I have been out sick from work this week and have been able to follow the confirmation hearings on cspan and dkos. Armando and Georgia10 have consistently kept us apprised with both commentary, news, and legal and constitutional analyses that have been objective and spot on. Their legal and moral grasp of the reasons Alito is constitutionally unfit to serve on the supreme court is unparalleled (though many others are right there on the playing field).
We can write letters, faxes, e-mails and sign petitions and write LTTE's, but, honestly, why not move take the netroots to an up close and personal posture.
And let's call them our EMISSARIES.
If senators and house reps and other public officials can post on Kos to be heard, then we can meet them in their forum.
We have to be extraordinary. This is the Supreme Court. It's OUR constitution.
I don't think it would take much to raise the funds to get him to DC.
UPDATE 1/13/06 10:00am EST. What to do? Overwhelmingly, kossacks want to send Armando and Georgia10 to DC to make our demand for filibuster known. Georgia10 unfortunately cannot go; she begins classes Saturday. Oh well! Next time!
Armando, however, said he would go pretty much if it made sense to go. There are several arguments in the comments that say to stick to the tried and true (call, fax senators constantly), or some comments that do make some sense in that who would Armando be representing, how many people does this amount to? 500? That it's a a drop in the bucket. Or the the comment that we would be better off supporting orgs that are already there lobbying.
This is my take on these latter counter arguments:
1. We are a street level organization and if that doesn't have any pull with our senators (or so they think) then we just prove to them that it does. I don't care if it's only 600 kossacks or 1000 kossacks who support this as opposed to the 70,000 with accounts. The active kossacks who are participating are representing ALL 70,000 who are not participating. As in, the ones participating here RIGHT NOW are the ones in the street window making the gestures and the noise. And there are how many hits on this site each day? May as well be all 70,000 registered participating. And if the dems do not filibuster? There will be a lot of noise on here that those dems do not want rattled into the blogosphere. I think we have power. If we don't, then we need to find out that we don't. So we can change the way we do things. How many of us have sat here, incredulous, when something really heinous passes both houses? Shocked and horrified. We have to do something a little outside the box on this. IMO.
2. I think sending Armando, who so eloquently communicates the spirit of why Alito is unsuitable, WITH a delegation of DC-area kossacks, preferably dressed in the organge of the Kossack Nation would truly punctuate how serious we are about this. We may be just a drop in the bucket population-wise, but poll-wise, we do represent many americans. Shoot, the main pollsters only poll 500 to 1000 people and we get poll ratings on approvals for bush, the war, state of the economy, etc, and everyone takes those numbers to the bank!
3. Not sure where to go with this now. As I said, I had a mini-conversation with Armando. He will go if called to do so. God, we HAVE to do something different. We are already doing all the tried and trues, and will continue to do so. Frankly, I want to send in an Orange Briggade. With all the notoriety we have received of late thanks to Markos, everyone will know who we are. And as a commenter said below, they will probably be muttering, "omg, they have come out from behind their keyboards!" LOL
4. If we have additional funds, there are great suggestions on what to do with them. I personally like the idea of giving it to yearly kos, because it goes to the same idea: up close and personal activism. But those who gave can vote on what to do with that money when/if that day comes.
5. Let's go for it. Let's start taking donations. Any known person around here want to lead that?
