DUers: What is your current Political Activism Level?

[tom_paine]

Note that I said "current". I am asking what you are doing NOW and within the last 5 months (beginning 2004).

For myself, I am doing damned near everything I can, considering I work 50 hours/week and have a mortgage to pay.

I am always exhorting people to get up off their asses and DO SOMETHING, because we are literally at the "now or never" point. The worst part abut not knowing exactly how corrupted the System is, is that even a full and honest effort may yield no result in the face of monstrous Bushevik corruption and voting fraud.

But that doesn't matter! If you sit on the sidelines for that reason, then you are a FOOL! Because if you are wrong then we all suffer by your absence!

Please keep this thread kicked! How many of us put our time and money where our mouths are?

[tom_paine]

1. one shameless KICK!

:kick:

[H2O Man]

2. I am retired.

This allows me the time to do voter education, and registration, in an attempt to insure greater participation in the election this fall. I write letters, send e-mails, and make phone calls. I also donate $$$ to Kerry, to WesPAC, to MoveOn, and to DU. There has not been a single day in the past 8 months when I have not taken some small action to insure that the democratic party will win back the White House in November.

[tom_paine]

5. Good for you, Water Man!

:toast: :toast:

"I drink a lot of water. I'm what you might call a 'Water Man', Jack. Look at me, do I look all rancid and clotted?"
--Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) "Dr. Strangelove"

[goddess40]

3. Other activities

My mom and I do lit drops, have a Kerry yard sign, attend Kerry meetups, have Kerry and Feingold bumper stickers plus I have a "Defoliate Bush" bumper sticker, attend Democratic party meetings, man booths at local fairs, protest Bush and the war every week in front of our court house, circulate nomination papers plus all the other things you have listed. I have donated to Kerry, Feingold, Obey and people who are running for local offices. My mom has also donated to those I have given to plus Jeffords, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

[supernova]

4. Local party activities

I donate as much of my time to the local party as I can. Attending events, etc.

[BrendaStarr]

6. Taking a hint from the Rovians

Besides donating, I've been message boarding 5-6 hours a day 7 days a week.

I am talking about mixed message boards and very busy ones where we have a chance to get undecided voters to read our stuff.

I have actually been doing this for nearly 4 years now.

I do think it's important if for no other reason than they think it's important.

People say its all controlled by the right wingers now, but that's only by default. If we had a large amount of people doing this we could free up the larger message boards.

Yeah, a lot of the right wingers are paid and aggressive, forget aggressive they are basically Thought Nazis, but that's what makes it so necessary to be there.

Since we don't have a truly independent news media, we need to get the real inoformation out to people.

Suggestion: Stay in the larger boards like Yahoo and Slate's fray or if you have AOL the ones there unless you have lots of time and leather skin. You will often pick up support there.

ON small boards you can get awfully lonely as the freepers call in their buddies and smother you with hate.


http://news4u.alturl.com

[tom_paine]

8. That is a very good strategy. Those who can stand to do that, should

Not everyone can stand to do that on a daily basis, though. Count me among them.

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. I started last July in earnest...

with Dean.

Participated in voter reg drives, went to several of his rallies, blockwalked, volunteered in Iowa twice, started going to my local county Democrat club meetings, voting in elections that WEREN'T major (finally realized the importance of them for keeping fundies out of our school boards and preventing them from even getting a first foot on the rung of the ladder to higher posts), went to the redistrcting rally in Austin last August, and marched in Washington DC for pro-choice. I also got my historically Republican mother PO'd enough to to to a few Dean meetups and contribute money to him. Yay! Got my aunt in Chicago on board with a Dean sticker and she shared the stash I sent her with some other relatives who were undecided. Now they're on board with Kerry.

I've contributed to Dean, Kerry, Richard Morrison, Morris Meyer, Jim Nickerson, and NARAL.

I admit that I was much more die-hard a few months ago, but I was grieving for Dean after he dropped out. I just went to my first Democracy for America meetup this past month to jump back in.

I'm now a registered deputy voter registrar in 2 counties, and am going to my first state Dem convention this weekend as an alternate.

In October, I'm having a HUGE liberal Halloween party, and inviting every progressive that I know from various places (Dean campaign, DU, Rockwall Dems, etc) to tighten our grass roots and get lots of Democrats meeting even more Democrats to forge new bonds (in case we win OR lose-- we'll still have to keep fighting!).

Oh...and I hang around here a lot and bug you guys. ;-)

[tom_paine]

9. Wow! Great stuff, cookay man!

I thought I was doing alot!

Hats off to you

:toast: :toast:

(no hats off smiley I could find!)

[fudge stripe cookays]

17. Correction: cookay Chick!

:P

But thanks for the compliment, Tom! It seemed like the least I could do after a lifetime of apathy.

On edit: Also wear obnoxiously "In your face" liberal shirts in my solidly Repug town, and have 4 lib bumper stickers on my still very new car. Screw silence! I've got an attitude and I'm gonna use it!

And how could I forget starting my own meetup group for folks in the eastern burbsof the Metroplex? That was probably the biggest, and it slipped off my radar temporarily!

