Apparently this web thing is all new news to Maria Cantwell's campaign- you know, our more technically savvy Senator? The Seattle Times's David Postman led me toward a brief comparison of Maria's site and Mike McGavick's penned by Jeff Maurone.

Apparently Jeff's critique had an effect, or at least was timely, because Maria has now updated her site. It seems she's now much more on track. Blog, a decent spattering of media, and a good supply of tools to use to get involved.

Democrats of Washington, let's not follow the BetterDonkey model, have consistent content at least.

Is this still a lesson to be learned? For shame. If you're a politician you should be seeding the netroots from the second you decide to run for office. Your website should be your best asset in terms of potential gains versus costs, not a liability. A ground-breaking website can be assembled for a fraction of the cost of ONE television spot. Why not kick some ass on the web? In today's climate there's no excuse not to.

With the end of session in Olympia, we are one step closer to the beginning of real campaign season for the 2006 cycle. Soon we'll all start seeing the flyers, fund rasing letters, ads and pleas for volunteers. The question is, what are we going to do in response?

For my part, I'll probably pick a couple of races that mean a lot to me, places where I think I can help make a difference, and where there's a condidate that has the same priorities that I do (community development, good government, smart spending). I could also see myself getting ivolved in a race where I am more concerned with defeating an incumbent than I am helping a challenger.

What are you going to do this session?

What do you wnat BetterDonkey to do this session? (do you care what BD does?)

A couple of online resources you might find helpful in figuring this out:

The Washington State Democratic Party: A good place to start, learn about the party in general, check out the election calendar, get plugged in.

With all of the news and impending indictments, I'm wondering how to make sense of all of this. There is a lot of talk on both sides; some saying that even Cheney is going to be indicted to some others saying nothing is going to happen. Based on the reports, what is your opinion on what is going to happen? I would appreciate any feedback you guys have.

It's that time of year- the leaves are falling, it's getting darker earlier and the airwaves are getting filled with talking heads and initiative ads.

And... it's time for our annual call for new bloggers!

Who are we looking for?

• People Interested in local politics and want their voices heard
• Folks with specialized knowledge of one local issue
• Good writers who can be informative and entertaining
• Those who can make a committment to blogging at least twice a month
• You!

Do you already have a blog? Well, maybe we could syndicate some of your stuff. We're open to it all. Give us some suggestions or ideas.

Hey... did you know that we just got a big ole' name drop in The Stranger last week?!? We're still blushing.

Contact info AT betterdonkey.org and let us know who you are, what you're interested in blogging about and some writing samples or maybe a link to your own personal blog.

I already heard about it quite a bit at last night's monthly BetterDonkey Happy Hour (thanks to everyone that joined in!) but I thought it should be posted here as well.

Our own amy and annemariem wrote a killer letter to the editor to the Seattle PI last week in response to the putrid article they published - "Don't Know vs. Don't Care". And, low and behold, the old PI published it!

Enjoy!

Seattle PI - It's quite easy to get educated -- and involved

We read "Don't Know vs. Don't Care" with dismay (Sept. 19). The article implied that people under 40 don't care about local politics and are disengaged from the process. We know for a fact that this attitude does not hold true for us or for many of our friends and peers.

As members of Better Donkey, a community of 20- and 30-somethings who deeply value the responsibility of and right to participate in government, we find many reasons to disagree with the contention that local politics is inaccessible or boring. In the first place, Washington's no-excuse absentee ballot policy allows us to vote on our own time -- in the privacy of our own homes, or while discussing the candidates with friends. Learning about candidates and issues just isn't hard. All the resources are there -- from voter's pamphlets to newspaper endorsements

Congrats to Amy and Anne Marie for getting an editorial in the PI today! Great piece, great publicity! I'm proud of you! Here's the link:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/242600_ltrs29.html

it's the second letter of the day.

As the Hurricane Katrina response goes from tepid to down right shameful, I sit at my desk in downtown Seattle feeling a whole lot of deja vu.

You have to understand, I lived through 9/11. I was there when the planes hit, I volunteered at ground zero, I helped staff a food bank for volunteers, I walked home over the Williamsburg Bridge and saw hundreds of Hasidic Jews come out with water for the weary refugees from lower manhattan.

