{"id":7396,"date":"2019-07-10T16:51:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7396"},"modified":"2019-07-19T18:00:38","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T18:00:38","slug":"a-reminder-im-an-independent-voter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=7396","title":{"rendered":"A reminder: “I’m an INDEPENDENT (Voter…)”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Emanuel<\/p>\n

Washington Crossing the Delaware<\/a> \u2013 before political parties could lift up “the unprincipled…”<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

I had an interesting conversation last May 2d, at a Saturday-afternoon soccer game.\u00a0 My Georgia niece’s husband – “nephew by marriage” – was sounding out my political views.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u0080\u009cThere\u00e2\u0080\u0099sHe’d been goaded by having read – under protest no doubt – the paperback version of my just-published e-book, No such thing as a Conservative Christian<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 (I’d given the two a copy of the paperback version for Christmas.)\u00a0 <\/i>He asked if I was conservative or liberal, and I gave him my standard answer – at the time.\u00a0 I said I was a “Contrarian,” which translates to something like “pissed-off moderate.”<\/p>\n

Then just the other day someone on Facebook called me a “liberal.”<\/p>\n

Which again threw me for a loop, temporarily.\u00a0 Being out of practice – away from home for three weeks in Israel, then two weeks on the road trip to Massachusetts – I was tempted to respond that I was a Moderate<\/em>.\u00a0 The problem is that these days that sounds wishy-washy.\u00a0 I also thought of pointing out that I’m a fiscal conservative but a social liberal.\u00a0 (“Like most real <\/strong>Americans,” I added.<\/em>\u00a0 It seems you have to be a bit “over the top” on Facebook these days.)<\/i>\u00a0 Then too – somewhere between last May and now – I toyed with the idea of calling myself a “seeker-after-truth.”\u00a0 But that<\/em><\/strong> sounds a bit pompous.<\/p>\n

So as it turns out, none of the three answers I toyed with sounded right, until I remembered a post that I did two years ago – for July 4th – called The Independent Voter<\/a>.\u00a0 That post noted the growing number of Independent Voters<\/a>\u00a0in this country.\u00a0 That is, “those voters who don\u2019t align with either major political party, Republican or Democrat:”<\/p>\n

An independent is variously defined as a voter<\/a> who votes for candidates and issues rather than on the basis of a\u00a0political ideology<\/a> or partisanship<\/a>;\u00a0 a voter who does not have long-standing loyalty to, or identification with, a political party<\/a>;\u00a0 a voter who does not usually vote for the same political party from election<\/a> to election;\u00a0\u00a0or a voter who self-describes as an independent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To me, the problem with both Conservatives and<\/em><\/strong> Liberals is that they both have a “one size fits all”\u00a0set of standard answers for all of life\u2019s problems.\u00a0 They each have a preconceived notion of “What is Truth.”\u00a0 And so – rather than digging out the real<\/em> Truth – they try ever<\/em><\/strong> so hard to find answers to all of life’s problems in a pre-boxed set of canned answers.\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

On the other hand, there is that quote from Virgil<\/a>, “Fortunate is he who understands the cause<\/em> <\/strong>of things.”\u00a0 In other words, the one who understands why things happen.\u00a0 In that way he is much better prepared to keep Reality from coming up and biting him on the ass!<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 (Metaphorically or otherwise.)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0And that – to me – is the big difference between an Independent and either a Conservative or Liberal.\u00a0 An Independent wants to find the real<\/em> <\/strong>truth…<\/p>\n

Then too there was my post from June 2017, Last year at this time<\/a>.\u00a0 It noted that Independent Voters \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u201cwho don\u2019t align with either major political party\u201d \u2013 could well have taken their cue from\u00a0Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/a>: \u00a0\u201cWhoso would be a man, must be a\u00a0nonconformist<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which also makes for the biggest problem<\/em> we Independents Voters always face:<\/p>\n

\u201cOne must always choose the lesser of two weevils!\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

The point is:\u00a0 Life isn’t “black and white,” the way ardent liberals and conservatives alike believe.\u00a0 Everyday life is full or gray areas, as noted in Learning to see things grey<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Turns out that life is full of grey situations.\u00a0 Life is full of uncertainty.\u00a0 Full of situations that are neither “Yes” nor “No,” but subject to one of the\u00a0endless variables in that grey area between black and white.\u00a0 As humans, we are limited by our subjective perspectives…\u00a0 Given this limitation,\u00a0not everything can fit into one of our neat little boxes<\/strong> that we have in our minds and with which we would like to interpret all the situations we encounter in our lives.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it’s those “neat little boxes” that Conservatives and Liberals alike turn to, for solutions to all<\/em> <\/strong>of life’s problems.\u00a0 Or maybe I just don’t trust canned responses<\/a>, “predetermined responses to common questions.”\u00a0 Which is why – at one point over the past few years – I considered “Contrarian” to be the best label for me and what I believe.<\/p>\n

