This is really touching and awesome!

[ray of light]

Sharing it with you.

SEE THE TRUTH, KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES
As readers of this blog know, many of us worked on John Kerry's Blog, and were moderators on the Kerry-Edwards Blog as well. Since this is an educational, and not a partisan political blog, my comments here will be personal and from my heart. I trust it is no one's purpose here to stomp on my heart.



The Georgetown audience was excited. JK was greeted by a fairly heated standing ovation. He looked good--relaxed and focused.

http://www.democracycellproject.net/blog/archives/2005/10/see_the_truth_k.html#comments

[kerrygoddess]

1. Considering we're all Kerry supporters here...

And some of us also worked on the Kerry Blog from very, very early on... Not sure why you would think that anyone would stomp on your heart.

Nice coverage.

[ray of light]

2. Goddess...not directed at you or anyone here.

The stomping part wasn't directed at you or anyone here.

The touching part that I wanted to share was the part about Kerry and how courageous it was for him to be there making that speach. It was also to show the fear that all of us have that our "protective" feelings towards JK also has to be reconciled with our anti-war protests and our fear that our activities will in some way hurt him.

Yes, you, I, everyone here, and everyone at the DCP are all on the same team. But we're also like a disfunctional family too. (No slight intended to absolutely anybody by that statement.) We all love JK but we all have different views, different temperments, and such a vast array of experiences that given the same speech or writing we could all interpret it differently.

In my case, I clearly interpreted the article as the author projecting JK's fear of rejection out but using her voice to project her side too. I interpreted the article as Kerry reaching out to all of us for acceptance of his IWR and his plans to move forward.

And KerryGoddess--I've always admired you for your work on the jk blog and on LUTD and the Democratic Daily. I'm sorry if my posting the original link in here stomped on your heart. I never would intentionally hurt you or anyone here.

[sandnsea]

3. It is sweet

Karen is nothing if not consistently sweet. Had to be a very special moment for her, thanks so much for sharing. I haven't been over to DCP in a very long time and it was a great reminder to touch base with her again.

[kerrygoddess]

17. Not sure... but I think I misunderstood something earlier...

sorry about that, been off and running all day.

It's a lovely post on DCP and I stated that when the link was posted on Dem Daily earlier today by one of our readers.

I don't think any of us should be afraid to express our support for JK or voice who we are and how we feel. People will understand JK when they are ready to. Acceptance isn't always easy for everyone.

[k j]

4. Adults 'R Us

I may have come into the blogosphere a bit later than some of you who have posted here, but I did and continue to do what I can for John Kerry on the internet and on the hard dry ground in rural red. I've been a supporter of his and supported his run for the White House, long before he ever announced. I fully expected Al Gore to name him as his VP. I fully expected another 16 years, after Clinton, of progress and prosperity for this country I love.

That didn't happen. Life has a way of messing up my lovely paths through the wilderness. But I haven't given up hope, and I swear to all that is holy, having hope, not giving into despair and anger, is the only reason I'm still in the game.

Today, John Kerry talked about taking responsibility... around our house, we call that "The Big R." Taking responsibility, and then giving forgiveness, isn't cause for pats on the back, it's just part of living together. We gain hindsight, and we go on. And I agree, it IS what adults do.

I still support John Kerry. To me, it's a no-brainer. And there is no way anyone in this world can stomp on my heart about that decision. No one has that power. And, since I don't bash anyone for whoever it is they support, I don't frequent places that bash me for mine. And you know what? That feels really, really good. Good and productive. :-)

I hope no one stomps on your heart for your support, ray of light. It's yours, you own it, and it's valuable.

[k j]

5. Also,

...as a long-time peace activist, someone who was quite active on-line and on the ground during the buildup to Bush's Folly II (as I was with Bush's Folly I), I have no problem whatsoever-- today-- with John Kerry's IRW vote. I called his office three times re: that vote. Twice before and once after. He voted what he voted. So did my ex-Senator Jean Carnahan. (And what I would give to have her, instead of Jim Talent, in office today!!)

That time is long over and done with. My "Poets Against the War" tee-shirt is faded. Life has grown increasingly complicated since then.

I've moved on. To those who haven't, I simply have nothing to say, except, we have more work to do than ever before. More work to pick up the pieces of Bush's Folly. More work to repair the damage and carnage and karma of his time at the wheel.

I'm getting older. I've no time for past regrets. That's simply a luxury I can't afford.

[ray of light]

7. Kj...you look at it differently then some.

And that's great.

But I know with our local peace group they wanted to string Kerry up and use him as a pinata for his IWR vote.

Regrets, stomped hearts, and all that...is not what I hoped to inspire on this thread.

I was just so heartened to read the REAL Kerry behind today's speach that I probably read too much into the piece I posted.

[k j]

9. Ray of Light...

I think this thread is inspiring. :-) My feelings for what is going on, has gone on, run deep, same as everyone's on this thread. We have that in common. It's so difficult to express in words the anguish and hope that so many feel at any given moment in this "Time of Bush." (See? Can't even come up with a pithy phrase to describe this time.) We are so far beyond my worse-case scenarios, I'm just amazed there is still a John Kerry to be found. Gratitude is an immediate second.

