"This is a good thing, the democratization of donations."

I truly appreciated your post. You nailed it.

I only have one thing to add, and it's simply a reminder to the voters out there, including so-called "anti-Americans": even a $1 or $5 contribution is wonderful. It's empowering. It isn't the dollar amount you send; it's that the dollars add up. More important, it means you're making a stand and have a stake in things. And if there isn't a dollar to give, there are many other ways to contribute and participate. Use your voice, your time, your convictions, and your principles.

I am daring to be hopeful.

Tinklenberg.

But the rest of my prior post still stands. I kicked in $25. The best I could do, and there goes my luxury item of the month ;)

"Elwyn Tinkleberg"?

Come on, this is a story from The Onion, right?

-- Elephantman

_______________

I know better than to respond to you, but this one I couldn't resist........you're calling out Elwyn Tinkleberg for having a "funny name" when that same charge is basically all McCain has left in his ($4/gal) gas tank?

"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing

than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."

Thanks for your stories and erratic poems. You uplift this site, ya know.

I thought "ditto" to your post. But I'm repeating my favorite line of what you had to say:

"So, it isn't experience that sets Sen. Obama apart, it is his intellect."

I'm just out here wondering why intellect, to far too many, is a bad thing.

"But it looks to me like he understands Obama is going to win, and he doesn't want to end up being the guy who incited riots. I doubt that Palin gets that."

I'm much more akin to Pollyanna (albeit with a grown-up cynical self) than to Machiavelli, but with all my heart and soul, I agree that I don't think Palin "gets that"--as in, gets anything she's saying or doing or inciting. Still, that doesn't let McCain off the hook (unless vaudeville is making a comeback or the Gong Show is doing a revival).

Yes, good Glenn may chastise, and probably fairly so, but the thread's winding down (so I tell myself to justify). What mountains are you in? I grew up in mountains. Then I lived long amidst skycrapers, two of them bombed down. I'm now in the desert. And what I crave is the ocean. Sigh.

Did Ed really say "I should have married her"? That's sad. Or melancholy-making. "Old loves" have their place in my book.

But hey...what's with the "all women do?" Ahem.

Ok, you got me to tears with your stories. I could respond on and on, but I know you're off to bed (with felines settled down), so all's I'm gonna do for the night--for you--is leave you with another of e.e.'s goodies (in gratitude for the one you honored me with--how'd you know that was one of my tagged pages in my ancient copy of the 100 Selected?) (all you others who don't care...scroll on...or enjoy a teeny little poetry commercial)

may my heart always be open to little

birds who are the secrets of living

whatever they sing is better than to know

and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry

and fearless and thirsty and supple

and even if it's sunday may i be wrong

for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully

and love yourself so more than truly

there's never been quite such a fool who could fail

pulling all the sky over him with one smile

I'm glad I spent my politically-inclined laptop time today on, well, not just Salon, but on other threads of Salon because, in part, quite frankly, Rr wasn't on any of them. Though (as usual) there were many wonderful folks commenting on this article, I'm way wicked tired of everybody bending over backwards to accommodate Rr. Flame on? I think that's the terminology. I don't want to incite flames or war. I just want regular (and new) posters to ADVANCE a discussion instead of digressing/regressing into defending all stances against the notorious Rr.

That said, I'll keep it short and simple on-topic...proud o' crowd McCain? Honor flushed rapidly into the cesspool. Palin? My worst self comes out at the mere thought of her. Some kind of prayer or sage-burning or exorcism is needed to rid myself of evil thoughts.

It's certainly OK to blush at compliments, but please don't be shy on these Salon threads! You said important stuff that needed to be said. You said it directly and honestly and there were points at which I was thinking: "damn, I wish I'd have thought to post that." Keep it up! I'm with you on coming here to learn from others and get different perspectives. What Salon could handle quite well is a lot more of your straightforward comments.

Stepford? Ya'betcha. (And you're right--"the original, not the stupid remake.")

Suggested reading for the week: Ira Levin's book that foisted the movie(s). It's even scarier. In coming weeks, we can move on to "The Boys from Brazil" and "Rosemary's Baby."

You're a puzzlement to me. I pretty much always most of the time appreciate you, but even while considering myself not exactly stupid, I often don't understand you (and hey, my favorite poet is e.e. cummings, which I think counts in re: you, which I will not try to explain at the moment because everybody who isn't already bored reading this would surely get bored quick...have I lost my intellectual ability to puzzle it out? Hmmmm. Something to nightmare/dream about.)

Anyway, tonight, with your Uncle g-man, you got me! I got it. Probably got it way beyond what you intended. Extrapolation. I was delighted.

Tomorrow, I'm doing LAUNDRY.