If you are frustrated, dismayed, angry, on "overload"...

[CornField]

If you don't think you can stomach one more inch of the road being placed before this nation by the neo-conseratives, then take half the time you typically spend posting/reading, and volunteer in your community.

Contact your local Democratic Party -- join the Central Committee, County Committee, District Committee -- and hand the Chair a sheet of paper listing what you've done in the past, what talents you bring to the table, and what you want to do.

Identify seats within your own community which are now being warmed by neo-conservative butts and diminish their comfort level.

Learn about local candidates so that you can be knowledgeable when describing them and their proposed policies to the public.

Volunteer in various aspects in your community... and don't just limit yourselves to overt progressive ones. Search out organizations doing something you can believe in and won't mind giving your best to. (school library drives, Kiwanis, Optimists, city government boards/commissions, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, your local PTO, gardening in local parks, et al) People within our communities need to see strong progressive individuals out there doing more than bad-mouthing Bush and trying to make the world a better place.

Organize an event which would benefit the residents of your community or enhance their life/mind. Ask your local ministerial alliance to host a "Month of Religious Discussion" in which leaders of each religious community you can locate are given opportunities to speak and residents are given opportunities to ask questions. (The one I'm working on now is "Liberty and Justice for All" -- a series of discussion forums focused on civil rights.)

If you are an artist, see if your local library would allow an art appreciation month or week and allow yourself and other local artist to display work. (Let your creative juices intermingle with your political frustrations and see what comes of it.)

If you are a writer, offer to do a column in your local newspaper -- or, better yet, volunteer to cover a certain political meetings for the paper.

If you are a photographer, take photos of local/area events and happenings. Give those to the newspaper along with brief cutline information.

If you are a person with means, search until you locate a candidate who could use your cash to further his/her campaign. (If you're looking at Iowa, I'd suggest 2nd District US Congressional candidate Dave Loebsack )

The point isn't really what you do. The point is that you do.

[intheflow]

1. K&R'd.

Because a post like this shouldn't have 7 recommendations on the GP and still sink like a stone in GD. :kick:

[barbtries]

6. excellent idea

i give victim impact classes to juvenile offenders at the CA youth authority - it's a way to feel as if i'm doing something, it honors the memory of my daughter and helps me in my grief recovery efforts, and it gets me away from DU and the "flooding" engendered by all this bad news. and maybe, just maybe, one young criminal will make a better choice for his future.

[CornField]

7. That must be both difficult and rewarding

Kudos to you for tackling a difficult problem. :hug: for you too. Losing a child is perhaps the worst thing that can ever happen.

[atomic-fly]

2. Good idea

I've been kind of overloaded with all of this info lately.
It get's unhealthy at some point.

If you are an artist, see if your local library would allow an art appreciation month or week and allow yourself and other local artist to display work. (Let your creative juices intermingle with your political frustrations and see what comes of it.)

Here is a small work I did on Nigerian yellowcake. Maybe I need to do some more.

[CornField]

4. I really like that

Is it done in oils?

[atomic-fly]

5. mixed media

Paint Nail-polish Artboard Crayon (PNAC)
but the paint is oil, I added the other materials
to make the acromyn work.
I was so pissed that they used forged intel to
scare the vote for war.
it's titled *icing yellowcake*

i normally do landscapes and such.

[Lolivia]

3. K&R n/t

[IronLionZion]

8. K+R because this needs to be read

I agree, we need to do stuff other than bash *

[Just Me]

9. Thank you. The ONLY way I can deal with my "perpetually pissed",...

,...mode is by doing, doing, doing. I am not free to do nearly as much as I would like but I am still being active and that keeps me going.

BE ACTIVE,...not reactive or inactive. STAY FOCUSED on your purpose.

:hug:

[CornField]

10. I'm the same way

If I don't keep doing something... anything... I'd go nuts.

[Wordie]

11. K&R

[IA_Seth]

12. Hallelujah...thanks for the inspiration. n/t