Our country and Constitution held hostage by barbarians in business suits, by "good ol' boys" with a hard on for hate and suspicion. Damn those who don't buy into their economic and political poisons, their soft lies for hard choices.

To HELL with Rush Lowbrow and his ilk, savage malingerers with venomous breath and bestial perversions, sick with the drama of calling a spade a wrench. Liars all, foul scented guardians of indecency and destruction, of lives bought with the death of innocents, of fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters weeping into the ashes and charred or butchered remains of loved ones.

To the Muddle East, a toxic brew of damaged certainty and crippling virtues, of wealth sucked from the sand and spewed across the globe into air and water and earth below. Where wealth buys luxuries almost beyond reason and poverty crushes the low nearly to death bare miles from the palace gates.

To the drowned heartland and the citizens of a nation ruled by those who stand apart from those they rule, untouched in indignity, lost fables of the American Dream driven from their homes and caught in the tempests of policy and Norquist's desires of a timely end to a government that cares, that lifts a hand to help those in need.

A gruesome dodge, a con, a twisted campaign of unreason, of disaster as policy, and policy a disaster itself. Of listeners unseen and dissidents owned, of memory broken and the puzzle pieces of truth and history pounded into place by malevolent hammers of deliberate forgetfulness.

We see the picture and are heartsick, knowing that politics may be no solution for a troubled evolution, and beneath the skin of the modern man is a creature as savage and destructive as any beast we can name.

Of foreign economic masters, and debts unpaid, of lives torn assunder by the dreams of glory of men too shallow to see what horrors their madness has wrought.

This is our legacy of a time where war is fought not for freedom and justice, but for greed, lust, and avarice, a storm of foul folly that returns our children in covered boxes to rest not in their beds, but in dark, dank earth.

What price this insanity we cannot imagine. But we shiver, knowing the price is too much to bear.

All laid at the feet of Citizen Insane, the one who believes that freedom can be bought in the blood of innocent children, and liberty allowed only to those who justify his cause.

Oh, for a government of sane and temperate men and women who can see the light flickering at the edge of shadow, of the hope that lies unnoticed at the boundries of the dark abyss.

They say we get the government we deserve, but I say we get the government that the modern barbarians desire, for only they are so brutally ignorant to elect the insane to serve. Madness begets madness and death stands in attendance at the whim of the powerful and mad. Justice lies beaten and bloody in the corner, shuddering with the pain of abuse and neglect.

No perfect world we seek, but a world better than THIS. To our children and our children's children we owe a future worth living in. And those who would deny them this are malignant tumors on the body politic, needing only the skilled surgeons scalpel to cut them away.

Be warned, and be wary. The deathmongers move among us, playing at being "just folks." But they are not as we are, they spew black death with every step.

We are not deceived.

Wrong on "Compassionate Conservatism."

Wrong on the "Axis of Evil."

Wrong on WMDs.

Wrong on "You're either with us or against us."

Wrong on the "welcome" we'd receive in Iraq.

Wrong on "Bring it on."

Wrong on "Mission Accomplished."

Wrong on "We'll stand down when they stand up."

Wrong on "enemy combatants."

Wrong on Habeus Corpus.

Wrong on Wiretapping.

Wrong on Torture.

Wrong on sectarian violence.

Wrong on Plame.

Wrong on "A growing economy."

Wrong on Deregulation.

Wrong on Tax Cuts to the Rich.

Wrong on ignoring our "enemies."

Wrong on Climate Change.

Wrong on Science in General.

Wrong on the Wall of Separation of Church and State.

Wrong on the 1st Amendment.

Wrong on the "Drug War."

Wrong on Port Security.

Wrong on Immigration.

Wrong on Veterans and PTSD.

Wrong on the Constitution.


Time and again we see that everything they claimed about Iraq, the economy, foreign diplomacy, security issues, and the strategies for "winning the peace" are as ass-backward as it becomes ever more clear that they suffer from a terminal case of cranial rectosis.

In short, we allowed methane breathers to dominate our political landscape for far too long. Deprived of oxygen for too long, these head-up-their-ass Republicans are laying waste to everything that made America potentially great, blithely unaware of the way their stink clings to them like a case of perpetual halitosis.

George W. Bush is to the Republican Party what an engine block is to an Olympic swimmer. As much as they'd like to deny it, Chief 'Fraid-of-horses is the absolute pinnacle of Republican achievement. Bold, decisive, and in so far over his head that even standing on the shoulders of Run-all Rayguns and Papa Shrub he's drowning in the vast seas of his incompetence.

The most astonishing thing of all is that only the Republican Party could look at the failures of George W. Bush and decide to nominate the one possible candidate who might well be even MORE unsuited for the job than the last fellow.

Yes, that's right. Only the Republican Party would be so damned stupid as to nominate John McCain to follow Bush. Presumably their idea is that, given the opportunity, McCain might be able to break anything Bush hasn't already busted.

Ahhh. Republicanism. Where stupidity goes to die.

S

As some people here might have heard, I've been off work for the past several weeks because of issues with my neck and back. I'm still trying to deal with them. Had injections in my spine to reduce swelling and even now waiting for them to have an effect. I'm scheduled to go back to work after this coming Friday.

Ugh. It's going to be very difficult all the way around if these treatments don't work. The more I use my left arm, the more I hurt. The more I hurt, the less I want to be around people, particularly in a work setting.

It's going to be a challenge, that's for sure.

But during the time I've been off, I've been working on a new novel. I finished it twenty minutes or so ago. This is a record for me. From start to finish it took barely five weeks to write. If that. And yet, for all its speed, I think it's the best book I've ever written. It's so much different than not only anything I've ever read, but also anything I've created in the past.

As with all of my projects, it combines elements of both fantasy and science fiction, and draws its inception from my overreaching Infinity Project.



I couldn't believe how this novel unfolded as I was writing it. The social and political aspects seemed to spell themselves out in a way I'd never encountered before in my work. I knew the messages I was trying to relate, and I really believed in the characters. We could have used someone like Dane Campbell in this world. Maybe if we'd have had him, things would be different now.

The next step is to compile the chapters into a whole and send it over to my wife for editing. Then I'm going agent shopping. It's going to be the first work I'm trying to take directly to the big houses, and I hope I can find an agent with a progressive enough world-view that he or she can see it for what it is.

