How does one kill a blog on Open Salon? Now that is an interesting question and one with a very simple answer: you swim upstream, against the current. Well that should be easy for me, I have swam against the current my entire life. I did it for the first time when, as a lad of sixteen, I got involved in local protests against segregation in my small, rural, town in Texas. I took a few beatings, got bloodied and ostracized by people I had known all my life. I did it with a smile though because even then I knew I was right and this was a current I had to swim against.
I did it again a couple of years later when I was urged to burn my draft card, run away to Canada, and turn my back on my obligations as a citizen of this nation. I swam against the current, I turned away from the beliefs of friends, and I went the other way. When I came home, the current was flowing strong and swift and it carried along almost all my old friends.
“Burn baby, burn, Take it to the streets, Revolution!” These were the watch phrases of the day. People whom I had grown up with, who had spent the time I was away, safely ensconced in colleges paid for by mom and dad, were taking to the streets, calling Ho Chi Min a hero and declaring that the American soldiers who fought that war were murderers. I listened as they celebrated the killing of Americans by the “Heroes of the Republic of Vietnam”.
And I swam against THAT current as well. I became bitter and angry at what I saw and that feeling stayed with me for years. Then I noticed that, as the years passed, those kids whose passion had moved them to such violence, and to spew such hatred, changed. They finished their education and promptly entered into the Corporate world they had railed against. In their own words: “They sold out to the Man”. The current grew weaker and my swimming became easier…for a time.
But as always, this river we call life and the currents within it, changed yet again. Once more it became fashionable to protest. It became the “In” thing to do….degrade and marginalize anyone who does not follow a Liberal agenda.
Which brings us to the present.
I have been a member here for a few months now, time enough to gauge the swiftness of that current and the direction in which it flows; strong and to the left. I have read, week after week, the stories that appear regularly on the front page and it is clear that anyone wishing to appear there has only to write about “Evil” Christians or “Terrorist Conservatives”.
Well I have a news flash for both sides: To Rush Limbaugh and his idiot followers….Shame on you and shame upon your house! How dare you refer to Barak Obama, the duly elected Leader of this Nation, as Hitler. That is about the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard in my life and it offends me greatly. Let me make one thing crystal clear, I did not vote for Mr. Obama. His political beliefs are not my own, but by God he is MY President and I will show him every respect due someone who holds that office. I will not personally demean him or degrade him simply because he follows a political theory which I do not believe in.
Now a message to those on the Left, the Liberals and their spokesmen…..How dare you spew your venom and intolerance in all-encompassing broadsides. When you do this you are no better than the Rush Limbaughs of this world. What ever happened to “Reasoned Debate”? Why must you, whenever anyone tries to offer a different view, resort to calling them Racist and mean-spirited bigots? Any dissention to your personal belief is seen as a personal attack. Shame on you and shame upon your house!
In this country, today, Reasoned Debate has devolved into screaming insults and name-calling. Only once before in the history of this nation, has its people become so polarized and we all know what that led to and as a great man of that time said: “A house, divided can not stand.”
So today I swim against conflicting currents; both right and left. So maybe this is the answer to the question: How do you kill a blog on Open Salon…you do what I have done. I refuse to engage in your political mud-slinging. I will not read blogs that do this and I will in no way support or encourage people who do not have the moral strength to show common courtesy to friend and foe alike.
I will, instead, merely continue to do what the title of my little blog says, I will reminisce upon the past and consider the follies of everyday life….in the real world. To those who find this offensive, or in some way, not worthy of their time to read….the door is that way.
To those of you who have kindly made to the end of the one and only political blog which I shall ever write, I leave you with a short video, a song about a real man, a simple man, who also swam against the currents of his time and who now spends his life quietly trying to find his way….thank you for reading.
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Comments
I too am tired of the ranting and raving and the lack of depth by both sides.
Rated
I understand your point here and hope that I, as only one among many, can start to offer a voice of reason.
I am a Marine Corps veteran and proud liberal. I don't beat a lot of war drums, and tend to be a pacifist, how's that for against the flow? Fewer jarheads die if polititians don't jerk their knees every time there is a hiccup, without investigation and truthful assessment.
My question is always...is it (whatever action going on) a "just" war? Do I know enough about the "enemy" and the "goals" to understand our cause? I don't question the sacrifice and camaraderie of soldiers, Marines and sailors, I have seen it. But I opposed, from the very beginning, our invasion of Iraq...like you, ALSO moving against the current.
I emphasized the history of the Middle East in my graduate studies, and knew much about Saddam and his violent Ba'athist agenda in Iraq even BEFORE the current war. (Just ask, but you'll never get me to shut up if you do! *wink*!) But it incensed me that the public, and seemingly the government of my own nation conflated the admittedly horrid regime of Saddam with the separate rise of Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda and its hideous attacks of 9-11. It is so important to "know thy enemy". And these two were not one.
The revelation of the Abu Ghraib photos made me sick and ashamed that such things were done by those wearing the uniform of my country. I know this is not the norm, but our military received a black eye with black ops like that. I am justly proud of the work of our soldiers in what must be a very challenging mission in Iraq, but I wish that energy had been focused...from the get go, in Afghanistan and Pakistan from whence most Al-Qaeda attacks originate.
I agree wholeheartedly with your rules of civility. I hope you can find civil discourse all over the OS "village". I think we do better than some here.
(I'm sorry...I seem to have taken a lot of your space here...apologies for the "hijack". )
Mad Mother.....Hate, like anger or any other strong emotion is exhausting after awhile. We all need a break from it, I believe.
Walter....It means a lot to me that you and I are on the same wavelength here for there are few writers on this site who I respect as much as I do you. Every day your writing serves to lift me up.
Cindy....You are right, there is much more to read here on OS and good stuff too. It just seems that the political gets top billing. And, it is no different at other sites. I have been to conservative sites where this crap dominates the boards too...sad.
incandescent....Thanks for the comment and I will check out your blog. I always like to find fellow "swimmers".
Life is Good....A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step....I think you have made a good step.
Yekdeli.....I couldn't agree more. When it was announced we were going into Iraq I said: "UH?" I didn't get it then and I don't get it now. Afghanastan was where we should have been focoused.
A funny thing....you ask any man who fought in Nam, what he was fighting for and the majority will say: "The man next to me." We could have cared less about Mom, apple pie, and the American way. I don't know if it was like that in Iraq though....war can do strange things to you. Thank you for your comment and you never have to apologize for long comments in here....I welcome them.
Amy........Freedom? For starters think about the freedom you have to express your ideas without fear of reprisals. I know places where people die for doing that. Just a thought. Thank you for your comment.
mamoore....thank you for those kind words and I hope you are right. I truly appreciate the fact that you read my blog.
Scanner....I look forward to reading those posts and enjoying the stories you have to tell, my friend.
Deborah....I couldn't agree more; America is in danger of traveling the same road as ancient Rome...thank you for your comment.
I love Lou Dobbs, he is one of the few who stands up for the average person.
He is presently being falsely slimed as a racist because he dares to utter unorthodox ideas.
Keep on writing. I don't think you will kill your blog in OS. God bless you!
If you lose readers because of this post, they were ones you didn't need. I have always admired you for speaking your mind. This post is no different.
Rated for eloquence, fairness and excellent writing!
Kathy.....I don't plan on going anywhere. I just figured that doing a post like this would kill the readership. As for Mr. Dobbs, well you see I am such an independant, I put no stock in ANY talking head on TV from either right or left. Couple that with the fact that I have been blessedly without TV for over a month and you have someone who is totally ignorant of the man or whatever trouble he is in.
Emma...you have a way of cuting right to the heart of the matter: "So much heat and so little light." I love that phrase and I am honored that you take the time to read my blog....thank you.