Now I ain't no Giulliani lover, but what we witnessed over the next week was at least an organized response. Yes, ther were big problems with the way the cops and the firefighters didn't talk to each other, but in the weeks that followed we all knew what was going on and there was more than enough help.

The response in New Orleans is a disgrace. It is a joke. This is what you get when you systematically disinvest in the public good. This is what "starving the beast" wrought.

As requested.....

On every right wing site I've come across, I've tried to leave inflammatory comments, only to be told that I must register first before doing so. On this site no one is required to register before commenting, leaving the forums open to any sphincter brain who can bang out words on a computer. Now I'm all for freedom of expression, but as we all know there are still restrictions on the use of free expression. This is not craigslist, we (for the most part) all know each other, or have met in one capacity or another. I don't want this site to be another craigslist full of anonymous trolls spouting their bile and filth all over. What I'm asking for is that we actually require registration before commenting. If someone has a dissenting view I fully welcome them, as you can see I don't exactly see eye to eye with some people on this site. But if they are to participate I would ask that they not be anonymous cowards about it and require them to register. As I stated before, I want to know who I'm dressing down when I'm writing. If we require registration it will make it easier to spot the trolls and to keep them from the site, and it will allow actual discourse between us lefties and the righties who actually want to discuss things versus those who repeat the Liberal/commie/America hating/terrorist lover mantra.

Ahh summer camp: canoe lessons, bullies, camp counselors that are suspiciously red-eyed, and the romance that none of your friends back at school will ever believe really happenned because "she's from Maine and you don't know her" just doesn't fly.
...

Well, now you can do it all over again, excpt that none of that stuff will happen and instead you'll learn how to be an effective advocate and bring change to Olympia and Washington.

What: Children's Alliance Advocacy Camp
When/where: Advocacy Camp 2005 is October 17-19, 2005 in North Bend.
Why: Three, fun, and inspirational days that will teach you how to become a better public policy advocate.

Learn effective ways to change public policy to improve the lives of families and children through capitol based advocacy, grassroots mobilization, and the media.

Advocacy Camp is a three-day interactive training to help you become a better public policy advocate for families and children. [more after the jump]

[I'm sorry to post twice in a row but the below stuff just needed to get up there. Please read and forgive my lack of focus on the rest of my life right now].

Michael Connerry, a founder of Music for America, posted an amazingly well thought out and sound analysis of the state of "youth outreach" programs and what must be done in order to move them forward.

To steal just a few of his ideas that this community needs to get on top of fast:

The Problem 1: The Professionals Just don't Get It!

At its most root level, it is a matter of perception, world-view, framing (or whatever term you want to assign it). For the majority of "young" Americans, politics isn't important in the same way it is for us junkies. In fact, politics is a dirty word. This seems like a no-brainer, but the manner in which "youth outreach" programs of the Young Democrats, College Democrats, DNC, and ACT work illustrate that this fact remains deeply unabsorbed. It is a constant that is always in people's minds, but never fully comprehended or accounted for during planning sessions, retreats, and daily meetings.

The organization I work for is looking to hire a Program Coordinator. The job is one of those great foot in the door deals, the pay is ok, not amazing, and there will be admin work, but you'll get to learn a bunch about the nonprofit sector, affordable housing, politics, money, etc... and you'll meet all the key players in the field.

Below is a snippet from the job description we are about to put out:

seeking an energetic, creative and driven Program Coordinator. While the position will involve administrative work and detail management, it is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to introduce themselves to the key players and concepts in affordable housing, nonprofit organizations, fundraising, strategy development, public policy advocacy and the future of King County.

The Program Coordinator will work closely alongside the Executive Director and the Advocacy Director to ensure the organization’s continued sustainability and the maintenance of its member community. In addition, the Program Coordinator will have the opportunity to help the organization develop long-term strategy, make hiring decisions, fundraise and navigate the legislative process at the state and local level.

I have become fascinated by the problem of American poverty and the question:

What, if anything, can be done to end American poverty?

Which of course, is maybe a big fat red-herring. Because, as some of you may already be thinking, maybe poverty is not something that can (or even should) be ended.

What does it mean to be poor? More specifically what does it mean to be poor in America? I want your thoughts. I have some, which I hope you will take a gander at after the jump...

