Career politicians grapple with the politics of political perpetuation
By Derek Joy
Check this out. . .
Career politicians seem to perpetually create buzz words to add a bit of flare to the mundane world of politics.
Hold on a minute. Before going into their bag of holiday tricks, take a short journey through the world of high school football competition as a comparative point.
As some might say, the luck of the draw prevented South Florida – Broward and Miami Dade Counties – from near domination of the eight categories assigned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).
Jacksonville University Christian defeated Dade Christian, 28-10, to win the State Class 2A championship. Miami Jackson was stopped by Immokalee, 29-21, to advance to the Class 5A finals this weekend in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.
And that was the site of Booker T. Washington’s 35-7 win over Jacksonville Boles to capture its second state championship since the school re-opened as a high school in 1999.
Ironically, when the FHSAA Playoff system began in 1963, the Tornadoes and other Black American high schools were excluded. In fact, Northwestern won the Black American championship at the end of the season with a 19-6, victory over Carter Parramore High School (Quincy, Fla.)
And now, South Florida has the opportunity to see three more state championships this weekend when Class 8A Weston Cypress Bay, Class 7A St. Thomas Aquinas and Class 6A Miami Central hit the Citrus Bowl turf in state finals.
Cypress Bay faces Tallahassee Lincoln, St. Thomas squares off against Apopka and Miami Central takes on Gainesville. A sweep this weekend gives South Florida four state championships – two each in Broward and Miami Dade Counties.
Here’s cheering the youngsters on.
You see, athletic competitions are won by the team scoring the most points. Politics, however; see, political races are won by the candidate receiving the highest number of votes. And political legislation/decisions are enacted with a majority of the votes in a particular body politic.
And that’s what happened, much to the chagrin of Rev. Gary Wayne Thompson, at St. Mark M.B. Church in Liberty City.
Yep. St. Mark’s Board of Trustees, who earlier this year installed Thompson as pastor to replace Rev. Joseph Williams, who died last year, voted to oust him.
Just like that, Thompson, amid speculation that he will now sue the church for wrongful termination, or for similar reasons, was kicked to the ministerial curb. And it was done as Jewish faithful celebrate Hanukkah and Christians see Christmas on the horizon.
Why, you reckon, as Langston Hughes titled one of his memorable short stories? Good question, at a time like this. Sure seems like adding insult to injury to make a man of God appear unworthy during the holiday season.
Curiously, that is precisely how the career politicians in the nation’s Capitol are treating the American citizenry: Like unworthy members of this democratic society.
And their sole purpose is reflected in greedy grabs at the power of self perpetuation. Surely, one can see the path from political gamesmanship, to playing a game of chicken, to flirting with a plunge from the fiscal cliff.
Certainly, these scoundrels can see the mandates of the voting public. Without a doubt, they realize that long suffering Americans will send an even stronger message when election time comes again.
Too bad their scurrilous deeds don’t conform with rules of sports where winners are determined by the highest score.
