I was on this site for over 10 years.

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday October 16, 2016 · 2:35 AM PDT

2016/10/16 · 02:35

And it is now completely unrecognizable.

There are very few user names I recognize now, and the discourse has moved from interesting, thought provoking, intelligent analyses to robotic, reactionary, imitative fluff.

There is no reason at all to come to this website anymore. There is no content, there is nothing analytical, there are no insights. It’s just rah rah rah.

It is beyond my ken why any of the good writers who still grace this page, remain. Perhaps it is the only pay available. That is, of itself a tragic moral failure.

Slightly Irregular Things In Alaska's Caucus

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 27, 2016 · 2:14 AM PDT

2016/03/27 · 02:14

Sorry I have no pictures, but I want to submit a concern of mine in the Alaskan Caucases. I went to the Carlson Center in Fairbanks where at least 4 districts participated.

The volunteers for the party were overwhelmed by the turnout for this nomination. Two lines strung for blocks waiting to get in. A lot of people were cold, but I never saw a single person peel off the lines. I wanted to but talked myself into staying.

It’s a closed caucus with same day voter registration, so a lot of delay was caused by a rather long form that needed to be filled out. They finally got smart and took the forms out to people in line and things went more smoothly thereafter. The Democratic Party had to shell out an additional $2,500 to add the entire space of the center in order to accommodate everyone. They were smart enough to send out donation envelopes to help pay for the additional space.

The caucus was scheduled to begin at 10:00 am and finish by 2:00. We finally got in at 11:30. Then we sat around for quite a while as organizers tried to organize us. We could hear another district’s wild cheers through a curtain they had used to cordon off the participants. Later, I heard one participat say she’d been waiting a long time for people in our district because her district had quickly voted for Bernie, and Hillary hadn’t got her 15%

Finally, they asked us to form into groups of 10, 5 and 2 so they could begin to count us. The space was so crowded on the Bernie side that I coulnt’ see anyone making a distinct group. I recognized many of the people in charge of the operation, and many of them were supporting Hillary. The first count was 470 for Bernie and 100 for Hillary. Then they had the undecideds move into a group (overwhelmingly Sanders) and a third party challenge that didn’t reach the 15% (promising a keg in the parking log). These people went overwhelmingly for Bernie. But we couldn’t hear what was going on, really. They had something akin to paper cups as megaphones. At one point, the group did the Occupy echo thing, which was good, but they stopped and no more info.

So it was time for a recount. in the first count, we had shouted out our individual number as the count went up and we were pointed to. In the second count, a person pointed at someone, said “your vote is counted” and clicked a mechanical counter.

There were a group of us, mostly older, sitting in the few chairs available who stood up and shouted “YOU DIDN’T COUNT US!” when they tried to present their final count, that was almost half the original amount for Bernie. The rest of the crowd joined in and they were forced to come around and click that device and say “you’ve been counted”. I’m not sure, because we couldn’t hear most of what anyone said at any time, but I heard “230”, interpreted it as a count for Bernie and erupted out of my seat, saying “YOU DIDN’T COUNT US!”

We never heard a final count. There were mutterings about 3 delgates for Clinton, 16 for Bernie, but no one ever really told us. They were all off into electing delegates after that. Someone shouted, “You can go now!”, which is all anyone wanted to hear. This was District 4, one of the last to get out of there and with a preponderance of caucus officials who HAD to show their preference, on the Hillary side, including our former borough mayor.

I’m fairly certain that, if we lived in a real democracy that was truly represented by Democrats, we would have come out with a larger win for Bernie. And please notice: the Democratic Party of Alaska has garnered a huge number of same day registrants, 99.9 % of which went to Bernie. I’m going to stick with my Democratic registration for a little while to see if they straighten up. In Alaska, they might do so, what with our ovewhelming numbers for Bernie.

In the long run, it would be more efficient to rescue the Democratic party from itself and take over, than it would be to start a new party. But public sentiment is rarely practical or efficient.

If they knew what was best for them, they’d reform RIGHT NOW!

Unable to donate to Bernie

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 13, 2016 · 10:17 PM PST

2016/02/13 · 22:17

Unable to donate at Sander’s site. Any idea what’s going on?

For some reason, I was unable to make a donation at the Sanders site. I tried a couple of different avenues but it wasn’t working.

Can anyone help me?

Has anyone seen Dkos user

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday January 02, 2014 · 7:21 PM PST

2014/01/02 · 19:21

War on Error?

She's such a valuable member of our community but the last time she showed up in my stream was 11/21.

I'm hoping someone is in touch with her?

Any Programmer/Analysts looking for a job or a change?

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 22, 2013 · 4:01 AM PDT

2013/09/22 · 04:01

Want to come to Alaska?

I'm not sure what the rules are around here about this kind of thing, but I can't help but think offering opportunities isn't taboo.

Because we have two positions open and have not been able to find capable people, our public sector application is in deep doo doo. It is an opportunity to be a real hero because our bacon needs saving.

