**Update**
Obviously this idea is contientious. At a time like this, if people who are not personally involved in tragedy are offended, I can only imagine those who were directly affected would not be happy about this.
I see that Redstate, to their credit, have a large banner for the Red Cross on their front page. So they are clearly doing their part.
Kossacks are equally obviously doing thier part as well. So I think this idea should die a quiet, peaceful death. Thanks for considering it. And I know you already have, but please donate to the Red Cross
Okay, the concept is simple: we, the progressive blogosphere challenge the conservative blogosphere to a monthlong challenge to raise money for the victims of Katrina.
Go below the jump for details of this proposal.
The goal is to help people so even though I am proposing a competition, I think this would be in good taste. This is all being brainstormed right here, right now, so it is a rough draft and I am open to suggestions about how to do it (and being relatively ignorant of HTML and CSS I will seek volunteers).
What we need to set up:
- A web site similar to an ActBlue page where donations to the Red Cross can be collected and tallied for the progressive side. it would also have the graphics and html for any progressive blogger to add to their blog inviting people to click through and donate.
- The exact same thing for the conservative side.
- Graphics and HTML code for a click through button that progressive bloggers can put on their website. Visitors to any progressive blog with this button can click through to the progressive donation site and make a donation.
- A similar button for the conservative side that leads to the conservative donation site.
- Donated bandwidth for both of the above sites. I think we (progressives) should be responsible for the bandwidth of the progressive site and the conservatives have to figure out how to do theirs on their own.
- Motivation to participate: if progressives win all participating progressive blogs get to post a banner trumpeting the fact that they outfundraised us; all participating conservative blogs agree to post a banner saying they lost (they have to keep it up at least a week). Vice versa if we lose.
- Word about this should be spread like a meme.
- Proposed start date September 1 and ending date of September 30? I'm not too worried about starting late, people will need help for a LONG time after this hurricane.
So, I am looking for volunteers!
- Who knows how to contact Mike Krampanski at Redstate? I am emailing their info@redstate, but if we can get this proposal directly to him, then that would help.
- We need someone to donate webspace and bandwidth for the donations page.
- We need someone to design graphics for the progressive side of this deal, the click through button, victory banner, etc.
- Someone to design the website.
- Any idea how to set up the collection mechanism so we get an accurate count of the money collected and number of people contributing and the Red Cross gets the money? Should I contact the Red Cross to see how to set that up? Help needed here.
If you are interested in volunteering, post in the diary
and please email me at andy @ kiltedliberal.com
I will post subsequent diaries so that we can plan this thing out. Please note, I'm at work so after I post this diary, I can't do anything else until 6p central time.
I will try to coordinate this thing...
All suggestions are welcome. If you think this is a good idea, please recommend.