Considering Change

Watching this thread on CNN, I kind of had to say my piece. Just in case I make too much sense to get posted (they like the people who go to extremes, which I try not to do), here's what I wrote:


Wow. And here people were talking longingly about getting past the crazed divisiveness of the campaign season; to a day when all of us, Liberals and Conservatives, could sit down and talk like grownups again.

Looks like we're not even remotely close to that ideal place yet.

Well, a few commenters here seem to be of a balanced mindset, but the rest of you need to take a little more time to explore the internet and see that the nation is still made up of a majority of people who are not Left or Right, but somewhere in a steady balance between both argumentative factions.

We live not in a hard and fast structure where we must either be all in or fold as if we're in recurring hands of poker. It's a long, deliberate system of adjustments as our nation evolves. We've gone for too many years, surrendering our voices to people who seem content to leave us out of the room while they make decisions that favor their own interests, and though the pendulum does appear to be swinging back, we all - ALL of us, even you over there in the corner - need to remember that change is not only required but a little painful.

The opposite of change? Stagnation.

And while we don't just need "change for change's sake", I do think we have a chance now of moving forward in a much better direction than we've been heading down the past six to ten years.

We just all need to take a breath and try to make these changes TOGETHER. It's not a Democrat nation or a Republican nation, it's not a Liberal country or a Conservative country. We're made up of all manner of ideas and concerns.

And to those of you teasing about some sort of wild revolution, just bear in mind that a lot of us have waited impatiently for you and yours to have your turn. Now perhaps you'd be best served by watching how other people would run a country.

"If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem."

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*sigh*

Honestly, in seeing all the craziness, it makes me want to take a step back - but at the same time, I confess that I'd really just like to vote again.

And this time, I'll vote for Obama.

Again.

Seriously, I can't remember enjoying anyone's political speeches ever before while literally watching them as they delivered it. And I can't imagine enjoying any others 8 years from now.

In fact, it makes me a little sad to realize that we only get Obama for 8 years. Damn that whole Constitution thing.

Okay, I'm being only mildly facetious.

But then I watched Bobby JindalBobby Jindal, GOP Gov of Louisiana, and remembered that, yeah, that's what a lousy politician sounds like when they speak.

Good lord. What's the rule that says the two political parties can't just TRY to work together? I feel bad for Bobby, though. I mean, the GOP really sent him out as their Token non-caucasian member, as a sacrificial lamb to try and tow the party line against President Obama. Obama could've walked up there with the free cure for cancer, and the GOP would've said something like "well, he didn't make the pills grape flavored."

Honestly. Just TRY, you crazy old farts.

This backwards-facing, pro-life-or-die, sanctity-of-marriage-preaching, creation-teaching, patriarchal-focused, drill-baby-drill and nuke the effing spotted owls in the process mindset is representative of less than 10% of the entire country, and yet, that's the same well they're trying to draw water from.

Well, I think the wake up call got picked up by the rest of the country, but there's still some r-tards at the top of the GOP who keep hitting the ol' snooze button.

And I say, let them go on sleeping.

Maybe the GOP just needs a new slogan. Something like, "We can say NO in ten different languages, but we're only going to say it in AMERICAN."

Okay, I confess, that sort of kicks the spirit of bipartisanship squarely in the...well, in the privacy place. And I don't mean to sound trite or angry or annoying in any way.

It's just that I feel we as a nation need to move ahead. There are changes that have been due for quite some time, and we've been far too reluctant to accept the price for them.

Now, the price is far higher than it would have been had we changed sooner. And if we continue to be blind to the needs of not just our nation, but the world... then the price will simply continue to go up.

I don't think I'm necessarily saying anything new here. It all seems like pure common sense.

but maybe it's not so common after all.