The Fires of the Righteous

           One of the most enduring memories I have of childhood is that of Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest the Vietnam War.  My oldest brother spent a year there as a nineteen year old; barely in my teens myself, I was acutely aware of the war and its consequences.  In addition to the images of the Detroit riots and Dr. King’s murder, those black-and-white pictures from T.V. and magazines of flames devouring those robed figures imprinted themselves on my brain and have yet to disappear.     The sacrifice of those monks ultimately proved futile, of course.  The war dragged on until 1975, and the conviction and faith of everyone touched by Vietnam was left in pieces by its wake. 

            Such devotion to righteousness always ends in destruction it seems, and it doesn’t matter what era we’re talking about.  Think of the upheaval we’ve experienced in recent years at the hands of radical politicians who are more interested in fanning the flames than finding a way to extinguish them.  The devil is in the details, so it is especially troublesome that many of us helped elect those overseers of destruction, swayed by their promises to embrace a pragmatism we understand and respect.

            So let me be blunt.  If your plan is to go into the voting booth on November 4 and vote for any candidate with an ‘R’ beside his or her name, you’d be as well off to buy a gallon of gasoline and drive to Lansing with the purpose of setting yourself on fire on the capitol steps. Seriously.  If you think the last few years have been tough, consider what Rick Snyder and Jase Bolger will do knowing that Snyder won’t have to face the electorate again.  Your devotion to righteousness may very well cost you your home, your child’s college education, or your pension.  While you’re busy rationalizing your vote in protest of your low-life, food-stamp-collecting, pot-smoking neighbor, Snyder and Bolger will very quietly pass another bill attacking your livelihood, sponsored by those friendly folks at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

            Rick Snyder does not deserve to be re-elected.  It’s that simple.  A vote for Snyder is a vote contrary to your best interests, the interests of your friends, and the interests of your family.  A vote for Rick Snyder is an act of self-immolation.  Save that gallon of gas for 2016.