which is why I have asked for feedback in this diary I just posted.

I would appreciate any responses anyone chooses to offer.

And I have discussed the future of RK and what we do with both Josh and Lowell at various times in the Webb hdqtrs - this in an important site, and its future should concern all of us.

And Lowell no doubt has more than anyone.  RK will do just fine if he takes some time off.  No one can replace him, but there are plenty of people here who can write articles to keep things alive after a fashion.

Is it possible to appoint a couple of trusted people to troll committee and give them the proper permissions?  That way they don't have to be online 24/7.

And, Eric, thank you for all of your hard work, too.  I'm afraid that you get lost in the shuffle sometimes!

I don't think we should exclude trolls; they are a window into a "different reality" and we need to know what they think (the better to fight you, m'dear) And, anyway, now that the elections are over, their money-sources seem to have dried up and their presence (on other blogs)is down to minimum. It's only the "truly dedicated few" that remain. Use them as argument-sharpening opportunities for the next time you're standing in front of the poll station and people pretend to ask you a question while, in fact, they want to dump a bucket of hate over your head...

Anyone have an in with Bobby Scott?  The lame duck congress is going to force legislation.  Standing up for animals could become a terrorist act.

URGENT: U.S. House Will Vote on Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) on Monday, Nov 13

BREAKING NEWS
Action Alert -- House Vote on AETA this Monday!
http://www.noaeta. com/alert. htm

This is your ONLY chance to defeat the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (HR 4239, S3880)!

In a late night move on Friday, AETA was added to the House Suspension Calendar for THIS Monday! This underhanded fast-track maneuver, like the one in the Senate, means that AETA will not have any debate...only an up/down vote.

Contact your Representative this weekend and Monday morning!

We all owe Lowell, Eric, and everyone else involved in keeping RK going a huge round of applause--together with every bit of support that we are able to provide. In my case, living halfway around the world from Virginia in Yokohama, Japan, there is not a lot I can do on the ground. Via the Net, I could, I suppose, monitor online news from Virginia and prowl through state government websites in search of useful information. At the end of the day, however, the support I can offer is mainly cold cash. That is why Eric's note has started me thinking, What will RK do with the money I and others contribute?

Most of the discussion so far has focused on what we might call "cover-the-costs" issues, and from this perspective Eric's remark that runnin RK "doesn't take much money" could take the wind out of our sales.

I'd like to suggest, instead, that we adopt an "invest for the future" strategy.

Suppose, for example, that we want people fanning out all over the state to attend local meetings and dig into what's going on prior to local races? Wouldn't it help to have some funds to cover transportation costs? Ditto if we want a hundred Sidhartas with video cameras tracking and documenting the nonsense of the delegates we want to unseat. In a similar vein, maybe Lowell could use the help of a couple of smart interns.

And why wait until the next elections descend on us to build an RK warchest? Wouldn't it be nice if someone said, for example, we need a couple of hundred bucks to replace stolen yard signs in X, to be able to say, "You've got it."

I'm just brainstorming here, but I'm sure that if we put our heads together we could come up with all sorts of ideas that would help us take the pressure off Lowell and Eric and build infrastructure for '07, '08 and beyond.

While my post downplayed the importance of money this cycle, I'd be a fool to argue that money isn't critical to any political effort. 

Last year we produce and ran a few newspaper ads in favor of Kaine or against Kilgore with a very modest sum of money.  And the more money the more options we'd have - and hopefully the greater the impact RK would have.  With that in mind, I'm going to put the donate button back up.

But in the bigger picture we, the RK community, need to develop a solid infrastructure that isn't dependent on only one or two critical people.  I don't believe money alone can resolve that issue.

I would like to suggest RK coverage of local county boards and State Reps. from all Virginia districts.  Maybe a few people from each district of Virginia tasked to provide the content on who's who in Virginia politics and what influence they have.

This would go a long way toward making sense of the committees in the state house and who is supporting which bill and why.

Thanks, Eric; in regard to Raising Kaine's money angle and the requested snail-mailing address, I found everything I needed to know right here on the "Raising Kaine" site at its "Finance" link:

With Raising Kaine PAC's reported opening balance on 1/1/2006 of $3,521, a total of $1,452 raised through the third quarter and expenditures through the same date of $1,036, the current (as of 9/30/2006) balance on hand is listed as $3,936.

