"...It's that kind of sensibility that will get our nation back on track <br
However, for those who continue to rant, lick their chops, and wring their hands hoping to extract their "pound of flesh"...put your anger where it can actually be of use. Volunteer for a candidate's campaign, political action committee, or your own political party. Verbal assasination of elected officials on a vintage appliance forum ends up being nothing but bandwith fluff." <br
Retromom, I'm SO not interested in turning this into another riot scene (I calculate I've probably used up about three of those already, between the anti-smoking lobby, the lost soldiers of the Confederacy, and those who think I am to the left of Chairman Mao, lol! <br
Look, I'm well aware that people are sick unto death of political squabbling, family members at war, conspiracy theorists, and not feeling as though they can speak their minds and simultaneously having everyone else's attitudes jammed down their throat <br
But we do need reforms, and this is what we have been given to deal with <br
I take care of business AND try to help. One night a week, at a social services agency (I'm trying to remain victorious over bipolar disorder, and the side effects my treatments require.
I run up and down streets, alleys, and tunnels in bus terminals, railroad stations, and parks and terraces adjacent to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, giving out doughnuts, water, plastic sheeting, etc. I don't like talking much about it, because I believe we're commanded to play down what we do for others, and bask in any self-created piousness....there IS no piousness. After all these years, I'm frequently grossed out by some of the folks I come into contact with, and I hate the fact that I am, because we are instructed to walk in love, and I haven't hit that point yet. That's what I haven't been able to reconcile, but I pray I will, soon <br
All I can do is spend every available moment I can, educating myself, keeping an open mind, and trying to remain calm. But I cannot ignore what I'm seeing in our society, in our culture, in front of my eyes <br
I'm not a college kid on a bench in Union Square, trying to force you to wear hemp pantyhose...I'm forty-one, trying to be a better person, trying to deal with how it makes me feel to see so many people in such hardship and suffering. I am NOT harboring Osama bin Laden in my living room <br
Versatronic mentioned a while back that I seemed to have contradictory views, and perhaps that's true. But you have to look at things from both sides, and for a long time in this country, that hasn't been possible. For justice to be done, those of us with opposing views will be called upon to STRETCH, to accommodate different positions we may not feel entirely comfortable about <br
We all need to try to be patient, to walk in love, and to demand the truth <br
We can't afford to sweep what has happened to this nation under the rug
