The Daily Herald credits The Daily Kos for saving the day for a group of plucky BYU students against Dick Cheney.
This was a glorious day. I have never experienced the full power that grass roots activist efforts could have until today. I wrote a heart-felt blog entry on The Daily Kos this afternoon pouring the facts and expressing my feelings about the uphill battle that anti-Cheney BYU students are fighting to organize their own "alternative commencement".
The Daily Kos is such a huge and popular blog, that I expected my entry to quickly disappear into the woodwork.
But this was not the case. Within minutes, people from around the nation started pouring in supportive comments to what I had written. And, within a few more minutes, money donations started gushing into the Alternative BYU Commencement website. Hundreds upon hundreds of people started discussing this issue and we suddenly became the top most talked about Daily Kos Blog Entry of the day. Hundreds of dollars became thousands of dollars. The "donation" meter exploded from about $9,500 to $15,000 in 2 hours. And then, just 4 hours after the post went up, the $20,000 goal was annihilated. And people just kept giving and giving and giving.
My heart is full of cheer, warmth, and celebration. This is a great day. Especially for someone like me... a pessimist.
Wow.
Here are some of the 550 comments from readers of The Daily Kos:
This is how freedom is born. It is hard and it requires pain, but they have done something really courageous and it will grow. Watch it grow!!
I LOVE THIS!!! THIS is what I've been waiting for. For the college kids to join us. I'm from the Vietnam era and have been discouraged that the (current)college kids weren't politically motivated. Well, they are at BYU. Thank you, grads, and good luck.
OK, this will be my last update, but it's cleared the $21K mark (how fucking cool): $21,000.89 105% of what they needed. That was awesome. NICE!!!
I contributed $10. I can imagine how unhappy (ok, downright angry) I would be to have Cheney as a commencement speaker for my graduation. Congratulations to these BYU students who stood up for themselves and are making this happen.
What these kids are doing takes guts. I am so glad they made their goal and then some...it sends a good message to support anyone who wishes not to have their big day sullied by the likes of Cheney...that is a message of hope.
I gave $50. Boy, It feels real good to be a part of this action! What a knock on Cheney, and in deep red Bush country no less! Cheney can go NOWHERE in America anymore without us reaching out and touching him! And these BYU kids are the greatest!
The total went from $17K to $20K in about 10 minutes! Now this is about sending a message to the BYU top brass who wanted to bring Cheney onto campus, and about sending a message to all college students nationally about what can be done!
$6,000 2 1/2 hours?!?! This shows me that liberals stand by our principles. I mean, did you ever think you would be donating to kids at BYU? I'm keeping Nader out of this, let the kids have their alternative function, and I hope they have an overflow audience!
This was one of the best days of my life...
BUT!!! BYU struck back... The Mormon church-owned Deseret News went on the attack calling and grilling me and students alike trying to find some kind of negative slant to the good news.
Read about The Deseret News' article here and then read my official response to these hacks here. And here's one of the BYU students' responses here.
Thanks so much for everything you did, Daily Kos readers. A real miracle.
-STEVEN GREENSTREET