Food fight!!
In case you've been preoccupied with something more substantial, say, work, we present to you the latest legislative deliberations of the Ukrainian parliament.
This has happened there before, as any half-decent Googling effort will show you. And it has happened elsewhere including, as I recall, Italy and Taiwan. It hasn't happened in the US of A since 1856.
Maybe that's our problem. Those who follow that link will note that the food fight and fisticuffs ended with the parliament actually passing legislation. How often does that happen in Congress these days, at least relative to the number of pressing bills before the two houses? Possibly we should encourage similar behaviour in our legislators? For instance, today a Republican Senator called a hold on banking reform legislation. Considering the mood of the country, that gesture has to rank high in the annals of political suicide. One assumes the Republican Senators up for re-election hope that the banks can buy enough voters to overcome this moment of lunacy. They forget that a century ago, when Senators were last so obviously owned by banks and industry, they weren't directly elected: It was much cheaper to buy Senators then.
But suppose some diligent Democrat had flung a rotten egg or custard pie at his or her distinguished colleague? Suppose the Republican had riposted with a cold cup of coffee? It's easy to imagine the possibilities here, and we should be grateful that the Ukrainian parliament has shown us the way to vent all this spleen and still pass laws.
Note: I have read a modest amount of the history of Ukraine, and I suggest that anyone who doesn't understand the rancour do the same. We have a mere 220 years of political pissing contests behind us. Ukraine has a long and sorrowful history as the pull toy of more powerful neighbours, six or seven hundred years at least. Those who feel strongly about many of the issues the Ukrainian parliament must debate have every reason to do so.
All the same, I suggest sending a dozen eggs to your Senators, Congresspeople, and state legislators. Send them parcel post so they'll be nice and ripe on arrival. Then let the games begin.
This has happened there before, as any half-decent Googling effort will show you. And it has happened elsewhere including, as I recall, Italy and Taiwan. It hasn't happened in the US of A since 1856.
Maybe that's our problem. Those who follow that link will note that the food fight and fisticuffs ended with the parliament actually passing legislation. How often does that happen in Congress these days, at least relative to the number of pressing bills before the two houses? Possibly we should encourage similar behaviour in our legislators? For instance, today a Republican Senator called a hold on banking reform legislation. Considering the mood of the country, that gesture has to rank high in the annals of political suicide. One assumes the Republican Senators up for re-election hope that the banks can buy enough voters to overcome this moment of lunacy. They forget that a century ago, when Senators were last so obviously owned by banks and industry, they weren't directly elected: It was much cheaper to buy Senators then.
But suppose some diligent Democrat had flung a rotten egg or custard pie at his or her distinguished colleague? Suppose the Republican had riposted with a cold cup of coffee? It's easy to imagine the possibilities here, and we should be grateful that the Ukrainian parliament has shown us the way to vent all this spleen and still pass laws.
Note: I have read a modest amount of the history of Ukraine, and I suggest that anyone who doesn't understand the rancour do the same. We have a mere 220 years of political pissing contests behind us. Ukraine has a long and sorrowful history as the pull toy of more powerful neighbours, six or seven hundred years at least. Those who feel strongly about many of the issues the Ukrainian parliament must debate have every reason to do so.
All the same, I suggest sending a dozen eggs to your Senators, Congresspeople, and state legislators. Send them parcel post so they'll be nice and ripe on arrival. Then let the games begin.
posted by Uncle | 23:35
1 Comments:
Im all for it! Sell tickets or make it pay-per-view and BINGO- there goes the deficit! Or, thats how we can pay for health care. Hmmm....
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