We have so many insightful and powerful diaries written here at Daily Kos. Our diaries inform, inflame, impassion, and even entertain. We Kossacks have strong voices and an even stronger will to be the change we wish to see in this country.
One of the richest, and perhaps most under-appreciated, areas of thought come in the form of comments attached to these diaries.
Here at Top Comments we strive to recognize and promote the talent of this community by highlighting outstanding comments found throughout the day by the diarist, and through nominations at made at topcomments at gmail dot com by your fellow Kossacks.
These nominations are subjective, and certainly not complete (as no one can read the complete site on a daily basis!). But hopefully they will serve to shine a light where deserved, and to give the reader a good starting point in finding conversation on the site.
Please come in and make yourself at home! Join us beneath the fold...
Update [2009-8-30 23:48:35 by taylormattd]:
As casperr mentioned in her recent diary, a few of us have started writing rally roundup diaries every day, but they haven't been getting much attention. If you'd like to help with these efforts, or just be notified of diaries we're posting, join the netroots for healthcare group.
Thanks to kath25, Femlaw, casperr, and many others for their tireless efforts working to secure health care reform. (Also, thanks to kath for the bulk of the code for this diary, hehe)
In just six days, the Congressional district working period ends and our representatives head back to DC to determine the fate of health care reform. We need to stand up and be counted, get out there and show our support for real reform. We all know that America can't wait another 20 years for reform. This is our chance, and we need to stand up for people, and make sure our voices are louder than the insurance companies and crazy town-hall shriekers.
But we can't just sit around and wait for other people to do it for us.
If you do ONLY ONE THING for health care reform this summer, you need to GET OUT THERE and attend a rally!
Over the past week, a group of fellow DailyKos diarists and I have been counting down to September 4th, and the end of the Congressional district working period. We're working hard to spread the word about these events and encourage all y'all to get out there! Bring a sign, bring a picnic, bring your kids! It doesn't matter, just get out there and show your support for people-driven health care reform.
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings
Get out to a town hall if there's one near you. Teabaggers are still planning to protest these events, especially as momentum turns in our favor. Get out where you are and make sure that real reform outnumbers crazy obstructionism.
Find a Town Hall near you, stand up and be counted, and make it clear that there are more of us who desperately need reform than want it to fail. FireDogLake has a fantastic Town Hall Tracker keeping abreast of events. Click Here to find a Town Hall near you!
Here are a couple examples of events that you can find on the Town Hall Tracker:
Wow, just look at how many upcoming events are within 300 miles of Chicago! Plug in your location, and you'll likely find plenty of opportunity to speak your mind on health care reform!
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HCAN Rallies Through September 4th
There are over 2000 HCAN events scheduled! That means there must be something near you. If you can't make it out to a town hall, head out to one of these huge rallies and make sure you show the numbers are on our side! Click Here to search HCAN's website.
Here are some upcoming events:
Tuesday, September 1st
Seattle, WA
Let's Get It Done Health Care Rally, with Rep. McDermott
7:00 p.m.
Meany Hall, University of Washington
Fresno, CA
Let's Get It Done Health Care Rally
5:00 p.m.
Amtrak Station
Columbus, OH
Rally For Real Health Care Reform
7:00 p.m.
Location TBA |
Wednesday, September 2nd
Hartford, CT
Health Care Can't Wait Rally
4:30 p.m.
CIGNA Headquarters
San Francisco, CA
Congressional Send Off Rally San Francisco
5:00 p.m.
San Francisco City Hall
Denver, CO
Health Care Can't Wait Rally
6:30 p.m.
Confluence Park |
Thursday, September 3rd
Houston, TX
Let's Get It Done: Health Insurance Reform Now Rally!
6:30 p.m.
Houston City Hall Reflecting Pool
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Rally For The Public Option
12:00 p.m.
Georgia State Capitol
Portland, ME
Health Care Can't Wait Rally
11:00 a.m.
Rep. Pingree's Office |
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OFA Organizing Events Near You!
Organizing for America is also hard at work to engage citizens and make sure we all have a voice in health care reform. Head over to my.barackobama.com and find an event. Click here to search for meetings, phonebanks, sign-making parties and more near you!
Here is one important upcoming OFA / HCAN joint event:
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Other Special Events and Information
This past weekend, in Times Square, there was a massive joint rally. NYC organizer casperr provided us all with a FABULOUS recap of the event, in 3000 NYers RALLY for Health Care in Times Square.
This huuuugge turnout in New York is no anomaly. Indeed, via Christopher Hass, OFA Deputy Director Jeremy Bird reported from the road on how thousands and thousands of people all over the country have been showing up at town halls and rallying in the streets, demanding health care. Jeremy also reports on how the OFA Health Care Reform bus continues to roll across a wide swath of middle America over the next week. Stops have already included Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Denver, with Des Moines, St. Louis, Charlotte, Raleigh, and other cities on the route.
