Thanks. Duly noted. I hope you both read, in my Comment #18:
As I’ve said before, I admire your efforts in this direction. (The following post’s comments so far are more what I’ve been hoping to hear. They are very good!) ??

I’ve had my say. Sorry if I’ve been tiresome.

I can’t speak for Barbara, but I am sure she means that if you can only criticize the comments here, than this may not be a place for you. On the other hand, I am certain that your point of view is worthwhile (of course it is) and valuable to our discourse. We just need to be taken as we are, thank you!

My chocolate lab is barking and my husband just got home early–back to reality.

I have to go prepare dinner. Can I please have a wife????

About being astounded by Bush? I’ve been astounded by him since he first came on the scene! The difference now, with me, is that I feel like the chickens are finally coming home to roost.

The reason I’ve been so persistent in this post is because I feel that now is the time for us (meaning Democrats and anyone else with a heart - and with pride about what our country really stands for) to focus on Hearts and Minds. Maha has the “minds” part down cold. It’s the “hearts” part I’m trying to put into the equation. If the “party with a heart” can’t do it, how can we have expected it from Bush and company? (Because they really never had one in the first place. Or else, it’s pretty warped.)

Reach out to other moderates with maturity and understanding - that’s all I’m really trying to say. This isn’t being passive, is it?

I agree with you that Bush et all don’t have a real grasp on what MLK or Jesus’ messages were - or we wouldn’t be in this position, would we! However, I don’t think our times are so different from what others have been through in history. (Gandhi turned Britain upside down.) What troubles me about our situation today is that we are being eaten away from the inside at a time when we are going to have some really tough issues to deal with. Our nation is so young and we have such critical times ahead. I have been concerned by this from day one with this bunch.

What’s different now is that more people are waking up. Okay. Now we’re at the crossroads - a turning point. What do we do with it? That’s my question. That’s where our focus should be.

Maha is doing an outstanding job doing what she does. I keep saying that I’m not critical of her so much as I was of the tone of so many commenters. I guess we disagree on this, however? (I’m a little confused by what she meant about my being conflicted. Did you understand what she meant? I mean, I’m always conflicted. That’s nothing new with me, but I didn’t catch her meaning. I don’t think she wants to talk with me anymore and she has a perfect right to feel this way. I feel like an annoying guest who’s outstayed one’s welcome. She’s undoubtedly mumbling to herself that I can just go ahead and start my own blog, thank you very much. Well, she’s a busy lady on a mission and I do admire her for all she has accomplished. I hope the C-SPAN attention hasn’t been a double-edged sword for her. She should be proud.

Britwit, thank you for your honest discussion with me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I’ve tried to be as honest about my feelings (and my intentions) as I could. I’ve had a tight chest from all of this discourse lately. I’m going to take a walk and get back to my real job. I understand what you mean by “heavy and depressing.” I can only imagine what a toll it could take on Maha, too, and I regret it if I’ve caused her more stress.

CNN is going to discuss whether or not Gore is going to run again. ???

This blog is what it is. My aim here is to write from the gut what I think and feel. If people get something out of that, that’s great. If not, I’m going to write what I write anyway. I say again, take it or leave it. End of discussion.

I agree with you that “peace is a struggle within the human heart”. I think that one can find this but it’s different from being astounded by what is happening to our country because of Bush.

These are different times than Ghandi and MLK and I doubt if Bush or this administration gives one iota about MLK or Jesus.

People are just upset over the one-sided politics going on in this country and what it is doing to “our country”.

I got upset one day last week but I decided that I had just spent too much time blogging and everything was feeling very heavy and depressing.

People were silent and passive during Hitler’s time and people are just starting to “snap out of it” here with this administration .

I’m with you in paragraph two.

I was talking about reaching moderates on both sides, Maha.

Did I ask you to modify your rhetoric? No. I was referring to many of the comments that have been filling the place. Did I say anything about “balance” or “fairness” or “niceness”? I’m asking for maturity, sober review, breadth of understanding, the strength to ask the best from people. As I’ve said before, I admire your efforts in this direction. (The following post’s comments so far are more what I’ve been hoping to hear. They are very good!)

However, the fact that you labeled my efforts “wimpy” shows me that you didn’t really hear me at all. : (

I’m all for standing up. I think it’s high time. In my youth, I used to argue fervently with those who showed insensitivity toward minorities, other nationalities, etc. Now I gently prod them by asking them where their anger comes from. 7 times out of 10, they start to question themselves; whereas, before, I was batting 0 out of 10. Now, is this wimpy?

Yes, but we live in unreasonable times.

There is a time for reaching out. However, there is also a time when people who share a cause need to talk among themselves. Liberals and progressives have been shut out of the national mass-media discourse for so long we nearly forgot who we are. The blogosphere has been a great way for us to find each other and reaffirm our ideals. It’s also been a great way to educate each other about what’s really going on. Along the way, we are learning how to turn blogging into real political organizing in order to have an impact on elections. Eventually, perhaps we can re-instate the Fairness Clause and re-inject some objectivity and sanity into mass media so that progressive ideas might be heard by the non-blog-reading public.

However, “reaching out” to Bush supporters is futile. I spent a big chunk of the Clinton years participating in politics forums (even Usenet, for pity’s sake), and I have given up trying to “reach out” to anyone who is not damn well ready to “reach out” to me. If you want to try it go ahead, and be my guest, but there are many less aggravating ways to waste time.

Further, I will not modify my rhetoric out of some wimpy notion of “balance” or “fairness” or “niceness.” That’s not what Jesus or Ghandi or the Buddha were about. There is a time to bow, and a time to stand up.

Here, we’re standing up. Take it or leave it.