I am at the point of just giving up .

[blues90]

Ah yes another one of my hopeful rants .

I didn't watch the dem candidates give their little speeches last week , I see no reason to and really could care less about theater .

Whe I try to consider all the problems we have all at the same time I end up in areas and issues that span far and wide and I see no one or group who seem capable of finding a path out of this .

They have their hearings and all this is fine . However whne I look at the long list of issues , important issues that either can't be put off or are so far into the realm of hell that nothing will ever clear the air .


I was reading about the issues of depleted uranium that is spread all across Iraq and the horrid problems this causes , saw sme photo's until I could take no more and face it , there is no way to clean this up .

There are the people who breathed in all the mixture of dust from the world trade towers who either live or work near there , all will have health issues sooner of later and were lied to about air quality .

Then there is the joke of national healthcare which may never see the light of day .

Add into this everything that has to do with the Iraq occupation , global warming which is another issue I just can;t seem to find hope for in solving and this criminal government that no one seems to be able to impeach for what ever reason where there is far more than enough right now to get them out yet they stay .

We have protests and banners since 2000 and yet here we are still dealing with the same issues and more than this, going down the long horrid road of memory lane only to almost relive every single monstrosity that has rained down upon this world since bush first stepped into the whitehouse . This is almost impossible to go through , most of us do not need to be reminded , we know , it is the others who pay no attention who need to dig through the horrors .

With the news media as biased and useless as they are , there are what , a handful of people fighting to get the news out . I say handful because even tens of thousands is a handful these days . I certainly don't see much changed here in L.A. It's business as usual for those who still have jobs .

So without going into further detail I say the only way to even begin is for the people to take their own action even if it means their end or nothing will ever change , This is just the way I see after endless years of constant tought .

I don;t want to hear who the best candidate is , we have none , the best has not come to pass or is yet to come out . This is not a game of who wins or loses in the political theater it is a real threat as to whether we make it as a human species which is hardly a game .

If you have all the laws in place on earth who is there to enforce them unless what we desire is a police state designed to shoot at will .

When you look at the laws and reality as fair then bush in fact should have been removed from office in 2000 well before all of this damage was done , now we talk , now we are expected to go through 12 months of campaign bull shit with high stakes and bets placed by the hopeful candidates , and yes they are hopefuls far disconnected from all reality , they are not reality , they are pieces in a game .

Where does this leave us other than to sit by and watch as more damage is done and more and more people continue to suffer in un-countable ways ?

I continue to feel that either you have to be well off or young to even consider these games .

[Faux pas]

1. I'm with you on all this dog and pony show bs. Thoughtful post,

giving you and R for that.

[still_one]

2. 2006 WAS significant. This was an election that should have gone to the incumbent party

IT DIDN'T

Ohio had enough, and showed it at the ballot box

You will not find it on the televisions, or in the newspapers, but change is happening in this country, and it is growing.

In 2008 the Democrats WILL take control of all three branches of government. Why? BECAUSE WHO IS ON THE SUPREME COURT DOES MATTER!

Because health care DOES MATTER?

Because getting us out of a civil war caused by this administration DOES MATTER?

Today the republicans are the antithesis of everything America was founded on, that is why the Democrats WILL WIN. There really is a difference

[demnan]

3. I don't know if you are in an organized group or not

to work for peace and/or impeachment, but I highly recommend it. Since I've become active I'm daily surprised by the things that we as a community, and I'm talking now about a very small group of people dedicated for the Impeachment of Bush and Cheney in the Washington D.C. area, but the only thing I've found that works against the feeling of despair is to work actively, protest peacefully and meet like minded individuals. Alone we are powerless but if together we can wake people up we are more powerful than we ever dreamed. This has been an incredible year for me, one where I learned this lesson I'm preaching well.

Nancy Maynard
Virginians for Peace and Accountability
http://www.peaceandaccountability.com

[EST]

4. Go ahead and give up. Sometimes that's the only way to

preserve sanity. We'll fill in for you until you are ready to re-assume your role or start a different one. This fight is the real war on terrorism and it'll never be won, merely fed enough blood, life and spirit to achieve some calm between bouts.
Everyone needs a vacation, temporary or permanent, from an ugly fracas that has no end. Rest assured you will be leaving your responsibility in good hands and we can be depended on to do our best.

