We Dissent

[H2O Man]

One of the democratic candidates for president that I believe has the most potential to help this country live up to its promise is John Edwards. I had supported him in the 2004 primary season, and thought that he would add a great deal to the Kerry ticket. When he campaigned for as the candidate for the vice presidency, however, I felt that his talents were not able to be fully appreciated by the American public.

In the years since the defeat, I was encouraged to read that Edwards was reading more about Senator Robert Kennedy. In large part, it seemed that he was studying the lessons of RFK’s quest for social justice. But it was more: both men underwent transformations due to tragic loses. They learned those lessons that Joseph Campbell wrote of, when he quoted from an journal from a Danish expedition in the early 1920s. The anthropologists on the expedition interviewed an Eskimo shaman, who told them, "The only true wisdom lives far from mankind, out in the great loneliness, and it can be reached only through suffering. Privation and suffering alone can open the mind of a man to all that is hidden to others."

Recent events in the Edwards’ family life again shows us what strong, good, and decent people they are. A recent interview has shown how difficult these qualities can be for plastic journalists to deal with. They do not always translate well into sound bites or segments for the corporate media.

When I look at John Edwards today, I am reminded of a speech RFK delivered at the Berkley campus, University of California, on October 22, 1966. It was one of his most eloquent speeches, and it really marked the beginning of his challenge to the system that he had come to recognize needed a new type of leadership, so that it might live up to its promise.

I do not know what the "title" of the speech actually was. I am not aware of any books that have its text. But for the students, the faculty, and everyone else who heard it, I believe they would call it Robert’s "We Dissent" speech.

Here is part of it, and I dedicate this to John and Elizabeth Edwards:

"It is not enough to allow dissent. We must demand it. For there is much to dissent from. .... We dissent from the fact that millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich. ... We dissent from the conditions and hatreds which deny a full life to our fellow citizens because of the color of their skin. ... We dissent from the monstrous absurdity of a world where nations stand poised to destroy one another, and men must kill their fellow men. ... We dissent from the sight of most of mankind living in poverty, stricken by disease, threatened by hunger and doomed to an early death after a life of unremitting labor. ... We dissent from cities which blunt our senses and turn the ordinary acts of daily life into a painful struggle. ... We dissent from the willful, heedless destruction of natural pleasure and beauty. ... We dissent from all these structures – of technology and of society itself – which strip from the individual the dignity and warmth of sharing in the common tasks of his community and his country."

This nation needs to listen closely to the message that John Edwards is delivering today. It is a similar message to that which RFK brought in the 1968 democratic primaries. It’s a message that gives voice to the hopes of the Other Americans. It’s the voice of dissent. We need it in the democratic party today.

[H2O Man]

1. We Dissent (part 2)

[SlowDownFast]

9. Four Dead In Ohio.

[H2O Man]

10. Massey Hall-1971

Neil Young's CD is playing in the next room. Fantastic version of "Ohio."

[spanone]

15. I cried when I first heard that song. I cry today when I hear that song. 36 years on.

the song came out 10 days after the shooting. it was so immediate. it burned.

[H2O Man]

23. Right.

A very powerful song.

The small pouch on the stone on post #1 belongs to my good friend and associate, who often reads DU and at times posts a few comments as "Mr. Baggins."

[SlowDownFast]

39. Neil Young...

"It's still hard to believe I had to write this song. It's ironic that I capitalized on the death of these American students. Probably the most important lesson ever learned at an American place of learning. David Crosby cried after this take."

from liner notes of the Decade album

[WillyT]

44. Allow Me...

[H2O Man]

45. Thanks n/t

[WillyT]

47. Anytime n/t

[maggiegault]

49. "Flowers Are Better Than Bombs!" --Alison Krause, About An Hour Before She Was Murdered

[H2O Man]

53. The book "Kent State:

What Happened and Why" (James Michener; Random House; 1971) was perhaps the best source of information on the tragic events that took the lives of the four students. All four were good and decent people. But in some ways, Alison Krause stands out as representing the gentleness of the anti-war movement. "Flowers are better than bombs!" is a wonderful example of "we dissent."

[raccoon]

56. And there were other Kent State students who were injured.

Thanks for the post and the photo of the monument.

[blondie58]

2. thanks for your opinion, H20 Man!

