Happy New Year everyone. What are you grateful for this morning (other than Sting, of course…)? Thought we could all start the day off on a note of gratitude and happiness. Good way to start the year.
I'll start: I'm most grateful for Mr. ReddHedd and The Peanut, who bring me joy every day; for the opportunity that all of you give me to help start a ripple into the larger pond of all of our lives every single day; and for the future — which we are all working to make better than the present, one day at a time. (And for Sting. But that pretty much goes without saying…hehehe)
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FITZ!
Timing is everything. ;)
Good morning Christy. I am thankful for my wonderful partner who, after 10 years, is still the delight of my life. I’m thankful for our furry children (those clowns!) and our beautiful home. And I’m thankful for the FDL community and the great front pagers who have stirred more hope for our political future than I have felt since 2000. Bright Blessings to all! Happy New Year!
Mornin’ Christy. Happy New Year. I am grateful for too many things to list but being 59 years old and in good health is certainly ranks high. Best wishes to you and yours in 2007.
After a battle with cancer – 7 years ago this month, I just take time and enjoy everyday.
I am looking forward to the New Year and hope it does change the political landscape for awhile.
If all the investigations and criminal trails do not open Republicans eyes and demand change in their party and policies- nothing will.
Happy New Year
I am so grateful for this community that got me out of my house and into the streets and the Lamont HQ to volunteer for something I believe in. For the new friends I have made through this site (in my business real friends are hard to make) and for all the work we have done to try to turn around the Titanic which has been our government for lo too long.
I am grateful for Jane, Christy, Pach and all the others here who have made this possible through their inspired writing, leadership, and continual invitations to join with them in making a difference.
Oh and the laughter and humor here that makes all of the insanity at least partially bearable.
Mr. Chips, Uncle Traveling Matt and Lil Leaky (why do we give our families such nicknames?)
And Daniel Craig, of course. The best James Bond, ever!
Thankful for my very own house, my lunatic cats, a job that I love, Mr. MinS who’s been around for 29 years now, squirrels because they prove that God laughs, FDL, a back yard where I can grow veggies and herbs, the birds who come to the bird feeders, and did I mention my HOUSE? And did I mention FDL and the wonderful people here??
You arrived up here just as I arrived down there in EPU land. NYT has Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman.
http://mgpaquin.blogspot.com/2…..-isnt.html
Morning gang — Mr. ReddHedd and I were up way too late last night watching movies. This morning, I am very grateful for coffee…
Wow, witchywoman, a threepeat! Congrats!
Christy Hardin Smith @ 9
as were we along with Scarecrow and KathrynMA.
I can never get enough of old movies.
Will have to go for hot chocolate instead though . . . don’t drink coffee.
Happy New Year Christy and may it bring goodness and peace to you, Mr. Redd and the Peanut.
Well, right now I am grateful for the shifting sun in my eyes that signals longer days, even though it woke me up early. I’m grateful for the warm fire in the hearth just a few feet away.
I am so very grateful for this place and all who share their thoughts.
Thanks to Family Redd for leading the way every day. You are an inspiration Christy.
I am so very grateful Jan 4 is Thursday!
I am grateful that 2006 is over, that the Democrats won, that Congress starts Thursday, that my sweetie and I got through some health issues this year and we are ready to start the new year, and that the days are getting longer – finally.
Marion in Savannah @ 10
Thanks MinS. *blushes modestly*
RevDeb — Sounds like you guys had a blast. :) Before I forget, I finally got a chance to listen to your brother’s CD — it’s fantastic! Thanks so much for it.
I’m grateful for my wonderful, amazing 26-year-old son who seems to be doing so well in finding his way through this world.
When I remember who I was at 26…
Oh, right, I’m grateful for having made it this far; my dad died when he was a year younger than I am, so every day feels like I’m breaking new ground.
FDL and all who make it work are also up there at the top of the list.
AND, I’m so grateful for a Democtatic-controlled Congress.