I'm excited about finishing this book, and wanted to share this much with the people here before some of the excitement wore off and doubts set in. This novel is something different and part of me fears that it'll be TOO different for the market to bear. On the other hand, it could surprise me and become something more than just another piece of speculative fiction.

Wish me luck.

On one of my publishers' group lists, someone posted a link to the video with the soldiers and the puppies, with a comment that says she believes they should be identified, court-martialed, and receive a dishonorable discharge for their actions. I don't necessary disagree with this sentiment, but I felt there was a lot more to be said about it.

These lists are not the place for political commentary. I have deliberately kept my politics and my work with these companies completely separate, for good reason. I do not hide who I am or what I believe on the web. Everyone who cares to look it up knows where I stand socially and politically. And with my latest project, a novel I've managed to bring very close to completion in just the past five weeks while I've been injured and off work, will make it all the more clear. Once I shop around for someone who'll actually publish it. It may be the first piece I can truly feel comfortable calling a "great" work of fantasy literature. It has a message, and a deep one at that.

All that said, this is how I responded to this woman's post about the soldiers. I could not help it, and it may come to pass that I'll have reason to regret doing so. But there are times when one must do what must be done, and the devil (so to speak) take the consequences.

Ever since I was a young boy, first exposed to the works of Tolkein and other high fantasy authors, I found myself confronted by a philosophical conundrum. I wondered at the motivations of Sauron, and any personal incarnation of evil ever created. I supposed I wondered about the purposes behind Ultimate Evil, and why certain creatures would set themselves up as the enemy of all that is Just and Good.

Now, this might seem a strange and remarkable question for a young child to ask, and it’s true that I didn’t find myself asking it for a few years after first reading The Lord of the Rings, but I wasn’t yet out of elementary school, and beginning my long love affair with writing, when I began contemplating this question. As I explored various churches and their variations of the same basic set of beliefs, I delved deep into the philosophical underpinnings of the eternal battle between Good and Evil. As I grew older, I started asking even more complicated questions about the nature of all of this.

Now I understand the Biblical viewpoint, so much that it’s actually comprehensible at all. Lucifer was the greatest of God’s angels and, out of pride and arrogance, led an attempted revolution in heaven. Setting aside why such a being would even think it had a chance against a deity described as all-knowing and all-powerful, I’m still left wondering why any being would dedicate itself to being the manifestation of death, destruction, and entropy. From my experience, the joy of destruction for destruction’s sake is only present in those who never seem to get past the mentality of an 11 year old boy.

I, of course, didn’t just read fantasy as a child. I read just about everything I could get my hands on, from fantasy to science fiction to classic literature to adventure fiction to mysteries and westerns. High Fantasy is a pretty singular form of literature, from that perspective, the only one really geared to the direct conflict between Ultimate Evil and the mortals given to serving what might be seen as Ultimate Good. And the list of those novels which uses this as a theme is extensive, and growing all the time. But few books really take the time to examine the nature of Ultimate Evil to my satisfaction, and thus I find myself growing increasingly bored with the concept.

Most villains of any kind don’t necessarily want to think of themselves as the villains. It is the nature of sentient beings to justify their actions, no matter how foul, as somehow ‘good’ within the framework of their personal and cultural mores. The notion of an incredibly powerful being that glories in being evil simply rings false.

That is not to say that it hasn’t been done particularly well a time or two. One of my favorite series is a Young Adult work known collectively as the “Young Wizards” series by noted author Diane Duane. I happen to consider it among the best of all works of High Fantasy, though there are those who would probably disagree with me. Thankfully, tastes in literature, like tastes in music, vary widely from individual to individual and it might actually be the case that there is no ultimate authority in either.

In this particular universe, the Lone Power is the being that created Entropy, and spends an awful lot of time trying to sell death to the residents of this and other universes. It is proud of its creation, which is among the most unique of all of those offered by all of its brethren, the other Powers. I can grasp the motivations of this one, to a limited extent, and have to cheer when it is hailed in person by various wizards with their “Greetings and defiance” mantra, and celebrate internally when it suffers setbacks or falls upon a path to possible redemption.

But the Lone Power believes that its contribution has value, and thus goes to great lengths to defend it, even though it has long since wearied of the battle.

In my work, all of the evils described are little evils. There is no great, over-shadowing evil. Not even the mighty Cen Empire, the alien civilization that survives and thrives by consuming other civilizations, and other sentient beings, is in any way an Ultimate Evil. It’s just one of many evils, more powerful than most.

Thus, what I write is classified as Low Fantasy. The characters, heroes and villains, exist within a vast spectrum between good and evil, perhaps so vast that neither term really applies. There are those heroes who are as ruthless as any villain in their own way, who show those they perceive as evil no particular mercy or compassion. Characters like Jasmine Tashae, who looks upon any who would threaten innocents as a complete waste of good oxygen and better off dead. And is quite willing to see to that little problem with no hesitation. Or her partner Nyx Deathweb, whose personal pet peeve is abuse of authority. She too is quite willing to kill for the cause.

It is not the so much any philosophy that dictates their position on the spectrum of good and evil, but what they do based on that philosophy. The immortal Athena, who is initially introduced in my first novel, “Loki’s Sin,” begins as a somewhat hesitant, uninvolved character, becomes the Head of an Interworld agency devoted to enforcing its own non-negotiable strictures concerning technology on worlds not ready for said technology. She becomes a strict, uncompromising crusader for law and order. And, from her point of view, Good. But she is also in many ways a nemesis for some of the other characters, who find her authoritarian ways to be quite annoying. She is not a villain, per se, but she is often portrayed as something of an antagonist.

My fantasy often bends as many unwritten rules of fiction as it bends the various genres. It encompasses elements of science fiction and fantasy, and certain aspects of action and adventure fiction too. Occasionally it delves into matters of philosophy, and of scientific theory, and expounds on the various moral and ethical points of view espoused by some of the main characters. There are few places I’m unwilling to tread, for good or ill.

I also explore the concept of redemption in several different ways. That perhaps no one is so far gone that they cannot turn away from destruction to embrace some other way of being. I do so in my first novel with the creature Kali, and later on with the notorious dark immortal Hades.