I like him, also- he seems very sincere. And he does have nice hair- although he hardly looks like a Breck girl. :-)

JK!

[H2O Man]

24. He is one

of the democrats who I donate funds to. I think it is important that the public get to hear from a variety of democrats during the primary season. This time around, I think more people will be in a place that his message reaches.

[hang a left]

3. I have been looking hard and long at Edwards.

Is it really true that he has been studying RFK?? I love him.

If John is the real deal, let us hope he does not meet the same demise.

[H2O Man]

25. In the summer of 2005,

I believe it was, that I read that John Edwards was reading a lot about RFK. And I've heard this a few times since. Good sign.

[hang a left]

34. Ya know something...

It is really hard for me to commit to a candidate. It is very easy to listen to the pitch and get sucked in, however, I am so suspicious of anyone vying for that job.

I need to feel the candidate and so far...

The only one I have really felt is Dean.

[H2O Man]

40. I have not

decided who I will vote for in the primary. I appreciate that many people have determined who they will support already, but it is far too early for me. I've sent donations to a few candidates. And I'm going to try to post at least one essay on each of the democratic candidates, stating what I see as their strengths.

[spanone]

66. Thanks for that H2O Man. I've yet to decide but your insight will help.

[fooj]

4. Amen.

This nation needs to listen closely to the message that John Edwards is delivering today.

He's my first choice. He's authentic. Personally, I think he and Al would make a ferocious duo. Just my 2 cents...

B-)

[H2O Man]

30. I have a feeling

that Edwards will have a wider range of appeal than most of the democratic candidates. I'm not sure if that will translate into more support, especially in the immediate future. But I think a wider range of people will find him an attractive candidate. I say that because I know some republicans and some independents who have a high opinion of him.

[PinkyisBlue]

57. I, too, would like to see a Gore/Edwards ticket.

Of those running now, John Edwards is my first choice. I heard him speak a couple of weeks ago at St. Anselm College in NH, and the auditorium was packed. He definitely speaks for me.

[DearAbby]

5. Thank you H20man RFK is one of my heroes

what could have been...sigh...maybe just maybe is still attainable. Do we dare hope again?

[H2O Man]

31. Yes.

We should be hopeful. RFK told the truth. And truth crushed to earth shall rise again.

[TahitiNut]

6. "The future does not belong to those who are content with today ..."

"The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of bold projects and new ideas. Rather, it will belong to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the great enterprises and ideals of American society."

"Men without hope, resigned to despair and oppression, do not make revolutions. It is when expectation replaces submission, when despair is touched with the awareness of possibility, that the forces of human desire and the passion for justice are unloosed."

-- Robert F. Kennedy, October 22, 1966, University of California Berkeley


JFK's Inaugural Address where he advised "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country!" launched me from high school.

RFK's Address at UC Berkeley launched me from college. (One week later in Berkeley, Stokely Carmichael gave one of the greatest speechs of the 20th Century.)

[H2O Man]

14. Berkeley ....

place to be in the 1960s.

[TahitiNut]

16. No kidding. I think of that very often.

It was a totally different planet from where I was. Totally. (sigh) My uncle (MHRIP) knew Bobby.

[H2O Man]

33. He was friends with

Mayor Burns of Binghamton, as those who have studied his '64 Senate campaign will remember. I thought it was interesting that one of Burns' sons was among the St. Patrick's Four, charged and tried in federal court for protesting the Iraq invasion.

[snappyturtle]

7. H20 man you have outdone yourself....

to mention RFK, Joseph Campbell and John Edwards in one post is a dream come true. I believe Robert Kennedy was ahead of his time. While it is more than regretable our nation has suffered the indignities the administration has saddled it with, maybe, maybe now we'll appreciate the brillance of an "RFK". K&R

[H2O Man]

38. I think I know

what you mean about ahead of his time. In a very real sense, he was one of a few leaders from that special era that undertook the journey of the hero that Campbell described. That made a person like RFK separate from his time, yet still very much a part of it. There is an interesting book from 2003 called "The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings," by Thomas Maier. I thought it did a good job of putting Robert into the mold of an Irish hero, though he even transcends that.

[snappyturtle]

62. Thank you.. The Maier book sounds as if it would be

a good read. I wish we could hear RFK's voice today about the state of affairs in which we find ourselves. Wouldn't it be interesting?