Dan....Ah my good friend, you know the inspiration behind this post and you know where my heart is. As for yourself, wherever you stand...right or left, front or center, I know you will always stand with honor, style, and grace. You are a true gentleman and there isn't a lot of those left in this cold old world.
Grif...thank you for your comment. There were many hells on many days back then. Places with names like Dak To, Hue, A Shau Valley and Khe Sahn. That particular video protrays an action three years before my own experiences but I have always considered it to be representive of the experiences of all soldiers who ever stepped foot there.
bike....All I can do is what I do and that has to be enough. I plan on going back to my normal non-political posts from now on but I felt I needed to say once what was on my mind and in my heart. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.
Like you, I don't delve into writing a political blog, because I feel that a voice of reason isn't heard, the opposition slinging insults without really listening.
Yesterday I had about had it. This morning I had to leave early, but I opened a few blogs beforehand, and one had a cartoon of Palin holding a gun to her head, and I felt sick. I felt sicker knowing the poster was a former policeman. I wrote a comment...and deleted it. I wrote another and deleted it too. I left, feeling sick.
Thank goodness for your blog, the first one I opened upon coming in just now. It just proves to me our friendship is based on the real deal. Thank you for your voice and being braver than me. You empower me.
Civility begins, one step at a time...thanks for taking this giant step.
but beta-male baboons can do that. humans are capable of better, or so we think. i went into the vietnam war with a shallow, john-wayne understanding of what was going on, but i came out knowing the usa was run by evil people, supported by simple minded chauvinists.
you are right, the 'progressives', as they like to call themselves, are equally simple-minded and shallow. they are usually on the side of the angels, but it's almost by accident, and often selfish: those vietnam protestors didn't discover the war was bad until the sons of the middle class could no longer hide in university.
americans are profoundly ignorant, insulated from reality by geography, wealth and power, and a national myth that is comprehensive to the point of psychosis. this is not a unique situation, every society has it's favorite lies, but america's wealth and power make it a particular threat to humanity.
i'm glad you are unhappy with your reception on os- at least you are perceptive of other ideas, and may even learn something. but your distaste for the progressive viewpoint is misplaced: right or wrong, this is a clearing house of opinion, not a church where your opinion is holy writ.
so, read, write, grit your teeth when necessary, but never imagine you have a patent on reality.
So the USA was led by evil men.....show me a nation that wasn't led by men whose main concern wasn't self interest...old news.
We all came home bitter in one way or another, some of us just dealt with it differently....thus the difference between you and I. Oh and for the record, I am not really unhappy with MY reception on OS as a matter of fact, MOST folks have been very nice to me here. Thanks for your comment.
And thank you unbreakable for pointing me in this direction.
Rated.
A very very very good post, sir. I salute you, sir.
Danny, .....overseas and never coming home.....
danbloom....Welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment.
O'Really.....Lord yes, food poisoning can do it. I have had that before and though it didn't kill me, I sure wished I was dead for awhile. Hope you get to feeling better!
The cover of Open Salon is an interesting piece of territory. Open Salon is open in the sense that anyone can post most anything, but on the cover Open Salon becomes Closed Salon.
In my observation it is very difficult for posts written from a conservative point of view to make it on the cover. I have been a member of OS slice April 2008, and I can't recall any conservative post ever having been on the cover, though I suppose it's possible that it has happened.
Here's an interesting example. On OS there have been two posts about the controversy over Professor Thio being hired to teach a course at NYU.
The first post was written from a "liberal," or what I would actually call a leftist perspective:
"Antigay Singaporian Law Professor Won't be Teaching at NYU"
http://open.salon.com/blog/christopher_di_spirito/2009/07/24/antigay_singaporian_law_professor_wont_be_teaching_at_nyu
The author describes himself as a "proud gay man." The post itself is brief, not badly written but nothing to write home about either. It received not only an Editor's Pick, but was also on the cover for two or three days.
