Op Ed:
Political Gravity
Forcing Much Greater Corporate Controls

Realities Will Rule When Facts Strike Home to Voters.

The New Yorker: August 1, 2005

(SALEM) - The Greek philosopher Aristotle in the 4th century BC. stated early gravitational theory. He believed that there is no effect without a cause, and therefore no motion without a force.

Grover Norquist may well have learned from this early philosopher, simply applying the theory to political organization. The extreme driving force of his once-famed but now notorious fiscal, social, and political maneuverings and manipulations had to have come from some solidly transcendental source --obviously one buried in antiquity.

Yet he has shaped much of the nation`s prime notions about every one of those areas ever since. (Sometimes with help from Abramoff...)

The compliant Oregon Legislature, shaped by its own potent forces from insistent corporate sources, proved to be a Norquist power-force promoting `arena-confrontation" --cult/controlled-- for the past twenty years.

The Norquist weekly sessions began soon after the early opening sequences of the Reagan Era of Revolt, later much better known for its widespread `revolting consequences", the impacts of spurious `supply-side" economic anomalies, and the overweening and unrealistic resulting policies and program decisions.

Those memorable Norquist-meetings of many DC-mighties soon became the bellwether get-together of Republican `thinkers, do-ers and don`t-sters"; As the Bush-battalions rallied �round their "Drown government in the bathtub" sloganeering --while piling the pelf higher and higher in deficit-defying depth and degrading detail now clearly known.

There is no state GOP organization that has not been fully-shaped, sharply-pointed, and provided with power and tools since such sessions began. Overweeningly numerous press and other media channels have made that impossible to avoid ever since.

Then --always !-- comes the push into action-- in every session, and every year-in-between, too; regardless of Oregon realities and full realizations by many.

YOU and your neighbors can `see with own eyes" --and feel with own feelings and understandings-- what that has done to our beloved State during this continuing contrived campaign; made possible and potent by other `campaign contributions", long relentlessly supplied and lavishly administered.

In some states the impacts have been greater than others, with these political bullies seeking out session-levels and singling out leaders for listening, learning and then doing; always `as instructed", with full consequence-to-follow for any deviation in any other direction.

The public record in Oregon makes entirely clear how that was accomplished, by whom, when, and with what instrumentalities. The coming session --now surely open to full surveillance and deeper disclosures than ever before-- may well discover again its own deep Oregon-internal public interests to find out much more, and in distressingly deep detail, too.

Oregon has been one of those states in which the `very firm" philosophical `findings" and equally-firm fundamental operational actions have followed the basic dictates set forth by Norquist et Cie: The cooperating cabal of very considerable political weighties wedded to the same abstractions from realities at both state and national levels.

The two go hand-in-hand; or perhaps one should say, now, from hand-to-pocket, with solid justification even more solidly on the record.

That`s why the inevitable consequence of convoluted distortion, perversion and distinctly questionable ethical, moral --perhaps even legal-- impacts is coming full circle and relentlessly returning `home"; forced by overly-"gravitational" actions now seen to surround the Norquist notions and the necessities-in-action forced in many states; and surely demonstrated in depth in our `arena" here.

Oregon once led in education, health care, community concerns broadly understood and applied --and in citizen participations and understandings.

Can that be achieve again, somehow? The answer hangs in mid-air, in mid-campaign. The shape-of-the-future will emerge soon, from the surround and savor and intensities and concerns of the Governorship campaign. Values will eventually vent, as they invariably do in American politics.

Will realities prevail? Will Saxton be called to account for his PLEDGE perverting practical responsibilities demanded by routine Governor`s office actions? We don`t know what other old book he may have been consulting.

We`ll find out if Norquist`s application from Aristotle can manage to make support for programs emerge from thin air...or NOT. He`ll have to furnish factual detail about support without funds, that`s for sure: "If you take your hand out-from-under, whatever you are supporting. it will suely fall."

He may have mis-read that musty old manuscript.