I've never been to a Netroots Nation conference, and I'll never be going, either, unless they decide to hold one in the red, red Bluegrass state. All I can do is send auction stuff. So I did.
Your turn: y'all have to go bid on it, or on anything on the Auction pages.
For what it's worth - and it's actually worth a lot - please consider reccing this diary (or other NN Auction diaries) so that others can see those diaries and go bid on Netroots Nation Auction stuff. It's for the best of causes.
Part the First - Why am I writing this?
Because the Netroots Nation Auction folks asked me to. That wasn't so bad, was it?
Part the Second - Why are you reading this?
Harder to answer. Maybe you liked the title?
Part the Third - What do they want out of us now?
Another easy one to answer. Go to the Netroots Nation Auction 2009page, look at the offerings, and bid on something. The prices range from "not much" to "Holy Crap!" so you will be able to find something in your price range.
Part the Fourth - Yeah, but why are YOU writing this, SMG? Hmmm???
Now you get the long answer. It's an easy one, but the diary's got to have something in it other than "go buy something," right?
I'm a ridiculously liberal old hippie who wants to support the troops by bringing them home right now and support the non-troops by providing single-payer health care to everyone in the US. I'm also a fat person, a smoker, a part-time farmer (we sell eggs from chickies and duckies and Lucy the Goosie at our local Farmer's Market), an Adult Education instructor, a former scientist, a former med tech, and thanks to DemFromCT, I'm the "flu guy" where I work (somebody had to do the nagging!).
Oh, yeah. I'm an artist, too (SynSci, Inc.). Juried and everything ("juried" means some fancy-pants looked at my stuff and said, "OK, it's art"). In other words, I'm broke. I managed to squeeze out a few bucks for Rob Miller, but usually sending cash is beyond my means. So - when Netroots Nation asked for donations for the auction, I sent some of the jewelry I've made from things you never thought would grow up to be jewelry (circuit boards, black walnuts, garlic, little wooden stakes, wheat, cedar, diodes, resistors, Combos [which I ate one of and decided they'd be better jewelry than food], Tootsie rolls, pills and capsules that didn't do whatever it was they were supposed to do, surrogate dick-wave-able keychains made from little green glow-in-the-dark plastic penises, etc.).
Each item that I sent in is unique (if you want to buy a couple of ornaments or a vampire protector, break them, then try to find matching pieces of myrrh gum, frankincense tears, or little wooden stakes to put into one item, knock yourself out). Many of the other items at the auction are also one-of-a-kind, too, so whatever you bid on, you'll be able to get a very special gift for someone (or for yourself).
Now, please go look and bid on one or more of the 100+ items from Kossacks and non-Kossacks that have been donated to the auction. Did you click yet? Go on. Click. You can even right-click and hit "Open Link in New Tab" (FireFox only). Try it: Netroots Nation Auction.
Why support Netroots Nation? They're an easily visible group that acts as a focal point for Progressives. And they're US - their conventions started as a YearlyKos get-together. They use some of the new technologies, like the Internet, to help shape political views. Netroots Nation. And they have a great, non-stupid name. (Would you really want to join a group calling itself TwitNation?)
We may be seeing the emergence of a new political party to replace the Democrats (who, as Bill Maher said, are the new Republicans) - the Progressives. I'm a part of that. Like many others, I've quit calling myself a Democrat and started calling myself a Progressive. Netroots Nation is a showcase for Progressives. We need to support them even if we can't get to the conventions. Anything at all that we do will help all Progressives and eventually all Americans - and that's the real root of our political beliefs, isn't it? Doing things pro bono - making money for ourselves is fine, but in the end, we're all in this together.
So please go do it. Look at the auction items. Bid on some, if you like. You'll be happy if you win the item, and we'll all be happier when Progressives finally do run the government.
Oh, yeah. If you want something I've mentioned but didn't send (great, now I'll have 48 requests for earrings made out of Combos), we'll work out a way for YOU to send the money to Netroots Nation and for ME to send the item to you.
Um... So there.