Thus, I find that I can’t write High Fantasy. I cannot in fact come to terms with the very concept of Ultimate Evil. Or Ultimate Good, for that matter. All sentient beings are, in my eyes, merely representatives of their own personal battle between good and evil, and that’s just the way it shakes out.

But I can live with that.

It was fun taking the mental trip back to the sixties with you all. You helped me remember a lot of things I'd forgotten and it was an educational and entertaining journey.

I was one of the early births of what is now known as Generation X, raised in a household that, while not specifically "hippie" in concept, certainly drew more than a little from their ideology. My dad and stepmom went "back to the land" to a great extent, buying and maintaining a small ranch with their own garden, canning, and keeping goats, chickens, pigs, and rabbits for food stock and milk. I'm one of the few people I know that had his own horse as a kid.

My dad was a war vet, and exhibited a lot of the signs of PTSD, though none of us really understood that at the time. All I knew was that he was rather volatile, and one NEVER woke him up while standing too close.

My memories of the hippies came from the very early seventies and the young people who hung around our houses in San Jose before my parents packed up and moved to Central Oregon in '73. A LOT of really memorable people--memorable enough that a young kid can still drift back to recall bits and pieces of a long-gone era, an era of idealism, alternate spirituality, music (every group had at least ONE guitar player in it, as I recall), and hope.

I, of course, came of age in the eighties. A totally different era, as everyone knows. While you had the Beatles, The Who, and the Stones, we had Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Metallica. This was, of course, before Metallica went commercial--"sold out," in popular parlance.

We had our own spirit of "Fuck the Man," though it was more militant in some respects, or at least, more savage in appearance. I lived for some years in a "low-income" housing development in a distant suburb of Seattle, on that was, in retrospect, startlingly white. But it was firmly working class, with a smattering of welfare folks, some of whom supplemented their incomes in unconventional ways.

We would party more or less openly, we teenagers, gathering in the woods around the clubhouse (the local community center with its grungy pool and battered old pool tables inside) as dusk fell. It was a BYO affair. If cops showed up, we'd all scattered, making great use of the surrounding woods, trails, and cul-de-sacs to evade them.

We had our criminal elements, of course. The thieves, car prowlers, the dealers in things other than pot or hashish, and general punks looking for a fight wherever they could find one. Being a guy meant having to prove oneself at least a time or two. We weren't peaceniks or pacifists by any measure. We couldn't afford to be.

The local high school had a smoking area, a square area about thirty feet to a side, fenced off with chain link like a dog run. Any time class wasn't in session, you could find people there, smoking cigs and other things. The teachers and administrators avoided it like the plague. What we did there was our own business.

We resisted pep rallys and all that nonsense, at least those of us who were "cool," those of those on the fringes of our little society. We openly mocked the school, flaunted its rules, wore tee-shirts advertising beer, cursed in public, and let our hair grow. We spat in the general directon of Reagan and Reaganomics, and said "Yes" when Nancy said "Just Say No." We distrusted the authorities--ANY authorities--and bent and broke rules with near impugnity.

But for all of that many of us tried to treat individual people with respect. We didn't spray paint the garages and houses of the residents, or make too much noise late at night down the residential streets. Unless we got too drunk. In that case, all bets were off as far as noise went. We didn't trash the cars and those of us who weren't thieves didn't stand by and let it happen if we were in the area. We looked out for the girls, even while trying to get into their pants. We didn't have "gangs," but we did have groups that hung out together.

Mine was even on the fringes of the fringes, since we were Role-Players and D&D heads who spent the daylight hours racing around the woods and staging mock (or not so mock) "training" exercises in martial arts and weapon-craft. We made or bought our own nunchaku and carried them nearly everywhere--though we'd never have used them in a fight. They were strictly for demonstration. We developed demo techniques that I've never seen anywhere else to this day.

We trained ourselves and each other in sense of balance, and the ability to move silently through the woods at night, and held private keggers by the Green River in the semi-wilds of Auburn, unmolested by the law because we were willing to carry the keg half a mile from the main road rather than taking the easy way out.

My friends and I would go to the mall and sit on the big wooden benches and use the benches to pound out the beat to Queen's "We Will Rock You" or suddenly start quoting whole passages of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

On my eighteenth birthday I was living in Sacramento, where my dad had moved for work. A week after my birthday I wandered into the midnight movies and discovered the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Quite a revelation for a semi-suburban white kid who'd never met anyone who was openly gay or sexually diverse.

Other than wandering around with my girlfriend at the time, who happened to play Frank at the Sunrise Mall, in full makeup on show nights, I had my own way of "freaking out the straights." I'd stand at the doors of the mall with my long hair, combat boots, black parachute pants, and camo jacket, and open the doors for people with a cheerful "have a nice day!" Looking so wild and being so nice was wonderfully shocking to people who'd grown to expect surly and obnoxious.

When I returned to Washington State, I started "blogging" before there WAS blogging, before the internet was really more than a gleam in a research scientist's eye. By 1986 I was using my friend's Commodore 64 to write long rants about the state of the political situation--how the Reagan administration's love affair with the Military/Industrial complex was betraying the ideology of those who'd fought to establish the EPA and those who opposed military and intelligence operations in support of dictators all across the world.

My friends and I would "accidentally" leave these rants in public places for people to find.

Even then I was starting to work on my own Role-Playing-Game, an obsession that lasted all the way into the late nineties. It was my game that formed the impetus and background for my novels. Since joining DU, I've found that I've more or less come full circle. My rants here recall my early days writing in opposition to the Reagan administration, and my novels reflect all the time spent designing and play-testing my game.

It's been a wild ride. As many people know, I ended up hitch-hiking the length of the west coast, from the Puget Sound to Sacramento or San Francisco, or even points further South--all between the ages of 16 and 20. I celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco and Golden Gate Park--though, I must admit, some of the residents then cynically proclaimed it to be "The Summer of the Panhandler."

We went there to try to recapture some of the magic we'd heard about, or, in some cases, the magic that some of the visitors remembered for themselves. It was gone, of course, but bits and pieces of it still flowed through the space like a stream dried to a mere trickle.

