I Will Fight No More Forever

[Zomby Woof]

Apathy and a general disdain for humanity (well, at least the Republican-Bush Reich version of it), is my prevailing mood these days, and it appears bound to last indefinitely, well beyond the next 4 years. I look at the arc of late 20th/early 21st-century American history, and the diagnosis is a cynic's wet dream.

I have always been comfortable with my contradictions. My idealism motivated me to first hit the pavement in 1985 in anti-apartheid demonstrations, at the height of Reagan's reign. My cynicism, always ready for quick display, but never too hard to keep in check - is now unleashed, and I feel, quite deeply in my innermost reaches, it has conquered the uneasy truce at last. I am at peace with that. I am at peace with myself, after these long 4 years of waking nightmares.

I applaud all of you who have chosen to keep fighting, for holding fast to your dreams and ideals. I will not dismiss your efforts lightly.

But I cannot join you.

For those of you who know me, I realize this may sound like me just blowing smoke up your collective orifices. But those of you who know me also know politics is a passion of mine, and that I truly understand the addictive qualities it possesses. Anyone familiar with Hunter S. Thompson knows of what I speak, when it comes to the draw of political analysis and involvement. I won't go as far as to say it is better than sex (readers will know which title I refer), but it never messed up the sheets either.

Ever since I first cracked open our brand new set of World Book encyclopedias, at the tender age of 4, I was captivated by the article on the Presidents of the United States of America. Studying the history of the presidency and the varied pallet of people who occupied this once great office has held a lifelong fascination with me.

Now that indulgence seems quaint, naive, and even a bit foolish. Almost embarrassing. I still love history, but it seems a lost part of me now. A part which will have less and less indulgence with me these coming years.

It's not my world anymore. I choose to step aside from that, and work on my little corner of it instead - to begin the world anew. I have my friends, my family, my health. I have poems, plays, and conversations to engage my brain and heart. I have my guitars. I have places to explore, and vast tracts of knowledge to mine.

I am not leaving DU, and this is not goodbye. I couldn't have made it these past 3-plus years without you, and I will not abandon you the next 4 or more.

But to echo the words of the great Nez Percé chief, I will fight no more, forever. I have no interest in political squabbles, the nuances of campaigns, the fractious ideological battles for purity, the weaknesses and strengths of the party, the platform, and the people in it seeking power and prestige. I want no more part of it. My life force seeks to fill the vacuum left by politics elsewhere.

So I am here for you, as your friend, your shoulder, or your bouncing board. I'll be as brutally honest as ever, telling you the ZombyTroof.

But I cannot, and will not take part, in what I consider nothing more than a rigged farce, a staged tragedy, or a grotesquely morbid black comedy known as the American Way of Life and Times, Bushwazee-style. I have torn up my registration card (been registered and never missed a vote since I was 18), and I will vote no more, forever.

It is time to pursue the higher ideals of the life of the mind. And yes, I mean ideals. Another contradiction. The cynic struggles yet.

I will close this wandering little sermon by thanking Skinner, EarlG, and elad for creating this refuge and safe haven these past nearly 4 years. I want to thank everyone who has ever moderated this site too, for surely I have tried and exhausted your patience, and tested the limits of your fairness.

Finally, I want to tell all of my friends and acquaintances on DU that I truly love all of you, and I could not have imagined the past 3-plus years I have been a guest of Skinner's without you. To my adversaries, I extend the olive branch of peace and goodwill. To all I have crossed, I apologize. To all who have crossed me, I have forgiven you.

I will be here, my friends. I will cheer you on, respect your fighting spirit, and applaud your victories. I will suffer with your losses. I will be here for guidance and humor. Never, ever, be without your sense of humor.

But I will fight no more forever.

And that is, as always, the Zomby Troof.

[walldude]

1. I respect your decision

and I will come in behind you, pick up your sword and carry on the fight... For I am a Jedi like my father before me... or if you prefer.. I will take it! I will take the One Ring to Mordor, but I do not know the way...

[ethereal]

14. just your choice of nickname

alone tells me all i need to know. best.album.ever.


hang in there. i think you're fighting the best fight of all.

[In Truth We Trust]

2. woe is the times we find ourselves in, your eloquence is a gift which

is needed in this time of strife. Do not give up the fight for no man is an island unto himself as Jon Donne so insightfully suggests.

[Zomby Woof]

5. no island here

I have my network of family and friends. I am just moving to a different continent, that's all. (Wish it were literally true, lol)

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

3. Take care, Zomby.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. GODDDDDDAMMMMIIIIITTTT!!!!

I respect your right to make the choices that are right for you, my friend. But now, right now, we need a hand up from the people we just spilled our guts for. We need some truth and some support, commensurrate with the support we have given them.

I accept you and your decision, foursquare. But no, I cannot accept this. I cannot accept good people, kind, true and with love in their hearts that guided them through all this falling away. Not at this time. Not in this way.

