What DU is to me..

I believe we have to put pressure on our elected Representatives to get results. People, as with most any mobile object, will normally take the path of least Resistance. That usually means not rocking the boat. When the leader of a major political party is attacked it is often construed as purely partisan and political.
I am a Romantic and an Idealist, and I want a perfect America. One where everyone is employed if they want to be and has complete free Health Care and the Love and Respect of all the other countries in the world. I am also Pragmatic enough to realize perfection isn't in the cards, but I will settle for just decent. A decent country that is based upon respect. It is my goal to help make that happen.
I believe in the six degrees of separation. If you know somebody, they know somebody, that knows somebody, until the person being known is the President, or Cher, or ??? Only six people away. Which brings me back to the original point, Pressure. I read these boards to learn. I write on them to stimulate thought, and incite. I believe quite a few people browse these and other political chat sites/forums, and some of those have the ear of some higher ups. It is my intent bring up as much thought provoking material as possible and to apply as much pressure as I am able with my limited resources.
While I am delighted my side won the general election, I am not content. I want some very high ups to answer for crimes committed, but most of all I want Republican recognition that Crimes were committed. Until that happens America will be far away from descent. I do not want America to think we have been kept safe because we torture people. And that the only way we can remain safe is through Torture. That is precisely what the Leaders of the Republican Party are now saying, and I truly want some (more than one) influential Republicans to stand up and say ENOUGH. America does not Torture. I also want some very high up aides such as Addington, Bybee, Yoo, Pearle, Feith, and a few others to answer. Answer for the serious crimes committed or authorized. I am at the stage I don't even care about Bush* or Cheney any longer. I want the important advisor's to pay, and enough of them to really put the fear of ?? into other "advisor's" of any Political Party to stay decent or at the very least within the Law.
I use these boards to try and incite action and create thought and deliberation and debate. If just one of my ideas comes to fruition, it is worth it, but the pressure must remain, the temptations are just too great for us to ever let up. We must keep our Representatives Honest and on our side. We do that through enforcing the Laws and public embarrassment/humiliation which usually finds traction in sites like this one before hitting the MSM.
I guess the bottom line is we can't let up on any of them, Democrat or Republican. We must force them to act in a decent manner. Is it possible for America to become a decent country? :shrug: Until Rush and his ilk and Cheney and his ilk or rebuked by mainstream Republicans it isn't likely. I will keep up my efforts though.

Near total agreement, which is rare!

We call this a democracy. Our democracy is ill. What is the cure?

A big dose of more democracy.

It's what we do here and yall do it well. Thanks, DUers!!

For one major reason -- perfect is going to be different for different people. Achieving a "perfect America" means achieving one person's or one group's idea of perfection, which means very unperfect for some other group or people.

The utopian experiments of the 20th century did not end well.

America is a forum for discussion about what we want and how to get there, and that means the highest value is not an outcome but tolerance of each other's points of view. That even includes tolerance of points of view of people we disagree with profoundly.

America is a process not an endpoint, a journey and not a destination.