The Ignorance is Astounding

Recently, I have been paying a lot of attention to the small battle brewing between the Congress and the White House.  As it stands now, the White House is claiming “executive privilege” over every shred of information that may (or may not) reveal their ineptitude to lead this country effectively and honestly (as if we need evidence for that; or maybe we do).  Behind every political quarrel are masses of ill informed and well informed individuals speaking out against or in support of the United States Government and the parties involved.  However, I have begun to notice a most disturbing trend among the “ignorant” population who are screaming things like, “Impeach Bush!” and “Impeach Gonzales!” and even “Impeach Cheney!”

Normally, these suddens bursts of outrage would just blend in with the rest of the quarrelling, but it came to my attention that the majority of these ill informed individuals have no real idea what impeachment is.   After reading the articles and the forums, it is clear that many people believe “to impeach” is “to fire” or “to remove from office.”  Sadly, this is far from the truth, and if their memory served them well, they would recall the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton for allegations of lying under testimony.

Allow me to clarify what it means “to impeach.”

 In our country we have two sectors, the public sector and the private sector.  The public sector is in place to serve the public and includes government officials, police officers, social workers and so on.  The private sector is the everyday Joe Schmoe who goes to work for Initech each day and battles a sketchy fax machine.  The private sector and the public sector are treated differently in the eyes of the government.  The same laws are applied to both sectors, but special consideration is often given to the public sector. 

For instance:  You’re driving down a major highway when you suddenly see the blue and red lights flashing behind you.  You pull off to the side of the road and are greeted with, “License and registration please.”  The officer then tells you that you are being stopped for driving over the speed limit.  As a citizen of the United States, you have the right to defend yourself, and in our Judicial System, you are “innocent until proven guilty.”  However, most citizens do not fight the speeding ticket (outside of the standard “not guilty” plee that results in the officer lowering the charges of the ticket).  Why is it that the officer’s word is held in higher respect than your own?  Why is it that you are made to feel guilty simply because the officer has told you that you are guilty? 

Sure, you can plead not guilty and request the radar gun’s calibration records as well as any documents and data supporting the officer’s claim; but if it turns out you’re wrong – you’re fucked.  The court and the officer will be so pissed that you made them jump through hoops for a $200 speeding ticket that they will make sure they nail your ass to the wall and throw a few points on your license for good measure, even though you are well within your rights to request this information.  Or, you could walk away nearly unharmed if you just cowtow to the officer and ask him to lower the ticket to a non-moving violation. 

So again I ask you, why do we feel so inferior to those who serve the public?  Why is our word less honorable than their word?

Back to what it means to impeach.  The reason I went on that seemingly off-topic discussion is to illustrate the point that the public sector is treated differently than the private sector.  To impeach means to indict a government official with a charges of a crime.  So why the fancy word?  Why can we not just say we’re indicting the Attorney General on charges of perjury?  The reason is perception, a perception that the public sector must be held to a higher standard, therefore must be treated as a higher authority.  Also, it is important to note the Constitution is not 100% clear on what constitues impeachment.  “High crimes” is the term used in the Constitution, but it was a 1970’s Gerald Ford that said the House should be allowed to determine what is an impeachable offense based on the context of the situation in it’s own history. 

This means that the term “high crimes” does not only apply to treason and bribery, but to whatever the House considers a “high crime” based on the current events.  This begs the question, what was Clinton’s “high crime?”  Adultery?  Sexual misconduct with a consenting adult? 

Anyways, if you’re reading this and you come across some ill informed citizen who is screaming for the impeachment of Bush or Gonzales or Cheney, make sure they know exactly what that means, and also, if you have the time, inform them that if we are to impeach Cheney or Gonzales, Cheney would preside over the impeachment trial.  You read correctly.  Cheney would oversee his own impeachment trial.  The Constitution makes it clear that the President of the Senate, The Vice President himself would preside over the trial (dissention exists that a temporary President of the Senate would have to preside, however, in the current trend of things, the VP would likely claim executive privilege and find a way around the Constitution).  If the President were impeached, his very own nominated Chief Justice Roberts would preside over his trial. 

