I was reading the diary from Oregon Guy about enlisting when it occurred to me - more strongly then ever but not for the first time - that we need to start enlisting in all areas of public service.
I suspect that many Kossacks have future political and legal careers. That's great, but let's also see to it that people with an enlightened perspective are working in traditionally conservative areas of public service - police work, military, etc.
We can't let these right-wing wackos continue to dominate in these areas - if they actually do now. This will help us gain back the ground we have mysteriously lost when it comes to national security and law enforcement. Even with people like Bush and Cheney serving as the "conservative" poster children for national security and respect for the law, a lot of people still labor under the delusion that Democrats are somehow weaker in these areas. Even if it's only for a few years, we white collar types need to devote some time to blue collar grunt work in the name of reframing these important political issues. For my part, I plan on going to law school but only after serving as a police officer for a period of three years or so. Of course, plans change, but I think if more Democrats do the same, it will give us a boost when it comes to hot button political issues such as racial profiling, drug policy, etc.