"After the events of this past few days, I have decided that I'm going to volunteer to help Raul Labrador in his run for US Congress - even if it's only in these last 30 days till the election. The momentum is shifting. Here's why: I was once a voice for sorta-angry evangelicals in Idaho. "As mad as hell and not going to take it anymore", seemed to be my motto...a motto that lasted over a decade. After an exhausting run at that, I realized that there was more to life than passion-fueled politics. There was life - and life abundantly. It took the death of my oldest son and my earlier absence - for years - from politics to help me speak in a whisper and be heard clearer than I ever had been in the past"/Dennis Mansfield. More here.

• DFO: Dennis' statement hits home w/me. Not too long ago, I was passionate re: politics, siding w/conservatives. But this blog has pushed me to a place of neutrality. The political anger from both main sides of the spectrum -- and the ongoing push by the extremes to take over the levers of power -- is a turn off. I hope that this place will evolve into a place where passionate people can disagree agreeably. We may get there. Who knows?

Question: Do you agree w/Dennis that a person can influence politics more by speaking in a whisper rather than shouting passionately?