We need someone experienced in the whole .NET thing with SQL and either VB or C# and have funding for training if you seem sharp but lack skills. It's a very complex application but there is a lot of documentation and very likely good access to experts who can help

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday October 05, 2012 · 11:10 PM PDT

2012/10/05 · 23:10

Money always feels tight.

When you are generous to the world,
The universe generously responds.

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 14, 2012 · 1:11 AM PDT

2012/09/14 · 01:11

I'm an idiot, completely unqualified. But last I remember, mortgage backed securities were what were at the center of the economic meltodown of 2008, at the center of bank/mortgage company meltdowns, at the center of the disaster.

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday July 01, 2012 · 1:33 AM PDT

2012/07/01 · 01:33

The state I live in has a lot of kool-aid drinkers. I've been thinking about this letter for the past week or so and wonder whether it could actually help people decide to become a bit more reality based.

So, I'm looking for advice from the ojective Kos Krowd before I decide to submit this LTE in our smallish city. Please also know that I am a public employee, and work with people who are kool-aid drinkers. (They should quit, if they lived up to their principles, but prefer to suck the public teat. Some of them are the worst abusers of the system..self-fulfilling prophesy and all.)

I'm a relatively new hire (with not inconsiderable prior experience with the system and municipality I work with), and an absolutely essential person because I am a programmer who works with the revenue system and needless to say, they can't really afford to dispose of me. Still, my position became union since my last tenure and there are new policies I haven't yet read regarding political behavior that are binding. (The administration is moderate; the assembly is split with plenty of teahadist voting power.)

So the question is this: is this letter sufficiently effective to ignore all that and submit?
The letter follows the bouncy cloud below, for your consideration.

Poll

33 votes Show Results

Go with the LTE?

33 votes Vote Now!

Go with the LTE?

Yes

18 votes

15 votes

Recycling = Free Labor for the 1%

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday June 30, 2012 · 2:46 AM PDT

2012/06/30 · 02:46

This is a long-term pet peeve for me.

Why should I be responsible for packaging? I have to separate the plastic from the cardboard, deal with impossible bubble wrap, wash out my jugs and expend extra gas to get it all to the recycling center.

Now if all these corporations were responsible for all the packaging they buy, wouldn't they be a bit more efficient about it? Why can't I take my jug of milk/juice/liquid bleach/ liquid laundry detergent/fabric softener/soda/bottled water/etc ad infinitum, back to the store to turn it in and fill a clean container with whatever liquid it is I want to buy from a big vat?

There are a gazillion reasons why the producers should be the recyclers rather than have us do all their work, and I hope you can help me come up with some of them after the fleur de' labour.

Poll

26 votes Show Results

Should corporations/producers be responsible for the recycling/disposal of their packaging?

26 votes Vote Now!

Should corporations/producers be responsible for the recycling/disposal of their packaging?

Yes

25 votes

1 vote

Breitbart is dead, CBS honors him. Update: CBS corrects itself.

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 02, 2012 · 6:53 AM PST

2012/03/02 · 06:53

Spare me the "NOT A REAL DIARY" stuff.

Gustogirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 13, 2011 · 10:48 AM PDT

2011/10/13 · 10:48

Yesterday, angelajean asked the OWS Mothership team to consider how we would like to handle the job of maintaining the Mothership going into the future, because frankly, the job had become massive, cumbersome and difficult.

While cleaning up the kitchen and making dinner last night, I continued to to think about what I wanted from the Mothership; and when it dawned on me, I started scribbling notes that turned out to be too lengthy to post as a comment or in the google group. So I decided to present my thoughts in diary form and invite everyone to yea or nay it, offer suggestions or refinement, help flesh out the notion if you like it. I'll start with the main thrust below the artful squiggle.

Poll

11 votes Show Results

Should the OWS Mothership continue?

11 votes Vote Now!

Should the OWS Mothership continue?

Yes, with its current format

0 votes

Yes with a more activist format

6 votes

Yes, with the format described in comments

1 vote

No, discontinue the OWS Mothership

4 votes

OWS Mothership- 10/12 Day 26

Gustogirl for Occupy Wall Street

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 12, 2011 · 9:05 AM PDT

2011/10/12 · 09:05

Welcome to the Occupy Wall Street Mothership Resource Diary

Please feel free to use the Mothership as an OpenThread for Occupy Wall Street

Here's today's Liveblog link, in case it goes off the rec list: OWS Liveblog Lots of good stuff there for your perusal.

Vignettes across America

As the big cities garner news stories about OWS, conversations about the movement are taking place all over America and the world. Here, in deep red territory, land of Fox-addled passion, lodestone of global climate change denial; I had one such conversation at a party last Saturday night.

I didn't know most of the people. A youngish woman and I were introduced, and we'd sat down on the deck to discuss vegetable gardening in our difficult climate. I think we genuinely liked each other and “Sondra” loved the spanakopita I’d brought hot from the oven and served around the bonfire.

Later, as everyone hunkered around the warmth of the fire, I mentioned OWS (I know, a brave move on my part) and emphasized that the movement was neither left nor right, Democratic or Republican – that ordinary Americans were fed up. This was less brave than unwise, because by then a number of people had been drinking and the inebriation rate was pretty high around the campfire.

