Greetings, MfA friends. Please allow me to introduce myself as I launch into my new MfA column, A Rush and a Push.

I'm Dana: dayjob corporate content hack by day, and imaginary girl by night. I write, I edit, and I see way too many indie-rock shows. I read, I surf the web, and I drink too much vodka. I listen to tons of CDs. I sing way too much karaoke. And I write a whole lot of emails.

But know what I've never really been? Interested in politics.

I've no head for international policy or global economics. I often find domestic policy issues convoluted and too multi-faceted to sort. And frankly, with so many other interests {see: writing, editing, vodka, above}, I've never dedicated much mental time or energy to political issues. Until now.

And I know I'm not alone in this sudden new wave of political involvement. Just call me Flock of Seagulls and buy me some legwarmers, because during this past election it was so easy to care about politics – because we were fighting EVIL: the worst sort of dangerous, manipulative, smirking, smarmy, insidious, privacy-stealing, women and gay hating, civil liberty denying, personal-privacy invading, bigoted, war mongering, drooling, prevaricating, stammering, moronic, manipulative, incoherent, pure goddamn evil. I found comfort in the simplicity of the battle. Forget agonizing over the nuances of liberal policies; it was clear as oil that we were {and sadly, still are} facing the forces of evil, and we needed to fight with all that we had.

And I did. We all did, in any way we knew how. We wrote, we volunteered, we protested, we donated, and we fought. And then we lost.

I don't think I need to tell all of you how devastating the night of November 2nd was. I wept — a lot. I'm still mourning today. I never thought I could care so much for the fate of our country, but I do.

I'm saddened for where we've gone, and I'm frightened for where we're heading. I’m concerned about the loss of basic liberties I see coming in the name of security and morality during a second Bush term. I'm terrified for the lives that will continue be lost in the unjust and un-winnable war we're fighting.

And you know what's made it harder still? Our lack of public voice. We've had no leader to rally the forces, or lament with the bereaved, or inspire us to keep on fighting. In the weeks since the disastrous election, haven't you been yearning for a public voice to address our collective loss? Where are our leaders? And where are the voices of protest?

Oh right – the media. I forgot. How could we possibly expect that our media would give voice to the 58 million of us who voted against GWB? And with the allegations of voter fraud pouring in, shouldn't we expect our media to pursue the "fair and balanced" truth?

Hrmph. I know I shouldn't be shocked, given that our media is so controlled by the media giants that own them that journalists behave more like angry used car salesmen than thoughtful, objective interpreters of events. But I am. As I've said before {and as you'll be reading from me again}, fuck our so-called free press.

But in writing this, my first column, I've realized that I'm angry at our media for not only for being a bunch of sycophantic nimrods, but for also neglecting to address the collective mourning of the nearly half of us voters. I'm pissed! Fuck those guys for validating Bush and company and their so-called mandate, without addressing that the millions of us who despise everything he represents.

So where does that leave us?

I was thrilled when MfA asked me to write this column, but I've been challenged in writing this first entry. It feels strange to come in as a pop-culture political correspondent now, to start a column that kicks off now, right when our fight has failed. Where to begin? I believe we all have to acknowledge the loss, publicly – and independently of the media, as we can seek no comfort there – and mourn a valiant fight, lost.

In short – does anyone need a hug? A cry? Or a punching bag?

What I need to know most of all is that all the energy and power we all placed into the fight for election 2004 still exists. I know it does, even if my MoveOn.org and Democratic party emails don't come as frequently. I know it does, even though the daily news headlines don't talk about it. I know it does, and I know organizations like Music for America are going to keep it alive.

Take comfort in this thought: we're all still here. And know it's clear who's right in this struggle, and it's the left. The good guys lost. The Death Star defeated the rebel alliance, these leaders were NOT the droids our country was looking for. And that sucks. If you're indignant, it's justified. But it doesn't negate our struggle in any way.

Because as with all battles against evil, our country is in a battle of morality, though not in the way the jackass so-called compassionate conservative Christians would have you believe. And the ways to win rely on your vigilance. We have much to learn before we can triumph, young Jedi.

Only our apathy ensures their success. The media exerts huge influence over public opinion – and for now, there's not much we can do to change the media {all in good time…}. But ultimately, it's our complacency that can kill us.

So yes – now is the time to act for GOOD. I know a lot of us did it leading up to election. I know losing totally sucked. But I also know it's up to us to keep fighting. Because good always triumphs over evil. We just have to work our asses off along the way to make it so.

Here are a few of my own personal New Year's Resolutions to fight the good fight for 2005:

• Let's beat them by laughing.
  {I mean, c'mon. This man is a clown. Okay, so he's a terrifying clown because he's the clown who's controlling the minds of millions of All-American morans, not to mention, plundering the world with his pro-war and anti-environmental/human rights policies. He's still a clown.}
• Let's listen to great music.
  {If Reagan taught us nothing, he taught us that bad politics makes for great music.}
• Let's spend a bit more wisely.
  {Shift your dollars away from companies that supported GWB in 2004, and toward companies that favored Democratic candidates. A few spending changes from a lot of people could make a huge impact in the 2006 and 2008 elections.}
• Let's read smarter news sources, and let's express our views a little too overtly.
  {You can't fight a battle until you know the facts, and you sure as shit aren't going to find those on FOX N
  ews, or CNN. Then share those views.}
• Let's volunteer and/or donate to organizations that need our help more than ever during the Bush administration.
  {Who needs more crap for the holidays? Why not make donations to your favorite floundering not-for-profits: think Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, Amnesty Internation, Lambda Legal, or countless others. Or better yet – donate your time; get your sweet ass down to one of these organizations and volunteer.}

What about you MfA folks? What has helped you deal with your grief during the weeks after the election? What ideas do you have to be able to move forward in a second GWB term? Share how you've mourned, and tell us your schemes. I, for one, will take great comfort in hearing them.

If we pool our thoughts, we're going to kick all sorts of ass. After all, we have the brains and the true morality on our side. I see no way we can lose.

"A rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours. It has been before. So it shall be again." ~ The Smiths

{This article originally appeared in igDana's weekly Music for America column "A Rush and a Push." Check out the column and feel free to comment on their message boards here.}