|
"Citizen--there is a term
whose past is glorious and revolutionary. This term designates a person
who
cannot be governed without, in some clever manner, giving him the
impression that he is governing himself.
To create this impression among the governed is the end product of a
specialized and absorbing labor: politics.
In reality, the idea of a citizen governing himself has always been a
myth." --Ludvik Vaculik, 1967
What to do with 9/11? The
date is significant but there seems no consensus on the proper
observance. Reverend Rich Lang of Trinity United
thought it would be a good time to call for government and press
accountability to the citizenry and proposed a general strike, student
walkout, and picketing of commercial media. At first I thought this
would be a good idea, but in the end I boarded my usual morning bus
packed with people on the way to their jobs and worked my butt off on a
Tuesday much like the Tuesday 6 years ago--sunny
with clear blue skies, the only difference being planes continued to
fly, helping to color
the horizon. After work, John, Josh and I went down to the strip in
Alki where tricked out lowriders were cruising, people on Rollerblades
pushed babystrollers, and a large crowd was gathered on the beach
bopping along as a big band played happy tunes and a fireboat arced 4
streams of water high in the air. Neither protest nor solemn occasion,
it seemed the day was chosen for a celebration and rededication of a
newly refurbished miniature Statue of Liberty. It's important to
remember liberty, especially because since 9/11 it is more a concept
than a practice among a populace that is cowed, complacent, and
distracted--myself way included.
|