I was wracked by guilt, and it was the only way to keep the demons at bay.

[tom_paine]

21. Sorry Cookay Chick!

:loveya:

[tom_paine]

10. The sad part about this thread sinking so fast is

that it would appear to be a majority of DUers who do nothing but post and bitch.

Hopefully I am mistaken. Prove me wrong, DUers!

:dem: :kick:

[vetwife]

11. Shamefully..I go where Angels fear to tread !

I started a veterans organization, been to Washington fighting with the VA Headquarters, consult in the middle of the night to vets in crisis..NO PAY and here lately no contributions..100 percent goes to needy vets. I am a regular caller on C-Span, CNN, and The Guy James Show. I have to remain non partisian on the Vet sit but started another place called Focus Group Now and put out a CD called Take it Back. I am the one who embarassed Katherine Harris on CNN and attend Rallys and write articles and Public Speak. I had a part in the Americans with Disabilites Tennesse vs. Lane by bringing evidence against Nashville and hold benefits. I took on a white collar criminal and worked with the State of Ga. to bring his butt to justice. I was one of the 25 C-Span winners on the 25th Anniversary and they called me a professional activists so I guess that is what I am !
Get Bush outta office and I say it every single day as I get people to get out the vote !
http://groups.msn.com/UnitedVeteransofAmerica/whatsnew
http://groups.msn.com/FocusGroupNow/whatsnew
http://cafeshops.com/focusgroupnow.9200633
http://C-Span.org (25th anniversary) 1 of 25 winners in C-Span contest Worldwide

[tom_paine]

13. Hurrah for vetwife!

MORE I need MORE stories of ABB efforts!

[vetwife]

16. And this is the tip of the iceberg..Thanks Tom..Ask Doni and Cookie

I am so mad, I am fighting as hard as I can ! Everyday !
Got no money but plenty of attitude ! Nothing better than an activist with an attitude and a cause. Lets all do it ! Just do it !

[doni_georgia]

22. Kick for the late afternoon shift n/t

[lapislzi]

12. I'm walking petitions as we speak

I discovered that my local Dem organization (such as it was) was ripe for the picking. It badly needed revitalizing from the ground up. My concerned neighbors and I are rebuiling the local Democratic organization with a much more progressive character. It feels good!

(And I have DU to thank, for teaching me to put my money where my mouth is)

[doni_georgia]

14. Think I clicked the right one - I'm so confused! LOL

I contribute to the Kerry campaign monthly, and contribute to other campaigns as I can. I am a volunteer for the Kerry campaign, I also am an E-captain, I protest whenever I get the chance, and I wear my Kerry gear all over the place to be my own walking talking campaign ad. I also volunteer locally to drive folks to the polls on election day.

[redwitch]

15. i clicked the donate to Kerry button

Wear his bumper sticker on my car, volunteer for local Dem Committee, will sit at their booth for two local events this summer. Am working to get a "Rock the Vote" set up for the fall.Talk to as many people as I can about the importance of this coming election and donating/supporting local and national candidates. I was in the pre-op of a NJ hospital last week( sister had pins put in broken ankle after falling over one of Amerikat's kittens!) when sister's aunt in law saw my Kerry button. She began to spout about him being a moron and I couldn't do much but gently tell her how I felt. I was stunned at her poor timing/bad taste. My poor sister just lay there wishing they would start the IV NOW, but has since told me the "auntie" will be worked on from now til election day. If that doesn't work I may have to send in the cat squad. Forgot to mention we are raising 2 lefty sons, one of whom has already marched on Washington in opposition to the Iraq mess. ( He was 16 at the time).

[louis c]

18. Working and Organizing

through my Union. As the President and B.A for my local, I am entrusted to make all political decisions for my Union. If I piss too many of my members off, they'll throw me out. However, I let my conscience be my guide, and I sincerely feel that this administration is the enemy of all working people, and that I can accomplish more for my members if Bush is out.

[tom_paine]

19. A Catalogue of my own activities

Have donated almost $500 already to various causes and candidates (the Lion's Share going to Kerry).

Volunteered for the Kerry Campaign. Things are coming together nicely, albeit a bit slowly, on that front. Already signed up to canvass and do lit handouts! (haven't actually done it yet)

Been speaking out since Jan 2001 EVERY DAY (almost).

Abundance of phone calls, and letters to the editor and anyone else I can think of.

I used to write "Bush Lies" on Monopoly Money (dig? :hi: to Asscrust's Goons!) and I have been known to do other "Creative" things.

I'm sure I've missed something but that's the gist of it.

[mzmolly]

20. Combination of protesting/letters/phone calls/donations and bitching

;) OH, and volunteering for campaigns as well. Guess I'm kinda active.

[Terran]

23. None of the choices fit exactly

I've donated to Kerry once ($50) and hope to be able to afford another between now and the end of summer. And I'm working for a local candidate, a woman who is running as a Dem for my local state district rep. I'm hoping, once we finally get a candidate for Governor in place, to work on that campaign as well.


Edit: And of course I bitch at DU quite a bit! :oops: