I've been reading and ranting on DU for years. So have many of you. And in all that time . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

. . . . . so many, many examples of political malfeasance have been discussed. Speculation has often turned into facts. The sorts of things we see happening right now are nothing more than new examples of the same old shit. The brawl at the Minnesota Supreme Court. Eric Cantor's hedge that makes something bad for us a good thing for him.

Day after day we learn (often for the very first time, and ahead of the hahahaha media) things right here.

All the criminal acts of the corporations. All the political power wielded by the corporations against us. Pigs at the trough stories.

It has all be discussed here. We've ranted, raved, squabbled amongst ourselves, and cheered together.

A panoply of shit.

And nothing gets better.

Think about it: we know. They know we know. We know they know we know.

And nothing gets better. Those guilty of diddly shit crimes get busted (eg.: see Weiner, Anthony aka Man, Junk/Twit). Those who do really big, audacious shit walk free (eg.: see Rove, Karl, aka Blossom, Turd)).

We know it. We watch it get reported on the ol' Colortini. We watch the media play with it and with us for a few days.

And Then It Goes Away.








Time and again.








It goes away.








I'll keep on ranting. I'll bet you will, too. As well you should.

But beyond that, there's little left that we can do. I mean, millions, literally, took to the streets to protest a bush war. And it NEVER GOT REPORTED apart from some sidebars and below the fold stories.

We knew it. They knew we knew it. We knew they knew we knew it.

And it just went away.









The last time we sorta, kinda won one was waaaaaaaaay back in the 70s. Nixon left. The Viet Nam War ended. Since then. Nothing.

And they know we know they know it.

And it doesn't

Fucking

Matter.

[RandomThoughts]

1. That is trying to get you apathetic.

Because only apathy would make it not matter.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I think we are reaching a tipping point

and it is always darkest... well you know how that goes.

But I think we are reaching a tipping point and not just in the US by the way.

[Exultant Democracy]

12. I think (hope) you are right. I think the tea party may be the culture warriors last gasp.

The republicans were forced to scrape the bottom of their ideological barrel as it was and with it a lot of the Patriot movement white supremacist that the Bob Dole republicans avoided.

[tavalon]

17. We are but it's almost hardest waiting

It's like being at the top of the roller coaster, slowly, slowly, you're stomach clenching just before the bottom drops out. That's what it feels like to me.

[grasswire]

3. I hear ya.

The tragedy is that for so long we thought the people mattered.

During the Bush campaign when some of us fought so hard to get the Bush AWOL story broken -- we were so earnest. We worked so damn hard. An Iowa pig farmer got W's Guard records through FOIA and there was evidence discovered to blow Bush out of the water.

We could not get the press to cover that story.

We should have known we didn't matter. Politicians wouldn't listen to us. Media people snickered.

And look what happened to Dan Rather.

It has taken a long long time to come to the realization, despite the fact that some of us have been radicalized for decades already.

[Angry Dragon]

4. The brawl happened in Wisconsin not Minnesota

they are neighbors but Wisconsin is one state over to the east......
Minnesota is the one with the bump on top




:hi:

[grasswire]

5. I believe, though, Stinky, that the people still have the power...

....if only they have the will to stand in solidarity against the enemies of the American dream and democracy.

[tularetom]

6. Hope springs eternal, and what keeps me going

is the hope that someday, somehow, "they" will fuck up so egregiously, so publicly and so horrifically in a way that negatively effects 95% of the American public, so that the liberal media just cannot sweep it under the rug.

People just refuse to be manipulated any longer. Not because they are geniuses with rebellious natures, but because the corporatists step on their dick so badly it can't be covered up.

And I also hope that when that time comes, there is an opposition leader, maybe even a Democrat who is able to harness this outrage and use it to institute the reforms we need so badly.

I believe something very close to this scenario existed in 2008, and the people responded as they should have. Unfortunately, because of a failure to follow through, the opportunity appears to have been lost.

But I still hope.

[eilen]

20. I think it is past such time to expect the Democrats to be

an opposition party. Personally it is my belief that the majority has ceded or colluded with the right wing. Maybe not the rabid right wing but say, the Rockefeller wing of it.

The past 12 years has found me very disappointed, for a while resigned and hopeful and now just disgusted.

[CarmanK]

7. IT BeGINS IN WI with the recalls and MI's Benton Harbor

the recalls are in the process for August elections. One Wisconsin Now is looking for people to make phone calls to get out the vote. This is a must win for the PEOPLE and our battle cry is "Benton Harbor, MI" not only are they the poster child for TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, they have been WARNED by the CEO of Whirlpool, that if the people don't stop protesting and embarrassing the company, they would move their jobs out of the area. That is after, they invest millions in building a gated community across the river from Benton Harbor and "stole" their park access to the waterfront to make it into their plush golf course. Oh, WI is only the beginning. Benton Harbor is our Boston Harbor. and the Kochroaches, Dick Armey paid, phony tbaggers haven't seen notin' yet.

[sabrina 1]

8. What can we do to help?

The momemtum from Wisc needs to spread around the country. But it did take Republicans winning to get it started. What does THAT say about how bad things were, that people actually voted for them in the first place?

But Wisc does give us hope and if the recalls succeed it will be a major victory for the people. I am sure though that the Kochroaches and their rich friends will be pouring money into stopping them.

[Gregorian]

9. Most people seem to have short sighted vision.

This country was born out of revolution. It is a progressive country by nature. But revolutions are difficult. Not to mention the quality of life has been very very high for Americans. I found a San Francisco newspaper in an abandoned house once. It was dated around the mid 20's. It was amazing to see the life they had. Delivered groceries. Cheap land. Free and open space. No pollution. But it's also amazing how much the human can tolerate when they don't know where the punches are coming from.

There's a link to the Max Keiser economic tv program. Somewhere on the greatest page. He talks about the way trading in the market is disclosed, except for the big guys who do final trading in secret each day. Huge oil trading goes on under the table. People don't know what is going on. Lobbyists with money have more of the ear of Congress than the people they represent. It's about money.

With the "help" of Republicans, this group of people in this country are not going to see the benefits their tax dollars are supposed to fund.

We're in a pinch. I don't know what to do about it. The Kennedy's were killed. It's now a metaphor for what happens when one stands up for the principals for which this country was founded. Sort of. We all know about how it was never really intended to be completely for the people. But still...

I always look to Britain to see where we're heading. A slow, painful decline. Stupid.

[Springer9]

10. The last time we sorta, kinda won one was waaaaaaaaay back in the 70s.

Funny how that seems to coincide with the ability to rant on bbs, message boards and now places like this.

Some people actually think that somehow "this" accomplishes anything.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. You're very right.

This is a "shiny thing" and it has stopped us dead with numb pacification.

We're all guilty.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. While 'you' might have been stopeed deat and all

some of us have had major victories including the NY Equality Law, last week, not 'way back int he 70's'. It gets old, that message that our victories do not count. We did all of that and more while you were numb. Deal with it. If you can not see that, and learn to pattern after it, what can I say? Some people want an excuse to do nothing.
So tired of the straight community insisting that we have made no progress. The arrogance of that statement is chilling. Sorry, but it is.

[Rex]

11. It is pretty sad to watch supposed 'leaders of the free world' steal

pillage and plunder the national treasury on a whim.

[ThomWV]

13. Nancy Pelosi had the chance to stop our march toward Lawlessness, but she took it off the table.

[Marrah_G]

14. It's infuriating.

[Octafish]

16. Thanks for putting it into words, Stinky The Clown. At least we have cable and HDTV.

And the iPhone. Oh, yeah! And the Internet.

Not for long, though, if things keep going the Money and War Party's way.

[anthroman]

18. Self dillusion does no good...

Obama is in bed with GE, Goldman Sachs, etc...the underlying elements of government don't change, because the power brokers are the ones who pull the strings. Ralph Nader got laughed off here, as well as Hillary Clinton, just as Ron Paul is laughed off by the Republican party. The people who want to 'shake up' the power structure will never get in. And if they do, well, look what happened to JFK.

On the other hand, I am seeing alot of crossover on issues from the 'right' and 'left', and admit it, I am seeing alot of 'Drudge Report' stories on DU, so there is crossover, and common ground, and it would be good to hook up, as David Sarota has suggested.

There is even crossover on FRACKING, which is one of the most insidious problems that we face in terms of polluting already shrinking supplies of groundwater.

Alot of people on the Right are yes, getting burnout, (see Glenn Beck Fall), just as alot of people on the left are getting pissed off at Obama (health food store, someone made a joke about Obama, EVERYONE laughed, like a snicker, yea we got burned laugh)...

[roody]

19. We have to love the struggle and

be happy. Life is short.

[robcon]

21. Things have gotten ENORMOUSLY better in the last 10 years,

Democratic President. Democratic Congress, until last November, in the case of the House.

Our president will be re-elected easily next year. A chance to get back control of the House.

Gay Marriage, end of DADT.

Too many other great things to mention.

[blindpig]

24. Gee, you forgot the wars....

the collusion with BP....

the collusion with the financial sector....

You oughta look up the definition of 'enormous', not the antonym.

[blindpig]

23. That definition of idiocy.....

doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results....

Just sayin'

[snot]

25. I'm afraid that's mostly bec. most here talk here, but do little.

I'd do a poll asking how many here have e-mailed, called, written a letter, gone to a demonstration, or more -- but I'm afraid the many who've done little wouldn't answer the poll, either.