Reply #13: Sorry, I have run out of honey... [View All]

[marions ghost]

--have NOT found that any amount of honey brings results--have found that it leads to dismissal --or at worst exploitation, in the current climate. We are NOT living in nice polite times. Our opponents are playing hardball. Democrats have been too nice, too agreeable, and it has gotten us into trouble. Of course we must still stop short of scathing diatribes or abusive remarks, because they are also dismissed (and gives them the chance to play the victim). But there is a huge need for people to make strong, heartfelt statements of opinion about the election crisis. We DO need to be heard by this committee. We DO need opportunities to demonstrate that we are paying attention and we care where it's going. So I was glad to see the reaction to the nasty "Why don't you get back in your box" phone call from Pastor to Bradblog.

I have been following the election issues closely, and contributing to the reform movement in every way possible. Watched the C-Span coverage of the commission presentations this past week. They made me feel queasy, depressed, insulted. I couldn't believe Conyers was not even represented and Baker was handed a key role. The rest were generally disapointing or predictable, and several were outright shills for the opposition. David Dill was an exception--he was effective esp as he is a computer expert lobbying for paper ballots, but it remains to be seen whether they will choose to listen to him or neutralize his message. He's outnumbered.

I read all the entries on the Bradblog website last night, and also the DU threads on the subject. With the exception of only a couple, I thought the letters to the committee that were posted there were intelligent, strong, to the point, and they did NOT step over the line of civility. None of them would hurt our cause--our cause is hurt far worse by silence. It's time to forget about mincing words and pussyfooting around. It's time to channel our anger and frustration in exactly this way, and use our collective power. We are NOT buying this sham of an election system, nor do we trust this committee that's been set up to reform it. The committee needs to KNOW this, in no uncertain terms.

So I was inspired and rejuvenated to read these courageous letters from so many concerned citizens, and will be sending out my own today. We deserve a voice in this debate. Pastor is caught between a rock and a hard place, and his schizy statements indicate that. Sometimes people who are stuck in the middle have a way of pointing up the absurdities of the whole situation. So in that sense, watching him tangle himself in knots is productive. Given the difficulty of Pastor's position, he has certainly misunderestimated public opinion.

NGU :toast: to all those drawing a line in the sand