Okay, I get it. Dems must call piles of crap.... strawberry sundaes.

[democrank]

Given the current atmosphere, I`m wearing a helmet, a Haz-Mat suit and some protective goggles just so I can get a few things off my chest here at DU. Let me set the scene....old lady, more than four decades of Democratic Party activism, sick of it and nearly ready to call it quits. No, I don`t hate America. No, I`m not voting for Ralph Nader. No, I`m not going to protest from a tree limb in Nancy Pelosi`s back yard. Yes, I`ve contacted my representatives. Yes, I`ve written umpteen letters to editors. Yes, I`ve attended protest marches. Yes, I`ve donated.

If we have to sell out in order to be a good Don`t-Make-Waves-Democrat, then we`ve lost more than our nerve. If we have to vote in favor of the continued slaughter of Iraqis so we can prove we`re as tough as the phony neocon Hell Hawks, then I hope someone takes pity on our souls. If we have to relinguish our rights and trample our Constitution to "prove" our patriotism, then we deserve what we get.

Are we really this shallow? This frightened? A Bush stage manager can pick out a phrase, a backdrop, a slogan and force it into some two-bit pamphlet of American Fact or American Values? Are we really so scared that we`ll scramble to the microphones to pledge support for "The Mission" or "The Surge" or the latest cockamamie trick dreamed up by the torture lovers? Good freaking grief! Have we no spine? Must everything be run past the consultants, the Daddy Donors, the focus groups? Did spontaneity die with Dean`s Scream? A good chunk of us are Birkenstock-wearing outcasts according to the DLC. Ask Al From. Peace is something Weak Hippies demand whenever they come off their binges. True Patriots favor government-sanctioned "cakewalks" like the invasion of Iraq, a fine example of our national will on Super-Size.

Maybe it`s just me. Maybe I need to get with the program and vote in favor of another decade of war. It`s good for business.