Journal GMontag's Journal: Forest Raping Orchid Thief 2
This as written a few years ago about one of my experiences at The University of Tennessee in the late 1980s.
The setting was at the cafeteria in the Student's Center with me sitting at a table load of Leftist Liberal Arts students and it was close in time to an election. That was in the days before that college was 'disguised' with the name "College of Arts and Sciences." The original is posted in "Things I have Learned Lately."
Several years ago I learned that the way to expand participation in US elections is by giving literacy tests.
This bit of intellectualosity was from a self-proclaimed Liberal and fellow college student, but he was getting a "real degree" of the BA persuasion. He was also upset that his trips to/from South America (he harvested orchids from the jungle and sold them in the USA) resulted in his being delayed by the authorities at customs while "the fascists in suits" were not bothered at all. For some reason he thought that I had something to do with that process and asked if I would tell "those guys" to pay more attention to the "fascists" in suits. Ed (03 Oct. 2006): Also, declaring living plants when entering the USA is an almost automatic full search.
Actually, I might have been wearing a flight suit that day because I was still an Army National Guard Aviator and frequently flew extra hours during the week. No matter, this fellow seemed to have the idea that everybody associated with any government activity (perhaps not the welfare agencies) was also in some secret club and we did whatever another random worker asked us to do.
His advocacy of literacy tests boiled down to his objection to the "ignorance" of the American People for not voting the same way he wanted to vote.
The 'forest raping orchid thief', as I nicknamed him later in the conversation, went on at length on how "political literacy tests" would "open the system" and give the "brighter" but amazingly (to him) unpopular candidates a "chance" at being elected. He also wanted to abolish the Electoral College.
I stated my position: I believed every citizen who has reached the age of majority should be allowed to vote, unless they are in prison for a felony, and felons should be allowed to vote once released from prison. He called me a liar and said no Conservative believed that, I must be a "closet Liberal." If responding today I would say: "You mean Liberal just like G. Gordon Liddy?"
When I pointed out to him that he was advocating an extension of the Electoral College idea down to the precinct level, i.e., the elites get the votes that count and probably write and grade the 'tests' too, he objected, then repeated his monologue about "political literacy tests" insisting that I did not understand him. I informed him that I heard and understood just fine the first time, I just did not agree with him. I suggested that he did not understand what he was advocating and adding hoops to the voting process never expands, it restricts.
As tempted as I was to model or diagram it for the 'forest raping orchid thief', I resisted as I got the impression that math and pictures might confuse him. In retrospect, that was probably a good choice as we were in a cafeteria and, as Ann Coulter likes to point out, Liberals tend to throw food to express their 'ideas'.
Continuing on, we discussed some of the candidates who were around at that time and I asked him whom he liked. I had never heard of the candidate, before or since (and have long forgotten who he mentioned). I asked if the candidate made it onto the ballot or if he was going to write the candidate in and he said "I am not going to vote for him because he has no chance."
He got his nickname a little later, when he was going on about "fascists" raping the landscape with their corporate farms.
Typical Elitist (Score:2)
Good article 'shooter'