[pf] Donella Meadows' comment on the election

by Fitzsimmons, Diane

12 December 2000 20:55 UTC

The full column is at
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen121100.stm

One for the History Books 
Will election 2000 lead to reform or not? 

by Donella Meadows 
11 Dec 2000 

 The crowds demonstrating outside Florida courtrooms  and counting rooms
have been reminding me of the  historical opera "Boris Godounov." It opens
with peasants milling about, waiting to find out who will be their next
czar. Every now and then a handler comes out and whips them up to yell for
Boris, who is not the rightful successor. The music reinforces the ominous
tone of                  corruption.

 Noisy crowds should not influence vote counts or court decisions. The
constantly repeated query "are Americans getting tired of this yet?" is
ominous, when the real question is "for whom did Americans really vote?"
There is no noble reason to suppress, delay, or
disqualify the careful recounting of disputed votes.

 Generations from now, when present passions are  spent, when George W. Bush
is only a historic name like Boris Godounov, when the facts are viewed in
the cool light of history, the U.S. 2000 election will be presented as a
drama of corruption, small and large. Small partisan shenanigans in Florida.
Large cracks in the political process that elevated two candidates so evenly
unlikable                           that small-scale corruption could swing
the outcome...