Hey folks! I just created this new group on DK4 dedicated to all things Louisiana. I'm hoping that my fellow Louisianans will get involved with this group, as well as anyone interested in the state.
At heart, I am a grassroots organizer and think that this group may be a great tool to connect with other Kossacks as well as spotlight stuff going on down here on the bayou and call to action if needed.
So, as I hope this diary serves as a vehicle for other Louisianans to introduce themselves, let me introduce myself.
My name is poligirl and I moved to Louisiana in January 2009. I was born and raised in SoCal, and even though it's not remotely Northeast, I still get labeled a yankee here every once in a while.
Some of you may know me from the Edwards campaign in 2007/08. I helped run the Los Angeles area grassroots for the campaign and was a stand in precinct captain in Iowa for the primaries. (All done under my real name, Noelle Seguin.)
Some of you may also know me as one of the Editors on Progressive Blue, a small blog that evolved from the old Edwards group that used to blog nightly here at Daily Kos.
I moved to Louisiana partly because I wanted to get out of California - it was too expensive, too crowded, and the job availability was just as bad if not worse there. My family had left the area a few years before, so there seemed no really good reason to stay.
I also moved to Louisiana because I had always wanted to move to the South; my maternal grandma was from Georgia so I grew up on stories from down here and good ole southern cookin'. I always marveled at the personality of the South - how a place that seemed so friendly also had very public shortcomings that were anything but friendly to all.
Finally, my choice was made from a combination of all that I had learned about the state during Katrina, an appreciation for history and the history down here is fascinating, a love for really wild and changing weather, and the fact that my other half, LaEscapee, the cantankerous and contrary Kossack, was from here, so I knew someone here already.
Let me say, I love my state. I love the food and music - I've found it's central to life down here. Mardi Gras is just something to behold. There is literally a festival or festivals somewhere in the state every weekend. The people are mostly laid back and pretty friendly, though the racial current runs deep in places. The weather - even the sweltering summer weather - is unique, and can be explosive at times; for a weather lover, this is THE place to be.
We could use some more progressive politics down here, and judging from the folks I've met that are right wing, many of them would be open to some progressive issues if they were sold well. Of course, some of them will never come around, but progressive politics is possible. We'd have to get past the ingrained old boys club, and maybe I'm just way too optimistic, but I still think it's possible. We just have to get our message framed right and out there.
There are a lot of issues. We're still grappling with the aftereffects of Katrina, and of course, the big oil disaster. We could use more wetlands protection, and we need to get Jindal out of the statehouse.
So with that, welcome to the Louisiana Kossacks group!