[bobbolink]

22. Thank you for an understanding and supportive post!

When I saw your headline, I thought it was another ugly snark about those who "are too weak", etc.

What you said is so right on, and sensitive to those who are in pain over all this mess.

Thank you again... I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and took it to heart for me, also.

Best to you! :hug:

[ljm2002]

5. When you think about it all at once...

...it is overwhelming.

What I've always told my kids is, you can't do everything. So pick something. Make that your current cause, or career of the moment, whatever.

So pick one of the issues you are so depressed about, and see if you can help do something about that. Or if you just need a break, fine. We all do sometimes. But please, please don't give up the good fight.

Of all the lessons I have learned in life, the one that was most useful to me was this: The realization that giving up is not an option. And the strange thing is, once you really take that one in, it makes a lot of stuff easier. You stop thinking about, how can I avoid this? How can I get away? When can I stop struggling? How can I free myself from this, that or the other thing. The thing is, you can't, not while you're still kicking.

Another way of looking at it is, one of the defining things about life is the ability to direct our actions, to swim upstream as it were. And the thing is, if you quit paddling, you'll still continue moving -- you'll get washed downstream, or you'll end up in an eddy by the side of the stream. But you will not in any case stand still. So it's up to you if you want to continue to move things forward, as the blessing of life allows us to.

Geez, sorry about getting all philosophical on you. Hang in, take a break, enjoy what you can and remember, no one can carry the whole burden on their own.

[blues90]

9. trouble is all of these issues are connected

I cannot separate them because of this .

This may have started with Reagan , however now every issue we have now is related directly to every other issue .

It's like repairing the front brakes on a car and leaving the blad tires in place , if you don;t address all the issues at one time and look at them as related then the entire thing fails .

Bush took us to a false war and related this to Saddam and 9/11 , before this there was the 2000 stolen elections . From this point on it was the bush admin and all it's sections working on building up the huge corps which led to the lost jobs and the dollar falling , It all has the same root , this root must be pulled out in the same motion , if not it will continue to grow and infect .

Even if bush and cheney and all were removed today we still have allowed them to create and destroy our society to it's roots . You can;t solve the job situation with stopping the huge corporations , this relates to the war and the walter reed conditions , poverty , the housing sag , Katrina and on and on , so this is what we are up against , it is for all practical purposes a dictatorship we have here and capitalist greed and takeover . I all relates and this is my problem .

Look at it like any working machine , if one section breaks the entire machine breaks and this is what we have got .

They destroyed it piece by piece but statred out with a big bang ( 9/11 ) this got them the control , what do we have for our big bang to get a head start . Something to jolt them is what we need , take them off balance as they did us .

I just can't feed the homeless and expect this will do more than make one person happy for the moment which is fine but it will not gather support or fix the problem . Then how do we end this war and repair that since the Iraqis did not ask for our democracy or our bombs and death machine . It all related to money and this is where we have to cut them off , including the corps who have the control over everything we see , hear and consume .

[ljm2002]

17. Yes, they are all connected...

...but that means that whatever each one of us can do about any one issue, is also connected with the other issues.

Like I said, not you nor anyone else can carry the burden alone. Whenever I think of hunger in this world, it breaks my heart. I can't fix it. But I can help by giving -- to food banks, or hunger charities, or whatever.

About Cheney, the war, etc. -- yes, all of this takeover of our government by the forces of the dark, is distressing. And it is all connected. And it is deep. But we cannot have a prayer of fixing it until we know how deep. Many of us at DU have an inkling; unfortunately, most of our fellow citizens do not and would not believe it if we told them. So it is our obligation to keep telling them -- preferably with facts to back up what we're saying. Every time someone opens their eyes to this, it is progress.

