Spacebawl One.

I'm starting this weblog to avoid annoying the crap out of my few friends who are tired of all the political posts in my LiveJournal. LOL. I originally created a blog over a year ago, called Generation Unknown, with the intention of examining society from the point of view of a generation straddler - technically a baby boomer (born 1964), but definitely of the Gen X mindset - hence the blog's name. After some time, however, I really couldn't come up with anything worthwhile to say on the subject, and it didn't interest me nearly as much as I thought it would.

In the meantime, I became increasingly involved in politics. So I've resurrected this blog to focus on my political activities, concerns, rants, candidates and organizations I support, blogs I read, and suggestions for how my family and friends can get informed and get involved, if they so desire. And since I just discovered there's a musical group called "Generation Unknown," I decided to change my blog's name to avoid confusion. I picked "Spacebawl" because I live near the Space Coast and I complain a lot. ;-)

This is a partisan blog. I'm a registered Democrat and proud of it. In fact, I consider myself a Libertarian Democrat, as Markos Moulitsas-Zuniga of Daily Kos explained so well. I'm a liberal and progressive who, while fully cognizant of and horrified by this Republican Administration's attempts to force this country into a 21st century Dark Ages, has also been energized and made hopeful by the grassroots and netroots activism that's going on around us every day with little fanfare and a surprising amount of success. I want to work toward making America and the world a better place for every living thing on it. We all deserve better than what the neocon lunatics currently in power are doing to us.

My posts here will often be angry, usually preachy, sometimes insulting, frequently disgusted, on rare occasions humorous (the latter primarily because I don't have much of a sense of humor.) But they will never be hopeless. They are intended to get people to do something, anything, even if it seems like a waste of time. I will suggest you donate money to politicians, organizations, or causes. I will tell you what books to read and who you should vote for. Be offended if you want, tell me I'm full of shit. But for [Deity's] sake, do something. Don't like my causes? Research and support ones you DO like. Prefer a candidate or politician I hate? Tell me why. Just try to do it in a reasonably coherent manner, with some evidence and facts to back you up. Am I lacking evidence and facts? Call me out. We can all only benefit from the knowledge gained.

Some would say (and have said) I'm wasting my time on a lost cause. To those I say, either fight to save your country or get the hell out of our way. Pack your bags and toddle off to the airport, when your one-way ticket to any place you think is better than the U.S. is waiting. But do us all a favor - when we reset the U.S. on the correct path, when America is once again the shining beacon and land of hope it once was and is respected and admired by people the world over, don't bother coming back. You bailed when we needed you most.

copyright 10/01/06