I've led an interesting life, I think. I celebrated my wildness in the strangest ways and worked in so many jobs over the years that I've lost count. All through it, my only rock was my writing. No matter what else I was doing, I wrote. Before my first computer, I filled notebook after notebook, all lost now.

With all the things I've done, and all the risks I've taken, it's sometimes a wonder I sit here today. But I leave with a warning to the youngsters. At 17, 18, or 19, it's easy to believe you're immortal, that the things you do will never come back to haunt you. But your body remembers. Though my bones are dense and strong and hard to break, the softer tissue surrounding them has proved to be far less resilient than I believed. Some of the high impact things I did when I was "immortal for a limited time" have come back with a vengeance to remind me of how damn silly I was.

Be well, DU, and, even more importantly, treat one another well. No matter what minor differences in opinion might try to divide you, remember that you (we) are all allies in a much larger conflict. Stand tall and stand strong. We need one another because WE, and those like us, are the hope of the world.

As my wife might say,

Blessed Be.

A couple of weeks ago I started showing symptoms of a major pinched nerve in my neck or upper back. I was in a lot of pain and unable to focus particularly well on anything. Even going to work, which I continued to do, was an exercise in continual torment. I went to the doctor and got anti-inflammatories and painkillers and I did my best to continue on with all my usual obligations, including working on my newest novel and editing my last one in preparation for its upcoming publication.

I was unabashedly an Edwards supporter and I just caught the briefest snippets of his dropping out of the race and my heart sank like a hunk of granite in a pond. I imagine the feeling was similar to those who supported Kucinich, Biden, and Dodd when their particular candidate chose to leave the race. I'm sure most of us are aware that the corporate media has gone to great lengths to manipulate our choices this time around.

Over the past few months, I've been genuinely appalled by the level of discourse here. The whole primary debate has turned into a junkyard brawl between the supporters of Hillary and Barack and every single negative talking point has been dredged up from even the deepest sewers including FOX News and every RW rag in existence to allegedly "help" make the case for or against whichever candidate one wanted to blast.

People I once respected have waded into the fray and cheapened themselves by using spurious, degenerate arguments with respect to the candidate they didn't favor in order to prop up the one they do. I've seen things I would have sworn I'd never see here, not only once, but time after time after time. I've seen people quite happily piss all over the Clintons who, as we know, were hardly perfect, but still stood far and away better than any possible Republican alternative. I've seen people wave the red flag of racism, saying that we couldn't possibly nominate Barack because it would bring out the bigots in droves.

I've seen people making horrendous personal attacks on one another, belittling people who are, ostensibly, on the same side as themselves because of a difference of opinion about which candidate would serve us best in the long run. Frankly, I've been both disappointed and disgusted.

Do both our potential candidates have baggage? Hell, yeah. Hillary has a ton of baggage. She's the inheritor of a Presidential legacy that has both good and bad points, and the inheritor of a kind of mindless hatred that is staggering in its scope and breadth. The Right Wing hates Hillary so much that it's impossible to even determine what it is they hate about her. From where I sit, Hillary is part of the old-time DC establishment. John Edwards called her the "status quo" candidate and, I admit, I called her that months before he did. I truly believe that for all of that, she could end up being a very good President. Is she the best possible candidate? I don't think so. But all the best candidates, in my opinion, dropped out long before we reached this point. She is not the Wicked Witch of the West, or East, but a woman who has a long history of serving the American people as well as her own ambitions. Perfect? Far from it. But far better in many respects than a lot of people, including many Democrats, would like to paint her.

And Barack? Ironically enough, many of his positives are seen as negatives. His supporters are SO certain that he's the ultimate icon of hope and change that any criticism of him is met with almost rabid attacks on the intellect and character of anyone who dares to presume a right to judge. His speechifying is so inspiring to some that he could get up there and say nothing of consequence and they would STILL think whatever he said was as compelling as anything ever spoken by JFK or MLK.

Frankly, I never caught fire from one of his speeches. I was always left wondering, 'what the hell is he talking about?' He's an icon of "post-partisan" politics which, to me, is as ridiculous as concept as any I've ever heard. On one side we see a group of people who are consumed by greed and a thirst for power, who despise the poor, gays, women, and minorities, who'd like nothing more than to hand all the power in this country over to a handful of powerful men who'd love to forge another gilded age, who think America has the right and the duty to use everything up to and including military force to push its will on the rest of the world. On the other side you have those who believe in America as a symbol of freedom, hope, and justice. Those who would like to judge people by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin or who they happen to love. Who believe women are as worthy of respect and admiration as men, and who believe that America is a more potent force for democracy and justice throughout the world as an example of such things rather than a military power devoted to spreading them through the force of arms.

How does one reconcile these two sides? Where is the path to "post-partisanship" there? Which side is most willing to compromise, and what would each be willing to sacrifice to move beyond partisanship? When I ask this question, I find myself in fear of the answer. But for all of this, he has the potential to do great things for us all. Whether he'll succeed is another question altogether. He believes that he can open negotiations with people who have shown no interest in negotiating on any terms but their own for as far back as I can remember, but, hey, there's always hope, right?

I frankly question whether either candidate would dedicate him or her self to bringing about meaningful, much needed change to our current political climate. But I do not question that either one of them would be far better in the long run than McCain would ever be.

One of these two people will end up being our nominee. And no matter which it is, it doesn't mean the end of the world as we know it. Hillary may be "status quo" and Barack may be too enamored with the notion of "post-partisanship," but, regardless, they are the two choices before us now. And, I believe, one of them will most likely end up as President of the United States. Even those conservatives I've spoken to in the last few months believe this to be the case.

People here can spend the next few months spewing venom at one another over their choice of a nominee, but I, for one, will not be participating. If people I once respected are so willing to engage in such behavior to no good reason, to slime not only the candidates but their fellow DUers over what seems to me to be a minor disagreement (being that I think both candidates are coming from the same general direction), I'm not sure what the point to all of this is. Only a few people seem to have stayed above the fray and I salute each and every one of them for doing so.

As I said before, my choice was John Edwards. Because he spoke directly to the very thing I think is most wrong with this country, from which nearly every other one of our most serious problems stems...corporate greed and undeserved political influence and access. And Edwards, like Kucinich before him, was deliberately marginalized because he dared to challenge the bedrock of modern American politics.

