Reply #186: Joe Wilson's speech at UCSB was a great comfort to a lot of us who went

[Hekate]

"Comfort" may sound like an odd choice of words, but in a way it was.

This was during the run-up to the invasion, we were marching every week, and were recognizing that the national news media didn't want to acknowledge the depth and validity of the opposition. It was crazy-making.

Joe Wilson came to town to give a public lecture at his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara, and the 900-seat lecture hall was SRO with people from the town as well as the campus. I dragged my friends there.

He minced no words about the Bush administration. He got a lot of applause for saying what we suspected already, and seemed rather puzzled -- said he wasn't sure if we were applauding what he was saying the Bush admin was doing? But we were just SO glad to finally hear someone from that world speak the TRUTH, and validate our sanity.

So THANK YOU, JOE WILSON. Thank you for everything. To both you and your wife: thanks for your service to our nation. I've thought of you often. I hope you get to read this thread -- so many of us are with you, as best we can be.

Yours for better days,
Hekate