Hello, My Name is Makbara, But My Friends Call Me "Maestra"
Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 03:08:40 PM PDT
As I said, my name is Makbara, but my friends call me "Maestra". I am 74 years old and I live in a suburb of Baton Rouge, known as Magnolia Bluffs. I live alone now since my dear husband passed and, besides my pet parrot named Sailor, and a few olden bosom-girls, I rarely have contact with other living creatures. I live in a nice post-bellum house with wild oaks in the front garden and apple-blossom trees in the back. I'm afraid my place is rather unkempt these years, but I don't have the heart or the will to clean or change it. Besides, I've grown accustomed to the wild look and it mostly suits my moods.
I became computer literate with the help of my Harvard Educated grandson, who is now in the Foreign Service, and did so for the sole purpose of idling away what I call my superannuated or posthumous life. So, "I surf the net", as the kids say, and, after much deliberation, decided this site best reflected my interests and convictions. So I've come here hoping to converse with like-minded fellow-travellers and, hopefully, to gauge the sentiment of the people.
Since I'm rather new to all this, I should mention that in my 50+ years as a voting US citizen I've never once voted republican. I have lived through many changes, two World Wars, Korea (Where I lost my brother), Vietnam and all the Middle East nonsense, but never in my 74 years have I encountered such a madman as our present guy, so I've come here as an exasperated septuagenarian to participate, to share, to engage and to learn. I am excited about this new venture.
I would like to ask you kind people for some assistance, as I begin this journey. How should I conduct myself here? Any advice on the best way to formulate my views, and then express them? What is acceptable behavior? What is decorus? What is not? Is there anything one should not discuss, say, or broach? Is any subject out of bounds? Any assistance anyone could offer an old lady would be greatly appreciated, and I'd be much in your debt.
In closing, I'd like to bid you all a hearty but temporary farewell. 'See you in the funnies', as my dear grandson would say, just before he starts humming, 'Send in the clowns'.
Yours,
Meastra.
[OK, Yes, I post regularly on Slate's Fray forum, and today I participated in a heated discussion about the alleged differences between these two sites. I find it ludicrous that this untenable situation should persist when each has more in common with the other than not, and when assumptions and mistaken motives are ascribed to each that plainly do not exist. I understand but do not condone a phantom loyalty to each site, especially when forces could be pooled to achieve a more honorable singular objective. And I believe most of those you have pilloried here have more in common with you than the ones who constitute your real enemy. I am not a spokesman for Slate, and I enjoy no favored poster status there, so I only speak for myself when I say that the progressive movement needs to give over its useless internicine battles and concentrate on the real objective, which is the immediate removal of the Bush War Administration from office. This ought to be the major concern of any thinking, caring, voter and not whether a guy with a talent for irony and satire is a troll or a neocon mole.
I came to you as a Tom Robbins character for only one reason, to demonstrate the falsity of any derogatory claim that you would not embrace somebody with kindness and graciousness. You did just that, and so I proved my point, until Plutonium page's sleuth-work revealed the true identity of 'Maestra'. The same is true of the people over at Slate. So why not forge links, bridge gaps and pool your resources, your wit and intelligence? What greater and more ennobling opportunity could each of you have? I defended DailyKos to Slate, just as I now defend Slate to you. You are more alike than you know and that's the tragic truth of the matter.]
