dailykos--2020-09-29--How To Win a Judgeship in California: Pretend You're a "Civil Rights Lawyer"

Judicial elections are non-partisan and one would hope less fraught with politics-as-usual tactics .
But in the contest for Seat # 2 on the Alameda County Superior Court , one candidate is relying on alternative facts .
Mark Fickes is mischaracterizing his record , including on the official ballot , where he misleadingly claims to be a “ civil rights attorney.
” The claim is particularly offensive given that his opponent , Elena Condes , is a person of color .
Condes , a long-time criminal defense attorney who has been endorsed by a wide swath of the legal community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County judges .
( Disclosure : I have endorsed her too . )
Condes has a compelling life story .
She comes from a traditional Mexican family while being openly gay .
( Fickes is also gay . )
She worked nights to pay for college , put herself through law school , and over the past 25 years has built a successful law practice .
Fickes is not a civil rights lawyer although he is playing one on the campaign trail .
He was a prosecutor , counsel for the SEC and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before becoming a partner in a firm in which , at least from a list of reported cases , he appears to mostly represent businesses or individuals accused of violating environmental or securities laws .
But even giving Fickes the benefit of the doubt that he has handled a civil rights case or two recently , that does not mean he is entitled to call himself a civil rights attorney on the ballot .
( Notably , a screen shot of Fickes ’ bio on his firm ’ s website before he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights litigation , while boasting of his work for corporations such as DuPont and ConocoPhillips . )
“ Civil rights attorney ” has a specific connotation – commonly understood as a lawyer who primarily defends the rights and freedoms of people of color , women , the LGBT community , and other vulnerable groups and individuals .
Not surprisingly , in my informal survey of actual Bay Area civil rights lawyers Fickes is unknown .
Walter Riley , an iconic civil rights lawyer in Oakland , said he would “ question the judgment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim based on his record.
” Indeed , an editorial published before the March primary — Condes won but not by over 50 % of the vote -- stated , “ [ t ] he use of a label of civil rights attorney on the ballot [ by Fickes ] is a troubling deception unbecoming a judicial candidate.
” ( East Bay Times ) Condes is the first Latinx to run for judge in Alameda County .
Her campaign website notes her “ perspective as a Latina , a lesbian , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bench.
” Rather than reckon with the need to have judges that reflect the community for which they serve , Fickes response has been to negate the very importance of diversity , claiming he brings diversity too – “ diversity of experience ” from a varied legal career , he says .
In a presidential election year where judicial races are not likely to get much attention , voters who might only know about the candidates from their ballot designation may vote for Fickes because of “ civil rights ” bona fides he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a well-qualified candidate who truly would bring diversity to the court .
A version of this piece was originally published in the Oakland Post

Judicial elections are non-partisan and one would hope less fraught with politics-as-usual tactics. But in the contest for Seat #2 on the Alameda County Superior Court, one candidate is relying on alternative facts. Mark Fickes is mischaracterizing his record, including on the official ballot, where he misleadingly claims to be a “civil rights attorney.” The claim is particularly offensive given that his opponent, Elena Condes, is a person of color.
Condes is a long-time criminal defense attorney who has been endorsed by a wide swath of the legal community, including 30 current and retired Alameda County judges. (Disclosure: I have endorsed her too.) Condes has a compelling life story. She comes from a traditional Mexican family while being openly gay. (Fickes is also gay.) She worked nights to pay for college, put herself through law school, and over the past 25 years has built a successful law practice.
Fickes is not a civil rights lawyer although he is playing one on the campaign trail. He was a prosecutor, counsel for the SEC and worked for a prominent corporate defense firm before becoming a partner in a firm in which, at least from a list of reported cases, he appears to mostly represent businesses or individuals accused of violating environmental or securities laws. But even giving Fickes the benefit of the doubt that he has handled a civil rights case or two recently, that does not mean he is entitled to call himself a civil rights attorney on the ballot. (Notably, a screen shot of Fickes’ bio on his firm’s website before he was on the ballot says nothing about civil rights litigation, while boasting of his work for corporations such as DuPont and ConocoPhillips.)
“Civil rights attorney” has a specific connotation – commonly understood as a lawyer who primarily defends the rights and freedoms of people of color, women, the LGBT community, and other vulnerable groups and individuals.
Not surprisingly, in my informal survey of actual Bay Area civil rights lawyers Fickes is unknown. Walter Riley, an iconic civil rights lawyer in Oakland, said he would “question the judgment of someone who is making such a claim based on his record.” Indeed, an editorial published before the March primary — Condes won but not by over 50% of the vote -- stated, “[t]he use of a label of civil rights attorney on the ballot [by Fickes] is a troubling deception unbecoming a judicial candidate.” (East Bay Times)
Condes is the first Latinx to run for judge in Alameda County. Her campaign website notes her “perspective as a Latina, a lesbian, and a defender would enhance the diversity on the bench.”
Rather than reckon with the need to have judges that reflect the community for which they serve, Fickes response has been to negate the very importance of diversity, claiming he brings diversity too – “diversity of experience” from a varied legal career, he says.
In a presidential election year where judicial races are not likely to get much attention, voters who might only know about the candidates from their ballot designation may vote for Fickes because of “civil rights” bona fides he does not possess, undermining the candidacy of a well-qualified candidate who truly would bring diversity to the court.
A version of this piece was originally published in the Oakland Post


dailykos--2020-09-30--End-of-Month Money Bomb for Joe and Kamala: Update $900 tonight. Let's keep it going!

Tomorrow ’ s the last day of September .
Let ’ s send Joe a message !
And let ’ s send a message to President Duplicity too .
You know how important the last days of a month are for reporting campaign donations .
Let ’ s utterly swamp President Superspreader .
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group for readers and members of Daily Kos .
This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort , organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here .
At 9 p.m .
ET on September 29 , we were at $ 64,233 , more than 60 % of our goal of $ 100,000 .
If you donated already , thank you !
Please use our ActBlue page to donate to their campaign : A grassroots election-season effort for readers and members of Daily Kos .
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• Everyone , Please : • None .
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Switch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ActBlue page .
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• Spread this diary by Twitter , by FaceBook , by email , and I on the opposite shore will be .
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Image : Old sepia-print photographic image of a light house , rocks , and a sailing ship which has run aground and is leaning against the rocks .
In a bold cartoon-like speech balloon , the ship says `` Your lamp was off . ''
In another speech balloon , the light house responds `` I didn ’ t want you to panic . ''
Update at 10:45 p.m .
ET on 9/29 : At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 64,233 .
We ’ ve raised that in the past 29 days .
Now at $ 64,628 , we ’ ve raised about $ 400 .
Thanks !
Update at 11:45 p.m .
ET on 9/29 : Now at $ 65,155 , up by about $ 900 .
Thank you !

Tomorrow’s the last day of September. Let’s send Joe a message! And let’s send a message to President Duplicity too.
You know how important the last days of a month are for reporting campaign donations. Let’s utterly swamp President Superspreader.
Dear Readers and Members of Daily Kos:
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group for readers and members of Daily Kos. This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort, organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos. You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here.
At 9 p.m. ET on September 29, we were at $64,233, more than 60% of our goal of $100,000. If you donated already, thank you!
Update at 10:45 p.m. ET on 9/29: At 9 p.m. ET, started at $64,233. We’ve raised that in the past 29 days. Now at $64,628, we’ve raised about $400. Thanks!
Update at 11:45 p.m. ET on 9/29: Now at $65,155, up by about $900. Thank you!


dailykos--2020-09-30--Good News Roundup for Sept. 30, 2020 — He's falling apart, we're hanging together

