Wikipedia defines useful idiot as “a pejorative term used to describe people perceived as propagandists for a cause whose goals they do not understand, who are used cynically by leaders of the cause … originally used to describe Soviet sympathizers in Western countries.”
Know anyone like that around here? How about the self-indulgent, pious postures on Charlottesville City Council who passed a “peace resolution” on Jan. 17 that calls on the U.S. Congress and the White House to end foreign wars and refrain from military action in Iran (“Council OKs anti-war resolution,” The Daily Progress, Jan. 18)? Kudos to new Councilor Kathy Galvin, who had the good sense to abstain from such nonsense. And condolences to Ms. Galvin for what she will have to put up with for the next four years; perhaps she can turn occasionally to ex-Councilor Rob Schilling for succoring consultation.
Don’t these preening “peacocks of the Piedmont” realize that there more important things to worry about? Like throwing obstacles in the way of decades-in-the-making infrastructure projects (e.g., Meadow Creek Parkway, long-term water supply plan); suspending city permit regulations to accommodate favored lefty protesters like Occupy Charlottesville; stoking racial discord by championing a new guilty-until-rendered-innocent diversity commission with enforcement powers; making gratuitous apologies for social policies and practices of a bygone era for which the vast majority of current residents had no responsibility; planning the next international sister-city boondoggle to learn about another culture what a 12-year-old can discover in 30 minutes on the Internet; and making denial the default option for new development proposals other than affordable housing?
The impetus for the peace resolution came from Charlottesville anti-war activist David Swanson, who wrote an early draft of the resolution (council may make him an honorary peacock). Swanson seemed barely able to contain his pride as reported the next day on his audio interview with an arm of Iran’s state-owned media about the resolution, while noting that the Iranians frequently contact him for interviews (“Iran notes anti-war resolution from city,” The Daily Progress, Jan. 19). Was that a Neville Chamberlain bobblehead I saw on the dashboard of Swanson’s car?
As television pundits sometimes say when reporting on absurdities, you can’t make this stuff up.
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