"If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen,
"To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear.
"And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about,
"Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?"

There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind,
Who were crucified for what they tried to show.
And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time.
'Cos the truth remains that no-one wants to know.

And you still can hear me singin' to the people who don't listen,
To the things that I am sayin', prayin' someone's gonna hear.
And I guess I'll die explaining how the things that they complain about,
Are things they could be changin', hopin' someone's gonna care.

I was born a lonely singer, and I'm bound to die the same,
But I've got to feed the hunger in my soul.
And if I never have a nickle, I won't ever die ashamed.
'Cos I don't believe that no-one wants to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GZaaYKhRaA

Listen, believe, and know your target.. Never give up.. We can do this!!!! Please take this time to listen to this song.. The song's name is "to beat the devil" and we all need to listen to it..

America, love it or leave it...

If you've ever tried to debate current political events with a freeper, I'd bet good money that at some point in the conversation (usually when they have no leg left to stand on) you've heard.. "This is America, love it or leave it.." Personally, I can't count the number of times I've heard the phrase. I heard it at the fair when I was passing out buttons with Democratic/ anti- war slogans on them, and I heard it as I, and others marched down Main St. with my homemade stop the war, and "no blood for oil" signs.
It seemed at some points I heard it everywhere I turned.. The r-wing talk show hosts on TV as well as radio love to use it, and mindless freepers love to parrot it..

When I would hear the phrase "love it or leave it" I'd roll my eyes, and think to myself "that's all you got?" At some point though, something in me changed.. I really started thinking about the words, and what they meant to me. America, love it or leave it.. It's a pretty straight forward phrase for the most part.. It implies that if you don't love this country, than perhaps you should leave it. I used to get offended when I heard the phrase, now I actually agree with it, and I think our party would be better off for using it..

You see, I love my country. I love who she is, and I love what she stands for.. I don't want to change her.. I don't want to change the freedom she allows us, I don't want to change her due process.. I don't want to exchange my liberties for safety, and I respect the ideals she was founded on. I love her Democratic ways, and her protections from tyranny.. I respect and love her Constitution, and I think her ideals on separation of power are down right peachy keen.. You know what I love most about her? You can belong to any religion, or no religion at all, and no matter the color of your skin, you're still equal in her eyes..

So, all you lurking freepers take note, because for once I am in total agreement with you, love it, or leave it.. Love and respect our Democracy, or leave it. Love our freedoms, process, personal liberties, and Constitution, or let the door hit ya. This country is a democracy, not a dictatorship, we have checks and balances, and they are there for a reason. You freeps though, seem to have trouble with the idea of freedom, liberty, and you are all for handing your man * the power of a dictator. You don't seem to understand separation of church and state, and the Second Amendment is the only thing you respect about the Constitution.

So freeps, love it or leave it.. Love this country, and what she stands for, or leave it. Us "Loony Liberals" love her, and we don't want to change her. You freeps though, proclaim your love, and then try to change everything she has stood for since her conception. If you love her as much as you claim, than why are you trying to change her? Why are you trying to turn her into something she isn't? That isn't love.

America, love it or leave it.

As many of you know, my message was chosen by the Heartland PAC in their 10 words or less contest. The idea was to describe the Democratic Party in 10 words or less. I chose "The Democratic Party: People are our only 'Special Interest.'" I will be involved in a conference call later today with the other winners, and Gov. Vilsack to discuss the words that the others and I chose. The focus of the conversation is going to be about the 10 word phrases, and what we feel are the most important Democratic values. The discussion will be turned into a pod cast, and posted on the PAC website. I was also asked to write a paper about my 10 words that will be given by Gov. Vilsack to all Democratic Governors, gubernatorial candidates, and Democratic Party leaders.. Lastly, I will be given an opportunity to have lunch and spend a day with Gov. Vilsack, his wife, and the other winners at the Iowa State fair in August..

This is where you guys come in.. I've learned so much from everyone here at DU, and I want to give all of you an opportunity for your voices to be heard. I'd love it if you could share with me what you believe our most important Democratic values are, and the direction you think the Democratic Party should be heading in. What do you feel needs to be addressed? What do you believe to be the key to winning in the midterms? What should our message be, and why should people vote Democratic verses Republican? Please post what you feel are the most important issues, and the values that are nearest and dearest to you. Just to let you know, I'm going to pass this thread along to The Heartland PAC, and it may even be viewed by the Governor himself.. I look forward to hearing your ideas, and sharing them with the Gov. Vilsack.