Susan Paynter put her finger on the reason the thought of this mayor's inevitable re-election has me drinking myself to sleep:

Greg Nickels... is too busy looking expansively up and out to really recognize and encourage grass-roots growth....

Seattle really sparks on those occasions when communities pull together to make things better in small ways.... Ways in which government is too darned clumsy to do more than offer an assist...

The idea has been ignored if not trampled as the current administration keeps its eye on the high-bouncing ball of big deal-making.

Yep. Pretty much. I'm the last person to say no to more transportation choices, more density, more smart growth, more economic strength. But but but!!! Mayor Nickels is doing all of this at the expense of neighborhood autonomy (ignoring major parts of the South Lake Union Neighborhood Plan in favor of Paul Allen's biotech plan), at the expense of culture (stay tuned for some knee-knocking updates on what's going to happen to your favorite music venues if Sir Gregory has his way), at the expense of 'hoods that are vital to the character and strength of the city (checked out Broadway lately?).

I agree, for once, with hhz...i think a break might be weel deserved. To that end I have grabbed a few lines from the terrificly funny Overheard in New York Which I hope you get a kick out of [I do not endorse this website or any offensive content on it, just the funny stuff]:

Guy: So, I went on this audition, and they asked me, "Can you juggle and ride a unicycle?". I mean, I can juggle, and I can ride a unicycle, but I can't do both at once, I'm not a skills clown. Basically, my skill is falling. I can fall really well.
--A train
Overheard by: Berit J.

Or try these:

Guy flipping through cell: Damn, why the fuck have I only got White people on here?
--27th & 7th pizzeria

Man on cell: Yeah baby, yeah, I'm still in London. Yeah, I'll be back on Wednesday, baby.

--West 4th & Jane

Conductor: You're now entering the country of Brooklyn. Please have your passports ready...

--F train

So I'm still held a wee bit speechless by yesterdays events so I decided to blow off some steam with a break of sorts. If you're feeling rather overwhelmed by yesterdays news or generally just all the crap...come on in and talk about whatever seems good to you.

Mornin', love. I'm up pretty early for a national holiday, but I figured I'd better drag my ass out of bed and get something done before I trundle off to celebrate today the traditional way-- drunk, yelling at fireworks, trying not to fall into Lake Union, etc.

I guess this is the day the we designate the birthday of our nation, and you've got to admit, she's no kid anymore. She's 229 years old. Once you pass your juvenile years (I'm told), you start to think about who you are, what you've accomplished, what you still need to do to die a relatively happy person. So I thought, Hell, so what if the USA isn't technically a person; might as well read the Declaration of Independence and see how well we've been doing so far. It is, after all, the reason for all the drunk and the fireworks and the apartment fires. Might as well make the most of it.

First, let's hit some of the highlights, taking care to apply the secondary definition of "man" (a member of humankind; a person):

All men are created equal.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the goverened.
Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter it... and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles... as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

MoveOn PAC is doing a "Movie Night" thing as a run up to future Iraq and Supreme Court fights. The idea is to start building networks, make it easier for people to connect with each other which will hopefully create a more easily activated base.

Check out the "Team Program." And check out the Movie Night Sign Up Form

It seems that the idea of Progressive Community Building is catching on!

So today's Father's Day. I don't know what you're up to, but I'm hangin' with the fam today-- Dad and Mom and I are going to have a little picnic at some garden somewhere that they think is neato (maybe you can empathize-- my parents are in their Middle Aged Gardening Phase right now and they are really into plants). I'm a lucky girl. My parents love me. All of the hoodlum boyfriends and more-liberal-than-them political beliefs and out-all-night-doing-who-knows-what aside, they love me and accept me for who I am.

I hope you can say the same for your family, but if your parents believe in the philosophy of James Dobson, then I bet you can't. He's got a Ph.D in bigotry and runs Focus on the Family, is highly influential on the evangelical Right, and he wants to help people teach their gay kids to be straight.

I dare you to spend some time on this man's website and not come away angry and disgusted. Focus on the Family doesn't just say that being homosexual is wrong (and curable-- more on that in just a second), but that to be truly straight, truly heterosexual, truly acceptable in God's eyes, boys have to want to play sports and girls have to want to wear skirts. Don't want to conform to this "men are men and mules are mules" philosophy of red-blooded American masculinity? Then you're a dirty faggot, and God (or rather, James Dobson) wants you to change.