Date November 14, 2008 wrote:
A message from Helen & Harry
Today, Unknown News begins an extended break. There's no doubt the website will return in one form or another, but not as a news-link round-up. There are many sites that cover the news better than we ever have, or ever could.
I hope it hasn't been obvious, but we've been feeling a bit burned out for a year or so, ever since it finally sunk into our skulls that the Bush-Cheney administration is going to get away with everything -- thanks to the Democrats, the alleged "opposition party" of the past eight years, who've actually been the party of accommodation. Exactly one Democrat in Congress -- Dennis Kucinich, of course -- made a serious effort to hold the Bush-Cheney administration responsible for their flamboyantly obvious crimes against humanity, crimes against the Constitution, and crimes against statutory law. Beyond the Honorable Mr Kucinich, the rest of the Democratic Party never cared and in fact cooperated with the criminals, and by now we all know that there will be no justice for the dead, the damaged, and the doomed.
It's wonderful that Barack Obama won the election, and with a little luck I think he'll be a better leader than America's had in decades. But for all his fiery speeches and presumably good intentions, he's a middle-of-the-road moderate when America desperately needs to take a more progressive path. We wish him the best and we're glad he's not John McCain, but it's doubtful that Obama will make the u-turn America needs -- the poor will still be forgotten, the prisons will still be overstuffed and deadly cruel, the military will still be pointing guns all over the world, the planet will still be slowly strangled, and the corporations will still be in charge.
And we're just exhausted.
We've been rabble-rousers all our lives, and we're not done yet. We published political pamphlets for decades, and we've published Unknown News on-line for nine years or so, but now it's time for beer and reflection.
For the bottoms of our weary hearts, sincere and teary-eyed thanks to all our friends and supporters, news-hounds, writers, linkers, thinkers, off-the-record emailers, and other good people who've worked with us all these years. To us, it's been a battle to defend America, and I'm not sure we've won ... but we've tried.
Peace on earth,
Helen & Harry
It is with mixed emotions I read this because I feel many of the same things. The glimmer that is Obama seems like a candle in the wind when I hear the serious consideration of keeping Gates as Secretary of Defense or Hillary as Secretary of State. I will sorely miss Helen and Henry. I wish them total recuperation and success in whatever they attempt in future.
