WhatFinger


Members of our Imperial Congress, in their minds, have gone from being representatives of the people to becoming caretakers of the people. And without our caretakers how would we get along?

Newest Congressional Perk Comes with Sidearm



The lunatic that opened fire at Republicans practicing for the annual Congressional baseball game may have only succeeded in making Congress even more remote and detached from the lives of the people the members allegedly represent. Now the Washington Post reports panicky representatives “are traveling the halls of the Capitol — and the streets of their home towns — with security details.” The question is how do they justify the expenditure and the resulting imposition on the public?
Easy, they have an inflated estimate of their own worth. Members of our Imperial Congress, in their minds, have gone from being representatives of the people to becoming caretakers of the people. And without our caretakers how would we get along? In reality, every member of the House and the Senate is a public servant, no more important individually to the functioning of the Republic than the cop on the beat. It is only en masse that the individual politician starts to become a special case. While being short one representative out of a total 435 isn’t going to cripple the nation, losing them in bunches would be a symbolic loss with worldwide repercussions. That is why I reluctantly support the fortress–like atmosphere of the Capitol and House and Senate office buildings. We can’t always rely on the Flight 93 Militia to guard those buildings from attack. Individual members in their district and outside the government complex should not have “security details.” And the Capitol Police should have no role outside the federally controlled part of DC. Larger gatherings of elected officials and politicians who feel particularly threatened should ask for protection from local authorities.

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Otherwise one might get the impression the local police, that are good enough for the public that elects them, aren’t worthy to protect senators and representatives. However, there are other questions involved in this issue, too. Like who created this political environment and how should citizens expect politicians to respond? I have some ideas, but you’ll have to click the link below to explore them as you read the remainder of my Newmax.com column.


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Michael R. Shannon -- Bio and Archives

Michael R. Shannon (The Whole Shebang (mostly))  is a Virginia-based public relations and media consultant with MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations who has worked in over 75 elections on three continents and a handful of islands.


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