A new republic

I went to another political meeting. I know I shouldn’t, or at least needn’t, and I went anyway because I keep hoping that the sorry state of all levels of government is fixable and that we won’t continue shlumping along with goons looking under our clothes for signs of happiness.

When I went to the tea party meeting a few weeks ago, I was hoping that I’d find a bunch of smart people of good will and that we’d stride into a future of benign, transparent, unobtrusive government and leave the police state without a constituency. Not quite. So when I heard about a meeting in Paradise of the Butte County Assembly of the Republic for California, I went.

At the meeting, after we sang “America, the Beautiful,” they asked first and often if anybody wanted to sign up to be a citizen of the Republic for California, although most of us were there to find out what was going on and weren’t looking to sign up for anything, especially with the required thumbprint. One of their senators was there, along with the secretary of state and the sheriff from the Placer County assembly.

The sheriff made himself the main speaker by talking on and on, first about how we should think of the existing de facto—in facto—government in this building and the Republic creating a corresponding de jure—in law—government in that building that can assume responsibility when the old de facto government collapses, and it will be collapsing. The Bible says so, and love, joy and peace await us when the Republic is born. I raised my hand to ask for clarification, but he didn’t call on me.

A few of the people there had been to tea party meetings and thought the Republic for California sounded like a better idea. I think it doesn’t matter who occupies the new 50-story building if it’s just like the old 50-story building with the asbestos in the walls and mold in the vents. A corporate president is a corporate president, as we can plainly see. The whole idea of a presidency and legislatures warrants discussion, and neither the Republic for California nor the Chico Tea Party Patriots seems interested in that much change. Sissies.

The Republic at least tries to tell soldiers the truth about exploitation of the military in behalf of capitalism. We can’t get much done if they’re shooting at us, and they will shoot at us unless we have a better story than Unca Bubba. No goons, no problem.