"Follies of God"
“For nothing is fixed,
forever and forever and forever,
it is not fixed;
the earth is always shifting,
the light is always changing,
the sea does not cease to grind down rock.
Generations do not cease to be born,
and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have.
The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other,and children cling to us.
The moment we cease to hold each other,
the moment we break faith with one another,
the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.”
-from Nothing Personal by James Baldwin
Twenty years ago, my nephews told me about a writer who had punlished a book I needed to read. They said it was the best documentation of the lies that resulted in our country's going to war in Iraq. About a year later, they showed me an article by this journalist about the growing "Plame scandal." It was on that day that I joined the Democratic Underground.
There began a series of discussions that were known as the "Plame Threads." An ecletic group of forum members participated, adding to the group's understanding of the connections between the war, the scandal, and the lies coming out of the Bush-Cheney administration.
It was a great time, and a lot of friendships grew out of those discussions. I was fortunate to become friends with the author of that book, William Rivers Pitt. Both on and off of this forum, he and I discussed a heck of a lot of things. Our common respect for Muhammad Ali, music, journalism, and eventually families.
Will and I came from different worlds that exist within the United States. For example, he was of my nephews' generation, which had a related but distinct life experience than my generation. But we shared a lot of values, which allowed for great communication. And reading his contributions on DU, I began to suspect that one of his early ancestors had, like my own, been one of the ancient settlers in what would become Munster, just south of the River Shannon.
Having daughters can bring out the best in any man. It can take off the rough edges, so to speak, and civilize us in the manner that helps us reach our human potential. All family relationships are thus, of course. But I hope that having a daughter helps more men become better people, than those men who become worse.
I last communicated with Will in the middle of this month. Last week, I was going to tell him to be sure to watch an up-coming welterweight "super fight," between two undefeated champions. But his most recent post focused on some of the lyrics to the song "Landslide," by Fleetwood Mac. So I asked my daughter to send me a copy of her and a friend performing that song, to share with Will.
But that opportunity has passed. Instead, I find myself reading the memories of his friends, both here and elsewhere. Having family and friends die becomes all too common when one reaches my age, but it is particularly difficult when it is someone young, with a child or children to raise. Reading these memories of Will from his friends makes it a little less horrible.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I really liked Will Pitt - what a loss 
Most of us didn't actually know Will or have mutual interests outside of DU, so your grief is multi-layered. Very kind of you to share your experiences.
