You don't get rid of me that easily

I've hung on to the hope provided by Wesley Clark for so long, it's gonna take more than re-arranging the way the blog functions to shake me off. You don't get rid of me that easily.

Sorry guys, I know saying this puts me in conflict with so many of you who I think of as dear friends, so many of you who treated me with amazing hospitality on my recent trip and so many who I know are genuinely aggrieved by the changes, but I have to say it:

I'm just grateful we have a blog and a General who wants us to stick with him.

And if we have to rethink how we operate to keep that privilege, then so be it. I'm up for the challenge.

Watching the anger and bitterness take hold here today made me go digging back through my old blog looking for stuff I posted after General Clark pulled out of the race for the Dem nomination. And I found this:

After the Tears

I've avoided posting for the past few days. In fact, there's part of me that condemns myself as a sad loser for inevitably drifting back to this blog each time I sit down at the computer. But here I am, again and with a long post (sorry!)

My excuse is each day I think: "I wonder if they've still got the CCN going, or if it's been taken down?" and that's how it starts....

If you'd told me then that in 19 months General Clark would still be active in politics and that, not only would we have a blog, but The General himself would post to it, I would've been ecstatic. OK, maybe it's not exactly the blog we had back then, but adjusting how we communicate with each other is a small price to pay for the possibility of this going on.

I should mention too that, at the time I wrote the above post, I'd hardly ever been to a General Discussion thread. I had come to feel part of the Clark Community without really being a GD'er. At the old Generally Speaking blog I'd been part of the rolling conversation, but in the heat of the campaign I found General Discussion too busy to keep up with. So I read other people's blogs, and posted to my own. The few times I checked out GD I felt like I didn't really know the characters and they all seemed to be friends with each other having chummy conversations, so I didn't feel inclined to jump in.

As the number of bloggers dropped off after General Clark's exit from the primaries, I eventually drifted into General Discussion because it was the last little outpost of the blog that was active. And it's been brilliant. I've made friends there and love you all dearly but I also know I'm not an easily intimidated person and will push my way in if I have to. Others don't and won't and haven't.

And please believe me General discussion isn't the only way to create community.

Last October I had dinner in sydney with Francok, a old Clark blogger from Italy, who never posted to General Discussion. He used to post to my blog, and had his own blog. We began exchanging emails and when he married and came to Australia on his honeymoon we had a wonderful get together.

Last August I started up a discussion about the Olympics on my personal blog through which I got to know Barb (StvyY19). she'd been lurking a long time but hardly ever joined in the free for all of General Discussion. We've since become so close I stayed at her home on my recent trip. There is community and bonding that happens away from GD.

Besides, how long since someone new came along and joined our GD community? I know there were new bloggers occasionally at the old CCN but most of them posted to personal blogs.

Whether trying to actively discourage the General Discussion focus is the best way to make the blog better serve the purpose General Clark envisages, I don't know for sure. I'm quite willing to believe that it could be done other ways, that it could've been handled better, that improvements are desperately needed and that those of you who are upset have good reason to be upset.

But I'm also quite willing to believe what we're being asked to do could work out for the best.

How can we say it's impossible before we've even tried what General Clark has asked us to do?

It won't destroy our community unless we keep telling each other that it will.

I would toast you with a scotch!

"It's time to protect our nation and take it forward. No party can do it better." - Gen. Wes Clark to Arkansas Democrats, 8/13/05

and to support Wes in any way we can.

Not speaking to you, Phoebe, one who is the soul of descretion and modesty.

But my general question is why does discussing an issue call into play our gratitude? Or our loyalty? Or or team spirit? Or or sense of respect?

Spirited discussion should be the foundation of any communication and it should be devoid of personal attacks. Those who love the GD should not be shredded for passionately advocating keeping it. Those who could care less should not attack those who are passionate in their advocacy. Those who would like the GD but are willing to accept the challenge of not having one should be free to express their opinion.

So I believe that loosing the GD will rob us of a valuable tool in supporting Wes Clark and establishing a community in this blog. I believe that firmly. It is obvious that John and Larry and Brent feel that the GD hampers the focus on blogs. Frankly, I believe that was the case on the old blog. Some people used the blogs in the way envisioned by the staff at WesPAC, but most did not.

In the old blog you entered directly to the GD, so that was a given. But now we enter into the posts by Wes, the staff, and others selected with other blogs shown in the right column. This completely changes the complexion of the blog and ensures that people will use their blogs and post to other blogs more frequently.

