"Why didn't you reply to the e-mail I sent you today?"

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

Tuesday April 28, 2009 · 9:30 PM PDT

2009/04/28 · 21:30

I went to the Bolingbrook, IL Village Board meeting tonight, hoping to get some pictures of Mayor Roger Claar for my website, The Bolingbrook Babbler. This was also the meeting where the board was going to approve the budget. The group Citizens for a Better Bolingbrook was also going to be there, and I wanted to see what they were like in person.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

wbrinkman

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

Sunday February 22, 2009 · 3:27 PM PST

2009/02/22 · 15:27

After seeing all the crazy Republican theatrics this week, I decided to write an article for my blog, The Bolingbrook Babbler. Basically The Babbler is a fictional tabloid, along the lines of The Weekly World News. After writing the article, I thought you guys might like to check it out. I normally don't do this, but I hope Kos doesn't mind.

In the face of falling ad revenue and declining subscribers, the Republican Party secretly met with Chicago area publishers to pitch a bailout plan.

The plan would provide billions in grants to newspapers. As explained by Donald Plimsoul, a representative for Newt Gingrich, the Republican Party just wants to help defend an American Institution.

"Newspapers have long been a part of our American tradition." He said. "We cannot have the government this country deserves without newspapers."

Plimsoul noted that the "Democrat Party" opposes the Free Restored Engaged and Energized Press Act, or FREEP Act for short.

Here is the rest of the article.

Pictures from Chicago's Anti-Prop 8 march and rally

wbrinkman

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

Saturday November 15, 2008 · 5:42 PM PST

2008/11/15 · 17:42

I haven't been to a protest march since the early 90s, but I felt compelled to attend this rally. Gay marriage shouldn't be a big deal, and the passing of Prop 8 signals that it is a big deal. We can't sit by and hope that politicians will recognize gay marriage.

The rally itself was very good. The speakers stayed focused on marriage equality. There were plenty of signs available, and everyone was on their best behavior.

The march was long, but we did manage to take over part of Michigan Avenue. For some reason, the Chicago police tried to confine the beginning of the march to the sidewalk, which created quite a bottleneck. With police horses one one side, and a building on the other, lets just say I was glad I was committed to moving forward.

One of the marchers said that this was the first time marchers were able to take over Michigan Avenue. I don't know if that's true. If it is, then I'm glad to have been a part of history.

Below are some photos that I took at the rally and march.

wbrinkman

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

Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 8:07 PM PST

2008/11/04 · 20:07

Just as I finished this diary, Sen. Barack Obama became President Elect Obama. I'm very happy, however, we need to remember that we didn't work so hard to elect him just so he can sit in the White House. We worked for his election so he could enact his policies.

The Republican party may be down, but they will continue to fight against Obama. Next year we could see ads calling for Americans to rally against "socialized" health care. I'm sure their supporters will pressure their representatives to "fight until victory" in Iraq. Bill Clinton's victory in 1992 didn't stop Republican lobbying efforts. Their efforts lead to the Republicans retaking Congress in 1994.

That's why we can't relax after Obama's win. We'll have to keep lobbying our representatives to enact progressive legislation, like health care reform. We'll still need to use the Internet to mobilize the public to support Obama's policies.

If you donated money to the Obama campaign, consider donating to MoveOn.org or another progressive organization. The fight will continue, and these groups will need our support.

At the very least, stay involved in politics. The Republicans won't give up, and neither should we.

Hillary Campaign makes it official

wbrinkman

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

Thursday June 05, 2008 · 4:16 AM PDT

2008/06/05 · 04:16

I just got this e-mail from the Clinton campaign:

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

After so many false alarms, she is finally dropping out. So for the first time in months, we don't have to worry about a convention floor fight. It is over.

Now I just hope that her true independent and Democratic supporters will join her and unite behind Barack Obama. I know her Operation Chaos voters won't, but they were never her supporters to begin with. I think most of them are Democrats who were going to vote democratic in the general election anyway. If Hillary works on convincing her hardcore supporters, maybe most of them will be on board as well.