If the Democratic Party is about people and their humanity, then the time for them to be human is NOW. Not when the balloons are falling.

NOW.

It is time for them to speak to us, to rally to us with the same fervor that we rallied to them.

I cannot bear this and I won't. I won't stand and watch good men and women true just dangle in the wind, with their pain and dissillusionment their only wage for their labors.

I won't. As God is my witness, I W i l l N o t.

This must cease. A concession speech is not enough.

It is time for those who would be leaders to do just that. Lead. In the bad times too.

[Fovea]

6. You can stop fighting

But a vote is a sacred act, even if the taliban piss on it, it is holy when you cast it, and the Gods gave us democracy to hold.

We only deserve it if we preserve it.

Give up the fight, I understand and will not disparage you.
But please don't stop voting, as an act of faith, if nothing else.
If we can restore democracy, the vote will be the only thing that we can carry with us into the future from the previous democracy.

[happynewyear]

79. Do what you need to do I believe - democracy is dead

<< But a vote is a sacred act, even if the taliban piss on it, it is holy when you cast it, and the Gods gave us democracy to hold.

We only deserve it if we preserve it. >>

I'd tend to agree with this but does the integriy of the vote even count when you consider blackboxvoting.org and what REALLY happened. We are truly living Orwell's 1984 IMO.

Was voting a mere waste of time and energy? I believe so. Fools stood in line for all of those long hours waiting to vote a vote that was never and will never be counted.

I think I'm leaning towards saying to hell with it myself for the whole system and our entire country is based on one solid fact right now, the fact is FRAUD.

It is truly pointless - that is how I now believe. I've been registered to vote for 30 years myself and I really believe that we the people do not count sadly enough.

Democracy died in 2000; it was only verifed again in 2004.

:kick:

[UNIXcock]

7. Oh how I wish I could obtain the solace you have ...

... maybe someday I can. This just isn't worth getting an ulcer or aneurysm over :cry:

[Crunchy Frog]

8. I think I'm on that cynic boat with you Zomby

at least for the moment. I feel like I no longer care what happens to this country. The American people have made their choice, both the ones that voted for Bush and the ones who didn't bother to vote, and they are now going to have to live with the consequences of that choice. I'm not going to be shedding any tears over it.

I won't stop voting, but if current trends within the Democratic party continue, I don't see myself doing anything more than voting, and expecting it to not do any good.

If the lesson that the party decides to draw from this is that it must lurch to the right, then I will probably switch my affiliation to the Green party. If I'm going to belong to a party that can't win elections, it might as well be one that stands somewhat for the same values that I do.

I'm a born cynic too, and the only reason I got involved this time was because Bush was so horrible that I felt I couldn't live with myself if I wasn't part of the effort to remove him.

By next election, the damage will have already been done, and things will probably be so rigged that it will be nothing but a symbolic formality to choose the next Republican in line. I can definitely understand not wanting to play in that little charade.

Thank you as always for the Zomby Troof.

[hatrack]

9. Reminds me of what a friend told Dean Acheson in November 1952

"Do what nature requires: have a fallow season."

But I do hope you'll be back . . . not necessarily soon, but someday.

Take care, Zomby!

[BillZBubb]

10. You do know what happened to Chief Joseph, don't you?

He gave up in the face of impossible odds and he suffered even more because of that. Our situation isn't that bleak.

As for me, I will fight the bastards as long as I've got a heartbeat. I suggest you take a break, deal with the grieving process we are all going through, then reconsider your position.

Now is not the time to make any life altering decisions. This feeling will pass. Our country needs us now more than ever.

[proud patriot]

11. love ya man

:loveya: My husband said the same thing about voting
as soon as Kerry conceded .

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. If we all stop voting...

Our ideals will never prevail.

[proud patriot]

21. I'll work on my husband

Don't worry :-) anger and "fuck it all" was his way
of dealing with the intial news .

[Zomby Woof]

24. I am serene

The people closest to me know this decision is born of necessity and affirmation, not anger or resignation.

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. My husband said the same, as did I

But I can't give up and I will fight on and I will vote. He said he is done, but know in my heart he isn't. He isn't as involved as I am and I didn't think he ever really listened to my rants these past three years. I found out differently today. He called me from work and asked me what PNAC stood for. I have mentioned it to him often. So again, I told him. When he came home tonight I asked him why he wanted to know. He said that the freepers at work were going on about abortion and that is why they voted for bush*. They said it was a moral issue. My husband asked them if they had ever heard of PNAC and of course they hadn't, so he printed a portion of it and asked them to read just the first paragraph. One asked him if this was the "same Dick Cheney". :wow: My husband said yes. I swear, I am not making this up! And these people vote.

[yardwork]

13. check out my thread 'That's enough moping for me'

I thought of a brand-new perspective on all ths! Maybe you will too!