And if it makes you feel any better, it's been bad for a long time. My own grandfather's dying words were "the country is going to hell"; that was over 30 years ago. Some things never change. We still need to struggle against the dark.

But you do sound like it overwhelms you. Maybe you are just realizing how deep it is, and how long it's been going on. I believe that Eisenhower gave us a window into what the root problem is -- the Military Industrial Complex -- and we have grown that, and given corporations nearly ultimate power, and we now also have a Prison Industrial Complex too. And my opinion is, one day the thing will collapse under its own weight -- these things usually do. People may seem ignorant; in fairness, we have devised a system designed to keep the population fat 'n' happy as well as misinformed. So it isn't all their fault. But the thing is, people do come to their senses. And when they know how badly they've been had, there will be hell to pay.

But it is not under your or my control. I keep waiting for the spark that will make change happen like wildfire. And I think it will happen. I just don't know when, or why, or who. But it will happen.

[blues90]

19. I agree with most of what you said ,

I have been aware for quite some time how things were going and we were warned many years ago . However as far as people waking up and changing , ( this has nothing to do with your input ) I just don't if I can agree there . People for many years have had their personal issues , many never change their basic inner self , not really .

I do have to wonder since there are no studies out there just the vote in 2006 . But how many voted for dems and why , was it a personal gain reason , was it fear of losing more or a job , was it to simply be on the winning side , was it the war and death .

There is no way of knowing and this does make a difference when we speak of a better country and an end result .

I also don't hold much confindence in political leaders , even when the people speak DC does live in a bubble and an isolation , the don't feel the crunch like the common citizen .

I watched some of Moyers hsow and here they are , Hillary and Kerry speaking loud and clear how they favored this attack on Iraq and ignored the advice of the skeptics such as Kennedy and others who almost predicted exactly what would happen , they took the time to question and ask the in the know people and had it right , so I can't excuse the candidates who voted for this war with them saying if they knew now what they knew then , smae thing with the patriot act , no one ever read the damn thing and should have demanded more time . No they went along with the repubs push over night banter .

It takes years to build and create anything but seconds to render it into dust and this is what we have allowed to be done .

I can't imagine how anyone could be so very blind not to know this war was for nothing but the control of oil , the gulf war should have made this well known . How people even though they claim to be beaten daily by false drum beating for this war does tell only one thing , they never question and never think and just who taught them this path in life .

If we have become so easily sold and convinced as a society then this is where the work needs to be done . I have never been sold by an add and this was even before I had anything other than commercial TV . I could always see these were not real people in real situations but actors . People need to know the reality and drop the fame face put with the add . Perhaps it's all a matter of trust .

[rhett o rick]

6. I know how you feel. But I know you won't give any more than I will.

It is easy to get discouraged when it is so hard to find someone that is willing to fight for the middle class. I have live thru a few presidential elections and most have not had decent candidates from either party. My first major disappointment was when LBJ decided not to expose himself to the dissatisfaction of the people. Here was an opportunity for both parties to put forth strong candidates. Especially the republicans because Johnson and the dems failed us in Vietnam. So who do the republicans run? Dick Nixon. And who do the dems run? Hubert Humphrey. Prior to each election we get our hopes up and then wham the machine smacks us down. Carter was about the only candidate that I truly liked.

Back to quiting. Don't you dare. We need to fight until the last breath. The system doesn't look like it can heal itself but the people of this Country have grown fond of democracy and will eventually will rebel. Be ready.

For the NSA spies, I don't condone either violence or civil disobedience but I do think it will come to that.

"Don't Tread on Me"...this means you Cheney, Bolton, Halliburton, Exxon, and other fascists.