Happy New Year and Happy Subpoena Powers to you all!
Am grateful for a democratic Senate and House, the renewal of interest in our common destiny, new friends and colleagues here at fdl, and my kids here and in Russia.
I’m grateful for finding DemocracyNow 2years ago. I’ve only had the sat. TV for 3 years, before that no TV at all. My computer, my first a gift from my parents a little over a year ago. Never thought I’d have a computer nor a need for one, but when my sister moved out of this country, she couldn’t take it here anymore, the folks thought I need one to e-mail her. I’m glad I found FDL, because I saw Christy on C-Span, and I now read here often. I guess what I’m trying to say, is this all gives me hope for a better future, and I’m thankful for knowing the whole world hasn’t gone crazy because there are multitudes of caring people.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 15
He likes to tell stories using music. You have your own way of story telling. I thought you might like it. Glad you did *g*
witchywoman @
2
That’s what I’ve been saying! Mornin’ all! Happy New Year.
just got back from a week in paris and a week long christmas gathering with my wifes family in the netherlands. i certainly missed this community, even tho i don’t post often.
i am grateful for my wife, my health and my family.
Happy New Year everyone!!
Things I’m grateful for and in no particular order: I’m grateful that my Mom is still with us. That everyone is in reasonable health. That I have good friends, in and out of work life. That I have a reasonably secure job. That my nieces still want to be around all of us (ok, they’re only 3, 5.5, and 7.5 – they’re all way beyond their years already.). And much more.
Good morning egregious – Are you noticing as I am a change in daylight minutes. I think we gain roughly three minutes a day the first half (mornings) I usually sleep through. Anyway an additional 30 minutes has made a difference for me, I hope it’s helping you as well.
I don’t have any kids, but at 44, I think the thing I am most grateful for is the good health of my parents, that I still have both of them here. I feel very lucky for that and my two siblings who are also in good health. It sounds so cliche, but I am so glad my dad has been around long enough for me to understand him better and admire him for his courage to stand up to his employers by testifying in a hearing trying to block the formation of a union at his plant. The movement failed, of course (we are in the South, after all) and he was blackballed by his employer for the rest of his 35 some odd years there! He worked lots of overtime and any shift he needed to work, including graveyard, to make the money he needed to take care of his family. Although he was a difficult dad growing up, he’s always been there for me when I really needed help. So, feeling especially thankful for him and my mom during some rather dark times.
The employer was DuPont, by the way. This was in the fifties.
Is there a more misnamed federal agency then the US Institute of Peace?
Just want to say “Thanks from the Ordinary Folk” to everyone at FDL….for keeping us informed and entertained. We really believe that the blogosphere is the Last Frontier, and are privileged to tune in to it every day, bypassing the usual BS of the Traditional Media.
You’re at the gates….stay there! Thanks for everything you do at FDL.
OT, just wanted to note: WOW, 6 new posts since yesterday and it’s New Years! I’m impressed with y’all’s dedication!
mandrake @ 25
Oh. My. God. Say no more. My mother worked for them in NYC in the 50s and they did her dirt too. Dreadful. Simply dreadful company, at least then. I can’t speak for now…
Just looked up mandrake in the dictionary. I thought it must have something to do with duck hunting.
It’s another name for the May Apple plant.
I love may apples or mandrakes mixed with maidenhair ferns on the forrest floor in spring.
i am, first and foremost, grateful for my two kids — they’re pretty terrific, even if my daughter (15) has recently discovered that if she’s bored she can always drive my son (9) crazy for the sheer entertainment value.
i am grateful this past year for a relatively surprising retaking of both houses of congress by the dems, though i am reasonably sure they’ll disappoint in the managing of the country’s affairs. still, it is an unquestionable good that they can serve as a check on the worst excesses of a psychopathic administration.
not to put too fine a point on it, i am quite grateful for fdl, an exceptional site combining great souls and great postings, where we are able to build a community and give each other strength. y’all provide a huge public service, just in mental health benefits alone.
may all of you who gather here find safe and happy, healthy and enjoyable passage in the undiscovered country that is 2007.
