A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
|
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers.
If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links.
If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version.
|
Does Kindness from Unknown Quarters Carry a Different Quality?
With apologies to T.W.
for the appropriation
It's funny, isn't it: how brilliant turns of phrase can stimulate your thought processes?? I'm a notorious quote collector and phrase-tosser-about. I believe this comes from too many years as an academic, where folks are trained to steal shamelessly from other authors and call it "paying homage to one's scholarly tradition" or some such nonsense. (It's also vitally important for academics to demonstrate how many books they've read, so ripping off other writer's phrases and then riffing off of them has developed into it's own art form as a result). If any academics are reading this, I trust they are nodding their heads in recognition here.
Must always be spoken with the
liltingest of Southern accents
Digression aside, that famous last line of Blanche du Bois' packs a wallop, doesn't it? I believe I'm pondering it these days because we--again--find ourselves in the so-called
Season of Giving in which charitable donations,
secret santas and random acts of kindness not only dominate the news and infiltrate the air about us, but have also become institutionalized into our
tax laws,
financial and work lives. One of the latest versions of this can be seen in the
promotion that ABC's Good Morning America is carrying out, paying off random layaway accounts at noted retail outlets across the country. Now, there are myriad points of both concern and positivity that one could analyze in such a practice, but I do believe I'll save that for another diary where the discussion can focus on the role of the commercial media in all this more directly. And of course, we have our
own version of anonymous giving here at daily kos as well, though I'm not sure to what degree that counts as kindness from strangers, given the way we all feel about each other here (cough).
Far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth...
My purpose today is not to play Scrooge, though posing awkward questions around the issue of giving or charity (especially during the holiday season) is bound to set one up as the latest incarnation of Ebeneezer himself. But I must confess that I am of multiple minds on the subject of charity. The socialist in me shakes my head in despair at the way that charitable giving turns our attention away from collective solutions to problems of inequity and disparities. The humanist in me remembers that it is indeed easier to give than it is to receive, not so much because we humans are naturally generous, but more so because being on the receiving end of a charitable expression of generosity can be truly hard to take, especially when that gift comes from a known entity and it makes your need public knowledge. For anyone who wonders what I mean, Pat Conroy's novel
The Prince of Tides has a beautifully illustrative scene of just this dilemma when Lila Wingo pulls out a shotgun, drags her children outside their home before Thanksgiving and blows to smithereens the donated turkey that the Junior League Ladies had brought to their home the night before:
"The first shot bounced the turkey across the lawn; the second dismembered it into a thousand pieces," her son, Tom, recalls. "She lowered her gun and walked back into the house. I do not remember Thanksgiving dinner that year."
This all leaves me wondering, if Blanche was perhaps on to something, despite the implications that one is supposed to take away from her terrific tag line. Kindness from strangers may indeed be preferable to that from other more familiar and even intimate entities.
What Say You to Anonymous Acts of Kindness from Strangers?
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
by cooper888 ♥ for Sacramento Kossacks
We heard from navajo and Meteor Blades about the initiative by Daily Kos to have active Kossack groups in each of the state capitals. DK is looking for engaged Kossack's ready to roll up their sleeves and participate in many different types of activism/advocacy. For example, delivering petitions to the state capitol, participating in various protests, marches, rally's at the capitol, etc. As Meteor Blades pointed out this won't happen over night and is a long term strategy but I think if we all take the lead in our respective states we can make this dream happen sooner than DK leadership expects.
L-R: Front row: Sychotic1, tgypsy, tb92, trevizolga, Mrs. side pocket. Second row: Arundsdel (sp?), Laurel in CA, Kestrel, Meteor Blades. Third row: Kestrel's two friends, smileycreek, paradise50, Dave. Back row: Clif, Mr. Arundsdel, Neil, cooper888, side pocket, Left foot forward, got mooned & Nate
Please visit cooper888's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Sacramento Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to cooper888.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Sunday, December 28th
Koscadia Meet-up with navajo & Pipe Ceremony with Ojibwa to Bless Quilts
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Private home
[Kosmail Sara R for the address] • Portland
ORGANIZER: Send Sara R to attend
RSVPs:
1. navajo
2. Ojibwa
3. Sara R
4. winglion
5. Angie in WA State
6. loggersbrat
7. llbear
8. Drewid
9. also mom of 5
10. watercarrier4diogenes
11. ozsea1
12. Damnit Janet
|
Maybees:
Sapere aude
Arenosa
exlrrp
quill
pdxteacher
|
Latest diary: Koscadia Meet Up, Dec. 28, with special guests navajo and Ojibwa
Saturday & Sunday, January 17-18, 2015
Dkos Asheville 24-hour Meet-up
This is what community is about; sharing, giving, creating together. And this is what being a progressive is about; working for social, economic, and environmental justice.
Each day we start from where we are now; and we move forward from here. -davehouck
|
...we have built ourselves a network of like minded brothers and sisters who are in this fight for life. A place we can come to find inspiration, power, solace and community.
-randallt |
TIME: 1:00 pm Saturday till 1:00 pm Sunday
LOCATION: Crown Plaza Resort Asheville
One Resort Drive • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. LamontCranston
8. Otteray Scribe
9.
|
Maybees:
Joy of Fishes
IamGumby
smiley7
|
Latest diary: DKos Asheville: Open Thread
Saturday, January 17th
Seattle & Puget Sound Kos Meet-up with Meteor Blades & navajo
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South • Seattle
Private room reserved with a set menu at $20 per person. Drinks extra.
MAX OCCUPANCY: 40
ORGANIZER: Send John Crapper a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. John Crapper
2. navajo
3. Meteor Blades
4. Lefty Coaster
5.
|
Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Saturday, February 28th
Texas State Daily Kos Meet-up
Lunch and dinner/party compliments of Daily Kos. Please come for an afternoon of camaraderie and progressive strategizing with Big Orange flavor!
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • Austin
ORGANIZER: Send nomandates a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. nomandates
2. Chrislove
3. navajo
4.
5.
|
Maybees: |
Latest diary: Planning for TexKos Spring Meet-Up 2.0: We need your input!
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.