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.
|
The laundry at Colorado State Industrial School for Boys. It still looked like that when I was there.
Middle school for me was reform school. Specifically, the Colorado State Industrial School for Boys at the base of Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado. I did 23 months there 1957-59. It was a tough two years. But not nearly as tough for me as it was for the boys—ages 7 to 16—who preceded me. They were tied up and flogged and otherwise abused by the authorities charged with taking care of them. Several boys had been literally kept chained to balls they had to drag around all the time, like some medieval nightmare, only being allowed to take them off when showering.
The zip gun for size. My hand
was not so big when I was 12.
The place was established in 1881, only five years after Colorado became a state. It was meant humanely to "rehabilitate" children for whom the term "juvenile delinquent" had not yet been invented. Sixty years later, in 1941, its superintendent was ousted because of the cruelty going on there. By the time I was incarcerated—the result of a year's worth of truancy, thievery and an attempted armed robbery with five other boys—the reform school was supposed itself to have been reformed. No more floggings, it was true, but violence, including beatings and rapes, was common and rarely reported. Fear was a tool of administrative control. So they not so subtly encouraged violence and then punished whomever they chose, perpetrator or victim.
Two years after I was released to start 9th grade, they reformed the place again and changed its name to Lookout Mountain Youth Services. In the 1980s, it became a maximum security facility for male offenders age 15-21. That operation has also been twice reformed.
I can tell you lots of stories about the old place. But I'll stick with two. One about my education there and one about my reform school "project."
Staring down the "barrel," you can see the firing pin.
The industrial school was so named because it was meant to prepare the boys inside for the military or factory work. We were taught regular subjects by teachers hired from public school ranks. A few were good. Most were burn-out cases or the kind of people who should never have been teachers in the first place. Especially wrong since most of us were, as the saying goes, performing below our expected grade level.
In addition to the Three Rs, propaganda in the guise of history and civics, and wee bits of science, we had three hours a day of "training." For the older boys, this meant basic instruction in the carpentry shop or the machine shop, where some of the tools seemed to have been there since the place was built.
For us younger ones much of what we did was not actually training, but rather working in the laundry or kitchen or doing clean-up. However, twice a week every week for the entire time I was incarcerated, we were "instructed" in a stultifying activity meant to prepare us for something similar on an assembly line. As if one hour were not enough to teach us everything we needed to know about the process.
We sat at a long wooden table, an arm's length from the boys to our left and our right. No talking allowed.
Zip gun, uncocked.
Once we were settled, a few other boys brought around a cart loaded with cardboard boxes, about 12" wide x 18" long x 12" deep. Each of these boxes was about two-thirds full of assorted nails, screws, washers and nuts. These were dumped in front of us. And our job for the next two hours was to sort them. Not quite so bad as a flogging, I suppose, but surely delivered with the same intent, to break our spirit, deaden our brains and teach us to follow instructions. At the end of each session, all the nails, screws, etc., were swept out of our neat stacks on the table back into their jumble in the boxes, ready for the next sorting. If we had been digging holes and filling them, at least we would have gotten a workout instead of making both our brains and our butts numb.
When I turned 12, I got to spend two hours a week in the machine shop and carpentry shop. I learned some rudimentary carpentry (but wouldn't get really accomplished at that until I was in my late 30s) and some practical skills in the machine shop.
We were theoretically under strict supervision in the shops. But the actuality was loose. What with only one instructor and one guard—who we were required to euphemize as "counselors"—it was hard to keep track of 20 boys at once.
Zip gun, cocked.
Consequently, although it took many months, I made the object pictured on the right. It's a zip gun. Built to fire a .25 caliber bullet.
The "barrel" is piece of copper pipe. Inside is a powerful spring on the end of which is a metal pin, the firing pin. To cock it, the spring-powered bolt is withdrawn from the slots and the crosspiece turned to rest on the rear rim of the gun. A flick of finger or thumb releases the crosspiece and it snaps into the slots, driving the bolt and the firing pin forward, which, if it works right, discharges the bullet.
Though hugely inaccurate, this is a deadly weapon. Meant for close-range use. But it's dangerous to the person who shoots it as well. A shredded barrel or spring and bolt blown out the rear are the most obvious and lethal possibilities. It's been fired at cardboard targets about 20 times, but not for more than 50 years.