Good morning. Happy New Year to all of you firepups. I’m very grateful to this community. Before I found you all, I was despairing of seeing things set right in my lifetime. Though I know it’s going to take a lot of work and time, I’m hopeful. Thank you Christy and Jane for making this place.
Good Morning, all! coffee’s ready…
I’m grateful for my dogs, that my house is warm and that I can say good morning to all the love people here.
hold out your cups.
**holding out her cup** Good morning, OldCoastie. Happy New Year to you.
I’m grateful to finally have a job.
I’m grateful that Congress will finally begin to behave like a branch of the government and not like the bunch of $2 hookers the republicans turned them into.
Mostly, I’m grateful for my family.
And that I’m alive today.
Peace.
Jo
OldCoastie @ 33
Oh, yes. Refill please. *holds out cup while waving to OldCoastie*
Mandrake -
Just as expected, yesterday’s attempt to e-mail went FUBAR. Computer guru coming this p.m. & will try to reach you after he (hopefully) works his usual magic.
And I’m thankful for Marion, who disrespects firewalls ;-)
Im greatful for being able to work doing something I love, for my gardens and for my sweet husband whom I found in my late fifties.
For FDL which I read everyday but didnt feel part of until the introduce yourself thread the other day. Im looking forward to the exciting times in the months to come.
And for the growing power of the netroots. This will be our best year
FDL has been great for me! Thanks
here is a NYT article about music that mentions Howie
Music and the Brain
(pouring) there ya’ go….
My daughter’s birthday was yesterday (she turned 11). I took her on a shopping spree to Cherry Creek Mall here in Denver. After buying her several gifts, and as we walked past all of the exclusive stores, I told her to always remember that we are blessed, that so many of the families in this country could not do what we had just done because they are financially less fortunate. We stopped, she hugged me with tears in her eyes, and said ‘I know Mommy, I know.”
I am blessed with two wonderful girls who know what they have, and are grateful for it.
Happy New Year to you all.
Grateful…for FDL and our fearless leaders.
Grateful…for commenters who carry forward the energy of Jane and Christy with thoughtful responses, and emotional fervor…and puns!
Grateful…that Mr. Sunshine’s here for another Christmas despite the ravages of chronic illnesses. Because he makes me think.
His clarity on this crisp start of the new year regarding Bush and Iraq: Bush is dilly-dallying around waiting to make this political and he doesn’t care how many die.
Grateful…for American soldier 3000, and all the American troops and their families, who sacrifice with life and limb so the deciderer can dilly-dally.
John Edwards is already talking about a call to action to make America better. I’m grateful for his voice and commitment, and I hope the new year will show me and other Americans living up to his challenge…and opportunity.
Happy New Year!
oh, and the mets. i am extremely grateful for the season they gave us.
I am thankful we have an intelligent, well-spoken president that is a strong leader with high moral standards and a penchant to do what is right and just — never wavering from the sacred documents that our great country was founded upon and always telling us what we, the American people, think and what we need to understand.
I am thankful our great country has succeeded in spreading freedom jelly and democracy butter across the Middle East where it has been accepted by a grateful population that was waiting to be saved from the clutches of WMDs and godlessness.
I am thankful we have enjoyed six years of an infallible congress which, in the rare case it was needed, put the checks and balances machine into high gear and intercepted any problems or misdeeds before they occurred.
But most of all, I am thankful for K Street lobbyists. Without whom, none of this would have been possible.
What am I grateful for? My daughter. And the rest of my family (including my authoritarian, reaktionary kat). And friends who put up with my rather liberal to radical ( I call my views just common sense, naturally) ideology. And my job, which I am lucky enough to like.
twolf1 -
Didn’t anybody ever tell you it’s dangerous to keep your tongue in your cheek for as long as it took to type that comment *g*?
dmg @ 43
I’ll drink (coffee) to that!
