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.
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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.
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Would you miss the US Mail ?
I like the US Mail. I think we ought to keep it around. We pay all our bills with paper checks that are always in the mail. I know I'm not suppose to be doing this anymore, all the utilities urge me to "go paperless," but I don't care. I'm old-fashioned. I get my beloved magazines, The Nation, Harper's and Mother Jones, in the mail. We still send actual, paper Christmas cards in the mail. Digital Christmas cards ? How cheesy. I dread all the spam in my "email" and sometimes I don't look at it for days at a time. But I like walking out to the mailbox by the curb each day to see what's in there. I like the US Mail but then, I'm not a free-market Neoliberal.
I know, nothing lasts forever but, Jeez, the Post Office ? The US Mail ? It's been around forever. It's in The Constitution. Why do I have to see it die in my lifetime ? Stupid question I know. It's about the money. The Neoliberals want to privatize it. Privatization is one of the main elements of Neoliberalism. They don't want anything done on a non-profit basis by that awful Big Government. Everything must yield a profit for someone. So they've been messing around with the Post Office, tweaking it this way and that, degrading the service, claiming that everybody uses email and that the Post Office is losing money hand over fist. There are those who claim it's a manufactured crisis and it's hard to argue with that given the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.
At the very end of that year, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA). Under PAEA, USPS was forced to “prefund its future health care benefit payments to retirees for the next 75 years in an astonishing ten-year time span” — meaning that it had to put aside billions of dollars to pay for the health benefits of employees it hasn’t even hired yet, something “that no other government or private corporation is required to do.”
If that act had not been passed, the USPS would be operating in the black, despite the widespread use of email. No matter, the fact that the Post Office is "losing money" has been the reason for numerous changes to that venerable institution. They recently tried to end Saturday delivery. They gave up on that effort earlier this year so imagine my surprise when a mail truck
1 pulled up at the curb on a Sunday. They had a delivery from Amazon, the giant, almost-a-monpoly online shopping and crap delivery corporation. It turns out that the Post Office has created a new class of lower-wage employees for this work. They're called CCAs, for City Carrier Assistants. The Post Office seems to be flattering Amazon by imitating its employment practices. You can read about that here:
The Horrific New Marriage Between Your Post Office and Amazon Sunday. They've been "consolidating" too, closing facilities that are deemed unnecessary. Readers in the Bay Area will remember the furor this caused up there, and the involvement of the spouse of one of California's US Senators,
2 but it's happening all over the country
3. They wanted to close the main mail handling facility here in Tucson. That effort has been put off for a year or so but if they succeed the Christmas cards that we send to friends a couple of miles away will have to travel to Phoenix to be sorted and then back down to Tucson for delivery. Seems sort of inefficient to me, but maybe that's the whole idea. Privatization campaigns often begin that way, with a deliberate degrading of the non-profit service so they can claim that it's failing. You've seen that tactic with the public schools.
For my part, I'd just as soon keep the US Mail, and the public schools too. I don't even care if the people who work in them make decent wages but again, I'm not a Neoliberal. How 'bout you ...
Would you miss the US Mail ?
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
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
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!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Daily Kos Connects Asheville
LOCATION: US Cellular Center in the Banquet Hall
87 Haywood Street • Asheville, North Carolina
Grow our network, unite our progressive communities, help win elections!
Join us for a day of progressive strategizing and camaraderie with Big Orange flavor. In a day-long seminar, learn how our Connect! Unite! Act! team used the Daily Kos forum to help affect change in North Carolina state politics. Participants will focus on organizing from the ground up. You'll also get a chance to meet the blog's founder, Markos Moulitsas and some Daily Kos writers, such as Joan McCarter, Meteor Blades, Denise Oliver-Velez and others.
8:00 AM - Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 AM - Morning Session:
• Welcome by navajo
• Ask Me Anything & discussion of the politics of our site by kos
• Data-Driven Activism by Bill Busa
• Southerners on New Ground (LGBTQ Organization) presentation by Mary Hooks
• NC NAACP Attorney Al McSurely interviewed by Denise Oliver-Velez
• Video interview of Activist and Filmmaker Bree Newsom by Shaun King
Noon - Free lunch provided
1:00 PM - Afternoon Session:
• NC Dem Party Chair Patsy Keever interviewed by Joan McCarter
• Exploring the Power of Local Media featuring Scrutiny Hooligans’ blogger Tom Sullivan, local radio host Jeff Messer & The Urban News publisher Johnnie Nelson-Grant moderated by Meteor Blades
• Environmental Concerns in NC by FishoutofWater
• Rural Healthcare Realities in NC by TBirchard
• Video interview of Campaign Zero Activist DeRay McKesson by Shaun King
• Leveraging Local & State Government Through Citizen Activism by Democratic State Sen. Terry Van Duyn, City Councilman Gordon Smith & citizen activist Barry Summers
• Activism Leads to Coalition by Barry Summers, Carmen Ramos-Kennedy & Elaine Lite
5:00 PM - After party at nearby Lexington Avenue Brewery, 39 North Lexington Avenue. You'll need a wristband from the day event to get in.