A warm welcome to all Gnusies and to everyone reading today ’ s Good News Roundup !
RBG ’ s death and everything that has come afterwards — especially the profoundly insulting nomination of Dominionist Amy Coney Barrett to fill RBG ’ s Supreme Court seat — has challenged all of us to keep our balance and retain some level of sanity .
We all have different ways of coping .
Mine is to write to voters ( Postcards to Voters , Postcards to Swing States , and Vote Forward ) .
I ’ ve been doing that for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19th I ’ ve been doing it obsessively .
Yes , obsessiveness isn ’ t the greatest sign of mental health , but obsessively doing something that can conceivably help get Dems elected is better than obsessing over the dangers of Rethugs hanging onto power while doing nothing to change the outcome .
At least that ’ s what works for me .
It ’ s been clear this past week that tempers are beginning to fray here in Gnuville as elsewhere , and I have to say that ’ s entirely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re all under .
But we ’ re managing to stick together and continue being supportive .
We ’ re stronger together .
Dems have for decades used the tired cliché of “ the big tent ” to describe the party , and I always roll my eyes when I hear it .
But I ’ m beginning to believe that it actually is a good metaphor for us .
The strength of Dems lies in inclusion , diversity , acceptance of differences — making the party larger .
The illusory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lies in exclusion , homogeneity , and group think — making their party ever smaller .
Dems believe in sharing money and power , Rethugs believe in hoarding both .
We say “ When each of us has what they need , the better it is for all of us , including me.
” The Rethugs say , “ The more others have , the less there is for me.
” So I believe that the big tent metaphor is right , and I also believe that we should put a sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply reads “ Compassion.
” All are welcome because all are worthy of our care .
And finally , I think that as we move forward , we should keep in mind one of RBG ’ s most-shared quotes : And as we move forward , we need to always , always keep our eyes on the prize : saving our democracy .
Here ’ s some inspiration from way back in 2008 .
Remember how good that election night felt ?
!
So much breaking news is breaking against the *Resident that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with it .
In addition to the two ( so far ) bombshell articles in the NY Times about his taxes — “ Long-concealed records show Trump ’ s chronic losses ” and “ How reality-TV fame handed Trump a $ 427 million lifeline ” — other damaging blows keep falling on him .
Here ’ s just a sampling .
The first ( and only ?
? )
debate Got ta start with last night .
But before I get into my personal take on it , here ’ s something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incompetence is mind-boggling .
And , of course , in fact tRump lost the debate .
Okaaaaaay… It ’ s now 7:45 p.m. Pacific time , and I ’ m absolutely exhausted from watching this appalling spectacle .
As Evan at Wonkette said in his liveblog , it was unwatchable .
tRump unmasked himself as the lifelong bully he is .
In his case , the cliché “ bully pulpit ” should be taken literally .
He interrupted constantly and at top volume , spewing lies , personal slanders , paranoia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak and helpless to exert any control over him .
My husband and I had been watching on PBS , but we checked the networks briefly after it was all over , and we saw Nora O ’ Donnell ask the right question : “ Can we really have two more of these debates with the type of behavior that was displayed ?
” I would say , “ Absolutely not.
” And I can assure you that if there are two more debates , I won ’ t be watching them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aim was to throw Biden off balance , and he did succeed a few times , judging from Biden having to grope a bit for words , though he always came through with coherent statements .
Biden tried to keep the discipline of sticking to his talking points and largely succeeded .
He did finally get visibly angry about a third of the way through and commented “ It ’ s hard to get any word in with this clown ” — not the high road he ’ d probably intended , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And he used one rhetorical trick several times that was very effective : looking straight out at the camera and addressing the audience directly .
My favorite Biden line of the night was delivered directly to the audience and came after tRump started trashing Hunter Biden : “ It ’ s not about my family , it ’ s not about his family , it ’ s about family.
” Bingo .
Please add your own thoughts ( or those of your favorite pundit ) in the comments !
Trump 's new strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls show Seems like the Rethug strategists and consultants remain clueless .
Of course , they don ’ t have much to work with 😉 The first sentence of this quote is truly hilarious .
From Forbes [ I love how some of the bad news for tRump is showing up in traditionally conservative publications ] : Court Permanently Strikes Down Montana Law That Restricts Voting Rights of Native Americans [ Only ] A Few Hundred Proud Boys Rally in North Portland Portland approves strictest ban on facial recognition technology in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , but I wanted to make sure you all saw it .
Jo Ann is a force of nature and a major force in Portland politics .
We ’ re lucky to have her .
Evidence that Portland is still a great place to visit I made a sweet discovery during a walk with our dog : a love letter to Portland from a young visitor , which was included in a display of neighborhood announcements .
It ’ s a little hard to read because of the light reflecting off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transcript , with uncorrected spelling : Jason Okamoto is a wonderful local guitarist my husband and have been following for years .
Here ’ s his latest recording , with a video he shot while the city was still smoky from the wildfires : Gov .
Kate Brown Issues New Moratorium on Residential Evictions , Extending Ban Until New Year There are many stories of improbable finds in the rubble following Oregon ’ s wildfires .
I can ’ t find the one about the kitten a family had just adopted that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good , too .
From the Oregonian [ sorry , the page is behind a pay wall , but I ’ ve given you the gist of the story here ] : Good news from around the nation It ’ s great that some of these sleazebags are being ousted even before we oust the Sleazebag-in-Chief .
And I especially love that Judge Brian Morris was explicit in condemning the Orwellian “ logic ” of the administration lawyers .
Chef José Andrés is worried that poll workers and voters who have to wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t get the meals they need .
So he ’ s activating his team of food service partners — chefs , restaurateurs , food carts , and volunteers — to provide food for them .
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Chef Andrés ?
?
From Chefs for the Polls : Good news from around the world The school children who drafted their own emergency climate bill New Biodegradable Carbon-Negative Straws and Forks Are Made From Greenhouse Gases–and They Dissolve in the Sea From Carbon Brief ( h/t to Future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is especially good news for us older folks , for whom fractures can become permanently debilitating or even fatal .
From ZME Science , h/t to Future Crunch for this item ] : Future Crunch has a new favorite nonprofit , and it ’ s really cool Good news for and about animals Fires Have Helped These Endangered Woodpeckers Make a Comeback , and It ’ s a Reminder of Nature ’ s Resiliency Despite the setbacks of 2020 , progressives now have a real path to power .
It has become possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A new report from Way to Win and Data for Progress outlines what the future holds for progressives .
How a Deadly Prison Island Became a Natural Paradise .
For almost 100 years , Coíba was inhabited only by criminals and political prisoners .
Now it 's one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet .
Giant rat wins animal hero award for sniffing out landmines .
A Belgian organization has used trained rats for over 20 years to find landmines in Cambodia , Angola , Zimbabwe and Mozambique .
Carpenters wow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
800-year-old techniques and French oak will recreate the ruined spire .
The Determined Bull That Thinks He ’ s a Show-Jumping Horse .
A really sweet story .
How YOU can help us win Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV .
Most of what I wrote below is copied from him .
Postcards to Voters — They provide lists of addresses and a required script ( three brief items ) which you can add to if you like .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address them , and stamp them .
This is the most personal way to write to voters .
Cost : postcards and 35¢ stamps .
PtV sells their own postcards on Etsy ( the ones I use cost $ 15 for 100 , with $ 5.70 shipping ) .
Vote Forward — They provide addresses and a download of a letter template for each voter , you print out the letters , provide the greeting and some personal messages ( and decorations if you like ) , envelopes , and stamps .
Vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is scheduled for October 17th , when millions of letters will go out to infrequent voters .
Cost : paper , envelopes , 55¢ stamps .
UPDATE : As of Monday morning , they need writers to sign up for 1.7 million more addresses in order to reach their 10 million letter goal .
Sign up today !
!
[ Postcards to Swing States — This effort is now completed , with 15.7 million postcards distributed to be sent to voters across 14 swing states ! ]
Text Out the Vote via the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote : Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support voters and voting rights Progressive Turnout Project — they engage Dem voters in several ways , including a virtual phonebanking program Vote Save America — they allow you to “ adopt ” a crucial state ( Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , or Wisconsin ) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers , volunteers , and candidates in that state Spread the Vote — they help voters get IDs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They say on their website , “ 77 % of the people we work with have never voted before and 100 % of our clients can not vote without us.
” Vote For Our Lives , a project of the Parkland kids ’ March For Our Lives , is focused on young voters .
And if you need more inspiration , go straight to Goodie ’ s phenomenal series , “ 100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.
” You ’ ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined .
See @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia ’ s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers .
STAY INFORMED and keep your friends informed : Election Protection — a Twitter-centric hub of voting info , including registration , absentee ballots , polling places , and protecting voters at the polls .
An easy way to keep your Twitter network active in the election .
These classic resistance songs from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s have been playing again in my mind these days .
Here are two great voices to sing them for us .
Feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know the words !
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts , your hearts , and your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd .

Welcome!
A warm welcome to all Gnusies and to everyone reading today’s Good News Roundup!
RBG’s death and everything that has come afterwards — especially the profoundly insulting nomination of Dominionist Amy Coney Barrett to fill RBG’s Supreme Court seat — has challenged all of us to keep our balance and retain some level of sanity. We all have different ways of coping. Mine is to write to voters (Postcards to Voters, Postcards to Swing States, and Vote Forward). I’ve been doing that for a couple of years, but since September 19th I’ve been doing it obsessively. Yes, obsessiveness isn’t the greatest sign of mental health, but obsessively doing something that can conceivably help get Dems elected is better than obsessing over the dangers of Rethugs hanging onto power while doing nothing to change the outcome. At least that’s what works for me.
It’s been clear this past week that tempers are beginning to fray here in Gnuville as elsewhere, and I have to say that’s entirely to be expected, given how much strain we’re all under. But we’re managing to stick together and continue being supportive. We’re stronger together.
Dems have for decades used the tired cliché of “the big tent” to describe the party, and I always roll my eyes when I hear it. But I’m beginning to believe that it actually is a good metaphor for us. The strength of Dems lies in inclusion, diversity, acceptance of differences — making the party larger. The illusory “strength” that Rethugs believe they have lies in exclusion, homogeneity, and group think — making their party ever smaller. Dems believe in sharing money and power, Rethugs believe in hoarding both. We say “When each of us has what they need, the better it is for all of us, including me.” The Rethugs say, “The more others have, the less there is for me.” So I believe that the big tent metaphor is right, and I also believe that we should put a sign over the entrance to that tent that simply reads “Compassion.” All are welcome because all are worthy of our care.
And finally, I think that as we move forward, we should keep in mind one of RBG’s most-shared quotes:
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
And as we move forward, we need to always, always keep our eyes on the prize: saving our democracy.
Here’s some inspiration from way back in 2008. Remember how good that election night felt?!
x YouTube Video
* * * * *
Good political news — tRump is losing it bigly
So much breaking news is breaking against the *Resident that it’s gotten hard to keep up with it. In addition to the two (so far) bombshell articles in the NY Times about his taxes — “Long-concealed records show Trump’s chronic losses” and “How reality-TV fame handed Trump a $427 million lifeline” — other damaging blows keep falling on him. Here’s just a sampling.
The first (and only??) debate
Gotta start with last night. But before I get into my personal take on it, here’s something fun to start with:
x Donald Trump emailed his entire list that he won the debate. Before the debate. pic.twitter.com/pcpCCirP3t — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 29, 2020
Really, the incompetence is mind-boggling. And, of course, in fact tRump lost the debate bigly .
My take:
Okaaaaaay… It’s now 7:45 p.m. Pacific time, and I’m absolutely exhausted from watching this appalling spectacle. As Evan at Wonkette said in his liveblog, it was unwatchable.
tRump unmasked himself as the lifelong bully he is. In his case, the cliché “bully pulpit” should be taken literally. He interrupted constantly and at top volume, spewing lies, personal slanders, paranoia, and threats. Chris Wallace was predictably weak and helpless to exert any control over him. My husband and I had been watching on PBS, but we checked the networks briefly after it was all over, and we saw Nora O’Donnell ask the right question: “Can we really have two more of these debates with the type of behavior that was displayed?” I would say, “Absolutely not.” And I can assure you that if there are two more debates, I won’t be watching them.
It was clear that tRump’s aim was to throw Biden off balance, and he did succeed a few times, judging from Biden having to grope a bit for words, though he always came through with coherent statements. Biden tried to keep the discipline of sticking to his talking points and largely succeeded. He did finally get visibly angry about a third of the way through and commented “It’s hard to get any word in with this clown” — not the high road he’d probably intended, but it got a cheer from us. And he used one rhetorical trick several times that was very effective: looking straight out at the camera and addressing the audience directly. My favorite Biden line of the night was delivered directly to the audience and came after tRump started trashing Hunter Biden: “It’s not about my family, it’s not about his family, it’s about your family.” Bingo.
Please add your own thoughts (or those of your favorite pundit) in the comments!
Trump's new strategy against Biden faces signs of trouble, polls show
Seems like the Rethug strategists and consultants remain clueless. Of course, they don’t have much to work with 😉 The first sentence of this quote is truly hilarious.
From NBC News:
One major theme of the Republican convention was to pitch Trump as a caring man in private, despite his brash and combative public persona, with family members and close advisers telling stories of his sensitivity and concern behind the scenes. But it didn't close the gap. Biden led Trump by 11 points in the new CNN poll when respondents were asked to pick the candidate who "cares about people like you" — a margin unchanged from CNN's poll just before the conventions. ✂ Biden led Trump by 17 points in a CNN poll on the question of who is more "honest and trustworthy." By contrast, a CNN poll four years ago showed Trump leading Clinton by 15 points on that question. ✂ And it is not clear that Trump's new message — that crime and violence are out of control and Biden wouldn't be strong enough to quell it — is sticking. CNN's poll found Biden leading Trump by 6 points when asked whom voters trust to "keep Americans safe from harm." The Ipsos poll found that just 8 percent of registered voters cite crime as the most important problem facing the United States today, while most others cited the economy, a lack of jobs or health care.
Trump’s playing defense almost everywhere
From Kerry Eleveld on DKos:
Biden is ahead nationally by about 7-9 points, give or take, depending on the poll. Trump's war chest remains depleted, while Biden is flush with cash. And rather than expanding the map, the Trump campaign is focused almost entirely on defending states he won in 2016, writes the Washington Post. According to Biden's campaign, the former vice president spent money in 13 states last week, including only three that Hillary Clinton won—Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nevada. Meanwhile, Team Trump spent in 12 states, with Minnesota and Nevada being the only states he lost in 2016, meaning Trump’s on defense in a total of 10 states.
Non-Partisan Watchdog Accuses Trump Campaign Of ‘Laundering’ $170 Million
From Forbes [I love how some of the bad news for tRump is showing up in traditionally conservative publications]:
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission Tuesday accusing the Trump campaign of “laundering” $170 million through numerous companies, some with connections to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. “The Trump campaign and Trump Make America Great Again Committee disguised nearly $170 million of campaign spending by laundering the funds through firms,” the complaint claims. It adds that the firms are “headed by Trump’s recent campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and/or created by Trump campaign lawyers.” The complaint alleges that the Trump campaign paid millions of dollars to campaign-connected vendors without reporting those payments to the FEC, specifically homing in on American Made Media Consultants (AMMC), a firm created by Parscale, which has been paid over $106 million, making it the campaigns largest vendor.
Court revives House lawsuit over Trump taking military funds for his wall From The American Independent: A federal appeals court on Friday revived a House challenge of Donald Trump's use of Defense Department money to build a border wall after Democrats refused to provide funding he requested. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed a lower court's dismissal of the House Democrats' lawsuit. The appeals panel found the House had been wrongly cut out of its "constitutionally indispensable legislative role" when Trump unilaterally moved about $8 billion to border wall construction. Congress' power to appropriate spending "is a core structural protection of the Constitution — a wall, so to speak, between the branches of government that prevents encroachment of the House's and Senate's power of the purse," the panel wrote.
Other good political news
Registration soars on National Voter Registration Day
From the American Independent:
The nonpartisan group Vote.org saw twice as many people register to vote Tuesday on National Voter Registration Day compared to registrations on the same day during the 2018 election, CNBC reported. Several groups said they saw record numbers from young voters. The 30-year-old nonpartisan organization Rock the Vote told CNN it was their biggest their biggest National Voter Registration Day ever. National Voter Registration Day was established in 2012 as what its official website calls "a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy." Most of the 135,000 voters registered were women, Vote.org noted, and many of the registrations were from people who were 35 or younger.
Court Permanently Strikes Down Montana Law That Restricts Voting Rights of Native Americans
From the ACLU:
[On Friday, Sept. 25,] A Montana court permanently struck down a state law...that severely restricted the right to vote for Indigenous people living on rural reservations. ✂ The law set an arbitrary limit on the number of ballots an individual could collect and also restricted the categories of individuals who were permitted to collect ballots. These limitations were intended to suppress turnout on rural reservations, where geographic and socioeconomic barriers to voting make ballot collection even more critical. ✂ In a state where the majority of individuals vote by mail, rural tribal communities work with get-out-the-vote organizers who collect and transport ballots to election offices that would otherwise be inaccessible because of distance, lack of access to transportation or other socio-economic barriers. These ballot collection efforts are often the only way Native Americans living on rural reservations can access the vote. BIPA would have effectively ended this practice, disenfranchising Native American voters en masse.
* * * * *
My favorite recent tweet
x He’s broke, he lives in our house, and he’s been stealing from us. — Jason Kander (@JasonKander) September 27, 2020
* * * * *
Good news from Portland
[Only] A Few Hundred Proud Boys Rally in North Portland
They predicted 20,000. Ha!
From Willamette Week:
Several hundred Proud Boys and their supporters gathered at Delta Park in North Portland [Saturday] afternoon in what they intended as a show of strength for President Donald Trump and their right-wing comrades who've been jailed or killed in street conflicts. The event was billed as retribution for Aaron J. Danielson, a Trump-supporting protester killed last month by a Portland anti-fascist, and Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people in Wisconsin during a riot. The prospect of the Proud Boys, a right-wing men's fraternity, and other far-right paramilitary groups arriving in Portland alarmed local officials, who feared their presence could escalate civil unrest in the city. Such groups have repeatedly engaged in fierce street combat with anti-fascists and other political foes. On Friday, Gov. Kate Brown declared an emergency so Oregon State Police could oversee a law enforcement response. In a permit application, the Proud Boys projected 20,000 people would attend their rally. In the event, less than 500 people gathered on soccer fields in the soggy park.
Portland approves strictest ban on facial recognition technology in the U.S.
This happened a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure you all saw it.
From the Oregonian:
The Portland City Council unanimously approved bans on city and private use of facial recognition technology... — the strictest such restriction in the country. The private ban, which includes by businesses in the city, would go into effect Jan. 1. The ban on use by city departments goes into effect immediately. The state of Oregon already bans police from using body cameras with facial recognition technology. The ban wouldn’t apply to private individual uses, such as the Face ID feature on iPhones. But it prohibits businesses from collecting, using or storing people’s facial or biometric information gathered in spaces open to the public, such as parks or grocery stores. Portland officials point to concerns over residents' civil rights and privacy as reasons for the bans. They also cite studies that show the technology is marred by racial and gender bias. San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley are among those that have banned use of facial recognition by police departments and other local government agencies. The Portland ordinances were introduced by Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who has said the issue comes down to racial justice and the community’s right to privacy. Before voting the approve the bans, Hardesty said she believed it will be “model legislation” that the rest of the country will be looking to replicate.
[Portland Commissioner Jo Ann] Hardesty pitches independent police oversight plan to voters
Jo Ann is a force of nature and a major force in Portland politics. We’re lucky to have her.
From the Portland Tribune:
Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty predicts her police reform measure will face lawsuits aplenty if approved at the ballot box during the November election. ✂ "I have no fear of lawsuits, because this is a legally sound document," said Hardesty during a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 22. "The community does not want tinkering — they want transformation." Measure 26-217, known as Yes on Real Police Accountability, would create a new independent community oversight board overseeing the police bureau, replacing the current Independent Police Review board. The measure would amend the city charter to create the board, which would have the power to impose discipline or fire police officers and their supervisors. "In fact, the (police) chief will be disciplined if the chief refuses to implement the discipline," Hardesty said. The board could also compel testimony from officers or other witnesses, subpoena documents and access police records while investigating complaints, in-custody deaths, use of deadly force, injuries, discrimination and constitutional rights violations. The new board would be restricted to costs of "no less" than 5% of the police bureau budget, and would be comprised of members from diverse communities with lived experiences of systemic racism, mental illness, addiction or alcoholism.
Evidence that Portland is still a great place to visit
I made a sweet discovery during a walk with our dog: a love letter to Portland from a young visitor, which was included in a display of neighborhood announcements.
It’s a little hard to read because of the light reflecting off the glass, so here’s a transcript, with uncorrected spelling:
I went to Portland, Oregon to visit my aunt, uncle, and baby cousioun. We picked rasberrys, blueberrys, gooseberreys, mulberries, and plums. I went with my mom. The street where my relitivse live on is very peaceful. I had an excilint time in Portland.
A Portland musical interlude
Jason Okamoto is a wonderful local guitarist my husband and have been following for years. Here’s his latest recording, with a video he shot while the city was still smoky from the wildfires:
x YouTube Video
* * * * *
Good news from Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown Issues New Moratorium on Residential Evictions, Extending Ban Until New Year
From Willamette Week:
Oregon landlords cannot evict tenants for not paying rent until 2021. Gov. Kate Brown today issued an executive order banning evictions for nonpayment or without cause through Dec. 31. She said the order is intended to keep Oregonians housed during the COVID-19 pandemic and following devastating wildfires. Brown wrote that while this new order will prevent a wave of evictions, she hopes the Oregon Legislature will take further action. She said marginalized communities were hit hardest this year and are among those who will directly benefit from the moratorium.
Goats!!!
From OPB:
