I'm still writing my stuff at Liberal Street Fighter, and I participate some at Media Girl, which I find to be a vital community of very smart women who are genuinely concerned with values and issues I hold dear. That is pretty much the only "community" blog I spend much time at anymore, though I peek in here from time to time.

I think the Scoop communities have been, overall, corrupted by some nasty people with ambitions that are counter to my vision of my country. Not all of them, but I think people who do have some good ideas are being misused by the kos empire, and it's serving the country, the Democratic Party and progressivism poorly.

There is a disturbing trend, even on the left, toward militarism. I find the personality cults built up around people in uniform VERY disturbing. It's the UNIFORM that seems to matter, not what people say or do. That CIA spooks, refugee Republicans w/ personal axes to grind, are being giving support by "progressives" bothers me as much as the IWR does. Not my party.

I'm focusing locally, and kinda doing as Marisacat often says: watching with popcorn and opera glasses. It's a grand tragedy unfolding before us, one which could rival the Depression or the Civil War era. I just can't watch as closely. It's hard enough keeping up w/ work and school and putting one foot in front of another.

So turning off the blogs (after I read some of the fantastic ones out there, like Dadahead, Mike the Mad Biologist, Media Girl, Our Word, Roy Bagaent, Sirota, BitchPhd, Pandagon), kicking back and watching movies or playing Area 51 on my Xbox or loading up my mp3 player and rediscovering some old music I hadn't listened to in years (how did I live without one of these nifty little toys for so long?!?!).

I'm around, and you're always welcome to pop in at LSF. I hope you and yours are hale and hearty.  

"Whenever a Voice of Moderation addresses liberals, its sole purpose is to stomp out any real sign of life." - James Wolcott

Kos is not liberal or progressive. Most of his front pagers aren't either. They are generally centrists or center-right Democrats/Reagan Democrats. They care more about policy and winning than they do people.

As for the issues:

It's interesting that when HMOs or private insurance are discussed, "economies of scale" are always offered as big pluses. Medicare and Medicaide offer MUCH bigger economies of scale, and they used to work until the insurance and pharma lobbyists got their hands on them. Universal Health Care would offer huge economies of scale. Yes, there would be questions of priorities, but there are now. The current system, instead of using a political discussion or doctors determine priorities, uses strongly biased "market" forces that favor the wealthy and the profiteers. We heavily ration healthcare in this country. Go into any poor and working class neighborhood and look at the untreated diabetes, the poorly treated wounds, the undertreated or untreated asthma that is a growing epidemic. We already ration, then we avert our eyes to the suffering. We have created ideal conditions for pandemic w/ the current system. This is a case that could be made, if any political party cared to. Maybe I'm a sucker, but I think that when it comes to it, people want to be compassionate and caring.

I can't help, when it comes to abortions, that many Americans are misogynists. Many think women who have abortions are sluts, until they or their daughter or their sister needs one. Remind people of that, make the case, and we could push back agaisnt the enforced birthers.

A vast majority of Americans have smoked pot. A vast majority of Americans know from personal experience that it's "dangers" are vastly overblown. Now, I'm way outside the mainstream in my belief that ALL drugs should be legalized and regulated, but the savings form legalizing Pot, from NOT locking up someone w/ a bag or herb, not to mention the cost of devasting families w/ manditory sentencing, would help a lot of people in our most fragile communities.

As for gay marriage, again I think people are fair and decent, if given the chance. Look at the support for that policewoman in New Jersey who wanted her wife to have her pension! Compassion is one of the finest qualities people possess, and a truly progressive political movement could nurture that. Why do BOTH parties so often appeal only to fear, greed or envy?

I think coalitions are forming. Coalitions of the past only look organized w/ 20/20 hindsight. However, real change, real progressivism will only flower if it operates OUTSIDE the party. I wish Dean had never gone inside ... they are sucking the decency right out of him. Change could happen, but it will be hard and it will take the emergence of people with courage. They assassinated the last group that tried ... which makes the emergence of new ones only that much harder.

I think a societal collapse will have to happen first, frankly, before Americans shake themselves loose from a system that is failing them. I wish I was more optimistic.

"Whenever a Voice of Moderation addresses liberals, its sole purpose is to stomp out any real sign of life." - James Wolcott