[IP] more on "Filibuster vs The Tyranny of the Faux Majority" & 1984
X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2 Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2005 08:28:25 -0400 From: Jock
Gill <jg45@xxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [IP] "Filibuster vs The Tyranny of the
Faux Majority" & 1984 To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Bob & Dave,
It may be instructive to watch Apple's 1984 ad once again, but this time
from the context of our current political environment.
One high quality source:
<http://www.uriah.com/apple-qt/1984.html>
Share at will.
Jock
Jock Gill Meme Intelligence jock.gill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx "Cooperative gain from
collective behaviors at the edges."
On Apr 6, 2005, at 9:07 AM, Dave Farber wrote:
------- Original message ------- From: Bob
Frankston <Bob19-0501@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: 6/4/'05, 1:29
As an aside perhaps it's telling but Tom Friedman seems to have started his
new book tour on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show.
http://www.frankston.com/?Name=Filibuster
For those who like zero clicks ...
The Filibuster vs the Tyranny of the Faux Majority
This week we are facing an attempt to do away the filibuster. The
dictionary describes the "filibuster" as an obstructionist ploy but given
that the checks and balances of the US government are being subverted by an
alignment of people selected for a philosophical system of moral simplicity
we must have a way to raise at least some issues to a level of high
importance and require something more than a simple majority. We must
rethink the filibuster as a mechanism for demandin g extra caution on vital
decisions by requiring a super-majority such as a two thirds vote. This
isn't a perfect solution but it does provide some protection fo r
minorities in a society that is acting as if it were a theocracy and that
the majority's beliefs must be imposed on the rest of us. I don't believe
such a view accurately reflects our diverse society as a whole. Those who
seek simple and unambiguous answers to a small set of issues to the ex
clusion of other considerations gain leverage as the other voices balance
each other out. By focusing on primary elections where political parties
choose who wi ll run in the full election, the politicians must court the
single issue voters if they are to be elected at all. That's a political
reality in the current syst em and leadership is for naught if you don't
get elected. The recent Schiavo circus once again demonstrated a huge
disconnect between the demands of these voters and the rest of us. ABC
showed 63 to 28 against the gove rnment's action, CBS found 85 opposed to
the government's action. Jeff Jarvis his shown that the campaign for
"decency" is even more out of alignment with peopl e's tolerance. How could
protecting us from the sound of "fuck" trump the US Constitution? The
mystery to me is why the press amplifies the distortion -- are th e
guardians of our rights incapable of seeing past the political framing of
these moralistic crusades? It has made me rethink the filibuster.
Obstruction is a way to demand extra caution before enacting laws. It's a
way of saying that an issue is important enough to require a
"super-majority" of two-thirds of the senators. By its nature it is not
used casually. Though it was used to thwart tolerance when civil rights
legislation was introduced, the larger societal goals did prevail. Today's
attempt to impose morality o n all of us is not symmetric. It's not just
about intolerance but a fearful retreat from science. After all, science
questions the accepted wisdom and raises th e possibility that we are
merely inhabitants of this world, not simply the masters. At very least,
you should read Jared Diamond's Collapse! to understand the d angers of
willful ignorance. Today the filibuster is about the only tool left that
protects us from the tyranny of this false majority. If we lose this
protection, we will be left with no p rotection against a judiciary vetted
for ideological purity.
Bob Frankston http://www.frankston.com
------------------------------------- You are subscribed as
jock@xxxxxxxxxxxx To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/