Arlo's letter & the Afghani wowman's letter are poinant & profound.
Thanks, as well for your explanation of your political beliefs, Dave. If I took your "Pacifist joke" post too seriously, I apologize.
I am not a pacifist, but, I know there are many people who are, and hold their beliefs deeply, out of religious and/or moral conviction.
I believe people want a peaceful world, the debate, then, is how to achieve it...and what to do, with those who don't

"you might say I'm a dreamer. well, I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us,
and the world will live, as one"

Imagine, John

while i respect pacificts' and their right to their beliefs, i just been wondering what would have happened to that plane that crashed in PA if the plane had been full of them??

I enjoyed ADG's letter. It was very interesting & shows you how the people over there have suffered. He is a beautiful man.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cheryl Harrell:

I enjoyed ADG's letter. It was very interesting & shows you how the people over there have suffered. He is a beautiful man. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


It wasnt really an enjoyable letter, and Arlo didnt write it he posted it.

OK, where are these letters and explanations, exactly? I can't seem to locate them. Any directions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Dave, for three things:

(1) Thank you for sharing your personal views when you might have anticipated a chilly (or heated!) reception. Here's this "liberal's" response to your statement of conservatism:

For me, this time of crisis has caused the second really big time of self-examination in my life (the first being the mid to late sixties, the Vietnam war, and that re-emergence of feminism).

What I'm (slowly) gaining this time around is some understanding of tolerance and why it is necessary that I be more tolerant--even of "conservatives."

Being a Texas "liberal" (the term is widely viewd as an oxymoron) most of my life I've had a hard time seeing "conservatives" as good people. To me, they were the old men wearing white sheets while their feet were firmly planted on the backs of "their own women." My grandfather was one.

But this is not the Vietnam war or the Civil Rights Movement. It is an attack on the future of the people of this planet, on their hearts, minds, and souls. And I'm seeing that most people aren't conservative or liberal, no matter what they call themselves. Most of us are somewhere in the middle and trying to figure it all out--"it all" being how to have our basic needs met and live our lives in peace and freedom.

I'm learning that working for and wanting a life of peace and freedom for all may include advocating military action to preserve that. That's a hard lesson for me to accept.

I've read and re-read Arlo's Sept. 12 "Day of Prayer" posting. Every time I read it, it helps me in a different way, because opening your mind and growing are always very confusing.

Anyway, thanks Dave, for your guts and honesty.

(2) Another (shorter) thanks to Dave: Thank you for rearranging the message boards. Topical Tropical has been a good place to feel connected with others about the ongong crisis, but it did seem the site was veering away from being about Arlo--at least it was harder to sift through the unrelated stuff. Your solution preserves the Arloness of the site as well as our freedom to be silly and off-point.

(3) Thank you, Dave, for a well managed site. I'm not a Webmaster but I know it's a huge and complicated job that takes constant vigilance and attention to detail. How you do this, keep a "day job," and have a life is beyond understanding.

Peace AND freedom,

Ceashel

muffy...look for both posts under announcements on the main arlonet forums.

ceashel...that was nice, really nice.

Ceashell, I'd like to thank you, too. That post expresses a lot of my feelings, too. There are going to be lots of things that the lefter side of the big middle ground should work for now, but it also seems very important to do it without the extreme polarization that happened in the 60's if that's at all possible. I hope and pray that it is.

Thank you, as well, Ceashell, for your post, your clarity..."left-center-right" labels do kind of melt away, now...but, using vestigal thinking here....I'v always known there were "Texas liberals" though beyond Jim Hightower & Molly Ivins, I've never read one, before, thanks again....

ooops, Ceashell, a dear friend of mine, in Brooklyn, would yell at me for not mentioning her political idol, among Texas liberals, Barbara Jordan, I loved hearing her speak..

Bumper and Pat,

Thanks for the kind words. I have mostly been reading and not posting, kind of getting to know the room...I feel more confident about joining in now.

Bumper, you're right. Barbara Jordan was...well, the right words don't come. I had the great privilege of working near her for a little while. I was doing production in the publications office of the LBS School of Public Affairs in Austin. It was the late '70s when she left public life and joined their faculty. I only spoke with her very briefly a few times, but treasured just seeing her daily.

Getting way off topic...see you in another forum.

Ceashel

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by deb:

muffy...look for both posts under announcements on the main arlonet forums.

ceashel...that was nice, really nice. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the directions, Deb, and ... what you said. I'd like to second (or third or fourth or wherever we're at) that.