If it's become nothing more than a pissing contest between those who want Hillary in the White House versus those who want Barack in the White House, based upon little more than a couple of degrees of ideological separation, I wash my hands of the whole fucking thing. Neither of these two candidates turn my crank. But I'm more than willing to vote for either of them come the GE, because even a "status quo" Democrat is a damn sight better than the likes of John McCain. Baggage and all. Bill and all. "Cult of personality" and all. "Post-Partisanship" and all.

I don't think it's really about ideology anymore. I think it's about ego, it's about backing what one sees as the "winning team." Both of them seem to me to be decent public servants, probably no more or no less ambitious or ego-driven than anyone else who's thrown his or her hat in the ring for the job over our two hundred and some odd year history.

If any of either candidates most rabid supporters actually believe they're doing themselves or their candidates any favors by acting like a bunch of spoiled jerks on this message board, or any other, they're sadly mistaken.

It's gotten so bad here of late that Skinner and company has been forced to implement what I personally consider some of the most stupid rules possible. Because of SOME people, the ability of anyone to start more than three threads in GDP in a twenty four hour period has been suspended. I don't blame them for doing it, but I'm disgusted by the fact that so many people agreed that it was necessary.

I'm fairly disgusted by the whole thing at this point. I originally joined Democratic Underground because I wanted to be a part of a community I thought was caring, compassionate, and intelligent, willing to set aside minor differences to fight for causes that could make a real difference in this nation and the world at large. I've generally come to support the Democratic Party because I believe that the majority of its members are truly decent people who want to help build a better world for everyone.

But I'm not happy with many of our so-called "leaders" in Congress. I'm not particularly happy with the party machine at this point either. And I'm not all that thrilled by the actions and attitudes of a sizeable minority of those invested in one of the two remaining potential Democratic nominees. I'm glad we're not the Republicans, inherently predisposed to march in lockstep. But I don't think allowing ourselves to fracture into a thousand squabbling factions at the drop of a talking point is much of a recommendation either.

So, if it suits you all, please continue spitting in the faces of those who might well be your allies come this November. Keep treating one another as if you think anyone who doesn't see it your way is brain damaged or a Repug troll in disguise. I'm sure in some alternate universe it's actually good for the party, the American people, and the human race.

Or maybe not.

I'm done with defending my candidate against spurious attacks from people who refuse to recognize that his populist stance is not new, but evidence of the same general beliefs he's always held. How he's fought for a living wage and those who work for a living for his whole political career. I'm not going to waste any more time explaining how I see a man who went into the belly of the beast, saw what was going on, and got the hell out. Who's now telling us precisely what he's seen, and why he's hell bent on changing the way things work.

I won't bother defending him against stupid FOX News talking points about his goddamn haircut. If people don't want to understand that he didn't arrange that haircut, and wasn't aware of how much it was going to cost when he got it, I'm not going to try to explain it to them.

I'm not going to waste my time talking about his house. For all anyone knows, he may well intend to donate it to a worthwhile charity sometime in the future--so it might become a home for unwed teenage mothers as a haven in their climb up from poverty, or as a haven for women hiding from a abusive husbands or boyfriends, or for some other worthwhile purpose. If he came and SAID so, people would accuse him of lying, or playing a political hole card, but it sure as hell wouldn't surprise me. The house certainly has all the qualities one would need for such a purpose.

I know that's what *I* would most likely do with such a monstrosity. Something that large would hardly feel cozy, or feel like home to me. And it would be a heck of a gesture should he somehow beat the odds and ended up in the White House to donate the house to a worthwhile cause.

Some of us are pretty quick to assume the worst of people. Not without reason, sometimes, but still...

I'm also not going to be descending into the threads bashing other candidates. Sure, it'll leave me with a lot more time on my hands, but, frankly, I've said all I have to say about everyone currently in the race. It's not hard, if someone is actually curious, to seach through my journal and see what I have to say about each of the other candidates.

I've always tried to put the issues first, to talk about what means the most to me. I don't care so much about star-power, or personality. I don't know these people--I can only judge whether or not I think their message and presentation of their message is what I want to hear and see. I have to base my judgments on what the candidate seems to stand for.

I like what Edwards is saying and how he's saying it. Again and again he's bringing up things that I myself have touched on over the years and that says something to me. He seems concerned about people who work hard and yet have nothing and so am I. He seems concerned about the rising cost of education, and the dwindling opportunities even a good education can offer. Well, so am I. He talks about the preservation of the middle class, without which NO ONE can be lifted out of poverty simply because there would be nowhere for them to be lifted TO.

This country has an immense potential to be a true force for good in the world, but not if it's full of broken promises and broken dreams itself.

An America in which every citizen is afforded basic dignity, and can stand tall knowing he or she is important, and that his or her fate matters to those around him or her is a worthwhile goal, and it's an America I would dearly love to see. We can't afford to run around the world trying to fix everyone else's problems while ignoring the shattered lives here at home.

No matter who wins the nomination in the end, I will cast my vote for him or her against whatever evil the Republicans put forth. I cannot in good conscience do otherwise, knowing all too well from the last several years what continued Republican dominance would bring.

There are those who try to tell us it's not really that important, that none of these people will bring any meaningful change. Perhaps that's true. But if it is, then all of THIS is for naught, for the fate of not only America, but the whole human race could well be at stake.

Plan accordingly.

If I told you he was your brother
We could reminisce
Then you would go about your day
If I said you ought to give him some of your water
You'd shake your canteen and walk away

The perception that divides you from him
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can't afford to believe in your side

This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say that the colours must be swirled
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate

The Beauty of Grey

Live
"The Beauty of Gray"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMvyD9e1A30...

Everyone has a story. Watching the supporters of two of our fine Democratic potentials going at one another with no respect for the opposing point of view whatsoever has me staring in astonishment. I can't believe how nasty it's gotten in such a short time.

Can we give one another a break here? Is it possible that some of those in Clinton's retinue have made remarkably racially insensitive comments without the whole campaign and Hillary herself being racist? Is it possible that people on the other side might be offended without deliberately engaging in "race-baiting?"

Maybe? Can there be some room for doubt? Some restraint on the rush to judgment?