[H2O Man]

64. Yes, it would.

I think that a couple of his children are doing a wonderful job in delivering that message to this generation.

[WiseButAngrySara]

8. This is such a good post it brought tears to my eyes. The

quote by Campbell (one of my all time favorites), the speech by another all time favorite, and the underlying current of admiration and sympathy for the Edwards. I have come to respect both of them very much. Thanks again so much for your post H2OMan.

Not I, but WE DISSENT.

:kick: & R!

[H2O Man]

41. We Dissent.

I looked through some of my old files today, and came across a few things from when RFK was running in '68. And when I saw the "We Dissent," it struck me as exactly what I'd like to say to that guy who is president now, after seeing him rant on tv today.

[WiseButAngrySara]

43. We the People Dissent and you are not serving us at our pleasure.

I have dissented his selection from day one.

[H2O Man]

46. His nasty attacks

on anyone who disagrees with him .... questioning our intelligence and indeed our patriotism.

[WiseButAngrySara]

51. Bushitler ...

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

I just read this quote posted by another DUer on another thread and thought it an appropriate response.

[H2O Man]

61. So true.

Thank you for that.

[mmonk]

11. Thanks for that.

Robert Kennedy is one of my heroes and John Edwards one of my candidates (the other, DK). I guess that's a twofer for me. I attended a book signing and speeches by John and Elizabeth back in the fall at Meredith College. Listening to him talk about his vision for America and for where we should be heading was very impressive. It was one of those strive for our better natures speeches.
Thanks again.

[H2O Man]

55. "On the day Robert

Kennedy himself died, a New York Seneca, whose reservation he had visited in 1967, wrote his widow: 'We loved him, too, Mrs. Kennedy. Loving a public official for an Indian is almost unheard of, as history bears out. We trusted him. Unheard of, too, for an Indian. We had faith in him.' Vine Deloria, Jr., the Standing Rock Sioux who wrote Custer Died for Your Sins, observed that Kennedy's intercession had probably discouraged federal action 'because of his many political enemies and their outright rejection of causes he advocated.' Still, said Deloria in a fine sentence, he was a man 'who could move from world to world and never be a stranger anywhere.' And Indians thought him 'as great a hero as the most famous Indian war chiefs precisely because of his ruthlessness.' At last, somewhere, that reputation had its advantages. 'Indians,' said Deloria, 'saw him as a warrior, the white Crazy Horse' -- the great war chief of the Oglala Sioux who did, Deloria said, what was best and what was for the people. Kennedy, Deloria concluded, 'somehow validated obscure undefined feelings of Indian people which they had been unwilling to admit to themselves. Spiritually, he was an Indian!' " -- Robert Kennedy and his times; Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.; pages 853-4.

[WiseButAngrySara]

58. Again, Campbell's universal hero. ....n/t

[mmonk]

72. Very nice.

:thumbsup:
An inspiration. He is one of the reasons I am a democrat.

[gordianot]

12. Edwards like RFK has the potential to be a liberal populist.

He definitely worries the internal enemies of the Constitution and rule of law.

[H2O Man]

60. Yes, exactly.

He has the potential to be a liberal populist leader. He is a work in progress, and democrats have the ability to participate in that progressive work with him. There are options!

[hootinholler]

13. As long as Gore stays out and He steers clear of the DLC

He'll get my nod.

Wonderful excerpt, WaterMan-San, thank you for the inspiration.

-Hoot

[H2O Man]

63. There are many times

when I really wish that Al Gore would get into the race. And then it reminds me of when I used to wish that John Lennon would get back with the others, and make more Beatles music. When I look at Gore now, and try to be objective -- which is so hard for me! -- I think that he is doing exactly what he should be doing today. Much like John Kerry: these people are doing things that are, in a very literal sense, far more important for the well-being of the United States, than they would be doing if they tried to become president, or recapture what they really won in the past.

It's a strange time. We face many difficult problems, and so I'm glad that we have a wide range of talented people in the party, leading in diverse areas. I think that Gore and Kerry have a new sense of freedom, in not being a cog in the machine of the presidential race. I think that Edwards offers a choice for progressives who view some of the other candidates as part of the larger machine.

[glitch]

71. Well said. nt

[porphyrian]

17. Amen. - n/t

[bonito]

18. K&R thanks. n/t

[Me.]