I keep it to remind me of how incredibly stupid I was. And how lucky never to have used it for its intended purpose.
Got any school projects you wish you had been smart enough not to have done? Or any that you are proud of?
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
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 John Crapper ♥ for Seattle and Puget Sound Kos
Seattle & Puget Sound Kos welcomed Joan McCarter, Meteor Blades, Monique Teal and navajo to their meet-up on January 17th. Almost 40 people attended. All had a great time mingling, listening to the DKos speakers and then finishing up with a Q&A session. Good food, great location and most of all great Kossacks.
L-R: Monique Teal, cinnamon68, N in Seattle, Joan McCarter, seabos84, Meteor Blades speaking, James Wells and John Crapper
Please visit John Crapper's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Seattle and Puget Sound Kos by sending a Kosmail to John Crapper.
by Sara R ♥ for Koscadia
The Koscadians welcomed Ojibwa and navajo to Portlandia. Ojibwa blessed some quilts for the Community Quilt Project and a delicious pot luck was enjoyed. All edifying for the holidays.
Here's one photo:
Seated L-R: Sara R, winglion & loggersbrat
Standing L-R: Angie in WA State, also mom of 5, Drewid (hiding), BOHICA, watercarrier4diogenes, Ojibwa, exlrrp, llbear, navajo, Ozawa and ozsea1
Please visit Sara R's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Koscadia by sending a Kosmail to Sara R.
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!
Saturday, January 31st
Koscadia Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Siri Thai
5234 SE Powell Blvd • Portland
ORGANIZER: Send Sara R a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Sara R
2. winglion
3. llbear
4. loggersbrat
5. Angie in WA State
6. ozsea1
7. pdxteacher
8. quill
9. Kit RMP
|
Maybees:
Drewid
justiceputnam
|
Latest diary: Koscadia 1/31 meet up
Saturday, January 31st
Houston Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Collina's Italian Cafe
502 West 19th Street • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send Chrislove a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. nomandates
3. scott5js
4. krwheaton
5. jmbar2
6. cosette
7. Mary
8. Alan
9.
10.
|
Maybees: |
Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: RSVP for our January 31 meet-up!
Saturday, February 28th
Texas All-State Meet-up with Meteor Blades, Denise Oliver-Velez and navajo
Please come for an afternoon of camaraderie and progressive strategizing with Big Orange flavor! Out-of-state attendees welcome!
Lunch and Seminar c/o Daily Kos
TIME: Noon - 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Max's Wine Dive
"Fried Chicken and Champagne... Why the Hell Not?"
207 San Jacinto Blvd • Austin, near convention center
Cocktail time First drink c/o Daily Kos
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: CRAVE
340 E. 2nd St (around the corner from seminar) • Austin
ORGANIZER: Send nomandates a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. nomandates
2. Chrislove
3. Meteor Blades
4. Denise Oliver-Velez
5. Egberto Willies
6. navajo
7. johnatx
8. mrs johnatx
9. Blood
10. cosette
11. anotherdemocrat - Vege*
12. bastrop
13. Warren Pease
14. Patience John
15. noteaforme
16. blue armadillo
17. RLMAC
18. TexMex
19. JC Dufresne
20. TexasLibertine
21. politik
22. Mr Pea
23. PDiddie
24. Mrs. Diddie
25. suesue
26. mr suesue
27. Sandia Blanca
28. Noisy Gong
29. Essephreak
30. laderrick - Vege*
31. getlost
32. TulsaGal
33. AndyT
34. Carol in San Antonio
35. blueisland
36. TX Unmuzzled
37. walkshills
38. MargaretPOA
39. rabel
40. on the cusp
41. freerad
42. freerad's guest
43. Wino
44. Mrs Wino
45. Red Tom Kidd
|
Maybees:
texasmom
texasdad
BlueMississippi
BlackSheep1
scott5js
Deja (+1-2)
boadicea
postmodernista
Texan001
Ignacio Magaloni
neverontheright
|
* Needs vegetarian meal
Latest diary: Epic Texas Kos Meet-Up Featuring Meteor Blades, Dee Oliver Velez, & Egberto Willies: Sign Up Today!
Day is TBD, Late April
DKos Asheville's Roadtrip and Two-Day Retreat to Roanoke, Virginia
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • Roanoke
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2.
3.
|
Maybees: |
Latest diary: Roanoke meet-up anyone?
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.