I worry about the ultimate result of a mind-war like this one, because it's not just about which candidate one supports--it's a hell of a lot deeper than that. When it becomes THIS personal, and this cultural, wounds can be inflicted that cannot easily be healed.

DU is better than this. DUers are better than this.

I abhor racism, sexism, and homophobia. I think they're used against us all, not just those who are affected directly. They create artificial separations that those without conscience use to divide us and weaken us in the battle against those who would dominate, control, and exploit us. Culling us based on our varying differences rather than allowing us to discover our common strengths.

This is NOT about the candidates. It's about US. Neither of the two are my chosen candidate, but they both have qualities that might serve us well if one of them were to attain the highest office in the land. They are not perfect, but none of us are.

This is a call for those of us who are engaged in this running battle to stop and realize that the other side might have a valid viewpoint, even if one does not necessarily agree. Some of the statements made might have been racially insensitive, and some of the responses might have been excessive.

I am a strong voice for partisanship when it comes to facing the Republicans and their systematic destruction of everything good about this country. But when it comes to US, those who want to see a different kind of America, I can't see anything positive about this level of intra-party conflict. Nothing good can come of it. Nothing.

We have a battle to fight, and it's the battle of our lifetime. A battle for the hearts and minds of all Americans. A battle for the future of our country, our children, and our world. The true enemy lies outside our "big tent," not within it.

Racism, sexism, and homophobia has no place within our ranks. We are bigger than that. We have to be, lest we find ourselves becoming that which we despise.

Please.

I will say nothing more about this, but I implore you all to pay heed to my words. I want the best for us all.

If this continues unabated, we will all lose.

Please.

Lumbering beasts roam the countryside, consuming whole communities in a single gulp, leaving their toxic excrement wherever it may fall. Any ordinary citizen who attempts to stand in their way is either kicked aside or squashed flat. The rule of law meant to protect us has been overturned, and they have their way again and again and again. They bully or bribe those we elect to defend us, chew their way through any obstacle, and lie outright in their bellowing voices when anyone tries to take them to task.

I'm not opposed to corporations...but I am opposed to the political power they've been allowed to wield. And I plan on continuing, day after day, to expose and criticize not only them, but those who enable them to continue what they're doing.

Their hands are covered in the blood of innocents, and their breath stinks like a charnel house from all the lives they've consumed. They dominate, not negotiate.

It's time we chopped them down at the knees.

John Edwards for President.

Because he gets it.



edited for clarity

The Obama camp is crying "racism!" (Not without reason, I might add). The Clinton camp is crying "Sexism!" (Also not without reason). Each camp seems intent on fire-bombing the opposing candidate with as much flaming excrement as possible. It's not about the issues. It's NEVER about the issues. It's always about the candidates--are they manly men, or are they a reasonable facsimile thereof?

Who's the "top of the pops" this week? Two states down and there's a tremendous amount of chest-beating going on. The media is quick to trumpet "it's a TWO person race!" Well, we always knew they wanted a horse-race. They're damn well going to make sure they get one.

While both major candidates and their people are doing their level best to convince us "it's about ME!"

I beg to differ. It's about US, not you. Either of you. It's about the citizens of the U.S. you have been sworn to serve. I know it's inconvenient, and annoying, because that guy dragging up the rear keeps on mentioning folks who shouldn't rightfully be included in ANY Presidential race. Folks nobody with any class would keep bringing to the dance.

In my eyes, and obviously in John Edwards's eyes, these are the people who matter most. The people that most politicians and (apparently) most voters wish would just go away. But they're not going away. And Johnny has no intention of letting them fade from view just because their presense is inconvenient.

See, John captured 2nd place in Iowa, and came in a distant third in New Hampshire. All that suggests is that there is a sizeable minority of Americans, in those states, at least, who give a damn about something other than celebrity. That are actually listening to the message. And think it's important.

As long as we allow the media to make this about personality rather than issues, we're feeding the monster. As long as we refuse to talk about the invisibles and have-nots, nothing is going to ever get better.

We're being led merrily down the primrose path to find the canker in the heart of it all. The elitists who STILL want to make this about them.

Well, I not-so-respectfully disagree. It's not about them. It's about the rest of us, as much as the media would like us to forget that. It's about the forgotten and silent, and those of us who stand where we can still see them, and can reach down to help them out of the gloom.

It's about the poor, the disadvantaged, and a strong middle class that can, finally, pull them up into the light.

edited to fix a mistake in punctuation.

You can't sell peace to war profiteers. Can't do it. They won't buy. You can't sell the truth to habitual liars. They're not interested. You can't sell election reform to those who get what they want with the system in place as it is now. It's just not possible.

You can't sell fair play to a cheater. If they can't guarantee a win, they won't play.

You can't sell equal rights and equal access to a bigot. All the sincerity and all the honesty in the world doesn't matter.

You can't sell reproductive choice and freedom to people who think they have a "God-Given" right to dictate their conscience to other people. It's just not happening.

You can't sell equal justice to those who exist and thrive by pushing injustice.

You can't sell alternative energy to the oil companies, or universal healthcare to the insurance companies. They have no reason to buy it and every reason to oppose it.

You can't sell liberalism to those who've sworn to destroy us. There's no common ground between those who believe in serving all of us and those who have dedicated themselves to serving only a small group of the powerful elite.

It's just not possible. How can we hope to gain ground when they believe EVERYTHING we stand for is simply wrong? When people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and a host of others spend every waking moment trying to think of new ways of marginalizing our message? When powerful and wealthy religious leaders call us evil and those we support "demon-possessed?"

I'm trying to figure out precisely how we're supposed to make peace, how to attain "bi-partisanship" without giving up everything for which we stand.

I know there are those who believe that, somehow, against all evidence to the contrary, there is common ground to be found. We already know we don't see things the same way, that the mechanics of our brains are totally different. So many of them are trapped in an either/or, black/white, right/wrong dichotomy that our perspective might as well be that of a completely alien species to them.

There might actually BE common ground, but I'm not sure how we can find it. We believe peace is possible, they believe it's not. We believe that there's value in a world where everyone can prosper, they believe that prospering is a "God-Given" boon and any failure to do so is proof of God's disfavor or, at best, evidence of a lack of moral character.

What common ground we may have is buried under six inches of swamp water infested with venomous snakes. How long can we afford to stand there waiting for them to meet us there without risking a multitude of snake bites in the meantime?