I used to keep a gratitude journal every day, but for now I’m grateful for:
1. my partner
2. my partner
3. my partner
4. the reasonably good health and the security of my parents
5. my good friends here at FDL and in the blogosphere, who give me the opportunity to feel as if I’m making some difference
6. the incremental success of my business, which keeps me from starving and covers my health insurance
7. our home
8. my overlarge music collection
9. the relative freedom I have to live as I choose: though I’m not at all financially wealthy, I’m wealthy in relationships and in the quality of my living
10. all the experiences I’ve had, the good ones and perhaps especially the. . . “character building” ones, which have made me a better man and made me the person I am today, still growing.
As an historian, I predict that we firepups and the rest of the progressive blogs will be remembered as Committees of Corresponence and that we will all be remembered by our grandchildren for the fight we have only yet begun. I am proud of the activism and stimulating discourse among this community.
January 4th marks the beginning of the end to lawlessness.
Waccamaw @ 37
I’m having a senior moment here and can’t remember the name of the song/artist/album (aging ain’t pretty!) but there was a song that went “Tear Down the Wall, Motherf***rs.” So I do! {evil grin}
Waccamaw @ 46
Yes. It could get stuck like that.
I find it telling that George and the ever so lovely and popular Laura can find the time to “view” former President Ford’s casket, but cannot find it in themselves to attend a single funeral for the dead soldiers who have perished in Iraq on behalf of our president.
OMG twolf1…. you should post a spew alert
Ok… I too am grateful for FDL… Besides the great posts, the calls for action are my second best. It makes the difference between a blog and a truly Great Blog. We don’t just sit there and whine, we try to DO something about it.
Grateful that I am with my boyfriend of 11 years(long distance relationship) for two weeks, my mid 80 yr old parents are healthy and active and for my three great adult kids. Grateful for the company of Miss Dog, my silly beagle buddy.
And my rag tag political groups DFA, PDA and the Peace Coalition who are having a candle light vigil outside of McCain’s Phoenix office today.
I’m grateful for many things, including finding FDL. What i will post now is a sadness tinged grateful.
I’m grateful that i was able to spend more than thirty years as both friend and colleague to my windpower mentor, Dr. Forrest “Woody” Stoddard. His pioneering work in evolving the way wind turbines are designed, and his absolute unwillingness to put up with bureaucratic compromise, helped guide the wind industry to the maturity of today.
I am lucky to count him as a friend, for without his constant engineering oversight siting on my left shoulder for three decades, i would never have had the understanding which allowed me to see through the business development.
the doctors say this will have been his last New Years, though one never knows. If gratitude means saying thanks, i just want to say thanks, Woody. Without you our warped civilization wouldn’t have the opportunity to solve its most serious problem, the end of the poison energy source which drains our power as life-affirming humans, and the replacement with the sun-derived energies which the universe provided for us.
Jeebus, Woody, what kind of reincarnate can choose to be the first PhD in windpower at the feet of the Captain, and also go to high school with Amory Lovins! Every day i continue the fight (you listening, BP?) i will use the lessons you taught me.
i’m grateful.
I’m grateful for two great kids. A daughter who has the sense to live in Hawaii and who fixes veggie sandwiches and makes me do yoga when she visits, and a son who is a high school math/english teacher and just married a lovely girl last month. He always reads fdl, sometimes comments, but neither of us knew the other was there for months, until just before Yearly Kos.
Happy New Year everybody! I am grateful for all my blessing, including my friends and family, my good job and especially my friends here at FDL. Love you guys!
… and Pachacutec, i beg to difer, but a music collection can NEVER be overly large.
