Reaching across the aisle...

[Mythsaje]

I know we've been demonized with nearly the same effectiveness as the Jews in Germany during the rise of the Reich. I know that good, average folks have been told, again and again, that we want to take away their guns, their bible, and their self-determination. I understand this.

But the simple truth is that I, personally, want none of these things. Believe me, it does me no harm to have you clutch your guns, call upon Jesus's name, and live the life you choose to live. I begrudge you none of that.

But I do ask you to spend a moment looking upstairs, to the halls of power here in America. Do you TRULY believe that those in power have your best interests at heart? I'm not talking about guns, or Jesus, but I AM talking about your right of self-determination.

Would you like to see your kids or grandkids have a better life than you have had? That's no different from what I want. I'd like them to have the chance to go to college, to pursue a career in a field with actual growth potential, not one likely to be outsourced in the next couple of minutes. I don't want to see them buried in debt for the privilege of competing with the silver spoon set for those few well-paying jobs left to us.

I know you've been told that we don't believe in America, but that's simply not true. It's a bald-faced lie. Our belief in America is so feverish that we cannot bear to watch the country we love do things that betray its ideals.

We believe America can be everything it was promised to be. A place of where people have the freedom to pursue their dreams, buy their own homes, and criticize the government without attack if it suits them. We believe in an America where people are free to go to the church of their choice, or no church at all. If that's what they want. We believe in an America where anyone with a good idea and the perseverance to see it through can become a millionaire.

But we also believe in an America that helps its own. In an America where the millionaires and billionaires reinvest their money in their communities--giving people who'd ordinarily not have the same chances have an equal chance to make their own dreams come true.

We believe in an America that roots for the underdog--who not only wants to see him succeed, but gives him every opportunity to do so.

We believe in an America with clean water and clean air, one that isn't slowly poisoning its children with the toxic waste of a thousand irresponsible industries. We believe in an America with more than just a memory of towering forests and sweeping plains, where our grandchildren can roam and see nature in its majestic wonder because we've had the good sense to preserve as much as we could.

We believe in an America that believes in us. An America where the journalists tell us what's really going on, where the government doesn't try to tailor the news for its own purposes...where we still have the right to peaceably assemble, speak our minds to those who claim to represent us, and an America where people are willing to tolerate different views than their own without threats and bluster.

When was the last time you heard a liberal threaten to kill someone who didn't agree with him or her? Or to silence that person by force? When people like Ann Coulter are held up as some sort of conservative ideal, doesn't it make your stomach churn just a little? Where is the civil discourse? Where is the respect for opposing viewpoints that used to be part of the common exchange?

We believe in an America that says what it means and means what it says.

Don't you?

[Ringo84]

1. Very good work

Would you mind if I posted this on my blog in MySpace? I'll give you credit for it. It's OK if you say no.
Ringo

[Mythsaje]

2. Feel free, absolutely...

That's one of the reasons I write these...so others can spread them around to where they can be seen.

[Ringo84]

3. Thanks a lot.

You're a keeper, Mythsaje. I've been trying to write one of these, but I haven't really known where to begin.

:toast:
Ringo

[Mythsaje]

6. Been writing a lot of rants lately

because the people seem to like them...

But my first real winner, in my opinion, was THIS piece...

***************
Dear Average Republican,

There is NO "liberal agenda" but the shared interest of liberals who want to see things get better for everyone. You, your parents, and the guy who bags groceries down at the corner market. Liberals want to see you with enough money to buy groceries, pay off your house, and put at least one fuel-efficient vehicle in your garage.

It's not an agenda. It's people hoping for the best for other people.

It's about hoping that your Uncle John, who's been farming the same plot of land for the last 40 years, doesn't lose his farm because he falls off his tractor and breaks his leg and can't pay his doctor bill. It's about hoping that you have some options when your town's biggest employer goes belly-up because it can't compete with that textile factory in China.

