Chin Up, Shoulders Back, Aim for the Throat

Modified slightly from the discussion here.

This is my country and the regressive yahoos can take it from me when they pry it, etc. Especially since they don't have a clue what to do with it except strip it of every unique thing it's accomplished.

I'm not calling for optimism out of naivety. I know what the problems are. I know how bad our situation is. I also know the country is not going to stay the same. Countries never do. My choices are to give up on it and watch it move in the wrong direction, steered there by the underlying issues that have gotten us where we are, knowing I gave up, or to work to fix those problems and push the country in the direction I want it to go.

That's it. No more choices.

Despair is a luxury we can't afford right now. I know it's been a long time since it's appeared that there was anything to look forward to. I know you may be tired and dispirited. I'd buy you a beer and let you cry in it if I could.

But then I would remind you that there is work to be done. While we've been pushing for a long time, for the first time in almost that long, there are signs that the pushing can get something moving.

How long has it been since you've seen a majority of the electorate turn up its noses at negative advertising? How long has it been since most of the people you know don't automatically associate free-market capitalism with prosperity and an aggressive military strategy with security? How long has it been since you've seen someone turn to a wonk who speaks in multisyllables for reassurance? How long has it been since you've seen people perk up at a call to their own responsibility?

We have an opportunity that I haven't seen in my lifetime, but it won't do us any good if we collapse at the critical point. There's still fight left in the idiots who got us to this place. We have to find the fight in ourselves to keep them from winning.

Or, in the immortal words of Booger, "Buck up, little camper. We'll beat that slope together."