Tom Hagen: Your father wouldn't want to hear this, Sonny. This is business not personal.
Sonny: They shoot my father and it's business, my ass!

Quotes fromThe Godfather (1972)

It's pretty hard not to take it personally when someone shoots your father (or HRs you for a comment they didn't get).  Nevertheless, that's what this diarist advocates.  Wonder why?  Read on.

The word philosophy is from the Greek for 'love of wisdom.'  Last night, in a little noticed diary, I shared a list of maxims I use to stay on track in life. A long, personal search for understanding led me to conclude commitment to an ongoing learning process produces greater awareness, effectiveness, and freedom; hence, my personal motto Always a student. While writing the diary, I saw a way to organize the list into three broad areas, Understanding, Attitude, and Practice.  The series continues with a discussion of understanding as the path to wisdom.  Understanding means not only acquiring knowledge but making sense of it so that you see the world clearly. The relevant maxims are:

Stay awake
Seek the truth.
Keep an open mind.
Learn from everything.
Don’t jump to conclusions.
Don’t take it personally.

I like maxims, pithy sayings to make sense out of life and help live it wisely. Over time, I’ve arrived at a few simple ones, just a list of ideas that have panned out. It's always a work in progress as I try to improve the expressions or occasionally add a 'new' rule that seems apt.  

I often say them privately to myself and aloud to others. Each is the tip of an iceberg, a fingerpost pointing me toward productive ways to organize and interpret my experiences and away from my emotionally-driven issues, those default constructions conditioned at an early age that, when triggered, cause us to dumb down (e.g., when I get into a fight with my life partner over something trivial). When I’m confused and stuck, I turn to them to become grounded again. They’ve served me well and I’d like to share them here, then discuss them further in a series of diaries.

First my general motto:  Always a student. We may think we have all the answers at age 15 or 25 or 50; but, there’s always a lot you don’t know; and the map you’re using is always provisional. Moreover, nothing is a waste if you gain knowledge. I'm determined to learn and unwilling to believe that I know it all.

So here are the maxims, Sundiata’s rules of wisdom.

Today Dads of all sorts are recognized for their sacrifices, struggles, and contributions to making us who we are. The coverage of Tim Russert's untimely death focuses on the importance of fatherhood. Being a Dad and having a Dad are not always easy but where would we be without him? Today I miss Dad, who passed away on Christmas Eve 2006 at age 89; yet I think about him not with sadness but with affection and appreciation.  I'll call Mom, hearty and 92 on June 17, to reminisce about what a good husband and father he was.  Not everyone has a father you remember fondly- sometimes you're able to find that good father in someone else.  Tim, though not loved by all, was undoubtedly a surrogate father for many.  Criticism of the media for too much coverage of Tim's death is misguided, out of touch with a certain reality.  It's not the media indulging itself- the ones who miss him need that coverage to help get through the loss.  Barack Obama is that kind of man, too.  Even the most hardened of Clinton supporters must have felt deep down that a guy who loves his two daughters so much can't be all that bad.  So here's to the good fathers we have, the good fathers we had, and the good fathers we turned to when we didn't have one of our own.

Is it possible that it was just one week ago when Hillary Clinton conceded the primary race and endorsed Barack Obama? Those who supported her have had time for the reality to sink in. Some have returned to DKos to test the waters, some never left. How well we are doing as we transition from what has been perceived as an essentially pro-Obama site back to being "on mission" i.e., an online community supporting the entire Democratic Party? This poll offers an opportunity to continue a dialog between Barack's and Hillary's friends and to learn what Clinton supporters are thinking about the GE.  Are we ready for this? Thanks in advance to any of Hillary's loyal supporters who vote in this poll and/or post comments.  If you have been away, welcome back! Let's go out for coffee and talk.

UPDATE:  104 votes in 2 hours; Clintonistas are reading DKos

Tonight I watched John Kerry respond to John McCain's remark about bringing the troops home from Iraq.  I was reminded that Kerry was a superb combat commander. Military records and eyewitness accounts show Kerry was courageous and effective under fire.  The enlisted men on his boat spoke up for him, an officer, and that says it all (including what we should think about the lone dissenter). All of this and his record was trashed by other vets, mostly officers who weren't there when he did what he did.  The swift-boating of John Kerry is one of the most shameful episodes in the history of US politics and it was all about getting revenge for Kerry bringing light to the fact that the US military in Vietnam was out of control(the result of being inserted into a bizarre world of death and horror).  For their efforts, the swiftboaters got us another 4 years of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzales, Rice et al.

One of the joys of DKos is the polling feature.  With little effort (or for that matter, thought), a poll can be dashed off and injected into the diary stream.   My recent polls provide a snapshot of the community on hot button issues (disclaimer- DKos polls are unscientific) like Clinton vs Obama, e.g., whether O-bots would vote for him with her on the ticket; whether her speech impacted Hillary's loyalists' openness to voting for Barack; and whether I'm a troll for asking such questions. There's an art to taking a good idea and creating a set of options that stimulate, entertain and/or seduce the reader into voting, checking results, commenting and recommending.  But I'm still trying to figure out one thing:  when is the best time to submit a poll in order to maximize exposure and generate a high number of votes?   I seriously desire your input.  I feel sure you can help me... if only I submit this thing at the right time!  

UPDATE:  Thanks to everyone who gave a serious answer!