He Takes His Secrets to the Grave. Our Complicity Dies with Him
How the West armed Saddam, fed him intelligence on his ‘enemies’, equipped him for atrocities – and then made sure he wouldn’t squeal
by Robert Fisk
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1231-23.htm
Crazy Horse — CEC, 76-96, legal. Electricity Reports.
somehow, pachacutec, i figured there might be another mets fan here.
if craving baseball, hang in there. the baseball equinox is due in eight days.
as defined by “faith and fear in flushing,” http://www.faithandfear.blogharbor.com, like fdl an essential daily read for me, On Tuesday, January 9, at 9:55 PM, we will be just about exactly between that final called strike in October and whatever 2007 brings us starting in April.
and of course, spring training is closer still.
I wonder if I would get arrested for printing out a list of the 3,000 dead and scotch-taping that list to my congressman’s office door…? (probably need several doors, maybe the side of the building too)
… Oh yeah, and i’m grateful that another colleague, who once worked for the failed windpower company where Woody was the first overuled designer, got elected to Congress.
Stay clear and fight hard, Jerry McNerney!
I want Bush and Tony Blair held accountable for their atrocities.
I am grateful for my husband and 16 year old daughter.
We spent a few days in NY saw the Martin Short show( fabulous) and went to Greenwich Village.
Where our 16 year old dughter had her nose pieced.
parenting is about the unexpected…
I want Democrats who blindly supported the invasion of Iraq and fail to acknowledge they blew it, held to account.
I’m grateful that I haven’t spotted a Bush bumper sticker in over three weeks. A hopeful sign of the times.
Of course, I’m grateful I have a roof over my head, food on my table and the love of family and friends.
Happy New Year to a great group of people – FDLers!
add to my list:
reasonable health; a husband who loves me a lot and brought me hot chocolate and croissants for breakfast in bed (at my request, but he was happy to do so); an 80 year old mother who is still doing her best to get around and volunteered at the polls this year for the first time in her life; a talented and fun brother with whom I have a great relationship (’twas not always so); a congregation that mostly puts up with me and doesn’t grumble too much; two warm fuzzy cats that make me laugh and a newly elected DEMOCRATIC congress, which, I hope, will live up to its promise.
It was truly a holiday season where we could not think of needs or wants that we did not already possess. What more could one ask?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 64
Um, don’t forget that “independent,” you know the one I mean, the one with his own party of 1…
OldCoastie @ 60
The NYT today printed another 1000 of the pictures of all those US soldiers killed. Tiny photos cover four full pages.
Photos
scarecrow @ 58
Wow! well then, scarecrow, pull up a chair by the fire and let’s watch the Lakers with Kobe. we can kvatch about Cali and setting the nation’s energy policy to rights.
scarecrow @ 68
what’s the worst that could happen? a ticket for littering? posting handbills without a permit? defacing public property?
I’m serious… my congressman is a nitwit – I want to get his attention…
My Dad just went out to get the newspaper and walks in showing me the front page… New years Eve in Eugene Oregon….. headline 3,000
His comment…. Bush that miserable son of a bitch…. gee why would I wonder where I get my passion?
Marion in Savannah @ 67
I know who you’re talking about. I have a real special “feeling” for this guy. And sometimes I have difficulty deciding which I detest more. Him or the prez.
May this year be the best you’ve ever had. ;)
OldCoastie @ 60
I have a bumper sticker on my car that says “Bush Lied” It has the names of over 700 of those killed in Iraq. The letters are made out in contrasting color print. You have to look up close to see the names, but the message is quite clear from a distance.
Yes, 3,000 names are a lot, but done in fine print can easily fit on a door. Perhaps the same kind of technique could be used to have a larger message in contrasting type colors.
Just a thought.
And if they try to arrest you, you’ve got a lot of friends who will show up to help . . . unless they spirit you off to some hidden cavern somewhere. So let us know before you do it so in case you disappear we can call out the FDL troops.
I am grateful for my 2 year old chipmonkey, whose food allergies are not life threatening and whose asthma will most likely be outgrown.
