When I think of essential writers/thinkers/citizen analysts, I have quite a few favorites, many here on Kos, many on their own blogs or sites.
But there's only one writer that I turn to every day, regardless of what is going on in my life, how busy or distracted I am: Steve Gilliard
Let me tell you a bit about why, below the fold.
See, I was completely apathetic about politics, which is especially shameful for an AfricanAmerican/Cherokee woman. Our history says that hard as it can be, we can make changes through the system and, when needed, change the system. My parents, staunch Democrats, voted (I remember the sound and feeling of the gym with the tinny mechanical muffled sound of the levers, sometimes loud laughter...and holding my Mom's hand as we left the booth.) But after I became an adult, I didn't bother. I just figured: "People in politics are too weird and power-mad, and the system kind of balances on its own and I don't have time to learn enough to vote well, bla, etc..."
Then came george. I felt such outrage that he was even in the place I started to think of as 'the people's house', with me being one of the people! Growing awareness of his nasty faux 'governance', fueled, in part by the blessed and much missed Sister Molly Ivins and so many others who told the truth and made it very clear.
I don't have the world's best memory - but I think I found Howard Dean and Kos around the same time - and Gilly's writing not much later. And I was hooked, hard, on the possibility of serious change for the better in America - that I could actually help make it happen! Wore the orange hat in Iowa - and have it still, in honor of the incredible experience it was. Met people who have become my 'found' family. Ran for local office. And through it all, reading Gilly: on Iraq, on the military, on politics, on journalism, on race, on New York politics and the slime mold that is Guiliani: the only reason I'm not linking to specific posts is that there are so many - he has been so consistently good, I suggest you head over to the site and search on any of those things. (and he does lots of food and soccer and baseball posts, too)
The thing about Gilly's writing is that it's a catalyst. For thought and for action. The depth of his knowledge, of his outrage and of his cool assessments of where we are now in politics and the roots of the situation have been, as I said, essential to my ability to understand what's going on and figure out what I can do about it. And, like Howard Dean, Gilly is prescient. Now, of course, I knew Iraq was wrong because...it felt like common sense. But you can search back in Gilly's posts from before the invasion and find him predicting, almost to the event, what would happen if we invaded Iraq - and continuing to do so.
And he's a fighter, who helps me understand how to fight more effectively, to see the big picture, and hold in mind the effect of politics on real people - and make it better.
Now, I haven't talked about his co-writer and dear friend Jen, who rocks in a different way and who has been an example of the kind of person you want to help you get through something like this. Besides taking care of Gilly's situation where she can, she's going through her own challenges, so please point those best wishes in her direction - but I'm pretty sure she'd agree that Gilly is in need of every healing light in the blogosphere and beyond...and now.
And now I'll come to the NewsBlog community. And just say: when you can get combat vets, people of many ethnicities, a good balance of women and men, serious lefty folks with much more conservative-ly minded ones, writers, entrepreneurs, expats like myself as well as folks who live in the States...it's quite a remarkable and remarkably consistent crew - and community members as well as people who don't normally comment, well known folks from firedoglake and many other places, have stepped up with great writing to keep up the posting level, keep the homefires burning till Steve is back with us. And Jim in La, who, is the blog tech backbone while all of this goes on...it's as moving an instance of the beloved community as I've seen.
So, now I'll come to the reason for this post, typed out as the cold Tokyo morning dawns, and the work I need to do flashes urgently on my screen: Gilly is out of the bypass operation (yeah, those words make my heart skip a beat, too), but still in ICU, and still sedated, and still not out of the woods. The situation is updated here
- Please head over to THE NEWS BLOG and post your best wishes, and keep him in your prayers, if you do that, and in thoughts of light and strength, if you don't. Our beloved Doc Wendel, a combat paramedic, says that healing thoughts help, and I believe him.
- Check out the archives, and the guest posters: if you can help with a donation, the button is on the right sidebar.
- Let the blogosphere know that one of our own is fighting a hard fight and needs those best wishes...stat!
I want to say thank you to the Kossaks and lakepups who've already talked about the situation - I didn't see anything since this latest news, my apologies if I missed it.
dave1021
BOHICA
Pastor Dan
and over at firedoglake, Pachacutec
Thank you.