BARTLET
Good morning. This month, as autumn is in full bloom in much of the nation, the weekends will
be devoted by many of you to leaf peeping and football... watch... ing...
He starts to laugh.
TECHNICIAN
Cut tape.
BARTLET
[still laughing] I'm sorry. Leaf peeping? Is that something we do now?
TECHNICIAN
Try another.
DONNA
We better get some key chains in here.
BARTLET
I heard that.
Happy Autumn, everyone!
I think if I ever were to move from Los Angeles, it would be because there is no discernible change in leaf color from Summer to Fall. Leaves turn brown and fall off their branches sometime starting in late September. It's a very anti-climatic end to the summer.
Not like my childhood. We would pile the family into car and, stuffed on top of luggage and fishing gear, head to Boulder Junction in northern Wisconsin, where my family has for generations owned a cabin on one of the hundreds of lakes dotting the area. We'd stop in Minocqua for some fudge along the way. But the main goal was leaf peeping, although we never called it that. We were there for the turn. The turning of the leaves.
If we were lucky (and we almost always were; Dad had a sixth sense about when to schedule these trips), glorious yellows, reds, and oranges were peeking out of the green walls of trees lining the freeway. Just a few at a time on the trip up: explosive gifts of hue as one rounded each bend. On the way home, a visual feast. And a lot more fudge.
Autumn is a perfect time for elections, I think. The air crackles, the sky is bluer, change is visible. After the long, hot, airless summer, fall's cool breezes allow for more heated debate, more impassioned work. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and do things that didn't seem possible during the 100+ temperatures of August. We work, we have to work against the winter we know is coming.
I think this is true of this year more than any I can remember: the heat of this summer's issues mirrors the record-high temperatures experienced across the states. Never in my memory have things been quite this bad. Like the quiet ramping up of global warming, it was a slow slouching thing that exploded into my consciousness. Alito. Roberts. Occupations. Signing statements. Gitmo. Torture. Rendition. Healthcare. The economy. Abramoff. Domestic spying. Osama Bin Forgotten. Eroding civil liberties, the diminution of free speech, and lies, lies, lies, lies and more lies.
I changed from someone who watched West Wing and silently screamed into the night, wondering what to do, to someone who is taking their first steps at learning and making a change. dKos is the main reason my own eyes were opened, and I have you to thank for that.
So: here's to fall. Here's to change. Here's to the turn we are going to see -- the leaves, our country, our direction, our future.
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Contributions from the topcomments at gmail com inbox:
From besieged by bush:
Some lines should not be crossed ... Genocide, slavery and torture ... as expatjourno explains.
From NightProwlKitty:
Gotta recommend cookiebear's comment from TheBlaz's "Call me concerned" diary. Hit the spot, imo!
From carolita:
Ironically, mpunfun2 and I found reason for hope in Eternal Hope's excellent diary.
cjfburke wrote an outstanding letter protesting torture and testvet6778 adds a great comment
durrenm tells some chicken/road jokes and fezzik provides a wonderful physics poem in Arken's diary
Backgr0und NO15e gives a useful link to expert testimony on torture and Steven D follows up with the truth about why Repubs support torture
From Alter Ego Manifesto:
This message from mjd in florida needs to be faxed to every Democrat. End of Story. All Democrats must call it the "Bush Torture Bill"
From Kestrel9000:
My eyes teared up a little bit on this one from Christin ed's note: mine too
From lcbo:
I nominate this comment by gsbadj on the Bill Clinton smackdown diary. IMHO it's priceless in its brevity
From Cronesense:
From the outstanding diary by cskendrick, On Pine Nuts and Poison, Hope, and Despair, a beautiful comment from Dreaming of Better Days that show her philosophical side and supportive nature that we value so much.
This is an 'oldie' I tripped across from a diary a couple of weeks back while mining today. Jesus was a Liberal outlined our curriculum here at Dkos
From Food Miles" and Why Should You Care? by JR Monsterfodder:
-eve educates us
-mem from somerville has a great link to the Eat Local Challenge
As per gloriana's request a few from my own diary last night. The threads were priceless.
-motherlowman in the from the mouths of babes category.
-nonnie has a great substitute for a swear phase she learned from a child.
-possumrounds out the creative cussing with a nod to one from his mother.
-Sleeps in Trees reported on a new way to look at 'china' - WARNING - spew alert level - RED
-Firecrow starts off a thread that somehow goes from complementing food to euphemisms for farting.