However, having a link to JustTalking (Cafe/Lounge/Coffee Shop/whatever) is completely different from the old CCN where one entered directly to into the GD and had to go to individual blogs via clicking on peoples names. The configuration is completely different and focuses on the main home blogs by Wes, the staff, and selected other great posts (as well as perhaps in the future guest posters like Eric and Hackett). And the individual blogs are easy to skim over and access. This has increased the number of blog posts. I used to use my blog on the old CCN as a kind of archive, but now I use it to post what I see as a new topical thread.

In the current configuration I believe strongly that a link to a general discussion area would just be one more option among the many blogs in the left column. In this configuration the general discussion would be more limited than before, used more like the way some of the posters used their blogs. The GD (by whatever name) would just be another "room" to go to and those who feel in the mood can go there as a casual gathering place where the posts are more personal, the information shorter with links to blogs (promoting our blogs), heads up to go vote on online polls, support the general in some argument on another blog, refer to news items that are not worth putting up a special blog for, and the like.

I support the goal of WesPAC, I just don't believe that this kind of GD would distract from the new focus. I really do not. I understand the desire to develop a concept for the blog to expand the community, to make it more informative and varied, but I just cannot believe our little compromise would interfer with that - especially considering the level of respect for the General's wishes and how we know his thinking is based on long range vision.

But sometimes I like to go have a cup of coffee or tea (or sometimes a good stiff one) with my Clarkie friends. In fact, I like to do it every day. That is not everyone's cup of tea (no pun intended), but why take away our communal gathering place that also functions as a hub, and could do moreso now that we have our marching orders, to send us off to other blogs.

As a P.S., kos has a special diary page for finding diaries. Perhaps the more item on the blog list could take us to a full blog content page.

But give us a cofffee shop, please.

Noel Schutz

Can I hire you as my spokesman?
That's exactly how I feel.

My husband on the other hand thinks we are all hilarious and a bunch of drama queens. He thinks Wes should pull the plug on the whole damn lot of us!
He's so mean.

the "welcome" splash on the "community" page..

"Welcome back, Cathy Lee B. Show your support for Wesley Clark's WesPAC by participating in discussions, contributing stories to your blog, and making your voice heard. It's not just democratic -- it's democracy the way our founding fathers and mothers intended. "

Damn. You mean we did all this for nothing?! Oh well. Turn forclark.com back on larry. It didn't work. The Aussie ain't leavin.

I had been off the blog for days until I stumbled in last night hoping to quickly catch up on Wes, events, and my favorite bloggers. Reading through the posts was a shock to say the least. It pains me to see some of my favorite people in the world at loggerheads with each other . So, I refuse to join either side and went to Westcott's to crash. (Thanks, Westcott!) Now, with a little sleep and a fresh cup o joe, here is my two cents....

I realize I have been out of the military 11 years now, and the military analogies don't settle well with many, but here it goes...

In my experience, no commander worth his/her salt will take away the troops' breakroom -- a place to BS, brainstorm, clear the air. In fact, he will avoid the place at all costs. It is for the troops and he knows this. By the same token, the commander needs the troops to participate in the larger world to complete the mission. Gotta get the work done. This is what I read in Wes's post. I didn't read where is going to shut down the barracks, he just wants us to come out and play in the big world more often. We can dissect exact wording all day, but I believe that is his intent.

In my former life, the commander provided the training, the equipment, the operating rules and the mission. I may have not liked the equipment or rules and re-worked them as I saw fit, without breaking either, and got the mission done. We have amazing tools. We have people willing to re-work them for us. We have some overall guidance. We have a noble mission. Let's go to work!

Flame away.

"In too many areas we have spawned 'leadership' that does not lead, that panders to our whims rather than telling us the truth, that follows the crowd rather than challenging us, that weakens us rather than strengthening us." - Sen. Paul Simon

I think it's a good analogy Ben. Thanks!

Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest places if you look at it right.
--Hunter/Garcia

You've articulated my thoughts better than I've done myself!! There is no one I know in my everyday world who shares my passion for politics and the state of our nation. So this community has become so very important to me. And I am so very grateful for it. And the the sterling soldier who has provided this outlet and meeting place for us. And for the COMMON GOOD!

Leadership means lifting people up. --Wes Clark

I'm a relatively new member and I don't have time to participate too much so I've been hesitant to say anything in the discussions that are going on here. However, you've expressed very well how I feel. It's sad to see so much turmoil and I hope that we'll all be able to come together again as a community and be a great support for General Clark in what he chooses to do.

Don't we owe it to ourselves to be all that we can be as a people of faith? To reach out and offer hope and opportunity to the least among us? - Wes Clark