I will append this as the day goes on because we are still working this out.
Equality Kansas, the ACLU of Kansas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and MAINstream Coalition are hosting an Equality Rally on Tuesday, February 25, at 1pm. We'll be on the south steps of the State Capitol, so bring your signs, your flags, and your voices. Let's be heard! We'll be back with more info later this weekend. Stay tuned!
For Kossacks, Please note: We expect this rally to be SHORT because most of the heavy lifting, frankly, has already been done. I will have another diary later today about some of the discussions today, but there have been more moves and responses, and I will be posting them later. But I wanted to note this get together.
This is a state rally. And while it is designed to rally against this bill - which will likely be stuck by the time February 25 rolls around (almost 2 weeks) we need to recognize this is the old-school politic way of doing something.. wait for the people to get excited about something and THEN commit. Fact is, many groups in Kansas should have/could have/would have been out in front from the beginning, before this bill even saw the light of day but too many were afraid to step it up and make a stink early for fear it would hurt them.
That's OK. They are on the same team as we are. We want most of the same things. I'm encouraging Kossacks to come to the rally, stay for Dinner. We will be putting on a Kossack Get together impromptu in the capital with hopes not only to express anger but to help get some tools out.
I've been contacted by three filmmakers, two on Kos, who are helping to get a lot of the house and senate members on video, giving their spiel without the pleasant backdrops of being able to cloak themselves in their office spaces.
We're preparing content of the meetings we have in Manhattan, Wichita, Lawrence to motivate students and over the next two weeks, we have voter registration drives in every one of those communities, on every campus.
If you are interested in helping, if you want to donate - large or small, time, money, or just good will. If you want help in how to contact your representative and why we want EVERY response email you receive, please let me know.
I am often humbled by the response of Kossacks who see what we are trying to do in Kansas and Missouri and root for us. But I'm also equally aware of people who have the attitude that is: Just Move. And there are days I feel that way too.
But for every student, every high schooler, every college kid.. every child that needs an education, every man, woman and child who agrees with us and lives in this state, I am not prepared to ask of them the financial burden that they should just 'leave' to get justice.
I'm for justice everywhere. I believe that no one is 'not' worth fighting for.
If you live in this state, and you've followed some of these diaries, try to be there February 25. Stay for dinner - I'll make sure you get fed, and we're going to talk about your representatives, and what can be done.
Are you interested in Running for State House?
Some people will read this and think it's a joke. But races for state house representatives went largely unchallenged. If you've thought about it, and you think you want to try, realize you are most likely qualified. The majority of our state house are: not college graduates. They are not lawyers. Most are people who came from good jobs but had good connections. They just have the right symbol after their name.
If you think you want to mount a challenge, or you know someone who does, PM me.
The shame of all of this is that many of the representatives who backed this legislation will go unchallenged. The people don't want them, but they won't have a choice come the fall.
That has to end.
Please note: For Missouri, next week, we're doing a profile on two of your house of representatives that I've been working on with the local paper of record (KC Star) and others, and we expect that it could make a LOT of noise about what your representatives are or aren't doing. If you're in Missouri, and you need help.. or you've got a state house race you need resources on, PM me.
2014 in the midwest needs to sting. We won't win all the races. We'll lose most. But I'll be damned if we don't do everything in our power to make this as uncomfortable as possible for those who are running our country, our communities as though it is their own personal playground.