It's about making sure you get paid enough that you don't have to take two or three jobs just to make ends meet. So you can spend more time with your family...so you can play catch with your kids, or take them fishing on weekends, or take them to the local swimming hole or municipal pool to teach them how to swim.

It's not an agenda to want the best for people. It's just humanity. It's about being a good neighbor, even if that neighbor lives half a country away.

Ask a liberal what empathy is...it's about understanding where someone else is coming from. And most of us try very hard, even if we don't agree.

Being a liberal isn't about making fun of God, or your beliefs about him. Most liberals take the Sermon on the Mount to heart. They try to live the teachings of Jesus, even if some aren't sure he's really the Son of God. Thomas Jefferson called him the World's Greatest Moral Philosopher. You'll find very few liberals who'd disagree with that.

It's because of liberals that your ten year olds get to go to school rather than being forced to work in factories for spare change. It's because of liberals that you can trust your workplace to be safe and free of unexpected dangers. It is because of liberals that, should you be injured at work, you can expect fair medical treatment and compensation for your lost work, and have money coming in if you’re laid off. It’s also because of liberals that you have reasonably clean water to drink and bathe in, and that the local swimming hole isn’t completely polluted.

That's what we do. We try to look out for everybody. Even the people who hate us. We don't have an agenda. We don't take marching orders from anyone. We do what we do because we believe in people. We believe in you.

All we ask is that you begin to believe in us.

[Mythsaje]

5. Self delete

[NanceGreggs]

4. You've done some TRULY FINE writing in the past ...

... but this is absolute poetry.

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

And also:

:applause: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mythsaje]

12. Thanks Nance...

I'm beginning to wonder if losing my star is hurting me here. I've gotta talk my wife into budgeting out a donation here soon. If it weren't for the fact that my kids were coming up and we're already stretching our budget, I would've already done so.

<sigh>

[greyl]

7. "...Jews in Germany during the rise of the Reich"?

Dude, no no no.
Plus, I think you meant to say "plains" not "planes".

[Mythsaje]

9. Explain...

And I hadn't noticed that error. Thanks for pointing it out.

[johnaries]

8. If you don't mind, I'd like to start an email chain with that.

I will definitely link it, because I want EVERYONE to know it came from a DU'er. I think I'll leave out the first sentence. I think it will be more powerful starting out with "I know that good, average folks have been told, again and again, that we want to take away their guns, their bible, and their self-determination." Can I title it "From a Liberal"? or maybe "From a Liberal to Conservatives"?

Excellent work! :toast:

[Mythsaje]

10. Make sure to grab the corrected version available now...

:)

[johnaries]

16. Cool! Thanks! nt

[Mythsaje]

11. I'd go with...

"From one average American to another."

But that's just me.

[1620rock]

14. You hit the nail on the head my friend...well said. n/t

[madokie]

13. Another Home Run I would say.

We believe in an America that says what it means and means what it says. a good summation to an excellent post.
Thanks

You bet I believe

[alittlelark]

15. Your post is ... so...so... CIVIL.

Guess what.... those w/ opposing corporatist viewpoints will decapitate you w/ their "MSM", they will place paid shills to argue your points w/ your local station, they will make sure your leaders are marginalized or travel in small planes or are suicidal......


The 'WAR ON TERROR' exists entirely on AMERICAN SOIL.

No more Fu-Fu.... It is painting a burning house.

[Mythsaje]

17. Have you read any of my rants?

I've been posting a lot of them lately and thought it was time I toned it down a little.

I can fence with the corporatist shills too. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've posted a few they'd be hard-pressed to counter.

Like the one I re-posted on the 4th... Give me a second and I'll repost it here for you.

:)

[alittlelark]

20. No, I have not. Kids, classes and work - little posting time

I just see the 'lets all feel happy and all will be well' posts as unrealistic.

I spent almost all my optimism flying to NM for Election Protection and being awakened by my sis to the fact that Kerry conceeded.

This is a hard core dog fight. Our dog is smarter, faster, stronger, and needs to be let off-leash.