[pretzel4gore]

7. the good news is

everything you say is true. We live in a parallel universe from the nonsense peddled by tv mediawhores. The truth is actually much worse then we know- hell, ted bundy type criminals have been running the country for years! The Plunge Protection Team has spent GOD KNOWS how much of our money propping up the Dow, even while jobs disappeared and investment in infrastructure flatlined (New Orleans can never be rebuilt to the city we knew)....BUT therein lies the single, obvious hope. The criminals are too deep to let go- they must turn on their own support base, and indeed already are doing that. Dennis kucinich was on Bill Maher's show, and said it best. According to the polls, Dennis is THE ONLY MAINSTREAM candidate in terms of what the people want! Give Iraq back to the people (reparations will cost alot, but there is $20 trillion (with a T) in the bank, stolen by mr pig, who don't need it where he going:)) hahaha...the war on drugs is over. The military industrial complex is like a dinasaur, all fat and pin striped gristle, with a PEA BRAIN! A single payer health care plan, run by ebeneezer scrooge, and all the other good things we can have the minute we define the want! There is no choice, either the rightwingers give way and stop vandalising the system, or they doom their own kids to fate worse then death.... and believe it, rightwingers are cowards, by design....
kittens, babies and bumblebees need us to fight for them, and we will....

[lostnfound]

8. Light a (figurative) candle, don't curse the darkness.

Time to learn what hope is.

Vaclav Havel
Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.

La Rochefoucauld
Hope and fear are inseparable.

The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. -- Barbara Kingsolver

We judge of man's wisdom by his hope. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

and my personal favorite:

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.
- Vaclav Havel


All these things that you mention are worth being discouraged over, but are you sure that your own discouragement isn't itself the victory of the dark side, as it has trained us all to feel hopeless and powerless? Remember chaos and order are wrapped in and around each other, and the difference between a positive outcome and a disaster can be just one small step by one individual person.

[shenmue]

10. I can see how you think that

But I'm not giving up.

Hang in there.

[illinoisprogressive]

11. Honey, it is sometimes fun to just enjoy. You cannot always think down

We have plenty of issues in the country but, from my reading of history this is usually the case all the time. We can talk about them, try to do something, ect. But, to always think in these lines is counterproductive. the human mind and emotions are not built to always think in the serious or dwell. We need to interupt it with some diversion and fun. this refreshes the mind and body and helps to generate new ideas and solutions. Fresh approaches.
I am not a Sunshine person. But, I've lived long enough to know the mind needs a break. And we also need to focus on some good things. Art, nature, warmth, friends and family, ect. I paint and garden and read. If I get mind overload from dwelling I find myself of no use to anyone. How can you be of use if your mind is bogged in the same thing. It needs to breathe.
Watching the candidates and talking from serious to silly and debating our guy or woman is a good diversion from the awful. And helps with forming bonds and new thoughts.

[mnhtnbb]

12. You need to find some joy in life. Walk in the park. Watch children

at play. Feed the birds.

Find an organization for which you can volunteer some time each week--a church, a food bank, a hospital or rehab center, and spend several hours doing something, anything, that will be valued and appreciated by that organization.

Turn off the TV--at least all the news channels.

I don't disagree with you that this country is in deep trouble, and I'm not convinced that even a Dem President and Congress can fix the problems
without things getting worse. It takes much longer to build than to destroy
something, and the Busheviks have done a great job destroying this country
in the last 6 years.

That said, you can make a difference in your community. Start there
and hope that, together, all of us working in our communities can sustain
ourselves through the darkness while waiting for the light.

Peace, my friend.

[blues90]

13. I went to join liberal groups a few times

some doing phone calls for donations , some doing canvas efforts and to be quite honest these people were there for either just a job or to get college credits or a resume for political gain , none were in it for the benefit of change and this was quite disheartening but an eye opener .

I thought people of these groups really did care . Even rallies I find many goers for the event but not very many are dedicated beyond this .

So I put my own sign out there on the lawn until someone breaks it of paints over it .

Perhaps it's hollywood that is just a me and mine area , a I am full of myself area and a full of shit area . There is no community here that I have found , just a mad rush to the new malls and i pod haven .

I am too old for this area and too broke to move away .

[mnhtnbb]

15. Try a group that isn't political. If you live in Hollywood ( I worked

at Childrens Hospital on Sunset at Vermont for many years--but left in 1985)
there must be need for volunteers at all kinds of organizations, including Hollywood Presbyterian and Childrens, if you can handle being around hospitals. Are you retired? If you have time during the day or on weekends, try the food bank or volunteer at KCET http://support.kcet.org/site/PageServer?pagename=volunteering,
the local PBS station. Or if you like animals, see if you can make a contact
with rescue groups.

