or a republican. I do mean NEVER. And I will re-think my willingness to vote for Greens, or Independents, or any other party. Before you get all lathered up, let me assure you that, since I turned 21, I have missed ONE election. I missed it because I had the flu at the time. I have voted in every election but one since I turned 21, and I am 74 now. Do the math.
I am not against voting. Not by a long shot. But I am against being forced into a corner where I have little-to-no choice. I am against the restraints being put on us by the mainstream media and mainstream SOCIAL media, like Facebook. I am against oligarchy and dictatorship. I think some things are, in fact, rights: the right to medical care, the right to vote, the right to housing, the right to eat, to breathe, to live a peaceful life and, as long as that life doesn't restrict others' rights, the right to remain free.
So, my dilemma continues. Facebook or no Facebook: that is the question. But you may rest assured that I WILL vote in November. And now you also know for whom I will NOT vote. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Putting Democracy back into the forefront of this country's priorities can only begin with one person (although I do know that many others share my views, so it ain't just me shouting into the ether). I probably won't live to see any meaningful change but, while I live and breathe, I will do what I can to help the Cause.
