Roller coaster

By GottaLaff

This morning, my Television Machine was on with the sound muted as I listened to a wonderfully gleeful post-election Stephanie Miller on the radio. As I laughed and gloated along with her, something happened.

I experienced an abrupt and profound change of emotion. Why? Glancing up at the TV screen, I noticed our soon-to-be-ex veep Dick Cheney "paying tribute" to our veterans. A gut-level switch was flipped, and tears welled up.

It was difficult enough to deal with the deaths of the brave men and women who gave their lives for their country, but this particular visual was jarring. As I took in the chilling image of this thug-- one of many who were savagely responsible for the deaths of so many soldiers and civilians-- acting as if he cared, I was struck like never before by the hypocrisy.

And then, just as abruptly, it hit me that we had just elected the anti-Iraq War, pro-Constitution candidate into office, and was overwhelmed by a torrent of conflicting emotions.

It was a fast-forward of sensations: Sorrow, then indignance, then resentment, then rage, then realization, then relief, then gratitude, then pride. All within about a minute.

I'm still not over it. Did any of you experience something similar?