The second post was written from what I would call a true liberal perspective, defending academic freedom and freedom of speech. But it failed to bow down before the LGBT community:
"Professor Thio Cancels on NYU Law: Why You Should Care"
http://open.salon.com/blog/michellefabio/2009/07/30/professor_thio_cancels_on_nyu_law_why_you_should_care
This post is considerably longer than the first, contains much more information, and actually makes an argument. It was written by a woman who apparently makes a living as a writer, and the quality of the writining is superior to that of the first post. But it received neither an Editor's Pick nor a place on the cover.
Why it is that OS editors feel the need to practice political favoritism in what shows up on the cover is beyond me.
mishima...I have noticed the same things you speak of and I can not speak for the editors as to why they do what they do. I guess all anybody can do is continue to write the best we can and hope that someone notices that there are other voices out there. Thanks for your comment.
procopius....Thanks for your comment and thanks for visiting my blog. I am very curious to see if the present adminstration catches any of the flak the last one caught, when they continue some practices that have already been protested.
It seems to me that the Republicans have been in control for a long time and have set the standard for smear tactics and dirty pool. The facts over the past eight years show that the exact opposite has happened -- that the left/liberals have been excoriated at every turn. Now another party is in power and let's just say that the Republicans can't seem to grasp that they were voted out by a majority. They have called the play and given the extraordinary nastiness and deep pockets of their propaganda machine, it's a bit much to hear that the left has been doing the dirty and somehow deserves it. Where are the moderate Republicans? I haven't heard any speaking out. Are there any left?
I say this as someone who doesn't have a horse in this race, I don't live in the States and I'm not American. However, what happens there very much impacts my country and others.
I am shocked that Kristofferson would be part of a song that celebrates the pointless death of young men in an even more pointless war. Celebrating war only leads to more war and deaths, and anyone who thinks that war is glorious and heroic has never been in or around one as I'm sure you know. You made the decision to fight a war that was cynical and wrong, much like the one in Iraq, and I'm sorry that people didn't thank you for it. Why is it you want other young men to suffer and die in another pointless war?
I am still not happy with the way that our government made cannon fodder of my classmates' lives and youthful idealism. The way the recruiters played on their loyalty to their military fathers. It was disgusting and dishonest on the part of our government, and if not for journalists like Walter Cronkite no one would have known the truth about that war.
It wasn't stupidity or craven nature that had guys go to Canada or refuse to register for the draft. They were seeing their classmates come home in flag draped coffins. The guys I knew were witnessing the cost because everyone I went to school with had a brother or a friend in the war. Have you forgotten the "America, Love it or Leave it" bumper stickers? Questioning the reasoning behind the war or the government's right to send young men into a war that they might have moral and ethical questions about were reason to ostracize, punish and abuse those who disagreed where I lived.
It wasn't much different than the yelling blowhards at the healthcare forums, or those NRA idiots who pretend like they don't know they are menacing people who don't have guns.
Its a great thing calling for and observing civility, but I think your claim of swimming against the currents is bathed in unchallenged old memories. It took equal amounts of courage to be in opposition to the Viet Nam war as well. People I didn't know followed me and went to my grandmother's home and asked her if she knew what I was up to. Being a good Missouri farm woman by birth, she chased them off the property with her broom. I still don't know who those people were that thought it was okay to figure out who my relatives were, or why they assumed it was okay to show up in a threatening way at my grandparents' home, but swimming against that current took some courage when I was only 18, 19 years old. I did it then and I would do it again.
Old rich men plan wars and send innocent, idealistic young men to pay the cost. It's crap. Those young people who serve our country deserve better leadership than they've had, in addition to our gratitude for their service. Every GI Bill student I ever knew deserved ever cent of the education that was part of their deal for service. And those who came home changed forever, like my youngest uncle, deserved more than our country could ever pay.
There wasn't much 'burn baby burn" at all, except in response to racism. That was blown up the same way the nonexistent 'death panels' are being blown out of all proportion by the wingnut media. all of it lying, sensationalist crap.
I think being civil is important, but I don't think we need to lose our passion for what is right and good.