I can't stay angry 24/7 anymore. Fuck it. I probably will be dead

[rzemanfl]

in fifteen years anyway. My apolitical wife of nearly thirty years just got back from a two week trip and said how nice it was to be around people who weren't pissed off all the time. I fucking give up. It seems nobody has the balls to do anything about any of this crap anyway. Things start to look up and then the subject gets changed. The country has been getting progressively worse since 2000 and is going to continue to do so. I am going to do my level best to just not give a shit. My nearly six years of anger are taking too much of a toll on me and my family. This election will be stolen just like the last three if it isn't just postponed due to the war with Iran. Maybe I will feel better in the morning-maybe I won't. I have to start making plans to detach from all this. Does this make any sense? I don't know, I am just so fucking tired of it all.

[Monkeyman]

1. Welcome to the club But I will fight till I die no more

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Good attitude.

I'm sure this will work. Good luck with that.

[Blue-Jay]

26. You're a fucking ray of sunshine.

[rzemanfl]

35. I think you meant to reply to my OP. Yes I am, aren't I? n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

56. Some people just can't take it anymore, no reason to slam them,

is there? The OP will probably be better in the morning, for now he is just reaching out. Nothing wrong with that.

[pooja]

3. turn your emotional anger into positive spirit.

A positive spirit enables your mind and body to feel better. It makes your bitter comments turn into rational, cohesive discussions that don't put-off other people. Face it everyone, nobody likes to be screamed at or told they are wrong. Listen to others. Understand where they are coming from and what makes them feel a certain way.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

4. Excuse me for laughing but I can relate

to this,

"My apolitical wife of nearly thirty years just got back from a two week trip and said how nice it was to be around people who weren't pissed off all the time."

What I cannot relate to and totally fail to understand is,

"Why in the * isn't everyone pissed off??"

I just don't get it. And, yes, I understand the need to detach. I take breaks from facing reality from time to time. It helps some - but I can't stay in fantasy land for long.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. I just spent two days on a job out-of-town... no DU, almost no news

(although I did manage to catch Chavez at the UN on the nightly news :evilgrin: )

it was an nice break until about 10 last night, and I started jonzing for info. It was tough, but I managed to not to look for a 24 hour internet cafe.

Do you know that if you don't have the internets at your fingertips, you can look up phone numbers in a thing called a "phone book". It's darn handy, and what a cool concept! :silly: I am SO spoiled!

[Red Right and BLUE]

45. I relate to this, also.

But I refuse to detach.

[patrice]

5. I know what you mean. Time to do something different.

Find something that helps you re-establish balance.

I'm finding this is necessary too.

[w4rma]

6. Then stay angry a couple more months, then take a break. (nt)

[rzemanfl]

7. I need to plan for a possible relapse in early November as all

the "Republican miracles" are explained.

[murdoch]

8. Things have been bad for several thousand years

If you're in a downbeat mood, perhaps this will make you more downbeat. I share a perspective of history which is popular outside of the US to some extent, but virtually unknown within the US.

Looking back at history, I see kings and slave masters as being the tyrants who made people miserable. In our modern age we still have kings in some places, but capitalist heirs have replaced kings just as the kings of Europe replaced the slave-owners of Rome.

For there to be these idlers, these rentiers who live off the work of others, certain conditions need to exist. Until the first agricultural revolution, man hunted and gathered and lived nomadically, like the early Israelis and others. Then people began planting seeds and harvesting them, and suddenly, a man had a surplus - he (or she) was creating more to live off than he/she needed to live. With this, the possibility of things like slave owners arose - the slave owner did not have to work, he could take the surplus of his slaves and live off that - live well off that - while they got the minimum needed to survive and reproduce.

And here we are several thousand years after that and in much the same boat. Feel better?

[rzemanfl]

12. No. I grew up in the fifties. I want to know, where are our TWA

flights to the moon? Where are those fucking gas turbine cars that drove themselves while you played cards with your family? This is most definitely not the 21st century we were promised in class (when we weren't hiding under our desks).

[murdoch]

17. The US has been headed downhill since WWII

Most older people I know, not necessarily progressives, see the US as going downhill after WWII. I guess I go along with that. As has been mentioned here, look at the World Trade Center site five years later. It is still a completely empty lot. In 2003, most of the Northeast's electricity was knocked out on August 14th. Forget about forging ahead, let's just keep the lights on, defend the country from attack (instead of invading every country on earth, which provokes attacks) and so forth.