And my own finds:
Redfire posts this essay on the supposed genius of Karl Rove
nicejoest reports on 'Murikka's progress in hunting down Bin Laden in Pakistan. wonkydonkey chimes in with a picture.
The Open Science Thread generated this conversation between MrMichaelMT and Gooserock regarding the level of critical thought in America
BTower contributes this powerful graphic detailing the per capita share of federal government debt. Chilling.
PSA: scoff0165 offers up this handy list of accented letters
cajay discusses Dem framing and campaign strategy
Bob Guyer and the avoidance of suffering
BlueinColorado discusses the dual mentality that supports torture
sheryle has a good question regarding the efficacy of the torture bill in light of Charles Graner and Lynndi England's convictions
Mike McL contributes Senate Floor rules to the Filibuster/Poison Pill debate, as does bluerevolt in a later comment
Kagro X hypothesizes about the Repub spin on any negative response to the torture bill
Magnifico updates a WWII-era poster for dKos
teacherken makes this extremely good point regarding the Vienna Convention and the rights of accredited diplomats in light of the Venezuelan Minister being detained today.
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Top mojo
Sans Tip Jar
1 Genocide, slavery and torture. by expatjourno -- 132
2 Never felt more desperate than this, myself! by begone -- 76
3 asdf by bonddad -- 64
4 I think it would be better... by drag0n -- 58
5 I'm not sure I'm ready to buy that yet... by Elise -- 54
6 Good Morning, Gardeners :) by PhillyGal -- 53
7 Victory Waits On Your Fingers [UPDATED] by Magnifico -- 52
8 Morning, Frankenoid by blue jersey mom -- 47
9 I have to brag. by Finn -- 47
10 Democrats suck at framing, period by Sharon Jumper -- 46
11 Keep piling on ammendments by x -- 44
12 I agree by BarbinMD -- 42
13 I wrote this awhile ago in posts ... by besieged by bush -- 40
14 Lost my TU status.... by hrambo16 -- 39
15 No real FP tonight, but by blue jersey mom -- 39
16 I love it! by srkp23 -- 39
17 Was weeding the garden... by billybush -- 39
18 My eyes are cross. by edwardssl -- 37
19 One does by quaoar -- 36
20 Another harvest for US, the last? Thumbelinas by nika7k -- 36
21 MFP by vigilant meerkat -- 34
22 Thank you OPOL by vigilant meerkat -- 34
23 MFP? by Caldonia -- 34
24 Still haven't sold the house by Mrs Pastor -- 33
25 Nice day in Chicago - by xanthe -- 33
26 A poson pill by x -- 33
27 TORTURE in my name is my FP by begone -- 32
28 Tires are MFP by tvb -- 32
29 My FP by terrypinder -- 32
30 "Cost" of War in Iraq by Jeffrey Feldman -- 32
With Tip Jars
1 What do you think? by BarbinMD -- 257
2 tips by thereisnospoon -- 174
3 I've never done this before . . . by nyceve -- 155
4 Genocide, slavery and torture. by expatjourno -- 132
5 Alms for the absurd? n/t by One Pissed Off Liberal -- 128
6 here i am! by buhdydharma -- 120
7 Tip jar by quaoar -- 114
8 Big tip jar by Jerome a Paris -- 89
9 What can I say? by STOP George -- 85
10 Peanut Jar by Elizabeth D -- 83
11 At least I can be comforted by by Devilstower -- 78
12 Never felt more desperate than this, myself! by begone -- 76
13 asdf by bonddad -- 64
14 I think it would be better... by drag0n -- 58
15 Second Annual Garden Blogging by Frankenoid -- 54
16 I'm not sure I'm ready to buy that yet... by Elise -- 54
17 Good Morning, Gardeners :) by PhillyGal -- 53
18 Victory Waits On Your Fingers [UPDATED] by Magnifico -- 52
19 It wasn't just the economy though by bosdcla14 -- 48
20 Morning, Frankenoid by blue jersey mom -- 47
21 I have to brag. by Finn -- 47
22 Democrats suck at framing, period by Sharon Jumper -- 46
23 Tip Jar by JR Monsterfodder -- 44
24 Keep piling on ammendments by x -- 44
25 I agree by BarbinMD -- 42
26 Tips by Arken -- 42
27 tipjar by a gnostic -- 41
28 Tips and TRs go here. by TheBlaz -- 40
29 I wrote this awhile ago in posts ... by besieged by bush -- 40
30 Lost my TU status.... by hrambo16 -- 39