See for example, ‘Mi Dulce\u2019 \u2013 and Donald Trump \u2013 made me a Contrarian<\/a>:<\/p>\n

I think I was pre-disposed to become a Contrarian. \u00a0For one thing, I was a\u00a0public defender<\/a>\u00a0for 24 years \u2013 before I retired \u2013 so I got used to saying things people didn\u2019t like to hear. \u00a0For another, I like the idea of a\u00a0\u201cDevil\u2019s advocate<\/a>,\u201d which is one of the\u00a0\u201csee alsos\u201d in the\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0article on\u00a0<\/strong>Contrarians<\/a>…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But as I found out, in its original meaning a \u201cDevil\u2019s advocate\u201d did holy<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0work.\u00a0 He too was a “seeker after truth,” albeit with a much more memorable title.\u00a0 See for example Contrarian \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>, with a link included therein on \u201cDevil\u2019s advocate<\/a>:\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The\u00a0Advocatus Diaboli<\/b><\/i>\u00a0\u2026 was formerly an official position within the Catholic Church; \u00a0one who \u201cargued against the\u00a0canonization<\/a>\u00a0(sainthood<\/a>) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation evidence favoring canonization.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, the job of the Advocatus Diaboli<\/em> was to find the truth, which was the same thing Superman<\/a> came to stand for.\u00a0 (See Truth, Justice, and the American Way – Wikipedia<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The problem is, going after the real<\/em><\/strong> truth – the “whole truth and nothing but the truth<\/a>” – can often get you into a lot of trouble.\u00a0 For example, there’s the Social gadfly<\/a> concept.\u00a0 That term refers to a person “who interferes with the status quo<\/a> of a society<\/a> or community<\/a> by posing novel, potentially upsetting<\/em><\/strong> questions, usually directed at authorities.”<\/p>\n

Then too finding<\/em><\/strong> the truth is just half the problem.\u00a0 Then you have to make it comprehensible.\u00a0 There’s a lot of “truth” that’s largely beyond the comprehension of many Americans.\u00a0 (Especially those who need persuading that Donald Trump is “less than meets the eye.”)<\/em><\/p>\n

Which is – as it turns out – just the problem that Moses, Paul and Jesus all had to face.\u00a0 (And Socrates as well, as shown at right.)\u00a0<\/em> They all had to “dumb it down” and – in my view – do so mostly for the more conservative among us, then and now.\u00a0 Or as Colin Powell put it:\u00a0 “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers<\/em><\/strong>, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.”<\/p>\n

Even conservatives…<\/p>\n

So anyway, Plato<\/a> used the term “gadfly” to describe Socrates<\/a>‘s relationship with the people around him and of his time.\u00a0 He was an “uncomfortable goad* to the Athenian<\/a> political scene, which he compared to a slow and dimwitted horse.”<\/p>\n

Which sounds pretty appropriate these days as well.<\/p>\n

And that brings up another problem.\u00a0 We know what happened to Socrates<\/a>, “in his defense<\/a> when on trial for his life.*”\u00a0 For that matter, something similar happened to Jesus when He too tried to “shake things up” and help His disciples resist the ongoing temptation to turn too<\/em><\/strong> conservative.\u00a0 The point is, if you are neither<\/em> <\/strong>a conservative nor a liberal, you don’t have a ready-made set of allies to back you up in a bar fight, metaphoric or otherwise.<\/p>\n