The address given for Raising Kaine PAC is:

P. O. Box 1661
Clintwood, VA  24228

. . . and that's where I'm sending my initial minimum annual $100 "Century Club" donation.

I'll leave it to those of you, who know so much more about this business than me, as to how you spend this money. 

Obviously, I'm not much of a planner and simply prefer to take action and do something to help.  This is the least I can do, and I intend to do more. 

Won't the rest of you please join with me as you are able?

Thanks!

Steve McGraw, Charter Member
RK PAC "Century Club"

...I just donated my $100.00, there will be more periodically...

I just hit my credit card for the first $50 of the $50 a month I pledged. Biggest disappointment was finding that I will have to do it again next month. RK needs a Donate button that points to a form that makes it easy to sign up for an automatic monthly or quarterly contribution.  That's the modern and sensible way to make sure that you have the steady cash flow you need to plan for the future.

John in Yokohama

I would suggest folks check out Richmond Indymedia, Washintgton DC Indymedia and Hampton Roads Indymedia...these are outlets for getting word out into local regions around the state...

Better yet...you might want to create another indymedia for the southwestern area ofthe state to help disperse the news....

The best articles from the blogs could go onto these sites...

I know that HRIMC is actually askinf folks who might want to program radio and video podcasts that could be placed on the website to get out the news....

Buzz...Buzz...

I'm jumping in late here, but it is clear that the blog charter crew need to call a huddle.  Get a draft agenda up and and set some milestones for decisions. Start by stating the critical items , and what the charter leaders want to see happen. Then get everyone in the same room for a weekend.

Raising Kaine is too important to lose.  In fact, locking in the changes that have been placed - Warner - Kaine - Webb will require a more diverse statewide group and a broader effort. Lets get the Governor some backup in the HOD.

refused to act; could be another instance of the incompatibility between the popular Windows and the "elitist" Mac

But the donate by mail printed out fine, so I'll fill it out tomorrow (couldn't fill it out on-screen, either) and take it to the PO tomorrow.

May I also suggest... That you remove all the high-end "suggestions"? Anything over a $100 will fit, nicely, in the "other" box, without making us feel like either cheapskates or losers, I think. I do realise that, due to the Chimperor's policies our dollar is worth less than it used to, even within the States, but I've refused to give *aby* money to several causes recently because their expectations seemed to be so high. "If my tiny contribution is not welcome, then go and fly a kite" is my usual, curmudgeonly response.

I'd also add some more low-end ($10, $15, $25) numbers -- we're *grassroots*, for Pete's sake, not millionaires (especially after the just-over election cycle ). And grass is not very nutritious, except to cows :) IOW... Do not make Everyman feel guilty about having to fill in the "other" box with less than the suggested donation range; make those who can afford it feel *generous*, for filling the "other" box with more than what you're asking for. Your totals are likely to improve if you adopt that attitude.

Regarding the time vs money issue. I agree that time/effort
demands on y'all (Lowell, Josh, whoever else) must have been *crippling* these past few months, for all I'd guess you're young and energetic. So... How about lowering the level of intensity for the next 6-8 months? A garden "sleeps" in wintertime, with very little work required; the manic phase comes in spring/summer and fall.

A single posting a day -- even a short one -- from each of you would be plenty to keep us informed. And you have others who blog here (by which I mean a "main posting", a start of a discussion)to fill in as necessary -- with more detail or interesting tidbits. I've been reading RK for only 2-3 months but I'm already familiar with some screen names of people who do more than just comment -- teacherken, phriendlyjaime, teddy, Kathy (two Kathies, maybe?) etc

The aim is to keep *RK* going; you don't have to keep up the frenetic *pace* of the last few months... :)

Excellent observations and suggestions, libra; especially in regard to the level of intensity for the incredibly dedicated and talented founders of this blog.  Lowell, Josh, Eric, Brian et al have done yeoman's work here at RK for years and the rest of us need to share that load. 

Perhaps we could encourage regional postings about those political, socio-economic, etc. issues that are important to individuals, committees, organizations in various parts of Virginia, thus better familiarizing us with RoVa -the "rest of Virginia" - as so eloquently stated by Alexandria's Matt Branson in a recent WP Letter to the Editor.

Also, in concert with the development of "Generation Webb", we should reach out to our younger citizens who were so motivated for Jim Webb's candidacy and keep them with us.

That's all for now, my first $100 "Century Club" check went into the mail yesterday afternoon, and thanks again!

Steve McGraw