Yes, there IS the possibility of reaching out to those who have been misguided into thinking that the Republican Party has their interests at heart. But how do we do so when they control nearly every avenue for making that reach?

"Blind taste tests" reveal that a vast majority of Americans actually support progressive goals. Yet somehow in the midst of the so-called "culture war" we can't seem to make the connection between what they say they want and how we can bring it into being.

It's not the middle-of-the-road, triangulated, corporate-friendly centrism that speaks to them. It's far more progressive than that. Yet when we come to do battle with the other side, we don't seem to be able to speak to the attitudes we share. We hide it away, and allow the Republicans, and the complicit corporate media, to define who we are and what we want America to be. We don't strive to define ourselves, and marginalize those with the courage to do so.

And wonder why the collective response of all too many Americans turns out to be "No Sale."

We hear over and over again that "DU doesn't reflect America." Well, no shit. Too damn bad, that is. For the most part, anyway. Too much of America is too wound up wondering who's going to win that night's competition on "Dancing with the Stars" or some such crap, or glued to their couch with a beer in hand watching the latest "big game."

Fucking sports. What an example of pointless mental masturbation spectator sports are.

Hell, there are some people here who seem pretty fucking clueless too. And I don't mean just those who support candidates other than mine. I can accept that different people see things differently. But those who can't or won't understand how important JE's populist message actually is really confuse me. "I'm not really much of a populist."

To me that more or less translates as "I don't give a FUCK about anyone who's not like me."

Do I sound like a judgmental ass? Perhaps.

People accuse Johnny of being "too slick" or "a snake-oil salesman." Well, in this particular case, that so-called "snake oil" is a wonder drug. Because we NEED someone out in front who's willing to take on the corporate control of our country and bust the monopolies we've allowed to form since Teddy took them on back at the beginning of the LAST century.

Even a President can't do it alone. But Johnny's right. The President has a bully pulpit and it would be nice to have one sitting in the White House who was willing to use it for something other than attacking Social Security, the idea of universal healthcare, and trumpeting the (usually bullshit) case for war with anyone he can.

I've said it before that I think any one of our candidates would do all right, and be a damn sight better than what we've had, or what the Repugs have lining up on the other side of the great divide. But the simple fact is that only ONE of the candidates who even has any kind of a shot seems willing to take on the power players directly.

Is he angry? I sure as hell hope so. Because turning the other cheek is a damn stupid thing to do when your adversary is trying to carve you up like a Christmas ham. And make no mistake, that's what's being done to us RIGHT NOW. Every single thing that remains good about America is being chopped apart and passed out to all the "right" people and they're sitting there with their napkins tucked into their shirts and their knives and forks at the ready to dig in and eat America's heart in a couple of big gulps.

In one breath we condemn Congress for rolling over again and again, and in the other we (some of us, at least) condemn Edwards for being "too angry."

I don't think the other candidates are angry enough by a LONG shot. While the big wigs are fighting over the few remaining scraps of meat left on our bones, the last thing we need is a Democratic candidate who's trying to sweet talk them away from the table.

What is it about this that some people just don't get? "I'm not much of a populist?" What, you LIKE seeing people pushed into a corner and eaten by the corporate scavengers because they have no way to fight back? You find that amusing, do you? Or do you just turn away because it has nothing to do with you?

I don't get it. We should ALL be concerned about the invisible and forgotten folks in this country--the homeless vets, the working poor, the kids who are on the edge of death because what they need doesn't do anything to help the bottom line of those who make the decisions. All the people who have no voice because they have no money.

And don't tell me that the preservation of the middle class isn't a major part of this fight. It is. A strong and vibrant middle class is a necessity to help bring people up out of poverty. Without an expanding middle class, there is simply no place for them to go. A shrinking middle class indicates people falling INTO poverty. It's really that simple.

His is a message America desperately needs to hear. "WE ARE BEING EATEN ALIVE." Because we are. This isn't hyperbole. America is being consumed by vast corporate entities so powerful they are like nations unto themselves, though far more diverse in terms of territory. Americans are losing the ability to pass a better life to their children, and entirely too many of us are blissfully unaware of it.

I LIKE Obama's message of hope. I truly do. I think that's necessary too. Doom and gloom isn't going to get us anywhere in the end. But hope without a real dedication to fight isn't going to solve our problems. The cannibals aren't going to set their knives and forks aside because we ask them nicely. We may have to flip a few tables, scatter the place-settings, and chase them from the room for a while.

This is a battle that needs to be waged, and it needs to be waged RIGHT NOW. We cannot timidly edge into it, hoping we can appeal to the conscience of those who aren't fully invested in the gruesome meal they're all set to share.

What really strikes me funny is to see the occasional poster here mention the "class war" in almost Republican terms, as if it isn't being waged whether we participate or not, as if the powerful didn't fire the first shots and aren't busy parceling the rest of us out to consume at their leisure. The class war is here whether we like it or not. This leaves us with only a few choices. We can stand back and hope to ride it out unscathed (unlikely), try to join the currently winning side (possible for some, but hardly a perspective worth of consideration or respect), or take off the gloves, roll up our sleeves, and get ready to do battle.

The way I see it, the last option is the only one worthy of us.


Something needs to change. Desperately. There comes a time when it's time to make a choice and that time is now. We can either choose to fight back, or play dead while they sink their knives into our unprotected flesh.

I know what I mean to do. I aim to misbehave.

In the end it doesn't matter if you believe Edwards means what he's saying. We all know the message is true. He's been in the belly of the beast and he's come out to tell us about it. You can assume that he's just spitting a line--saying what he thinks we want to hear.

That's fine. But we damn well better be listening to the message. He's not crying wolf. Or, if he is, it's because there's a big slavering monster outside looking for the next available snack.

Step lively, or be its next meal. That's the choice we all face.

Deny it at your peril. At ALL our peril.

I've said something like this once or twice before, but I think it could stand to be reiterated.


Republicans are not tame. They're barely housebroken. Every notable Repug, from the President to Congress to those wacky fellows at FOX News, are like a feral dog just waiting for the scent of blood in the air.

