Hope & Balance

Guest Post By Fellow American J

Because I am on the web every day for at least a couple hours (I know, get a life!), I am on over a dozen email lists that have to do with political matters. If you’ve signed up for a request to get email news from groups like ‘MoveOn.org’ or ‘ImpeachBush.org’ then you know what I mean when I say I get more emails from these folks than friends. And I am not complaining! Some days it feels really out of control when I click my ‘’Send/Rcv” button in Outlook Express and get 15 messages, 12 which are from my groups who feel that I need to know about ‘Clean Money Day’ or Lt. Watada’s War Against The War so urgently that there should be an email rushed to my Inbox the moment enough news is available to make an article. It’s so funny because I really enjoy learning about most of this stuff….a good amount of which I would probably miss as I am too distracted by one scam after another from the Loonies in the Zoo called Washington.

Last Thursday I got one that made me cry.

Yeah, I know. I am shocked as you. Who would have thought that a jaded, fact-weary, illion-immune spirit like me would be choked up over a mass emailing?

Here is the bit that got me:

We ask you to join us now in honoring the strength and leadership of the Senators who stood with you:

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), co-sponsor
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), co-sponsor
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

When I saw that, let me tell you, I was speechless – and that happens on an average of twice a year.

After the initial downright delight, I felt a bit guilty because like a typical lazy American, I neglected to vote in the primary this year. I hate admitting it because it smells like hypocrisy big time. I can’t even say I didn’t bother because I knew Menendez would get in….I just didn’t read up on anything (too busy complaining – typical Liberal) and was ashamed to make what I felt would be an uneducated ‘guess’ on who would be best for my home cesspool of New Jersey. So when he won, I thought about how Blue will always be my favorite color and even though it’s a cesspool, it’s still Blue.

If you read my blog, you know I am long over due for a pleasant surprise, so to get this….to get BOTH of the NJ Senators vote with my beliefs….well, hey….that is just amazing. But what made me cry was it was just *so* against the odds. They stood up to their cowardly co-Democrats. They stood up to Chimpy and Beelzebub and The Black Cat and Numbsfeld. That felt something like Hope. And I haven’t felt that in a really really long time.

Tuedsay June 27th was my fourth year without someone who meant a lot to me that passed away.

Balance.