a wildly idealistic speech to rally the troops

I have some serious election fatigue right now. God willing, I can last until the primaries on Tuesday, after which I will sleep the sweet sleep of children. And after that, of course, Just Up The Pike will be back and ready to go for the general election!

In the meantime, however, I just wanted to thank everyone - my readers, my fellow bloggers both in Silver Spring and throughout Montgomery County, and the politicians and community leaders who were willing to put up with a few questions from me - for your support over the past three months. Together, we are transforming the face of community politics, making it more accessible and proving that a few well-meaning people can make a difference.

Montgomery County is an amazing place. I can drive ten or fifteen miles in any direction and go from farms to office parks, from mansions to rowhouses, from dirt roads to highways and corner stores to shopping malls, from unimaginable wealth to staggering poverty. I can stand on a hill in Gaithersburg and miles of trees and buildings in every direction. I can sit on the banks of the Potomac or Patuxent rivers and watch the seasons change. I can eat Peruvian in Wheaton; French in Bethesda; Ethiopian in Silver Spring, or McDonald's down the street from my house - anything.

I truly love Montgomery County, but we have a long way to go, even now. Come Tuesday, we will determine which direction our County will go in for an indeterminate future. What will we have to show for ourselves in twenty or thirty years? What will our children say about the community we have left for them? Our story begins now. What will the first line be?