Choices

“’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.” – Lewis Carroll (from the Jabberwocky)

So much nonsense afflicts the world these days.  Might as well address some of it head-on.

I know it is de rigueur for people to say how much local elections matter.  That said, a councilperson will not send me or my loved ones into combat; nor will a Columbia village board “election” have a significant impact on my pocketbook. Neither will have a profound impact on the political zeitgeist in which we are all, apparently, held captive…at least until we manage to break the doors down.

Nationally, I deem it likely that Howie Hawkins is a swell ‘fella. And you have to admire Jerry Segal’s decision to name his nascent grouping the Bread and Roses Party.  That said, the times are too serious and the presumptive GOP nominee too menacing for the Left to play the “let’s make the ideal the bitter enemy of the good-enough.”  Biden is not perfect, but any rational left-of-center voter needs to gently place their figurative or literal patchouli oil down and cast their ballot for “Uncle Joe.”  Yes, I am speaking to my dear comrades on this one. Remember, it’s not about you, or me, it’s us…and, pardon the grammatical turn, we need Biden to win in 2020 so we can create an environment more favorable for our candidates in 2022 and beyond…

In Howard County, I remain pleased that my Jen Mallo for HoCo Board of Education sign has endured the storm winds.  Tough, resilient, and unbreakable, am I talking about the sign or candidate?  You decide.

Finally, I urge all of my Oakland Mills readers to take a good look at what is happening with their village election.  I strongly encourage my friends to the east to vote for both Kennedys (Lena for Columbia Council Representative and Ian for the Village Board) and against Larry Pretlow (a current Board member, a former Democrat who ran for the state legislature in the spring of 2018 before backing Republican office-seekers in the fall, and a semi-announced candidate for the County Council for 2022).  The Columbia Association Board and the Oakland Mills Village Board are, essentially, civic advocacy groups.  This means you want people who think first about the greater public good and not those who have self-aggrandizing tendencies or their own narrow (and shifting) personal self-interests.  

So, for those mailing in their ballots, please remember:

Vote FOR the two Kennedys.  Do NOT vote for Pretlow.

It's time to move past the nonsense.

In solidarity.