I am a retired nurse, forced to retire at the age of 42 with a severe form of arthritis. When I was still working, struggling to survive as a single mom, and fighting this disease, I had little time and energy to become really educated about politics. I knew MSM was not telling me the entire story but didn’t have the time or energy to go digging for the stuff that was ignored or buried. Discovering sites like Kos, FDL and Huffington Post have helped me understand the tapestry that is our government, for good or ill.

I am a feminist and there is something very special about FDL, a nuance that others have described far better than I can. Dipping a toe in the lake always feels good, and I end up learn something I didn’t know before, which I love. There is so much to learn.

I have a lot of insomnia because of pain and I have become very grateful to the late night threads. When my husband is asleep and I’m waiting for a Vicodin to kick in, I can always visit the Lake. Trex and all the late night posters have entertained me through many a long and miserable night here in the Arizona desert. It’s also such a relief for someone trapped in a state that is still way too red, to spend some time every day hanging out with people who think the way my hubby and I do. Bless you all, keep up the good work, keep digging the dirt. You really are making more of a difference than any of you know. The ripple effect of this lake is growing by leaps and bounds.

The reality is there is too much corporate control of the television media in particular. Television is the only media still that reaches all the people. The internet is changing that but it still has a long way to go.

I’ve never commented here before (that I can recall) and only stop by occasionally because I don’t really have a routine but rather follow pointers from a few favorite blogs (Atrios, TPM, The Poorman, Hullabaloo, Glenn Greenwald, CRN — also reddit and Daily Kitten) and intentionally let serendipity take me into new blogs. I just discovered N=1’s healthcare blog that way last night, and today here he (?) is on FDL!

I read this whole comment thread because I’m avoiding actually working on an essay about how progressives can regenerate hope when things like the war funding bill and Cindy Sheehan’s resignation get them down. Commenters like katymine, jdkahler and Moon are correct about the long run, and persistence. Persistence, strategy and a willingness to accept some degree of hierarchy are what built the Rethuglican machine. Progressives have to stop working on an ad hoc basis, at our convenience, and get serious about movement building.

But the thing I question here, now, is how to deal with young activists who want to run into the streets and start the revolution without having taken any intermediate steps. It is, absolutely, the moment to be doing more than talking and campaigning. But that means building organizations that last, teaching analysis and strategy and nonviolent techniques, not screaming at would-be allies who don’t want to lend a match for the fuse on an angry and despairing anarchist’s molotov cocktail.

I’m on a zillion listservs, and the rage is rising everywhere. We all will have to walk out of the living room sometimes, to show our RL faces in the RL public common. Figuring out how to do that together is the trick. Believing that it’s possible is important.

Meanwhile, here’s an article from Corey Doctorow about “How To Keep Hostile Jerks From Taking Over Your Online Community” that may have some application here:
http://www.informationweek.com…..=199600005

And I’ll be coming around here more, now on purpose. You folks sound like you’re worth visiting with. Thanks.

Huzzah to Jane’s doctors; aww, Balrog’s baby is sweet, ain’t it? Balrog, my Sprout says “Don’t stand too close when the baby burps (!)”.

The ONLY dem that speaks ANY truth is kucinich, and he is marginalized even by yourselves, why is that?

This is quite an interesting discourse on thread civility I’ve stumbled into this a.m. For what it’s worth, I consider myself a somewhat infrequent poster but longtime reader @ FDL. Never had a problem w/namecalling myself, but I’ve noticed some here are quick to try to shut down those that don’t agree w/the flow of conversation. In my experience, the FDL Mods are equally fast @ stopping same, but I’m not here 24/7. Late Night can get rowdy, but it’s Late Night.

The one thing that distinguishes FDL from other access-for-all political blogs, IMO, is the level of civility, which occasionally needs a tweak or two to get back in balance, that of encouraging discourse rather than repelling it.

BTW, my posting rules (not putting these on others, just for me):

Never call anyone anything on a blog, period. A person you only know virtually sits behind every keyboard- inflection, sarcasm, serious or frivolous tone, life story & a lot of other things are many times hard to discern or judge from a typewritten post.

Preview button is an essential tool for having a glance @ what your words look like before sharing them. Previewing can give you the perspective of someone else looking @ what you just dashed off. I find it indispensable.

Don’t post just to be posting, wait until you feel compelled to respond, point something out, share links. I’m not big on the one-liners or rejoinders, but I’ve got no kick w/others who are. Just not my style.

If you are reading the comments & actually have nothing to say or contribute (this can be a tough one) try not to say it. :)

I like the idea of FDL being like sitting in someone’s living room w/all sorts of people sharing ideas. I always feel here as if I’m sitting in a coffee shop, student union, teachers’ lounge, etc. throwing ideas & POVs around. Good feeling…