Out of nowhere, almst instantly, Sondra descended on me like a banshee, screaming at me. I managed to decipher that she thinks OWS is a socialist commie takeover attempt. I tried to reason with Sondra, saying it’s not like that at all, but she was full and angry and needed to get it out that she was born in East Germany and saw the horrible treatment of her family by secret police and she wasn’t about to see that happen here and on and on – all screaming. One man drunkenly ventured that he agreed with Sondra.

When I couldn't get a word in edgewise, I allowed Sondra to scream at me for a minute – the rest of the celebrants were dead silent, watching us. Finallly, I’d had enough. “Treat me like a human being!” I screamed back at her. “An hour ago we were fellow human beings who were kind to each other and polite!” “Act like a human being!”

This miraculously seemed to affect her, and her tone softened to a more conversational level. Meanwhile, the man who had agreed with Sondra suddenly fell over in his camp chair. We were on a downhill slope, and when he tried to get to his feet, he reeled, fell down again and proceeded to roll down the hill. We were all laughing uproariously, some guys went to help him up, he fell down two or three more times before finally being restored to his chair. The tense atmosphere had changed.

Sondra sat down with me and we then talked reasonably and quietly. She was full of angst about East Germany and I thought she needed to be heard more than anything else. I assured her I wouldn’t support a movement that was about oppression, and the night ended peacefully.

All in all, I think it was a win. Although I can’t be assured anyone was persuaded, I do know that those who came out against OWS appeared unreasonable, angry and not in control – which contrasted well with my appeal to reason and calm.

It might be an inch in the mile they need to come, but we all do our part how we can…

Got any stories of your own on the person-by-person, one-at-a-time effort to bring support to OWS?

~~~~~~~~~In Other News...~~~~~~~

While watching OWS Livestream the other day, some woman being interviewed said they had rescued a kitten at OWS and were nursing it back to health! I haven't heard anything further about the furball - does anyone have an update? Is it true they've named it "Liberty"?

Our own AoT will be providing improved reporting from on the ground at OWS in the near future. Kossack Lenny Flank is upgrading AoT from phone to laptop because, as Lenny says, "unlike Wall Street, we help out our fellow humans. :)" If you get a chance, let Lenny Flank know how awesome he is! AoT is equally awesome - he quit his job to go to OWS, so his investment in the movement is total.

Resources for Occupy Wall Street:

Website:
OccupyWallSt.org
Livestream:
www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
Donate to support the LiveStream

General Assembly Minutes:
General Assembly Meeting Minutes Archive
Working Group Meeting Minutes Archive

Donations to support the General Assembly and Occupy Wall Street:
Link: All information about donations can be found here: nycga.cc/donate

Physical mailing address:
Do look at the nycga.cc/donate link above for information about sending things.

Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038

To find out the latest OWS needs, check out Twitter Hash Tag #needsoftheoccupiers

In person: If you go to ~~Zuccotti Park~~ Liberty Plaza/Park/Square you can also easily deliver money and/or goods straight to the people. They have committees who accept and take good care of your donations immediately and very graciously.

The Occupied Wall Street Journal PDF Edition
You can also donate to the Media Team. This fund is not the same as the General Fund.

Facebook:
OccupyWallSt

Twitter:
@OccupyWallSt

Resources for Other Occupy Events:

Websites:
Occupy Together
List Of Over 200 U.S. Local Solidarity Events
Facebook:
Occupy Together

Twitter:
@OccupyTogether

Links to LiveStreams:
OccupyThisBlog - overall link to multiple streams, warning lots of video and live chats.

Occupy Atlanta
Occupy Austin
Occupy Baltimore
Occupy Boston
Occupy Chicago
Occupy Dallas
Occupy DC
Occupy Gainesville
Occupy Houston
OWS Los Angeles
Occupy Louisville KY
Occupy NJ State House
Occupy Philly
Occupy Portland
Occupy Salt Lake City
Occupy San Francisco
Occupy Santa Barbara
Occupy Seattle
Occupy Tampa
Occupy Tucson
Occupons Montreal/ Occupy Montreal
Occupy Vancouver

Resources for those attending Occupy Events:

A Citizen's Guide to Reporting on #OccupyWallStreet thanks joanneleon!
ACLU Blog of Rights - To find out the rights in your state, google: ACLU, Right to Protest, and your state.
A Primer on the Concensus and General Assembly Model by UnaSpenser
Occupying Public Spaces in NY City(might be applicable to other locations), thanks KnotIookin!

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I was on this site for over 10 years.

Slightly Irregular Things In Alaska's Caucus

Unable to donate to Bernie

Has anyone seen Dkos user

Any Programmer/Analysts looking for a job or a change?

When you are tight with money

Is Bernanke just bailing out banks again?

Please advise befor I publish in a Red State

Recycling = Free Labor for the 1%

Breitbart is dead, CBS honors him. Update: CBS corrects itself.

Re-Thinking the OWS Mothership

OWS Mothership- 10/12 Day 26