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EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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Good morning kogs and kossacks in Dailykosland!
Merry Monday and welcome to the working week...
…a short week for most of us
I am old enough to remember when there was no Presidents' Day. Lincoln's Birthday was February 12 and Washington's Birthday was February 22. We used to mark both birthdays in school, and some family members who worked for the federal government got Washington's Birthday as a paid day off even when it fell in the middle of the week. When they passed the law creating all the three-day weekends, the February one fell between Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday, and soon people started referring to it as Presidents' Day, honoring all the presidents, not just Lincoln and Washington.
As for today's question, I've never actually met a President.
The only time I was ever within shouting distance of a President while he was in office was during a George H. W. Bush visit to Boston. He was giving a speech at the Park Plaza Hotel, across the street from my day job, so I went over there with a sign that said Matthew 25:41-46. Event managers let me get pretty close to the front because 1) I had a sign with a bible verse on it and 2) Rs love to highlight black faces in the crowd for the press. But apparently they didn't know the Bible as well as I did, because the sign was actually meant as an anti-Republicon protest.
I got closer to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, but that was while they were still candidates. It doesn't really count as seeing a President since it was before they were elected.
WJC held a campaign rally at Faneuil Hall and I was only a few rows back from the rope line. It was a beautiful day to be outside. It was a bright clear gorgeous day, and when they played Instant Karma loud over the crisp sound system, the crowd was happy. We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.
When Clinton walked down the rope line shaking hands and hugging people, I was less than ten feet away. Just a few rows of people between him and me. As he was passing by, I reached out my hand, but I was too far away. Still, I thought he looked up at me. I thought he looked right at me, and smiled. Of course, he engendered that feeling in a lot of people. That was his political gift.
I also got within ten feet or so of Barack Obama early in the 2008 primary season. He was scheduled to appear in Boston just a couple of days after the New Hampshire primary, and a friend who had maxed out after the Iowa caucuses scored two tickets to that luncheon speech. His wife was a Hillary supporter and did not want to go, but it was OK with her that he took me instead. O supporters hoped to be celebrating a double win, but, well... we all remember what happened.
Anyway, I got there very early and waited downstairs in the office building foyer hoping to see him walk in. But after more than an hour of waiting, as time for the lunch drew near, I heard security guards saying among themselves that he had already come in through a private underground entrance. That made sense, so I gave up that vigil and went upstairs to the event. Right outside the elevator was a line to get our nametag/credentials for admittance to the hall. I got in line. Within moments there as a flurry of security people asking us to move closer to the wall opposite the bank of elevators. Then Barack came out of an elevator, turned briefly to wave at all of us, then walked about ten feet and ducked into a side door. All that waiting downstairs for nothing; I ended up seeing him up close anyway!
Those are my tiny brushes with Presidential greatness. Never met a President, never had my picture taken with one or shook one's hand. I would not have wanted to meet most of the presidents who served in my lifetime anyway. I was a toddler when Eisenhower was president, and barely thought about JFK until after the assassination. I was pretty angry with Johnson and Nixon and Ford, and although my mom loved Jimmy Carter I wasn't fond of him until he left office. If I had ever met Reagan, I would have had a hard time keeping myself from throwing up or spitting on him (or both). And that goes double for G Dub.
So instead of asking a "favorite president" question today, I thought I'd ask everyone for stories about how close you have ever gotten to a President. Have you ever been in the same room with/taken a picture with/shook hands with a POTUS?
Have you ever met a President?
Start up soundtrack
We're Not Gonna Make It by The Presidents of the United States of America on Grooveshark
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the New Day sunrise cloud
:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
NEW GROUPS IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING:
Send a Kosmail to the organizers and ask for an invitation to the group.
• Northern Indiana Area: Kosmail Tim Delaney
• Long Island: Kosmail grannycarol
• Northern Michigan: Kosmail JillS
• Nebraska: Kosmail Nebraska68847Dem
• Westburbia Chicago Kossacks: Kosmail Majordomo
• Caprock Kossacks (Panhandle/Caprock/Lubbock/Amarillo area) : Kosmail shesaid
• West Texas Kossacks (including Big Bend Region and El Paso) : Kosmail Yo Bubba
• Vermont Kossacks: Kosmail 4Freedom
• California Central Coast Kossacks: (San Luis Obispo & Pismo Beach area) Kosmail CentralCoaster
Note to the above new leaders: Feel free to leave a comment any day reminding readers about your new group. Also, tell us about your progress in gathering members. Kosmail me when you've chosen a good name for your group and have created a the group. Then I'll move you to the NEW GROUPS LIST. When you've planned a date for your first event I'll make a banner for you to highlight your event in our diaries and your diaries.