Christy, are you gonna live blog the Rose Parade?
katymine @ 71
It’s front page top of the fold on the Boston Globe too. I guess I’m grateful they are paying attention. Hope the readers are too.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 57
If you post the pictures, may as well sing Alice’s Restaurant just to complete the DFH aesthetic.
Need Al Rogers over at Kos to put together a post with all the front page newspapers around the country. He has done it before and it is quite impressive when done.
So Oklahoma Kiddo, we can spar about who has the worst Senators….
I give you one Kyl and raise you a Lord McCain?
Have the Best New Year Everyone. There is a lot in this world to be thankful for. Thanks everyone for the contributions here. We are slowly turning the tide and we can hope that 2007 is a better year for it. Here’s to more peace and love in the world.
Thanks to Jane, Christy, Pach and T-rex and all the rest for the labor they do here and for giving us a place to meet. This is a great community and I am happy to be a part of it.
G’morning everyone. I’d hold out my cup, but you don’t want me to have more caffeine. Been acting weird here – must be a full moon ‘r somethin.
I’m deeply thankful for my warm, close family. My 1st love and I have been married for 41 yrs plus, & we’re still best friends. Our grown “kids” are independent, but they seem to love coming home to visit and have fun w/ us old folks. That’s an absolute joy.
No secrets to this happiness. Just blind luck, I guess, and a deep commitment to being nice to eachother.
I’ll be eternally thankful for somehow stumbling upon the Lake a year or so ago.
This incredible community proves there still are a lotta folks in the world determined to stand up for honesty and compassion, and stubborn enough to keep at it, no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way.
I appreciate the inciteful analyses of especially difficult problems by the many talented & dedicated people here. I savor equally the simple, “Pull Up A Chair” segments, for those enlighten all who read them by proving that a large, diverse community can indeed work effectively together for the greater good.
The future holds many difficult problems for all of us. But the Lake brings hope and energy equal to the task.
Happy New Year all! And Thank You!
I think I’ll go down and case out the local office… prolley a lot of security cameras… I’m thinking pages and pages of names taped over the glass… to greet the worker bees tomorrow..
rattle the cage a little… I’m convinced we must start applying more pressure…
Curious in Central Texas @ 77
Twisted at 75 — Actually, I’m tivo-ing the Rose Parade this year. The Peanut is in no mood to watch floats on tv today, so I’m recording the parade so that I can watch it during naptime.
Scarecrow @ 8:05 -
This NYT url should be branded on the forearm of every person who voted for those who led us into this disaster & they should be forced to look at it every day of the rest of their lives.
Short story………the second pixel I randomly clicked on opened to show the face of a 24 year old whose home town is listed as the small back-water resort village where I live about half the year (population 6000-7000 in the off-season). Don’t know what the probability theory would be on that happening but the sound you hear is a rush of cold air blowing across the back of my neck. He died only a few days more than a year ago.
Waccamaw @ 37
Got it! Sounds good.
Marion in Savannah @ 29
katymine @ 79
Try this site. Front pages from around the world. VERY cool.
ragz @ 65
heh- occasionally I see a bushiebumper, & my main impulse is to laugh at the poor slob, maybe even tack a note on the windshield on how to remove same. nah! let ‘em suffer for their sins….
katymine @ 79
Well… there is one Senator, who consistantly throws my switches in the wrong direction. But I never mention her. ;)
mandrake @ 87
Wow, interesting! I believe they have been purchased by a company named Invista. At least the plant where my dad worked is now Invista and word is it’s much worse now.
They tried to get my dad to sign statements he didn’t make, jazz like that, and of course, he wouldn’t. Despite being one of their best electricians, he was never able to advance because of the blot on his record.
Unions are just not tolerated here.
Adie @ 89
How is it that they are not ashamed?
hmm… well the congressman’s office is in the same building as the local police department… I guess I could just ask the cops if it’s OK to tape a letter to the door… who knows? maybe they will say yes… I don’t have to necessarily tell them it is 60 pages long…
OldCoastie @ 82
sure like yer style. rattle away! ;->
today’s a gray day here, but i’m feeling plenty sunshine from the Lake. nice start to the year… ;->
I’m grateful for SciFi’s Twilight Zone marathon, exposing my inner nerd.
