Seriously.
Update: Want to see who's already been gifted? Go HERE.
When I was thinking about when I first got involved in this community, back in 2007 (it was technically earlier, but I don't remember signing up before then), it was the result of a Google search for the Amnesty International report called "Maze of Injustice: the Failure to Protect Native American Women from Sexual Violence in the U.S.A."
I had just heard the story on NPR and was infuriated. Infuriated because of the situation I was hearing about, and infuriated by my sudden awareness of my own ignorance about American Indians and Alaska Natives. I was ABD in cultural anthropology, and knew a lot about Latin America, especially Cuba and Cuban refugees, the Garifuna of Honduras and the Maya of Guatemala and Mexico (many of my professors were Mayanists).
But what was going on in my own back yard? Nada.
Wow, the instant realization of your own ignorance isn't pleasant.
Anyway....the first link that popped up in my search brought me to a front page article here on the Daily Kos. Someone had diaried about it. And then Nbier, who hasn't been around here in a while, started doing the first fundraiser for Pretty Bird Woman House, a women's shelter on the Standing Rock Reservation, so it could last long enough for some federal funding to come in.
So I began reading those diaries....and then reading other diaries about other issues....and then more. The diaries were not only informing me about important issues like the Maze of Injustice Report, but I really resonated with the disgust people were expressing about the Bush Administration... and noticed how smart a lot of the commentary was. Other people were miserable like me, thinking the US was now in some dark night of the soul experience.
But Nbier's diaries were how I realized that I had discovered a community, not just a bunch of people blowing off steam about George Bush & Co.
I liked the community, and then I liked its politics.
To make a long story short, a few months later I found myself organizing the Pretty Bird Woman House fund drive, along with AndyT and with constant support from Winter Rabbit. Miss Laura (her name at the time) also contributed diaries, along with a lot of other people too. Pretty soon we had bought the women of the Standing Rock Reservation an actual house. Amazing.
And then I saw that there were a myriad of other initiatives that different people came up with to help others. In keeping with her tradition of activism for American Indians, navajo started the annual propane drive for the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations (going on again this year, and even more needed since fuel assistance has been ravaged this year, so if you can, contribute) a few years ago. This year, Georgia Little Shield is also starting a food pantry project on the Cheyenne River Reservation, something she would never have tried to do had she not known about the support we are capable of giving those projects.
And then there are initiatives like IGTNT. I don't know who started it, but it has made me cry so often that I had a hard time going into those diaries after a while. And don't get me going about the Sara R's quilts, that's just beyond wonderful.
And then there is the assistance to individuals in need, aside from the quilts. I don't even know where to begin with that.
Now, things like that don't get accomplished by individuals, they get accomplished by communities, not loosely-knit ones either. Messy, and sometimes cranky, this is a tight and caring community.
Do Freepers to that? Are you kidding me? I have no doubt that it's like a knife fight behind the scenes there, those folks are so mean spirited.
For that matter, do even other liberal/progressive blogs do that? Nope.
WE do it. Kossacks. Daily Kos readers, writers.
So why not subscribe?
Right now you have to have been lost in some shopping abyss not to know that lifetime subscriptions are going to be a thing of the past after Dec. 31, and that there's a subscription drive on to take advantage of the current price of $100.
And, as you know, and that lots of people have been gifting each other. Typical behavior around here, no?
And, typical of the creativity around here, there is now a small donors diary HEREwhere you can contribute to somebody's lifetime subscription if $100 is too much for you. See what I mean?
Here is a fairly current list of people nominated for subscriptions. If you go to the link above you can contribute to buying one if you don't have the entire $100 at your disposal, but you have the whole amount, you can make their day, or perhaps year.
BTW -to the person who gifted ME with one, I send a hearty "thank you." That was my first and will be my best Christmas gift, no kidding. What a great feeling it was to open that email. I was absolutely amazed.
New nominations:
TX Scotia
boran2
gizmo59
Mikidee
Sprinkles
From the existing list:
ipsos9thkvius
akmk
Alfonso Nevarez
Alma
AoT
Avenging Angel
asterkitty
bionic
Bud Fields
CayceP
CodeTalker
Colorado is the Shiznit
dakinshir has a tech issue, go to gift another person then change out the giftee name in the box
Dave in Northridge
Debs2
detroitmechworks
DrLori
DRo
DSC on the Plateau
ekyprogressive
Ellinorianne has a tech issue, go to gift another person then change out the giftee name in the box
ferment - does not want one
FindingMyVoice - has received one!
fly
Geenius at Wrok
glorificus
gramofsam1
HoundDog
hyperstation
James Allen
joe pittsburgh
JTinDC has a tech issue, go to gift another person, then change out the name in the giftee box
kefauver
keori
KibbutzAmiad
Killer of Sacred Cows
Kitty
KnotIookin
Knucklehead
KVoimakas
Lady Libertine
ladypockt
LeftofArizona
Louisiana 1976
M E C
makettle
mapamp
maybeeso in michigan
megisi
Miss Blue tech issue, start by trying to gift someone else, then switch out names of giftee
mrsgoo
ms badger
ms scarlett leadpipe
Neon Vincent
notdarkyet
onceasgt
paulitics
people power granny
petulans
Pithy Cherub
psfinla
pvlb
raina
rebel ga
Rogneid
roseeriter
rubyr
sdf
Shaviv
Siri
slampros
state of confusion
StateofEuphoria
tdub901
The Book Bear
wasatch
Xavier Onassis EMTP
yella dawg
yg17
Youffraita
ZenTrainer
Here are more details:
What subscribers will get:
* An ad-free experience of the site. Faster loading, no annoying
ads. Ideal for a friend on dial-up.
* Three download e-books will be rolled out this month. Both giver
and receiver of subscriptions will have access to these e-books.
* Unlimited access to upcoming photo organizer -- allowing diarists
to upload photos onto Daily Kos itself, as well as have access to
the Daily Kos editorial team's news photo library. Expected launch
by first quarter 2012.
Product/Prices:
Lifetime Subscription:
* Will stop selling lifetime subscriptions on December 31, 2011.
* The cost is $100.
* https:/www.dailykos.com/subscribe
* Help can be found here: http://helpdesk.dailykos.com/
Annual Subscription:
* Annual subscriptions are $40/year recurring billing.
* https:/www.dailykos.com/subscribe
* Help can be found here: http://helpdesk.dailykos.com/
Monthly Subscription:
* Monthly recurring subscriptions will no longer be sold.
* Existing monthly subscriptions will be maintained for the time
being.
* Help can be found here: http://helpdesk.dailykos.com/
You can buy a subscription for yourself or a friend on our
subscription page. If you would like to make a donation to the site, you can do so on our donations page.
I had an idea while I was writing this. Because it would have taken too long to research, and then would have made the diary too long, I didn't look up all the community initiatives on behalf of other groups or individuals. So I'd like to ask you to do this.
If you have been a beneficiary, donor, or organizer of a community effort here at the Daily Kos, tell us in the comments. At the end of this, we're going to have one hell of a list and you'll have a visual idea of what it means to be a Kossack.
