You are NOT Powerless

buhdydharma

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

Monday April 12, 2010 · 1:01 PM PDT

2010/04/12 · 13:01

You are NOT Powerless.

You are NOT helpless.

You are NOT crazy.

And you are NOT alone.

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."

Robert Francis Kennedy

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

Americans... still believe in an America where anything's possible - they just don't think their leaders do.
Barack Obama

buhdydharma

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

Sunday April 11, 2010 · 6:16 PM PDT

2010/04/11 · 18:16

In perhaps the largest strawman ever built on Daily Kos, the author of this diary attributes and assigns certain political postions to "most of the hard left."

The diarists assigns these positions to the "hard left" and then proceeds to argue against them.

Please note: The diarist claims she is responding to a diary. So apparently the diarist is accusing the author of that diary of holding these positions as well.

Assigning positions....putting words, your words into someone else's mouth, and then arguing against your own words....is called a strawman argument.

Here are the positions assigned to the hard left of Daily Kos:

"Obama = Bush."

"Obama is a torturer"

"someone truly Progressive should primary Obama"

Poll

1094 votes Show Results

Do you want to primary The President of the United States?

1094 votes Vote Now!

Do you want to primary The President of the United States?

yes

172 votes

922 votes

"Civility" Has Nothing To Do With It

buhdydharma

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

Thursday April 08, 2010 · 3:03 PM PDT

2010/04/08 · 15:03

My recent diary (warning: gazillions of comments) about political debate has been widely referred to as a call for civility.

It is not a call for civility.

It is a call for higher standards of political debate.

Here on this political web site.

The diary was a group effort, with many contributors. Perhaps some of the basic meaning of the diary was lost in that process and in some of the more "controversial" passages.

THIS diary is my personal attempt to emphasize what TO ME are the key points.

Allow me to attempt to clarify, to get to the bones if you will.

buhdydharma

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

Tuesday April 06, 2010 · 1:02 PM PDT

2010/04/06 · 13:02

Let's start this conversation with a statement we think everyone who comments on Daily Kos can agree with.

The atmosphere, tone, and standards of Daily Kos posting have degenerated to an unhealthy and deeply personal level. The once high standard of accountability and accuracy in Daily Kos comments is now a thing of the past.

Charges of racism, sexism, blind hatred, blind devotion, hysteria, tantrums, childishness and pony wanting...and literally every other personal insult imaginable are thrown about like candy. Almost none of them are backed up when challenged, and many can't be backed up at all. The use of insults and abuse roundly condemned in the Real World have become the de rigueur stock in trade of the warring political factions at Daily Kos and have by and large taken the place of substantive debate. When this is accepted as the standard of 'debate,' real, substantive, debate becomes impossible.

Any and all comments based on fact, reason and logic are instantly rendered irrelevant when they are responded to with personal attack.

buhdydharma

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

Tuesday March 23, 2010 · 11:24 AM PDT

2010/03/23 · 11:24

Crossposted from Docudharma

There is an infamous Chinese character (Jackie Chan I believe) that says that in every crisis is opportunity.

Well we had/have the crises.....a surplus in fact, and so we had/have a surplus of opportunity as well. The opportunity to rebuild the health care system, the financial system, the Justice system, and to a lesser extent the political system.

If the "Health Care Reforms" just signed in to law are any indication, we are achieving a ratio of waste to opportunity that roughly echos our energy system and our food system....iow massive waste.

Why are "we" wasting this massive opportunity brought about by the massive crises perpetrated by the Republicans under Bush? Because the Democrats are GIVING power to those same Republicans. (With help from the media of course, who are relishing the food fight.) Whether they are allowing the Republicans to have power out of mere political incompetence, or out of the very real fear of having...and thus being accountable for...power themselves, they have allowed the Republicans to act as if they have the power of actually representing someone.

buhdydharma

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

Friday February 26, 2010 · 11:53 AM PST

2010/02/26 · 11:53

The next legislative victory? A Democratic majority at any price? The presidency of Barack Obama? To cleanse the blogosphere of people you perceive as demonic harpies? To stop people on the blog you frequent saying things you don't like? To stamp out Ponies?

Or a better world?

For the Greatest Good For All Concerned?

For Freedom, Equality and Justice for all People.

Or perhaps to try to help save the world from impending and accelerating Climate Change that will be FAR more destructive than even ...Jane Hamsher?

buhdydharma

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

Wednesday February 24, 2010 · 11:38 AM PST

2010/02/24 · 11:38

buhdydharma

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

Monday February 22, 2010 · 11:09 AM PST

2010/02/22 · 11:09

Since it seems to be a day for cheap sarcasm...

I want everybody to get up, get up and go to your phones and dial your Congress members RIGHT NOW and deliver this message!!!

We demand you be more spineless and wishy washy!

After all we didn't overwhelmingly elect you and give you a mandate over the last two cycles to take real steps to fix what is wrong with America in a bold and decisive fashion! We didn't put you in office to fix all the things the Republicans screwed up over the last eight...or 40.. years!

We elected you to get the least possible result while protecting your jobs and bowing to the 41 vote Republican majority at every opportunity!

buhdydharma

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

Wednesday February 17, 2010 · 11:49 AM PST

2010/02/17 · 11:49

Crossposted from Docudharma

That is the mood of The People

Throw the bums out.

Now you can try to argue with The People. You can say The People are wrong. You can decry the lack of political sophistication of The People. And some of "the Pragmatists" here do.

But you can't win elections without The People, it just isn't.....Pragmatic.....to think you can.

The people want change. Not because they are stupid or unsophisticated, but because, very simply, things suck.

And if The Democrats don't stop things from sucking, The People will throw them out. And no amount of clever parsing or desperate pleading is going to change that.

buhdydharma

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

Thursday February 11, 2010 · 11:41 AM PST

2010/02/11 · 11:41

Crossposted from Docudharma

Climate change is here.

Weather patterns are altering, ocean levels are beginning to rise, there are food and water shortages across the globe, the number of climate refugees in Bangladesh is rising and major port cities around the world are making plans to protect themselves as the seas that will slowly...but not slowly enough....engulf their cities rise.

Glaciers, the source of much of the worlds fresh water supply, are shrinking at a truly astounding rate. Soon there will be no more glaciers in Glacier National Park. (edited for accuracy)

buhdydharma

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

Tuesday February 09, 2010 · 11:29 AM PST

2010/02/09 · 11:29

Crossposted from Docudharma

buhdydharma

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

Thursday January 28, 2010 · 11:41 AM PST

2010/01/28 · 11:41

Crossposted from Docudharma

No Drama Obama came out fighting last night! For him.

In a stunning and dramatic (for him) change of course, Obama actually said mean (for him) things about the Dems, the Republicans, and the SCOTUS, as well as the pundits and press. He was (for him) downright feisty and condemning.

Which is what happens when you realize that your "process" isn't working, your "style" is ineffective, your "tone" is weak, and your post-partisan peacemaking has run into a brick wall of cowardice, obstructionism and just plain incompetence.

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You are NOT Powerless

Poll: Do You Support Primarying President Obama?

"Civility" Has Nothing To Do With It

Establishing New Posting Standards On Daily Kos

Breaking the Dam? Or Dawning the Age of Mediocrity?

What Are You Fighting FOR?

Democrats: All you have to do is FIGHT

ACTION! Dems Need Help Being Mediocre At Best!!!

Throw The Bums Out

Climate: Who Is Stupider, Repubs or Dems?

Dems: Our Votes or Their Money?

Obama's Awakening?