My personal Georgia boycott

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Saturday March 27, 2021 · 2:48 PM PDT

2021/03/27 · 14:48

I was reading another diary on the Georgia anti-democracy, anti-voting, pro-Jim-Crow bill, and one person mentioned they had contacted the state tourism department and told them they had canceled their planned business trip to Georgia, and wanted to let them know why.

I thought, “Well, I can do that too.” We have relatives in Georgia, and were planning on going down to see them once Covid was not a threat. But, if Georgia is going to pass laws like this, they don’t need my business.

So, I called the tourism office (which is part of the economic development cabinet), and left a voice message with them. “Not enough,” I thought. So, I kept digging around until I found an email address for someone.

Here, then, is the email I sent to Mark Jaronski, Deputy Commissioner of “Explore Georgia”:

Hello! Just wanted you to know that we have canceled our planned trip to Georgia to see relatives, due to the Jim Crow voting laws your state just passed and your governor just signed. (Under a picture of a slave plantation, no less.)

I will also encourage my friends and family to avoid the state.

Feel free to share this with your legislators and your governor.

Bruce Maples

If you want to add your own personal boycott, here’s the email address: mjaronski@georgia.org. (Although it’s possible that it is actually jaronski@georgia.org, so you might try both.)

Enjoy!

Is this tweet important? I don't hear anyone talking about it.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 13, 2021 · 7:56 AM PST

2021/02/13 · 07:56

A short diary … and if this has already been covered, I’ll take it down.

But, as we talk about the planning that went into January 6, and how much Trump and his team were involved, this tweet from Jim Acosta the afternoon of the attack seems important. And I’ve not heard it mentioned since.

A source close to the White House who is in touch with some of the rioters at the Capitol said it's the goal of those involved to stay inside the Capitol through the night.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 6, 2021

”A source close to the White House who is in touch with the rioters ...” Who was that? How “close” to the White House? Which rioters? And how long had this person been in touch with the leaders of the attack?

As I said, a short diary. But I’m surprised this hasn’t come up in the impeachment trial.

Poll

127 votes Show Results

Is this important?

127 votes Vote Now!

Is this important?

Yes, and I agree -- it should be looked into.

111 votes

Yes, but it's already been looked into.

1 vote

Too little, too late -- IMHO.

12 votes

Meh.

2 votes

Pie.

1 vote

Tweet of the morning

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday July 25, 2018 · 4:28 AM PDT

2018/07/25 · 04:28

OK, this is way too short to be a diary, but I just saw this from our Congressman Awesome, and it made me laugh, so I thought I’d share.

Worst puppet show ever. https://t.co/AG5PZafoYt
— Rep. John Yarmuth (@RepJohnYarmuth) July 24, 2018

Leave the families out of it.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 29, 2016 · 7:02 PM PDT

2016/08/29 · 19:02

I’ve got to get something off my chest. This will be short, but not sweet.

Since when did we decide that it is okay to blame someone for the actions of their parents, if they happen to be on the Other Side? Or for the sins of their children? Or their spouse?

There is a diary on the Rec List that talks about Trump’s father being a member of the KKK. The story is from 1927, BEFORE TRUMP WAS EVEN BORN. And yet, this is somehow supposed to be a black mark against Trump himself.

And yet, when a news person tried to tie Huma Abedin to the actions of her spouse, people on this site went crazy. (As they should have.)

Look, there is more than enough out there to put at the feet of Donald Trump. But to throw up a story about his father and gleefully claim that it says something about Trump himself is wrong. It is unfair. And it is beneath the standards that we should be following in our political dialogue.

Five Baptist ministers and a Muslim community leader walk into a gay bar ...

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday June 14, 2016 · 8:29 PM PDT

2016/06/14 · 20:29

The pastor of our church, the leader of our True Colors ministry, and four other faith leaders found a way to let the LGBT community know we’re here for them. Read on …

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday May 15, 2016 · 2:43 PM PDT

2016/05/15 · 14:43

Two pairs of hands tug a chain in opposite directions. A sign hangs in the middle of the chain. The sign says "Why I'm right ..."

This isn’t really long enough to be a diary — more like a long comment. But, it applies to pretty much the entire site, so I thought I’d write it as a general post.

Here’s the point, bluntly put: Can we please stop? Stop the hatred of each other, stop the name-calling, stop the condescension, stop the arrogance. Stop looking for insult in every comment. Stop leaping to the defense of your chosen candidate, guns blazing, flame shooting out of your keyboard.

The diaries are bad enough. The comment sections, though, are lethal. I’ve stopped reading most of the comments, as they always devolve into hatred within the first three.

Are there bad actions, on both sides? Yes. Are there bad actors, on both sides? Yes. Are both candidates flawed in some ways? Yes.

