This has been a long time coming, and I know it is not my turn to do a Dead Rebel of the Week, but fuck it. I AM a fucking rebel, godammit, and if this won’t go on the DROTW page then it will just have to go on my page instead, MOTHERFUCKERS!
Sorry about that outburst, dear readers - I am jamming Pantera at the time of writing this, and I am also a little high strung from work...
Back on topic...
Robert Budd Dwyer is a legend in my mind. His life story isn’t really that interesting. He was a career politician in central Pennsylvania. All accounts from his friends, family, and those that have met him, say he was a good natured man. He was once a teacher and a football coach.
Doesn’t matter… You all probably know him from this, though:
If you are reading my little page, you have seen that video somewhere, at least once.
Ol’ Budd’s life as a politician came crashing down around him in 1986, when he became the fall guy for some dirty motherfucker who was bribing the local Republican Party for construction contracts. Dwyer never saw a dime of that money, and maintained his innocence up until the very end. That end came the day before his sentencing. Facing 55 years in prison, he made a martyr of himself on live television. Yes, I said martyr. He died while still in office, so his family became set for life. He sacrificed himself. Selflessly.
I believe that his public suicide was a political statement. It showed what corruption and greed can do to what turned out to be an honest, well liked man. It also shows how very cutthroat politics in the good ol’ USA can be.
And, sadly, Dwyer still goes largely unrecognized, except by internet-prowling gore video aficionados, like me, who happen to stumble upon said clip.
Look at that .gif again... and I mean LOOK at it. Budd looks RIGHT at you before he pulls that trigger. I don’t know about you, but I can see the sorrow and desperation in his eyes. I first heard about him from my father, who told me his name and just said he was some politician. When I got the resources (the internet again, you dumb shits) I looked him up myself. He is now my symbol of everything that ever went wrong in America. Everything that went out the window from March 5th 1789 and on is represented in that final desperate gaze of Robert Budd Dwyer.
Now I know what some of you fools are thinking; “We need MORE politicians to do what he did - to hell with them” - but, no, that is wrong. Those politicians that you readers want to wax themselves would only ever do so out of self pity, or because they are about to get caught doing something they shouldn't. Let me just remind you, again, that Robert Budd Dwyer NEVER saw one fucking dime of the alleged money he was indicted for receiving. This incident also shows how political vendettas and bias can get in the way of justice. Not exactly a newsflash, I know, but it just adds to my perception of society.
So was Robert Budd Dwyer a rebel? No, I guess not. He was a spit shine and happy bubbles run-of-the-mill patriot politician most of his career; Go USA and Down With Communism, and all that. He never caused waves outside of his district, until he offed himself on live TV. Maybe he was a rebel, of sorts, in politics only because he told the truth until the very end. Not exactly in the job description.
On January 22nd, every year, I actually have a drink in his honor, even though I was only a wee lad when he killed himself, and even though the closest I have ever been to PA was Ashtabula, Ohio. Someone needs to keep his memory alive. I guess I feel some sort of connection to how frustrated he was with the situation he was in, and where the ship was heading. He did everything right, his whole life, and still the big machine ground him to powder. So, yeah, in a way he was a martyr. His death meant something to me.
Do some research about him – this sacrificial victim of American Politics and Powerplay Greed. It is not my job to tell you all the facts, since this is not a Dead Rebel of the Week. Nor am I a great mystical all knowing sage. Just do a google search of him. Maybe it will enlighten you, like it did me. Maybe not. To each his own.
Rest in peace, Patriot
An American Martyr
