A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
|
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers.
If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links.
If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version.
|
Been to a Meet-Up Lately ?
I know, funny I should ask, right ? The Baja Arizona Kossacks just had one last Saturday night. I understand there was one that same day in some little town in California too. I mentioned in this thread last week that the word slacktivist has been entered in the Oxford English dictionary. I guess it's a combination of slacker and activist, I suppose clicktivist would do as well. Remember when the Republicans feared us ? Game-changer was the term they used at Huffington Post. The internet was going to change everything. Remember ? Well, we clicked our butts off didn't we; we tweeted, twitted, liked, shared and re-twitted and what did we get ? A Bad Beat, that's what. We've lost our relevance.The other side doesn't even bother trolling the site anymore. When was the last time you saw Markos on TV ? Wanna' get it back, wanna' scare Hell out of the Republicans again ? Do you want to win ? Here's how we do it; we Connect, we Unite, we Act. We get together and start talking about 2016. That's what a few of us did Saturday night at Kon Tiki.
Here's the closest we got to a group shot. There's our brand-new Baja Kossacks banner. It cost $15 and we hope to get many more uses out of it. In the lower left corner is the back of Desert Rose's head, above her is the lovely Mrs. Z. Your humble narrator is just north of her. In the far back corner is Mrs. pwoodford. In the center is our well-remunerated server, rasbobbo is standing just behind her. In the far right corner is DaNang65, in front of him is ItsaMathJoke, left, and ramara, right. In the front right is Rico Suave. That's just a nickname, I hope he uses that when he gets his DKos account.
Here are a few more. Many thanks to dobleremolque for the photography, most of the shots I took were terrible. I couldn't even get the food to stand still. Here's Mrs. pwoodford, pwoodford, center, with glow-in-the-dark name tag, DaNang65, ItsaMathJoke, with menu, ramara, and rasbobbo, also with menu:
DaNang65, wearing his CUA T-shirt. (That's Mens-Lg, navs. I'll email you my street address.)
rasbobbo again, with Rico Suave. Note umbrella in drink.
Me, making some brilliant observation, no doubt.
The atmosphere was retro-cornball, the food mediocre and the drinks cloying. But the conversation, that was superb. It's really a pleasure to get together with Kossacks. They're bright and well-informed, a little snarky maybe, but much fun to talk with. We're all political activists to one degree or another. Many of us have years of campaign experience. One thing we all have in common, the Tucson bunch and our neighbors in Cochise County to the east, is our Congressional District. If we get a candidate we can all get behind in 2016, we've got a group of volunteers ready to go, ready to Act, ready to make a difference.
We didn't have much of an agenda. There was AZ-02, of course, and a possible initiative campaign, a constitutional amendment to criminalize anonymous campaign contributions, and there was Netroots Nation. We're going. Some have already made their arrangements, others are just beginning to plan, but we'll be there. Arizona is not a uniquely racist state and the risks associated with a visit to Phoenix have been greatly exaggerated. I dare say that a young Hispanic male is safer on the streets of that city than a young Black male is on the streets of, say, St. Louis, MO.
I'll close with this, ultimate Tiki Drink. Somebody had to do it, somebody had to order the Scorpion Bowl, described on the menu as follows:
Scorpion Bowl
For One 7.00
For Two 14.00
Strawberry For One 8.00
Strawberry For Two 16.00
Largest drink in the world, a conglomeration of rums, gin, brandy and liqueurs, plus tropical fruit juices. Superbly blended and beautifully served. Sipped through Kon Tiki super long straws. The recipe is not available to anyone but Kon Tiki Mixologists.
Here's Mrs. Z and I sharing a Scorpion Bowl, for two, like a couple of kids in their 20s.
Oh yeah, here's a pork chop. I hope ItsaMathJoke ate her broccoli.
Awright my friends, that's all I got for this Tuesday. Have you been to Meet-up lately ? Are you planning to go to one ? You are a member of your local group, aren't you ?
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
Southwest Ohio Kossacks are organizing now. Please kosmail akadjian to receive an invite to join the group. There's lots to do in Ohio and we need YOU to reach our political goals. Also, please direct any commenters or diarists you encounter from Cincinnati or Dayton at Daily Kos to join this group. Thanks!
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
by Thinking Fella ♥ for Four Corners Kossacks
On Saturday, November 8th, 2014, the Four Corners Kossacks met to have a beverage or two, lament our electoral losses, cheer our wins, get updates on races still ongoing, listen to past local election history, learn more about each other, and plot our future strategies.
L-R: Thinking Fella, Matt S., (McLachlan campaign manager) red moon dog, nzanne, Gary Norton, Wally White, (termed-out former La Plata County Commissioner & long-time Dailykos lurker) and Jeff H.