Just a couple of thoughts.

[Eric J in MN]

14. Regarding Depleted Uranium, states can take action.

Minnesota is considering a bill to provide for more testing of veterans.

[YvonneCa]

16. I'm a bit worried about you...

..because you sound depressed. If it were possible, moving to a new area would probably do you good. If that's not possible, I agree with others here who say to take a break...do whatever makes you feel good for a while...to help you regain your sense of hope.

A couple of years ago, I responded here to another person who felt as you do. She was REALLY worried for our country, as many here are. That was before the 2006 election...one which was 'make or break' so to speak. WE MADE IT. :) And we aren't finished. Here is my post to her (and now to you)...it's as true today as it was then:




>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I too worry for our country, but it needs ALL of us "now, more than ever"...Kerry's words. I thought it was horrible when they stopped the recount in 2000; worse still on 9/11; and I've been so sad since November 3, 2004. That was the first election in which I tried to do more than just vote...I had to (I drove to Las Vegas as a volunteer in a 'swing state'). If Kerry had lost and I hadn't done ANYTHING to make a difference, I couldn't live with myself.


This country is not dying...too many of us won't let it. I think it IS being tested. Ultimately, that will make us stronger. It sure is painful, though, right now. The most difficult thing for me is the lack of awareness of people closest to me...my family and my friends. In the beginning, they thought I was just in denial about the election. But I've 'become' the news for them...I forward news articles (from sources THEY trust) that they otherwise would never see. I've been buying books (Jimmy Carter's, Joe Wilson's, Gary Hart's) and sharing them when I'm done. Then I talk to them about why I'm upset with this administration. They don't always agree, yet. But it's a start. I'm convinced that education is the key to saving our country.


I am most hopeful because our leaders are now speaking out...not enough, yet...and not as 'brazenly' as I wish...but better every day! They are educating the public. That tells me they understand what is needed and are now acting to turn the country in a better direction. But it's like turning an aircraft carrier...REALLY SLOW. :7

When I need a lift, I listen to John Kerry's Georgetown Speech (C-SPAN) and his Council on Foreign Relations speech, and now Al Gore's most recent speech on the wiretaps. (If you've missed ANY of those, you need to listen...they are INSPIRATIONAL!!)

Don't give up. We'll get there...this is a GREAT country (most of the time)...and we're not finished yet.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


I also recommend those speeches to you. If you missed Joe Biden this morning in SC, that is worth listening to, also. Democrats now have their own 'bully pulpit'...for a while there, no one gave them a forum to speak. Now that has changed. Senator Kerry has OFTEN been to Los Angeles to speak (twice just last month)....probably really close by...I gain a lot of hope by tuning in to his continued efforts to get things on track. Check out johnkerry.com.

Like you, I find it unbelievable that this administration didn't learn the lessons of the Viet Nam era...unbelievably amazing and sad. But this time, we WILL win in 2008...and WE WILL make sure those lessons are NEVER forgotten again. Promise. :)
:patriot:

[blues90]

18. Mine is a long story , everyone has one

I do appreciate your concern and I do not attempt to avoid it .

I have listened to many speeches , my problem stems from trust more than anything else these days .

I finally had a good job for 12 years that I lost , this was in Oct 2004 right before the elections . I know a large part of my losing this job was my nature of none conformity and my speaking out aginst this insane war while working with flag waving barbarians as well as an owner who got his position simply because this was a gift from his hard working father in order to clean up his drug and drink act , however he went too far and became a born again . Also ther was the element of a new general manager who wanted to bring in his own crew and one of his crew was working there for two years nipping for my position .

Well now since then I did find another job but lost this due to a layoff , now I find there are no jobs far and wide for what I know how to do . Since then after attempt after attempt I have found nothing and during that time something inside me has died . There is no pleasure or desire to play my guitar or build guitars and other woodworking or the other hobbies had , these for some reason bring back better times which now leave me depressed . You just can't go back , and there is my wife who cannot work to consider .