OldCoastie @ 82
It should not be a surprise that your local police might be sympathetic. I found that in Phoenix they were which did surprise me at first until I realized that so many of our Police, Fire, etc are in the national guard. Their ranks were being depleted with deployments, deaths and injuries. I was told by one officer during one of our Peace rallies to Kyl and McCain’s offices to carry two signs, one for me and one for him.
Jo Fish @ 35
Congratulations! I’m still looking . . .
Tuned in the kitchen tv to the Free Speech channel while I fixed some eggs.
They were showing a Paul Wellstone retrospective.
I’m grateful for the memory of his fire.
I’m grateful that there is some of that fire here.
I cry easily, these days.
As a cancer survivor I rejoice every morning when I open my eyes knowing how lucky I am to still be alive.
My wife of 28 years, if not for her love and staying by my side 24/7, I would not have won my battle.
My work, every day I get to do something positive for the earth. It makes it so easy to go to the office.
Wireless, sitting in bed and surfing is the best.
Mornin’ fellow pups!
I am grateful for:
Good Health
Two very flirty cats
A family high on compassion and low on drama
People who work to make our world better
Scharffenberger chocolate
Clever and tight-knit FDL commenters
The as-yet unshredded constitution (may we get rid of 6 years of white-out soon)
Fresh thread, for everyone.
jeffreyw @ 99
Yes.
witchywoman @
3
This is very similar to me, except me partner and I have been together for less than seven years. We, too, have four furry children, who all say MAOW!
I’m grateful for the music and musicians in my life, and the chance to make more music.
Grateful we finally have a chance (if the DLC will grow a spine) to stop the damn war NOW! Not that I have much hope.
mandrake @ 92
maybe they’re just too stoopid to know how to unglue the stikker. I dunno! Dopey local pol in our neighborhood decided in ‘04 it’d be in hiz best intrsts to switch to Repug. Whole ‘hood’s been chuckling ever since – real idiot, & kinda mean, so folk just snicker & move on. He din’ do hisstoopidself any favours!
jeffreyw @ 99
I share your problem, & strongly suspect many others do also. Jus’ let ‘em flow, I guess. DO keep coming to the Lake, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. We’ll all get where we’re headin’ together, more likely than alone.
Morning Christy,
I’m grateful to have survived a heart attack and be around to watch the squirrels and cottontails gather for their morning treat of “honey-toasted cheerios” on the back porch. But I’m also grateful for fdl and the great work you all do. You give us reason for hope.
btw: enjoy every moment with your child…they are only on loan to us and they grow up all too fast.
hizzhoner.
Good morning everyone,
I’m thankful for my husband, our friends and family. We have a nice place to live, too much food to eat, and I laugh a lot more than I cry.
I’m thankful for FDL. I’m thankful it’s January. I’ve been waiting for January.
-S
mandrake @ 92
I have seen a few half scrapped off – they are by far my favorites. May their shame be forever attached to their possessions.