And I dare anyone to try and stomp out my hope or my heart. God knows, my former rightwing neoconartist "Christian" conservative boss tried to on a daily basis. But I left her, finally, in the sop of her own stew. And I did it with a smile. And yes, that inspires me. (Something had to! LOL)

There will always be naysayers. There will also be those out in front, carving a path for the kvetchers to eventually follow. I'm with the group out front. I don't have time for pinatas and don't give a damn about those that do.

Not at all meaning to sound harsh. But if this thread is to inspire us to talk honestly about how we feel about John Kerry, then know that I'm just getting down to the bare bones of the strength of my support.

Time is speeding up. John Kerry is so far out in front, I don't think many even realize where he is. My friend Teresa at The Democratic Daily knows exactly what I mean by that statement. John Kerry is way out ahead. Evolved, the man is. Self-defined, self-aware and well on the path.

Kee-ewl. ;-)

Edited to add: And I don't mean "out in front" as in the 2008 race. Not talking politics at all by that statement.

[blm]

19. I read you loud and clear. You echo my mind and my heart.

Proud to be in the trenches with you. You mat be new here, but you speak a language I understand well.

[k j]

20. blm

Very glad to hear that! Same back to you. :-) I've been reading your posts for a long time and have admired the way you take on the work on the more visible forums of DU. (Time after time!)

[blm]

21. What makes it easy is that the historical facts and truth cannot change.

The National Security Archives and the congressional record are good allies to have.

[k j]

22. Facts 'r stubborn things...

Yes! LOL

It's strange, isn't it? To turn on the news and see reports about things that happened a few years ago that are just now hitting the airwaves. At the time of the buildup to the Iraq war, I was engaged with a group on-line I'd already known for a few years, pre-9/11, pre-Selection 2000. I argued passionately against the war at the time, fact after fact after fact. Nothing stuck, nothing. Then, Friday night, watched Lou Dobbs and there was something about "Colin Powell says the speech at the UN was a 'blot' on his career." My husband yelled, "a BLOT?!" God. And he's Colin Powell. Tell me he didn't believe the information. I'd almost rather think he sold his soul than he sold his intellect.

Sorry, way off topic.

[karynnj]

23. Interesting - I wish someone would ask him pointblank,

"Did you even suspect that you were being asked to present a pack of lies?" He still gets a pass with the press because for so long he was a favorite.

He was in the administration and had excellent ties to the military, so he was better positioned to push back on the information than the Senators. I would bet that his complicity actually was a factor in several Senators at least accepting the possibility and knowing that we should get monitors in. Oddly, because of his previous good reputation, he is in some ways MORE quilty than some peers.

[k j]

24. Exactly...

"Oddly, because of his previous good reputation, he is in some ways MORE quilty than some peers." Agree 100%, karynnj.

Powell put his reputation on the line at the time, a reputation that was steller enough to put him in the White House if he and his wife had wanted. He had what, one source? And Tenant's "slam dunk" comment? Of course, my husband faults Powell for choosing the BushInc in the first place, when he could have had a position in a Gore Administration.

For the record, I feel the same way about John McCain.

[TayTay]

6. Thank you for posting this.

I promise to keep all hearts around me in fair keeping. Hearts can be broken, but they can also be mended. Like a lot of mended things, they then become strongest at the very parts where they were broken. I hope this is so with your friend.

I listened to this speech with my Mom hat on today. (It really is my truest self, after all.) Every day, when I get to work, the first thing I do is go to icasualties.org and check and see if that horrible total has gone up at all. (I get about half a second to say a prayer that it has not before the image comes up on my screen, one tiny prayer that the night before did not yield another death, another family torn apart, another Mom, like me maybe, who will live forever more in agony.) Sometimes I sort the list and see how many 18 year olds, then 19 year olds, then 20 year olds and finally how many 21 year olds have paid the ultimate price. I need to know this.

See, my son is 18. He is goofy and defiant and fiercely independent and silly and, well, 18. On Saturday last my 12 year old cat went into cardiac arrest and had to be put to sleep. My son had a full blown freaking out episode over this. See, he's 18 and loss is not something that 18 year olds are all that familiar with. I mourned my good cat but I also thought of those kids in Iraq. (I can't help it. I think about it all the time.) I thought of all the 18 year olds over there who are probably not that different from my son. I thought of dealing with loss. I can't think about this for long as I start crying.

My daughter was home for the weekend. She is 20 and in school in NYC. She conned me into a trip to the mall and into getting a bunch of stuff she 'needs.' She is a little spoiled, kind of tough, fiercely independent and smart. I can't help but think of her when I read of these 20 year olds in Iraq. I can't imagine what their parents are going through, it makes me cry.

When Senator Kerry talks about Iraq, he reaches a different part of me than we he talks or acts on any other issue. He talks to my Mom side. I listen and think of the kid in my town who had his leg blown off and whose arm is pretty useless now due to an IED in Fallujah. I listen and I think of my kids and I thank God that I know where they are and that they are safe. And I think of that trip to the casualty list every morning and the fear I have that a new name will pop up. It's my Mom side, the side that is afraid and a little lost and doesn't want any more Cindy Sheehans formed. I don't want to see any more kids with artificial limbs.