Either way, it’s not looking good.  The Senate can impeach these individuals much like they impeached Bill Clinton, but what would that really accomplish?  Another frown upon an administration full of frowns?  Do we really think 2/3 of the Senate will find either of the three guilty of any crime?  Or are they more concerned with serving (not the whole public) their constituents.

Which brings me to my next point, why do elected officials seemingly serve only those who voted for them?  We’ll talk about that later…….

The Feminization of Masculinity

While in college I studied Sociology and concentrated on Criminology.  Many of the core classes in Sociology focus on various forms of Social Inequality and varying theories as to their development and longevity in a number of different cultures.  One of the most unique subjects to discuss in these classes was Gender Inequality, especially in a class (major) dominated by females.

Throughout history, men have been writing and documenting, well, history.  All accounts of religious figures, civilian rebellions, civilizations rising and falling were documented by men.  Such is the reason why men are held higher in the eyes of God in many of the major religions.  In our nations most prevalent religion it is said that Man was created first, and Woman was created from the body of Man.  In theory, this would appear to be odd since it is the Woman who bears the child.  As time goes on, it is Man who is King with a Queen by his side, a Woman who causes the war between the Trojans and Athenians, and a Man who is appointed as “closest to God (Pope).”

It appears that the roles have been defined in history, so for many centuries they were not challenged.  Women became submissive to men, and sons were raised to be honorable and respectful to their elders (men).  With the industrialization of the world came a need for more human capital.  Factories sprouted up in place of vast fields and more than ever, men needed bodies to fill those factories; even if it meant hiring children and women.  As women and children entered the workforce they began to shed light on the indiscretions of men and their policies towards “non-men.”  Legislative action was taken and rights were given to women and children for the first time in history.  With their foot in the door, women took their shot and began to build their own power.  Within a generation women were voting, working full-time jobs, and attending colleges and universities.

As businesses grew and businessmen grew smarter, they began to realize they would need to align with the women if they ever wanted to truly dominate; so they began offering jobs to women out of college, working as the right hand of the big boss; working as their secretaries.  It didn’t take long for women to make their presence known in the work place and before anyone could react, women running their own small companies and earning their own income.

Another generation later and women are competitive with men in many aspects.  While the gender inequality still exists, women are becoming more and more powerful in our society.  Women can now make as much if not more money than many men.  Women now can choose a career over their domestic role as housewife.  No longer can men drive around in their flashy cars and be revered for being successful, a trait formerly associated with only men.  Today, women drive their own flashy cars and park them in their own garages.  With this development, and the ever-growing power of women in our society, men began to reach for something to call their own.

Men began to look to the classics in hopes to restore what once was.  Quickly they realized that the women outnumbered the men, and men could no longer marginalize the women of their society.  Men then began to look up, and build bigger, drive bigger, earn more.  Capitalism flourished beyond any wildest dreams as billion dollar men were born and nations were bought and sold.  But still, the power was not enough and men continued to look for more.  Nowadays, men have begun to take on characteristics in their behavior which was once associated with femininity.  Men are groomed regularly with hair stylists, not just barbers.  Men go tanning to achieve a golden-bronze tone and opting to extinguish the once manly “farmers tan.”  Men shop for the newest clothes and accessories to compliment their body shape, which is now carefully designed in aerobic exercise where body building was once the domineer.

But as man continued to build on these characteristics, some began to denounce them for their effeminate nature.  An upheaval began and men began looking even further back, beyond the classics and all the way to the antiquities.  The new trend growing today is the development of the “true man.”  A man with honor, dignity, power, one who yields respect, and fear.  This can be obtained through shear strength and overpowering dominance and destruction, as well as embracing the manliness of the man’s body.  Full grown beards and scars with bulging muscles are on display for all to marvel at, especially for women to adorn as they dwindle in the shadows of the new “giant man.”  A man who embodies everything it means to be manly, not from one generation, but from all generations. 

The one manly characteristic that can never be taken or overshadowed by the success and power of woman is history.  History is written and cannot be undone.  Man has made their lasting impact on society as they have decreed what it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman.  As long as history is learned and accepted, this trend will continue and live on.  Much like a Yankee fan, unwilling to let go of the past, men will always have history.  Men will always have the 8 wonders of the World, huge theatres in Greece, giant pyramids in Egypt and timeless art in Paris.