Right now they seem subdued, but that's because we haven't yet chosen a target for them. They're playing at choosing one out of half a dozen barking mad motherfuckers for THEIR nomination for POTUS, but, bear in mind, they've got one eye on our side of the fence just waiting to see what kind of meat we're going to be throwing their direction.

As soon as the nomination is announced, the savage beasts are going to be crawling out of the woodwork, claws and fangs ready to tear into his or her tender flesh. What the Repugs will bring to the fray will make the mudslinging of the Democratic primary look like the games of preschoolers.

We already know they'll go after Hillary. They HATE Hillary. But she's gone through it before and I truly think she can ride out the storm. Not to mention that there's some evidence that she's made alliances with certain parties that will do their best to blunt the attacks. She's shown that she's willing to drag a metaphorical pine bough over the Republican tracks to help hide the evidence of their crimes.

There's no point in denying it. She's said as much. She's more interested in looking forward than looking back. Which is precisely what quite a few of us were worried about. As Bill Clinton did when he took office with regards to the crimes of Reagan and Poppy Bush, she will do with the crimes of Bush Jr. and Company.

So we'll end up with a placeholder President. Someone who might tackle some of the social issues of the day and possibly help balance out the Supreme Court again. But not someone who will do anything to change the current dynamic in Washington. If she's not owned by corporate America, they've certainly acquired a short-term lease.

But, honestly, I didn't start out planning to talk about Clinton. No, I meant to tackle my issues with Obama in this post.

His strength has always been in forging alliances, and finding common ground. This isn't a bad thing, ordinarily. But what he's been through so far has in no way prepared him for what will come if he gets the nomination. Maybe he'll be able to fight them off, but the one thing we know is that they CANNOT be ignored. Kerry tried that and they ate him alive.

Obama has more charisma than Kerry, which might be to his advantage when the chips are down. But my biggest fear is that he'll underestimate the rancor that will be directed in his direction, their willingness to do or say anything to destroy a Democratic rival. And in the race for President, all his "friendships" and alliances with the folks on the "right" will be of little or no value whatsoever. His Republican friends will not step up to defend him against the vicious tongues of Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, or any of their ilk.

Being a Republican means you never have to say you're sorry. That's for Democrats.

So will he be shocked? Disappointed? Will he know how to fight back effectively? What he's gone up against so far isn't even a preview. He will be attacked 24/7 on FOX, hit with every smear imaginable. And his "friends" will stand by silently while it happens.

Like Hillary, he may be able to weather the storm. But he won't be the same man who entered the race. He may come to the realization that the "unity" he seeks isn't something the Republicans would ever want. They want to eliminate us entirely or, barring that, want to dominate us completely. Their stated goal is a "permanent Republican majority."

How do you compromise with such people without sacrificing your own ideals?

I don't think you can.

And what if he wins? Will he choose to look forward like Hillary, leaving the Republicans behind him dragging their skeletons back into the closet and throwing on a new paint job to ready themselves for their next attempt to give that permanent majority another shot?

I certainly hope not.

Fact is, we don't need a nominee who's making deals with the current Administration. We don't need a nominee who doesn't seem to know what he's up against. We don't need a nominee already set to help sweep the Republican crimes under the rug where they can grow and fester until they become an even bigger monster the next time around.

Me, I'm rooting for someone I think has some serious fight in him. Because that's what we need. A fighter. Not an appeaser. Not a deal-maker.

But, hey, we get what we get, right? We'll just have to make the best of it.


edited for punctuation

So...

We're hearing cries (from the media and various alleged "pundits--well, the usual suspects, really) for "unity" and "an end to partisan bickering."

"Bickering" can be defined as "pointless" arguments with no purpose behind them. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "A petty quarrel; a squabble."

Oh, we're not bickering. In fact, it's offensive that anyone would suggest such a thing.

We're in a fight for the future of all of us. Not just Americans, but the whole human race. This isn't between some school kids calling each other names just to prove how tough they are. This isn't a sitcom marriage. It's a VERY serious disagreement about the rights and responsibilities of us, as U.S. citizens, as men and women, as human beings.

Anyone who calls it a mere "squabble" doesn't take it seriously enough. Not by a long shot.

We'll make peace with the Republicans. On OUR terms. As soon as they surrender their racist, sexist, homophobic, holier than thou certainty that THEY are right and WE are wrong. As soon as they apologize for calling us traitors, or allowing others who claim to represent them to do it. As soon as they apologize for branding people like Natalie Maines, Dick Durbin, Tom Dashle, and others as "traitors" or "terrorist sympathizers" for disagreeing with President George W. Bush on the way to handle the so-called "War On Terror."

We'll bury the hatchet as soon as they repudiate the self-centered, self-aggrandizing, and inflexible "conservative" notion of "voodoo economics." As soon as they recognize that not everyone in America gets an even shot at success, and as soon as they join us in fighting to change that. As soon as they step up to defend the middle class, and the helping hand the middle class extends downward to those in need. As soon as they realize that the ultra-rich shouldn't be able to decide for the rest of us what our priorities should be.

We'll shake hands with the Republicans as soon as they admit that their religion, and their religious book, should NOT be the answer to all arguments about the nature of the cosmos, the history of the human race, and whether gays have the right to live in peace. We wouldn't put up with the Taliban here in the United States, and we will NOT put up with similar inflexibility from them either.

We'll kiss and make up when they recognize that we have a duty to this planet, to all the other forms of life that live here, and that we are both responsible for the damage we've caused and for striving to fix as much of it as we can. When they roll up their sleeves and stand beside us, working to make this world a better place again. When they too decide that the long-term fate of their children and grandchildren are more important than short-term profits.

We'll play nice as soon as they stop insulting us, insulting our intelligence, treating us like second-class citizens, and tell people like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, and their ilk that they DO NOT speak for them. As soon as they make it clear they DON'T want us jailed, or killed, for the crime of disagreeing with them or the Bush administration. As soon as they stand up and say to their representatives that they respect the Constitution and don't respect anyone who refuses to abide by it.

We'll work for "unity" as soon as they repudiate all the evil that has been done in their names--as soon as they call for justice for those who've been ignored in Katrina's aftermath, those who've been sent off to war to die for a lie, those who've been turned out on the street because we have other priorities than protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Until then...

No quarter given, no quarter asked.

It's on.