But that's the USA. Asia has been growing very rapidly in the past few decades, so things are not bleak worldwide.

[FoxOnTheRun]

54. evil people plan evil things

http://www.barefootsworld.net/14signs.html

It's getting more and more obvious

3. Detention of individuals without judicial process.
10. Any significant change in passport regulations to make passports more difficult to obtain.
14. Any attempt to make a new major law by executive decree (that is, actually put into effect, not merely authorized as by existing executive orders.)

[bvar22]

59. No. There was a period after WW2 that saw....

...the birth of the Middle Class in the USA.
Things were getting better.
A man could raise a family, buy a house, own a good car, and put the kids through college on a good union job. Most homes were single income and prosperous.
Education was readily affordable, and the population of the US was getting SMARTER.
Good Sportsmanship prevailed on the athletic field. Taunting a competitor was rare, and the realm of the uncommon asshole who was immediately slapped down by his own teammates.

Progress was being made on the major trouble spots....Equal Rights for ALL Americans!

Things changed in 1963 when the Right Wing started killing our leaders.
Although the Civil Rights Act was passed, and another evil war was stopped, the inertia was slowing going into the '80s.
The Tipping Point of America's decline into the Dark Ages of Corporate Feudalism occurred under Reagan. Too many Democrats have sold out to the Powers that Be. Nothing will stop the decline.

[eggbeater]

66. look at the bright side.

you never had to actually put that under the desk safety measure to the real test now did you?
and Im willing to put lots of money on a wager that says as you look back on your life you have done many things that made you smile.
Other people can not run your life if you dont let them.

Yes the country has gone to shit, and there are less privilages and freedoms today than there were in the 50s, but the reality is that we still have enough privilage and freedom to make a change, if we do it correctly.

first step will be to find GOOD people to run for public office.'
a legal and total overthrow of our entire political arena can be ours for the mere cost of a vote.

Heads up.
No change has ever been made without the pressure of the populations. We as a population are almost fed up enough to begin the long road of change back to a more prosperous country. Complaining is not enough, and it will serve no purpose.

[FourScore]

9. i posted something real similar last week.

I do know how you feel. I think it is important for people like us who are so distressed by the state of things to find some sort of balance. Try logging onto DU or the blog sites less. There is a great website full of wonderful political cartoons. You can get on his mailing list and he'll email you a cartoon a day. On top of that, you can visit his site. It's really funny and still let's you know that you are definitely not alone in recognizing what is happening to our country right now. Let's see... I'll look up the website for you...
Here it is:
http://www.cagle.com/
Just surf around on that for a while. That'll make you feel better. And sign up for a cartoon a day. It's good for ya'!

[knowbody0]

10. well, from my side of the fence:

I have kids and dare not allow my anger to affect our lives. I HAVE to remain positive outwardly, looking for solutions, praying for truth. We discuss it all during meal time, and off they go! Giving up is just not an option.

Giving up is just what THEY want you to do.

It is an honorable and necessary fight, we need warriors. Don't give up, just find something else for a diversion to feed the positive in you. Sounds like you need to get re-charged.

[yorkiemommie1]

11. i hear ya

but i will speak up to my co-workers when they bring up a subject first. i will work on my local campaigns even if it is just folding flyers. i'll continue to shop blue as much as i can, write to local places play FOXNEWS, write lttes ( which i have been doing since before * ), and I'll keep leaving my anti- bushco flyers around.

just do my own little bit. i have a daughter, no grandkids, but i'm going to leave her a letter in w/ my important papers about keeping up the fight for the right.

Peace, Yorkie

[Marr]

13. Then take a break- even a permanent one.

Be philosophical about it and distance yourself. Ignore this crap- at least for awhile. You can always show up and vote responsibly in November.

Don't let right-wing psychos ruin your personal life if you don't have to.

[roody]

14. Better yet, turn off the computer, tv, radio,

and go for a long walk. Enjoy what is here today. Keep fighting and keep it joyful. Go to some protests. That's always fun. This is your life; enjoy it.

[babylonsister]

15. I've been overwhelmed myself. I turn the tube off, try to stay

away from news, spend time outside, play music. I'm trying to not let the news get to me as much anymore.

