no voice in the noise.

Feeling particularly down heartened today as I read about what all the Republicans expect to cut out or repeal or turn back.   Transportation funding, new energy development, weatherizing dollars...on and on.   No use contacting my rep and pretty much no use being one voice on the other side.   Considered floating something out on FB with a honest plea for suggestions..."just how *can* i pipe up and to whom????".

Stopped tonight then to remember that this is territory that i've already traveled.   No, i won't be heard and no, putting a call in or a letter out isn't anything.  HOWEVER, work harder to identify those voices that ARE currently heard, find smart articulate, thoughtful, informed people visible in the media and to the legislators, encourage them to stay the course.   POST them, gather more posters~!  post more people.    i *do* have a way to make a difference.  

It wasn't that i was discouraged w. the underground effort, but for a bit there i forgot that this is my way.   this, as one new person on board said, ... this IS the only way we'll make change happen.

reach up a level or two!

karen, i'm not so much about the green thing

so, the tone needs to change.   in truth i'm not so much about the green thing either.  Sal said...."i don't get excited about the things people do to make themselves feel good about the environment as it's all for naught if we don't curb population growth".   and you know what?,  i've been there also.   is it that i didn't dig deep enough for the pivotal issue?  did i shy away from what is almost unaddressable?   maybe, but i have a plank to step out on; i haven't given up on it all as a long time friend has.   different personalities is part but as i ponder it, i'm quite sure my impetus is the "fierce" mother i am.  it's not an option to turn away from it.   i've latched on to posting as my part.  i must though, continually look at how to make it bigger, how it will appeal to others and still be true to me.  

environmental and green isn't what it is to me.   maybe i don't even need to lay out my energy concerns.   i had thought i might draw people that way, but possibly a wider net is the way to bring posters together.   does that mean tempering it?  doses of nice?  that's also not it for me.   doses of interesting and doses of industry, passion, creativity.

at issue here is a rejection.  when people i know well reject the game, i don't react so well.   i've accepted the fact now but haven't learned the lesson entirely.
k

Is it useless to take my morning to write each of our MN congresspeople and in particular is it useless to write a long letter to Michele Bachman.   It may be.   Postcards go to most; they *may* be pulled out of the mail, they *may* be shown to the congress person.   My hope is the that the flood of mail will be what matters.   I continue to hope that people CARE about our politics and not just TALK about our politics.   The big question is what does "care" mean and how do these elected officials really represent us.   

Since I was pleading for civility I was polite to M. Bachman.   I didn't even mention that I disagree vehemently with everything that she stands for.   I didn't remind her that she represents me also and might occasionally need to think on the other side of her line.  Instead I asked her to change the tone of her Tea Party.   I suggested that if she saw herself as a key and visible public figure in our national arena that she WAS one who could call for the change of rhetoric, take responsibility for the current abysmal theater and CHANGE it.   She'll never see the letter.  Why would I bother.  ? 

Then I think of the posting.   What if it were 2 years from now and we had 1,000 people posting.  Maybe they come in and out, write when moved or interested.   What if THEN we had such a tragedy as this and THEN there were hundreds and hundreds of hand written postcards piling up on out politicians desks.  Posters free to take whatever angle they wanted, express any political allegiance they embraced but being GRASSROOTS, standing up LOUDLY and together and being noticed.   wouldn't that be important and isn't it possible?  [i'm getting a little teary].  can we make that happen?

stats

paper eval:

oh, my goodness, just checked the "where" part of my site stats and during the month of Dec 2010 we had 642 hits in the U.S., 3 from the U.K., 2 in Peru [a known poster there... ;)], 1 in the Netherlands and 1 in Norway.

still very weird to think that i can scheme and launch something from here that is read from there.
and there.
and there.

paperless eval:

i continue to THRIVE on this idea.   i have no doubt that it can be something and i can't foresee a time that i wouldn't be interested in doing this.    have i found my place?  is this fluid idea the me for years to come.   i'm not just "wondering" now, im a step past that and comfortably and confidently just putting it on.
k