For loyal supporters, Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech on Saturday was a sad ending to a long and trying campaign.  Rivalry between followers of two very strong candidates led to intense animosity between hard-core Clintonista's and the legions of Obamabots, as evidenced by bitter arguments on DKos and elsewhere. Clinton's speech went a long way toward healing the rift for Sen. Obama's supporters. Now, we move on to the main event, the Fall campaign for POTUS; and, a critical issue is how many of Hillary's supporters will support and vote for their former mortal enemy, Barack Obama. While Clinton supporters are being welcomed onto DKos with graciousness and open arms, their support for Obama remains to be seen. This poll examines the initial effect of her strong endorsement of Obama in the speech.  Disclaimer: This poll is unscientific and has no general validity.  Also, as the poll isn't for Obama supporters, I am using the first comment to offer Obamabots a response option.   But first, a salute to Hillary Clinton.

This is for Obama's Kossacks (a redundant phrase?) ONLY.  If you like this one, I'll do another one for Hillary's people (who may be tentatively returning to DKos to see if it's safe to show up).  Was this speech good enough?  Did she actually concede?  Has she established herself as a possible VP?  What are your first impressions?

UPDATE:  With 273 votes in, it's clear that Sen. Clinton's speech went a long way toward healing the rift with the Kossacks. The vast majority of voters (86%) rated the speech in the top three categories. Of note, the highest number rated the speech an A+, the second highest, an A-, and the third highest a B; with all other categories getting progressively less votes.  Only 5% gave the speech a D or an F.  This is good news for the Democratic Party and Sen. Obama's hopes of being the next POTUS.

I just received a fund raising email from David Plouffe on behalf of the Obama campaign.  Here are some highlights:  

McCain and the Republican National Committee released their fundraising numbers for May... The McCain campaign raised $21 million, which will be combined with $23.7 million raised in partnership with the Republican National Committee.

That's $45 million in one month... money that will be used to attack Barack Obama and support McCain’s efforts to extend the policies of George W. Bush...

Even more disturbing ...is the way they raised it.

They depend on donations from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. And top officials in McCain's campaign have been asking donors to write checks ...to the tune of $50,000 each.

Barack is doing things differently.

This campaign has never accepted donations from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. And yesterday the Democratic National Committee announced that they will follow the same restriction.

We are going to compete in the general election the same way we have all along -- by depending on a movement of more than 1.5 million people giving only what they can afford."

Last Tuesday, as we all know, was an historic occasion and a night of joy and celebration for the Obama Nation.  For my wife, Mary Lou, and myself, it was also the end of our hosting a series of Tuesday night social gatherings for watching the votes come in, listening to speeches by the candidates and the analysis of all of this by the pundits of CNN and MSNBC, and breaking bread with other people who share our enthusiasm for Sen. Barack Obama and his message of change and hope for the future of the USA.  

After all the flack I caught from my recent series concerning the possibility of a"unity ticket," I decided to show another side to the Kossack legions

WARNING:  IF YOU ARE TIRED OF UNITY TICKET DIARIES, AVOID SELF-SCRUTINY AND/OR HATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, YOU MAY WISH TO SKIP THIS ONE, the fourth and last in a series of diaries exploring attitudes of voters supporting one of the Democratic primary candidates, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, toward a "unity ticket" of Obama for POTUS and Clinton for VP.  Unscientific polls of DKos readers were taken at a time of maximum discord between the two camps, just ahead of yesterday’s meeting of the Rules & Bylaws Committee to address the problems of the Michigan and Florida primaries.

The results show similarities between Obama and Clinton supporters on the issue of a unity ticket.  Additionally, the intense emotional reactions of many commenters to these diaries provide a window into the dark side of idealistic movements.

NOTE:  ONLY VOTE IN THIS POLL IF YOUR FIRST CHOICE IS HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT

Exit polls from the primaries have produced alarming statistics on the numbers of Democratic voters who would abandon the ticket in November if their favorite, Hillary or Barack, loses the nomination to the other candidate.  The animosity on this issue has been intense in both communities.  As the showdown at the Rules & Bylaws Corral looms, I have been taking the temperature of the Kosack Nation on the possibility of Hillary Clinton ending up second billed on an Obama ticket.  Yesterday, I polled 562 likely Obama voters on DKos on how this would affect their vote in November.

This poll is for ONLY those who plan to vote for Obama in November.  That would include this writer who is a strong Obama supporter and someone who feels the same about Hillary's behavior in the primary campaign as the typical Daily Kos regular.

It's widely accepted that Daily KOS has become an Obama blog and the Hillary crowd has been effectively run off.  Yesterday morning, I put out a lightning rod that attracted quite a few H-haters who believe that any diary with a further  suggestion of Hillary as Barack's VP is heresy that should be struck down immediately.    I later read comments in the open thread saying that Hillary as VP diaries or any diaries discussing her should be banned.

Reflecting on the hot question of Obama’s VP, I found myself having unwelcome thoughts that could well get me into trouble with my Obama campadres.  Against my will, I was seeing the answer:  Hillary Clinton.

Logging onto my personal Obama page in order to get a few more of those brownie points that show how you compare to other members of the movement, I contemplated the certainty that on Tuesday night Barack Obama will reach another important marker in his run for the Presidency.  Immediately, a cliched sports metaphor popped into my mind:  Barack Obama has almost made it to first base.  What does that mean? I asked myself.  Well, I answered, what if first base is gaining a majority of the pledged delegates of the Democratic Party, those who will vote at the convention according to the results of their state primaries?  At that point, Obama will become the presumptive Democratic nominee for President.  

Yesterday afternoon, a number of us on Daily Kos had fun goofing off and avoiding productive activities by free associating titles and lyrics of songs that reflected our current mental status.  For those who missed out on the fun or would like to keep it going, like that beach ball that bounces around the crowd at an arena concert, here's a new riff for you:

What title or lyrics are most appropriate for the political stars of the day, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, W, Dick, Condy and or whomever else comes to mind?