Please allow me a brief moment...
I want to thank the DU community for this web site. I love it. I don't think are many days that go by that I miss getting online to check out the forum disscussion. It gives me a chance to see what others are thinking, helps me refine my arguments with the conservative community around me and it provides an opportunity for me to let off steam.
I have always felt that politics is vitally important. So much of my life from birth on out has been defined by p
I was born in Germany to a mom who had to have her leg amputated during the 7th month of her pregnancy in order to save my life. This was result of Hitler's policies regarding the evacuation of children from major cities during the war.
After meeting who was to become my adopted father, (a US service combat veteran) we emigrated to the United States and I learned to speak English and at 14 passed the citizenship test. At 7 my father died as a result of wounds sustained in Vietnam in 1961.
I grew up in America during that time that the civil rights movement was taking form, the Great Society was being implemented and I cut my teeth at the very first of my demonstrations against the Vietnam War and against Nixon and Watergate.
I have seen how democracy and involvement in it can work for the betterment of society. I was blest to be able to run for US Congress in 1990 against an entrenched conservative war favoring incumbant. While not winning we were able to set the "tone" of the district to the left and also forced the congressman to vote against military aid to the SOA in Ft. Benning.
I guess it is hard for me not to be a liberal. So much of what government CAN do for it's people theese days is missing, because of a misplaced set of values and because of apethy and fear.
I feel that this forum is so valuable in giving voice to peoples frustrations, affirming peoples projects and inspiring future work towards peace and justice.
Sorry for the long post...but I am grateful for the venue-Peace-Michael S. Collier-Tacoma, Washington