[Kukesa]

15. "I am not leaving DU, and this is not goodbye".

For that, dear Woofy, I am truly thankful.

I'll take whatever you feel comfortable giving because I value your insight, your intelligence, and your wonderful sense of humor.

And I look forward to using you as a shoulder, a bouncing board and most of all, a friend.

For whatever you give, I'll be grateful.

[LaReservaPr]

16. Courage:

“ Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow’.”

[RPM]

17. Yeah... I agree....

I am done with fighting... I think I will buy a huge SUV, leave it idling in my garage (why ever turn it off - its wear on the starter). While I am at it, I think I'll cash out my 401k - retirement savings is for idiots anyway - that's what kids and the gubment are for. And hey - since my kids will support me someday, I will have 10 or 12 of them; Maybe I'll care to learn their names, maybe not, either way I'l just be a baby-making machine... there's always room for more of them on this wide-open, resource-rich planet. So, with that retirement fund and all the credit cards I can max out, I'll go and buy all the useless, plastic, environmentally unfriendly, flavor-of-the-week pop culture shit I can find. And when I am finished with them, I'll throw it all out and never donate any of it to the needy - the only thing they need is to work harder. I'll buy a gun and kill animals, but I will be sure to leave the carcasses on the field - I dont want to dirty up my new SUV.... I'll run my air conditioner hard all summer, run my heat hard all winter and leave all my lights on - after all, there is infinite amount of oil in the ground and, besides, I can afford it and don't give a damn if my children's children will ever have oil. And at the end of the day, I'll get all tanked up at the bar and drive around schoolyards to see if the kiddies can avoid the grill of my SUV, after all... survival of the fittest right?

Or perhaps I will not let this setback change my core values.

[Zomby Woof]

23. interesting...

I am reaffirming my core values, which is to live a life of enrichment through friends and family, and hobbies of a creative bent - and to leave the drama and artifice of politics behind.

I am sorry you see impure or selfish motives to my post.

That'll be the day - me driving an SUV and being selfish toward fellow travelers. You are, with all respect, not one of the people I was referring to in my post as knowing me very well.

[RPM]

36. not a dig at you

just my personal rant - tempted to say fuck it all and be decadent.

[mmonk]

18. I know how you feel

and really don't know what to say. It's a time that seems quite dark and I look for a spark of happiness somewhere. My mind is racing and my veins course with rage and then I return to calm, but still without an answer. All I can do is fight for my two sons in hope that fairness and sanity prevail. I think back to the recent years of the Clinton administration when I had high hopes for the new century. It seems a long time ago instead of so recent. I understand your feelings but can't give up and let disaster hit, though I'm paralyzed at what to do next. The fight can be tiring and now, confusing.

Peace to you ZombyWoof

[kurtyboy]

20. Peace to you, ZW

I've enjoyed your inputs for the entire time (I lurk more than post).

Your choice is brave, your heart seems true.

I wish for you the best in life, and begrudge you not.

I hope I may find the same peace someday.

Kurt

[Zorra]

22. Almost....

cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It was getting kind of long
I could have said it was in my way

But I didn't and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
And I feel like I owe it to someone

Must be because I had the flu for Christmas
And I'm not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking into a mirror and seeing a police car

But I'm not giving in an inch to fear
Cos I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone

When I finally get myself together
I'm gonna get down in some of that sweet summer weather
I'm going to find a space inside to laugh
Separate the wheat from the chaff

Cos I feel like I owe it, yeah
Said I feel like I owe it, yeah
You know I feel---- like I owe it yeah to someone

David Crosby

[norml]

25. I believe you will vote and fight again when your wounds have healed.

Fighting can take much. You have given much. It can be heartbreaking to give so much,yet lose. Voting takes just a little of your time. I can think of reasons you might give that there is no point in it. Those reasons may be true. Vote anyway.

[Zomby Woof]

26. I am not wounded

I appreciate what you are saying... but I have peacefully arrived at the decision that it is unhealthy, and untrue to myself, to prop up a fake system in order to fulfill some mythical projections or platitudes about 'democracy' and 'humanity', or whatnot.

I would say it is utter detachment, and liberation. It's an awakening.

[vetwife]

30. ZW I respect what you are saying and you summed up exactly how

I felt yesterday. Then I got mad. Really mad !I know what you mean and how you feel. There is something more than an election gone haywire again and you know that. I am not a young woman. I have fought so long that I have battle scars as most of us if not all of us here do. This is our democracy we are speaking of. This is Brown vs. Board of Education. This is the American with Disabilties Act. This is all of those memorials at the Washington Mall. This is Gettysburg, and the Battle of the Bulge and Rosa Parks, and MLK, JFK, RFK, and Paul Wellston. This is about the Scarlet letter and the suffrage movement. This is not about politics anymore. This is about Rome on fire while nero is fiddling. We are vastly going to be not just the laughing stock of the world but we are going to be extinct if not extinguished. We owe our children. We owe our veterans, and we owe our founding fathers. I have a life too but Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and give me Liberty or Give me Death is more than words, they are our rights. Hijacking faith and intolerance to outline a Theocracy for the new America is not what we the people are about. We have to take it back or find ourselves another place to live. I know we are tired but our mission is not accomplished. We have people who are mentally unstable and pathological liars running everything. They will destroy our way of life. This is the bigger than politics or elections. This is life and death., Of a nation and of its people.
You are needed.

