DC, give congress the finger

Washington, D.C., residents, eager for statehood, now have a reason to give Congress the finger.

During the Iraqi election Dec. 31, 2004, voters dipped their fingers in purple ink to signify that they had voted in the election. The process, conceived as a way to monitor voting status, quickly grew into a symbol of pride. Iraqis brandished their inked fingers for cameras and flaunted them as a symbol of defiance and pride.

The symbolism wasn’t lost in America, where Louisiana freshman representative Bobby Jindal painted his finger purple during the State of the Union as a symbol of unity.

District residents should take this very visible and well-known symbol and use it as a tool to highlight their status as the only citizens in our country to defend democracy but not enjoy it.

Here’s how their act of defiance would work. District residents should be encouraged to dip their fingers in ink – preferably red – to demonstrate their lack of voting rights.

Red ink could be used to symbolize the fact that America has defaulted on its promise of no taxation without representation. It could be used to dramatize the blood that they spill in Iraq for a right they don’t enjoy at home.

I’m sure we could talk a District-based printer to donate the ink to the cause. The ink could be stationed around the city – maybe at Metro stops, for instance. Residents should be encouraged to stop at these locations and dip their fingers as a symbol of protest. Those who couldn’t could download an image of the symbolic red finger from a website. Bumper stickers and T-shirts could fuel the campaign.

We brought democracy to Iraq. How about a little for the Nation's Capital. Don't make us give you the finger.