“There Is No Distinctly American Criminal Class Save Congress” ~ Mark Twain
Or to say it another way, why we ordinary citizens don’t have a chance against them
Wolves live and hunt in “packs” while a group of crows is called a “murder.” Dolphins live in “pods” and sea otters together are called a “raft.” Prairie dogs live in “coteries” and bats congregate in a “cauldron.” Gorillas are a “troop” and raccoons a “gaze” and zebras a “dazzle.” Alligators in a group are a “congregation,” while penguins are a “colony,” meerkats a “gang” or “mob,” and parrots a “pandemonium.” I am trying to come up with a word for the group of men and women in Congress. I feel it is an important task for me to take on.
But it is not an easy task. Although seeing a photo of Congress like the one above ought to help, it doesn’t. They all look alike to me, which is a good start to their being a defined group. But is their likeness a deterrent to good government — therefore not good for the people of these United States? A resounding YES echoes through my brain. They have no true independent thought process, nor do they seek one out. Unlike the animal species I first described, who all thrive on cooperation and caring for the whole, Congress is continually adrift in a morass of its own making.