But damn, people — we are looking at an election where we could take the White House, the Senate, even the House, and yet we are spending our time attacking each other, ripping each other, and driving people away from not only this site but from being involved at all.

This site is becoming toxic. And I say that as someone who has been here a while, and used to recommend it regularly to my friends and fellow activists. Not any more — I don’t want them to see Democrats at their ugliest.

I know that this little post won’t change anything — both sides will continue to assume their people are always right and the other side’s people are horrible creatures — but after reading post after post today that went right to Red-State-level name-calling, I had to get it off my chest.

Now back to your regularly scheduled “pie fights,” which stopped being as much fun as a real pie fight many months ago.

Repeating the Questions: Four Questions for Choosing Our Candidate

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 25, 2016 · 5:33 PM PDT

2016/04/25 · 17:33

Last fall, I wrote a piece listing the four questions we should use to choose our candidate for 2016. I won’t rehash that piece, as you can go read it for yourself if you wish. But, as we come around the far turn and head into the stretch (and yes, it’s Derby season here), I thought it would be interesting to ask the questions again. Jump below for the questions and a couple of my thoughts about them.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 09, 2016 · 11:47 AM PDT

2016/04/09 · 11:47

I’ve been thinking for a while of writing a diary titled “This Site Has Lost Its Mind,” prompted by coming on here one day and seeing Rachel Maddow portrayed as “just like Fox News.” (!)

Instead, I will simply note that my Daily Kos reading habits have changed. I used to visit the site once or twice a day, reading most of the FP stories and many of the Recommendeds, including all the comments. I often posted comments myself, and also posted diaries, some of which hit the Rec list.

Now? Now, I drop in every few days, scan the FP headlines, then scan the Rec list. If there is a story that interests me, I read the story. Only. I almost never read the comments, and I rarely comment myself.

Why? Because more and more, this site resembles a cross between a shark feeding frenzy and the inside of a locomotive factory.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 16, 2015 · 5:28 PM PST

2015/11/16 · 17:28

There a diary on the Community Spotlight that posits that petitions and emails are “two good ideas gone bad.” While I certainly agree with the gist of the rant, I have to ask the follow-up question:

What, then, do you suggest?

Join me below the fold for a quick discussion, and YOUR chance to contribute.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 23, 2015 · 5:00 AM PDT

2015/09/23 · 05:00

Louisville is a wonderful city for many reasons: the arts, the food scene, the college sports, the lifestyle, the diversity. It's a progressive city in a conservative state, and has become more and more cosmopolitan in its cultural and ethnic makeup. For example, we have a number of mosques in the city, and they have existed without incident in our "Compassionate City."

Until last week.

On Wednesday the 17th, when the members gathered for evening prayers, they discovered that someone had vandalized the outside of the building with red spray paint.

The city was shocked. Vandalism like this is unusual in The Ville. But what happened next showed that hate can be overcome with compassion and caring. Read More

Brothers and Sisters: Note the Title

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday August 30, 2015 · 5:10 PM PDT

2015/08/30 · 17:10

Since this is my week to host Brothers and Sisters, I was racking my brain earlier to come up with an opening topic. And what did I have? Nuttin'.

I have two blogs of my own that I try to keep relatively fresh, plus I'm starting a new site devoted to progressive issues in our city, on top of my regular day job which ALSO involves some measure of creativity. I was just fresh out of Muse, as they say.

Then it struck me. "It's in the title," I said to myself.

Jump below the orange pie pan for more.

bmaples

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 21, 2015 · 6:36 PM PDT

2015/08/21 · 18:36

Here we are, in the middle of the hottest summer on record, watching the 2016 primaries get just as hot, with pies flying so fast and furious that the Flag Guy is having to duck.

In the midst of the sturm und drang, I thought it might be helpful to have something more than just pie, policy, and emotion as tools for picking our next Democratic standard bearer to take on the Regressives. How about some questions, with scoring? You fill out the questionnaire, score it, and boom! - there’s your nominee.

So, having perked up a pot of java, I sat down to design the Presidential Preference Questionnaire. And guess what? After much scratching on 3x5 cards, it all boiled down to four questions. Just four. And I’m going to share them with you, right now, for free.

Jump below the flying pie trails to learn more.

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My personal Georgia boycott

Is this tweet important? I don't hear anyone talking about it.

Tweet of the morning

Leave the families out of it.

Five Baptist ministers and a Muslim community leader walk into a gay bar ...

Just getting this off my chest ...

Repeating the Questions: Four Questions for Choosing Our Candidate

How I read dKos now ...

In response: If emails and petitions are bad, what do you suggest?

Led by Mayor, "City of Compassion" Lives Up to Its Name, Defeats Islamophobia

Brothers and Sisters: Note the Title

Four Must-Answer Questions To Choose Our Candidate