[DemBones DemBones]

27. Zomby, you're speaking my Troof, too.

Politics has consumed me for four years and I can't live through another four years of outrage over every action of the Bush** misadministration. I have to live my life again. I'm no longer young and who knows how many more years I will have. I won't waste any more time or money on politics, I have better ways to spend both.

I have been helping others all my life and I won't stop now. But I'm taking care of myself first. Saving the world is off my agenda now.

[JCMach1]

28. They will take my vote from my cold dead hands

I will give up everything... including continuing to live in exile... but I WILL VOTE.

Even if it is spitting into the wind.

[ibegurpard]

29. Good luck to you

eom

[Swamp Rat]

31. Woof! Woof!

[enki23]

32. my parents almost named me joseph

and anyway, i feel almost the same now. but i haven't been at it as long, and i know i'll get right back into it the next time. i can't help myself. i suppose it's an identity thing, more than anything else.

[vajraroshana]

33. so eloquently put, I love you Zombywoof

I've loved your posts and look forward to more of them.

I understand and sympathize with a lot of what your saying.

I'm going back to more local things, more local environmental things. I've been serious in the past and had forgotten the victories there, but am re-examining them and realizing the victories have been won through trans-partisanship struggles. And I'd almost forgotten those victories.

And like you, I need a break from politics. It hasn't been enthralling for me ever, but something I dove into these past 12 years especially, though I've worked on stuff since I've had the vote (I'm 39).

I need serious recharching.

I bought 4 packs of guitar strings on sale the other day and put a fresh set on my guitar and played for only about a half an hour and my fingers felt like they were going to bleed. WTF? I used to play 4 hours a day sometimes. How in hell did I stop something that was joyful for me? I realized I haven't even listened to a whole piece of music (not just a pop song, but a whole real piece of music) in the past 4 years.

It's time to re-energize the spirit. Dive into music, art, real films; I'm not just going to take a stroll in the woods, I'm going to go spend a few weeks in some of the forests I've helped to save in the past (okay I may have to work up to that one). I'm gonna master the "Wilson Rag" of Elizabeth Cotten (okay not master it, but memorize it at least and make it my own) and finally tackle Fernando Sor's Etudes, and even the Bach pieces that are transcribed for guitar as well. I'm finally going to work my way through Piston's "Harmony" book that I've been meaning to get through since I was 18.

And I'm going to surround myself with my funniest friends and we are going to laugh and laugh and laugh until we cry and it will be tears of joy.

I look forward to reading some more of your posts here.

And all of the good-hearted DUers. Like you Zombywoof, DU has kept me sane to some degree in an insane world.

sincerely and tellin' you all the zomby troof, your friend here in the red-as-hell state of Alabama,

Barking_23

[Bake]

34. Zomby, you da Woof! I feel that way too, at times since Tuesday

That I will never allow myself to become so emotionally invested in politics, that I will just concentrate on my family, my career, my music, etc., screw politics. The whole nine yards.

But for some reason, some known-only-to-God reason, I keep coming here to DU for fighting words, support, encouragement, etc. I read Will's words about staying in the fight. And the bile rises in my throat today, when I hear the Boy King talking about spending his political capital to rape Social Security and loot the Treasury, and I'm ready to take up the sword again.

Maybe I'll be smarter next time. But I suspect I'll be here, just like this time. I hope I'll still be there, steeled by the disappointment of Tuesday. And Zomby, I'm tellin' you the Troof -- I hope you'll be there too. And I have to think that you will be. If not, I can respect that decision. But I'll be lookin' for you.

Bake

[ConsAreLiars]

35. An impossible dream

Tune in, drop out, etc.

Wish it were true.
Unfortunately, theo-fascism does not provide opt-out as an option.

[Zomby Woof]

38. respectfully, you misunderstand

Becoming more engaged to my immediate surroundings, and the people who occupy it, is what I am doing. I am tuning in to MY world, at MY level. I am expending me energies in a different way.

To say it is impossible is an egregious misunderstanding of my post, but that is fine. It neither picked my pocket nor broke my leg.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

88. Since the election has been over (or is it?), I've been overcome with a

feeling of exhaustion. I'm burnt out, though you wouldn't know, as I've been on DU every day since (must be an addiction). Taking a break, regrouping, refocusing and getting back to the balance that is life is healthy. That's what I took from your post.

[matcom]

37. rock on my brother

rock on and may you find peace within. your corner of the Globe is better off with you helping and caring.

we are Liberals. we are good. we are just. whether the people lucky enough to cross our paths know it or not, or even care, they are forever better off knowing us.

:loveya: brother.

[Zomby Woof]

39. back at ya brother

The Triad is intact. :loveya:

[Rhiannon100]

40. I do understand, and agree with you

I am absolutely worn out. I have been going through my second round of chemo treatments, working 50 hours and week and working on the campaign in every other free minute I had....living in a "red state" is a real bitch. I dont think I have any fight left in me. I am drained and disillusioned....not sure I can even put it in words....maybe the word is lost. I look at my voter registration card and laugh my ass off - "every vote counts" - uh huh....

DU has been a home away from home for me, even though I have not actively posted in the forums. I will always be a DUer :)

Rhiannon

[flobee1kenobi]

43. I know how you feel ZW

I'm still weighing options and considering several plans, all of which give no support to this illigitimate gov. Might fight....might head north.....might stay here just to say "this is what YOU wanted, live with it!" Todays America has just lost me and they really could care less-I just dont see the point in any of this anymore either.

[MidwestMomma]

41. Dear Zombywoof

I completely understand where you are coming from as I feel much the same.

I told a co-worker the day after the election that I just don't care anymore. That I'm going to worry about just me and mine from now on. I'm tired of worrying about all the hundreds of things going wrong in this country and this world.

I can't say I will fight no more forever. But who and what I fight for will be a small circle of family, friends and people whose lives I can directly affect.

Peace to you and yours. Glad you are not leaving the boards. I've always enjoyed hearing the Zomby Troof. :hug:

[bigtree]

42. You won't be able to escape the consequences of another Bush term

No one will. I believe that no matter what your ambition in life, there is no more pressing need than to fully involve yourself in the political system and monitor, respond, activate, and agitate until we can get some representation of those needs, that won't solve themselves, in Congress and in the many other offices of our government. I don't admire your decision to abandon the struggle while so many needs around the country are unmet. I have not been able to pursue my asthetic ambitions because I made the decision to put my political foot foward first. I owe my country and my countryfolk that much if I expect anything in return.

So, take a look around once in a while as you pursue your guitaring and exploring. The nation is dying and we can ill afford to turn our back on her. I refuse to leave her to bigots and corporatists. So long. Good luck.

[Zomby Woof]

44. I do not need nor expect anyone's admiration

I must respectfully disagree. I owe no nation anything, including the one I live in now. I do owe myself a respite from doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results, the very definition of insanity.

Comes a time where you learn the old ways of doing things do not work anymore. I hit the streets 3 times to protest Iraq, even published an article that accurately predicted the consequences 6 months prior to the invasion. I felt better, but no lives were saved. The powers that be will wage war, whether you want it or not.

Do I give up? No. I do not quit. I just find alternatives, for my imagination and soul are fertile, and the consequences of the Bush regime can be dealt with on MY terms, in MY way. I am not my nations's keeper. I am an American only in a strict legal sense. But not in my soul or heart. I am only one human in billions. I will not place so much importance on myself as to lose perspective or my sense of humor, as I fear so many of the activist save-the-world mindset do.

Peace.

[bigtree]

47. If we all thought and did the same. . . ?

I can't help but feel like you are abandoning your nation, but I wish you well. I hope your ultimate goals lead you back to involvement with public affairs. We will need you.

[Zomby Woof]

50. No one needs me but my family and friends

But I do respect your passion and commitment.

To answer you question, I only claim this works for me, and that it can't hurt for others to try. If it doesn't work for you, don't try it, quite simply.

[bigtree]

67. I've sown enough oats. I seriously don't believe we will have a nation

or a world to enjoy if we give these facists free reign. It may already be too late. All of the spirits are awake and don't know why. They are warning of retribution by Mother Nature. I've promised to continue to fight with everything I can offer. I feel the weight of the impending disasters. I don't want to be caught standing still when God looks in on us.

I expect great things from you in the future. You will always be connected to the folks you have touched here, spiritually and otherwise. I hope you find yourself where you are and feel proud. We are the People, united.

[stevedeshazer]

46. And I agree with you

And I will do the same.
--------------------------------------------------------
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.


Pastor Martin Niemöller

[Zomby Woof]

49. nice sentiment

But false. I think my post is being misunderstood by about the right ratio of people I predicted.

I am not abandoning anyone. I just think there is more to life than endlessly bitching and pissing about things you have no control over.

They aren't coming for you, me, or anyone. They have more subtle ways of undermining your life, if you let them. I won't let them.

There will be no concentration camps - but I long ago learned that paranoia is the stock in trade in many corners of DU.

[stevedeshazer]

51. We simply disagree

I really don't think I misunderstand what you're saying; and your Chief Joseph quote is appropriate.

