Thanks for Everything, Bob Packwood : Fade in to politics as usual. But by the time the end credits roll, the harassment/ bribery saga has made a convert.

Oh, Bob, you naughty boy. You got caught with your hand in the old cookie jar. And you didn’t get off with a light tap on your lecherous paw. I think it’s fair to say you got whacked, and it was apparently long overdue. The further we delved into your closets, the more skeletons we seemed to dig up.

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. Not of the probable truth of the allegations, but of the consequences. After the Anita Hill debacle, it seemed like the Old Boys Club was running strong. They were just like the cockroaches in my old apartment. No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t get rid of them. There didn’t seem to be any end in sight.

In a perverse way, I am grateful for this sordid little brawl. Because, you see, I have a confession to make. I’m 23, a college student and a citizen. And I have never yet exercised my right to vote.

I’m registered; I did that when some do-gooders stopped me in front of a supermarket. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. Which tells you about how much of an impact it made on my life. Vote? For whom? For what? The last time I voted for anything was in high school. Since then, I haven’t been able to tell one candidate from another. The ridiculous television advertisements haven’t changed my mind. I’ve seen fights at clubs that were cleaner. With all that mud flying, who knows who is telling the truth? No way was I going to cop out and vote for one candidate just because I didn’t like the other.

I just refused to vote.

It seemed that not only did the system not work but, heck, was there anything we could do? Once upon a time, a younger, more idealistic me sat with a friend sipping coffee and trying to figure this whole mess out. Where did all the ills of our modern society begin? Right before they kicked us out of the coffeehouse for the night, we gave up.

So, the whole Packwood debacle didn’t really put a crimp in my do, so to speak. It was business as usual in Washington and if I just went about my business, it would straighten itself out in the usual manner. I’m still of the opinion that the best soap operas aren’t on the tube. They’re happening somewhere near Capitol Hill. And until now, I’ve been quite content, thank you very much, to remain a comfortable, if disassociated, channel surfer of the political mise en scene. But you, Bob Packwood, yes you, you old goat, you have played a role in something that has given me hope.

I didn’t fight the fight that helped nail you. But I would like to thank everyone who did. All those victims who bravely stepped forward and all the people who not only listened but acted have given me hope. Hope that if we really are concerned and if we make enough noise, we will be heard. That we have the power, if we act together, to keep the big boys accountable for the things they do. That we all can be players in this ballgame. Watching you get your due has been one of the most singularly empowering vicarious experiences of my life. It’s right up there with seeing Linda Hamilton kick butt in “Terminator II.” What that did for my workout motivation, this has done for my political outlook. I have become a born-again Politically Active Citizen.

I’m not naive enough to think that I can get everything I want, whenever I want it. We can’t win every battle, but we can make ourselves heard and we can make a difference. From Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas to this, we’ve come a long way, baby. So, to my senator/ congressperson/assemblyperson, you will be hearing from me shortly.

Just as soon as I figure out who you are.