From 1999 to mid-2004, I bounced around political websites, mostly in my homestate - Alabama - trying to engage in adult-level discussion and debate, but found myself repeatedly disappointed in obnoxious, uninformed and juvenile drek that passed for discourse. Most sites I slogged through were moran-dominated and easy-to-degenerate into name calling; dismissive (or derisive, to put it kindly) of anything that was not laudatory of All Things Republican. Just abysmal.
Then, in the summer of 2004, I happened upon an article in the New York Times that mentioned this recently-developed Democratic weblog ("or 'blog'") called "The Daily Kos" and, so, I checked it out. I was blown-away.
I lurked for a week or so until I saw a diary someone put up about the scam (Big Lie, b.s. propaganda) that was the "McDonald's Coffee Case". See, I'm an attorney and used to teach a "Legal Survey" course in a local community college and always enjoyed spending an evening discussing this case with my students and ripping apart the various lies corporate America and the Insurance Industry pumped-out about it. Read this, really. It'll open your eyes.
So, by the end of July I had registered with Daily Kos under the nom du Kos, "BenGoshi" -- which merely means "attorney" (弁護士) in Japanese (日本語). I've got another life that's very much tied to Japan (and, over the past couple of years, India and China). I've enjoyed "hello'ing from Tokyo" diaried from Bangalore, giving a shout-out to Rena from the heart of our Nation's Capitol (where I was born, actually), doing a "Back from Beijing" diary, oh, and one of my favorites . . . a photo diary from L.A. (no, the other one).
Daily Kos has been intertwined in my life during a gut-wrenching divorce -- only gains a mention, there, but I was in the throes of depression during that awful evening; has been the catalyst for my meeting some wonderful friends -- just down the street, around and about Alabama*, and around the world**.
Certainly my favorite diary was "Rice Busted", back in April '05, which, of course, I didn't do the "busting", but it was enjoyable to know that I amplified via the www (if only a little bit) this person's mendacity.
Two more of my favorites (I mean, they're all great, right? heh), are this one re: Religion (ooooo, controversial!); o.k., one more on Jesus, Tom Waits and Strong Coffee; and this one, re: BenGoshi's bad day (at the airport).
Well, at any rate, all of that is what it is, and was . . . and 99% of it was very good.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid Daily Kos is not what it used to be and, to me, the change has not been a positive one. I could go on and on and on, but I'm afraid it would either bore or inflame anyone kind enough to read this diary, so I'll wrap this up simply with 2 connected observations -- when, during a 24-hour period, the sins of Geraldine Ferraro (gad; as if she really matters) catalyze no less than 6 Front Page Stories (I'll willing to guess my rough count is low by 1 or 2 stories, actually), whereas the story of the Pentagon's confirming NO LINK between Saddam and al Qaeda get's 1 front pager, something's gone out of whack with Daily Kos. Kosser MLDB did an excellent diary on this yesterday . . . and got 11 comments, total. Alas.
Observation No. 2: when I raised this point yesterday in (yet another) FerraroMania story, the story's writer and long-time Kosniac dismissed this point, and me, as a "Concern Troll". For those of you who have a little difficulty getting to the root of this term, it refers to someone who wrings their hands over Democrats being too hard on the GOP or Bush Administration; the term "Concern Troll" should not refer to someone who's troubled by this or that Democrat, or Daily Kos' Front Page policy, when he/she/it shuns repeatedly trumpeting the mendacities of the GOP/W. Bush/McCain, et mal. Two very different things.
Well, that's where Daily Kos has gone and, frankly, it wearies me that I have to slog through so much stuff, and it troubles me that the OCD about Hillary's evils (I'm for Obama, by the way) gets so terribly in the way of focusing on W. Bush, W. McCain and the GOP.
I'm going to check out some other sites and see about finding a new political internets home. This one's been a great one, though. And, indeed, it is what you make of it. Selah.
Y'all take care and vote Democratic.
I'll comment here or there this a.m. on this diary, but, otherwise, I'll be seeing you in the movies.
Best,
BenGoshi
P.S. - And, remember to remind your Christian relatives: Read the Beatitudes Before You Vote (Dems ought never lose another election, were this simple exercise practiced with regularity).
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* Check out Mooncat's great blog -
Left in Alabama
I've e-met a cast of characters (too many to name) that've informed my politics and life in incalculably positive and enriching ways.
** October 2005, what a Saturday afternoon -- getting together at Fujimama's restaurant in Tokyo with a bunch of expat Kosniacs, whiling away a couple of hours. Some fun.