Thank you, ralps.

I posted what follows below elsewhere on DU. I want to put this here, because I just don't know what else to do with my emotions, and the worst that can happen is that a Mike Malloy post makes it higher up on DU:

Here's why, I'm angry. I actually remember the recent past. I lived this shit:

Senator Wellstone, his wife, daughter and crew die.

I attend a gathering, more like a wake or something, at a Union hall in Minneapolis, where Mr. and Mrs. Wellstone's kids walk through the crowds, shaking hands, many of us in tears, myself included. I shook Al Franken's hand when he passed by.

The Wellstone memorial happens, where one of the Wellstone sons speaks, eloquently. I don't know how he did so soon after losing so much. The crowd was hopeful, it seemed to me as I watched from home, unity in a time when so much was going wrong with the Bush junta.

Then, the republicans put a spin on the service and somehow used it against democrats, weeks before Coleman took the seat from Wellstone/Mondale. God that was sick.

I will yada yada over the turmoil of the Bush junta with the fact that John Ashcroft sang "Let the Eagle Soar", there was a war, yada yada.

Eventally, Franken ran for the seat, in 2008? The recount on that election went on for months. I was pretty cynical at that point, after they stole Florida from Gore, and nobody fought for the votes to be counted. And nobody seemed to fight back against that pissant Bush II.

But Franken stuck it out, fought for it, and it was just like God Damn, maybe fighting back does work. I think one of his first votes was kind of key on the ACA.

And then, I caught my breath during 8 years of Obama. I still think I needed to heal from PTSD after the Bush junta crap.

Then the Russians and the republicans (they are the same thing at this point) have ANOTHER coup 2016. And McConnel jacks a supreme court seat, because he had to have known the russian/republican traitors were gonna steal it.

Now WTF am I suppose to do? I enjoyed Al's questioning of Betsy DeVos, and he got Jeff Session, and he got the Mueller probe.

A year or so goes by. Then the ratfucking with the USO tour and allegations. The media doesn't figure it out. Regular people researching it do. Hey, it's very likely he was set up.

Then, instead of taking time to do an investigation, the DEMOCRATS force him out. Without even considering, that perhaps, the Russians meddling has not just stopped, because well why would it? The republicans have been masters of dirty tricks for a long time (see Wellstone memorial service above, if you want a recent example).

And instead of letting an investigation play out, keeping Al's vote while it does, it's a quick rush to judgment, and the handing down of a SEVERE punishment that doesn't fit any crime he has not yet been convicted of. By my own party. And they're so stupid, getting rid of our best voice. Quick quick quick.

And it robs me and the people of Minnesota our ability to judge for ourselves what's going on, of our chance to defend the guy who battled through a months long recount for us so every vote would count.

Now, the real sociopaths, the Russian mobsters, the filthy republicans will be flinging their dirt here. It's fucking exhausting.

And how do we even know that the vote won't be hacked again? What's been done to prevent it? Jesus wept.

ON EDIT: And Garrison Keillor was likely falsely accused as well. That went down about the same time. He spoke out/wrote out pretty early on during the Bush junta. When I was asking: won't anybody speak any truth? It was a tiny sliver of hope. It's not a coincidence. It was a hit job.

Check him out!