I'm still going to vote and volunteer for campaigns because I think they still matter. You're saying it's all a sort of game, a rigged one perhaps. You're perhaps right. I'm not ready to take that chance.

Anyway, I'll still bang on my guitar and sing. :) We have to do what we must with life. Good luck.

[buddhamama]

45. ZW,

Life is a grand stage and we all have our part to play. Our roles are not set in stone and one is not more important than another. There are no lead roles no minor characters, the collective contribution is what brings success. You have chosen a behind the scenes path but it is no less important.

Here's to you, for playing your part beautifully :toast:


Love you!

[MadHound]

48. Zomby, Zomby, Zomby, Woof, Woof Woof, Troof, Troof, Troof

I hear you, I hear where you are coming from. But I think you are going to be suprised at how your attitude with change, given time. It is always hardest after a long, bruising fight, and to still come out on the short end of the stick. One is defeated and deflated, not wishing to put forth such effort again. I know, I've been there many times. But eventually the outrage, the absolute loathing of what you see going on around you propels you once again into the fray. And thus sooner or later you are energized to engage the enemy, to fight the good, though possibly futile, fight. I think that many people here and throughout the country are feeling the same way you are. Having gone through this before, I think that I am a bit innoculated against these feelings, though my energy and emotions are low, and my frustration with half of my fellow citizens is high.

It is time to take some time off. Reconnect with friends, family, yourself. Take that time, as much as you need. But when it comes(and it surely will), don't ignore that call from your gut, that motivating force to rage and fight against the dying of the light. For not only will we need you and your efforts, but more importantly if you ignore your own feelings you will regret it all of your life. You, like many many other people around here, are a fighter. If you try to stifle that, force it from your life, you will be denying your true self, and become increasingly bitter and angry as the time and outrages pass you by.

So take the time you need, do what you need to do. But I think you know, deep down, that you cannot walk away from this struggle, that you cannot deny your fighting spirit forever. I think you should hang onto the scraps of your voter registration card, for one day, you will feel the need to put them back together again, and join in the struggle for the soul of our country. Until then, I wish you luck, health, hope and serenity. I also look forward to your continued presence here.

[Selwynn]

52. That will change.

Passionate people always say stuff like this, and it never lasts. Why?
Becuase you can't change who you are, even when it hurts.

[liberalpress]

53. As country Singer Waylon Waylon Jennings once described it..

.. my "giveashitter" is broke

[Rhiannon100]

68. EXACTLY

I have not heard that in years

[Justpat]

54. Eveyone has a part to play

even those who withdraw to think. Every society has needed and most
of time, turned on it's collective axis to a new, more just world
after some brave souls pave the way.

Good luck. Glad you're not going far.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

55. OMG - A chickenshit!

:grr:

[LibInternationalist]

59. I'm sick of this

We are nowhere near as defeated as Chief Joseph was when he spoke those words.

[jdj]

56. you can run, but you can't hide.

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me - and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Marvin Niemoller

[dolo amber]

57. I have never been more

grateful for my all-encompassing blessed cynisicm than I am at this point. I would never want to gloat and say "I told you so" (to the great unwashed of DU, anyway...too many good folks here I've no reason to want to hurt) but I completely, with no % of doubt KNEW after Iowa this would be the result. Anyone who's honest with themselves (full-time Kerry supporters excepted) can remember the sort of numbed feeling after he won there; the GD:2004 forum was in a state of muted disbelief. We all wanted to do the right thing and get behind our guy...just not *That* guy. It was as though the entire spark of the primairies went out that night. (FWIW, I was a Clark supporter...not that I thought he had a chance in hell as Pres. but given a different choice there Wes would've been a STELLAR VP choice.) A lot of people went on to put their all behind Kerry...money a lot didn't have, time few others could spare. I feel so amazingly sad for those folks now.

I'm right there with ya, Zomby, only I've been there a lot longer. :hug:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

58. But to never vote again - that's childish and cowardly

and I have no respect for him anymore

[dolo amber]

60. That's a bit harsh

Voting shouldn't be about having to choose between cancer or Lou Gherig's disease. If my vote is to *mean* something, that something fucking well better have at least some core basic values in common with me. And not core basic values that can be easily brushed aside with a nice big fat soft money check. Otherwise, I too will not vote for any of them. I'm not endorsing this fraudulent system anymore.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

61. So what are you going to do?

[dolo amber]

62. Punt

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

64. Well I for one am going to double my efforts. I agree with

alot of your feelings and sentiments - however, having many family members in the Democratic party at the local levels and in policy advisory capacities I will move to help the local level change necessary. Its easy to get very hateful at the Presidential/Congress level but the real troops are in the State Legislatures, the Mayoral seats, etc.

I voted Kucinich in the Primary and would again. But you have to start somewhere. The day after the election I was as numb as a car-bomb bystander - but my Fiancee - thats it. I'm going back to the Legislature. That moved me

[Zomby Woof]

69. thank you dolo

I refuse to be a co-dependent asshole to this fiasco called "American Democracy".

