Greetings, dearest ones, and welcome to this week’s celebration of writing by the Daily Kos Community! We’ve got a baker’s dozen of diaries this week, the maximum allowed, but let me tell you, we could have easily had 30 entries. This was one hell of a week for great content, both inside and outside of the Picks of the Week parameters.
So everyone, all together now, pat yourselves on the back!
Also, Happy Labor Day weekend! The holiday, created by and for workers in the labor movement, was first celebrated in 1882; the Department of Labor paints a picture of a real joyful mess of a parade and party. Spectators and law enforcement far outweighed “official” marchers in the first Labor Day parade in New York City, but ultimately, few cared, and the audience ultimately became part of the show:
Just after 10 a.m., the marching jewelers turned onto lower Broadway — they were playing "When I First Put This Uniform On," from Patience, an opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. The police escort then took its place in the street. When the jewelers marched past (Grand Parade Marshall William) McCabe and his aides, they followed in behind. Then, spectators began to join the march. Eventually, there were 700 men in line in the first of three divisions of Labor Day marchers. Final reports of the total number of marchers ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 men and women.
What a day that must have been!
I’d like to think all were welcome at such an event, but the racial realities of our nation 137 years ago mean that this was not likely a celebration that welcomed every worker in the city.
Today, millions of workers in the U.S. also won’t get to partake in the holiday, though for different reasons. It’s not just those working in emergency services who don’t ever get a day off; no, as a society, we’ve come to expect our stores and our restaurants, our coffee joints and gas stations, all to be open on days that so many of us would refuse to work, if asked. And so it’s those (often) minimum wage workers that I’ll be thinking about as I savor the unofficial end of summer with friends, grateful for the day off, and proud of the work I myself do each day.
After all we, as workers, past and present, must never forget our value.
Circling back to that first Labor Day parade though, made me think about the nature of this here site, where our Community writes alongside staff. Would-be spectators at any other site are part of the show. But unlike 137 years ago, we, as both staff and Community, have the power and the responsibility to make sure that we welcome ALL progressives to the party.
Without further ado, here are this week’s picks.
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YOW! Look At All These Signs I Found On Google Earth! (Also, My 8,000th Sign)
By freewayblogger
Fifteen years ago, our fearless freewayblogger began a unique and clever silent protest that has spread across the nation. Let’s celebrate this amazing milestone!
FOX News Host on Trump Campaign: 'It's Astonishing that He Even Thinks He Can Run'
By News Corpse
How does Trump compare to his latest primary challenger? This side by side comparison shows quite a few “differences” between the two.
Just kidding, they’re actually similarities.
Official Navy Recommended Reading List Promotes Books by Rabid Islamophobes
By ChrisRodda
The government is teaching the military to despise and dehumanize all members of a major global faith, at home and abroad.
Federal Judge opens Memphis Police Monitor to Receive More Information from the Public
By FreeSpeechZone
Is the Memphis Police Department spying on citizens? A federal judge is determined to find out.
The Wife
By rserven
Daily Kos legend Robyn Serven recently found a bunch of unpublished essays, and now she’s slowly releasing them to us, one by one. This one somehow manages to condense a relationship—that lasted over a quarter of a century—into a single devastating essay.
A disturbing scientific breakthrough: memories can be artificially created entirely from scratch
By Krotor
That headline might make your head explode, but stick with this accessible summary of a fascinating, disturbing, and potentially dangerous new achievement.
10 Shocking Facts You Need to Know About America's Maternal Mortality Crisis
By ZawnVillines
We try not to choose the same writer two weeks in a row, but ZV’s primer on this preventable crisis was too important to pass up. There’s a reason politicians—from Abrams to Booker, from Castro to Warren—are sounding the siren on this crucial issue.
We Actually DO Know What Is Wrong With Trump’s Mental State
By Harper West
One of Daily Kos’ resident clinical psychologists boils down the key ingredient that fuels Donald Trump’s madness: shame.
Political Geography of Texas
By AJD7
How strong is Texas’ potential to go blue in 2020? This in-depth and accessible analysis explores the possibilities.
If this suspect had been black he'd have been shot 20 times; instead, we get a Benny Hill sketch
By Aldous J Pennyfarthing
Non-violent captures of dangerous suspects should be the norm—not just the exception for white folks.
Jeanine Pirro's 'Great Replacement Theory' Paranoia.
By TheCriticalMind
The “Judge” and her weekly show provide some of the most incoherent and dangerous content that can be found on Fox News.
Farms for America: Regenerative Agriculture Shines Bright
By Mi Corazon
A fascinating journey through the realities of farming in the Midwest, and the movement to transform them—all presented by a teacher-turned farmer.
“We need to reach out to the parents who have been misled,” says the doctor facing death threats
By Lincoln green
The anti-vaxxers are getting out of hand. One California doctor-turned-politician is in the center of the movement’s crosshairs, but he refuses to back down.
That’s it for this week, folks! As always, feel free to share diaries we may have missed this week in the comments, and don’t hesitate to submit suggestions for next week’s list via my Kosmail.
Till next time, keep writing, We’re all so glad you’re here.