With thousands of Oregonians forced from their homes and dozens of wildfires burning, reasons for optimism in the state may seem elusive. But one small example can be found in Forest Grove: a herd of 230 fire-preventing goats. For the next week, they’ll be eating the dry undergrowth in a 14-acre grove that someday may be a city park. ✂ Forest ecologists and wildfire experts have pointed to excess vegetation and undergrowth, often near power lines or among standing timber, as a key potential fuel source for catastrophic wildfires. Removing or reducing those fuels is seen as one way to help reduce the risk or at least minimize the potential spread. In some places, that means goats. 230 goats are expected to clear one acre of undergrowth every one-and-a-half days.
Man finds his great-grandfather’s platinum watch in burned-out house
There are many stories of improbable finds in the rubble following Oregon’s wildfires. I can’t find the one about the kitten a family had just adopted that was found unharmed, but this one is good, too.
From the Oregonian [sorry, the page is behind a pay wall, but I’ve given you the gist of the story here]:
When Richardson and Sigalove returned to their cul-de-sac last week, it was an opportunity to hunt for [Sigalove’s] great-grandfather’s watch [a retirement gift which was the most valuable item the family owned]. ✂ “And then all of a sudden,” he said, “I spotted it. It was on top of the ash and the rubble..., kind of with a layer of dust sitting on top of it. Once I saw it, I just, I couldn’t believe it.” ✂ “There were no other items in our entire home that were sitting there like this,” Richardson said. “And we were looking for them. It’s amazing.” “...The inner workings and gears are fried and it certainly will never work again. But if we polish it up, it will still tell the story — and now even more of the story — of our family. It’s an emotional thing for me that, in a way, brings a little hope.”
* * * * *
Good news from around the nation
Judge removes Bureau of Land Management boss for serving unlawfully
It’s great that some of these sleazebags are being ousted even before we oust the Sleazebag-in-Chief. And I especially love that Judge Brian Morris was explicit in condemning the Orwellian “logic” of the administration lawyers.
From the Oregonian:
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s leading steward of public lands [William Perry Pendley] has been serving unlawfully, blocking him from continuing in the position in the latest pushback against the administration’s practice of filling key positions without U.S. Senate approval. ✂ The ruling came after Montana’s Democratic governor in July sued to remove Pendley, saying the former oil industry attorney was illegally overseeing an agency that manages almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in the U.S. West. ✂ Pendley’s actions included approval of two sweeping land resource management plans in Montana that would open 95% of federal land in the state to oil and gas development… ✂ Administration officials had insisted in public statements and court filings that Pendley was not in fact the acting director, but rather “exercising the authority of the director.” Morris rejected the administration’s argument saying they were “evasive and undermine the constitutional system of checks and balances.”
New York announces $50 million initiative for greener buildings
From the American Independent:
On Tuesday [Sept. 22], New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the $50 million Empire Building Challenge, an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of existing apartment complexes and high-rise buildings. The public-private partnership will work on solutions to retrofit older buildings with more energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, as well as cost-effective ways to make windows, doors, furnaces, and boilers more energy-efficient. "New York is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing renewable energy resources that will grow our economy and advance our nation-leading plan to fight climate change," Cuomo said in a statement about the initiative.
World Central Kitchen announces Chefs for the Polls!
Chef José Andrés is worried that poll workers and voters who have to wait in long lines on Election Day won’t get the meals they need. So he’s activating his team of food service partners — chefs, restaurateurs, food carts, and volunteers — to provide food for them. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Chef Andrés??
From Chefs for the Polls:
We know that a fresh meal is more than a plate of food — it’s a sign that someone cares and that there’s hope for the future. As people across the country get ready to make their voices heard, often facing great, nearly insurmountable challenges to do so, we can support and uplift them and show them how much they matter. We will use the power of food to make Election Day one of community and hope. People often cast their vote before work, during their lunch break, or after work — all prime meal times. We also know that while long lines are an inconvenience for some, for many they can mean the difference between voting and not voting. For these reasons, World Central Kitchen and its partners are activating Chefs For The Polls to serve nourishing meals on early voting days and Election Day. We’ll be stationed by polling locations around the country, targeting those with historically long lines, predicted massive turnouts, or limited facilities, sharing meals with anyone – no questions asked. If we can help alleviate the challenges of Election Day, we will be there. ✂ Chefs For The Polls is a non-partisan effort that will feed people of all political parties and beliefs. Meals are not offered as an incentive or reward for voting; rather, meals will be available at polling sites for anyone who is hungry.
* * * * *
Good news from around the world
The school children who drafted their own emergency climate bill
From Positive News:
Students in Scotland have launched a campaign to get the Scottish government to provide young people with the skills they need to live sustainably. It follows the launch of a similar campaign in England, where students drafted an emergency Climate Emergency Education Bill and presented it to MPs earlier this year. The bill has not yet entered parliament. Both campaigns were launched by Teach the Future, a student-led group that aims to “urgently repurpose” the education system around the climate emergency.
New super-enzyme eats plastic bottles six times faster
From The Guardian:
A super-enzyme that degrades plastic bottles six times faster than before has been created by scientists and could be used for recycling within a year or two. The super-enzyme, derived from bacteria that naturally evolved the ability to eat plastic, enables the full recycling of the bottles. Scientists believe combining it with enzymes that break down cotton could also allow mixed-fabric clothing to be recycled. Today, millions of tonnes of such clothing is either dumped in landfill or incinerated. ✂ The super-enzyme was engineered by linking two separate enzymes, both of which were found in the plastic-eating bug discovered at a Japanese waste site in 2016. The researchers revealed an engineered version of the first enzyme in 2018, which started breaking down the plastic in a few days. But the super-enzyme gets to work six times faster.
New Biodegradable Carbon-Negative Straws and Forks Are Made From Greenhouse Gases–and They Dissolve in the Sea
From Good News Network:
Newlight [a California company] hopes their revolutionary technology, which Popular Science called “the most important innovation of the year,” will go a long way in removing the burden of single-use plastic straws and other takeaway food components from the ocean. ✂ Harvesting methane from an abandoned mine in California, engineers at Newlight add the gas to a tank containing 15,000 gallons of seawater and millions of microbes. The microbes consumed the methane and turned it into a meltable energy source inside themselves, which Newlight promptly extracted and dried into a fine white powder that’s dishwasher-safe, carbon-negative, and ocean-degradable. Newlight has been able to generate a line of hyper-sustainable products; the aforementioned flatware and straws, but also fashion products.
World has already passed ‘peak oil’, BP figures reveal
From Carbon Brief (h/t to Future Crunch for this item):
The 2020 edition of [BP’s] annual outlook reveals – albeit indirectly – that global oil demand will not regain the levels seen last year. It adds that demand could soon fall rapidly in the face of stronger climate action – by at least 10% this decade and by as much as 50% over the next 20 years. The latest outlook was delayed by six months so that it could reflect the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The delay also reflects BP’s plans, set out over the course of this year, to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 – as an “integrated energy company”, rather than an oil major. This means that alongside its conservative “business-as-usual” scenario – in which demand for gas continues to rise indefinitely – BP has also looked at the effect of stronger climate action. In its “rapid” and “net-zero” scenarios, coal and oil see fast declines, while gas peaks by 2025 or 2035.
Biocompatible ‘bandage’ heals severely broken bones
This is especially good news for us older folks, for whom fractures can become permanently debilitating or even fatal.
From ZME Science, h/t to Future Crunch for this item]:
Researchers in the UK have devised a bandage-like biomaterial that transplants stem cells into severe bone fractures. The easily applied bandage significantly speeds up the healing process, improves recovery, and reduces the risk of infections and poor outcomes for very serious injuries. The biomaterial developed at King’s College London simulates structures that are part of healthy human bones. The bandage can then be stuck to a fracture like a plaster, amplifying the natural healing process. In order to speed up bone healing, the bandage is coated in a protein involved throughout the body in the growth and repair of tissue. Additionally, the material grows bone cells from stem cells in a 3-D gel embedded in the bandage. When the bandage is patched to a fracture, these bone cells are transplanted to the site of injury. ✂ ...following a serious injury, the body’s ability to heal is weakened. This is particularly true for the elderly. This is why a ‘bone-like bandage’ is appealing: it supports and accelerates the healing of bone fractures without the need for synthetic implants. It is also biocompatible and safe as the researchers designed it to specifically target fracture sites, so it does not leak to healthy tissue.
Future Crunch has a new favorite nonprofit, and it’s really cool
From Future Crunch:
When you think of skateboarding, Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa probably aren't the first places that come to mind. Skateistan is changing that. They're a non-profit organisation that empowers kids by combining skateboarding with creative, arts-based education. Their focus is on groups usually excluded from sports, especially girls, children living with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds. We're sending them US$7,000 to set up a workshop and makerspace in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan's third largest city.
* * * * *
Good news for and about animals
Fires Have Helped These Endangered Woodpeckers Make a Comeback, and It’s a Reminder of Nature’s Resiliency
From Good News Network:
It’s hard to imagine that the infernos burning in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges in California and Oregon would be good for anything—but for the native black-backed woodpecker it’s the best of times, and necessary for them to continue their transformative practices on the forest. Relentlessly drilling holes in the sides of fire-hardened trees in pursuit of insects, they create ready-made shelters for dozens of different animal species, who eat fire-retardant plants seeds and distribute them hither and yon in their droppings; thus allowing the forest to regenerate. This amazing avian is just one of an entire web of plant and animal species who have evolved around the necessity of seasonal fires. The woodpecker deliberately seeks fire-damaged forests out in search of their favorite food: the larvae of the black fire beetle, which have evolved heat-sensing organs to find which trees are still warm from fires to lay their eggs in. ✂ “Woodpeckers are ecosystem engineers,” Teresa Lorenz tells National Geographic. A wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Olympia, Washington, she has tracked black-backed woodpeckers in the forests of the Cascade Range, where this year’s fires have burned catastrophically. … “We wouldn’t have swallows, swifts, or bats without woodpeckers.”
* * * * *
Hot lynx
Despite the setbacks of 2020, progressives now have a real path to power. It has become possible to imagine a progressive Democratic Party. A new report from Way to Win and Data for Progress outlines what the future holds for progressives.
How a Deadly Prison Island Became a Natural Paradise. For almost 100 years, Coíba was inhabited only by criminals and political prisoners. Now it's one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
Giant rat wins animal hero award for sniffing out landmines. A Belgian organization has used trained rats for over 20 years to find landmines in Cambodia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Carpenters wow public with medieval techniques at Notre Dame. 800-year-old techniques and French oak will recreate the ruined spire.
The Determined Bull That Thinks He’s a Show-Jumping Horse. A really sweet story.
* * * * *
How YOU can help us win
Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV. Most of what I wrote below is copied from him.
WRITE to infrequent Democratic voters:
Postcards to Voters — They provide lists of addresses and a required script (three brief items) which you can add to if you like. You provide the cards, write them, address them, and stamp them. This is the most personal way to write to voters. Cost: postcards and 35¢ stamps. PtV sells their own postcards on Etsy (the ones I use cost $15 for 100, with $5.70 shipping).
Vote Forward — They provide addresses and a download of a letter template for each voter, you print out the letters, provide the greeting and some personal messages (and decorations if you like), envelopes, and stamps. Vote Forward’s “Big Send” is scheduled for October 17th, when millions of letters will go out to infrequent voters. Cost: paper, envelopes, 55¢ stamps. UPDATE: As of Monday morning, they need writers to sign up for 1.7 million more addresses in order to reach their 10 million letter goal . Sign up today!!
[Postcards to Swing States — This effort is now completed, with 15.7 million postcards distributed to be sent to voters across 14 swing states!]
TEXT Democratic voters:
Text Out the Vote via the DNC.
The MoveOn Text Team
PHONE BANK with Beto: Powered by People
BE A POLL WORKER:
Work Elections
DONATE to help other Democrats vote:
Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support voters and voting rights
Progressive Turnout Project — they engage Dem voters in several ways, including a virtual phonebanking program
Vote Save America — they allow you to “adopt” a crucial state (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers, volunteers, and candidates in that state
Spread the Vote — they help voters get IDs in the states where those are required. They say on their website, “77% of the people we work with have never voted before and 100% of our clients cannot vote without us.”
Vote For Our Lives, a project of the Parkland kids’ March For Our Lives, is focused on young voters.
DONATE to Biden/Harris: JoeBiden.com
And if you need more inspiration, go straight to Goodie’s phenomenal series, “100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.” You’ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined.
DONATE to our priority Senate candidates:
Sen. Doug Jones (D. AL)
Dr. Al Gross (I. AK)
Mark Kelly (D. AZ)
John Hickenlooper (D. CO)
Jon Ossoff (D. GA)
Theresa Greenfield (D. IA)
Paulette Jordan (D. ID)
Dr. Barbara Bollier (D. KS)
Amy McGrath (D. KY)
Cal Cunningham (D. NC)
Adrian Perkins (D. LA)
Sen. Gary Peters (D. MI)
Sen. Tina Smith (D. MN)
Mike Espy (D. MS)
Steve Bullock (D. MT)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D. NH)
Jaime Harrison (D. SC)
MJ Hegar (D. TX)
DONATE to our priority House candidates:
See Ballotpedia’s list of U.S. House Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia’s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers.
STAY INFORMED and keep your friends informed:
Election Protection — a Twitter-centric hub of voting info, including registration, absentee ballots, polling places, and protecting voters at the polls. An easy way to keep your Twitter network active in the election.
* * * * *
Closing music
These classic resistance songs from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s have been playing again in my mind these days. Here are two great voices to sing them for us. Feel free to sing along — I know you know the words!
x YouTube Video
x YouTube Video
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤


dailykos--2020-10-01--Hope for Trump's future

Hope for Trump's future

With apologies to Shepard Fairey , creator of the original Obama hope poster .

© Kos Media, LLC. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC.


dailykos--2020-09-30--Last-hours-of-September Money Bomb for Joe and Kamala ☼ Update $3,130! ☼ Poll

Only a few hours remain in September .
Let ’ s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant green message !
And let ’ s send a message to President Charlottesville too .
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations .
Let ’ s utterly smash , deflate , annihilate , crush , rout , and destroy ( in a nonviolent way , of course ) President Civility Interruptus .
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort , organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here .
At 9 p.m .
ET on September 29 , when we lit the fuse on our Money Bomb , we were at $ 64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer ( which is more than 60 % of our long-term goal of $ 100,000 ) .
Our Money Bomb campaign has raised $ 67,363 - $ 64,233 = $ 3,130 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can determine ) for the Money Bomb and more than two thirds toward our overall total !
Woooh !
Weeee !
If you donated already , thank you !
Please use our ActBlue page to donate to Joe and Kamala ’ s campaign : A grassroots election-season effort for readers and members of Daily Kos .
Solidarity .
Teamwork .
Bragging rights .
Building community .
• Everyone , Please : • None .
Already did that ?
Thanks !
Switch your recurring ActBlue donation to our group ’ s ActBlue page .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spread this diary by Twitter , by FaceBook , by email , and I on the opposite shore will be .
( Social-media shares might net more than your own donation . )
• None Donate to state and national legislators via the incredible 2020 Democratic Candidate Fundraising Project by • • None Recommend and tip this diary !
This very one !
And comment and Republish ( to keep this diary on the Trending List ) .
• None to brin Follow Fundraisers for Joe and Kamala to brin g our diaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you donated or volunteered .
Dear Fundraiser : If you create an ActBlue page for a future crowd-sourcing fundraiser on Daily Kos , please follow these suggestions : Copy and edit the first paragraph of the letter above , replacing the three links , group names , and names of individuals ( including every ActBlue-page administrator ) with the equivalent information for your fundraiser .
Admins of Daily Kos firmly requested that paragraph ’ s exact wording to make abundantly , absolutely , and explicitly clear that such a fundraiser is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Admins insisted that I insert my name into that paragraph .
I know this fundraising campaign is a team effort , and I am only a cheerleader : I did not add my name to the paragraph for attention-seeking self-aggrandizement , but because the Admins required it for clarity and legal purposes .
If you follow my advice in this paragraph , you could save Admins and yourself extra toil and delay , and you could save yourself a Timeout while the details of the boilerplate are explained and worked out .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kos and to the readers and members of Daily Kos , ~2thanks .
Power with , not power over ,

Only a few hours remain in September. Let’s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant green message! And let’s send a message to President Charlottesville too.
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations. Let’s utterly smash, deflate, annihilate, crush, rout, and destroy (in a nonviolent way, of course) President Civility Interruptus.
Dear Readers and Members of Daily Kos:
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group for readers and members of Daily Kos. This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort, organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos. You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here.
At 9 p.m. ET on September 29, when we lit the fuse on our Money Bomb, we were at $64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer (which is more than 60% of our long-term goal of $100,000).
Our Money Bomb campaign has raised $67,363 - $64,233 = $3,130 so far (as close as I can determine) for the Money Bomb and more than two thirds toward our overall total! Woooh! Weeee! If you donated already, thank you!


dailykos--2020-09-30--Scapegoating and American Politics

Scapegoating and American Politics

Jesus , a victim of scapegoating , understood all too well its origin and its outcome .
From the “ Hosannas ” of Palm Sunday to the “ Crucify him !
” of a few days later , Jesus witnessed the fears of the human heart and how easily those fears turn to blame .
What is happening in the heart of the person who turns to scapegoating ?
It ’ s easy for us humans to believe that by hating a person we despise , we separate ourselves from evil and differentiate ourselves as good .
Yet the opposite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in to hate , we begin to become like what we are hating .
When hatred and violence grow in our hearts , we move closer along the spectrum toward the object of our hate .
Jesus knew this , and he also knew how unconsciously this was occurring when he prayed from the cross , “ Father , forgive them , for they do not know what they are doing.
” The battle between good and evil plays out not between individuals but within individuals .
The battle between good and evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet we naturally shun the fear and hatred within us , and so we seek shortcuts instead of doing the hard inner work we need to do .
When a leader arises who blames a person or group for our woes , whether in a family , an organization , or a nation , the appeal of that leader proves strong .
At this moment in American politics , Donald Trump ’ s scapegoating of various groups , including African Americans and immigrants , is proving irresistible to many .
Why do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nation , when it is so easy to blame others ?
The trouble with scapegoating is threefold .
First , of course , it damages the individuals and groups who are its targets .
Second , it damages the ones who hate those individuals and groups by filling their hearts with fear and hatred .
Third , it doesn ’ t solve anything .
When , in the history of the world , has scapegoating resulted in a good outcome for those who scapegoat ?
Never .
There is some relief for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t go away because they haven ’ t been addressed at the root .
So the cycle repeats itself : a new scapegoat gets identified , that person or group is crucified or chased out of town , some relief is felt for awhile , the problems resurface , and so on .
Jesus said , “ Whatever you do to the least of these , you do to me.
” Who are the least of these today ?
In America today , they are those we scapegoat .
Will we keep crucifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scapegoating or not standing up for those scapegoated ?
Are you in the crowd , shouting “ Crucify him !
” Are you Peter , not standing up for Jesus ?
Or can you find it in your heart to stand with Jesus to the end , as the women at the foot of the cross did , and stand up for those scapegoated in our time and place ?
( This article is a revision of the March 2016 Executive Soul blog ) .

