Given kos's
credentials, having both a journalism and law degree, he is at the very least the equivalent of an editor of a successful magazine on a still developing communication medium. The internet will not replace journalism, simply the medium of which it is communicated, and judging by all the trees that will save: good! I would dare say that there is an artistry to "blogging" as there is to any communication medium, it's what I often strive for when I have the time and peace of mind. Many of you might accuse me of "sucking-up", and perhaps that's true, but I believe DailyKos to be one of the most beautiful, thought-out websites on the internet. If you never have I suggest subscribing to DailyKos, if only for a month (it only costs $4 dollars), then visit our competitors like
Boing Boing,
PostSecret or Instapundit: they don't even compare.
This site is free in every sense of the word. No one forces you to come here and participate: you come here because like all humans you're addicted to expressing yourself, so what is it we on DailyKos are aiming to express?
kos is one among many and I'm sure he doesn't mind the occasional reminder or being teased of his recent success. Lord knows it's what I'd want to keep my ego in check and mind grounded. kos takes himself and what's posted to the front-paged at DailyKos
very seriously, and why shouldn't he? He's served in the army, has several degrees and working in the tech industry and is in a unique position to aid and build a community such as this. He also swears regularly but it's rarely directed at anyone person or site member: don't take it personally. Politics is an ugly and course business that wears on one's patience and temperament. The swearing probably isn't ever going to stop, no matter how often we promise to ourselves to become more civil: that's politics and that's the internet.
DailyKos is a community blog with the goal of elecitng Democrats. It's time we start defining ourselves and that's what this community is ultimately best served for. It's my opinion that it's pastordan's weekly sermons, Frankenoid's Garden Blogging, and diaries such as georgia10's memorial to Theresa Schiavo that will help us begin to define our values as opposed to simply reacting to whatever trash is being talked about us at RedState or the National Review. This is where we come to escape the verbal and written assaults of the Dittoheads, Bill O'Reillys and Ann Coulters. It's why I come here all the time instead of, let's say MyDD.
Here censorship is a group process as it is in any community, for every recommend it takes two troll ratings to hide a comment. From what I can tell those that believe 9-11 was an "inside-job" and Diebold is the only reason George W. Bush resides in the White House are free to post such diaries, I prefer to just hit the 'back-button' and continue my day while Armando and DHinMI confront them with reality. Sure we Kossacks might live in a bubble, for example, on election day 2004 when kos posted those bogus exit-polls, I thought John Kerry and Democrats had won and went to bed much more depressed and confused because of it (he might have eked out victory if voting had been fair in Ohio, but I wanted Democrats to WIN). But I'd say DailyKos is a thriving and growing bubble that allows Democrats to come together and decide what it is we stand for instead of allowing conservative pundits decide what is electable, but unlike the closed, backdoor-dealing that has determined public policy forever: DailyKos can be read by anyone, even if you don't contribute. Such openness keeps us honest, and with our egos in check, we can work towards real policies, but that openness can and will be taken advantage of by those who used to wielding unaccountable-political-clout. Communities that have values will always be preyed upon by the unscrupulous who are not hindered by an internal sense of right and wrong. Here are what I'd say the overreaching DailyKos community values are that have nothing to do with election cycles:
- open-source: accurate information should be available to all. The internet and life are a collaborative project. Share what you can share, build upon what was given to you and don't always wait to be asked: be pro-active.
- anti-consumerism: Americans are addicted to consumer goods and getting what they want. Whether beaning babies, Barbies, video games, iPods and plastic utensils are lives and landfill are full of endless crap. Efficient, environmental, and labor friendly industries must become the norm and not the exception. Our current standards of living are untenable and unethical: simplify, simplify.
- The Golden Rule: the internet is a strange method of communication. It's easy to forget that the internet is made up of people and not machines, they to have a life-worths of experiences and feelings that affect how and what they are writing: only do unto them what you would want done back. Be empathetic, be forgiving, but don't be forgetful for the internet never does.
- You're only as good as your sources: now back to the bubble discussion. I'm sure with a series of links to Common Dreams, BuzzFlash, and Antiwar.com I too could write and justify diaries comparing George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler: you're just talking to yourself. I suggest stepping out of that bubble, be thankful for what we still have in America, take a deep breath, and visit websites or read newspapers that question and don't automatically reaffirm what you already believe to be true. The best bet for now when using secondary sources are still traditional sources of media such as what's published in the Washington Post or Yahoo News. Leave the Hitler comparisons to historians, we have Democrats to elect.
It's my belief that those advancing the "9-11" was an inside job then link to secondary, biased, unconfirmed sources (and I'm not saying there wasn't a cover-up to absolve George W. Bush and Condoleeza Rice of accountability for this country's security) display the same-group think mentality that led George W. Bush to believe Saddam Hussein was the biggest threat to the United States security: surround yourself with the right-sources, become afraid, and you can honestly believe anything. Last, I can't emphasize this enough:
you are your biggest barrier to success on DailyKos, not George W. Bush, Karl Rove or kos. Research, write, have some fun, be kind, and
READ THE FAQ.