[While composing this, Glenn and others addressed my topic - and, of course, better than I. But I worked on this for a while and so, self-indulgently, I post it. Apologies. please Forgive.]

The story lines of modern life can influence our expectations.

Spectator sports, television entertainment, movies, and election cycles have, each in their own way, self-contained story arcs and final resolutions. In contrast, our true political life never really resolves; it is an ongoing organic process of fits, starts, jumps, retreats, and restarts. A free society hopes to progress along something akin to Siddhartha's spiral upward path, which might appear to take the traveler in circles, but does eventually lead to a more elevated place.

The republic, our United States of America, is many things, one of which is an experimental test of a civic construct that has never truly achieved the full potential for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for all. We have always carried on in a state of tension between owners and labor, wealthy and poor, authoritarian and libertarian, fundamentalists and freethinkers, thugs and the bullied. Nevertheless, over time we have seen the expansion of civil rights recognition to ever more once-aggrieved constituencies.

We cannot lose hope.

We have to keep fighting.

The real fight is only just beginning, because too many of our citizens are still too comfortable . The struggle could become even more daunting, and it may require the sacrifice of martyrs before it's over. Do what you can - and maybe sometimes a little more - within your comfort zone. We're not all meant to be Nathaniel Hales or Emma Goldmans or Rosa Parkses or Martin Luther Kings, but each of us doing something like Glenn does here, and like William T does there, and Jim White and sunny miller do over here and over there leads eventually to the next victory. The Patrick Henrys and the Nelson Mandelas will arise; they can't help it. Every one of us has a critical role, no matter how dramatic or undramatic that role may seem.

It will never be over; human nature will not permit that. This principle is built in to our constitutional form of government and that is why preserving and protecting our Constitution is paramount. The task is urgent but we won't be able able to wrap this up by 2008, or even 2012 or 2016. Bebop-o would say: "No give up!" I think, and he would be right. Giving up is very much what the enemy wants us to do, that is the game plan, and they think dragging this out will make us give up. I say let them drag it out as long as they want. Let the nation and world see that We the People will not let the ideals of the United States of America perish. If we do not give up, we shall overcome.

That's almost the definition of an aristocracy. The equestrian class apologizes with money; the serfs pay with their freedom.

It is astonishing that we could go from that tribal concept of law (blutgeld), to one in which all citizens are treated the same at least in theory, and then hear arguments for going back, "since that's how it works anyway."

Arguments that somehow abandon even the pretense that the rich should serve as models for the poor.

Several hours ago, I posted that I share others' feelings of hopelessness. But that doesn't mean I'm not too stubborn to give up. If for no other reason than it just feels good to piss off Republicans every once in a while, I'll still keep fighting for progressive values and ideals.

In fact just a short while ago, I signed Harry Reid's petition condemning Rush Limbaugh. Wow, I can feel the tide turning already! Can't you?

All kidding aside, I do plan to keep "fighting the good fight" in some way, I just hope I can not get my heart so inextricably involved in the process from now on.

One reason you don't get many invites to ABC,NBC,CBS,CNN, and Fox, Glenn, is that most top "talent" in the media is guilty of at least cheerleading the invasion of Iraq, and of wanting to believe big Daddy and not their own eyes. Glenn, I read you because you don't have to kiss anybody's butt, and worry about getting invited to insiders' Nantucket parties. I believe that I will never see you chuckling on "Meet the Press" with "the gang" and politely aiming for "acceptance."

The rest of the top "talent" is afraid of you, because you could go on their show and rip THEM new assholes for their many acts of enabling. Some of them probably are itching for some kind of revenge smear on YOU for when you named THEIR names on your blog. They know you have no fear of rubbing their noses in their own s_ _ _! We almost have to let thirty years pass so that these people RETIRE, before the double-think and cover-your-butt-don't-rock-the-boat ends. It's hard-wired into their careerist brains.

Maybe the only way you could reach the TV audience with integrity is with your own show, but you're not perky and bubbly enough, and your message is, frankly, like eating from the tree of knowledge - can the average American stand to hear the truth, day after day? Do they have the patience to work lawfully within the system? I hope, I hope.

Many Democrats in Congress also have s_ _ _ that you could rub their noses into. Would they be willing to appear on your show? I doubt it.

So, your readers love you but the powers that be don't. Keep up the good work!

How do we make what happens in DC "real" to the Average Joe/Jane?

Or the reverse.

Beats me. I can imagine that the end of federalism might do it, so that all politics go back to being truly local, instead of something done by professionals far away.

Big/federal government is difficult to get emotional about in the absence of an external or economic threat.