Jesus, a victim of scapegoating, understood all too well its origin and its outcome. From the “Hosannas” of Palm Sunday to the “Crucify him!” of a few days later, Jesus witnessed the fears of the human heart and how easily those fears turn to blame.
What is happening in the heart of the person who turns to scapegoating? It’s easy for us humans to believe that by hating a person we despise, we separate ourselves from evil and differentiate ourselves as good. Yet the opposite is actually true. When we give in to hate, we begin to become like what we are hating. When hatred and violence grow in our hearts, we move closer along the spectrum toward the object of our hate. Jesus knew this, and he also knew how unconsciously this was occurring when he prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
The battle between good and evil plays out not between individuals but within individuals. The battle between good and evil is fought within every human heart. Yet we naturally shun the fear and hatred within us, and so we seek shortcuts instead of doing the hard inner work we need to do. When a leader arises who blames a person or group for our woes, whether in a family, an organization, or a nation, the appeal of that leader proves strong. At this moment in American politics, Donald Trump’s scapegoating of various groups, including African Americans and immigrants, is proving irresistible to many. Why do the hard inner work, personally and as a nation, when it is so easy to blame others?
The trouble with scapegoating is threefold. First, of course, it damages the individuals and groups who are its targets. Second, it damages the ones who hate those individuals and groups by filling their hearts with fear and hatred. Third, it doesn’t solve anything. When, in the history of the world, has scapegoating resulted in a good outcome for those who scapegoat? Never. There is some relief for awhile, but the problems don’t go away because they haven’t been addressed at the root. So the cycle repeats itself: a new scapegoat gets identified, that person or group is crucified or chased out of town, some relief is felt for awhile, the problems resurface, and so on.
Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” Who are the least of these today? In America today, they are those we scapegoat. Will we keep crucifying Jesus? Will we keep participating in scapegoating or not standing up for those scapegoated? Are you in the crowd, shouting “Crucify him!” Are you Peter, not standing up for Jesus? Or can you find it in your heart to stand with Jesus to the end, as the women at the foot of the cross did, and stand up for those scapegoated in our time and place?
(This article is a revision of the March 2016 Executive Soul blog).


dailykos--2020-09-30--Last-day-of-month Money Bomb for Joe and Kamala ☼ Update $2,077 so far! ☼ Let's keep going! ☼ Poll

Today is the last day of September .
Let ’ s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant green message !
And let ’ s send a message to President Babbler too .
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations .
Let ’ s utterly annihilate , crush , rout , and destroy ( in a nonviolent way , of course ) President Superspreader .
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group for readers and members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grass-roots group effort , organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here .
At 9 p.m .
ET on September 29 , we started at $ 64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer ( which is more than 60 % of our long-term goal of $ 100,000 ) .
This Money Bomb has raised $ 66,310 - $ 64,233 = $ 2,077 so far ( as close as I can determine ) !
If you donated already , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ page to donate to their campaign : A grassroots election-season effort for readers and members of Daily Kos .
Solidarity .
Teamwork .
Bragging rights .
Building community .
• Everyone , Please : • None .
Already did that ?
Thanks !
Switch your recurring ActBlue donation to our group ’ s ActBlue page .
Already did that ?
Thanks !
• Spread this diary by Twitter , by FaceBook , by email , and I on the opposite shore will be .
( Social-media shares might net more than your own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and national legislators via the incredible 2020 Democratic Candidate Fundraising Project by • • None Recommend and tip this diary !
This very one !
And comment and Republish ( to keep this diary on the Trending List ) .
• None to brin Follow Fundraisers for Joe and Kamala to brin g our diaries in • None Lead others by replying that you donated or volunteered .
Dear Fundraiser : If you create an ActBlue page for a future crowd-sourcing fundraiser on Daily Kos , please follow these suggestions : Copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter above , replacing the three links , group names , and names of individuals ( including every ActBlue-page administrator ) with the equivalent information for your fundraiser .
Admins of Daily Kos firmly requested that paragraph ’ s exact wording to make abundantly , absolutely , and explicitly clear that such a fundraiser is not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
Admins insisted that I insert my name into that paragraph .
I know this fundraising campaign is a team effort , and I am only a cheerleader : I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for attention-seeking self-aggrandizement , but because the Admins required it for clarity and legal purposes .
If you follow my advice in this paragraph , you could save Admins and yourself extra toil and delay , and you could save yourself a Timeout while the details of the boilerplate are explained and worked out .
In deep gratitude to the Admins of Daily Kos and to the readers and members of Daily Kos , ~2thanks .
Power with , not power over ,

Today is the last day of September. Let’s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant green message! And let’s send a message to President Babbler too.
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations. Let’s utterly annihilate, crush, rout, and destroy (in a nonviolent way, of course) President Superspreader.
Dear Readers and Members of Daily Kos:
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page established on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community Group for readers and members of Daily Kos. This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort, organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos. You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here.
At 9 p.m. ET on September 29, we started at $64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer (which is more than 60% of our long-term goal of $100,000).
This Money Bomb has raised $66,310 - $64,233 = $2,077 so far (as close as I can determine)! If you donated already, thank you!


dailykos--2020-10-01--Our National Spirit ... at the moment!

Our National Spirit ... at the moment!

