Yesterday a widely read diary by Dreaming of Better Days shared an exchange she had with a fellow Kossack, who didn't understand a reference she made to being "done" in reference to the Debt Ceiling deal and the prospect of cuts to Medicare. The Kossack with whom she had the exchange assumed she was merely frustrated and urged her to fight on, in rather urgent terms. DoBD, however, was referring to a highly personal situation in which her very survival depended on the results of these negotiations. And, in doing so, she reminded all of us about the real stakes of politics. Politics isn't really about who's elected next time, it's about who lives and who dies.
DoBD got some unbelievably graceless and cruel responses from a few posters, including one remarkably callous accusation of "Quitter." But one poster today has outdone even that cruelty, accusing her among other things of "cancer gamesmanship." It is an intolerably sociopathic display.
We argue here all the time, and things often get personal. But some things should be beyond the pale, and one of the sweetest, kindest people ever to grace this community should not be subjected to such bullying. Please review the comment I've highlighted and give that commenter your feedback. Maybe the administrators will notice.
