Today (Saturday, 12 November, when this was written)  I was reading, during services, the weekly portion (Vayera, Genesis 18-22).  Imagine my surprise when I found this explanation of why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (18:19).

“The cruelties of Sodom have become part of the language as the epitome of selfishness, callousness, and depravity, but the root of their evil was greed. Sodom was  a rich and fertile region and, as such, it was a magnet for people seeking to make their fortune, as it was for Lot.  But the Sodomites wanted to maintain their own prosperity and not be encumbered by a flood of poor immigrants.  The wealthy and well-connected Lots of the world were welcome in Sodom….”what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours”…Such selfishness descends to cruelty and perversion—and a metropolis that elevates such behavior to a legitimate way of life forfeits its right to exist.”

Obviously, this made paying attention during the rest of the services somewhat problematic.  To say this was a “V-8” moment would be a radical understatement.

What is it about these self-righteous politicians, who routinely cite their bible and their belief in its accuracy, that they fail to see what they are doing to this country?   That, given their current propensity to pontificate and politic, instead of working to solve America’s problems, they are putting us at risk?  After all, if no agreement is rendered by the “super” committee (a misnomer, if there ever was one)  that radical recissions will be made to every agency of the government.  (Oh, wait, I’m sure their pensions won’t be hurt, neither will be their ability to send me junk mail or to hire staff for themselves.)

It would be nice if we could get folks in Congress to act differently.  The problem in reaching them (unless you are a lobbyist) is that they have engineered the system to preclude citizen involvement.  Oh, I know, you say, “I am exaggerating.”

Well, check this out.  Pick any committee you feel affects your life.  I chose Ways and Means.  (Actually, I have tried them all.)  Well, then, pick the Chair, Dave Camp. (Again, this problem works for any person on a committee.)  Now, try to send him (or her) eMail.  Oh, wait, you don’t live in his Michigan (or wherever) district.  Sorry- you can’t send that person any eMail.  Now, I have lots of beefs with Dave Camp (actually, more with one of his aides, but that’s another story), and have tried to contact him- as Chair of the Ways and Means committee.  A committee that affects taxes, among other items.  But, I can’t.  You see, this no-eMail policy is in existence for every single Congressperson (Congress.gov) and Senator (Senate.gov).

It’s hard to believe that these folks all want to serve on committees (and chair them) that are national in scope and refuse to accept eMail from anyone outside their district. Why not resign from those committees and only work on their own parochial interests, then?  After all, if you serve on Ways and Means, for example, you affect everyone in America.  What gives you the right to refuse citizen eMail?  I guess it’s another indication of where the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah really are.

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