Good morning!
This is the weekly DKos Asheville open thread where we try to get together every Saturday morning around eleven, and then drift in and out throughout the day. We hope this group serves to reinvigorate us locally and regionally here on Daily Kos, building on the sense of community that's grown through our online engagement. DKos Asheville can give us all a better sense of connection, a better understanding of who these people are that we stand with, work with, and share with in the political process. We hope, through this community, that we can do a better job of leveraging our orange passion for progressive politics to help elect more and better Democrats.
If you would like to host a weekly open thread, please let us know.
Last Saturday's meetup was a great success. We had excellent speakers, great food, and it was warm and dry! One of the topics that was discussed was the upcoming Moral March on Raleigh; and several of us talked over some very tentative plans.
The Moral March on Raleigh is one week from today! And indications are that this is going to be a big and important event.
If you haven't read Denise Oliver Velez's piece from last Sunday's front page, Marching forward together: From Selma to Raleigh, please do so. Her diary has lots of information and links; but what really amazed and excited me was this bit from Denise in the comments ...
Bus from NYC still has a few seats available
I've already booked my seat!
Denise is taking a bus all the way from New York City to be with us here in North Carolina! It's hard to express how reading that made me feel. Denise Oliver Velez!
And as I read through the comments to her diary, I noticed that a lot of our fellow kossacks are planning to be there too.
I want to be there.
There is the little matter of logistics. The event starts at 9:30 in the morning.
The chartered bus from Asheville leaves at 4:30. If you don't mind bus travel, and you can be there around 4:00 to start boarding, I highly recommend it. Go here for information. I took the bus on my first Moral Monday trip; and I was struck by what a great group of people were on that bus. The problem for me is that I don't ride well; so no more bus trips for me.
My very tentative plan at the moment is to drive down on Friday, perhaps in the afternoon. If I'm by myself, I could possibly stay with a friend in Chapel Hill; but I would rather be much closer to the event. If the event draws the numbers that it looks like it will, then parking may take some thought.
But if anyone would like to ride with me, let me know. I think my car could hold three passengers in addition to myself comfortably.
That's all I have at the moment. Not much of a plan; but a strong desire to be there. If you have suggestions on maybe finding a place to stay together, please post in the comments, or if you prefer, send me a kosmail.
For those of you planning to be there, if you have ideas on meeting up before the event starts, post those as well.
If you haven't been to a Moral Monday event, I highly recommend it. It is an amazing group of people to be with; and a moving experience. And it is important. This event will be significant in our efforts to effect change in November. Every body, every voice, counts. And whether or not you are able to make it, please spread the word; impress upon people you think might be interested that this march shouldn't be missed. It's an opportunity to be a part of history, and to make a difference in our world.
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As a reminder, we now have a google group for DKos Asheville, setup for the purpose of making it easier for us to send messages to group members. We'll use it to send reminders of the Saturday open threads, meetups, voter registration events, etc. If you would like to be added to the google group, kosmail me an email address and I will send you an invite. Note, this is a private group and your email address will not be public. Remember to check your email for the google invite.
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Enjoy your day!
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