Time heals some wounds, and I hope that's the case for the sake of the Democratic Party.

Yes I can. You can too

wbrinkman

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

Sunday February 03, 2008 · 8:51 PM PST

2008/02/03 · 20:51

Today, I almost didn't volunteer for the Obama campaign. It wasn't due to anything that the Senator did. I just wasn't sure I could make a get out the vote call. I just had flashbacks to the worst parts of being a political activist in college and I worried that I might get into a bad phone call.

Well at the last minute, I did go, and I made it to the train station with a few minutes to spare. This isn't a post about why you vote for Obama. I think other diaries cover the pros and cons better I can. This is about why I'm glad I did more than blog or donate to a candidate.

wbrinkman

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

Sunday September 02, 2007 · 1:28 PM PDT

2007/09/02 · 13:28

Yesterday, I drove by downtown Lisle, IL, and saw the Chicago Minutemen picketing the recently opened Giuliani campaign office. They had such thoughtful signs as "I-35 Mexico-Canada Open Borders Superhighway A Treasonous Act."

As I drove by, I wondered if they realized that they were picketing a community with quite a few immigrant owned businesses. In the downtown area alone has a dry cleaning place, and two restaurants. They've been in Lisle for years, and have helped draw people into small downtown. A few miles away, there's a strip mall that has a sushi buffet, an Asian grocery, and a video store that specializes in Asian videos. I don't how they would have reacted to that.

Instead of taking jobs away, these immigrants have contributed to local economy. Just like immigrants contributed to New York's economy during Giuliani's term. Not to mention the immigrant communities that contributed to Chicago's economy over the years.

wbrinkman

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

Sunday August 05, 2007 · 4:56 PM PDT

2007/08/05 · 16:56

In the late 1980s, I was a member of the Progressive Student Network. It was a mostly Midwest based network of college activist groups. At its height, the PSN was a leading voice against US intervention in Central America.

Though when I was involved, it seemed like the group was tearing itself apart. At the two PSN gatherings I went to, it seemed like the identity groups who would accuse the PSN of oppressing them. One of the organizers was nearly voted out because he was quoted in a book as saying it was OK to ask someone if they could please work on something for him. I guess it was either sexist, or elitist, or some other ist.

Now the PSN had its flaws, but it just seemed like a lot of energy was being spent attacking the organization itself. If you didn't think the organization was sexist and racist, then you hadn't dealt with your internalized racism/sexism. In my local chapter, the white male leaders played off to guilt of the other white male members to manipulate the organization. In short, we were destroying ourselves.

wbrinkman

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

Monday September 04, 2006 · 7:57 PM PDT

2006/09/04 · 19:57

The Republicans have recently started comparing the War on Terrorism with World War II. Some have claimed that anyone who opposes Bush's policies are trying to appease the terrorists, or lack moral clarity.

Even if we leave out the fact that FDR was a Democrat, and that the Republicans back then were trying to keep the US out of World War II, I don't think its wise for the Republicans to compare the two wars. For example, FDR mobilized the country and called for sacrifices. There was rationing of materials and resources necessary for the war effort. People were encouraged participate in scrap drives to help the war effort. In addition to paying taxes, the public was also encouraged to buy war bonds.

President Bush, on the other hand, cuts taxes for the rich, encourages people to shop, and won't even call for a draft to fight what is allegedly the greatest threat to the West. Oh yeah, we're also bogged down in Iraq.

In fact, if President Bush had been in charge during World War II, I think we could have seen a newsreel just like this: Read More

RSS

"Why didn't you reply to the e-mail I sent you today?"

Humor: Republicans pitch newspaper bailout plan

Pictures from Chicago's Anti-Prop 8 march and rally

Now the real work begins

Hillary Campaign makes it official

Yes I can. You can too

Driving by an immigration protest

YearlyKos: Coming in from the cold

President Geroge W. Bush: 1946