Would it seem contrived and unbelievable to you if I suggested that the United States has its own angel ?
Its own demon ?
Would it be significant or silly to suppose that as a nation we are attended by our very own celestial intercessor who may be benevolent , or possibly malevolent , or both , but whose task is to exercise influence in our affairs ?
Bit of a stretch , huh ?
Don ’ t be too quick to dismiss the idea out of hand .
Before going any further , if you hold them , please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanist predispositions to reject any idea , experience , or tradition of spirituality that doesn ’ t fit in your wheelhouse .
For the rest of you , if you follow a spiritual practice or religious tradition whose teaching posits an extramundane reality and experience , the kind that might be described by such words as numinous or mystical , transcendent or metaphysical , do not suppose that what I am talking about is the same phenomena affirmed by your particular practice or tradition .
What I mean by “ angel ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as daimon ( δαίμων ) , which in ancient Greece was the term that alluded to the generalized and inscrutable agency that lay outside human capacity but which nevertheless stimulated and influenced the course of events .
It was the animation of both desirable and undesirable forces that led inexorably toward an end or outcome that seemed either inevitable or at least foreshadowed by all that preceded it .
Daimon portended and effectuated either good or bad fortune , and denoted anything that arose as a determination of human existence , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or success , felicity , or wealth .
In mythology and philosophy as well as popular belief , daimon was construed as the mercurial and indeterminable potencies that moved reality along in all its complexity and bewilderment .
It is from this notion of daimon in Greco-Roman antiquity that our Christian notion of “ demons ” is derived ; in Latin it is daemon , and it is where we get the English words demon and demonic ( daimonion , δαιμόνιον ) .
A daimon could be good or evil , benign or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in either case they permeated the human social world and brought guidance , direction , control , and not infrequently , activity that was taken to be tragically or comedically magical .
In popular belief and mythology , daimons ( pl ) were thought of as non-human and immaterial beings who nonetheless became embodied and emplaced ; they were not “ gods ” per se , but they exhibited superhuman power in the course of their activities .
Thus they could be thought of as a sort of tertium quid , neither deity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amusing mixture of both .
Readers of Plato will remember his “ Socrates ’ Defense ( Apology ) , ” where Socrates acknowledges that the reason he never entered into the politics of the public square was that his daimon prevented him : “ I am subject to a divine or supernatural experience [ daimonion ] … .
It began in my early childhood—a sort of voice which comes to me , and when it comes it always dissuades me from what I am proposing to do , and never urges me on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from entering public life ” ( Apology , 31c-d ) .
Less than the “ voice of God ” but more than “ my own conscience , ” this daimon operated as a peculiar mode of extra-human activity or force that influenced or governed behavior , and as such it was not necessarily associated with any particular “ deity.
” Analogously , we speak of “ being under the influence of ” something or somebody .
Some like to think that a layer of protection has been extended inexplicably and undeservedly by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire class of clerics whose purpose and skill are directed toward ridding a person or place of an unwanted and sinister presence we simply call a “ demon.
” We may not “ believe ” in any of this , but we nevertheless seem , almost effortlessly , to discern connections and meanings in otherwise discrete and isolated events , formulating overarching explanations that disclose motives of action and plausible outcomes .
In this way we think we perceive the social , economic , or political “ forces ” at work , guiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they unfold , and detecting whether their final scenario will be benevolent or malevolent .
It would not be too much of a stretch to use the word daimon to refer to the micro- , meso- , and macro-level forces and influences that characterize the infrastructure and superstructure of our socioeconomic environment .
Sociologists , political scientists , economists , journalists , artists , educators , agriculturalists , religionists , and a host of others all acknowledge the importance of the forces or dynamics operative in the circumstances and contexts in which our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we look for , and attend to , the daimons at work in the worlds we inhabit .
Think for a moment about the “ spirit of America.
” What does that mean ?
For openers , it is actually a “ thing , ” at least as the phrase is pressed to serve as a descriptor of some entity .
A quick search shows that this phrase refers to an automobile , a B-2 bomber , a blimp , a boat .
It is the name of a motion picture , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ band .
It also designates an organization that provides material support to American military and diplomatic personnel , and a program that offers safe and comprehensive water-based education and recreation .
More recently , it designated an event in the White House presented as a showcase for the products manufactured by small businesses .
In these instances , “ spirit of America ” is a reference to something intangible that is nonetheless taken to be the essence and ethos of this nation .
Pondering this , I reflect on those qualities and characteristics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , equality , rights , opportunity , justice , empowerment , entrepreneurship , individualism , religion , etc .
The particular confluence and embodiment of these could be named as the complex American daimon ; their presence and movement animate our action .
But I also reflect on more malefic qualities and characteristics : bondage , oppression , violence , impoverishment , deprivation , scarcity , unemployment , disenfranchisement , genocide .
These too are part and parcel of the national experience , and just as much an expression of the national daimon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into this “ spirit of America , ” we need to think about what makes up the American character and temperament .
Each of us has an image of this nation that exhibits certain features , certain attributes or qualities that we believe distinguish this nation from all others .
In thinking along these lines , we are not trying to reify any abstractions that describe America , but we do recognize that an abstract idea like “ freedom ” or “ equality , ” “ deprivation ” or “ violence ” require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unless someone can point to concrete instances of a characteristic , that characteristic can hardly be said to exist materially or authentically .
The abstract idea denoted by the characteristic does not really exist apart from this concreteness , so the notion of a country ’ s character or temperament must be read off the accumulated instances that materialize its qualities or attributes .
The presence and activity of a daimon is recognizable from its exhibition in human behavior .
Unfortunately , it is this combination of benevolent and malevolent qualities or attributes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ materializes both the auspicious and the ominous in an admixture of sunlight and shade ; the United States exists as the realization of lightness and darkness , order and chaos , discerned and experienced by its inhabitants in rhythmical alternations of energy and impotence , strength and atrophy , flourishing and withering .
At the present moment , our politics , economy , and sociality are so profoundly polarized that it does not require imagination to contend this circumstance is itself an instantiation of the bipolarization of lightness and darkness .
So what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unfavorable characteristics and qualities that are instantiated in the conduct of our national life ?
In engaging this admixture within our nation , I recognize the forces at work in our circumstances are the daimons that activate our own beliefs , attitudes , values , and behaviors .
For example , the impetus to cultivate care and compassion in our national community is a daimon , as is the incitement to passivity and indifference among our citizens .
The shortage of exhibitions of the virtues of integrity and truthfulness among our national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daimon most assuredly at work is the one animating deceit and duplicity .
Wherever there is a cultural environment that condones the practice of these vices so that their exhibition is construed as normal and acceptable , there we have the extra-personal force of a daimon at work .
The exhibitions of compassion and the concern for fairness , though evident to a lesser degree , are also manifestations of a more virtuous daimon .
Likewise , instances of vulgarity , pettiness , irascibility , and cowardice are rendered acceptable in the private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are the regularized and normalized behaviors of our nation ’ s leaders having been inspired by a daimon of a different sort .
To be clear , daimons of benevolence and malevolence inhabit us all , as individuals and as communities constituting a larger society .
The notion of daimon entails a relationship of reciprocity between the individual and the larger society ; the health and/or the pathology of one stand in a relationship of mutuality and influence with the other .
Such a relationship is evident when an individual takes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affirmed and cultivated by the persons and institutions with which he or she identifies .
Likewise , the placement of one in a social network makes possible his or her contribution to the ongoing formation and extension of that network ’ s culture .
It would not be in error to refer to this reciprocity as the daimon at work .
We are , all of us , as individuals and as groups , compounds of rationality and affect , knowledge and ignorance .
We are imbued with what we know and feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know and feel ; it is thus useful to think in terms of common sense , even though the content of that sense is certainly variable within and between groups .
Our lives daily are situated at the small and large intersections where choices have to be made about what daimon we will pay attention to in our attitudes and behaviors .
We are , as one and as many , too easily and perhaps too naturally prone to excesses and deficiencies at a time when what is most needed is a daimon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good .
We are , in short , in need of a national exorcism and a habitation by a more virtuous spirit .

Would it seem contrived and unbelievable to you if I suggested that the United States has its own angel? Its own demon? Would it be significant or silly to suppose that as a nation we are attended by our very own celestial intercessor who may be benevolent, or possibly malevolent, or both, but whose task is to exercise influence in our affairs? Bit of a stretch, huh?
Don’t be too quick to dismiss the idea out of hand. Before going any further, if you hold them, please suspend your rationalist, materialist, and/or humanist predispositions to reject any idea, experience, or tradition of spirituality that doesn’t fit in your wheelhouse. For the rest of you, if you follow a spiritual practice or religious tradition whose teaching posits an extramundane reality and experience, the kind that might be described by such words as numinous or mystical, transcendent or metaphysical, do not suppose that what I am talking about is the same phenomena affirmed by your particular practice or tradition.
What I mean by “angel” and “demon” is more aptly understood as daimon (δαίμων), which in ancient Greece was the term that alluded to the generalized and inscrutable agency that lay outside human capacity but which nevertheless stimulated and influenced the course of events. It was the animation of both desirable and undesirable forces that led inexorably toward an end or outcome that seemed either inevitable or at least foreshadowed by all that preceded it. Daimon portended and effectuated either good or bad fortune, and denoted anything that arose as a determination of human existence, such as failure, tribulation, or death, or success, felicity, or wealth. In mythology and philosophy as well as popular belief, daimon was construed as the mercurial and indeterminable potencies that moved reality along in all its complexity and bewilderment.
It is from this notion of daimon in Greco-Roman antiquity that our Christian notion of “demons” is derived; in Latin it is daemon, and it is where we get the English words demon and demonic (daimonion, δαιμόνιον). A daimon could be good or evil, benign or malicious, protective or adversarial, but in either case they permeated the human social world and brought guidance, direction, control, and not infrequently, activity that was taken to be tragically or comedically magical. In popular belief and mythology, daimons (pl) were thought of as non-human and immaterial beings who nonetheless became embodied and emplaced; they were not “gods” per se, but they exhibited superhuman power in the course of their activities. Thus they could be thought of as a sort of tertium quid, neither deity nor human, but an amazing and amusing mixture of both.
Readers of Plato will remember his “Socrates’ Defense (Apology),” where Socrates acknowledges that the reason he never entered into the politics of the public square was that his daimon prevented him: “I am subject to a divine or supernatural experience [daimonion]…. It began in my early childhood—a sort of voice which comes to me, and when it comes it always dissuades me from what I am proposing to do, and never urges me on. It is this that debars me from entering public life” (Apology, 31c-d). Less than the “voice of God” but more than “my own conscience,” this daimon operated as a peculiar mode of extra-human activity or force that influenced or governed behavior, and as such it was not necessarily associated with any particular “deity.”
Analogously, we speak of “being under the influence of” something or somebody. Some like to think that a layer of protection has been extended inexplicably and undeservedly by a “guardian angel.” There is an entire class of clerics whose purpose and skill are directed toward ridding a person or place of an unwanted and sinister presence we simply call a “demon.” We may not “believe” in any of this, but we nevertheless seem, almost effortlessly, to discern connections and meanings in otherwise discrete and isolated events, formulating overarching explanations that disclose motives of action and plausible outcomes. In this way we think we perceive the social, economic, or political “forces” at work, guiding and shaping the events and relations as they unfold, and detecting whether their final scenario will be benevolent or malevolent. It would not be too much of a stretch to use the word daimon to refer to the micro-, meso-, and macro-level forces and influences that characterize the infrastructure and superstructure of our socioeconomic environment. Sociologists, political scientists, economists, journalists, artists, educators, agriculturalists, religionists, and a host of others all acknowledge the importance of the forces or dynamics operative in the circumstances and contexts in which our lives play out. So it is that we look for, and attend to, the daimons at work in the worlds we inhabit.
Think for a moment about the “spirit of America.” What does that mean? For openers, it is actually a “thing,” at least as the phrase is pressed to serve as a descriptor of some entity. A quick search shows that this phrase refers to an automobile, a B-2 bomber, a blimp, a boat. It is the name of a motion picture, a piece of music, and a band. It also designates an organization that provides material support to American military and diplomatic personnel, and a program that offers safe and comprehensive water-based education and recreation. More recently, it designated an event in the White House presented as a showcase for the products manufactured by small businesses.
In these instances, “spirit of America” is a reference to something intangible that is nonetheless taken to be the essence and ethos of this nation. Pondering this, I reflect on those qualities and characteristics typically associated with this country: freedom, equality, rights, opportunity, justice, empowerment, entrepreneurship, individualism, religion, etc. The particular confluence and embodiment of these could be named as the complex American daimon; their presence and movement animate our action. But I also reflect on more malefic qualities and characteristics: bondage, oppression, violence, impoverishment, deprivation, scarcity, unemployment, disenfranchisement, genocide. These too are part and parcel of the national experience, and just as much an expression of the national daimon.
If we want to probe further into this “spirit of America,” we need to think about what makes up the American character and temperament. Each of us has an image of this nation that exhibits certain features, certain attributes or qualities that we believe distinguish this nation from all others. In thinking along these lines, we are not trying to reify any abstractions that describe America, but we do recognize that an abstract idea like “freedom” or “equality,” “deprivation” or “violence” require instantiation to be perceived as real. Unless someone can point to concrete instances of a characteristic, that characteristic can hardly be said to exist materially or authentically. The abstract idea denoted by the characteristic does not really exist apart from this concreteness, so the notion of a country’s character or temperament must be read off the accumulated instances that materialize its qualities or attributes. The presence and activity of a daimon is recognizable from its exhibition in human behavior.
Unfortunately, it is this combination of benevolent and malevolent qualities or attributes in this nation’s character that materializes both the auspicious and the ominous in an admixture of sunlight and shade; the United States exists as the realization of lightness and darkness, order and chaos, discerned and experienced by its inhabitants in rhythmical alternations of energy and impotence, strength and atrophy, flourishing and withering. At the present moment, our politics, economy, and sociality are so profoundly polarized that it does not require imagination to contend this circumstance is itself an instantiation of the bipolarization of lightness and darkness.
So what are the daimons that animate the favorable and unfavorable characteristics and qualities that are instantiated in the conduct of our national life? In engaging this admixture within our nation, I recognize the forces at work in our circumstances are the daimons that activate our own beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors. For example, the impetus to cultivate care and compassion in our national community is a daimon, as is the incitement to passivity and indifference among our citizens. The shortage of exhibitions of the virtues of integrity and truthfulness among our national leaders at the moment suggests that the daimon most assuredly at work is the one animating deceit and duplicity. Wherever there is a cultural environment that condones the practice of these vices so that their exhibition is construed as normal and acceptable, there we have the extra-personal force of a daimon at work. The exhibitions of compassion and the concern for fairness, though evident to a lesser degree, are also manifestations of a more virtuous daimon. Likewise, instances of vulgarity, pettiness, irascibility, and cowardice are rendered acceptable in the private and public places of our country because they are the regularized and normalized behaviors of our nation’s leaders having been inspired by a daimon of a different sort.
To be clear, daimons of benevolence and malevolence inhabit us all, as individuals and as communities constituting a larger society. The notion of daimon entails a relationship of reciprocity between the individual and the larger society; the health and/or the pathology of one stand in a relationship of mutuality and influence with the other. Such a relationship is evident when an individual takes on the attitudes, values, and behaviors affirmed and cultivated by the persons and institutions with which he or she identifies. Likewise, the placement of one in a social network makes possible his or her contribution to the ongoing formation and extension of that network’s culture. It would not be in error to refer to this reciprocity as the daimon at work.
We are, all of us, as individuals and as groups, compounds of rationality and affect, knowledge and ignorance. We are imbued with what we know and feel, and what we believe others to know and feel; it is thus useful to think in terms of common sense, even though the content of that sense is certainly variable within and between groups. Our lives daily are situated at the small and large intersections where choices have to be made about what daimon we will pay attention to in our attitudes and behaviors. We are, as one and as many, too easily and perhaps too naturally prone to excesses and deficiencies at a time when what is most needed is a daimon to inspire and enliven toward the common good. We are, in short, in need of a national exorcism and a habitation by a more virtuous spirit.


