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One Pissed Off Liberal posted an important and moving diary this week about his "small seismic shift" at Netroots Nation. He explains how he came to better appreciate the efforts of activists, bloggers, field rats, organizers, and even politicians who are committed to creating change for the greater good. If you read through the comments, you'll see that many kossacks who went to the convention returned home similarly encouraged, inspired and motivated.
In many ways, that it what action does for political warriors. It channels anxiety, feigned helplessness, fear -- and, yes, anger and cynicism -- into positive, productive output. If you are determined to make this country a better place, action is manna for your soul.
Action.
It connects you to community, it distracts you from disappointment, it keeps you focused and forward-thinking, and it gives you purpose. It is at once both practical and spiritual. It moves the cause along, sometimes by inches and sometimes by yards, and it creates a movement in which we all claim our stake and we all have voices. Ask any psychologist and they will tell you that action is a route out of depression or despair. It gives you the ability to exert some control over your environment, it can bring your life meaning, it takes you outside of yourself. Action excites us, empowers us, energizes us, and rejuvenates us. Even when we are dispirited and exhausted -- both emotionally and physically -- we get energy and strength from moving forward together with a group of kindred souls. Do you remember how excited you felt whenever you registered a new voter? Or how reinvigorated you felt when you persuaded just one more "undecided" in November?
On Wednesday, two first-hand reports of kossacks blogging from events in the field flew up to the rec list and remained there until morning. And the same thing happened last night with an on-the-ground report from San Francisco. One of these reports was from the indomitable kath25, and choc-a-bloc with great photos. We always love her photoblogs. The report from San Francisco had plenty of photos, too. But the third report contained only text. And, boy, what text that was! There was energy and excitement in the air at all of the events, that the diarists captured perfectly. And two were held in very complicated states, where the odds are long and the slogs longer, as any organizer can tell you. But the most interesting part of all three posts, I think, were the comments. Hundreds and hundreds of comments cheering the diarists on, cheering on all of us. Don't give up on Ohio and Texas. Don't give up, period. There were photos and mini-reports from other events around the nation. And overflowing heartfelt thanks for rallying the troops.
The other night, Jeffrey Feldman said this in a comment on kath25's diary:
It's great to see the rec list topped by diaries filled with stories and photos of smiling, triumphant progressives engaged on the ground. I was about ready to throw my laptop out the window when the rec list was filled with whiny, cranky diaries that did nothing more than feed people's latent need to bicker.
I went to the NYC rally on Saturday and it was energizing and uplifting. Heading to the candle light vigil in Columbus Circle tomorrow night, which--if I don't set my own hair on fire--should be fantastic.
Folks, these are the kinds of diaries that should fill up the rec list like a long line of activists marching arm-in-arm to victory. We don't win political battles by complaining and in-fighting our way across the finish line. We win by standing tall and projecting victory stronger, brighter, and longer than the opposition.
Thanks for this diary and for dozens and dozens like it to follow.
(Emphasis mine - mindoca)
And just yesterday, srkp23, posted a beautiful diary on optimism and serendipity and finding inspiration in the least likely of places. I think it was a sign, and it is in that spirit that I offer this diary tonight. It is, in fact, an account of our highly successful rally in NYC on Saturday. But it is much more than that, I hope. I have included some text to guide you along but you don't need to read it, really. Just look at the pictures of people just like us, and feel their headiness, drink in their determination, revel in their resolve. Most are laughing and smiling and all are clearly feeling the joy and pride inherent in the exercise of an electorate advocating for itself. As captainlaser commented in casperr's amazing photo diary of the rally from last weekend:
You look great. You all looked great.
People with a righteous cause always look beautiful.
Here, then, is a pictorial of the beautiful people of NYC standing up for real healthcare reform last weekend. If you do only one thing for healthcare reform in these ebbing days of summer, please attend a march or a rally and stand with us!
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New York City, Saturday, August 29, 2009
As I wrote last week in my pre-rally piece, in NYC, we go big or go home, and we went big -- really big -- at our rally for healthcare reform this past weekend.
The day started with hundreds of us marching from health clinics and hospitals throughout the five boroughs to Times Square. I had the privilege of being a captain for two of the foremost medical institutions in the world: New York-Presbyterian: The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The latter is the premier cancer center in the world and has special meaning for me, as it is where my mother died almost thirty years ago. It was an emotional day for me for many reasons.
I wanted my walkers to be able to find me in the middle of Hurricane Danny or the crowd of thousands in Times Square, so I prepared my clothes for the day purposefully. The t-shirt is a cherished memento of my time volunteering for the campaign in New Mexico, and I colored in my captain's sticker in phosphorescent green so that there would be no mistaking who I was, from the back or the front.
