Depresso. Everywhere I look . . .

[maddog]

I'm feeling anxious and depressed. A couple of days ago I got the mail, including some of Charlie's forwarded mail. He was a veteran, and his "American Legion" magazine was in the pile. It included an article about how the American Legion has got to stand up for the Boy Scouts and reclaim "traditional morals." Then yesterday the "Nation" had an article about how, without directly attacking the constitutionality or not of Roe v. Wade, Mississippi has managed to hedge around abortion with so many restrictions and regulations that it has effectively become unavailable in that state. I couldn't even stand to watch Chimpy McSmirk's Lies of the Union address, esp. the Big Fat Social Security lie. Then I read about how the Republicans are trying to co-opt all the churches, such as Black churches or Latino congregations, to get them riled up about gay marriage, so that all the religionists will stick together to prevent two people who love each other from providing each other with support and security (and remember to vote Republican!). And then today there was the funeral service for a co-worker's son: he's 18 y.o. A few days ago, while riding his bike, he accidentally swerved into the traffic lane and was struck by a car. He suffered a massive brain injury. They tried a lot of things to relieve the pressure on his brain, but things did not go well, and he was declared brain dead. The family allowed several of his organs to be transplanted to help other patients. Cathy (my co-worker) is a member of a fundamentalist church. Today, rather than trying to remember Shawn and his life, and to give comfort to the family, the pastor instead gave comfort to no one, saying that we are all dust, our lives are meaningless and worth nothing, and that's why you have to come to Jesus. Feel free to use this occasion to come up and convert now!

I feel assaulted at every single turn. I am bummed. Seriously, seriously bummed.
#256

[Petra]

Fuck!


I'm so sorry you are going through this, maddog. I wish I could help...:(


:badday:

[Ex-zombie]

I wish I knew something to say that would help. I suck at comforting people.

I do think it is disgusting when clergy use the death of a loved one to try to convert people. :glare:

[Crumb]

One thing after another...always the worst. You have my sympathy, for what it is worth. :comfort:

[livius drusus]

I'm so sorry, maddog. All I can say is the pendulum keeps swinging. Just hold on tight. :badday:

[viscousmemories]

I'm sorry too, maddog. Just remember there are better days. :hug:

[Roland98]

I completely understand. That was me in November. A few weeks before the election, a friend of mine was found dead of a drug overdose after going missing for several days. He was the most hippie person you'd ever meet--free spirit, free love, rage against the machine, etc. One of my only RL friends who was open about his lack of belief. So at his funeral, I kinda wondered what was going on when they started in with the horrible Christian rock over the sound system....which turned into a complete fundyfest saying how glad his parents are that Josh is being held safe in the arms of Jesus, AMEN BROTHER! I was physically sick to my stomach--I can't remember my jaw literally dropping like that before. Our group of friends had our own service for him after the service, remembering how he really was like, rather than leaving it with the tragedy of a funeral that his parents threw.

Fuck. This has my blood boiling again.

Anyway, election rolls around and I about lost it with Bush's victory, and all the smug fundies cheering about how they can "take back America" with "god's president", yada yada yada. Nauseating. I actually stayed home from work for 2 days. I'm still not convinced the pendulum will swing back, but I'm *slightly* less bitter than I was in November. Hope things will look up for you soon. :hug:

[Godless Dave]

Sometimes it seems to me that roughly 80% of humanity are selfish unthinking apes driven by primitive emotions who would just as soon kick you in the groin as look at you. Those are my good days. Other days I think it's more like 97%.

[JoeP]

maddog. :sadcheer: Sorry

[Shaguar]

Maddog, not much to say really except these things do always seem to come one after the other, you will get people trying to help by spouting "Darkest just before the dawn etc" no one can really appreciate how YOU feel about all this but at least you have the knowledge that there are some people ou there in cyberspace who care about how it affects you, nothing to do but get through it best you can.

[Lauri D]

I have nothing to offer but big bear hugs, so there you have it. I'm so sorry, maddog... I wish that I had something more for you.

Much love and many bear hugs ~

L

[beyelzu]

what coas said.

but in a manly way.

shit, maddog, I know what you are feeling. I feel it quite often.

I have no words of cheer. but I am sorry that your shit's fucked up.


:sadcheer: :sadcheer:

[Dingfod]

That same sort of proselytizing happened at my brother-in-law's dad's funeral. He was a completely non-religious man, nobody could even remember if he ever went to church in his life. Despite that, someone who didn't even know him, his daughter's minister from Shawnee, a town 150 miles away, gave not a eulogy, but a sermon that sounded more like an evangelist's call to conversion than anything. It was repulsive to me, but I supposed somehow comforting to the believers in the chapel.

[HelenM]

hi maddog, I expect you're still grieving and that's part of why everything seems depressing at present. Perhaps it would be anyway, but I imagine the grieving makes it worse.

Helen

[freemonkey]

{{{maddog}}} I'm sorry you're having such a hard time lately. I agree that these things usually seem to happen in bunches, and often when we're at our lowest. I hope you begin to feel better soon. :huggle: