I’ve mentioned before that this is why I don’t consider myself a hardcore activist. I’m not cut out for it. I can say with reasonable certainty that being on the front lines of this kind of stuff would turn me suicidal.

Do you seriously think the assholes are going to leave you alone until you cross some line?

Wherever you are, that’s the front lines.

Give back as good as you get or better and don’t let injustice and hate stand unchallenged. When you get tired (we all do — we’re alive (unlike some), call your friends and admirers in on the case.

I’m an admirer who wouldn’t presume to call myself a friend, but I know how to throw a brick at the right (meaning wrong) target. Just ask whenever somebody deserves a brick. IMHO asking for help is an incredibly strong thing to do. Because it wins.

And Melissa, funny you should say that about tangling w/ blog commenters… because in my resignation email that I wrote to the DLS lead blogger, I mentioned your gig at Valleywag as an example of someone who keeps on keepin’ on even in the face of tons of bullshit comments.

<being way too tired from marching around Berkeley all day to come up with something more original and recognizing that even if he weren’t, he probably couldn’t say it better than Ms. Gira anyway.>

From Russia with Oil,
-Alex

P.S.: I feel obliged to thank you for a brilliant specimen i found in those comments for my collection.