I also wore some of my favorite campaign buttons, to bring back that incredible sensation of feeling fired up. The two on top are from New Mexico and Texas, and I wore the one below to remind me that if I got tired at the rally, it was because I was, well, an old white woman.
My groups took off from their respective hospitals and met up en route to march together into Times Square. This amazing young woman, whose mother helped to organize the entire Upper East Side of Manhattan (churches, mosques, synagogues, hospitals, medical schools and more) led the largest group for most of the walk, while I stayed behind with fellow kossack javelina, in case there were late arrivals or stragglers. This is a picture of my extraordinary "deputy" later in the day -- clearly making her point.
Here's the group arriving at Times Square.
And here we are marching into the rally like we owned Broadway. Javelina is at the front of the line.
There was lots of passion at the rally.
This woman had the most beautiful wavy hair that rocked back and forth every time she jumped and shouted. I caught her in mid-air at a slow shutter speed.
Javelina helped to carry my fifteen-minutes-of-fame sign while I was busy captaining or photographing. The sign was actually picked up by the AP (in print) and misrepresented. They translated it and didn't comment that it was originally created in Spanish. Honestly, I copywrote that sign so that it was the perfect alliteration in Spanish. And so that the last two short words stacked up pretty perfectly design-wise. Sheesh.
Here are a bevy more of the expressions and faces of the fight for healthcare reform in NYC.
There was a lot of support for the public option.
There was a lot of support for single payer, too.
The man in the back wheelchair chanted "single payer now" between breaths on his ventilator. I was humbled by all of the wheelchair-bound marchers and their caregivers.
Here's kossack sidnora and one side of her huge sign. Fellow kossack BrooklynWeaver is behind her and to the left on the screen.
This woman stopped me to make sure that I corrected the error in her sign when I posted. The United States is actually #37. Sadly.
Though I didn't know it at the time, fellow kossack bria is on the left in this picture.
Some people wore their signs on their shirts.
Some people just dressed the part and we were excited to have them.
These were medical student from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, who told us that there was a lot of support for healthcare reform on campus.
There was also a great group of medical students from The Mount Sinai Medical Center -- another world-renowned hospital in NYC. He are a couple (the others were eating pizza just out of camera range) and, boy, were they jazzed. They told us that their dean was very supportive, too -- including of the public option. It was great to hear.
Here's a practicing physician in the crowd who was also clearly happy to be there.
And here are two attending physicians that I met who are members of the National Physicians Alliance: Doctors for the Public Option. Perry Ong, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in Chinatown, and Grace Forde, MD is a neurologist at North Shore University Hospital. The legislative director of the National Physicians Alliance addressed the rally and described the need for change for the perspective of a physician dedicated first and foremost to his patients.
As I mentioned above, the day was particularly poignant for me because I was asked to lead the group from Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Of course, it was bittersweet for all of us, as our beloved ally, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. At the beginning of our march, I read the following excerpt to our group, in his honor:
The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, the dream will never die.
And when we arrived at the rally, it was clear that many, many people had Teddy in their hearts and on their minds on Saturday.
Here is sidnora again with a beautiful tribute to Senator Kennedy.
I loved the simplicity of this sign.
I made this sign for the rally, based upon some brilliant brainstorming that took place last week on Daily Kos (h/t to reddbierd).
And of course, there were hundreds of "Thank You" signs for Teddy, too.
I know that there are thousands upon thousands of kossacks who are out there every day, taking action - quietly, locally. You may not blog about it, you may not even comment or tip or rec. Perhaps you are not even registered. I implore you to come out of the shadows and support action diaries on this site so that other activists know that they are not alone in this fight to pass real healthcare reform this year.
I hope that these pictures inspire you to leave a comment and a rec and maybe post a link to Facebook or Twitter. There is a culture of not asking overtly for this kind of support on Daily Kos, but I feel no hesitation in skirting that convention tonight. We have only days left to make our voices heard at marches and rallies and townhalls before Congress returns to Washington, D.C. Any visibility that you provide for this diary will only increase attendance at these events and grow the army of activists and volunteers that we will need this fall to get real healthcare reform. I am not asking for myself, but for all of us. I appreciate the indulgence.
For alerts on action diaries and other important healthcare news, please sign up for Netroots for Healthcare or follow along on Twitter: @Netroots4HC.
Important Update: If you haven't already done so, please read Kid Oakland's wonderful action diary on the rec list now. And just do it!
Special thanks to javelina for being the best co-opted co-captain ever, to casperr for being a force of nature and helping to organize the rally, and to casperr, kath25, srkp23, taylormattd, Elise, and One Pissed Off Liberal for getting me out of html Hades.