A Woman Recited Patton Oswalt's Legendary Star Wars Filibuster From Parks And Rec At A County Board Meeting Until Her Time Was Up

MLive- At the Livingston County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday evening, a group of residents concerned about the board’s decision to stop broadcasting their meetings publicly wanted to make a point. So they put together a “people’s filibuster,” using up their allotted three minutes of speaking time during both of the meeting’s two calls for public comment to extend the meeting and hammer home the need for transparency at the local level.

Many of those who spoke said they just wanted the option to watch the public meetings from home again, citing busy schedules, health issues and child care needs as a few good reasons why people who want to watch sometimes aren’t able to make it in person. “It’s 2019, and to be able to go on the internet and look at your county commissioner meetings should not be difficult – you should be able to get on there and look at it,” said Ben Marhofer of Genoa Township. “If it’s public, there’s no reason that it can’t be put on a camera.”

There has been a lot of talk lately about how we are witnessing the death of democracy and yada yada yada. But my counter would be that democracy has clearly never been more alive after watching that video. Being able to stand before your local politicians and ridiculously run the clock out on an argument by quoting the infamous Patton Oswalt rant linking the Star Wars Universe and Marvel Universe with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet is the reason George Washington lifted all them weights. Abraham Lincoln did whatever he could to keep the country together just so a moment like this could actually exist in real life. Sure merely mentioning that aliens exist in a galaxy far, far away or trying to explain what Iron Man’s suit could do would probably get your ass tossed into jail for witchcraft. But Honest Abe would defend your right to waste everyone’s time filibustering simply because the Constitution allows it before throwing you in a cell full of Confederate traitors.

So shout out to you, random Michigan woman for not only bringing that absolutely preposterous video from a sitcom to real life but for also doing your civic duty and bringing actual entertainment to those county board meetings that must be the most boring places on the planet.