[MissWaverly]

16. Keep fighting or you'll be retiring to a cave

Remember Mr. I gotta have Baghdad, here's my traveling shock n awe show, well, that act
is kind of old, too many reruns, so now he's got a new act "Nuke em now." If he
gets his way, you'll get to spend your golden years as a caveman. The trick is to
come here and complain, rant and rave cause we understand ya! Then go somewhere
fun with your sweetie!

:-)

[Snivi Yllom]

19. NEVER EVER put politics above your family

it's not worth it

[midnight]

20. Perhaps a wee break might help you have some detachment

from the overwhelming feelings of watching bullies destroy all that is good in the world. It has been a bit rough to digest. Give your wife credit for being able to function with great faith that all will work out. Have a peaceful few day, but do come back.

[grasswire]

23. LOL....you sound just like Mrs. Doubtfire!

The "wee" and the "bit rough" and all the rest of it sound just like a little bit of Mrs. Doubtfire dialog!

[Thickasabrick]

21. Thank you so much for this post. I thought I was the only one

who sleeps this stuff. If the country is stupid enough to elect republicans again, then fine. We will have two more years for them to fuck up the country more. I don't think the republicans could steal an election unless the results were very close.

It needs to be a fucking landslide victory for our side. Then no amount of cheating would enable them to win.

Hang in there and try to think about New Zealand....I hear it's nice there.

[Blue-Jay]

22. Don't let them steal your joy.

I'm not gonna bullshit you: the state of affairs in the world (largely due to our mis-administration) is certainly screwed up. I could make a long list of fucked-up-edeness that we're having to endure right now, but I'd be preaching to the choir, ya know? Fight them, vote against them, march in protests, write letters to your congress critters, write letters to your local newsrag, educate the uneducated....do what you can.

But don't let them steal your joy.

I love how I feel when my wife is next to me. I laugh when my dog does something dumb. I entertain my co-workers and they entertain me. My friends make me laugh every day. Most importantly, I don't feel bad about allowing myself to feel good. <---- re-read that last sentence.

Fight them, but never let them take away those things which you hold dear. Fight for change, but never give up, and never let them steal your joy.

[roody]

33. Thank you! Life is short; live it.

[lutefisk]

63. Nice post- we need to keep a kind of balance in our lives

I think the feeling that "they" are stealing our joy and happiness with our loved ones is a source of much anger and negativity. Sure, it's true in many ways, but it's important to appreciate the good, too. Again, really nice post!

[European Socialist]

24. In a couple of weeks we will know if the USA is still democratic enough

to right itself and start heading in the right direction.

[Singular73]

25. You lack coping mechanisms

Look into drinking heavily.

I understand what you are saying, but if you cannot filter all this (which is natural), you need less input.

[rzemanfl]

30. I drank more than heavily for a long time. Quit 21 years ago.

That is not an option.

[rzemanfl]

31. Dupe. n/t

[McCamy Taylor]

27. We cant hate all the time. Balance the anger with some love.

:loveya:

[kohodog]

28. I tried to detach for a time this summer

But, unfortunately I seem to care too much. I care for my kids and theirs, even to the seventh generation. It's sometimes hard to believe their are seven more generations left for mankind. I'm trying not to focus on all the negative crap being done by our country. There is a better way, and I'm no longer sure politics is the answer. I can't quite unplug from the politics, but I can encourage my kids and friends to care about every single person who inhabits this planet. I can continue to work to be less materialistic and more artistic. Too much focus on the seemingly hopeless political scene is self destructive for me. I know how depressing it can be. Political awarenessand action, while essential, isn't the only way to make the world better. We all have to find our way to contribute to making the world better.

[mikelewis]

29. Don't stop fighting... learn to fight a new way...

You are never going to be able to change the world with your anger. You're never going to bring peace to the world if you cannot bring peace to those around you; but before you can bring peace to those around you, you must have peace to offer... and to spare. Instead of a fire that fans the flames of dissension, be a rock that others can grab onto in this miserable sea of human despair. Replace your fury with righteous thoughts... thoughts of honor, of Justice and fairness to all. In stead of only reading of some great evil of our day, read stories about those who suffered evil and found grace. Through their stories, you can visualize their path to peace and through tales of their deeds, learn how to take the first step toward a better way of life. Don't let evil punish your soul and inflict hardship on those you love. Deny evil entrance into your home; fight it by sowing peace instead of discord. Once you're wise enough to deny evil into your home, then you can work on denying evil to your street... then your city... then your nation and then the world. This is the only path Peace can follow.