[Zomby Woof]

66. That is okay by me

You are entitled to perpetuate the illusion of democracy, I choose not to. Calling me cowardly does not extend the same respect to me that I have extended to others who choose to keep doing what they were doing.

I am okay with that. ;-)

[oasis]

63. Zomby Woof, you've helped make DU the beacon of truth that it is. Thanks.

:thumbsup:

[Bucky]

65. Nice try, Zomb, but I don't believe you. Hope isn't dead & neither are you

You will fight again. You'll see the dead. You'll note the corrosion of American civil liberties. You'll see the hubris and the arrogance in the Bush White House... and you will become angry. You can't muster anger now, so your anger must rest. But a year from now you will be ready to fight again. I know it. I know you. I am you.

What compells you to tell the Troof will compell you to fight again. Hibernate today. It's alright. The wounds are still fresh. But the day will come and the call will come. And when the day arrives, you'll strap on your armor a wiser soldier and you will enlist. Let these words be a seed in your heart. The fight goes on, the dream will never die. We may not be able to get a northeastern liberal across the finish line, but we shall overcome.

And when we do, it will be in part because the Zomby Wolf is at our side.

[meti57b]

70. the Nez Perce were faced with overwhelming numbers. We are faced with 3%

more republicans than Democrats.

What made sense for the Nez Perce does NOT make sense for us!

[Zomby Woof]

74. it's just an analogy

Not to be taken literally.

That being said, we're outgunned, outfinanced, and any other out you can think of.

I just don't care about that world anymore. Amazes me so many people take my personal decision personally.

[arwalden]

71. Kona Trails To You... Until We Meet Again...

Kona trails to you until we meet again.
Kona trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather

Kona trails to you-u-u... til we me-e-eet again.

[Butterflies]

72. I feel the same way, but I won't stop voting.

I can't bear to watch the news or Keith Olbermann or even the Daily Show because it still hurts too much. The realization that they got away with cheating AGAIN is more than I can stand now, and I have to put politics aside.

Whenever an election day comes up I'll be in line at the polls though. Someday there will be a backlash, and I want to help it along.

[hunter]

73. Watch this unfold from a distance, and be safe, ZombyWoof.

:cry:

[nini]

75. Wishing you all the peace, tranquility and love you deserve...

....in all the aspects of your life you mention. :-)

Many of us have put our own happiness aside in being consumed with political battles we have little to no control over. We need to nurture ourselves for a change.

You know I will always be there for you no matter what :hug:


:loveya:

[Zomby Woof]

76. Now YOU

Are a sweetheart. :loveya: ;-)

(I really need to kick the DU at work habit... damn election caused me to cave...)

[nini]

77. tsk tsk.. I didn't realize you were on right now

heeeee

:loveya: too WD!!

[Brewman_Jax]

78. Take a break

but don't leave us without Zombycoffee!

[northzax]

80. oh cut the elder statesman crap, zomb

and get us some fucking coffee already.

actually, in a way, you are right. we have lost the final large battle of the war. there is no honor in fighting a futile battle against an overwhelming enemy using antiquated equipment. I am not a samurai, I will not wave my sword in the face of a gun. We lost folks. deal with it.

So, given that the ground game is futile, there are more of them than there are of us. face facts. we brought every voter we could to the polls this year, and they brought more. The is a three part war: ideas, mobilization and PR, and we lost it all. It is not effective to continue to fight with the same weapons. we need new ones. So I too, will retreat from the day to day fight, as of today, that has ceased to remain a productive use of my time and energy. I, however, will leave DU. I do not plan to return to this site until the New Year. The echo chamber of anger and pain is too much for me, it exhausts me and drains the last remaining bits of psychic energy that I need to focus on the next great war.

Rant and rave, my friends, but we still lost. It was a triumphant battle, our best game against their best game, and they beat us. 2008 doesn't matter to me right now. I refuse to remain a partisan hack for a failed regime. We lost folks. we were right, on almost every single issue, and we lost. Think it will be any different next time? We need to reset the playing field, and that can only happen with a retreat ot new ideas, new concepts and new methods. I conceed the national scene to George W. Bush.

This election wasn't stolen, my friends, we lost it straight up. you would do well to realise that now, rather than in 2006 or 2008. There are more of them. Given the current playing field, we cannot win, except in exceptional cirsumstances, any more than I could beat Kobe Bryant one on one. I, personally, call for a strategic retreat, until we have a better chance. Let everything devolve to the states, frankly, we've got al the good ones. THe more the red states retreat from the future in fear, the more the blue states will simply cherry pick their best and brightest, returning only at retirement (sine land will be cheap, and there'll be plenty of locals to work for you cheap) Liberalism always wins, in the end, I retreat to find ways for it to happen.