dailykos--2020-10-01--Our Antipenultimate-September-Hour Money Bomb for Joe ☼ Today $4,803, Total $69,036! ☼ Poll☼ Update!

Only 3 hours remain in September , Eastern Time .
This is the antipenultimate hour .
Let ’ s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant message !
And let ’ s send a message to President Unhinged Crackhead too .
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations .
Let ’ s utterly inundate , flush , erode , torpedo , smash , deflate , annihilate , crush , rout , and destroy ( in a nonviolent way , of course ) President Dirty Sewer Water .
In the Eastern Time Zone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midnight .
Here we are in the antipenultimate hour before all campaigns close their financial record books on the month of September .
( I will probably never again have a chance to use the word “ antipenultimate ” in a Daily Kos diary title , and I enjoyed the heck out of doing that . )
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page establish ( ( 9ed on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community group for readers and members of Daily Kos .
This fundraiser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here .
At 9 p.m .
ET on September 29 , when we lit the fuse on our Money Bomb , we were at $ 64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer ( which was more than 60 % of our long-term goal of $ 100,000 ) .
Our Money Bomb campaign has raised $ 69,036 - $ 64,233 = $ 3,610 so far today ( as near as I can determine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are more than two thirds toward our overall total !
Wow !
If you donated already , thank you !
Please use our ActBlue page to donate to Joe and Kamala ’ s campaign : A grassroots election-season effort for readers and members of Daily Kos .
Solidarity .
Teamwork .
Bragging rights .
Building community .
• Everyone , Please : • None .
Already did that ?
Thanks !
Switch your recurring ActBlue donation to our group ’ s ActBlue page .
Already did that ?
Thanks !
• Spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , by email , and I on the opposite shore will be .
( Social-media shares might net more than your own donation . )
• None Donate to state and national legislators via the incredible 2020 Democratic Candidate Fundraising Project by • • None Follow Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 and Fundraisers for Joe and Kamala to brin g our diaries in • None Lead others by replying that you donated or volunteered .
Dear Fundraiser : If you create an ActBlue page for a future crowd-sourcing fundraiser on Daily Kos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edit the first paragraph of the letter above , replacing the three links , group names , and names of individuals ( including every ActBlue-page administrator ) with the equivalent information for your fundraiser .
Admins of Daily Kos firmly requested that paragraph ’ s exact wording to make abundantly , absolutely , and explicitly clear that such a fundraiser is not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
Admins insisted that I insert my name into that paragraph .
I know this fundraising campaign is a team effort , and I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ add my name to the paragraph for attention-seeking self-aggrandizement , but because the Admins required it for clarity and legal purposes .
If you follow my advice in this paragraph , you could save Admins and yourself extra toil and delay , and you could save yourself a Timeout while the details of the boilerplate are explained and worked out .
In deep gratitude to the Admins of Daily Kos and to the readers and members of Daily Kos , ~2thanks .
Power with , not power over ,

Only 3 hours remain in September, Eastern Time. This is the antipenultimate hour. Let’s send Joe and Kamala an exuberant message! And let’s send a message to President Unhinged Crackhead too.
You know how important the last day of a month is for reporting campaign donations. Let’s utterly inundate, flush, erode, torpedo, smash, deflate, annihilate, crush, rout, and destroy (in a nonviolent way, of course) President Dirty Sewer Water.
In the Eastern Time Zone, we have less than 3 hours until midnight. Here we are in the antipenultimate hour before all campaigns close their financial record books on the month of September. (I will probably never again have a chance to use the word “antipenultimate” in a Daily Kos diary title, and I enjoyed the heck out of doing that.)
Dear Readers and Members of Daily Kos:
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page establish((9ed on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community group for readers and members of Daily Kos. This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort, organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos. You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here.
At 9 p.m. ET on September 29, when we lit the fuse on our Money Bomb, we were at $64,233 on our ActBlue thermometer (which was more than 60% of our long-term goal of $100,000).
Our Money Bomb campaign has raised $69,036 - $64,233 = $3,610 so far today (as near as I can determine) for the Money Bomb, and we are more than two thirds toward our overall total! Wow! If you donated already, thank you!


dailykos--2020-10-02--Saving Democracy, $1 at a time. We've raised $70,072 for Joe!

Let ’ s send Joe and Kamala a few coins .
Many a mickle make a muckle .
Thanks to @ @ @ @ @ end-of-September money bomb for Kamala and Joe : We raised $ 4,853 during that campaign @ @ @ @ @ and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page establish ( ( 9ed on behalf of the @ @ @ @ @ community group for readers and members of Daily Kos .
This fundraiser is a grass-roots @ @ @ @ @ 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos .
You can read more about @ @ @ @ @ by ActBlue here .
We started today at $ 70,072 , more than 70 % @ @ @ @ @ goal of $ 100,000 !
If you donated already , thank you !
Please use @ @ @ @ @ to Joe and Kamala ’ s campaign : A grassroots election-season effort for readers and @ @ @ @ @ Solidarity .
Teamwork .
Bragging rights .
Building community .

Let’s send Joe and Kamala a few coins. Many a mickle make a muckle.
Thanks to those who participated in our end-of-September money bomb for Kamala and Joe: We raised $4,853 during that campaign!
Joe retweeted Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren and Katie Porter discuss the lethal liar’s taxes (7 minutes).
x When news broke about Donald Trump’s taxes (or lack thereof)—a few of you asked me to break it down with my friend @KatiePorterOC.
So I gave her a call: pic.twitter.com/PPtMnp8NIx — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 1, 2020
.
Dear Readers and Members of Daily Kos:
Please donate to Joe and Kamala via my ActBlue fundraising page establish((9ed on behalf of the Bye Don AKA Biden 2020 community group for readers and members of Daily Kos. This fundraiser is a grass-roots group effort, organized by 2thanks and not organized or endorsed by Daily Kos. You can read more about how your donation is handled by ActBlue here.
We started today at $70,072, more than 70% of the way to our goal of $100,000! If you donated already, thank you!
Please use our ActBlue page to donate to Joe and Kamala’s campaign: A grassroots election-season effort for readers and members of Daily Kos. Solidarity. Teamwork. Bragging rights. Building community.