19. Orwell

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"

[Me.]

20. And This

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted"
MLKjr.

[H2O Man]

65. "A New Blueprint for Mankind"

"In the Middle Ages it was the vision of the City of God that inspired us. Then, beginning in the 18th century, it was the vision of the City, of Earthly Progress, the sense that we must understand nature in order to dominate it. Now this has all ended in what looks like the Tower of Babel -- that which was progressive in the Middle Ages and the 18th and 19th centuries has been lost. What we now desperately need is a synthesis between the faith of the late Middle Ages and the reason and science of the last two centuries. That's the only way I see that we can be saved from a sort of technocratic fascism."
--Erich Fromm; To Have or To Be?; 1976

[byronius]

21. K & R, as always.

[B Calm]

22. I think Edwards has the best chance of winning the next election!

[H2O Man]

67. I think that he has

as good of a chance as anyone. I also am convinced that he offers things that no other candidate offers.

[PhilipShore]

26. I would vote for Edwards in 2008

[Annces]

27. Will have to watch Edwards to see what he brings

The Kennedys were before my time, but in seeing and reading some about them, I wonder if they don't have some of their depth from their own family lineage.

I am collecting some stories for Bear. This is one little one from the Eskimos.

The Bear and the Owl talked together

A bear was out walking, and there sat an owl on its hill. The bear came up to the owl.
Then the owl spoke up and said. "Old wanderer, are you out walking as usual, out wandering again?"
The bear answered: "You that always stand straight up like a pillar, are you standing there staring as usual?"
Again the owl said: "Old wanderer, out walking again, walking, walking?"
The bear did not bother to say more, but started up suddenly to catch the owl. But the owl spread its wings and flew away.
Told by Inugpasugjuk

[H2O Man]

68. The Kennedys

are of the O' Cinneide, an influential Dalcassian sept.

[SunDrop23]

28. John's my guy...thanks for the post H20...

Go John Go!

[SlowDownFast]

29. Dynamic Quality and Dissent

From Robert M. Pirsig's book Lila (sequel to Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance):

"When the social climate changes from preposterous social restraint of all intellect to a relative abandonment of all social patterns, the result is a hurricane of social forces. That hurricane is the history of the twentieth century.

There had been other comparable times, Phaedrus supposed. The day the first protozoans decided to get together to form a metazoan society. Or the day the first freak fish, or whatever-it-was, decided to leave the water. Or, within historical time, the day Socrates died to establish the independence of intellectual patterns from their social origins. Or the day Descartes decided to start with himself as an ultimate source of reality. These were days of evolutionary transformation. And like most days of transformation, no one at the time had any idea of what was being transformed."

-snip-

"The gigantic power of socialism and fascism, which have overwhelmed this century, is explained by a conflict of level of evolution. This conflict explains the driving force behind Hitler not as an insane search for power but as an all-consuming glorification of social authority and hatred of intellectualism. His anti-Semitism was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His hatred of communists was fueled by anti-intellectualism. His exaltation of the German volk was fueled by it. His fanatic persecution of any kind of intellectual freedom was driven by it."

-snip-

"Until World I the Victorian social codes dominated. From World War I until World War II the intellectuals dominated unchallenged. From World War II until the seventies the intellectuals continued to dominate, but with an increasing challenge - call it the "Hippie revolution" - which failed. And from the early seventies on there had been a slow confused mindless drift back to a kind of pseudo-Victorian moral posture accompanied by an unprecedented and unexplained growth in crime.

Of these periods, the last two seem the misunderstood. The Hippies have been interpreted as frivolous spoiled children, and the period following their departure as a "return to value" - whatever that means. The Metaphysics of Quality, however, says that's backward: the Hippie revolution was the moral movement. The present period is the collapse of values."

-snip-

"Anyway, it seemed to him that when you add a concept of "Dynamic Quality" to a rational understanding of the world, you can add a lot to an understanding of contrarians. Some of them aren't just being negative toward static moral patterns, they are actively pursuing a Dynamic goal.

Everybody gets on these negative contrarian streaks from time time where no matter what is is they're supposed to be doing, that's the one thing they least want to do. Sometimes it's a degenerative negativism, where biological forces are driving it. Sometimes it's an ego pattern that says, "I'm too important to be doing all this dumb static stuff.

