You asked, "What can I do?"*

So I had one of those moments the other day. You know the one...when the people who're supposed to have your back run fleeing from their own goddamn shadows and leave you to face the enemy alone and unprotected. It's been six years of this evil and I don't believe there's anyone who can face it without these crises of despair sometimes. I know I haven't, and if you're a regular reader of this irregularly-updated blog, you know I've experienced more than my share.

My country has legalized barbarism.
My country shredded one of the most beautiful documents humanity ever created.
My country is a shameful and evil place right now.

But there's still a war to fight, both literally and figuratively, and ain't no one else fightin' it 'cept us. You and me. That's all there is. And even though I want to just give it up and call it lost sometimes, I can't afford that luxury for long. Neither can you. Too many people need us to keep fighting.

So read about why we can't afford to grieve the torture loss too long (which is not to say that battle's over, not by a long shot, because I and millions -- yes, millions -- like me are not going to let that evilness stand). There's still a war to fight and ain't no one else fightin' it 'cept us. You and me. That's all there is.

And then when you've read that, either:

1. Donate some money TODAY (end of the fundraising quarter) to any grassroots or netroots candidate even if you’ve already donated…donate some more. Spread it around among as many as you want, or dump it all in one lump sum to the one that inspires you the most, or that has the least chance of winning but is still fighting like hell anyway, or who’s running against the worst of the worst Republicans. Like, say Gary Trauner, who’s actually making the terrifically horrible Barbara Cubin sweat her race for the sole Wyoming House seat and in my dream of dreams, might even possibly pull off a win in a state that hasn’t seen a Democratic representative, like, ever. And he’s ONLY ONE of literally hundreds of excellent candidates to pick from…Jon Tester in Montana is doing the same thing in Wyoming, looking to get rid of the odious Conrad Burns, and Larry Grant in Idaho is, too, and they’re just a small sampling of the places where the reddest of red states are IN PLAY because Democrats like you and me, people with jobs and families and not enough time already, are fighting the fuck back and trying to save this country.
2. Call or email a progressive organization and volunteer AT LEAST an hour of your time. There are literally dozens to pick from…ones that’re focusing on a single issue, like stopping the TABOR or parental notification initiatives in Oregon, ones that support fantastic local candidates that’re trying to get rid of people like Karen Minnis, ones that provide general support to Democrats and progressives, like Grassroots Democrats and the Bus Project and hello, the Democratic fucking Party. You may have to make calls, or do voter canvassing, or make signs, or enter numbers in a database, or run errands, or any number of equally unglamorous things that don’t seem like they’re Saving The World…but they are.
   

If you can, do both of these things. And keep up on your blog reading, and make those phone calls of outrage both to the Senators and Representatives that have a “D” after their name and also to the ones that don’t, because they ALL work for you, they’re YOUR employees, and when they’re fucking up, they should know that their bosses are fucking outraged and they’d better be in fear for their jobs because this shit ain’t gonna float anymore, by god. Write letters and call radio talk shows and post comments online.

And just one more reminder before I stop metaphorically browbeating you with all this nagging… Eight months ago, I wrote the following words, words that you told me you loved and that moved you and that you agree with:

“…you fight every day, not because of what you hope to achieve, but because it's the right thing to do. You'll never be guaranteed a win, no matter how righteous your cause; fighting the good fight doesn't mean you get a happy ending. But you fight for what's right anyway, because it's what's right. And if you're very, very lucky, others will stand to fight alongside you. This is how great changes happen.”

It’s time to fight for what you believe in, people. Please.

* Dedicated to a friend, who's more passionate and dedicated than she realizes.

Something to ponder

Daily Revolutions, a site I came to a few months ago via a rescued diary on DailyKos, is now one of my absolute daily must-reads. Amidst the blogs of information and outrage and hope and humor on my blogroll -- all likewise indispensible -- I save this one for last when I work my way through my daily reading because it provides a much-needed salve to the daily wounds of my soul.

I've made no secret of how worn down I've been by this Administration and its seemingly endless supply of horrors. That's really the reason I started this blog* in the first place, as a small online corner to rant and scream and gnash and wail about the horror, my god the horror. But outrage and fury and desperation and bitterness are neither nurturing nor sustaining, and at some point, we all need something to replenish the emptiness and refresh our well-being.

Today, as with every day, Daily Revolution fulfills that role, by both challenging my philosophy and providing inspiration for facing forward with courage and peace. An excerpt:

Treasure everything you have, and be prepared to lose it all. Accept all that comes to you and be ready to give it back. But ownership is a distortion of nature: in the real universe, no one owns, and nothing is owned. You can have all you need; but you cannot own a single thing.

Live this principle; understand it in every cell of your being, and you will never want for anything.

*Coming up on my three year anniversary. Huh.