A rare open thread

AMERICA
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,

All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time.
— Walt Whitman

I feel so relieved that this election is actually OVER and we’re not in any sort of “overtime” situation, that I could almost sing with it. But I dread the idea that we may now be in an “endless campaign” mode, ala Clinton.

And I’m hoping that the catharsis of an Obama win will open within the left some vein of generosity toward Dubya, because the man deserves much better than he has gotten from most of the nation, for too long.

I am not as optimistic as I was two years ago. Having had the chance to watch – since then – the Democrat congress in action, I’ve seen nothing that hints at their dedication to notions of fairness or moderation or honesty …or that they’re even competent…but we understand that there are no longer any Pat Moynihans, Barbara Jordans or Mo Udalls anymore, and move on. I do hold with the spiritual stuff that I wrote there, if you want to read it.

As I sit here bleary, with a mug of Mystic Monk Hermits Bold Blend Coffee in my hand (best coffee in the world – try some) and reading my emails – some of which are very moving in their faith or their despair, and some of which are absolutely harrowing in their hate – (and some of which are just puzzling and bizarre), I realize that people have a lot they want to say, and they need to vent or gloat a little. So, for today. JUST for today, while I’m looking around, assembling a round-up and collecting my own thoughts for a post later, I’m opening this thread up – JUST this thread – for unmoderated comments. (If you want to post url’s please go to tinyurl.com and make them small so they don’t muss my format.)

BUT: There are three rules.

1) JUST FOR TODAY, I’ll overlook foul language and vulgarisms and go along with a bit of rowdiness, but not to mean-ness, or to taunts. There will be gloating, I’m sure, but try to be a little aware of the fact that people here are – in their hurt – pulling themselves together much more quickly than the left has managed to do in the past 8 years, and showing a great deal more civility to this election’s winner, and his supporters, than has been shown the winner of the last two elections and his supporters. In other words, if people are being classy in defeat and you can’t be classy in loss, well…that says a great deal about you, and nothing about anyone else. If you want to expose yourself in that way, (shrug) have at it.

2) Do not come in here espousing the obnoxious idea that President Bush should “resign right now and let Obama take over.” Aside from the fact that George W. Bush got almost as many votes as Obama – which rather discounts the “bloodless revolution” talk – that’s not how we do things in America. So, come in here with that nonsense, and I’ll kick your virtual spine out your virtual ears.

3) Be RESPECTFUL to President Bush. If you cannot restrain from fair (and reality-based) criticism of him for one day, then be respectful at it, or be prepared to be banned.

I’m totally serious about this. I have not defended that man – who has been attacked, vilified and hated, worldwide and quite unjustly and in a most unimaginable way, by ideologues and demagogues, and agendized adolescent shit-throwers for 8 long years – only to allow some knucklehead to come in here and spew more invective his way, from either direction. Some people on the right took a “good” and received it very poorly when it did not seem pure enough for them, and some people on the left were so full of petulant paranoia, they let hate literally own them, body and soul – but here and today – there will be none of that; The Eighth Year Hate must end, and I’m calling it over, here.

It’s time to take a breath – you folks on both sides – and regain your sanity where President Bush is concerned, and find some generosity. He has been treated disgracefully by a country he has never broken faith with, and here he will be respected. If you can’t do that, don’t bother posting, because I’ll kick it, I promise serious. I’m all for free speech, but this is MY place, and I’m telling you up front, what won’t fly here. You don’t yell “fire” in a theater, and you don’t diss President Bush in this place, today.

Maybe stop and think about how he’s managed to protect our asses and – until very recently (and due to circumstances you know owe more to Barney Frank than Dubya) his economy and barely-reported low unemployment rates have kept you pretty drunk on material things, and spoiled us all rotten.