ignorance tastes good :P
contrary to what registered and active voters may believe... the act of voting isn't enough, kiddies. apparently, exercising the right (and appropriate tools) to write and/or attempt to re-write legislation isn't enough either.
just got word on some words. the bill that i collaborated on (writing/lobbying/doing the b*tch work for) passed the appropriate committee hearings in sac-town. which, (i've been schooled on) is an accomplishment in itself, being that several bills usually die within its first or 2nd committee hearing. the act(s) of writing legislation, lobbying, politicking for this bill was MUCH MORE of a process than what i'm describing, of course. but nonetheless, our efforts made it all the way to the desk of the governator and unfortunately (yet, not surprisingly), homeboy vetoed it.
lessons learned:
1) don't believe anything a politician, their staff, and/or a government affiliated agency will tell you...even IF they do help you write the damn thing. their words are as valid as doo-doo. a promise means a maybe and the maybe isn't a real maybe, it's a "i'll have my staff's intern determine whether or not you're worth my time" which means shit...so, you see the equation has come full circle back to doo-doo. (speaking of the majority, of course.)
2) laws are even MORE bullshit than we realize. it's understood that if you know the right people and/or if you have the right amount of money, one can get away with breaking the law. evidently, the process of writing law has parallel loop holes. there were several moments where we thought our bill had died, but then someone on the inside informed us of tricks to resurrect the bill through some unspoken and unwritten rules that us common folks aren't aware of.
3) if you're an idealist, like myself, the ideal and most effective way to create systemic change (specifically to benefit communities of color) is NOT THROUGH policy or legislative change. i repeat, IS NOT THROUGH policy or legislative change. i.e. before i began this leadership program (that schooled us on writing legislation), we had some alumni talk to us about the whole process. one alumni made the analogy that we begin this legislative process with a full forest- plush green and untouched and we walk out with a tooth pick. translation= wasted efforts sucks ass.
but, FUCK THAT. (excuse the cursing.) i truly believed, for a moment, that the purpose of law was to sustain order. but, (in the U.S.) the true purpose of law is to sustain the acts of exclusion that this country was so skillfully and strategically built upon. the conclusion of this thesis is infinite and if you're truly interested, can be continued verbally.
4) i entered this program with an open mind, telling myself that one has to know the system to change the system. truthfully, the realist side of me (which i had no idea existed) is beginning to believe that the system cannot be changed, not within this lifetime.
so, what is the solution? anyone down for a brainstorming session?
the clichè term of ignorance is bliss...
'aint sounding too bad right about now.
thanks.
this is my rant of the day.
'preciate it.
just got word on some words. the bill that i collaborated on (writing/lobbying/doing the b*tch work for) passed the appropriate committee hearings in sac-town. which, (i've been schooled on) is an accomplishment in itself, being that several bills usually die within its first or 2nd committee hearing. the act(s) of writing legislation, lobbying, politicking for this bill was MUCH MORE of a process than what i'm describing, of course. but nonetheless, our efforts made it all the way to the desk of the governator and unfortunately (yet, not surprisingly), homeboy vetoed it.
lessons learned:
1) don't believe anything a politician, their staff, and/or a government affiliated agency will tell you...even IF they do help you write the damn thing. their words are as valid as doo-doo. a promise means a maybe and the maybe isn't a real maybe, it's a "i'll have my staff's intern determine whether or not you're worth my time" which means shit...so, you see the equation has come full circle back to doo-doo. (speaking of the majority, of course.)
2) laws are even MORE bullshit than we realize. it's understood that if you know the right people and/or if you have the right amount of money, one can get away with breaking the law. evidently, the process of writing law has parallel loop holes. there were several moments where we thought our bill had died, but then someone on the inside informed us of tricks to resurrect the bill through some unspoken and unwritten rules that us common folks aren't aware of.
3) if you're an idealist, like myself, the ideal and most effective way to create systemic change (specifically to benefit communities of color) is NOT THROUGH policy or legislative change. i repeat, IS NOT THROUGH policy or legislative change. i.e. before i began this leadership program (that schooled us on writing legislation), we had some alumni talk to us about the whole process. one alumni made the analogy that we begin this legislative process with a full forest- plush green and untouched and we walk out with a tooth pick. translation= wasted efforts sucks ass.
but, FUCK THAT. (excuse the cursing.) i truly believed, for a moment, that the purpose of law was to sustain order. but, (in the U.S.) the true purpose of law is to sustain the acts of exclusion that this country was so skillfully and strategically built upon. the conclusion of this thesis is infinite and if you're truly interested, can be continued verbally.
4) i entered this program with an open mind, telling myself that one has to know the system to change the system. truthfully, the realist side of me (which i had no idea existed) is beginning to believe that the system cannot be changed, not within this lifetime.
so, what is the solution? anyone down for a brainstorming session?
the clichè term of ignorance is bliss...
'aint sounding too bad right about now.
thanks.
this is my rant of the day.
'preciate it.
posted by MONKEYfightingSTYLE at 2:38 PM
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