[Mythsaje]

18. One of my recent rants...

I'm sick of listening to the lies. I'm sick of reading the lies. I'm sick of trying to refute the lies.

Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11. Saddam and OBL hated each other. Saddam was an asshole, but there are a LOT of assholes out there.

Telling the truth is not treasonous. It's telling the truth. Something more politicians should try now and again.

The "liberal" media is anything but liberal. It's beholden to the advertisers, who have their OWN fucking agenda. It's entertainment, and not even GOOD entertainment. It's not remotely connected to the truth anymore. It's all about ratings, and ratings are all about commercials, and commercials are all about corporate advertising. It's a no brainer.

People need the help of their community to succeed. There's no such thing as bootstrap levitation. No man or woman is an island, and without community support, people are lost...or crawl off into the woods to mail letter-bombs.

Everyone deserves decent healthcare, and socialized medicine actually works! The ONLY flaw in the system at that point is if fewer people can afford to become doctors because they go into debt trying to pay their way through medical school on student loans.

What part of "you can't fight an enemy you can't even identify" don't these people get? Not all Iraqis, Arabs, or Muslims are the enemy. The enemy is a mindset--and it's the same goddam mindset our current government seems to embrace. Violence is rarely an answer to anything without sincere attempts at diplomacy and compromise to go along with it.

People who've never been to war should not be allowed to play army with REAL SOLDIERS.

Gay marriage is only a threat to people who don't understand that marriage is a partnership, not a ownership contract.

The PEOPLE own themselves--their bodies and souls do not belong to the State, their employers, their church, or anyone else.

Freedom of speech is sacrosanct. Mess with it at your peril.

We OWN the government. Not the other way around.

You can oppose abortion or effective birth control and sex education. Pick one.

If I want to hear about Jesus, I'll ask.

Higher wages for the lowest classes means more money to spend. More money for the upper classes means LESS money spent. Which do you really think stimulates the economy?

Marx called religion "the opiate of the masses." These days in America, it's probably sports. Religion is more like a hullucinogen.

"Don't do drugs. Except these. And these. And these. And these."

"Alternative energy is a pipe dream." Yeah, kinda like the moon landing.

"America. Love it or leave it." You first.

The Death Penalty is retroactive abortion.

If this administration gave a SHIT about education, they'd fund it. Talk is cheap. Education isn't.

People shouldn't have to go deep in debt just to become more productive members of society.

Minimum wage jobs do not contribute to the tax base.

A stellar teacher is worth a hundred times more than a sports star. It would be nice if they made even a tenth of the salary.

A tiny fraction of the population is getting a free ride on everyone else's labor. And complaining about everyone else while they're getting it. Must be nice.

"Freedom isn't free." As soon as someone explains to me how killing and dying in a dusty place across the ocean contributes to OUR freedom, I might be inclined to agree. Near as I can tell, with illegal wiretapping, illicit surveillance, and 'free speech zones,' we're paying one hell of a high price for increased restrictions on freedom. Tyranny isn't free either, apparently.

What makes some people think big business is more benevolent than 'big government?' Were they repeatedly dropped on their heads when they were little?

Okay, I agree with you. Bush isn't stupid. He's just an asshole. Feel better?

If unscrupulous employers didn't HIRE illegal immigrants, they wouldn't be rushing the borders. Who do you think's really to blame? People who will risk everything to have a better life, or those who already have everything but want cheap labor to exploit so they can have more?

The political divide in this country will never be healed as long as people like Ann Coulter are running around spewing shit. Maybe if she actually ate something once in a while she wouldn't be so damned nasty all the time.

Hey, if the CEO of Pollution Inc. wants to take a crap in the corner of his own living room, that's okay with me. But the minute he tries to crap in my house, I'm going to smack him in the head with a big stick. I don't care WHO his friends are.

I'd rather be friends with a spotted owl than an ignorant logger.

I'm more worried about Grand Theft America than Grand Theft Auto. Call me crazy.

