Sunday, December 31, 2006
some things you lose, some things you give away:
Goodbye to 2006, by far the worst year of my life. I've waited for New Year's arguably since 4 a.m. January 1 '06, but I held out hope then that things would turn around. By June 16, 2006, one of the worst days I've ever experienced -- nope, this year needed to end. But it ground on, relentlessly spiraling into ever-worse permutations of all the evil it had represented so far. So many times in 2006 I've tried to calm down by reminding myself of the billions and billions of people whose lives are infinitely worse than mine. Still, this year, from beginning until (almost) end -- no good.

Part of me feels like crying. Not merely because the year is ending, but because of the awful prospect that 2007 might be even half as miserable as 2006. Let's make this promise: we won't let 2007 get to that point. If we can't control it, let's accept that we can't control it. Happy New Year.
--Spencer Ackerman
posted 6:08 PM |
Spencer: I'm sure it doesn't remotely compare with whatever it is that you are referring to re: January 1st and June 16th, but for me, anyway, your heading is oh so apppropriate, since truly one of the most painful things of 2006 for me was the "indefinite hiatus." (I know this means that in the grand scheme of things, 2006 wasn't so bad for me. And we did take back Congress, no small thing. Still.)

I actually listened to "Good Things" rather obsessively over the weeks following those amazing shows at 9:30 and in Portland, almost incredulous that I couldn't simply take S-K for granted in the years to come. As if Corin had this day in mind way back then, her voice quavering with the self-awareness of what had to come eventually. How could something *so* right, with the power to change so many lives for the better, simply fade away? (R.I.P. also Ellen Willis -- a formative influence.)

Why *do* good things never wanna stay?

I hope that 2007 brings you more peace, and that the good things stick around a bit longer.

Oh, and thanks, by the way, for being one of the most insistent and incisive voices out there on the torture scandal. It helps to have such fine and committed company.
Blogger Marty Lederman | 10:33 PM

Best of luck having a better 2007.
Blogger CharleyCarp | 7:21 AM

FWIW, some of the pieces you wrote this past year rank among the finest examples of foreign-policy jounralism out there, and will be used to bolster the arguments of people trying to do less evil for years to come (I'm partial to the TAP piece on promoting human rights). Even if the year sucked, you made more of a difference than most of us, and that counts for something.

Here's hoping that next year is better than the previous, for you and for everyone out there (noting that I can only extend that wish to the members of the NY Yankees in a personal and not professional sense, I have my limits after all).
Blogger jfaberuiuc | 11:20 AM

hey mr ackerman,

sorry to hear about your year.

i was hoping you'd be willing to check out eteraz.org: states of isam; a netroots community dedicated to activist islam
Blogger A. Eteraz | 5:38 PM

Why so bad? You left a the newsletter of the liberal wing of the war party and started a great blog.
Blogger H. Candace Gorman | 9:01 AM

Mr. Ackerman,

I think you just called our office in Chicago. I was browsing through your blog and happened to post with our blogspot sign in. I'm a big fan. Candace won't be in for a few days.

-Adrian
Blogger H. Candace Gorman | 9:11 AM

and to think, if it weren't for SK we might never have "patched" up our differnces. and that's my first awful pun of 2007. here's to a good one.
Blogger Rebecca Roulette | 9:26 AM