Got a Grip

Name: Got a Grip Location: Aurora, IL Longtime member of Daily Kos and the Rescue Rangers. Mother, grandmother, activist, farmer, environmentalist, artist, writer, poet, friend.

A little about me

I care deeply about environmental issues, the erosion of women's rights, of man's inhumanity to man. I sacrifice my time and what money I have to help those who need it most, whether that means a good candidate running for office or my neighbor next door. I try to lead by example, and I work hard to teach my grandchildren how to step lightly on the fragile earth we share. I believe in being proactive to make a difference in the lives of those around me, and work to leave a better world to those who will inherit this earth after I'm gone. I believe activism takes many forms, and we must use what is at our disposal to fight for a better country and a better world. I believe in honesty, charity and sacrifice for the common good. I believe the personal is political and the political is personal. As my profile on Daily Kos states, I'm a farm girl trapped in suburbia, but going back home to the farm soon. An old woman who yells at clouds. An activist, a friend, a mother and grandmother. A stubborn thing.

I would describe myself as a

blogger

Why I deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship

Currently I live on $8200 a year. I know that sounds meager, but I still manage to give the majority of that paltry sum away to others in need, thanks to the generosity of my sister who shares her home with me. I donate time and money to worthy candidates in both local, regional and national races. I also donate everything possible to environmental causes and organizations such as the ACLU and Doctors Without Borders. No one gets as much I wish, but they get as much as I can give them.

As the old saying goes, all politics is local, which means I often find myself at City Council meetings watching to make sure the assault on the local Planned Parenthood is kept in check and fighting to protect local habitat from become yet another shopping center or housing development.

I've also given my time to the unknown writers of Daily Kos for the last 4 1/2 years as a Rescue Ranger, helping pull diaries written by unknown diarists lost in the fury of the blog out into the bright light where they will hopefully find their voice and the recognition they deserve. Recently that project went from a once a day article on the front page to a 24/7 real-time effort that has become a full time volunteer job for me.

I've gone to every Netroots Nation and Daily Kos convention except the first one. I've never asked for help before, but this time I must.

The blogs I use most are

Daily Kos
emptywheel

What first inspired me to get involved

I grew up in the '60's, so the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement turned me into an activist. My love of the farm and affinity for the earth turned me into an environmentalist. Living the hard life of a single mother turned me into an fighter for women's rights. Then I saw Markos on Bill Maher in the summer of 2006 and decided to check out Daily Kos. The rest is history.

How I've gotten others involved

My volunteer work on Daily Kos promoting new writers is very important. My support of candidates through online donations and volunteer work for campaigns has helped in spreading the progressive message. I feel my best accomplishment is in teaching my children and
grandchildren that everything they do matters, and that they can make a difference in this world. I try to lead by example, online and offline.

The blog post I am most proud of

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/09/27/390799/-Aurora-Planned-Parenthood,Badly-Planned-with-UPDATE! and http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/01/392823/-BREAKING!!Aurora-Planned-Parenthood-Clinic-to-Open-Tomorrow!!?showAll=yes

Why I think participation in the blogosphere is important

I think the blogosphere has opened the door for many people who thought they were alone to find like minds and form coalitions to take action. Numbers count in pushing for what we believe is right and just. In the twisted world we live in, pooling our collective energy towards common goals gives us more power than we can hope to have individually. The blogosphere has made that possible in ways I could never have imagined when I was an frustrated girl in the '60's.

More about my involvement with DFA and local work

I'm not a current member of DFA. I've volunteered for local and state campaigns. I've put in my time at City Council meetings to defend our local Planned Parenthood and to keep as much of the natural environment in this area intact. I give time and money to support the causes that I feel are important.

More about my volunteer work

As I've stated elsewhere, I've volunteered for campaigns in this area, and wherever I've lived in the past. Lately my time has been wholly consumed in taking the Rescue Rangers from the last iteration of Daily Kos and turning it into the Community Spotlight on the new Daily Kos. This all-volunteer effort highlights the writing of new, unknown or little-known writers in an effort to help them find their voice and
encourage them to continue to write and grow. We need more progressive voices online and on the streets and I'm proud to be a part of that effort.

My Twitter manifesto on online activism

Recent events in the Middle East and Wisc show online activism can work. The use of online tools by activists made it possible.

My suggested bumper sticker slogan

Take care where you step, others live beneath your feet.

My idea for a cool new online action

Since the MSM pretends we don't exist, we should organize online to protest with numbers too big to ignore outside every TV station, newspaper and magazine office in the country. Carry them out over the course of many days and during weekdays, not just weekends. Civil disobedience should be part of these protests, block the entrances for both people and vehicles. We need to get in their faces and make them pay attention, but not with vandalism and violence. We need sheer numbers. Protests outside an empty legislature on Saturday get no eyes. Make them look at us.