These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks - Formed: Jul 29, 2012, Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks - Formed: Aug 6, 2012, Organizers:
Clytemnestra for Lower New England (Conneticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island)
nhox42 for Upper New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)
• Houston Area Kossacks - Formed: Aug 7, 2012, Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India - Formed: Aug 14, 2012, Organizer: chandu
• CenTex Kossacks - Formed: Sep 9, 2012, Organizer: papa monzano
• Central Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Sep 26, 2012, Organizer: VetGrl
• Kansas City Kossacks - Formed Oct 15, 2012, Organizer: Statusquomustgo
• Phoenix Kossacks - Formed Oct 16, 2012, Organizer: arizonablue
• Chicago Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2012, Organizer: figbash
• Koscadia the Pacific Northwest coast from Northern California to Alaska
- Formed Oct 17, 2012, Oganizer: Horace Boothroyd III based in Portland, OR
• Boston Kossacks - Formed: Nov 7, 2012, Organizer: GreyHawk
• Motor City Kossacks South East Michigan (Detroit) Area - Formed: Nov 10, 2012, Organizer: peregrine kate
• Pittsburgh Area Kossacks - Formed: Nov 12, 2012, Organizer: dweb8231
• Salt Lake City Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: War on Error
• Twin Cities Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: imonlylurking
• Dallas Kossacks North Texas - Formed: Nov 21, 2012, Admins: Catte Nappe and dalfireplug. Please contact them to join the group. An Event Organizer needed.
• The Southern California Inland Empire Kossacks - Formed: Dec 3, 2012, Organizer: SoCaliana
• Los Angeles Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2012, Organizer: Dave in Northridge
• Northeast Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Jan 16, 2013, Organizer: GenXangster
• Kansas & Missouri Kossacks - Formed: Jan 17, 2013, Organizer: tmservo433
• I-77 Carolina Kossacks who live from Columbia, SC to north of Winston-Salem, NC. - Formed: Jan 30, 2013, Organizers: gulfgal98 and eeff
• Indianapolis Kossacks - Formed: Feb 6, 2013, Organizer: CityLightsLover
• Southwest Ohio Kossacks - Formed: May 10, 2013, Organizer: Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN
• Northern Arizona Kossacks - Formed: Jul 5, 2013, Organizer: Sam Sara
• Mexican Kossacks - Formed: Apr 14, 2013, Organizer: roberb7
• New York Hudson Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 27, 2012, Organizer: boran2
• North Carolina Triangle Kosmopolitans - Formed: Aug 2, 2013, Organizer: highacidity
• Silicon Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2013, Organizer: Glen The Plumber
• Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2013, Organizer: EagleOfFreedom
• Las Vegas NV Kossacks - Formed: Oct 22, 2013, Organizer: miracle11
ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011. Contact: JamieG from Md for a group invite.
• New York City Founded by Eddie C - Contact the group organizer for meet-up events: sidnora
• Baja Arizona Kossacks, Event Organizer: Azazello
• Three Star Kossacks Tennessee, Founded by maryKK, Formed: Apr 8, 2011
• Nashville KosKats, Founded by ZenTrainer Formed: Jan 30, 2012
• Virginia Kos Founded by JamieG from Md, Formed: May 3, 2011
• Kos Georgia Founded by pat208, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• Colorado COmmunity Founded by Leftcandid, Formed: Feb 13, 2011. Organizer: ColoTim
• New Mexico Kossaks Founded by claude
• Philly Kos Founded by mconvente Formed: Aug 29, 2011
• DKos Florida Founded by ThirstyGator, Formed: Feb 14, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail Vetwife to be included in next event.
• Oklahoma Roundup Founded by BigOkie, Formed: Feb 13, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail peacearena to be included.
• DKos Asheville Founded by davehouck, Formed: Feb 13, 2011 - Organizing Assist by: randallt
• San Diego Kossacks Founded by La Gitane, Formed: Nov 18, 2011
• Massachusetts Kosmopolitans Founded by mem from somerville, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
by EagleOfFreedom ♥ for Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks
I'm so impressed with the Seattle Kossacks, right now. EagleOfFreedom offered to take up the reins of collecting local Kossacks for camaraderie and action. In a very short time he started the group, communicated with me, set the event and got almost a dozen folks to join the ranks in person. Kudos!
So, you Seattle Kossacks, you've got a group now and John Crapper has offered to be an admin of the group. How swell is that?
SEATTLE KOSSACKS! Look for each other in the comments and gather together, invite one another and let's see more folk show up at the next event. AND the next action event.
To quote one of the attendees:
Once again Kossacks prove they are for real.
L-R: N in Seattle, Regina in a Sears Kit House, bleeding blue, doingbusinessas
L-R: ?, John Crapper, EagleOfFreedom, mlharges
All photos courtesy of mlharges
Please visit EagleOfFreedom's diary for MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to EagleOfFreedom.
