Just a few personal thoughts .

[blues90]

To begin even though I'm 58 and should know better I have always viewed other people from what I feel inside which is what I would imagine most people do .

I have never looked into religion for an answer and always felt most people were basically good and well meaning .

Certainly there were times in my life where I have run across bad examples or have heard or read about horrific acts such as Richard Spec or Charles Manson have brought to the world , plus there have always been the wars and mass killings .

But not until the internet did I realize how cruel or ignorent people can be . You can claim to be anyone you want , create a charactor out of thin air and express hate and anger along with beating up on the weak , it almost comes on like a mob mentality on many forums .

I am disheartened to know Cindy Sheehan has been forced to give up , I say forced because this is how it looks to me , not only the heartless bashing and cruel name calling or the rude titles she has had placed on her by even liberals but the government has done their damage as well .

I have to wonder if part of this is political activists who whether dem or repub put all their faith strictly in political hands rather than in the hands of the people who are really the ones who need to step up if they want to save this country . If anyone such as Cindy appears to get in the way of the political games they are attacked from both sides .

In Cindys artical she even mentioned peace groups who refused to work with other peace groups fighting egos , everyone appears to desire to be number one .

With these sorts of attitudes we are sunk as a nation and I see no possible way to get through all of this ongoing horror .

[H2O Man]

1. I think that

there are two ways to look at the situation with Cindy Sheehan. One is kind of like ex-Beatle George sang on "All Things Must Pass." Nothing stays the same in our lives. Everything changes.

The second is that Cindy is making a positive change. She is moving forward. That's a good thing.

And as far as the national situation goes, it is kind of the same. Parts of it are very sad. But, on the other hand, maybe the progressive democrats at the grass-roots level are just getting warmed up.

[blues90]

4. That's true .

Cindy did say she was thinking about how things were going the past year , I'm sure she knew there was a point she would have to change as things continued to change during her peace efforts .

[no_hypocrisy]

2. While I agree that people can be heartless and cruel, I beg to differ about Cindy.

I respect her decision to back away, reconsider her options, and return. As much as she cites reasons why she "left", I still am impressed it was still HER OWN decision. I am not convinced that she was compelled to do anything she in her heart did not wish to do. I think the combination of events and their results (or lack thereof) were quite disappointing, but I also think that Cindy may have made the same decision without the rude comments. She didn't need boosters or supporters. She was doing very well on her own and I think she will continue to show us "how it's done".

[blues90]

5. I agree with all you've said except the last part

I feel she did need support , she was expecting many more people to go to DC for the rallies and all other peace efforts she endured . This would be enough of a dissappointment let alone having other liberals attack her as they did . Plus fully realizing the dems were not much different than the repugs really was the last blow .

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Yes, yes, and yes. Respectfully conceded.

I just keep thinking of Cindy as a maverick who could go it alone if she had to. And I can understand the profound disappointment of realizing that despite all the talk to the contrary, there really isn't an organized political movement with power to change the direction of Iraq. But I can't say whether that's a temporary status quo or a permanent state. I believe that Cindy will continue to be a leader and will shape policy eventually. Maybe she can go it alone as an alternative.

[johnnie]

3. Many people are basically good and well meaning

The world and the people are the same as they have always been, but the internet has brought much more information that much closer.

It is really easy to overload yourself on just about anything on the internet if you stay in one place too long. Politics is a frustrating "game" and if too much time is spent reading about it and participating in it, it can wipe ya out.

I understand where you are coming from, but I just wanted to say that there are still a hell of a lot of compassionate, caring and wonderful people walking around this planet, it is just harder to find on the internet because... well, they are out there walking around on this planet.

[blues90]

7. Alot of the issues are wiping me out

The horrors of this occupation and everything that it involves is bad enough , then there is the state of the economy which has fallen so far and the cost to continue living has gotten so high .

I look at it all in one picture and I find it difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel .

It's too much for anyone this is why I would hope people would finally see how wrong we are and all give others a break .

I know , it's just a dream .

[rasputin1952]

8. The Democratic Party is made up of some highly emotional

people, and the truth is, many have no concept how politics works, (whether they consider politics good or bad).

To add to the confusion, most D's will argue interminably about what kind of bagel should be served w/the coffee at a meetup...(You don't even want to think of the arguments that arise on what blend of coffee is best... )

The point is, since we are diverse, we find it difficult to agree on many things that are of importance.
While there innumerable things that need to be addressed and corrected, where the GOP comes in solid is when they only have 2 items to deal with; in that way, they really don't have to think.

Here, as in other places, people through anonymity express themselves with a far more open vigor than they normally would in a one-on-one situation. I think this is really a good thing in most instances, as people do not feel fettered when they express themselves.

In the same case, drawbacks are inevitable. Yes, people do get rude, and some are more than happy to start flame-wars, then sit back and enjoy the damage they've done...:(

What many have not learned is that things are usually not instantaneous in reaching development. Many things take time and effort, people believe they are right, and refuse, all too often, to understand that there may be several correct answers to a situation. By far, the worst thing a person can do is just to ignore another's opinion, simply because it doesn't fit in w/their own view.

One thing we all agree on however, is that the current administration is the worst this nation has ever seen, and we are committed to ensure that something like this never happens again.

[mdmc]

9. I enjoyed reading your OP

peace and low stress to you and yours...

[Justitia]

10. As long as we have icons, we will have iconoclasts.

If you try to put what happened to Cindy S. into a much larger context, I think that is a conclusion you may reach.

She became an icon in the Iraq War, and now that all sides have grown weary of this war, the iconoclasts have moved in like vultures for the clean up work.

Iconoclasts are sometimes bad, sometimes good, and always uncomfortable.