What YearlyKos '07 was really about
By: beachmom
Published On: 8/7/2007 10:15:09 AM
As I rushed to my gate at Chicago O'Hare to fly back home to Virginia Beach, I was pondering what my weekend at the YearlyKos convention had really been about. I had met a lot of great people, went to presentations about issues as far reaching as science, global warming, and net neutrality to the war in Iraq, military issues, and the Middle East. I felt the weight of history to be able to witness a debate between the Democratic presidential candidates, and all the spectacle that went with it. I also learned about grassroots organizations which were trying to change the world around us. But I was having trouble putting it all together. What happened next cleared up my confusion.
My flight had been delayed, and after asking several people around me, I found two men who were also on my flight to find out what the problem was. After we concluded that it was the weather, and there was nothing we could do about it, we settled into some small talk that soon grew larger very fast. I asked them whether they were going to Norfolk, Virginia on business, and they immediately exchanged looks. "Well", said the one man in a baseball cap, "you could say that." He then told me they were reservists from Tacoma, Washington and they were going to train at the Norfolk base before going to the Middle East. After all the talk at the convention about Iraq and Middle Eastern policy and hearing stories from vets about PTSD, not enough body armor, and how the Bush administration had undermined their efforts to help the Iraqis, I still was momentarily stunned to be facing these gentlemen who would soon be Over There. I said what all Americans would say confronted with this knowledge: "Thank you for serving our country." And I thanked them silently for reminding me why I first signed onto a blog in the first place.
In Markos's keynote address Saturday night, he spoke about how bad things were in 2002 and early 2003. How dissent had been stifled and the voices who did not want this war were silenced from mainstream outlets. But with the rise of technology on the web (better known as the Web 2.0), there was a vehicle where Americans could individually be heard without any filter. I first logged onto Daily Kos in October 2004 and many other blogs afterward, and the world as I see it hasn't been the same since. Through the blogs, progressives throughout the country were able to re-assert their case for why the path George Bush and his Republican Congress was taking us down was toward disaster. As Markos could not resist saying, the bloggers were right, and the establishment was wrong. But if blogs were just about reading or posting on a website, we would all be typing in obscurity to this day. And I'm not talking about just online fundraising. It was the blogs that inspired me to volunteer locally in Virginia Beach, and do my small part in getting Jim Webb elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. It was blogs across the country which gave us candidates like Jon Tester, Joe Sestak, and Patrick Murphy who were swept into Congress giving us a majority in both Houses.
Our work has only begun, of course. Despite winning in 2006, men and women are going Over There in record numbers, worse than 2005. Our government is continuing to pursue a policy certain to fail and more of our troops are going to die. But we met in Chicago anyway. We met up because we actually do believe in American democracy, in the U.S. Constitution, and in righting the wrongs through democratic means. And that is the real miracle of this country.
As I walked toward baggage claim, I saw one of our brave fighting men walk down to get his Army duffel bag, bags that I noticed outnumbered suitcases on my flight. He had his game face on now, having met up with others in his unit before they get bused over to the base. I wanted to tell him to come home safely, but there was no time to do so. Instead, I am sharing this story with you, sharing their story to bring meaning to what we did this past weekend, and why we're going to keep fighting until our heroes come home.
Comments
Diary of the Month (The Grey Havens - 8/7/2007 1:01:41 PM)
best written
most topical
most impactful
Great work...
Absolutely fantastic
And what if Jim Webb had lost? (ub40fan - 8/7/2007 3:58:17 PM)
For Beachmom and Grey Havens ... two people I really admire, I pose the question above. Thinking back .... Election night wasn't very pretty ...
The backdrop of this blog hits home for me today, as my brother awaits transport from Camp Lejune to the Wild West (as they call it) of Anbar Province. He's happy to go as a skilled doctor since he knows he can make a real difference for my Marines.
The blogs will grow in strength because they can make a real difference ... not the least of which is by enabling people Grey Havens and Beachmom to channel their passions productively - constructively ... absolutely positively.
Great blog mom ... I agee with GH.
Similar experience (Evan M - 8/7/2007 4:44:22 PM)
I first logged onto Daily Kos in 2004, and did my first volunteering for the local Democratic Committee last year, handing out Webb/Feder materials at a farmers market here in Leesburg.
I think there are a lot of us out here who discovered our voices and hands as a result of the blogosphere. Thanks for representing us at yKos.
Brave Fighting Men (connie - 8/7/2007 6:22:25 PM)
Thank you Beach Mom. Although I am a proponent of "Support the Troops, Bring Them Home", like everyone else I am deeply appreciative of our men and women in uniform. Whenever I pass a service man or woman in an airport or other public place, if we pass close enough to greet one another, I always look them straight in the eye and say a sincere "thank you" to them. They usually nod, knowingly, sometimes adding a "you're welcome". I don't need to explain what it the "thank you" means as they "get" it. It's a habit I'd encourage others to employ.
Thanks for your story (HerbE - 8/7/2007 8:16:37 PM)
I recently missed my plane back to DC as I stood and spoke for an hour with the parents of Marine Reservists from rural Iowa. We watched their children board their plane, knowing that they would be in Iran in 5 days. I then stood and chatted with these young parents of soldiers, and a soldier's young wife and baby; all were fighting back tears.
These Marines were terrific. They were keeping each others spirits up with jokes and antics. They had established a new family with their platoon, demonstrating to their parents and wives that they were in capable hands. Of course we wish them a safe return...and thank them for stepping up to the plate to serve in our military. I now have a face on this war and his name is Steve.