Happy new year all! I’m thankful for:
1. my wonderful husband
2. our warm cozy house, even though renovation is still not finished…
3. my 16 year old daughter has a clear head, priorities and a strong sense of self
4. our two funny dogs (they never stop playing/wrestling/roiling)
5. that our cat, who after standing watch while his older furry brother died, waited for us to come home and find him – has recovered
6. friends that are loving and compassionate
7. that I can decide what direction I want my life to proceed
8. that I can click on to this blog and feel welcome
We are many, we are determined, we are not fooled. They are powerful, but they are not many and they cannot silence us. They cannot overcome all of the anger and injustice they have set loose upon the world. They overplayed their hand. We count the bodies and we ask why. They refuse to count the bodies and offer no reason. They cannot sustain the empire. It is drowning in blood and inequality. Keep your voices up, keep your spirits up – we will get our country back. Of the three monkeys, hear no evil, see no evil and do no evil, only the last will survive. The scales will fall from the eyes of those who pretend blindness, they will finally hear what we have been saying. Those who can will save themselves by understanding it is over, the rest, well they are trapped in the tiny corner that is their mind. They left no place for retreat. They are small and hard and inflexible and unimaginative. They did not imagine failing, they could not imagine a public that valued decency. They never owned recognition of their myopic, greedy, grasping ambitions. Time was not their friend, the culture is not their friend. We actually are a decent and fair people. Happy New Year, start ringing those bells, ring em in rememberance of those who have lost their lives this year, and ring em in celebration of the better times to come. Ring the bells in recognition of the great American spirit that exists here at FDL. Ring the bells to welcome the boldness and braveness and optimism that is part of the fabric of our nation, now and in the future.
1) My family including my Dad, 2 brothers, sis-in-law, and 3 nephews who are stunningly handsome, talented, intelligent and sensitive.
2) My cat – a half-Siamese named Bugsy.
3) My relative good health.
1) My kids – healthy, intelligent, beautiful
2) My family – we may have our ups and downs, but we’re always here for each other.
3) Our relative good life – we might scrape to make ends meet, but we always have the basics.
4) FDL – The posts and the commenters at this wonderful place keep me sane, and motivated to speak out and to act for change. (Even if I am always late to the thread!)
Adie @ 106
I am moved by all these comments which reflect what I have been experiencing, with increasing intensity, since the beginning of the war. For me, the anger, frustration and grief became too much to bear, as I saw my country slip into some wretched thing I could barely countenance.
I still stay connected, but I had to let go of the anger for my sanity’s sake. I have no one to lean on. My passion for the truth and justice which I once believed was the bedrock of America, eroding before my eyes was met with disinterest if not downright annoyance even amongst my Dem friends. There is no outlet for this energy where I am and a great deal of pressure to stay silent, even now.
Women are supposed to have babies and devote our lives to being non-controversial, preferably cute, pedicured soccer moms. This is the environment I live in which is a desert for intellectually critical people. Suffering from chronic depression, my thirst for sympathetic discussion remained unquenched, my attempts to make a difference ultimately futile, I finally just gave up out of emotional exhaustion.
So I appreciate this site and thoughtful comments so much. It helps to know others feel what I have felt because so often, you do feel so utterly alone when you look around you and see people going about their business every day, every day a new tragedy unfolding in the Middle East (not to mention our numerous urgently pressing issues at home), and still, most people behave as if everything is business as usual simply because they have not been personally affected . . . yet.
I know, second-hand, of one person in particular who has done a 180 from her support of the President and the War because her nephew is now in Iraq and she and the rest of his family are TERRIFIED for him. Of course, I’m sure there are more, but NO ONE TALKS. I have given up asking myself what they are so afraid of but whatever it is, it is an oppressive force that is stopping progress, stopping change for the better, dead in its tracks.
Sorry for the ramble. I hope in 2007 I will regain my emotional strength to continue to push for change as I did in 2004 through some time a few months ago when I succumbed to the enormous, suffocating societal pressure to stay silent.
Considering the election results, I know this sounds very odd, but it is because I am in the South that this is so. If I had to pick one thing to work on that I believe would make a huge difference, it would be to somehow, some way, enlighten the South of my birth, which I love so much, like an unrequited love for someone you do not understand, but nonetheless, cannot let go of.
Adie @ 105
Perhaps we should start leaving a bottles of Goof-off with detailed instructions on the car hoods. They need all the help they can get.
Hang in there Mandrake, you are not alone. There are plenty of us who feel the same passion. I changed my citizenship in 2004 to vote for Kerry. I know where you’re at, and I bet all the FirePups do too.
Things are moving in our direction. Finally.
Family and friends.
Living in a wonderful part of the world.
Being alive.