Reply #58: Thank you for channeling my thoughts and posting them here

[Sydnie]

I, like you, have had the same time frame experiences. I weep for my country. I am angry that the others of my generation have let things go so terribly wrong. I am embarrassed at what we are currently offering as a "future" for our kids and our grandkids. I had my children while Clinton was in office because I thought they would have a brighter future than I did. I still believed. If I were of the same age now that I was then, I can say that I would NOT have made the same choice. I could not justify having a child during the early 80's, as I felt there was nothing to pin my hope to for this country's future.

I can remember the day Kennedy was shot. I remember the way the sky looked, I remember the way my family, my community and my country reacted. I remember standing in my front yard, all alone, a second grader ... silently crying ... because I knew that my world and my country would never look the same. I spent my youth working on campaigns, both locally for my own father and then nationally for McGovern. I remember the speech from California that Bobby gave, because I stayed up that night, by myself, to watch it. I went to bed with happy thoughts that maybe I had been mistake and that there just might be hope for our country yet. My brother woke me the next morning to deliver the second punch. I was mad ... and I still am.

I have watched too many good men and women be pushed to "serve" their country when they didn't have a clue why. I have seen civil rights leaders cut down. Not because they didn't speak the truth, but rather because they did. I grow more angry still.

When Clinton was elected, I again thought there was hope for this country. I got on with my life ... the part where I thought I could breath quietly and deeply and have a life. I worked at raising my children to be contributing members of society, to understand that sometimes it feels better to give than to receive and that they have an obligation to learn to take care of themselves and their neighbors. I will not know just how well I have succeeded at that until they are in a position of leading or following on their own.

I hope they do better than my generation has. I often think that the "me" generation never grew up enough to understand that we are all in this together. I hope that Katrina drives some of those messages home. I know that I have been glad to see that there are many that feel as I do with the ability to reach out to those in need and the devil be damned.

I feel as you do. It is time. The chickens have come home to roost. I feel that I will explode with shame, anger, disgust, and embarrassment on a daily basis these days.

I worked for Kerry's campaign, volunteering to go to a neighboring state since they needed the help there more than here. I freeway blogged (and my daughter was excited to help! yeah team) and talked to every one that would listen ... and even a few that didn't want to. I believed in him then and I still do now. He still makes me proud and he still gives me hope that we can turn things around. Today's speech is a good example of finding hope when the truth is spoken to power. We must do more of the same. All of us.

Thanks for the rant. I agree with every word you said.

And a belated welcome to DU! :hi: :hug: We SHALL overcome!