Please stop by the Heartland PAC and discuss the winning submissions. These folks really want to bring about a Democratic majority through closing the idea and message gap, and the only way they can do that is if you let them know what is most important to you..

http://www.heartlandpac.org /
(This is a link to the Heartland PAC's homepage.)


http://www.heartlandpac.org/page/community...
(Link to the winning submissions.)

http://www.heartlandpac.org/page/community...
(Link to the explanation of my ten words, and the comments given by others.)

I had to wait in an office today, and I picked up a well worn copy of Time that stated that 1 in 3 students aren't graduating high school.. That number just seemed really high to me.. If it's true, it would go a long way in explaining why our country is in the sorry state that it's in.. If 1 in 3 aren't graduating high school, how could they be expected to make truly informed voting choices? If this statistic is accurate, than I think one of the first orders of business should be rebuilding our school systems, and make education a real priority in this nation..


on edit- Here is a link to the story, but you have to pay for it.. It's actually a new edition.. I just assumed it was old from the wear and tear of the copy..

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0...

The Heartland PAC sponsored a contest to describe the Democratic Party in ten words or less.. They first narrowed it down to 10 out of 5,000 submissions, and then asked people to vote for the top 3 out of the 10, and mine was chosen. I was then invited to explain why I picked the words that I did, and explain what they meant to me.. I get to talk to the Gov. of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, later today, and I'm going to be interviewed by a couple of different newspapers.. I'm sooooo excited!!

As many of you know, I used to be a puke, and DU played a huge role in my conversion to the Democratic Party.. You guys taught me everything I know, and I'm forever grateful.. I love you guys, and I just feel so lucky to be a part of one of the greatest groups of people on Earth.. Thank you to all of you that voted for me, and thank you to everyone over the last year that took the time to help me understand the importance and value of our party.. I'm not being overly dramatic when I say that you guys have changed me.. You have changed my life, and impacted my world view in so many ways, all for the better..

My 10 words were- "The Democratic Party: People are our only 'Special Interest.'"

My explanation was-

I chose my 10 words because I think the biggest strength the Democratic Party holds is that our party truly cares about the needs of the hardworking men and women of this country, where as the Republican Party only seems to care about the high dollar special interest groups and the corporate donors that fund them.. We are a government for the people, by the people, and the Democratic party has never lost sight of that fact. It's time to return the country to the hands of the people, and the only way to do that is to elect Democrats to every position on the local, state, and federal levels.. The Democratic party has only one "special interest group," and it's the hardworking men and women of this country..


http://www.heartlandpac.org/page/community...
(This is the link that shows the winners.)

and

http://www.heartlandpac.org/page/community...
(This link is to my explanation, and comments by others about the words that I chose.)

Again, thank you guys.. I never could have done it without you!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart..

The Heartland PAC sponsored a contest that asked the participants to describe the Democratic Party in 10 words or less.. My submission was "The Democratic Party: People are our only 'Special Interest.'" I was included in the top 10 finalists, and the voting is open now. If you could vote in this poll I would really appreciate it..

I know on the grand scale of things this isn't that big of a deal, but to me it really is.. Most of you know I'm a recovering rethug, and this is the first time I've ever felt like a real contributing member of the Democratic Party.. If it weren't for DU, and the souls here that helped me understand the error of my ways, I'd still be a koolaid sipping winger.. The biggest changes of my entire life have come in the last year, and I am a totally different person thanks to DU..

The 10 words I selected is a reflection of what I've learned here.. The rethugs focus only on the high dollar interest groups, and corporations that fund them, where as the Democratic Party values the hardworking men and women of this country that make this country great.. The Dems "special interest" is the American people.. Our government is for the people, by the people, and the only way to return the government to the people it belongs to is to elect Democratic leaders to every office on every level, local, state, and federal..

Thank you again, because if it weren't for DU, I would have never had this opportunity, and I wouldn't be the person I am today.. You guys mean so much to me, and regardless if I win or lose I'm just lucky to be a member of the best group of people on Earth..

Here is the link to the voting page, mine is the first one listed.. Thank you again for everything.. Again, these are my 10 words..

"The Democratic Party: People are our only 'Special Interest.'"

http://www.heartlandpac.org/page/community...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,...
much more at link-
snip-
Behind a fence in what was once a car park in a major American military installation sits a tight formation of green-trimmed white trailers, where flags belonging to countries from Australia to El Salvador flutter in the Florida breeze.

It may look like one of the multitude of retirement communities that dot the shores of the sunshine state. But this set of trailers in Fort MacDill, near Tampa, and the military officers who emerge from their tin doors in various configurations of camouflage, are engaged in a far more serious enterprise. They are planning for a global conflict that, Washington believes, will dominate the next 20 years. The Pentagon calls it the "long war": an integrated military, financial and diplomatic campaign against al-Qaida and its affiliates that will eventually span the globe, shaping the lives of the coming generation much as the cold war defined the baby boomers.

