Dissent, the making of disappointment commendable

Our Spring in Piedmont Virginia

is climaxing much too radiantly

these days, to languish in this

subject with contentment; but

today The Washington Post is

presenting a summary to download

and save for sharing responsibly

with others in this election year,

of that fortunately bungled bur-

glary which restored our sense,

as a free people, of having a

deal with our politicians, which

we are entitled to protect. 

The defense of our politics from

corruptions of unfair advantage

is harder than ever, with these

burglars' heirs empowered by our

Court to achieve with loot what

they couldn't loot of our free

will at Watergate in 1972. But

this will be plain enough, with-

out further remark today.

Those who lived through this

early debauch of faith and fair-

ness have done almost too little

to portray its antipathy to the

young, per se, not merely in the

demographic of wartime dissent

but in the defining naïveté of

our Constitutional experiment,

itself. It is right, to cast

this nation's birthright as

eternally innocent, demanding

protection through spirited

enactments of liberty.

It is natural to envision a well

matched choral competition, in

which the prize must go to the

party who promulgates the glad-

dest sound more gladdeningly,

of energy expended in the joy

of playing fair. We defend our

politics from sadness who dis-

arm it in our daily lives. It's

a beautiful morning in Virginia;

I hope it is, where you are.