How to start? wmtriallawyer's diary of yesterday really got me thinking and much of what I thought about left me even more unsettled.
First of all, I hope he stays right here and continues posting because I learn from him. That's selfish, but there you have it.
I learn from so many here and candidly, when I want the news of the day, I come here rather than going to the traditional media.
What's eating at me is this: I've read the words of so many of you saying this site is less than it used to be, that the recommended diaries are more often than not subpar, that the fighting and shrillness evidenced of late are making DailyKos mediocre. I look inward and know I'm guilty of my share of "not very niceness" and yet really, that isn't who I am on balance, as I suppose is true of most of us. The anger and fear over the state of our nation seem to help bring out the worst in a lot of people, myself included.
I'm a relative newbie to politics in the scheme of things. For the first time in my adult life a candidate grabbed me, inspired me, and gave me hope. I won't tell you his name as most of you know anyway, and this isn't a candidate diary.
Through thick and thin I have supported him and continue to do so. One of the benefits of getting involved politically is the connect from there to here, DailyKos. I mean, how can you be a Democrat and passionate and not come here?
In coming here whole new vistas opened up for me. Learning from the many wonderful writers here has been such a privelege and joy. Too many folks, actually, to name. The depth of knowledge is astounding and so many of you have helped me become more knowledgeable along the way.
The fact that things get wild and wacky and people write cuss words without being punished astonished me at first. I couldn't believe how wide open this place is.
I was scared witless to post at first but thought, go for it, all they can do is ignore you or say you're a moron. Far worse has happened in my 56 years on earth.
Then, as I became more desparate as I watched our nation being absolutely ruined I thought, I have a place where I can ventilate, where I can see what others think about all this, where perhaps I can get a different perspective on a situation rather than my own despair over it. And yes, I can fight for my candidate. There is just far too much to lose to sit quietly.
So, I am all unsettled because I guess I was wrong about a few things. What I'm seeing is that some of those here who I have been learning from seem to think the quality of the site has been degraded because of the many like me who are here out of passion, despair, hope, need, support for their candidate, the desire to learn the truth as opposed to that put out by the traditional media, and for the comfort of others who understand all of that, community.
Please don't take me wrong, but you really can't have it both ways. You can't have a progessive sight without some really heated discourse. Supporters are passionate about their candidates, thank God, because too many folks just sit back, listen to the sound bites and vote accordingly. These are extremely scary times, we're all edgy with the fear our country won't survive the remaining months of the Bush administration.
So, I'm imploring you, wmtriallawyer and others, rather than say GBCW because you don't like what's happening here, stay. Stay and help us all learn from you. Stay and share with this community. Share the fear, anger, despair, joy, elation, all of it. Teach us what you know.
The benefit you will reap will be something only you can judge, but I think it's really special. You see, one of the most wonderful compliments anyone can receive is knowing they taught someone something. Knowing you have expanded another's horizons is something money can't buy, and it's a most precious gift.
What you taught me from your diary yesterday, wmtriallawyer, is that even though I am scared shitless over the state of our nation, even though I have so much fear in me about our future, there are people like you and so many here who will fight for what is right. We may not always do it gracefully, but we will do it. You, all of us, have to stick it out and if we aren't all created equally in terms of our writing skills or our temperaments or our choice of candidates, we are all in this together nonetheless. Please.
Thank you.