Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

I would have posted this for publication last week, but Sunday was, well, April Fools Day, and this is serious subject matter to be considered here.

Politicians need to learn their place, and stick to it.

Too often, they see themselves as “shepherds” of the general population, and that same population as “sheep” to be herded, fattened up, slaughtered and sheared as the “shepherds” see fit.

And so we have modern political campaigns, as various factions of “shepherds” compete for the favor and attention of the “flock.”

Thus, my proposal is as follows—

Anyone newly elected or appointed to public office should be required to first complete a performance akin to that of the fictional British Prime Minister Michael Callow in the Black Mirror episode “The National Anthem”.

Specifically—they should be required to have sexual intercourse with a livestock animal on live television before taking office.

Political Classholes of the Muslim and Jewish persuasions should be required to do the deed with pigs, just as Hindu applicants should be required to get their groove on with a bull or cow.

Don’t like it, Classholes?

Fine, then—walk away and decline to be seated as a public official.

Otherwise, if you want a “career path” of screwing over the Great Unwashed, it seems only fair and proper that you should get a taste of what it’s like before you’re enthroned in public office.

ALWAYS remember Lord Acton’s postulate from 1887. NO ONE, regardless of partisan affiliation, professed beliefs, office held, whatever, is immune to this—

I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. That is the point at which the negation of Catholicism and the negation of Liberalism meet and keep high festival, and the end learns to justify the means.
—John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, Letter to Mandell Creighton (5 April 1887)
(Parts in BOLD type are as found in the Wikiquote article)

And who knows? Maybe the Political Classwipes might actually enjoy this particular prerequisite to taking office?

 

Copyright © 2017 Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.