And yet within the very heart of Centcom the contours of the coming clash remain a matter of debate. The 63 countries represented here see a need for a joint effort against al-Qaida, but are not at all sure that they share America's vision, or its leadership, of that war.

If we get to the point that it looks like we are going to default, the first thing that will happen is cutting out SS, other pensions, medicare, and social programs.. That's always what the rich, and the pukes have wanted, but if a party were to try to cut it outright, it would amount to political suicide.. Another reason why I think it is true is look at Medicare Part D.. They intentionally made the program much more expensive than it had to be, and made it to where their friends in the drug companies would make out like bandits.. They get a two-fer, their friends get the money, and it hastens the program into financial straights.. The same with the war.. Lots of money being tossed around, too much, completely unaccounted for.. Again, the vast amount of money is going to R-wing friendly companies, and the rich that maintain the military industrial complex.. The same goes for the Highway Bill, and the Energy Bill.. They are intentionally driving our country over the edge so they can have what they wanted all along..

When SS is cut it will plunge something like 75- 100 million people into instant poverty, causing mass chaos.. They will then say for our own good they are going to "protect us" by tightening their grip..

My Dad is worth a considerable sum of money.. Growing up, I watched him loot 3 of his own companies.. The tactics that he used are just like what * and friends are pulling now, the only difference is that my Dad owned the companies that he pulled it on, and * and friends don't own our country..

Yesterday was my birthday.. My SO and I decided to go out to eat, and he took me to Red Lobster.. (Spare me, I know it isn't good for me, but I loves me some lobster, and I only eat it on my b-day..) We got there in the middle of the Sat. night rush, and we had to wait for half an hour at the bar.. We go in and sit down, and order drinks.. The couple to the left of us has had a couple, (talking loudly and semi- slurred speech) and are ordering more. The guy had been drinking the House Merlot, and the bartender told him if you like this drink, than you would love our special merlot (can't remember the exact name the bartender gave) that is only 2 dollars more a glass.. The guy says loudly enough for everyone in the bar to hear.. "I can't afford the fancy stuff, I can barely afford my gas everyday thanks to Herr Bush.." Everyone that was seated around the bar started to clap, and some even cheered.. (I live in one of the reddest areas of Florida.) That was all it took.. Everyone around the bar started talking about gas prices, and other bitches they had about the Bush administration..

I never said a word, I just sat there with my SO drinking my martini listening to the wonderful dissent all around me.. No one disagreed about anything, and people just kept bringing up complaint after complaint almost like children trying to one up each other.. Dinner and drinks at Red Lobster.. 105.22 + tips.. The feeling that our country isn't completely lost afterall..
priceless..

I posted this on another thread, but I thought I'd post it on its own because it is an important topic that is talked about a lot here on DU.. I grew up in a family of fundies, and most of my family is still that way.. I understand them pretty well, and I just wanted you guys to understand it too.. The better you understand your enemy the easier they are to defeat..

In my best estimates I'd say they account for 15-20% of the population.. They have a tendency to be loud mouthed and extremely politically active, so their numbers appear to be larger than what they really are.. On top of that, they more or less hijacked the conservative movement to make themselves appear larger than what they really are.. Most conservatives have completely different values than what the fundies do, but because conservatives are often religious they don't do the further exploration into what the differences are, so the side with the zealots instead of us "godless commies." Most conservatives want to be able to pray in public schools, and plaster "In God We Trust" all over everything, but they would stop short at giving up their privacy and force others share their views, where as that is the fundies actual goal..

Until we can separate the true conservatives from the fundies for good we are outnumbered.. Most conservatives though, to their credit, are coming around.. (Just take a look at the recent poll numbers, and you can see it..) They hate how much money is being spent, and they hate big government, and they are beginning to see that they aren't getting what they bargained for.. They are beginning to see what is happening, and the ones that have woken up are just as pissed about it as we are..

The biggest reason that fundies are getting what they want is because they are aligning themselves with corporate America.. They both want basically the same things, but for different reasons.. Fundies want women to not have choice in regard to their bodies because it makes women easier to control, and it "punishes" women who have sex, where as corporations want it so they have more consumers for their products, cannon fodder for their wars, and a bigger pool to get cheap labor from.. If you look at almost all of the corporate and fundie goals, they're almost all the same, they just want them for different reasons.. If you look at the issues like taxes, discrimination laws, separation of church and state, and so on, they all line up just like the women's choice example I gave above.. When the two joined forces they became harder to defeat.. The corps. have the money, and the fundies have the people to write the letters, make the phone calls, and demonstrate.. These are the reasons they have so much power, when in reality their numbers are so few..