He's my Senator. I have trusted him and trusted his judgment for over 20 years. I think he's a good man with the nation's best interests at heart. When I listen to him speak on this issue, I am very glad I voted for him, not just last year, but all those years ago when I had that sense of the man that he would think through his actions when a case for war came up, remember what it was like to be there on the ground and to experience loss, and vote from his soul. I still get that sense. I really do. I get it now. It comes, again, from my Mom side.

Keep my heart in a safe spot as well. On this issue and this issue uniquely, it is very, very vulnerable.

[k j]

8. More thoughts...

TayTay, we don't really know each other, but I read your posts with attention. Although not a Mom, and forced to read JK's speech in a fast hurry today, I also thought, "12-16 months equals how many casualities?" and "20,000 out by December, leaves how many still in danger?"

To both Ray of Light and TayTay, I may look at it differently because loss happened, right in front of my eyes, at age 16. And, as any 16-year-old might think, I thought I was responsible for the loss. Survivor guilt. I carried it for decades. I finally learned what to shuff off and what to carry. I don't carry much these days.

Blame does bullshit. At any level.

I too thought, even hurried, and only reading the prepared words, that John Kerry was saying something extraordinary-- to us, to his supporters-- today. In my mind, he offered to carry the responsibility of Iraq. It is patently obvious no one else has. Someone has to step up.

I also have responsibility, as an American, for living the life I live that contributed to what happened on September 11, 2001, whether my lifestyle was used as a pretext to anger and encourage those men who flew the planes in our buildings, or not. Bottom line, I'm an American. I consume buckets of resources every single second.

I want to do what I can while I'm on this earth. To me, it's that simple. People are going to die. But someone has to step into the breach at some point and try to turn the tide. Many of us have been doing that for a very long time, all in our own ways.

Every little bit helps. I'm going forward. To hell with those who want to stay behind and blame others for shit that happened two years or two minutes ago.

"She said, with a smile." :-)

[TayTay]

10. I agree. We are there, we have to proceed from that point

I wish we weren't in Iraq, but we are. And we have to accept the past, learn what we can from it and take that lesson forward. It seems like Sen. Kerry is doing just that. Bravo!

[ray of light]

11. kj

"In my mind, he offered to carry the responsibility of Iraq. It is patently obvious no one else has. Someone has to step up." you said.

Right kj.

He did step up. And will others step up now too? I hope so. I really do, because I think he has always been a person who tries to live with integrity and those against him will use that very integrity to their own advantage.

Not sure what you meant by your last sentence, "blame others for shit that happened two years ago or two minutes ago..." but I assume it is just a general philosophy like my brother has. "Make like a duck in water and let it roll off..."


Regardless, you're right...every little bit DOES help and we all have to move forward and keep fighting the good fight.
@@@;-)

ok...well, I don't think I did your face thingy right. But it's still cute.

[k j]

12. Ray of Light...

Loved the face thingy. LOL @;-)

What I meant by 'blame others... etc.' was in general. Blame myself for my mother's death... blame John Kerry for the war in Iraq... blame my husband for the dearth of ice cubes in the freezer... whether it happened 30 years ago or 3 seconds ago.

Just don't like for anyone to carry blame. Gives me the whillies. We take responsibility, like I think JK did today, we give forgiveness where needed, whether to ourselves or others, and we go on. That's my philosophy. :-)

[k j]

13. Well, Dub might be the exception...

Well, hmmm... always my philosophies are put to the test by Mr. Bush. That's his role as teacher, blast it.

So, should Bush carry blame for Iraq? I'd like him to feel at least some of the guilt for the consquences of his decisions. However, I really don't think he is capable of that much self-reflection or responsibility.


Kerry is. God, the lessons he's learned in this lifetime. He took the problem and the solution on his shoulders. Hopefully, others will too. Until we do that, I don't think we're going to come even close to a solution, much less model the promise of this country to the rest of the world.

[k j]

14. Goodnight Moon...

Going to bed now. Haven't chatted this long on-line in weeks. ;-)

(Really anticipated this speech today. It hit the notes I was hoping for, although am hungry for more and more often. I want this discussion to come out of the closet and go national! Red and Blue! Anti and ProWar! Men and Women! Etc and Etc!)

[ray of light]

15. yes...going to bed now too.

So a goodnight moon from me to you!


Thank you for helping me understand what you were saying, because I really don't want to cause hard feelings with anyone.

Regarding today and Kerry's speech:

I was very happy to see his speech. And though I'm glad he stood up and took responsibility for his vote, I'm saddened when I think of how much abuse is heaped on his shoulders.

Take care...(both you and kgoddess...)

Thanks for the chat tonight.

@@@;-)

Can I steal your cute little face? I've grown very attached to it all of a sudden.

[k j]

16. Ray of Light

... steal away. @@;-)

[FreedomAngel82]

18. I saw them earlier today

Great pictures! Sounds like a wonderful experience and a full room!