“It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.”<\/p>\n

But at the very least I have this:\u00a0 If anybody asks, I now know what to call myself…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Daniel Webster<\/a>\u00a0argues against the Devil…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy\u00a0of\u00a0Washington Crossing the Delaware \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0 The quote is from\u00a0Quote by Washington<\/a>:\u00a0<\/em> \u201cHowever [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely … to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled<\/strong> men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.\u201d\u00a0 (Can you say\u00a0prescient<\/a>?)\u00a0 Then too, Washington could well be the first “independent voter.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The “No conservative Christian” image is from\u00a0Amazon.com: Kindle eBooks: Kindle Store<\/a>.\u00a0 The link in the text will take you to the paperback version.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: The\u00a0Virgil<\/a> quote.\u00a0 See Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas – Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0 From Verse 490 of Book 2 of the “Georgics<\/a>” (29 BC), by the Latin poet Virgil<\/a> (70 – 19 BC), the phrase is variously translated.\u00a0 For example, John Dryden<\/a> – (1631-1700) the English poet, literary critic<\/a>, translator, and playwright who became England’s first Poet Laureate<\/a> – translated it: “Happy the Man, who, studying Nature’s Laws, \/ Thro’ known Effects can trace the secret Cause.”\u00a0 (In other words, the direct opposite of the person who says “fake news” at every bit of information he or she can’t handle…)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The “lesser of two weevils” image is\u00a0courtesy of\u00a0pinterest.com<\/a>. \u00a0See also\u00a0Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World \u2013 YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0Lesser of Two Evils \u2013 TV Tropes<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Reader Opinion: Clinton v Trump and \u201cthe lesser of two\u00a0weevils<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Master and Commander: A Movie Review \u2013 Maccabee Society<\/a><\/em>, and\/or\u00a0Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 “Mi Dulce” and me being a Contrarian.\u00a0 I must admit that there was also a bit of “getting her goat” with such a label, as explained in\u00a0Phrase Finder<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

A commonly repeated story \u2026 is that goats were placed with racehorses to keep them calm. When ne\u2019er-do-wells who wanted the horse to race badly removed it, that is, they \u2018got someone\u2019s goat,’ [and] the horse became unsettled and ran badly.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

For an alternate theory, see\u00a0Definition of get (one\u2019s) goat\u00a0\u2013 Online Slang Dictionary<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As to the grey – or gray – areas in life, I Googled “real life gray areas” and got almost 11 million results.\u00a0 Of related interest see Debate Quotes \u2013 BrainyQuote<\/a><\/em>, and\/or Quote by Ren\u00e9 Descartes: \u201cIf you would be a real seeker<\/a>:\u00a0 \u201cIf you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 Truth, justice and the American way.\u00a0 An opposing view, Truth, Justice, or<\/strong> the American Way – LELA<\/a>.\u00a0 Or for a very long and convoluted – but intriguing – analysis, Truth, Justice, and the American Way | Alternative to AARP<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 Among other things, it noted, “After World War II, Superman\u2019s foster Dad reminded his son that he must use his super powers ‘in the interest of truth, tolerance, and justice,’ and also that “personal liberty demands personal responsibility.\u00a0 Liberty and Responsibility go hand in hand.”\u00a0 From a rough reading I’d say that author too is a bit of Contrarian…<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Cambridge English Dictionary<\/a>\u00a0says that to “goad” someone is to “make a\u00a0person<\/a>\u00a0or an\u00a0animal<\/a>\u00a0react<\/a>\u00a0or do something by\u00a0continuously<\/a>\u00a0annoying<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0upsetting<\/a>\u00a0them.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Socrates, and how he ended up.\u00a0 He was tried and convicted of “both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of\u00a0impiety<\/a>\u00a0(asebeia,\u00a0‘not believing in the gods of the state’),\u00a0and as a punishment sentenced to death, caused by the drinking of a mixture containing\u00a0poison hemlock<\/a>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

One of Socrates’s purported offenses to the city was his position as a social and moral critic. Rather than upholding a status quo and accepting the development of what he perceived as immorality … Socrates questioned the collective notion of “might makes right…”\u00a0 Plato refers to Socrates as the “gadfly<\/a>” of the state (as the gadfly stings the horse into action, so Socrates stung various Athenians), insofar as he irritated some people with considerations of justice and the pursuit of goodness.\u00a0 His attempts to improve the Athenians’s sense of justice may have been the cause of his execution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The lower image is courtesy of Lawsuits against the Devil – Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0 The full caption, “Daniel Webster<\/a>\u00a0argues on behalf of a plaintiff while the Devil whispers into the judge’s ear.”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington Crossing the Delaware \u2013 before political parties could lift up “the unprincipled…” * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * I had an interesting conversation last May 2d, at a Saturday-afternoon soccer game.\u00a0 My Georgia niece’s husband – “nephew by marriage” – was sounding out my political views. He’d been goaded by having read – […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7396"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8575,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396\/revisions\/8575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}