Odd to think that this little girl will, if we are all fortunate, never know any other kind of government than democracy.



(from Powerline)

Political realities appear immutable, but in fact they can change with startling speed. Tyranny in the Arab world is no more a metaphysically permanent truth than slavery was, or the lack of suffrage for women, or the divine right of Kings. Canadians who are fighting against the comparatively trivial political “tyranny” of the Liberal Party must take heart: our battles are so small, and compared to this little girl our chance for victory is so great.

I know, I know, I feel dirty even comparing Canadian politics to what awaits this family. What I mean to say is this. In my job, I am privileged to see a lot of families who face the potential death of a child or loved on. I see a lot of people who, through no fault of their own, are engaged literally in a fight for their lives. Every time I get pissed off at stupid drivers, or a letter from Revenue Canada, or an article by some fool, I try to remember: any of these parents, any of these siblings, would no doubt give his right arm to have my kind of problems. Canadian conservatives and libertarians are in the same position. Yes, we have problems, and any of the dozens of my sidebar blogs identify and expose new ones every day. I do too. These problems are real, and there are Canadians whose lives are injured in any number of ways by a corrupt, invasive, and (in some senses) despicable governing class. But. We must not equate our own molehills with the mountains this girl will face in her life.

Remembering this fact, and remembering this girl, is literally the least we can do.