When we lobbied congressional offices and paid our respects to senator Bernie Sanders
Over the past year I have been lucky enough to get to know one of my hero's. It wasn't Anthony Weiner, Alan Grayson, George R.R Martin, President Obama, or any number of proud progressives who would make the short list of my
Can I have 5 minutes of your time list
It was Jesse LaGreca - Who I only knew through years of reading his writing as MinistryofTruth. When I first saw his name I thought it was a clever take on the popular Harry Potter series with the MinistryofMagic. It wasn't until a bit later my mental block dissipated and I remembered that the Ministry of Truth was from George Orwell s book 1984. I immediately loved the irony of the name and the bombastic nature in which he wrote. To date MoT has written 761 diaries - It was hard for me over the past year to write 40 - His second diary on Dailykos ever was entitled Call To Action: March on Wall St! Civil Disobediance. (Updated) He used words from one of my favorite authors to make his case.
In diary after diary I read people asking "What can we do?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote an essay on Civil Disobedience that outlines why Civil Disobedience is the only just way to participate in an unjust system. In his time Emerson was an abolitionist as well as a leading voice of his day. If you have yet to read his work it would be wise to do so now when it seems more pertinent than ever before.
This inspired Gandhi to fight British Oppression. It inspired Martin Luther King Jr to fight the institutional racism that America was founded upon.
Who in turn inspired many of us here today.
For the next three months he continued to write diary after diary talking about poverty, elections, inequality, and most aptly politics. Most if not all the diary got some comments and like most of our work, few recommends. They scrolled off the recent diary list and were hardly seen again. It showed dedication as a writer to search for an audience and he finally found one here at Dailykos with a recommended diary that included "Breaking" -
(Updated x2) Breaking! (NY-20) DKos users to give full support to Scott Murphy for Congress! and a congressional race in his home state of NY. After that his diaries started to get a bit more attention and more people started asking "What can we do?" Who is this progressive that isn't afraid of the word Fuck? Who is this guy that isn't afraid to stand up and call out evil when something is very clearly evil?
I know Jesse on a different level then a lot of people. That comes with both the good and the bad. No human is perfect and Jesse has his faults. We went through a year filled with riots, police, protests, love, famous people, tv appearances, radio interviews, backstabbing, and had the chance to see and be a part of a small bit of American history. We are still going strong but I am here today to ask for a bit of help.
Not for myself - Dailykos helped me save my apartment last year and put me back on track to being able to handle my rent. Even though I am unemployed my benefits and the home cases I handle have helped me keep afloat. I have a small support system and may just go back home to live for the next year to finish school and spend time with my little brother who is only 5.
Jesse has not been so lucky. We were watching the Yankee game last weekend and talking about politics when I asked him how he was doing. "I dunno man, I've been thinking about going back into the kitchen." "I don't think that is a good idea." says me. "Nothing has really panned out yet." I told him that he squandered some opportunities. We both had and that we should regret not following up with some people who made it clear they wanted to work with us. When everything is happening so fast it is hard to stay organized. I said that his writing has grown leaps and bounds and that his popularity was such that doors were still open and that a kitchen was not the place to look for work. "I am down to my last few dollars and have been borrowing from my brother again." Why don't you ask for help on Dailykos?
says I. "I feel bad man, I have not wanted to ask for help until after the election. Everyone is fighting as hard as they can and asking for donations right now would be selfish."
I looked around and sighed. I knew that the fridge was nearly empty. I knew he didn't have a metrocard. I knew that his phone was off except for text messages. I knew that the pile of bills on the coffee table wasn't about to get any smaller. I knew where he was coming from. I've experienced it myself and it took many years of getting over the hard truth of asking others for help when help is really needed.
So I'm asking for him.
If you can afford to spare a bit and donate to a progressive writer please do. This election is important and many of us have given all we can. I've chipped in 3$ to a few candidates from my unemployment checks and now I wanna help my friend out when I know he is in dire straights.
This is his Paypal
Eh - His email is ministryoftruth@live.com for paypal. Let me try and get the link working! sorry:(
From left - Tool, MinistryofTruth, Shamar Thomas
I want to help Jesse find a job and keep him out of the kitchen.
Thank you.