Hi!
I love Daily Kos and prefer to get my news here rather than anywhere else. The only drawback of course being that someone does not always pick up on the true biggest story of the day. However, since the evening news virtually never picks up on the news of any day, it's pretty much the best news, with Rachel Maddow and Keith Oldberman on MSNBC that I can count on. Strange segue coming up...
Until March 7th I had the perfect marriage for 25 years. That is the day my husband died. I was lucky beyond measure and I knew it. I used to say that home was not home until he was home, including after work--and we worked together. I also used to say that many if not most of us have a perfect world and we are not fully aware of it. What I meant by that was that no matter how great your problems, if the people you loved were alive and in good contact or living with you, you really had all you need to be happy. Well fed, clothed, housed, health "insuranced" and employed are all necessities but not for happiness. Only those who have lost someone they loved beyond belief will fully understand this. Although most of us are destined to understand it one day.
The next few lines are what I wish for everyone, and they are not "bragging." I'm saying this in the hope that you will help me.
When I say that I was lucky beyond measure I mean that my husband and I were truly in love and it got better as it went along. He brought home things to challenge me mentally every day, we did everything but one hobby together (and that he did with our son), we made each other laugh all day, we shared many "inside jokes", he was brilliant, I could keep up (barely), I was all about politics, he made himself care about it, and the state of our country, for me. When I say that it was perfect, I mean not "perfect" as humans never are, but it was everything that mattered to me.
So, I died on March 7th. I got the call and I knew I was dead. People wonder what to say... it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you are there and that you care.
I am not including the man who asked me to get down on my knees and pray with hundreds of people standing in line to speak to me, all of us exhausted. I told him no. This was not about his showing off how well he could force women to pray while he showed off that particular "talent". In case you think he was sincere, not a chance, it was more a demand and if everyone did that, we'd still be there. It was not appropriate to stop a whole line, I had literally no sleep, only fits of passing out for an hour or so a day, for four days.
Yes, I am dead. I will continue to live but my husband and I were older (not old), and even my psychiatrist says that I will be in this pain the rest of my life. It was too long together, too much shared, too much a perfect fit, too much love to ever come close again. It is pain that I will live with every day for the rest of my (realistically) 20 or even 30 years.
Finally, and then I will beg for the help, I learned so much about him. There was a man who was about to go bankrupt who employed a few thousand people here. He confided the shame of it to my husband and my husband came up with a plan. He is now employing more people than before, just one year later. He wrote me a letter about it and there were tear stains all over it. My husband loved to help people. It made him so happy.
It is time to beg:
I believe that the "church" that many of our most crackpot republicans (including the half term governor) want to rule the world will take all rights from people of color, gay people, and women. They think of women as "good girls" to marry and have their children, and "bad women" who you can then have, without even going to Argentina. They are all C Street types and they are out to force their religion down our throats. They want America to be a theocracy. If you don't think it's possible, then look at the approval ratings gallup now gives republicans in Congress.
I'm terrified that the only school books available to our children will be the Texas creationist style.
War is being waged against science.
These churches used to be all about "end times." It still is but when they stopped recruiting they turned church into a big, hot preacher, rock and roll show, and they get the adrenaline flowing so fast that everyone who attends goes home high.
(I do not question the faith of many who attend, just the "denomination" and it's motives.) In fact, if you look up these new churches, with the new sounding names, (The Warehouse), (Elevation), I dare you to find a denomination. See, a denomination has a "statement of beliefs" so that you know if they hate women and gay people.
The Catholic church is growing by leaps and bounds too. I don't get this one at all. No abortion is one thing but NO birth control. Are you kidding me? And with those priests?
I'm afraid of Congress. We are electing republican idiots. All Scott Brown seems to stand for is nudity.
But most of all, I'm terrified of people believing republican lies. They actually think of Democrats as tax and spend. The only satisfaction I will get from this, if it happens, is that all the elderly, snob, rich republicans are about to lose their medicare. Yes, I will find every single one of them and go "hello stupid." How's this workin' for ya?
Even republicans believe their lies. The last man on earth who will be allowed to speak in a theocracy is Rush Limbaugh. What a jerk. Doesn't he know the first thing a dictator does is get rid of anyone the people will listen to more than him (the dictator.)
So, please help me. I used to read everything here. I used to write quite a bit. Now I live in a world of pain. It is impossible for me to read anything that scares me worse than I already am right now. I'm afraid that if we all don't write until our fingers can no longer move, we are lost. They already dominate the media... our best hope is to try to reach people.
I've been "politically" as unaware as a two year old since the day we died. What do you all think? Please help. I'm so frightened. The only thing I am more is in too much pain to do anything about it. What do you all think is going on. Nate Silver has this headline a good way down the first page...
Generic Ballot Points Toward Possible 50+ Seat Loss for Democrats
by Nate Silver @ 8:11 AM
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A couple of weeks ago, we examined the potential upside case for Democrats in November's midterms. If the party were able to limit their losses to about 20 House seats and 3-4 Senate seats, it might not have as deleterious an effect on their policy agenda as you might think.
But that is the upside case for Democrats. It is not the base case, and it is certainly not the worst case -- both of which look as grim as ever. Although I think people may somewhat underestimate the probability of a shift in momentum back toward the Democrats, they may simultaneously be underestimating the magnitude of losses that might occur if momentum fails to change, or moves in the other direction.
See what I mean... I'm terrified? Please tell me what you think?
First of all, we have perhaps one of the 4 best Presidents in our history. How in the world can people forget in one year how frightened we were.
Democracy depends on information, good information to make good decisions. Diane Sawyer (I do like her) says that she reports the news. But really, if you're talking about a storm in Georgia when the Supreme Court could rule that women no longer have the right to vote... is the storm the news you really want to cover?