Most of it makes a fair amount of sense, as it once again affirms that the Montgomery County School Board is used by a great many hopefuls as their political springboard into Council campaigning.
Yet Mr Leventhal sets one thing out that makes it really clear what this election is all about:
We must do more to understand the needs and concerns of working and lower-income families, our younger population, and our Latino and African American population. Although they represent the future of Montgomery County, they are badly underrepresented in our county’s political dialogue.
So let me get this straight:
According to Mr Leventhal or whoever it is who writes his speeches, the future of Montgomery County is to be poor, black, and "latino"?
If that's the plan, where do the wealthy professionals fit in? How about wealthy Asian-Americans? Wealthy Indian-Americans? What about Arab-Americans of whatever level of education or income? What about the this-or-that-ethnicity? Or, maybe since there aren't all that many of them, they don't need a voice?
And what about people like me? What about all of those elderly folks living in Leisure World? Is Mr Leventhal (or his speechwriter) speaking in Code Words? Is he actually saying "screw you white people, screw you middle class people, why don't you just go extinct like the dinosaurs you are?" Is that what he's saying? Is that what's popular to toss around in certain circles here now? We're old and dying and why don't we just vote to speed the process? It's not enough that the middle class is being taxed to death and the rich are being squeezed to the point where Maryland ranks 45 out of 50 for "business climate"?
Okay, now since this has been made all about race, and all about a happy future where everyone who isn't black and "latino" is marginalized, let's just look at some of the other candidates as well.
Both Democrat Cary Lamari and Republican Andrew Padula have far better claim to being called representative of "latinos" because they are -- without question, and proud of it -- LATINS. They are of ITALIAN ancestry. It is impossible that anyone is more Latin than Italians, whether in Italy, elsewhere, or here in the USA. Somehow they, as Latins, don't represent "latinos" but a Venezuelan immigrant does? So, it's not about being Latin, being Latino, I'm going to guess. It's about whether or not she represents Americans and non-citizen residents of recent immigration from Spanish-speaking countries. So whoever is writing Mr Leventhal's speeches, whether it is Mr Leventhal or someone else, try to pick your words better. It's not about "latinos". It's about "hispanophones". If you're trying to say "she will be the champion of persistent linguistic division", try saying that. She'll still get as many votes.
Let's look at some of the other candidate. Let's look and see who's representative of whom. Me, evidently I represent the last gasp of the dinosaurs, known in the modern day as "traditional middle-class/working-class Americans", generally referred to as "WASPS" (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Well, it's true that I'm white, but I am not Protestant. I am not even a Christian. I am a Pagan Tree Hugger Scientific Agnostic. If I have any ancestors that were either Angles or Saxons it really comes as shocking news to me. My dad's people were Kansans who spoke German among themselves and lived in a town where most people spoke German among themselves, but they were proud to be Americans and spoke English as well as did any of their neighbors. This didn't keep them from suffering discrimination in WWI and WWII, though looking and speaking German turned out to be really useful for my Dad when he was in the Navy Beach Jumpers attached to the OSS, sneaking behind German lines and blowing up stuff. And when he came back from fighting for the USA he was almost completely deaf, so he didn't have to listen to people talk. We did. So we proudly spoke the truth: We are nothing but Americans, and all about America. We love our Country and we have fought for truth, justice, and the American Way since the War of Independence. So there's my constituency: Americans who love America and love the ideals of our Founding Fathers.
Some of those ideals for which we fought included "no taxation without representation", but according to Mr Leventhal we don't need any representation since we're not in the future of Montgomery County, and in the meantime we need to be taxed so that the poor black and "latino" people who are the future can get ahead, dontcha know.
Another ideal for which we fought was "equal justice for all". Somehow the history books in Country schools will tell you that the majority of the victorious Union army was "poor newly arrived immigrants" but they don't tell you much more. But college-level history texts, especially those written right near the time of the conflict, will tell you that the majority of those "immigrants" were fresh off the boat from the Germanies, and some of those history books will flatly declare that the slaves of the Confederacy were freed by the point of German-American bayonets. And for this, we don't get to be part of the future. Now that's gratitude for ya.
Another ideal for which we fought was the "separation of church and state" and "freedom of religion". Oh yes, Mr Leventhal. Not just for the Amish and Mennonites and Methodists and Lutherans, but for the Catholics and Jews as well. But, hey, we're dinosaurs, we aren't the future of Montgomery County. And when at last we're gone, who will be left to fight for your religious freedom? Nancy Navarro? Can you even say "religious freedom" in Spanish?
Other of our candidates are German-American as well: Mr Kramer and Mr Goldman. I do not know if their immigrant ancestors arrived here in the States before, or after, my own immigrant (and native citizen) ancestors won the War for Independence, freed the slaves, and kicked Nazi ass.
Why, Mr Leventhal! With a name like that, you're German-American too! Goodness gracious, since you're not poor, black, or "latino", I guess you're a dinosaur too! Not part of Montgomery's future, eh? When that deer came through your windshield at freeway speeds, did it maybe kick you in the head? Or perhaps you're still taking pain medications for it and it's addled your thinking.
My own thinking is pretty addled by a Montgomery Council member declaring that the future of Montgomery is Poor, Black, and Latino. Wow, that's a really cheerful prognosis, doctor!
And with the prognosis that the future of Montgomery is Poor, Black, and Latino, let's try to take some medicine that will embrace that? Why not try one of those new experimental cures, like voting for anyone but Navarro.
It really doesn't matter, I suppose. Because in 2010 everyone's up for election once again... including the man who signed his name to a statement that boldly states that the future of Montgomery doesn't include middle-class whites, rich blacks, or Asian-Americans.
To conclude,
Oy gevalt.
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