I got the chance this weekend to watch one of my favorite movies, V for Vendetta. It's got all the action and thrill I love along with a strong libertarian message I can't resist. This weekend also marks the 405th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot to which the entire movie/comic is loosely based. The movie's famous poem calls the people of London to remember what V does on the 5th of November, but I think the focus should be on what happens the days following.
Now that the election results are in I can't help but appreciate the outcome. Not because Republicans won. Not even because of my appreciation for divided government. I like that the election restored fear, not to the people, to the government. I got a chance to attend the Daily Show rally in D.C. a couple of weeks ago and got to see hundreds of thousands of Americans rally for sanity (and comedy). I won't go into the rally itself, but here and here are two great takeaways from friends.
I will however compare Stewart's desire for sanity with the call to action in V for Vendetta. The terrorist V commits acts of violence to create fear, but unlike Colbert's push to "keep fear alive" for citizens, V wants to keep "governments afraid of their people". That is what I saw in the midterm election speeches. The great success of the Tea Party isn't that they helped the conservative movement, that isn't clear, but they they reminded politicians that they are held accountable by the voters. It isn't the election days that matter, it's the days that follow that determine our future.
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