( – promoted by buhdydharma )
Like many of you, I came to blogging as a way of fighting back. Before I found this avenue through which I could channel my dissent, I felt powerless to do anything about the outrages being visited upon our nation and virtually all the rest of the world by our own intractable and illegitimate government.
People often question what good it does to rant into the ether. We hear it all the time right here. ‘Preaching to the choir dude.’ But time has proven that we in the blogosphere are a force to be reckoned with. The pols and the pundits would be ignoring us otherwise…just like they used to.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Beyond finding a means of fighting back here in the magic tubes, I have found deep connections to others, all of whom are people who care enough to fight back. They are writers, accountants, teachers, sailors, software engineers and candlestick makers. They are people of all colors and persuasions.
We are diverse, post-racial, post-homophobic and pro-civil rights – but we do not march in lockstep. We are free Americans – and we mean to keep our freedom.
Through blogging I have met many wonderful people who have come to be like brothers and sisters to me, true allies in the struggle for truth and justice. One of these brothers with whom I have made a powerful connection is Jerry Northington.
I came to know Jerry as possum here at Daily Kos. The first thing I noticed about him was that he was, like so many of my contemporaries, a veteran of the disastrous war in Vietnam. The second thing I noticed was his commitment to peace and opposition to war.
Until and unless we as a nation and as a global society come to recognize the futility of war we are in trouble as a species. We must come to recognize the greater good comes from peaceful coexistence and cooperation with one another. We are all in this together as human beings. We will stand together or we will fall apart.
Peace.
Jerry Northington blogging as possum in The Horrors of War
“We are all in this together as human beings.” ~ Jerry Northington
Well-said brother.
I met Jerry for the first time face-to-face in Washington DC. I was standing with a group of kossacks in the midst of a huge crowd just across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park. There were people in costumes, people with signs, horns were blowing, drums were beating and the excitement was building. Suddenly my friend skrpy (Srkp23) started tugging on my sleeve, “OPOL, OPOL, possum’s here!”
I started looking around, and there he was, a tall rangy man with a ponytail wearing a Nam vet hat and grinning from ear to ear.
I approached possum, a guy I had known in the magic tubes for the better part of two years. We shook hands and then we shared a massive bear hug. It is always a magic moment when you meet an online pal for the first time in the flesh. Meeting possum was no exception. We stood and chatted about matters close to our hearts as the crowd milled all around us. Jerry told me of his life in Delaware, his profession and his family.
What is immediately apparent about Jerry is his good nature and his deep compassion.
The United States needs to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay as soon as possible. All detainees deserve the right to a fair trial or release. We cannot continue to hold human beings in the conditions of Guantanamo if we as a nation hope to hold any measure of moral high ground.
Peace.
Jerry Northington blogging as possum in A Detainee’s Day at Guantanamo
Blogging as possum , Jerry’s voice has been loud, clear and true in its opposition to injustice, war and the failures of our government and its leadership.
For much too long too many in our nation have accepted elected officials at face value. For too long a time people have listened to the fine words without digging into the real meaning. Too many politicians fail to follow more than the money these days. That must change. To that end we must get off the sidelines and into the game. We cannot afford to let any person in the nation today remain a spectator. Each and every one must enter the game. Together we will turn our nation around.
Jerry Northington blogging as possum in Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport
Like so many of us, Jerry loves the Constitution, and like anyone who does, is displeased with how it has been attacked.
In the United States today we see the erosion of justice as we find our rights taken away one by one. We are subject to invasions of privacy far beyond what our Founding Fathers imagined might be possible. We must stand together to see an end to this falling away from our founding principles. We have lost much already. We must stand steady and true to ourselves and to our nation if we are to keep what remains and restore what is lost.
Jerry Northington blogging as possum in Power and Fear
Like any good American, Jerry has opposed and condemned those in the Bush administration responsible for the present nightmare. Unlike most, he has decided to stand up for his country – just as he did all those years ago in Vietnam.
In the last six years, my idealism has been sorely tested by Mr. Bush’s illegal, immoral, and costly war, and by Congress’s ineffectual efforts to stop it. Thousands of American and Iraqi lives have been lost in the pursuit of fossil fuels, instead of developing a sustainable economy based on renewable resources here at home.
Despite our protests, we have seen our president and his advisors lie to us, use illegal wiretaps, and manipulate the press to confuse us.While some in Congress have tried to stand up to the president, our Congressman from Delaware has not been one of them. While the people of Delaware have increasingly been calling for peace, our voices have not been heard in the corridors of power in Washington.
I have decided to enter the race for Delaware’s Congressional seat so that the voters will have a true choice. Someone must say “stop” to this insanity and speak up for peace, jobs and truth in the halls of Congress.
Jerry Northington
From the Jerry Northington for U.S. Congress website.
If you oppose foolish and wasteful wars,
If you yearn for peace and sanity,
If you care about the downtrodden,
If you wish to see accountability in government,
If you want to see our veterans be treated fairly and generously,
Please do what you can to help our friend and brother, Jerry Northington in his quest to stand up for America and speak up for all of us.
Let’s send our possum to Congress.
| Please donate to Possum securely at his campaign website, or at Energy Smart Act Blue page or at his Act Blue link provided at NION. |
For 4 evenings, we’re raising money on DailyKos for Jerry Northington, or Possum, who is running in Delaware. Possum’s primary is this September. Possum is a Vietnam Vet and veterinarian who will provide our caucus with a much better Democrat!
Possum 4-day DailyKos Fundraiser: All Times Are PST Sunday August 3 3:00 p.m. Al Rodgers 5:00 p.m. Seneca Doane 7:00 p.m. noweasels 9:00 p.m. Patriot Daily 11:00 p.m. llbear Monday August 4 3:00 p.m. One Pissed Off Liberal 5:00 p.m. Avila 7:00 p.m. Elise 9:00 p.m. blueness Tuesday August 5 3:00 p.m. OrangeClouds115 5:00 p.m. pico 7:00 p.m. srkp23 9:00 p.m. Magnifico Wednesday August 6 3:00 p.m. clammyc 5:00 p.m. gildareed 7:00 p.m. melvin 9:00 p.m. A Siegel
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It’s too late to recommend, or comment!
I’ve taken note and will make a contribution.
Thank you for all the information concerning your friend!
Wish him the best of luck!
…the only thing real about Pelosi is her exorbitant make up. I think she must take her make up artist with her where ever she goes.
Other than that, I don’t have a clue what propels her. She’s unreal!