To fight against discord, you must first learn how to submit. To fight dissension, you must learn how to unite. To fight despair, you must learn how to offer hope. You can shut yourself off from the outside world and appease evil or you can embrace Man and serve Mankind. The choice is yours but each choice bears a cost. To hide from your anger does not vanquish it. To succumb to your anger only consumes you. Anger can only leave you emotionally dead and physically weak. No good deed can stem from anger and no evil deed can be born of peace. Renounce anger and choose peace; "be the change you want to see in the world".

Serving anger only spreads anger; serving peace spreads peace. To serve peace, you must be committed to it... love it.. long for it... enjoy it's company so much that nothing else matters more. Every deed you do and every word you say must serve a peaceful end; you cannot serve anger and peace at the same time. So learn how to serve peace, learn how to cultivate it, grow it, harvest it and share it to those who hunger for it. Start first in your home... bring harmony to your life... for every evil you take in, replace it with two good's. For every two good's you take in, share one with your wife. Replace the discord you've brought with the peace you've found. When your wife is filled, share some with your neighbor.

If you are waring with a neighbor, learn how to make peace despite all odds. If you have neighbors you've never spoken to in all the years you've lived in your home, meet them and sow peace among your neighbors. Become a servant of peace by serving those who have never known peace. Show someone integrity who has never experienced honesty. Show someone grace who has never experienced peace... and give without expecting any return.

When your wife is filled and your neighbors know they can come to your for an extra ration of peace, then you can start expanding out. Find a need and fill it. Offer only what you have to spare but offer all that you have to spare. If you can only devote an hour, then devote an hour and figure out a way to devote two. Volunteer for something that allows you to serve a noble end without taking away the peace you've set aside for yourself. If the first thing you find does not suit you, learn your limitations and move to the next. Try mentoring... if mentoring isn't your gift, try caring for the elderly... if caring for the elderly isn't your gift... try helping out on a little league team... find any path where you can serve others without draining your reservoir of peace or taking away from the peace owed your family.

Start small and grow slow, there is no hurry. You're not going change the world over night so learn patiences and seek grace. Allow for frequent failure and refuse the rot of despondency. Learn how to relish success and how to accept and learn from defeat.

Your path is yours to choose. You can choose to appease evil and hide under a blanket of despair or you can fight back. The cost of cowering is a cowards price and the cost of fighting is usually a broken heart. Both have equally tragic consequences for your continued happiness in the short time you have left on this earth but only one will make this world a better place. You said, "It seems nobody has the balls to do anything about any of this crap anyway." So I'm challenging you to "do something about this crap". Serve peace and fight with the tools of peace or choose the slow suffocating death of despair. The choice is yours but for the sake of the world, I hope you choose peace.

[BoneDaddy]

32. Brother

i hear what you are saying. I feel livid most of the time. I am astounded at the level of apathy, greed, self absorbtion,irrationality, corruption and stupidity of America and Americans.

I can point to event after event to my republican friends and family and they conveniently ignore what is so glaring to me. I am scared for my children's future and the future of this great experiment.

But personally you need to unplug, do what you can and recharge the batteries. When anger becomes the problem instead of the motivation, it will eat ya up.

[rzemanfl]

34. Thank you to all who replied. I appreciate all the advice.

I think we are all victims of a diabolical and unprecedented psyop by BushCo.

[Nederland]

36. Your wife is smart

...listen to her.

Fact of the matter is that most people don't like angry people. It's been said that only once in American politics--1968 with Richard Nixon--did the angrier candidate win. So, if you want to take back the country learn to dial it back a notch and compromise. It's the only way to stay sane and alive.

[Hoping4Change]

68. If that is the case why do people tune in to talk radio?

:hide:

[helderheid]

37. It makes sense. I went to the doctor yesterday and my BP was 150/100

High blood pressure runs in my family and usually begins in our 50s. I am 31. It used to be 117/75 and I could pretty much count on that. For almost a year now it has been high. After talking a bit with the nurse, she took it again and it dropped to 130/90 so it is definitely stress related.

