“And, masters, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an ass.” Dogberry in Act 5, Scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing
In the play Much Ado About Nothing the character of Dogberry, chief of the citizen-police, stands out as that of a comedic, incompetent fool. When the play is done well this character is a light in a dark plot, for it is the bumbling ignorance of Dogberry and his men that provide much-needed humor.
Despite their ineffective idiocy, they effectively uncover the central plot of the story.
If the Federal Government of the Unites States of America could be half as ineffective as these citizen-police, they would not have shut down. And while undoubtedly incompetent, they are hardly funny.
Yes. The government of the United States of America has ‘shut down’. It should be noted it is not the Egyptian government that shut down, though they are constantly criticized for not being able to stabilize the country. The government of Lebanon has not shut down, despite having approximately a million Syrian refugees join a population of 4 million. The government of Pakistan has not shut down, despite bomb attacks and other violent attempts to destabilize the administration.
We could go on and on.
Would that we could take them back to the kindergarten sandbox and drill into their thick heads that most of life involves negotiation. But I can’t do that, so I go back to literature and take my words from that master of words – William Shakespeare.
“And so, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that they, the Federal Government of the United States are an ass.”
Related articles
- Partial US Government Shutdown Begins (voanews.com)
Marilyn R. Gardner 
I find it interesting that my friends who are most angry about this shut down are also the most adamant about not compromising on the big issue that has caused this stalemate. In a democracy we cannot simply blame the politicians, but those of us who vote for them.
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I think they should ALL be locked in, cell phones and Ipads and any other communication devices taken away, food limited to water and food limited to bread and soup. No coffee either, and especially NO TV cameras allowed. Don’t let them out until they can talk nicely and listen to each other and make some positive bi-partisan decision. And by the way, their pay doesn’t stop in a govt shutdown. Why not?? It really is pretty sad, but human nature being what it we know it is, perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised. May God have mercy on our country!
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I LOVE this comment!! I almost sent you the post early this morning and said “warn dad!!” :) You’re absolutely right. It’s those basic rules of being nice and playing fair that are missing. xoxox
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I agree one hundred percent with Marilyn’s mom….the #1 country in the world shutting down with tourists so very disappointed to not get into the national parks and even the statue of Liberty!
Senators shouldn’t receive any pay just like the thousands that are not receiving theirs because of the shutdown…
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Thanks; I really appreciated the reminder for all of us that most of life involves negotiation.
I found this spoof article very amusing on several levels. It addresses the irony of the US being the government to shut down. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2013/09/30/potential_government_shutdown_how_would_the_u_s_media_report_on_it_if_it.html
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I love that article! Thanks for linking. Did you see the Onion article on the Hoe down?
http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-on-verge-of-fullscale-government-hoedown,34057/
I wish it was all one big sitcom.
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Makes one proud to be an American.
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The situation is on a par with our Foreign Secretary wanting to arm the “Syrian rebels”. I trust the newspapers have come up with some cutting cartoons.
Get in there, Marilyn and knock their heads together!
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The other day there was a letter to the editor of the Calgary Herald in which the writer asked Canada to annex the United States! He was from Chicago…he must have felt desperate.
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Well said, and I love that sign!
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This I LOVE! Well said! Very well said!
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I almost sent it to you first so I could be encouraged to post it – then something inside said – Robynn with her Pakistani, Indian, Canadian roots would want you to post this.
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