I don't know if this administration had anything to do with 9/11. But I do know they've screwed up just about everything they'd done since. I've never seen any bunch of people more deserving of walking papers in my entire life. And I've worked with some real losers.

If we're depending on the Supreme Court to defend the Constitution, we are in some DEEP shit.

[alittlelark]

21. Great rant......

What's the next step? These are dire times - those that gloss over that fact make me want to shake them into the the cognitive dissonance required to do what's nessessary.

We all know whats happening.... we make our choices - how to deal w/it.

[Mythsaje]

23. We're up against a very effective enemy...

People ARE starting to catch on. We just have to keep at it and fight to get the word out...in whatever way suits us best. Some of us can handle phones--I cannot. I write. It's my talent, skill, and calling.

We do what we can.

[alittlelark]

24. I get where you are coming from........

We were there in 2000, and again in 2004. Don't get me wrong, I WANT to be an optimist. I keep trying and getting shot down.


I am now a realist.

[Mythsaje]

25. I don't think it's about optimism and pessimism anymore...

We do what we can. We can hope or doubt, but as long as we don't surrender to despair and give up completely, we can't lose. We can just regroup to fight another day.

One of two things will happen in the long run. Either things will improve, Democratic win or not, or they'll continue to get worse. If they continue to get worse, more and more people will get fed up.

America is a sleeping giant. And if it gets bad enough, the government itself will discover the reality of that phrase.

[alittlelark]

26. I agree. Where I differ is in the 'sleep' or 'alert' mode.

This is the moment. We can accept bogus elections and 'get over it' or we can be the citizens our fore-fathers deigned us to be.

[Mythsaje]

27. I'm not sure we have many options to act directly...

Protests don't seem to work very well anymore. Lawsuits against the vote-rigging rely too much on the goodwill of those who make the judgments, and there is probably nothing more ill-advised than an armed insurrection.

So what DO we do? Other than continue to vote and talk to others and make what little difference we can?

[alittlelark]

28. What you are doing DOES help.... in the first stages.....

It took me 2 years to 'get it'. We are at a crossroads w/ few recognizing it as such.

I am a realist.

I understand and wish I could embrace where you are coming from...... I can't.

[tavalon]

30. Many recognize it here

including me. But, I've also realized that we are fighting a very long war. It may go past when all of us here finish up our lives and we can fight it with hope or despair but fight it we will. Fight or give up and despair makes it easier to give up. It has taken me most of these two years to get over what happened in 2004 and not because of the theft but the betrayal. I recognize that space you're in, butfor me, I wasn't able to continue on without resolving it. I was just too angry to be effective that way.

[RagAss]

19. I admire you and your eloquence. However I just can't get the

image of bloated bodies floating on the streets of an American city...and the armed soldiers who showed up to do what?...shoot holes in someone trying to grab a loaf of bread?...you can reach across the aisle if you want.....as far as I'm concerned it's not an aisle at all...it's a moat that keeps most of us out....

peace....Rags

[Mythsaje]

22. It's easy to blame those who honestly thought they were voting

for the right side. The people who believe what they're told because their lives are full of so many other things that they don't have the time, or the training, to look beyond the propaganda.

Everytime someone new has a revelation, I'm happy to welcome them out of the dark. I believe nearly everyone's redeemable. And I try to find ways to say things that can reach out to them.

But I rant too. As well as anyone.

[tavalon]

29. Bad me!

I read your title and supplied a one liner in place of your thoughtful rant/discussion.

I read: Reaching across the aisle,

to bitchslap those stupid ass motherfuckers.


However, I like yours better.

[ms liberty]

31. Excellent as usual...

This reminds me of something I've said to mr liberty before:

"When was the last time you heard a liberal threaten to kill someone who didn't agree with him or her? Or to silence that person by force?"

The way I put it was a bit more harsh. I said "how many liberals have you heard about going postal?" That's one of the more annoying things about all this, the labeling of us as everything we're NOT. The right calls us what THEY are, and the ignorant believe them.