SFKossacks Welcome Matching Mole and bwren
with a Birding Event Plus Dinner
by navajo ♥ for SFKossacks
Last Sunday, matching mole, who flew in from the East Coast, and bwren, who flew in from Seattle, were picked up and chaffeured by the founder of Dawn Chorus, lineatus. She drove them to meet with other SFKossacks and Central Valley Kossacks to do some bird watching in the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area on San Francisco Bay. I'll leave the telling of that story up to lineatus in her Sunday morning series.
I'll be covering the dinner we had that evening to welcome our out-of-towners.
Please visit navajo's diary for descriptions of above photos and access to MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join SFKossacks by sending a Kosmail to navajo.
by randallt ♥ for DKos Asheville
Wow, the standard setters for Daily Kos group organizing just one-upped the bar again! Not only do they meet for socializing, they get themselves on radio shows to advertise the event, they invite local candidates and progressive causes to speak to our Kossacks and then fully cater an event to reward all attendees. Wow. Just wow.
More than 30 Kossacks got together amping up and organizing the Asheville atmosphere for getting out the vote. Here's one photo:
L-R: DKos Asheville Kossacks
Please visit randallt's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join DKos Asheville by sending a Kosmail to randallt.
by Dave in Northridge ♥ for Los Angeles Kossacks
LAKossacks at it again, please see diary for food pr0n details.
L-R: DuckTape, Dave in Northridge, joemarkowitz, Shockwave and SanFernandoValleyMom
L-R: susans, Kathy, otoelbc, Jerico, Joe Bacon, mr. gmats and gmats
Please visit Dave in Northridge's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join Los Angeles Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Dave in Northridge.
by ericlewis0 ♥ for New York City
Wow. Boom! ericlewis0 blew us all away on Sunday. He provided a LIVE BLOG of the NYC event complete with photos and bonafide commentary from the attendees. Amazing!
Photo 1 L-R: In the orange, thankgodforairamerica, ghchaucer2, sidnora, joanbrooker, dave g & kathny Photo 2 L-R: Plf515, Laura Clawson, mets102, son of broccoli, Communitygis, no exit, designthefuture & mattc129
Please visit ericlewis0's diary for the live blog commentary from the attendees! Enjoy! You can join NYC Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to sidnora.
sidnora promises her faithful follow-up diary and she could likely have food pr0n. I hope so. I live for explicit photos of the fries at Spitzer's Corner.
:: Events Currently on the Books for Kossacks ::
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February 15-17th
Mexican Kossacks & Democrats Abroad Annual Meeting in Puerto Vallarta
SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM: Welcome Reception with Tom Hayden at private home.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM: Annual Meeting at International Friendship Club - (to include business meeting, address by Tom Hayden, and presentations on Fundraising, Web-Ex training (replaces Calliflower), Get Out the Vote (GOTV), and Communications including Social Media
Monday, Feb. 17, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM: Presentation by Tom Hayden supporting the importance of voting in the 2014 election. Hosted at chapel across from Hacienda San Angel.
TICKET INFORMATION
Advanced Full Registration: $35 USD (450 pesos) Includes all events if you register before Feb 1st.
Tom Hayden Presentation (Monday only): $12 USD (150 pesos)
To Buy: Email GOTVfromAbroad AT yahoo DOT com with the quantity of tickets needed for either “Full Registration” or “Tom Hayden (Monday only)”. You will receive a PayPal bill and a written notification once your payment has been processed.
ORGANIZER: Send roberb7 kosmail to connect at the event.
KOSSACK RSVPs:
1. roberb7
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Monday, February 17th
Tennessee Three Star Kossacks Attend Music & Vision Fundraiser for State Candidates
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: The Whippoorwill
118 N Water Ave • Gallatin
ORGANIZER: Send marykk a kosmail to connect with her and other Three Star Kossacks.
RSVPs:
1. marykk
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Tuesday, February 25th
Kansas-Missouri Kossacks Attend State Rally at the Capital
Equality Kansas, the ACLU of Kansas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and MAINstream Coalition are hosting an Equality Rally
TIME: 1:00 PM (Stay for a Kossack dinner? Interested? Kosmail: tmservo433)
LOCATION: Kansas State Capitol
300 SW 10th Ave • Topeka
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2. RazzBari3
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Kansas Democrats Rally at the Capital February 25. Kossacks should be there
Saturday, March 15th
Sacramento/Central Valley Kossacks Demonstrate at "Don't Frack California"
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: California State Capitol
1315 10th St. • Sacramento
RSVPs:
1. Anthony Page aka SecondComing
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Quick re-mention of March 15 statewide "Don't Frack California" demonstrations
Saturday, April 5th
Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon - 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send EagleOfFreedom a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. EagleOfFreedom
2. Reetz
3.
4.
5.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks Arrive
Saturday, May 3rd
DKos Asheville Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: The Bywater
796 Riverside Dr. • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. GulfGal 98
8. Otteray Scribe
9. flwrightman
10. people power granny
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Maybees:
Audri
Mr Audri
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Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?