Now since all the endless horrors have been brought upon us there is a cloud hanging above and nothing sparks an interest . I have a shrink but you know how this works , it's meds and that's all .

What amazes me most is I was always strong , confident and a fighter .

Now somewhere along the road I have lost all of this .

I have always worked , not really loving any job but not to work and find most jobs will not pay anywhere near what one is worth is quite discouraging . I know I am not alone here , but each of us find dealing in a different way .

I have also been a loner and a self taught sort of guy , if an interest struck me there was no stopping me . Now there is no interest , not in this high tech world of for me meaningless jobs .

so this is part of my problem amoung others . If he work is not more than just a job what is the point and you do need work to pay bills .

I sit here and search endlessly for something to pay the bills even if it is a crap job but even these are not available now days . This area is packed with the youth and they get the jobs and have the family to help out if they need it , I do not .

sorry for the long story which is a bore but it partly explains where I am now . I could not believe bush took 2004 or this damn war continues and all the people who have fallen away because of all the damage the bush admin has done . The worst part is this continues without a beat missed . People who have more to live for than I are dying as I type this garbage .

[YvonneCa]

20. The mistakes...

...of a jerk like Bush do not diminish your humanity. You are as valuable as any person who has died as a result of this administration's stupidity. Sharing one's feelings is not garbage. :) I am sorry for all the losses you are experiencing...I can't even imagine how I could get through it if I lost my job. The very prospect of it frightens me.

Regaining trust is difficult to do. I lost all trust after a divorce 12 years ago. I'm just now getting it back...it took a while. :) It has to be rebuilt...and in some aspects, it won't ever be the same. But it can be done.

I'm glad to hear that you have had counseling...they aren't magicians who can fix everything...but they can lend an ear, and keep you chemically 'balanced'. :7

What always was hard for me was when I was trying to cope with major stress in SEVERAL different parts of my life all at the same time...like you are. If even one part of life ran smoothly, that would have helped. At least under Clinton, the world seemed right. :7 Lately, even that is weird. But it will get fixed.

Concentrate on your personal life...what you can control. It WILL get better. Promise.

[whirlygigspin]

21. keep hope alive! : )

reading your post made me sad and angry, then I saw a thread about Mike Gravel, who said he stayed in a $55 motel and took a bus to the debates, he didn't just quit even though he almost no money, not much support. Now he's being swamped with contributions and his website is getting overwhelmed and the media and banging on his door.

I just sent $50 buck to Mike Gravel, cause even if everyone says it's hopeless, you won't win, I say: "win? that's ok, I don't care about winning,i'm a liberal loser, didn't you know? I've never WON anything, I've had to fight, day and night just to stay afloat.

So raise your glass to Mike Gravel
He'll kick some ass and raise some hell
He might not win, who cares? who knows
the ass he kick just might be those
who say he has no chance at all

then raise your voice and heed the call
not all is lost, not all is spoiled
some dare to try and fight or toil
to put an end to wars for oil
and all those men of Enron fame
who kill us all to play their game
but pay no tax and love no nation

[CountAllVotes]

23. I sent him a small donation too

I am one of the have nots but I sent Mike Gravel $5.00.

If everyone did this it would make a difference!

I like Mike! He has that special sparkle in his eyes, that sparkle of hope and you see in no other candidate's eyes. For that solitary reason alone, he is my hope!

KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!

:kick:

[StefanX]

24. I agree that the system is broken

I'm not sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic.

If you're in the mood for some optimism, check out this post by Atrios and the other post by Glenn Greenwald.

They're saying that because of the blogs, at least our media is starting to get un-broken.

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_04_22_archive.html#6171739741309492654

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/04/28/sea_change/index.html

Plus Digby has some comment on this:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/think-outside-rolodex-by-digby-atrios.html

I honestly don't know if things will get better. But I'm hopeful, because we do seem to have a lot more information nowadays to counteract the lies on the defense-contractor-owned MSM.