One of the news feeds which takes up space in my inbox each morning highlights headline stories and events. Those highlights are often announced under a banner headline which reads, “Here’s what you need to know.”
Highlights and summaries can be very helpful if one has trust in those who are preparing the highlights and summaries. But when it comes to this news service, I admit to bristling each time I read their phrase, “Here’s what you need to know.” How do the writers of these news summaries and teasers presume to imagine they know what I need to know?
My suspicion is that there is an unspoken agenda on the part of these news feed editors. Rather than wanting to inform, the actual agenda of their summary has more to do with justifying the value of the paid advertising rates charged to their news suppliers than any real concern for my knowledge base.
I also bristle at some unnamed editors of compiled news headline information telling me what, in their opinion, I need to know because it is so arrogant. Besides that, what I am being told that I need to know is just another series of events or decisions pending or already made about which I can do nothing.
I am left to conclude that the only reason I need to know about the information they are highlighting is because of the unspoken hope that natural curiosity to read further will drive me to subscribe to the publications or purchase product from those whose advertisements are imbedded in the news briefs of what I am being told I need to know.
The additional reality for me in all this is that these are times when there is a far greater effort on the part of public decision-makers or institutional policy makers to cover up what we really need to know. Information regarding the true goings on would threaten someone’s or some group’s power base. Telling us things under the guise of “what we need to know” deludes our general curiosity in discovering what is really taking place.
The effort to change the Constitution of the State of Ohio through a special election on the 8th of August is an example. We are being told that we need to know the reason our State Legislature first approved and is now promoting State Issue 1 is to protect our State Constitution; protect it from efforts to amend it. We need to know that continuing with the century old process of trusting the will of 50% plus 1 of Ohio citizens casting ballots to amend the State Constitution is dangerous. Instead, we now need to have a super majority of 60% of voter support to amend the Constitution.
In reality what we are being told we need to know in this context is a calculated fabrication.
The effort to require super majority support for a significant change in policy, program, or procedure sounds so democratic. But it is more than purposefully misleading. Super majorities are the contrivance of those seeking to ensure and enshrine a minority power base and their policy making over and against the will of the majority. The truth behind a desire for a super majority provision to change any constitution is a desire to make sure the ensconced minority opinion and/or prejudice of 40% of the electorate rules the day.
This is the truth behind super majority requirements needed to amend or initiate substantive change supported by any majority.
One great and historic for instance is to look at church denominational policies which enshrine theological or biblical interpretation. The institutional church will always protect its minority view through such things as restrictive rules (read unchangeable) or required super majority votes to change current social policy or procedure. It is all meant to enshrine and protect the minority power base over any true majority effort for change and reform. The result is as it always has been. The power and prejudice of the entrenched minority over the majority advocating needed reform is sustained.
The effort to make it nearly impossible to amend the Ohio Constitution by requiring 60.01% of the vote of the electorate to approve an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio is exactly this: an effort to make sure that a minority view on “proper” cultural behavior and activity is protected from any true majority desire for change.
This ballot initiative named State Issue 1 to be decided in a special August election is an effort to protect the minority rule over the majority by the same legislature members who would, among other ancient repressions, ban books, and regulate classroom instruction. It should give us more than a great pause.
Their obvious effort to benefit from low voter turnout and count on a majority of voters being otherwise engaged is revealing of their effort to sustain their gerrymandered power base.
Minority rule requires the majority to be uninformed and purposely misled into thinking they have received the information they need to know. Minority rule and obstruction of the majority point of view depends on the power of the calculated lie, deception, or presentation of seductively powerful alternative facts by an always self-righteous minority.
There are so many examples of the crucifixions which result in every age when the ensconced minority protects itself from and rules over the majority.
There is the masking of the ancient historical truth by the current religious right (well represented in the Ohio Legislature) as they lie about protecting the Ohio Constitution in State Issue 1 by seeking a super majority to amend the Ohio Constitution.
Indeed, once long ago an ensconced, self-righteous minority power base purposely convened a trial at night when the majority was known to be otherwise focused and engaged. The sham trial was to find guilty a leader popular with the majority who was advocating majority desired inclusion, loving change in bigoted religious interpretation, and democratic reform.
The ensconced minority then seeking to protect their gerrymandered power base from a reforming majority had that reform-minded leader convicted on false charges. Through the historic and horrific crucifixion which resulted, the minority was protected from the rule of the majority.
On August 8, Ohio Citizens have a chance to oppose another self-righteous minority in the Ohio legislature seeking to crucify democracy by voting NO on State Issue 1. The majority of Ohio Democrats, Republicans, and Independents seeking to enshrine and PROTECT DEMOCRACY, rather than minority rule, must show up.