Sometimes the contrary anti-static drive becomes a static pattern of its own. This contrary stuff can become a tiger-ride where you can't get off and you have to keep riding and riding until the tiger finally throws you and devours you. The degenerative contrarian stuff usually goes that way. Drugs, illicit sex alcohol and the like.

But sometimes it's Dynamic, where your whole being senses that the static situation is an enemy of life itself. That's what drives the really creative people - the artists, composer, revolutionaries and the like - the feeling that if they don't break out of this jailhouse somebody has built around them, they're going to die.

But they're not being contrary in a way that is just decadent. They're way too energetic and aggressive to be decadent. They're fighting for some kind of Dynamic freedom from the static patterns. But the Dynamic freedom they're fighting for is a kind of morality too. And it's a highly important part of the overall moral process. It's often confused with degeneracy but it's actually a form of moral regeneration. Without its continual refreshment static patterns would simply die of old age."

-snip-

"If you eliminate suffering from this world you eliminate life. There's no evolution. Those species that don't suffer don't survive. Suffering is the negative face of the Quality that drives the whole process.

And the process is everybody's battle, you know? Sometimes the insane and the contrarians and the ones that are closest to suicide are the most valuable people society has. They may be precursors of social change. They've taken the burdens of the culture onto themselves, and in their struggle to solve their own problems they're solving problems for the culture as well."

-----------------------------------

"I'm gonna get my kicks in before the whole shithouse goes up in flames".

-James Douglas Morrison

[Time for change]

32. I admire John a lot for being one of the few candidates to emphasize the poverty problem in our

country. I believe that in the 04 primaries the only other candidate to talk about it much was Wes Clark.

[texpatriot2004]

35. I agree. I like Edwards too. Thanks for sharing the "we dissent"

excerpt.

[Laurab]

36. Very nice post.

While Edwards is not (at this time) my first choice, I plan to watch him closely, and would have no problem at all with him getting the nomination.

Tragic losses, like the ones he and his family have endured, also, I think, tend to put things more into perspective - particularly what is important, and what isn't, and also, perhaps to give one courage and strength, as they have already dealt with the worst.

Something I never knew before is that Joe Biden (not my first or second choice but I would prefer him over one "front-runner"), also suffered a tragic loss - he lost his wife and daughter in a car accident shortly after he was elected to the senate, I think. He raised his two young sons as a single father for 5 years before remarrying. I never knew this until I visited his website.

I have always thought Biden showed less fear of this administration than many, and maybe that's part of the reason. What infuriates me about Biden sometimes is that he doesn't always follow his eloquent speeches with the corresponding vote.

At any rate, although somewhat OT, I wanted to post, as I had never known that about Biden until recently. I think living through tragedy often breeds strength, and a bit of fearlessness, which can, in turn, make it easier to dissent.

[kohodog]

37. I met Edwards briefly when he was in CT in support of Lamont

At a small gathering in New Haven. His message and stature have grown since 2004. The nation would do well with them at the helm.

[SaveAmerica]

42. Thanks, 'gives voice to the hopes of the Other Americans', that

was beautifully said. I met him at a rally this past election and he seemed to sincerely want to make a difference for those who struggle. He's been there, done that, he's not going back. I love how he doesn't apologize for doing well and he wants to make sure those opportunities are there for everyone who wants them.

[Nutmegger]

48. R&K...

for the Edwards. :kick::applause::thumbsup:

[SlowDownFast]

50. Kick for Posterity. Recommended, Too.

[DemReadingDU]

52. I like Edwards too

I think his message speaks to many people, and many more people are listening now, than in 2004. I do wish Elizabeth well, and the medicine will keep her cancer under control. She is a great asset for John, and beloved by just about everyone, a remarkable couple.

[loudsue]

54. I'd like to weigh in here about something that really bothers me:

The Military Industrial Complex, along with a handful of their "Boards of Directors" in the other HUGE industries, seem to assassinate those who truly dissent; either "assassinate" through bullets or plane crashes, or through smears and stealing elections.

Al Gore, Paul Wellstone, Max Cleland, Patricia McKinney, Pat Tillman, Cindy Sheehan (Cindy hasn't stopped fighting, by the way; the press just refuses to cover much of what she says) ... and of course JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Jr. .... ALL of these dissenters, once they achieve a certain status, get toasted by the power mongers.

