"... and the whores are us."
- PJ O'Rourke
Parliament of Whores

PJ O'Rourke, the conservative political writer and satirist, came to this surprising conclusion in his hilarious tome on power.

This book, along with his "Holidays in Hell" as well as Mike Royko's "Boss", Cole's science fiction drama "Sten" and Machiavelli's "The Prince", should be on the bookshelf of any poli-sci student as well as anyone who needs to understand how power really works and affects us.

O'Rourke's point was that.. essentially, things are the way they are, because collectively we want them that way.

If we want things to change, we will make the changes, by any means necessary.

I'm grossly simplifying, but thats the essential point.

Im starting to get the point.

When I tell young folk that, before they know it.. they will be in charge, they pooh-pooh the idea.

Unless power is their ambition, they never realize or appreciate that they will become The Man.

Most people fight it. :-) Some people dont.

Some all their lives.

You can fight The Man all you want. The irony is, eventually, it will be your turn to be The Man.

When I see former flower children of the 60's and 70's struggle to hold on to their ideals, and yet eventually graduate to becoming capitalists, while denying that they sold out.

I believe most of them now.

You grow up.

You start to appreciate things.

You take your place. Do your thing. Make your choices. Assume your responsibilities. Whatever they are.

But at some point, you have to face what is.

".....and The Man, is us."

Actually, I think PJ O'Rourke is more accurate in his choice of words.. but I think I will fight a little bit longer before Im there.