Can't make it? Follow the bus on Twitter: @OFAOnTheBus
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We can't achieve real reform without you! Get out there this weekend, and make sure you're counted in favor of real health care reform!
(Have an event for the Rally Report? Email us (with the link, please) at RallyReport(at)gmail.com. You can also send us links to photos or video or your local blog reports about events for us to highlight.)
::
And now, tonight's Top Comments
From JanF:
Jacques has proof that there is no God based on something he saw in the church at Teddy's funeral, from the Front Page story by *Hunter( about Teddy's smackdown from the grave.
From MinistryOfTruth:
In my meta on meta diary today, xxdr zombiexx explains the meta wars that break out on occasion in the simplest, and funniest of terms.
In another awesome comment from my metariffic diary, deminva lays some knowledge on us all, regarding pie fights, pie, and Henry Clay, oddly enough.
Who knew Henry Clay was pro pie?
From captainlaser:
Ouch. I mean Touche! A definite top comment candidate from NCrissieB.
From Julie Gulden:
Nominating from her own diary on Diaries you've never seen, Julie offers up these two comments: first, the funniest comment ever from ChurchofBruce, and another brilliant one from RonV.
From Dump Terry McAuliffe:
In today's Midday Open Thread, indycam offers a comic version of the Rapture.
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding search-identifiable tip jars and first diary comments:
1) In a nutshell...this paragraph by gulfgal98 — 160
2) people in most countries by Jerome a Paris — 147
3) I hope you get some love for this, by nobody at all — 125
4) I'm not just ashamed by Gemina13 — 120
5) I Get a Lot of Love Here by Pluto — 98
6) Forwarded to me by my kid: by IT Professional — 98
7) Wow, that last one really got me. by casperr — 92
8) Reminds one of the line from King Lear by marykk — 89
9) Then go and leave by AkaEnragedGoddess — 88
10) of course by Jerome a Paris — 84
11) Thank you for all your effort ... by understandinglife — 84
12) You know, I THOUGHT by edwardssl — 82
13) Good editorial by Mithridates — 70
14) I by Lava20 — 69
15) It also stands as a testament to how little... by AuroraDawn — 69
16) It's both and a lot of other things by VetGrl — 67
17) Its long past time to cut them loose... nt by PhotogHog — 65
18) Yes, I have been watching for the last several by MRA NY — 65
19) I won't be surprised by Archie2227 — 64
20) Even in death , he continues to fight. by looking and listening — 62
21) Only Teddy by QueenMaeve — 62
22) You are mistaken. by journeyman — 62
23) I'm still reeling by kestrel9000 — 62
24) Brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. The sled! by War on Error — 61
25) I immigrated from Europe 40 years ago by sara seattle — 60
26) Malia? Malia is by blackwaterdog — 58
27) As a man, I have to do this after seeing that by MKDAWUSS — 58
28) The Kennedy's Outlook Vs The Republican Outlook by bhfrik — 57
29) I have a new niece today. by Pithy Cherub — 57
30) End of One Era by JekyllnHyde — 57
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) I guess Senator Kennedy's death by clammyc — 453
2) We All Have a Path through Life. by Pluto — 397
3) Tip Jar by kestrel9000 — 372
4) Tip Jar by icebergslim — 350
5) Tip Jar by Junkyard Dem — 343
6) just attend or watch a video of a town hall, by Turkana — 335
7) Tip Jar - BUT ... by dmhlt 66 — 321
8) Tip Jar by NicolasC — 293
9) Tip Jar by icebergslim — 281
10) Tip Jar by blackwaterdog — 269
11) Tip Jar by aznew — 238
12) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 214
13) Tips for MetaJesus, may he forgive us all by MinistryOfTruth — 208
14) Coffee? Isn't it Mojito time yet? by LaFeminista — 181
15) Tip Jar by TomK1960 — 169
16) In a nutshell...this paragraph by gulfgal98 — 160
17) Tip Jar by TexMex — 155
18) people in most countries by Jerome a Paris — 147
19) Late on a Saturday night is no time to post by Seneca Doane — 142
20) I hope you get some love for this, by nobody at all — 125
21) I'm not just ashamed by Gemina13 — 120
22) Tips by Trix — 114
23) Tip Jar by calchala — 104
24) I Get a Lot of Love Here by Pluto — 98
25) Forwarded to me by my kid: by IT Professional — 98
26) Wow, that last one really got me. by casperr — 92
27) Reminds one of the line from King Lear by marykk — 89
28) Then go and leave by AkaEnragedGoddess — 88
29) of course by Jerome a Paris — 84
30) Thank you for all your effort ... by understandinglife — 84