I continue to have great respect for you, your principles, your courage, your intellect, your eloquence…

I was never good at the finer points of written language. So – in no particular order:

Scratch the “not a great analogy” to which you object,

ditto my “disingenuous” *crickets (a lame attempt on my part to put the issue to bed for the night).

Just as you, earlier, claim not to have been aiming at me directly, I too emphatically avow I absolutely was speaking in general terms and NOT aiming at you when I said, “Did you?” Please note the earlier references to general audience (e.g., “everyone”) within the text of my comment.

No, I am NOT trying to provoke. But I will not back up one inch in supporting a candidate I feel has been unfairly maligned, when I feel he does not deserve the level of criticism levelled at him.

You lambasted Sherrod Brown. That is your right and privilege. Fair game. Others, also apparently not having personal knowledge of his excellent record as a member of the House, picked up your theme and began what I feel was an unwarranted level of attack (essentially “piling on”) on someone I consider one of the best Democratic candidates out there in this or any other year in my memory (age 60-something).

So, I’ve been trying all day to level the playing field by speaking up for this fine candidate because, in my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, Sherrod Brown has a PROVEN record of being progressive, intelligent, articulate, dedicated, trustworthy, caring, humble, tough, resilient, hard-working, good-hearted, strong on environmental issues, workers’ rights, health care & care of the needy . . . . altogether a SUPERB candidate for the U.S.Senate – IMHO.

I do not know him personally but, as I have stated before, I keep close track of politicians over the long haul, and “pretty is as pretty does” is my main measuring stick.
Sherrod Brown WILL make a TERRIFIC Senator, if he’s not shot down by “friendly fire” during this fall’s campaign.

Is that clear enough? I have had no other message or agenda in mind, either stated or implied, in this long, overwrought dialogue.

Now, I plan to turn on my own personal *crickets, because it’s been a long, stressful week, and I’m tired. Nothing personal stated or implied. ‘kay?

I’m not sure what you are trying to provoke, but comparing a vote for Bush in in his first run up to a vote in favor of restarting the torture that the S. Ct stopped – not a great analogy.

didn’t intend to drive you nuts with this.

your word around here is revered by all of us, and normally, justifiably so.

more careful candidate research before pulling out the big cannons would have been helpful in this case.

I hope everyone gets to know Sherrod Brown better after he becomes Senator. Then you all might understand my reaction to Mary’s slam-dunk earlier today.

I am very very picky in choosing candidates to support. I proudly support, and will gladly vote for Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate. I have full confidence he will not betray that trust.

I knew Bush jr would be a disaster even in early 1999. Did you? The evidence was all there for anyone who cared to look. Does that make everyone who ignored the evidence a total, foolish idiot? Of course not. Nevertheless, oh how I wish people had paid attention when it counted.

Instead, here we are, all trying to play catch-up to save our most treasured institutions, our country, our environment, our sanity. Each person who tries to help deserves a measure of respect and appreciation for their efforts. It is unfair to attack them out of ignorance.

}}}peace{{{

* * * crickets * * *

God, I think I need to bleach my eyes and brain after reading all that Abramoff crap.

Criminals. They think they own the White House.

I want to encourage, not discourage, you, but over and over, I have thought, surely this will be the nail in the coffin. Yet it never is and I wonder if we are busy trying to find more sure nails while the bigger picture is off there, behind our backs, over the horizon.

Then sometimes I think there is just the sure smell of sulphur, pure evil, and as someone wrote a few days ago, we are part of someone else’s lesson, not matter what we do. We, like so many in the long reach of history, are in someone else’s story.

Now into Batch 3 of emails. Page 14 and Abramoff shows concern about an email going to the wrong email system (someone sent one to Ralston’s RNC pager…but he mentions not wanting it to go to WH system?).

They are aware some of this stuff is a liability.

I’m a little confused….are there two threads going now for comment? I was staying here because my comments weren’t about music?

Sumpin like dat. Matter ‘o fact – If you jump up two flights, there’s a fresh thread on GOP Values

nz I think there is a new thread beyond the music :)

http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/….._like.aspx

http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/……aspx#more

Not a whole lot to go on from ArTimes.

Send me an email at cozadnumber1 [at] yahoo [dot] com and I’ll try to send you more info as I find it.

:-)