Letter from the Editor: Decision 2016
Ho Lin
Dear Citizens,
We have once again arrived at the moment in our societal and
governmental cycle in which we must ____________________________. Take
a moment and let the thought of this task take hold. Consider the
concept of it, the necessity. In these benighted times, it would be
easy to float down the easy stream of cynicism -- to ignore this task,
or take it lightly. With our faith in this country and its institutions
at an all-time low, what possible value could be gained by
_______________________? Just the idea of it seems like a bad joke by a
talk-show host, the kind of snideness that allows us to maintain the
proper jaded distance. [We won't call it millennial, they've taken far
too much abuse already.]
But
make no mistake: our inattention, our lack of participation, our ennui,
can only doom us to more of the same. If you are comfortable living in
a world in which _________________________________, then it could be
said that you are part of the scenery, if not part of the problem. In
fact, if you are satisfied with your lot and the direction in which
this nation is headed, perhaps it would be best if you did not
_____________________. Politics is for the believers, the activists,
the smooth operators and the fanatics. To extract the most satisfaction
from the process, it must be entrenched in your soul, marinated and
slow-cooked over the span of your entire life. What we require are
citizens who love freedom more than life itself, who understand what is
at stake and are prepared to do their utmost.
Let us be
clear on another matter here -- while there can only be one entirely
correct answer to the issue of _________________________, we must not
demonize the opposition's point of view. [Our opponent is another
matter entirely -- it is clear that because of __________________ and
_____________________, they are unfit to ___________________.] This
country has a grand tradition of listening to all opinions,
deliberating over them with due severity, and then discarding wrong
ones with powerful dispatch. Most importantly, we mustn't dawdle or
backtrack. Right is right and wrong is wrong, even if the wrong are
wrong. Thus, we fully support ___________________________ and trust
that you will do the same.
Speaking of wrong, we need not
remind you what will happen if the majority of this country (or to be
more specific, a subset of the majority, once we get past the usual
gerrymandering and groupings of random people into strategically
conglomerated blocs, all the better to ensure an easier path to the
correct result) should decide to ____________________. It would not be
overexaggeration to say that calamity, chaos, and the end of
civilization as we know it would occur. More precisely, we would
continue down our current path, which amounts to the same thing. The
significance of this moment cannot be underplated. You must
____________________________ or else the consequences are such that we
will not be able to walk away from this, like one could walk away from
a poker table after losing a modest amount of chips, while still
retaining enough cash for the bus ride home.
So the decision
is clear. Either we ________________________________ or we
___________________________. Either this great nation will be
rehabilitated and we will reclaim our rightful place in the world, or
we court imminent disaster. As you deliberate on your choice, we
recommend you take the time to peruse the contents of this journal,
which will aid in your thought process. We hope that you will take a
few moments to commemorate one of our own with some heartfelt tributes
to the late Adelle Foley. And after you have fully digested all the
poetry, prose and media herein, remember: Nothing is more important
than ___________________________, and in our humble, considered
opinion, the correct course of action is ____________________________.
Take pride in your participation in the process, and God bless
______________.
Ho Lin is co-editor of Caveat Lector. More of his work can be read at www.holin.us, and his film criticism can be found at www.camera-roll.com.