I am continuing to work in politics and activism but I have to balance it with spending positive time with my family, meditation, positive thinking, and entertainment.

[tpsbmam]

38. What if......

Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Homer Plessy, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Malcome X, John Kennedy, WEB Dubois, Thurgood Marshall, Charles Steele, Fred Shuttlesworth, James Meredith, Medgar Evers, Emma Willard, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Julia Ward Howe, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, the Polish Solidarity Movement, all of the resistance groups during WWII, Oskar Schindler....and on and on and on.....what if all of them had said "fuck it, this is too hard and it's making me too angry." ??

We all need to take breaks and we all need to find balance. We all need to remember that there are WAY better things out there. We don't absolutely HAVE to think about global warming when we go outside and note that the trees are changing colors, the sky is blue, birds are flocking south, etc etc.

Remember the things that you love, including family, and take the time to fully BE THERE in and for those moments and with those people. If you're still pissed off when you're with your wife, you're not in the moment with her. And take time to fight for what's right in this country. I guarantee you'll never regret fighting for that, but you're very likely to regret quitting.

[Cha]

39. Some people just feel it more. I'm sorry

you don't have someone close who is right there with ya.


I wish I weren't the way I am..no one I know is this interested..that's why I'm on DU so much.

I keep thinking that if this bush regime doesn't end that there will lots more people joining us in our fight to regain our Country from the saboteurs.

[Red Right and BLUE]

47. I have actually lost 'friends', so to speak

because they are 'tired' of hearing the latest from me. They feel 'inundated' by my emails or blog entries (which no one forces them to click on, that's the LOL part).

I say fuck 'em. This kind of wilfull ignorance is a huge part of what's wrong with this country right now.

[Cha]

55. I've said a lot over the years and

everyone knows where I stand but thankfully everyone feels the same about the bushits..they just don't do as much. But, as I said in the previous post..that could change. My sister did go to NYC with me on Feb 15, 2003 and protest the inevitable ..Bombing of Iraq :nuke:

When some of my friends and my sister were at a seminar and they were talking about bush and one woman was saying she.."doesn't think anyone dislikes bush more than her friend"..and my sister leaned over to my friend and co-worker and said.."zizdi does"..:)

That's pretty much it.. "the willful ignorance is a huge part of what's wrong with this country right now"..I think your "friends" will see that you were right to fight for what is important in this world.

Actually I hope I'm wrong on that because that would be worst case scenario when the average apolitical person starts having to pay attention to what the bushites are up to next. But, if they just did it now then we wouldn't have to get to Ground Zero again.

[Bluerthanblue]

40. SENSE? Absolutely.... but, for

your own sake, and the sake of those you love, and who love you think about FORCING yourself to take a break.

I know exactly what you are saying. And some very wise people here at DU and in my life outside the internet said I needed a TIME OUT.

Your anger, rage and despondency come from the continual frustration that comes from being a person who has thier eyes wide open. You aren't living in denial, looking for magical solutions, or self-medicating. And this world has left us very little opportunity to make tangible, worthwhile, relevant changes that aren't destroyed by the rich, powerful, elite, or twisted and hidden so that we feel that our efforts, and our voices are worthless.

Remember these words by a great man, who knew this feeling well- I often wonder why he spent so much of his time doing repetitive manual labors, when he clearly didn't HAVE to. I think these tasks offered him a time of solace, meditation, and tangible evidence that not everything is beyond our ability to achieve of control.

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall - think of it, always. Gandhi

You are NOT alone- and your voice is so important. But rest and pace yourself- treat YOU, as you would your most beloved friend, and you will be able to give of yourself abundantly.

I wish you comfort, peace, and hope.
blu

[stillcool]

41. deleted due to content....

[StraightDope]

42. I tried not caring for a while... Didn't go so well for me.

But then again, I can't stand being unaware of the world around me. That's the key difference between we DU'ers and Freepers, I suppose.

[KoKo]

43. I'm tired too.....and think it's "Every Person for Themselves" these day..

still I will try to remain hopeful.

[David Zephyr]

44. If it's any consolation, there's a lot more Americans angry with you now.

Listen, I remember when Bush was towering in the 90% range of approval, when our Democratic "Leadership" under Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt cowered and let Bush have his war, have his way with our precious country.

