Anarchistic Patriotism

By David Kessler

A thought I circulated to friends via email, as evaluations of the 2000 presidential election began coming in.

Friends have been forwarding election news bulletins to me by email, many of them noting election day difficulties.  Beyond the basic stories of voter confusion over butterfly ballots, are far more stories from various states of people who tried in vain to get assistance from polling place staffers - Polling station staff themselves confused by ballots and unable to reach their central offices for support - Ballots running out in many counties in various states - People waiting for hours and being turned away without getting a chance to vote - Many who did vote but had their ballots mysteriously disappear only to be found later in a hotel room or a car...

And yet only a fraction of the American people voted.  What would have happened if MORE people had voted?  I'll tell you what: the system would have been so overloaded it would have broken down to an even greater extent.  Our country's philosophy encourages mass participation, but logistically we don't seem at all prepared for this to actually happen.

The lesson is clear: If you believe that our system is bad, if you believe in throwing a monkey wrench into the government, causing it to grind to a screeching halt, if you believe in anarchy... VOTE!!

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