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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. |
Has Something You Used to Like Been Crapified ?
It’s an old person’s complaint, I suppose. It seems like every time you turn around something else has been crapified. Maybe it’s a favorite tool whose manufacture has been offshored. Cheaper materials are being used, they’re crap. It could be a restaurant, new owners or a new chef, crap.
One of the many things that I used to like that has now been crapified is the border. I’m filling in for foresterbob today, He’s off in the forest somewhere, and last week he got me thinking about dirt roads and out-of-the-way places. Back in the 80s and 90s we used to love scenic drives down on the border. Now they’ve built this big, ugly fence.¹ No more scenic drives for us, they’ve been crapified. Governments all around the world are building fences and walls these days.² The Ukrainians are building a border wall,³ and Israel has built miles and miles of walls. Here’s a little interactive thing you can use to check out border walls all over the planet ☛ The Economist. It seems like they never want to deal with the underlying causes for the immigration or the smuggling, just build a wall. That’ll solve it. It never does, of course.
In our case they wanted to stop the immigrants and the drug smuggling. The wall won’t stop either one. The narcos will continue smuggling drugs into the US because there’s a demand for
them. Is it just recreational users or are there desperate people self-medicating ? It doesn’t matter. They should legalize their use and treat the hard drugs like the public health problem that they are. Maybe they could do something about the desperation too, like create some jobs or something. The immigration problem is related to US drug use too. It used to be, back around the turn-of-the-century, that the immigrants were coming up from Mexico looking for work. The work was here, who do you think built all those McMansions, but it’s dried up since the housing crash. Most of the immigrants now are refugees from gang violence in Central America. 98% of the cocaine used in this country is smuggled from South America overland through Central America and then Mexico. The small Central American countries form a natural bottle-neck in the trade and, unsurprisingly, are controlled by violent drug gangs affiliated with the cocaine smugglers. At least one of these gangs, the Salva Maratrucha,⁴ was formed in the US by the sons and daughters of refugees from US military action in their region. Border issues are never simple, never cut-and-dried.
Anyway, we used to like driving the Ruby Road but it's been crapified by border enforcement. It’s no fun anymore. How ‘bout it, my fellow Old Farts, doesn’t it seem like everything is crap these days,
Has something you used to like been crapified ?
As always, this is a Open Thread!
LET'S BUILD IN-REAL-LIFE 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.
Colorado: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Mountain
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
Daily Kos/Cheers & Jeers Welcoming Dinner
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Mango
1001 Washington Ave, One block from Convention Center, 2 minute walk from the Marriott
Join us for a generous buffet of chic Peruvian appetizers that will be substantial for dinner. Vegetarians will be provided for well.
Peru is home to one of the most exquisite fusion cuisines in the world. Mango Peruvian Cuisine brings the taste of Peru to St. Louis by combining the diversity of their culture through locally provided food. Mango's beverage menu mirrors the marriage of diversity and locally sourced products.
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Roll call for the C&J Dinner in Connect! Unite! Act!
This will be headcount central for the C&J Dinner. Spread the word.
RSVPS:
Hosts:
1. navajo
2. Bill in Portland Maine
3. Common Sense Mainer
Daily Kos Staff:
4. Meteor Blades
5. Mark Sumner
6. Will Rockafellow
7. Josie Duffy Rice
8. Jen Hayden
9. Julia van Hoogstraten
10. Leslie Salzillo
11. Chris Bowers
12. Michael Langenmayr
13. Rachel Colyer
14. Carrisa Miller
15. Paul Hogarth
16. tealbomb
17. Irna Landrum
18. Mara Schechter
19. peregrine kate
20. Jonaya
21. Rachel Gutauskus
Daily Kos Featured Writers:
22. Denise Oliver-Velez
23. Chris Reeves
24. shanikka
Partners & Mentors:
25. belinda ridgewood
26. paradise50
27. smileycreek
28. BeninSC
High Impact Stories:
29. jotter
30. aha aha (Mrs. jotter)
Top Comments Crew:
31. brillig (bday gurl that day!)
32. mik
33. Ed Tracey
34. gizmo59
The After Show:
35. winkk
36. Justice Putnam
37. theRoaringGirl
38. OllieGarkey
39. bunnygirl60 (driving carpool
from Cincinnati or Indianapolis,
if you need a ride)
Electablog:
40. Chris Savage
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41. side pocket
42. Mrs. side pocket
43. loggersbrat
44. jakedog42
45. vicki
46. markm667
47. Eddie in ME
48. moody in savannah
49. lulu
50. texasmom
51. texasdad
52. Raines
53. skohayes
54. 714day
55. gizmo59’s squeeze
56. evcoren
57. bfitzinAR
58. sidnora
59. Spedwybabs
60. Shayera
61. SnoKat
62. SnoKat’s guy
63. KathyinSC
64. Sidnora’s LH
65. Richard Cranium (offering carpool
from Florida Panhandle)
66. bakers dozen
67. bakers dozen’s sister
68. Desiree Kane
69. Sean Wang
70. SanDiegoDem
71. K1
72. K2
73. Christian Kendrick
74. hayden
75. Ramara
76. TomP
77. effervescent
78. Man Oh Man
79. PerfectStormer
80. gmats
81.
Maybees:
norm winifred3
normAl1792
shanikka’s DAH
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There will also be a Daily Kos Caucus session during NN16.
Stay tuned for room location, date and time of our caucus.
Registrations still available
SAVE THE DATE: Dkos Asheville is gearing up for a meet-up on July 23rd.
RSVPS
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. Otteray Scribe
6. Lamont Cranston
7. DawnN
Maybees:
ZenTrainer
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Despite 90+ degree weather, eight Seattle readers of Daily Kos ventured through the heat to gather together for lunch Sunday June 5, 2016.
From bleeding blue, the organizer: “You know, I really enjoy these things. If you get a chance, please consider attending a meetup with fellow Kossacks in your area. That there are real people behind our usernames and avatars, is something that often (not always) gives me pause, and reason to delete a feverishly-written comment...and let things go.”
Koscadia, the readers of Daily Kos in Oregon, welcomed the newly transplanted asterkitty who recently moved from Philadelphia to Portland. Great Thai food was had by all.
The SFKossacks welcomed peregrine kate to town on May, 15, 2016. They all met for a picnic with one the most scenic locations in the Bay Area, the Marin Headlands. It was a beautiful sunny day, fun food and great company.
The Nashville KosKats brainstormed on April 30th at their meet-up and came up with the following places that might be good to register voters:
...farmers markets around town, YMCA’s, hipster coffee shops, college campuses, local book stores, craft and art fairs, city bus station, the VA, Senior Centers, clinic and hospitals, specialized street parties for all different kinds of groups of people, some that highlight pets.
This is what we all need to do now, before the general. REGISTER PEOPLE TO VOTE!
Silicon Valley Kos had a great event on April 30th. A representative from the Honda campaign attended and Jeevan Zutshi described a side of Mike Hondanot well known in that Honda is always eager to help new candidates and encouraging involvement. They also discussed ways they could work as a team to increase SVKos’s impact on local politics. Exactly what all Daily Kos In-Real-Life groups should be doing.
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries about your event or if you have changes or additions.