$30 registration fee required for Saturday's events
Seating is limited to 200.
Parking at US Cellular
Pre-Events:
Friday, September 25, 2015
11:00 AM Friday Fish Fry - Fish sandwiches $7, includes chips & soda!
12:15 PM - 2:30 PM, Church opens at noon
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church,
44 Hildebrand Street - 2.5 miles from Crowne Plaza; 0.6 miles walking distance from Crowne Plaza shuttle drop-off near US Cellular
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, will welcome Daily Kos to Asheville and speak about the Moral Monday Movement, blessing by Reverend Edwards, introduction by Denise Oliver-Velez, vocal performance by Yara Allen • No charge for this event but donations to the church are welcome
Friday, September 25, 2015
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, was was inducted into the traveling exhibition of 52 inspiring portraits of courageous Americans titled Americans Who Tell the Truth on September 19, 2015. Please join us as we walk through this superb gallery of amazing Americans documented in portraiture by famed artist, Robert Shetterly. YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market Street
(0.5 mile walk from St. James AME Church)
$10 donation suggested for this labor of love
Friday, September 25, 2015
5:30 - 8:30 PM
No-Host Mixer, The Bywater, 796 Riverside Drive
(2.5 miles from hotel and US Cellular)
Post-Event:
Sunday, September 27, 2015
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
No-Host Brunch, Crowne Plaza, 1 Resort Drive,
Overlook Restaurant
Logistics:
Hotel providing the best rate:
Crowne Plaza, 1 Resort Drive
Double-bed rooms available:
Thursday, 09/24/15 - $129.00 plus 11% tax
Friday, 09/25/15 - $209.00 plus 11% tax
Saturday, 09/26/15 - $209.00 plus 11% tax
Reservations: 888-211-7755
Mention KOS as the group code.
Hotel Airport Shuttle cost:
14.5 miles from AVL Airport
Hotel Shuttle to/from AVL Airport $20 per person, each way.
Flight details must be provided to hotel 72 hours in advance notice for arrivals, 24-hour notice for departures.
Hotel Shuttle to US Cellular $5 per person, round-trip
Drop-off location is 0.2 mile walk from US Cellular
Questions? Need a scholarship? Send me a kosmail.
Saturday, September 26th
Colorado COmmunity and Pikes Peak Region Kos Ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway
TIME: 10:40 AM
LOCATION: Pikes Peak Cog Railway
515 Ruxton Ave • Manitou Springs
ORGANIZER: Send ColoTim a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. ColoTim
2. Mrs. ColoTim
3. Leftcandid
4. Cedar Foote
5. Cedar Foote's guest
6.
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Maybees:
Badkitties
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Latest info: Colorado COmmunity meet-up proposed
Saturday, September 26th
Houston Kos Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Simply Pho
2929 Milam Street • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send Chrislove a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. nomandates
3. jmbar2
4. Delilah
5. scott5js
6. Blood
7. JJR1971
8. NoBlinkers
9. Mr. NoBlinkers
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Maybees:
MarciaJ720
Baby NoBlinkers
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Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: Meetup Scheduled for Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26th
Dallas Kos Meet-up
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Ojeda's Mexican Restaurant
4617 Maple Avenue • Dallas
ORGANIZER: Send Andy T a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Andy T
2. Catte Nappe
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Dallas Kossacks Round Up and Meet-Up!
Saturday, October 3rd
Seattle & Puget Sound Kos Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Columbia City Ale House
4914 Rainier Ave. S. • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send John Crapper a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. John Crapper
2. John Crapper's SO
3. bleeding blue
4. momomia
5. Penny GC
6. doingbusinessas
7. TBApollo
8. kakumeiji maru
Max. Occupancy: 24
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Maybees:
Piren
EagleKeeper
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Latest diary: S&PS Kos - It's Time for a Meetup!
by Chrislove ♥ for Houston Area Kossacks
Another Houston event! Great job, Chris. Photos below:
L-R: Chrislove, Delilah, scott5js, cosette & suesue
L-R: htowngenie, her son, Blood, JJR1971 and PIZZA!
You can join Houston Area Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Chrislove.
by smileycreek ♥ for Butte County kossacks of CA-01
12 Kossacks from California's large First Congressional District made the trek to downtown Chico for camaraderie! Led by CUA Lady Co-Diva, smileycreek!
L-R: side pocket, smileycreek & paradise50
L-R: teresa, jesterman, Everett, Alice & Chico David RN
L-R: voracious, paradise50, side pocket & FoundingFatherDAR
Please visit smileycreek's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Butte County kossacks of CA-01 by sending a Kosmail to smileycreek.
navajo's Last Minute Trip to DC
by navajo ♥ for Connect! Unite! Act!
Here are two photos of the readers who took up a last minute invitation to join navajo for dinner or drinks, many thanks, what a pleasure to meet them all in real life!
Reston, VA - Thursday, August 13, 2015
L-R: Diana in NoVa, JamieG in Md, Elizabeth Amy Miller, Edward Adams, NinthElegy and navajo
Washington, D.C. - Saturday, August 15, 2015
L-R: navajo, mollyd, Edward Adams and mimi
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.