General Relief?

[hyphenate]

We've had a rough six+ years. For many of us, it started slightly before that, in November 2000, when we cast our votes for Al Gore, looking forward to another 8 years of good economy, prosperity and a country which, at the very least, was stable. We suddenly knew later Election Day that the radical right had already put their tenterhooks into the election and rigged it so that they would win. Of course, we had never dealt with the same level of treachery before, so it didn't dawn on us to do as much monitoring as we should have been doing--it didn't matter anyhow, because the radical right had done more than their share of preparation.

It doesn't matter--the result is the same, regardless of how much we want to spin it. We've suffered--individually and as a nation--for far too long, and if we had not turned things around this past November, our plight would have been just that much more tormenting than it has been for far too long.

We've got to admit that the polemic pundits and politicians of the right have poisoned too many minds, and caused such disruption in our country to last for a very long time. We need to inform the citizens that just because they gave the nod to more Democrats this past election doesn't mean the horrors of the past six years will disappear overnight. These things will take time, and will likely involve the outcome of the 2008 and 2010 elections, as well as any local elections from this day forward, for a significant time to follow. But modern society isn't as smart as we think it is--granted, people might have more technical knowledge, but there just aren't enough people whose attention span is longer than the average MP3, or whose brains have the patience to read long books, or whose maturity level is anywhere near what it should be. The knowledge might be there, but the ability to harness it is not. And that is why only those with agendas are able to accomplish a whole helluva lot, because they have their eyes on a prize, and the "common folk" in the land just don't get it. Most people will hear a television headline, but delve no further into the stories they hear about. Most people will surf the web with the same consequences--headlines define stories to too many people, and as we are already familiar with how headlines can malign and harm people with only those headlines, we can only hope that people will get better instincts about the state of journalism in our country.

But let us pause: we won November 2006. We have regained control of both the House and the Senate, even if the Senate is held by a very tenuous grasp. We are in charge for the first time in 12 years, and we must not waste the time we have. We must not bow down to the "enemy" and we must not allow them to bully us anymore. We've been the butt of their policies for the past 6 years, and we need to show we're not willing to take their shit any longer.

But the main reason I'm writing tonight is because of a general feeling of relief at the outcome of the November elections. I was without my computer during the elections, so I suffered a bit of isolation at that time. I was thrilled to see the end results, and here in Massachusetts, we managed to elect a Democratic governor after long stints with Repubs at the helm. Thankfully, we are still quite a liberal state, and these Repubs haven't destroyed the spirit of liberty, but it really helps to have someone at the helm who is capable of understanding us.

Regardless, as a result of the victories, I have lost some of the venom and vitriol which fueled my passion for the past few years. I now wish to go back to some of my other endeavors, knowing that while I will never put politics on the back burner again, I want to write about other things as well. I know I can do that here, and I will, but I will be also going to other sites, as well.

I know there are others like myself who have put their hearts and minds into accomplishing what we have, and who are suddenly left with a sense of what to do next, what path to follow. Many of us have our original issues that brought us here, and yet joined together with everyone else to change the original tone of these horrible years, and now many of us can back away and look to our other life goals. It's exhilarating to be able to do that, and loosen our obsession on the horrors we've seen over the course of 6 years.

I know that many won't. And I know that there are many people who are so focused on the current state of the union who will never be able to let go. And while I have been one for far too long, I have faced a number of personal issues which compel me to try, at any rate, to lower my blood pressure and heart rate. I don't subscribe to a philosophy which would allow me to "let go" so to speak, but I need to give it a try.

"Decluttering" our lives, and freeing ourselves of too many albatrosses is something we all need to do at several junctures in our lives. If we continue to live on the edge, and continue to subject ourselves to stimuli that constantly bombards us, we will suffer burnout regardless of who we are, and how much we "think" we can take.

And now, with the first sign of hope in our hands, there is a chance to recover our souls, and give ourselves a break. The fight will likely continue another day, and if we want to be able to handle it, many of us will need the chance to decompress. It's like being a doctor in an emergency room: we can run on adrenaline only so much, before we crash and burn.

I'll still be here, but will spend more time on the groups or non-political forums, trying to get back that sense of energy I used to have for things non-political. I hope I'll see more people looking to regain their sense of equilibrium in other forums, and amazing us all with the same kind of dedication they've shown for the political forums. It's time to prove to the rest of the country that we're not their enemies, and that we have the same values as they do. We know the average person in our country is not the real enemy--they've been used and abused, and brainwashed into thinking we are by the rabid right leadership. As soon as we can persuade the general public of this corruption and collusion, the sooner we can come together and forward an agenda that is best for ALL of us. Healing the divide is the next real fight, but we've made the first move by winning the first of many pertinent elections and we will turn around things if we can. It's going to be a lot of work ahead, but right now, it's a time to take the break we all hoped we would have had long ago.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Stay and watch the fireworks!

At least check in frequently. It'll be quite a show. I think I'm hooked already. :)

:hi:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. my prediction:

no matter what we do, the Bush Hubris-based response will be so jaw-dropping in its chutzpah and depth, that we will be shocked that they would even consider acting as they do.