Poets for Kerry gone: calling all poets!

[_dynamicdems]

I'm really sad that Poets for Kerry is gone. The site and all cached pages are gone and the domain is for sale if anyone is interested. The minimum bid is $60. so I didn't bid, but maybe someone here might be interested. I've just purchased poetsforkerry.org so if anyone wants to do something with that let me know. I picked it up for the obvious reasons but it would be fun to run in any case if we have any closet poets among us.

And there is still kerrycrats.com, which needs some content if anyone wants to volunteer.

[Dr Ron]

1. Is space needed to post?

If there is poetry to post and if nobody wants to set up an actual web site I could set up a section on the Kerry Reference Library for poetry. Each poem could then be entered like a message post. Subcategories could be established if there is any need for them.

Is all the old stuff gone or did anyone save it? It might be searchable in the google cache. There's also a web site which periodically saves everything on the web. I don't recall the url off hand but it shouldn't be hard to find if anyone wants to restore the old stuff.

[_dynamicdems]

2. I've tried searching the Google cache and nothing comes up.

And I do own the domain poetsforkerry.org so it can be pointed anywhere, even at a page in an existing site. Something to think about.

[Dr Ron]

3. url?

Do you know the original url of the site?

[_dynamicdems]

5. It was...

http://www.poetsforkerry.com

[Dr Ron]

7. Not finding it

I tried waybackmachine as well as Google's cache and nothing is coming up. Do you know who did the original site? Perhaps they have the old material and would allow it to be posted elsewhere.

[_dynamicdems]

11. I couldn't find anything either. If you check out the information provided in regard

to the sale of the domain name, it is mentioned that the domain name only, not the content of the site, is for sale. It also comes up that, "There is no cache for this site." I'm assuming the site owner didn't want their stuff out there. I don't know how they managed to erase everything though. I've also no idea who owned or ran the site. They never posted names or any information at all, not even a location, and the domain was protected (I checked it before out of curiosity). It was all very anonymous. That's sad because some of the poetry about Kerry was really spot on and now it's lost to us forever.

[saltpoint]

14. Possibly someone in Kerry's office in Massachusetts might know

connections to that site?

Just a thought.

[_dynamicdems]

15. You think they might?

My impression was that the site belonged to a supporter who lost faith and dumped it after changing horses. Maybe they were upset because of the "joke" or because the senator didn't yet indicate whether or not he's running.

In any case, if they wanted their poetry available, they would probably make it available. We have to respect that, sad to say.

Nonetheless, the idea was a good one. All we need to keep up the spirit of the original idea is to keep our faith and create some new material.

Do think you might be willing to create some more poetry for the effort? You seem to have a considerable amount of talent in that direction. I'd try myself, but salty limericks (the extent of my poetic abilities) are not proper tribute to a distinguished senator. (Salty limericks are appropriate for describing the asshat from Texas, however, but that has been done to death! :D )

[saltpoint]

16. Hi, _dynamicdems. You have a better view of the

circumstances than I did coming in -- still I think it is at least a possibiilty that somebody in or connected to the Kerry office in Massachusetts might know the origin of that site. It would be good to recover that material.

It could also be that someone has kept the material in an on-line file. Are there any active Kerry biographers? or even someone at the Boston GLOBE who might be able to point us to some in-the-know people...?

If the site were to be revived by new people, I would love to contribute what I could, but I'm not a skilled poet, only an inspired Kerry voter. I get prickly when anyone mentions Kenneth Blackwell and the Ohio election in 2004, too. I start throwing metaphysical chairs.

I'll keep checking in and out of the Kerry group postings to see what comes of this. I'll help contact the Kerry office in Massachusetts if you'd like. We might as well see what's up.

[_dynamicdems]

17. It might be possible.

It would be nice to have the material. If you can help that would be great.

I'm an inspired Kerry voter too, but I'm more inclined to throw real chairs than methphysical ones. :D

[saltpoint]

18. Hi, again, _dynamicdems.

Ok. I will see what I can round up over in Massachusetts.

I'll get back to you when I know something.

[saltpoint]

4. I lack funds to bid...

I lack funds to bid
but wish it were so
that I did,
or would,
if there were ample cash
in a hidden stash
someplace,
and not the mere trace
of money fixed income imposes;
This confession discloses
both respect for the Poem
and for poems for Kerry,
a lower case 'p'
for public gallantry,
and not the site's name
per se, but
he of the blue blood,
veteran of mud
from riverbanks in 'Nam
and his resolute calm
in a Senate hearing,
his words wisely steering
a nation toward critical
mass toward higher
claims on thought
and action:
new traction
for thoughtful reform,
though much of the 'norm'
cast votes for the Chimp,
whose organ grinders churn and pimp
for war. Still want to drink a beer
with a 4th-tier
war puppet?

If a public should thirst
for great poets, it first
must be a great audience,
one free of pretense,
Whitman believed;
No mad ape weighs words
or serves as a poet writes
or public servants act.
Backed against the wall of history
apes feign distress;
they deceive and digress,
they sling shit at the press, and seek
to fix blame,
but give me the name
of the people's
servant, an evolved heart and mind.
His kind
is the true poet,
the founders' servant.

Eschew the thorn bush
and Kerry on.

[_dynamicdems]

6. That's terrific! I love it!

"cast votes for the Chimp,
whose organ grinders churn and pimp
for war. Still want to drink a beer
with a 4th-tier
war puppet?"

:rofl:

Now this part really describes the man who should be President of the United States:

"but give me the name
of the people's
servant, an evolved heart and mind.
His kind
is the true poet,
the founders' servant."

[saltpoint]

8. Hi, _dynamicdems.

Thanks. In the media this week it's Obama, Clinton, Obama, Clinton, Obama, Obama, Obama, Clinton, and Obama.

They're both Democrats. I wish them well.

But my vote in the primary is for John Kerry.

[_dynamicdems]

12. Me too. I'm voting Kerry even if I have to write his name in.

"Obama, Clinton, Obama, Clinton, Obama, Obama, Obama, Clinton, and Obama" sounds like a song and dance number. Oh yeah, it is.

[saltpoint]

13. Ok, I'm howling like a hyena here...

'Oh yeah, it is.'

LOL! I love it.

[Luftmensch067]

9. Gorgeous!

Too many favorite bits to quote, but here's one:

he of the blue blood,
veteran of mud
from riverbanks in 'Nam
and his resolute calm
in a Senate hearing...

Brilliant. :-)

[saltpoint]

10. Luftmensch067, hello, and thank you for the kind words --

-- but I defer to the man who inspired them -- Senator Kerry.

He's a much-better traveled mind than I will ever be, although he sets such a gleaming example of public service that I feel I have a right to call his detractors unkind names.

It makes me uneasy that despite the Kerry-Edwards ticket receiving the record-number votes of any Democratic ticket in history, still millions of people were unable to make the distinctions between our ticket and Bush-Cheney.

It just stuns me. It's like being in 8th grade again, when the popular kid wins class president and the intelligent kid is passed over.

Anyway, Mr. Bush is getting what he paid for these days. He ought to have listened to HIS detractors early on, but pigheadedly shoved ahead anyway. And now he reaps the whirlwind.