befuddled
(bɪˈfʌdəld)
adj
1. confused, muddled, perplexed
2. stupefied with drink
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
It seems as if we’ve become a nation of befuddled individuals. As the Free Dictionary[1] says we are either confused, muddled, perplexed or just drunk. I have my opinions as to why this is, and they’ve been shared in the past so I won’t bore you with reasoning since we seem incapable of accepting any reason other than our own.
As I watch the political theater, which is now our politics du jour I am deeply saddened to see the concepts of our founders are now in such peril and we invariably sink into slander and ad hominem attacks when we are losing the debate. The performances of the minority Senators at the Kavanaugh hearings are clear examples of tantrums rather than reason.
Now Senator Feinstein has played the Anita Hill card, having reached back into the Judge's High School years to prove he is not an honorable man. Soon it will move to the grade school years and inevitably become a question of whether or not a candidate had the right parents. An idea that was critical in government some 200 years ago or so, but a concept we moved past at our creation.
I wonder, how long before we completely reject the idea of due process and just insist on “Trial by Combat?” When will we return to a time where dueling is fashionable? Wouldn’t it be a lot more dramatic for TV news if the minority party leader had to fight the appointee to block a nomination? Of course, as the challenged the appointee should get to choose the weapon, with certain given limits. For example, liberal appointees could never choose a semi-automatic weapon, while libertarians or conservatives could. It would make for great theater and become classic TV. Besides, I think Star Trek proposed this in one of its earliest shows, so it has to be the right thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment