Rhinocrisy

Yesterday, as peace rallies raged in many cities and here in San Francisco, sexy booties started to shake at the Love Parade, I went swimming in the Bay. At my club, which is one of the last bastions of old-school Irish San Francisco, I was in the sauna with an old Navy veteran and an old cop, both of them some of the more conservative people I know, and I think both Bush voters.

They were ripshit about the war on terror. They don’t see it going anywhere. The immediate incitementof their anger was that today is their annual Golden Gate Bridge swim. An annual event for 74 years in which a bunch of local San Franciscans who love their city go out and celebrate a landmark — incidentally, protecting it with their presence. But since 9/11, they have had to get a special permit; the feds require a federal cop to be stationed under the bridge during the swim. These clubmates of mine find it infuriating that the war on terror is costing everybody money and freedom — and New Orleans has showed them clearly that the sacrifices have been for nothing.

I didn’t go to the peace rally. I think rallies are great when you have an underdog position that you need to share however you can, but I don’t see the point once 65% of the country agrees with you. When the old Irish guys at the rowing club are against Bush, you’ve won — that’s when it’s time to move to Phase II.

What the hell is our Phase II? We accuse Bush of mishandling the occupation of Iraq, but we’re mishandling the occupation of America. I’m worried that as peak oil drags the economy into a permanent gutter, and mistrust is rightly high against the feds, we’ve opened the door for demagogues.

Here’s a goofy, un-hashed-out idea that I think could get some legs. Why not a shadow government? Taxes in this country are uniquely low, and public services are as well. I’d like to see a group of us start to pay taxes into an alternative government where we hash out a more democratic constitution, overtly protect all the rights we think need protecting, and then start electing leaders with free and fair elections. The taxes can go toward public services, maybe starting with education and criminal justice. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to call a cop without feeling like you’re just feeding the beast? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to send kids to a public school that got decent funding and public support?

I realize that this idea might sound elitist, but I don’t see it that way. I think anyone should be able to join, and pay truly progressive taxes — poor folks should be able to join for almost no money. Rich folks can pay into this system rather than paying private school tuition.

Of course, it would be suicide to call it a government, or taxes. It would just be a voluntary association of democratic-minded people, paying dues.

I don’t think the infrastructure exists yet to make such an ambition happen across class, language, race, and geographic lines. Any thoughts?

PS: Right after posting this, I see that the feds have already put out the call for private philanthropy to fund the Iraq adventure. Unsurprisingly, nobody’s kickin down nothing. And yet people routinely toss down donations to environmental groups, to private school tuition, and to other private groups that pick up the public good when government drops the ball. This makes me think even more that a replacement government would be inherently more peaceful — people don’t want to pay for war.