Portland's Political Dysfunction

Portland, Oregon's mayor Sam Adams had sex with a young man a few years ago and lied about it before the election. The city is having a political/emotional/religious/moral epilepsy. It's even made nationwide news.

Now I'll be honest: I Like Sam Adams a lot. I met him once in my neighborhood. I walked down the street and chatted with him. While I was still voting, I cast one for him. I believe he is a good man.

People are calling for him to resign, others ask him to stay. I feel bad for Sam, sex life plastered on TV, reputation tarnished. But he's a politician, and this is the price of such a vocation: public life. The great irony is that a politician lied, which they are oft to do, and the people are ENRAGED! Ever heard of George W. Bush? Or Bill Clinton? Or Richard Nixon? And coming soon, Barack Obama?!

The whole issue is illustrative of one thing: the absurdity of the state. The notion that a man's private sex life with a consenting adult is an issue in the first place should set off alarms. But the fact that the state forces the citizenry to pay politicians creates a divisive social environment, wherein the people react to what should be a non-issue with passion and vehemence. It doesn't help that so many feel powerless against the leviathan of the state that their reaction to things on a local level becomes ever more brazen. The logic says that on a local level, we can fight more directly for or against those in power.

The picture becomes clear as we take a step back and look at what we are dealing with. The state is a violent, criminal organization which by its very nature divides the people against one another. Right now, in downtown Portland, protesting, are people who voted for the same president and are now divided amongst each other due to the actions of those in government.

If we are stolen from by the state, then we will naturally act out in defense or offense of those we elect. It's a natural response to an aggressive environment, and this whole, silly "scandal" is so clear and so obvious...that nobody will notice.