Please visit Thinking Fella's diary for more photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Four Corners Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Thinking Fella.
by John Crapper ♥ for Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks
Four days after the mid-term elections Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks had lunch with Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, WA 34th, Chair of the Environment Committee and serving on the Finance, Transportation and Local Government Committees.
Special thanks goes to bleeding blue for making this all possible!
Invited attendees: Marcee Stone-Vegich - Chair of the 34th LD & Ted Barker Vice Chair, Robin Everett - Washington State's Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Coordinator and Mary Manous with Weldon DeBusk both on the development team creating the Cascadia Climate Action Calendar which compiles monthly the events and actions of all major environmental groups in the Puget Sound Area.
My take-away as leader of Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks from this meeting. Political reality can't be changed. We must deal with it as best we can. We must also support those fighting for climate sanity as best we can. But when it comes to climate change we cannot afford to wait on politics to be "right" to get something done. We can't afford to just chip away at the edges. We need to pursue the most effective path possible to make climate sanity a reality. Under current circumstances politics may not be that path in the next two years in Washington State.
Instead it will be the Climate Action Hub. And in my neck of the woods it will be promoting the Cascadia Climate Calendar and urging people to get involved.
Please visit
John Crapper's diary for more photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join
Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to
John Crapper.
by cooper888 ♥ for Sacramento Kossacks
We heard from navajo and Meteor Blades about the initiative by Daily Kos to have active Kossack groups in each of the state capitals. DK is looking for engaged Kossack's ready to roll up their sleeves and participate in many different types of activism/advocacy. For example, delivering petitions to the state capitol, participating in various protests, marches, rally's at the capitol, etc. As Meteor Blades pointed out this won't happen over night and is a long term strategy but I think if we all take the lead in our respective states we can make this dream happen sooner than DK leadership expects.
L-R: Front row: Sychotic1, tgypsy, tb92, trevizolga, Mrs. side pocket. Second row: Arundsdel (sp?), Laurel in CA, Kestrel, Meteor Blades. Third row: Kestrel's two friends, smileycreek, paradise50, Dave. Back row: Clif, Mr. Arundsdel, Neil, cooper888, side pocket, Left foot forward, got mooned & Nate
Please visit cooper888's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Sacramento Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to cooper888.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Tuesday, December 2nd
Maryland Kos Post-election Meet-up
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Sabatino's
901 Fawn Street • Baltimore
ORGANIZER: Send Navy Vet Terp a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Navy Vet Terp
2. vschultzvidal
3. mimi
4. rb608
|
Maybees: |
Latest diary: Maryland Kos Meetup - Baltimore Subgroup
Saturday, December 6th
Four Corner Kossacks Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
This train is extra special. Not only are the cars over 100 years old, the coal-fired steam locomotive pulling us up the mountain was built in the early 1920's. We'll be riding in the "Cinco Animas" car (built in 1883), which, as would be expected for Kossacks--is a Presidential Class car. See diary for many more details.
TIME: 9:15 AM
LOCATION: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
479 Main Ave • Durango
ORGANIZER: Send Thinking Fella a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Thinking Fella
2. HeroMachine
3. LucyTooners
4. Mr. LucyTooners
5. unfangus
6. Mrs. unfangus
7. Darcy
8. Kim
9. Nan
10. Allison M.
11. Tom M.
12. ERRN
13. ERRN's guest
14. ⇐Cinco Animas car filled
|
Maybees:
Gary Norton
|
Latest diary: EPIC Four Corners Kossacks Meet-up: Gonna Ride the D&SNGR Presidential Car to 9000' Elevation!
Wednesday, December 10th
Kansas Kossacks Meet-up Focused on Johnton County, What's Next?
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Overland Park Doubletree Hotel
10100 College Boulevard • Overland Park
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2.
3.
|
Maybees:
|
Thursday, December 11th
Kansas Kossacks Meet-up Focused on McPherson County, What's Next?
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Senior Center (location may change)
116 S Main St • Lindsborg
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2.
3.
|
Maybees:
|
Latest diary: Connect! Unite! Act! Meeting in Wichita, KS November 24
Saturday, December 6th
Colorado COmmunity Meet-up with Caffeinating Liberally
TIME: 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Common Grounds
44th & Vallejo • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Leftcandid
2.
3.
|
Maybees:
|
Wednesday, December 10th
Colorado COmmunity Meet-up with Drinking Liberally
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Three Dogs Tavern
32nd & Julian • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Leftcandid
2.
3.
|
Maybees:
|
Latest diary: DENVER: Caffeinating & Drinking Liberally, December Editions COming Right Up!
