Do You Feel Lucky?

(and feel free to comment! My older posts are certainly no less relevant to the burning concerns of the day.)

Monday, June 25, 2012

Human Rights: How We Got Here, Reflections On America's Legacy...And The Way Forward

I love America. America is my favorite! America was like "HEY! Fuck this! And let's set it up different," and then people were like, well here's how they've fucked us up, and here's how they've fucked us up, and basically all these different cultural inheritances of how government is prone and known to fuck shit up for its populace, whether via the tyranny of the tyrant, the tyranny of the oligarchs, or the tyranny of democracy - the tyranny of majority will, unconstrained - so they were like "FUCK ALL THIS! We'll set it up DIFFERENT," and they did. They put all this shit in place, where this, that or the other couldn't even happen - like institution of state religion, or laying down state standards for what's OK for the people to say, or restricting who is allowed to peaceably assemble, or any of that shit!!!! - they said, Let's put some human rights in place! Let's say they're "inalienable" (which is sort of a clap-for-tinkerbell situation, similar to "money is worth money") and applicable to the INDIVIDUAL - which is all of us! - and as if to say: "Government SHALL NOT DO THIS SHIT, or at least, if government does, people will see it and know it ain't right, they shall know that government for what it is: an unjust tyranny."

When they were done, they looked up quite pleased with themselves and then suddenly, for the next two hundred years, the nagging started: the nagging of idealisms embraced, but not yet realized: "Well wait, if this is true, if we really mean it, then what about SLAVES...?" Then later, "well wait, if this is really true, if we mean this, then what about WOMEN...?" And still later "- what about HOMOSEXUALS...?" And no, we're not done with racism, sex- or gender-related discrimination, or other types of bigotry by a long sight! But it's that crazy emphasis laid down in the original founding times of yore - those legendary days of legend, that fucking Constitutional Convention of ours - it's that original emphasis laid down, on the primacy of the human rights of the individual (which is each of us) - THAT SHIT RIGHT THERE is what's dragged us so far, kicking and screaming all the way towards (but not yet quite all the way to) the equality of all persons under the law!

That's why I say: BOO YAH. IN YOUR FACE, TYRANNY!

Now we just need to come up with some creative new antitrust measures to goad and yoke the globalmultis. Not as if to punish! Profits are fine, and rampant success is fine, as long as we've got sound rules, in place and enforced, to protect the public, to harness the profit motive to the public weal. The public trust is what antitrust is all about. Sherman, Clayton, Robinson-Pattman et al are all well and good, I guess, but woefully inadequate to address the multifarious ways that modern business models have over the past 100 years mutated, grown, and flown globally o'er the antiquated regulatory bars and harnesses, in ways that are very much anti- the public trust. We need a comprehensive campaign to re-focus as a nation, to find ways to combine with other nations, with a goal to create new and enforceable hammers and blades, tools to break into and limit, cut down the ways that modern corporations combine and align these days, in their many-tentacled efforts to undercut restraints, to shortcut public interest, and to betray the public trust. That's what antitrust is all about: are you doing business here, in this territory? Are you doing business here, with my people? Well then you shall do it in a way that does not harm them then!

Such an effort is more than justifiable: it is just. We have every right. The question is: do we have the will?

We could really use another T.R., I tell you. If America stood up and threw its shoulder behind a real modern-wave global-geared antitrust campaign, I am confident other nations would pitch in. All you'd need is for the biggest marketplaces to combine on some sensible antitrust measures, designed for the global age. I'm not saying we have to be the one to lead the charge, but it would sure be nice if we fucking could.

We used to do that shit all the time.

3 comments:

JMH said...

Right on! I'm in. I'll run for office if you do.

dogimo said...

No offense to either of us, but I don't think either of us is another T.R.!

dogimo said...

Wait a second.

If YOU ARE, then I'm behind you 100%! Okay if I don't put myself forward as a candidate? I'm more an ideas guy. I design demagoguery, I haven't got the "people knack" to put it across so people believe enough in the expertise and puissance of my proven façade. People don't want Donny or Priscilla Trueheart! They want someone who can get the job "done." Someone with a poker face, but with the aces of WHAT'S ACTUALLY RIGHT up their sleeve. A gallant scoundrel with a heart of gold! You know? Street-wise, but deep inside, kindness and tolerance for those weaker beings. Someone we can trust to rescue us. Someone we can trust to break the letter of their word, because we know and trust they're all-aboard when it comes to the spirit of the age, and what it means to us. Someone we can trust to care more than we do about shit gets done, and we'll trust them for how because one word: character.

We need a character. Someone who can put themselves across without putting us off. You're not going to throw all your hope in some off-putting dude!

Even if you know he's got the right ideas, you're going to be like "Man. This guy is not going to pull all the pieces and people together to make this pie-eating popularity contest that modern politics has become mesh fruitfully." And why should they?! That kind of trust has to be proven before it can be earned!

And for that, you have to see it. I just can't see it. Happening, I mean. My heart is a moth that has long since eaten through my sleeve, and escaped on its ill-starred trip to the moon. And I wish it well on its journey, but I've gone on-tangent here - what sort of office were you thinking of landing?