On edit- Just so you are aware.. These people aren't truly religious people.. This is a movement of white guys that think they lost all their power when women where given the right to choose, and civil rights took effect.. They want the power that they had in the 1950's back.. This is nothing more than a movement of powerless white guys trying to drag us back to the period when they had power.. They have their women convinced that submitting to their husbands and men and general is Godly, so they've got them convinced that it's a good idea.. This is all about control.. The fundy movement has little to do with religion, it's about getting control under the guise of religion..

I was sitting here watching the news, and I kept thinking to myself, this is a dream, it has to be a bad dream.. Then I did it.. I pinched myself long and hard, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I might wake up from this nightmare.. I don't know if that says more about my mental health or more about how messed up the world we live in is, and frankly I don't much care.. This is insane..

What are these crazy people thinking? I mean, it's not like we haven't done enough damage to Iraq.. They're bombing the hell out of Iraq, calling it the "biggest air strike to date." Yea, I bet that will do some good.. Not.. Aside from being a blatant propaganda attempt to "convince" the people of our country and the world how big and bad we are, what is this supposed to accomplish? Make them hate us more than they already do? Make them pay for not wanting us in their country? Make them pay cause' they aren't turning the oil over fast enough?? Lets kill some more civilians, and deprive more people of electricity, food, and water.. It's worked sooo well to date, lets do it somemore.. I mean, WTF are they thinking? How do they reason that any good could come from this?

I don't see how anyone could have thought this was a good idea on any level.. It's no wonder they hate us.. I hate us... I swear to God I keeping thinking I'm going to wake up..

Next up!! Iran!

I was relaxing last night watching some C-Span that I had TIVO'ed.. Grassley got up to discuss a topic, and went off on a tangent that had nothing to do with what was being discussed.. Not a word that came out of his mouth had any reason to it.. Then Kerry got up.. He was reasonable, he was easy to understand, and he stayed on point.. After watching several rotations of Dems and pukes, it hit me.. We aren't dealing with rational people..

I used to be a puke myself, and I guess that's why this really fascinates me.. When I was a puke I would listen to a speech given by a puke, and "have faith" that what I was being told was the truth.. I "had faith" that what was being done was in the nations best interest.. I "had faith" that my government was doing right by me and my tax dollars.. There was little, if any, reason and rationale applied to any of my beliefs, it was all "having faith."

When I became a Dem something changed.. I used reason instead of faith.. I looked at facts for myself, and reasoned through my positions.. I didn't "have faith" that Kerry (just using him for an example) was telling me the truth, I trusted him, but I verified the information. The Dems didn't ask for "faith," they asked for reason.. They explain what 2 is, and why 2+2= 4.. They don't just tell you that the answer is 4 and expect you to believe the conclusion because they say so..

My question is this.. Could it be that we are not really a nation of pukes and Dems, but a nation of reasonable and unreasonable people? Could it be that we are not a nation of two parties, but a nation of two mindsets? Could it be that the reason that Dems can't get the message out in an effective manner to the masses is because we are trying to reason with unreasonable people? (I'm not suggesting that this is the only issue, I do honestly think that the media is unfairly biased to the right.) If this is the case and these people can't be reasoned with, than how do we fit our message to their mindset? How do you sell a reasonable message to unreasonable people? I don't have the answer to that question, but I think it's one that the Democratic Party needs to figure out, and the quicker the better.

Hi, my name is Stacy and I'm a recovering Republican. I guess I just want you guys to understand how important the Democratic Underground truly is. Sometimes I fear it is taken for granted.
I grew up in a conservative household and honestly didn't know any better. Just like many generations before me. I started "lurking" here about 2 years ago. I wanted to see what the "opposition" was up to. Over time I found you guys weren't my enemy. You were people who I wanted as my friends. You changed me. You changed my view of the world. You helped me learn to value my fellow man no how different they may be from me.
I changed my voter registration 6 months ago, and I voted AND volunteered for Kerry. I am now a card carrying member of the Democratic party and I will never look back.
Things around me now because of you are changing too. Everyday (except Sun.) my dad eats breakfast with about 10 other guys every morning. All Republicans. Now when one of the gentlemen trot out a republican talking point that my dad knows to be untrue, he calls them on it. He defends the Democratic stance. This IS a big deal. (You taught me, I taught him, he's teaching them.) Most of these guys are farmers. He owns a few tractor dealerships, and he could be screwing himself out of deals, but he does it anyway.
You changed my views, and my families views, and now you are changing my communities views. How many other times has this happened to other people? How many views have you changed? The tide is turning. You are changing the world.
Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for changing me.