The magic is broken, your house is in ruins, your memory is one sided, the side that you've chosen means nothing, it means nothing at all. -Live.

exit northzax.

and Zomb, where is that fucking coffee?

[David Zephyr]

81. Admirably Written. I Feel Very Much the Same. Here's Why:

I told NothingShocksMeAnymore essentially the very same thing this morning on the telephone, ZW. I will now also focus my life into areas where I can truly make change. I also urge people here not to fault Senator Kerry, he did everything humanly possible to win. I have the greatest of respect for him...and so should all of you here.

For over thirty-five years, I have worked as an activist, sometimes on behalf of "politicians", but most of the time for progressive causes. Having grown up, on and off, in Texas, I have wasted far too much of my good life struggling to educate working class whites to set aside cultural prejudices and to vote for their own interests. Since the election of Richard Nixon in 1968, this cause has been a losing battle. The 2004 election confirms it, cements it.

I will no longer hang my body on a cross for religious and cultural bigots who are more motivated by hatred than their own self interests and who revile you for trying to help them see their own pathetic plight of wage-slavery, joblessness, lack of health care, spoiled environmental living conditions and such.

Since we are now living in The United States of Jesus Fever, let me say that even Jesus had finally had enough with the idiots he was trying to help saying "forgive them, they know not what they do". They "know not" is a merely a euphemism for saying they were ignorant murderers. I can imagine Jesus saying the very words that Jerry Maguire said, "Help me help you!"

It is most understandable that many on the Left are exhausted with casting pearls before swine and watching them trample them under their feet through electoral politics. There are other ways to make change in this world outside the political system. In fact, most progress in human history has come outside the political process.

Consider the following short list of just a few American heroic individuals, men and women, who changed the world for the better outside the electoral process. And compare these individuals to any of our nation's presidents and vice-presidents and ask yourself who really did more in moving the country along to a more fair and just society?

I'll gladly take the likes of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. DuBois, Elizabeth Gurly Flynn, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Emma Goldman, Hellen Keller, Margaret Sanger, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Harriet Beecher Stowe and so many more, who through their lives, their activism, their art changed our country in far greater measure than any politician.

ZombyWoof, I do think, however, that you will "fight forever" after all, only in a different, and probably far more meaningful way. I salute you as my brother

[Zomby Woof]

82. I salute you in return

What a wonderful, thoughtful, heartfelt work of poetry you proffered.

You get it. You get what I meant. I cannot fight the fascists with the old ways. The soul-sucking ways of the past 4 years. 34 years. 44 years.

I had another thread in here, about what people can do on a local, personal level, which I posted only minutes after this one. It sunk after 4 posts, yet this one survives after more than 80. That confirms my worst suspicions about many DUers more than they care to know. They respond to hot buttons just as weakly as the people on the Right they so quickly condemn. Sometimes I think most DUers are as reactionary (and share the same poor reading comprehension skills) as their friends over on FR.

Thank you David. The world is a better place with you in it.

[ethereal]

83. Amen, Zomby

I'm beginning to think it's time for the collective Atlas that we all have tried to become to simply shrug.




This is what they want? Let them have it.

[rockydem]

84. could I see that thread

thanks

[opihimoimoi]

85. What?? The Zomby Man is not offering Coffee these days to come? Woe is us.

I agree, we need time to sort it out. Our Dem People up there got our asses kicked black and blue.... and its THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" .... AND THEY HAVEN'T QUITE FIGURED IT OUT FULLY YET.

I like your notion of "we need better". It appears until a paradigm shift occurs in our How to Get Elected approach not much is to be expected in future contests for the Democrats....

Come, take the time come Hawaii. We go fishing. PM me. We need some good times drinking....coffee.

[Zomby Woof]

86. there'll still be coffee

But that's the Lounge. :-)

[Philostopher]

87. Hey, man -- today, I am 'this close' to the same feeling.

I know what you're saying. And knowing you, you'll do other, 'on the ground' things that are positive, and hey -- that ain't small shit.

I'm in Ohio -- I knew the game was rigged two months ago. I knew Ohio wasn't going for Kerry, and I knew Florida was out of the question -- so I guess like dolo amber, my cynicism was all that drove me to go vote.

But if I don't continue to vote, even with as little faith as I have in the system at this point, the ghost of my late father will haunt me for the rest of my life. The compulsion to go through the motions haunts me as surely as he would. I vote for my late dad more than for myself or for any faith I might have had in the system after the 2000 debacle.

Good luck with the ways you intend to improve the world -- I have a few, myself, that are completely apolitical, and I have no doubt they'll amount to a hell of a lot more positive than voting and caring and being involved in what amounts for a political process in Bushmerica.

I'll catch you in the Zappa threads in the Lounge.

And don't forget -- don't put your tongue on the flagpole in 'A Christmas Story.' Those kids are just bullshittin' you.