Random thoughts on reading both the site that shall not be mentioned and DU this week.

[saracat]

I realized something about myself. I do not like either extreme of the two dominant parties. Our "lefty freepers" are way to uninformed politically and ridged ly ideological. The Freepers are brainwashed and nasty. Both have large quantities of hate they spew.
I was horrified at the semi "death threats' and wishes that appear on FR. I wondered whether the Secret Service monitor them. I am also horrified at how often we attack our own here on DU. I do support free speech so please, don't even start with that argument.I defend your right to say whatever you want, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or think it is appropriate.
I also realize that I am so dispirited about all this that for the first time ever, depending on how the nomination process pans out, I am considering not voting. I hope I am just in a bad mood and this feeling passes.
I am truly amazed after reading tons of comments on both sides that any decent person would want to be President of this country. Americans of both parties have made me ashamed because of their intolerance misogyny and racism. How could anyone represent such people? I pray that many more Americans are different and tolerant thinking individuals who will vote for what is best about this nation but today, in my depression, I wonder. Here is hoping that tomorrow is a better day!
But whatever the case, I still love DU and the wonderful people who continue to amaze me with their wonderful support and edifying posts.I take heart from that!

[PDJane]

1. Please.......

buy a copy of Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast.

Read it.

Then do the things he tells you to do in the last chapter, and take back the country.

Seriously.

[saracat]

4. I don't place much credibility in Palast.Sorry.

[mojowork_n]

9. That's certainly your right -- but why, what's the reason?

I know I've always like Maureen Dowd, because she's such a good writer. I really appreciated her when she waxed eloquent with a column on Jeff Gannon/Guckert/TalonNews -- that whole, hilarious, true life journalist/whore story. When everyone else in the punditocracy wouldn't come close to touching it.

But lately, as she's gone after some Democrats I think highly of, I think she's just a little too full of herself. (Go figure.)

I realize Greg Palast comes off as a little flakey, maybe. I saw him in person at FightingBobFest, in Wisconsin, this year and I got his autograph. From a little closer up, he definitely appeared more humble.

I really respect him for upholding the best traditions of investigative journalism... like finding out the truth of the Florida elections, in 2000, before anyone else did. One of many feats.

Have you ever found anything he's said to be untrue? I'll go with unverifiable, maybe, but I really think he's got an honest streak. That's the one thing no good investigative journalist can live without.

[AtomicKitten]

10. this perhaps will elucidate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3250526&mesg_id=3252008

This is not to say journalists like Sirota and Palast don't do good work, they do and have, it's just that when they descend into partisan politics like this, they cease to be objective.

[mojowork_n]

12. To the contrary, what's wrong with bi-partisan muck-raking?

I'm sorry, I didn't have time to go through all 115 posts, but I started at the top -- with Palast's wondering out loud about Hillary's personal wealth, and her activities on the board of directors for the Wal-Mart Corporation. Unfortunately, that had NOTHING to do with the George Galloway statement, on a different subject, which you quoted, so I admit to being a little lost.

However, I found George Galloway's overly-vigorous (he protested *too* much, if you ask me) defense of his own not-for-profit reputation -- on principle -- a little dubious. Calling someone a 'slime artist' and a 'palooka' earns style points, but the thread was locked right there, so there was no opportunity for rebuttal or reply.

The principle, in this case, is that once you've gotten to a certain point on the income scale, you're basically in bed with a whole lot of other extremely wealthy individuals, all of whom do some under-handed things, by waying of greasing the wheels that keep their lifestyles as lucrative as they are. Fact of life. 'The rich are different,' the man said, and he knew what he was talking about.

Just the sort of folks Palast likes to go after.

Galloway's an ex-Oxford or Cambridge Union debater, maybe? Forensics and muckraking aren't unrelated, but we've ended up mixing apples and oranges.

[AtomicKitten]

13. it might be helpful

... for you to research what Palast said about Galloway before deciding whether or not Mr. Galloway protests too much.

FTR, I admire the work Palast has done on election fraud, but sometimes fur flies between two people we admire, in my case both Mr. Galloway and Mr. Palast, and the intent of my post was to show that these issues are much more complicated than right vs. wrong and that good people do disagree.

I prefer to not judge these contentious issues and take sides based on my own pre-determined cult of personality bias. The right vs. wrong of this matter isn't for me to decide and I have never believed assaulting one of the players is fair or even good politics.

[Mojambo]

2. You're getting a pretty narrow slice of America from both sites

Don't sweat it. It's not as bad as it looks sometimes.

[saracat]

5. That is my hope. Many more Americans have got to be sensible. Might not be the right word but I

have some hope.

[MADem]

3. How does your "considering not voting" HELP matters, really?

I agree with much of what you've said, but that's just -- no offense -- dumb. It's like saying "Gee, I have a headache, let me cut off my head to make it feel better." How does your voluntary disenfranchisement HELP democracy? What helps democracy is participation--from the grassroots, the local levels, on up. In whatever way you can.

If politics makes you depressed, though, you might need to step away from the keyboard. Go take a walk, turn off your computer, go talk to people. Turn off the news, watch a film or a documentary on bird watching or something.

And if you're still depressed, see a doctor.

[saracat]

6. Well, it may well be I have no one to vote for. And I have been totally involved on both a volunteer

and professional basis for a long time.It is just so many Americans are beginning to disgust me. It is scary to me that with all that has happened, this is the first time EVER, that this thought has even crossed my mind. I may not do so but I wanted to express my feelings regarding this.

[MADem]

8. Take a break from it all. Get out and enjoy the good weather.

You'll feel better.

[bluestateguy]

7. Lefty Freepers, or as I call them, Lefty Clinton Haters

Which is why I don't care for Mike Malloy, and why I genuinely hate Ralph Nader.

[Sadie4629]

11. What's the site that shall not be mentioned?

And why can't it be mentioned?:shrug:

[saracat]

14. FR so as not to give them notice.