I know we're all very pent up with rage and annoyance and we can't believe the United States has become a fascist state, and the judiciary is screwed, and the Democrats are weak, and the media is bought and paid for, and....
Well heck, it just goes on and on. So I wanted to change speed a little and tell folks about a blog movement that has set out to make some positive change in the lives of a few kids this year - and it's a blog owned by Markos, which makes it all the more worthwhile to discuss.
As you may or may not know, Markos runs an outfit called Sportsblog Nation, a collective of sports blogs in the mold of dKos, and the premier SB Nation baseball blog is a site called Athletics Nation, dedicated to the Oakland A's ball team.
Why do you care? Because the Athletics Nation kids were bored during the off-season this year and got it in their heads to throw some spare change together to buy a couple of season tickets and donate them to a local underprivileged children's charity.
That was a week ago. Today, their fundraising passed the $3000 mark.
$3000 from a tiny little sports blog. I figure that we, with all the people we have here, can double that inside a day. Or we can at least give it a boost.
What started out as a plan to send one kid to every weekend ballgame has now blossomed to six - and it's still rising. The charities selected include Sports4Kids, and a battered women's shelter, and plans are already afoot to make this an annual fundraising effort.
But here's the thing - there are a lot of folks on that blog that aren't what you'd call converts to the progressive cause, so I'm thinking that if we can slam them with donations from the 'uber liberal' Daily Kos, maybe we can score a few converts along the way. Certainly wouldn't hurt from a public relations standpoint, and let's face it, you need somewhere to send that money you're no longer going to give to Robert Byrd and Mary Landrieu.
Donations for THIS year's charity drive will close by 6PM PST Wednesday - so get your donations in NOW!
If you'd like to contribute to this effort, please go take a look at Athletics Nation for the details, and send your Paypal donation to blez@athleticsnation.com - make sure to put an odd cent at the end of the amount you donate so they know it came from Kossacks, and even if you only send a single dollar, heck, who doesn't have a buck in their Paypal account that they could do without?
Be sure to drop a note below to let us know you gave. I'm sure many folks would be happy to respond with mojo for every donation you commit.
It ain't much - a trip to a ballgame won't get a kid in a crappy home fed or educated, but it's something. One happy day in a week of crap, and a lot of memories that'll last a long time.
And hey, any time the blogosphere can rally the troops and do a little good in the world, even as everything crashes down in flames around us, we move one step closer to respectability - and a better world.
If you like this idea, donate. And if you can't donate, recommend, or deal out some mojo to those who do. We can all contribute a little, even if not with cash.
Thanks.