Trying to Make a Difference

My posts are rarely of a purely political nature. Mainly because the political landscape today is full of hydra-headed monsters. Contemplating for too long the disaster that confronts us these days gives me heart palpitations and a strange roaring white noise in my ears. Once I was able to regard politics fairly dispassionately. Now I'm full of hatred for the right-wing extremists. I find those feelings extremely uncomfortable for two reasons: 1.) I can't do much to make them stop, and 2.) hatred is foreign to my nature.

So when I write a post I prefer to focus on something less painful. To take a break from the constant need to fight back.

In my daily life I take a break through quilting. I'm sure I've written about Blankets for America on the BBB. It's our Dean Corps group...yet another positive result of the wonderful "Dean Ripple Effect".

To date we've made and distributed 771 quilts and blankets to shelters, hospitals and pantries. We've sent blankets to Katrina survivors, hospitals in New York and Florida, Ohio and South Dakota. We've sent blankets to shelters in Pennsylvania and the state of Washington. I know we've sent them to other states I can't recall just now. Too bad, cause now I've interrupted the flow and can't yell, "Yeeeaaarrrrghhhh!".

I can't tell if I'm making a difference politically. I worked as hard as I could for the Reform Ohio Now issues, but they still failed. But when I take a stack of quilts to the shelter workers I know I make a difference. I know that I supplied what they needed, and that people will be helped because of my actions. It helps keep me sane. (Sort of)

Not that I won't continue to fight politically. I can't remember the source, but my quote to live by politically is: "We will fight them until Hell freezes over, sir. And then we will fight them on the ice."

Susan D.

Alternative Link