I remember when nearly the whole damned country falsely believed that Saddam Hussein and Osama had a gay union. I remember too many of good friends (Democrats) told me I was the crazy one.

I remember when nearly the whole damned country believed Saddam had nuclear and biological weapons and laughed at me when I quoted Scott Ritter or other U.N. weapons experts.

I remember when every television journalist and television "political pundit" was in awe of Master Bush and Corporate Wizard Dick Cheney and never, ever asked one probing question of the White House.

Things have changed.

Iraq is a disaster. The American people know it. And they know it's Bush's war.

Katrina. I don't need to say more.

Gasoline rip-offs for three years.

Outsourcing.

And most of all, a growing number of Americans believe in their hearts that George Bush is liar. Think about that: they have sized him up as someone they can not trust.

So cheer up. We may not win either the House or the Senate, but even in the worse case, the margin will be tighter and the message will be intimidating.

A majority of the public (the voting public) has either already caught on or is catching on. We will know which of the two in November. While I prefer the former, even the latter is better than where we were even one year ago.

So you are not alone anymore. And, by the way, we have a very "angry" chairman in Howard Dean, too.

The tide is turning. Once a liar, always a liar. The American people have reached their tipping point or are almost there. Let's hope the tip by November.

Now go to a movie with your wife. And don't be angry tonight. :hi:

DZ

[VOX]

46. You make perfect sense, rzemanfl, and man oh man, do I ever **hear** you..

I am walking a similar path, so I speak from experience. On good days, the anger just simmers at a low level; on bad days, when BushCo pulls some really insane shit (and the corporate media and everybody else just seems to go right along with it), I am hell to be around. *I* don't even want to be around my self! :grr:

My wife is probably more liberal than I am, and even she tells me to knock it off at night, 'cause she doesn't want to go to bed angry, too. She understands, but she's primarily concerned about preserving our health.

I don't know if it's any comfort at all, but anyone who **isn't** mad these days simply isn't paying attention (to paraphrase the bumper sticker). But in the meantime, your body is secreting every toxin known to medical science.

My Rx: Do whatever you can do to get your mind to a neutral place at least once a day -- exercise, take a nap, turn off the TV, stay offline, go for a walk, play a musical instrument, meditate...anything to draw your focus off the hard facts.

Hang in there, and stay well! :thumbsup:

[EarthNeedsHope]

48. A lot of us feel the same way

Just keep up hope. Those who are destroying this world want you to feel like things are futile, to be cynical and feel ineffective. That's their strategy.

[MoonRiver]

49. There's a reason why you have 5 recommendations for greatest.

I am exhausted and the stress often just doesn't seem worth it anymore. If the idiots in this country are so hell bent on self destruction, who am I to deny them their masochistic high?

[LSK]

50. get some other interests, but dont just drop politics

I can tune out sometimes all day on weekends or other times. You should try to find a balance.

[rzemanfl]

51. Cannot believe this thread is still going. Will Pitt summarized

my feelings last night perfectly today:

There isn't a single member of the liberal, progressive community who isn't tired right now, spiritually exhausted, mentally drained, dreading the possibility that someone might come along and dare them to hope. Hope, you see, has been caustic lately... and by "lately," I mean the last several years. Too many years. There has been a lot of hard work and, to date, not a hell of a lot to show for it.

Really embarassed that my whining thread made the greatest page.

[Bluerthanblue]

52. no !! don't be embarassed- we all need

to know we are not alone.
And that we don't need to pretend, lie, or deny what we believe, experience and think.

I, for one, am encouraged this made it to the greatest page.

We DO all need each other to lean on, listen, and encourage one another at times such as these-

This is one of the things cherish about DU.

peace-comfort-hope-and renewal

blu

[VOX]

60. No shame, rzemanfl - you gave voice to what we're all feeling...

And that has great value -- thank you for letting loose, it is much appreciated! :patriot:

[lildreamer316]

53. What you resist; persists.

Take a break. It's no crime.

