I am not an expert on the History of the Roman Republic. But what I do know leads me to believe that I would never have gotten along with Marcus Porcious Cato The Elder and, (which is basically to say the same thing in a different way) if Marcus Porcious Cato was alive today-- he would have been a neo-con.
Thus, it may seem odd that I would turn to Cato as inspiration in the fight to save H.520....the Vermont Energy Bill.
(The Vermont Legislature passed H.520, Governor Jim Douglas has Vetoed it...and it's going to take a lot of work on everyone's part to help the Vermont Legislature rise to the occasion and Override the Veto..."Ed's" post on GMD is a great summary of the issues involved.)
However, Cato the Elder was nothing if not single minded, and like him or hate him, his single-minded approach lead to results. Having decided that the Rome's rival city-state, Carthage, constituted a major threat to the Republic, Cato developed a single minded obsession with that city.
He therefore ended every single speech, no matter what the topic, with the phrase: "Delenda est Carthago"- which means: Carthage must be destroyed.
And so his speeches would sound something like this: "....and so we must implement this agricultural policy...AND CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED."
Eventually, Cato's single-mindedness paid off, and Carthage was literally wiped off the face of the earth.
Why tell this story? Simple...I would like to propose that Vermont's liberal blogging community adopt a similar tactic between now and the July vote to override the Governor's Veto of H.520....
...write about whatever you want...but somewhere in each post...don't forget to mention "...AND H. 520 MUST BE PASSED."
You could even write in Latin if you want...but, like George W. Bush, I’m not sure if there is a Latin word for "Veto".
At any rate, I hope you have a great weekend...and H.520 MUST BE PASSED.
Please Note: This post appeared, in slightly different form, at Green Mountain Daily and H.520 Must be Passed.
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2 comments:
This bill gives environmentalists a reason to support the production of nuclear waste. No more nuclear waste, no more funding for the environmental law. It's too ironic to pass.
I dunno....gotta start somewhere...Nuclear is not my favorite...but, man, I'm thinking it might beat oil...and also, Entergy needs to pay the same tax wind producers do...right now it's lower.
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