I don't know the way out of this dilemma. The really good, decent human beings, like John Edwards, who are ready to put a spiritually advanced message forward, are a huge threat to the conservative status quo.



:kick::kick::kick:

[WiseButAngrySara]

59. This is not just coincidence. And I'm no tinfoil hatter! ....n/t

[earth mom]

69. Great post!

I agree with whomever posted upthread that as long as Edwards stays away from the DLC... AND I might add...the warmongers, then I support him 100%. I think Edwards has great compassion for the people, but worry he will be unduly influenced by his campaign advisors as well as the evil corporate media and forced to play down and dirty ugly politics.

[bpeale]

70. I remember this speech

I not only remember this speech but I remember drawing a picture of Bobby with his fist raised before his face. I still have the picture ... all in blue and green ... and its one of my favorite drawings I have ever done. I titled that drawing "WE DISSENT!!" I remember how much I cared about his run for the presidency & how crushed I was when Sirhan Sirhan killed him. That was when I stopped being a democrat. I returned to the Democratic Party in 2000. It's been a long painful experience.

on edit: I remember the anger in his face to clearly

[MasonJar]

73. I had forgotten how eloquent Robert Kennedy was until I saw "Bobby.."

The live clips of parts of his speeches in that movie were so upliting and at the same time so devastating. He would have been a greater president than Jack could have ever been. Bobby was the one for the zenith.

[H2O Man]

75. Interesting.

I've had discussions with my friends over the years, comparing JFK and RFK. I always loved Arthur Schlesinger's comparison of the two, which I will look for, because in a wondeful paragraph that attempts to distinguish between them .... it becomes clear that these brothers had overlapping and blended qualities. When I look at them now, I recognize something that we all learn in life: that at times, without our understanding it as it happens, some people must be "weak" in some areas so that others can be (or become) "strong." That is what "family" and "community" depend upon -- and what that family gave to the American community in the 1960s still stands out .... and it still has the power to make those who remember the hope that Robert stirred in '68 to get a lump in their throats.

He was different than John. Yet his greatest strengths came as a result of his brother's presidency, and tragic death. We're lucky the two of them were coordinating efforts during that missile crisis. It is a stark difference from the fools in today's administration.

[Low Notes]

74. Great Post

Great post. There was an Edwards party in my town that I missed last night. :-( What inspires me the most about them is their unyielding optimism, something that this country really needs. I can't understand why he is so low in the polls.

www.sheerprogress.com

[H2O Man]

76. It will be interesting

to see where he is in 3 months, and then in 6 months. I think that things are going to start changing as the summer rolls in.

[Low Notes]

77. I think you're right

I hate to say this, but I think because there has been more attention drawn to Elizabeth, it may just boost his ratings. People are strange. They oftentimes don't really listen to the facts, listen to where the candidates stand. It's the name recognition due to repetition that gets them voted in. He is in the news a lot lately, so he is on the minds of people. I'm a little cynical right now, can you tell?

www.sheerprogress.com

[H2O Man]

78. We live in cynical times.

It is a fact that a huge factor in the American political system is the impact of emotions, rather than insight based upon logic and reason. The reaction to Elizabeth Edward's cancer has been, on a national level, similar to what happens to every extended family in this country, when cancer is involved. It scares us. We feel feel and anxiety. And we feel sorrow, both for the individual and those closest to her/him. And then, little by little, reason replaces that emotion. And insight takes place. That is the human experience.

I think that John and Elizabeth Edwards understand that, very well. I suspect that like RFK, they know the full meaning of the great lines that are from Aeschylus' "Agamemnon": "God, whose law it is that he who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."

[Low Notes]

81. Your site

Good post and cool site too, H20 man. Check out mine sometime, if you have the inclination. www.sheerprogress.com
There are some interesting articles, plus a forum and a video lounge. I would love to see some of your contributions on our board, too.

[H2O Man]

82. Thank you for

the link to www.sheerprogress.com

It is an interesting site.

[flyarm]

79. I love John and Elizabeth!!..donate to their campaign today!!! eom

[H2O Man]

80. That's very important.

I hope that DUers who like John Edwards -- including those who have not decided who they will vote for, but recognize the value in having his message heard in the primaries -- will donate to his campaign.