Saturday, December 13th
SF Kossacks Holiday Party at Daily Kos HQ
The usual Pot Luck drill
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Daily Kos HQ
Address given privately by kosmail • Berkeley
Near Ashby BART
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend
- POTLUCK SIGNUP -
HQ will be providing the main course of our buffet:
• White bean sausage cassoulet
• Marinated chicken skewers
Vegetarian options:
• Butternut squash with farro, parmesan, spinach and onion
• Ratatouille with polenta squares
Please volunteer for beverages, side dishes & desserts needed below.
Beverages:
20 bottles of wine [13 complete (navajo, smileycreek, enhydra lutris, glescagal)]
16 six-packs of beer [4 complete (paradise50, 714day)]
8 six-packs soft drinks [8 complete (linkage)]
4 six-packs non-corn syrup soft drinks [0 complete]
6 six-packs bottles of water [1 complete (sfbob)]
Appetizers:
8 appetizers, anything goes here. Whatcha' got? [2 complete (jforests, boatsie)]
Side Dishes:
6 green salads needed, each to feed 10 [4 complete (jforests, Lorikeet, ceebee7, remembrance)]
4 (10-12 pcs) dinner roll sets, plus butter cubes [0 complete]
Desserts:
6 hand-held desserts (dozen each) [3 complete (syd, norm, gmats)]
70 Chinet dinner plates [jakedog42 & susans]
70 dessert plates [jakedog42 & susans]
70 appetizer plates [jakedog42 & susans]
140 cocktail napkins [jakedog42 & susans]
70 dinner napkins [jakedog42 & susans]
100 plastic forks [jakedog42 & susans]
70 plastic knives [jakedog42 & susans]
100 clear plastic beverage cups [jakedog42 & susans]
RSVPs:
1. Markos
2. Will Rockafellow
3. Susan Gardner
4. Meteor Blades
5. Faith Gardner & Roxie!
6. navajo - 4 bottles red wine
7. side pocket
8. Mrs. side pocket
9. smileycreek - 1 bottle red, 1 white wine
10. paradise50 - 1 six-pack beer
11. remembrance - gobi aloo, vegetarian
12. Glen The Plumber - apparently, nothing...
13. TLO
14. jakedog42* - plates, cups, napkins & utensils
15. edrie
16. dharmasyd* - brownies
17. catilinus
18. boatsie - Cowgirl Creamery cheeses & crackers
19. liberated spaces
20. citisven
21. kimoconnor
22. susans* - plates, cups, napkins & utensils
23. maggiejean
24. 714day* - 3 six packs of beer
25. Steven Payne
26. scaboni
27. skywriter
28. jpmassar
29. jotter
30. aha aha
31. jeremybloom
32. norm* - sugar-free cake
33. Lorikeet* - vege salad
34. cooper888
35. got mooned
36. Hunter
37. elfling
38. Cassia
39. Friend of elfling
40. Friend of elfling
41. Friend of elfling
42. Friend of elfling
43. tmservo433
44. Simplify
45. jforests* - greek salad, cheese ball appetizer/crackers
46. jforests SO and baby girl
47. Brian82
48. ceebee7* - green salad
49. Elisa +Ari & Eli
50. jglass
51. jglass's wife + 2 sons (6,9)
52. Walter + toddler
53. Denise
54. Denise's teen
55. Michaela
56. enhydra lutris - 3 bottles wine
57. enhydra lutris's SO
58. Bonnie
59. gmats* - brownies/cookies
60. linkage - soft drinks
Maybees:
Thinking Fella
LaughingPlanet
sfbob - bottled water
Mark
*address given
Sunday, December 28th
Koscadia Meet-up with navajo & Pipe Ceremony with Ojibwa to Bless Quilts
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Private home
[Kosmail Sara R for the address] • Portland
ORGANIZER: Send Sara R to attend
RSVPs:
1. navajo
2. Ojibwa
3. Sara R
4. winglion
5. Angie in WA State
6. loggersbrat
7. llbear
8. Drewid
9. also mom of 5
10. watercarrier4diogenes
11. ozsea1
|
Maybees:
exlrrp
quill
pdxteacher
|
Latest diary: Koscadia Meet Up 12/28 -- special guests navajo and Ojibwa
Saturday & Sunday, January 17-18, 2015
Dkos Asheville 24-hour Meet-up
This is what community is about; sharing, giving, creating together. And this is what being a progressive is about; working for social, economic, and environmental justice.
Each day we start from where we are now; and we move forward from here. -davehouck
|
...we have built ourselves a network of like minded brothers and sisters who are in this fight for life. A place we can come to find inspiration, power, solace and community.
-randallt |
TIME: 1:00 pm Saturday till 1:00 pm Sunday
LOCATION: Crown Plaza Resort Asheville
One Resort Drive • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. LamontCranston
8. Otteray Scribe
9.
|
Maybees:
Joy of Fishes
IamGumby
smiley7
|
Latest diary: DKos Asheville: Open Thread
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.