[Peggy Day]

57. Where's Mike Malloy when you need him?

He seems to make me feel better about all the screwed up things that are happening.
Somehow, just knowing that there are others that feel as angry as yourself (misery loves company?)
feels better. One of my democratic friends won't let me discuss anything political. Most people don't want to hear about it.
I try to channel my frustration. I call senators, email letters and this year I volunteered to become a poll worker. My county (contra costa) uses ES&S machines. They have a paper ballot (scantron) that gets read by a machine, so if someone wanted to do a recount or audit (hopefully by people-not just another machine)one could tell if it was correct.
My big fear is that the elections will continue to be stolen. There are a few people that I can discuss politics with, and I really appreciate them. Some sites, DU included helps too.
Anyway, I know the frustration of not being able to discuss the current craziness. My sister that lives in Ohio doesn't keep up, and whoever tells the most lies, has the most money for ads wins her vote.
In California, prop 89 is for publically funded elections. I think that is a great cause.
Also, something has to be done about that "liberal" media.

[The Backlash Cometh]

58. Family Counseling.

It worked for me. No kidding. Funniest story ever. Stick with the story and you'll see where the politics comes up.

We had a triangle of miscommunication between my husband, my teenage daughter and me that lasted way too long. I saw the Electra complex develop when my daughter was just 12. It went downhill from there. I tried to explain to my husband what was happening, but he had little patience for recaps of my Child Psychology 101 old college classes. My daughter capitalized on the fact that my husband was not amused with my news junkie habits so, for years they successfully stifled any intelligent conversation, until one day I finally had it. Let's just say that I went on strike and told them that as long as I wasn't being allowed to be part of the conversations or decisions, I wasn't going to do anything else either. They soon discovered the vital role I played in their lives and my husband in a heated moment said it was time to go to a counselor. I think he was a little surprised when I agreed wholeheartedly.

It was hysterical to see how the two of them suddenly minded their P's and Q's. They were afraid of saying something that would earn me points with the shrink. Well, on the first visit, the shrink at first looked like he had taken my hubby's side and started talking about "hyper-vigilant" personalities and how such people tended to get a bit paranoid and that medication would help. Then I piped in, "Paranoia is a funny thing. Two years ago if I had told you that Dick Cheney was at CIA headquarters prior to the Iraq War to dig up intelligence to take us to war, you would have thought I was crazy enough to put in a straight jacket and stick in a padded cell, but look, it's common knowledge today." He looks at me funny and says. "Dick Cheney has two DUIs." My husband was toast.

Bottom line, the shrink realized that my husband wasn't listening to me, not just on matters that involved politics, but also matters that involved raising our daughter. I was lucky, however, because just by committing to go to the shrink, patterns magically changed. Also, what really helped us along the way was that we took a two week traveling tour to show my daughter colleges around the States, and my poor hubby was stuck with me in the hotel many times with nothing to do but watch news or listen to me as I checked in on DU on the laptop. Wouldn't you know it, but by the end of those two weeks, he was actually spouting off politics like a DUer.

It didn't last long, however. He does get focused at work and it's just not a place where they have much time to discuss politics. But, at least he understands me better.

So I suggest you and your wifey go see a family counselor so she can understand how important politics is for you, then go on a road trip.

[roody]

61. Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

is a great book that gave me hope. Like Julia Butterfly Hill said, "Who would have thought that women would be free to dress in pants 100 years ago?"

[bluestateguy]

62. January 20, 2009. We're getting there

[SlavesandBulldozers]

64. don't give up. and don't be pissed off.

be happy, you have a wife that you love that cares about you and your happiness. listen to her.

you gain nothing if your anger causes you to lose those things which are closest to you - even if things do turn around. which they won't. just kidding;) (can you tell i'm fucking tired of it all too)

[cap]

65. read desmond tutu "God has a dream"

it is most uplifting...

when things were most desperate, tutu was in a barren garden during the winter. He realized that this was the beginning of the end of apartheid. That the seedlings are beginning to germinate and will sprout. God's ways are not obvious and not as timely as we would like.

I do believe we are at the beginning of a flowering of American civilization and I invite you all to participate in the joy of creating a better tomorrow.

Cheer up and get to work. There is a lot to be done.

[MadHound]

67. Hey, you're not alone friend, and I have a suggestion

Do what I do, take the weekends off. Turn off the tube, listen to CDs, watch movies, work out in the fresh air, etc. etc. Just take every weekend off to recharge and not be bombarded by outrage after outrage. I was where you're at a couple of years ago, and started taking the weekends off. It has done wonders for my stress and attitude.

[lonestarnot]

69. me too watch this

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1396271232701024595&q=diebold&hl=en