Some of us are cursed with an independent streak...or just plain bull
headed. What troubles me is how we have become so unable to speak
frankly to one another without a feeling that we are at war. When I
approached Kenneth Jernigan with what I thought were sound
suggestions, I did not believe that he would jump up and hug me and
announce to the world that he was adopting my great ideas. But I did
think, foolish me, that he would give them some serious thought before
rejecting them. Instead, he reacted as if I had attacked him. And at
that point in time I was still in awe of His Holiness. That is when I
began to realize that all those who disagreed with Jernigan were no
longer in leadership positions. Only "yes" men...and a very few women
were allowed to sit at his feet. A brilliant mind, but far too much
in awe of himself.
On 4/30/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It does present a quandry and is probably the explanation for why the
retrogressive forces in society are able to organize and become strong
enough to take control. If one is truly an independent thinker and believes
in freedom of thought and action and in the right to dissent, one isn't
easily organized into movements because movements tend to have leaders and
a leadership structure and goals, and then they become institutionalized ,
and power structures are solidified. The big complaint about Occupy was that
it didn't have a set of specific goals. And also, its dependence on
concensus, made it difficult to make decisions efficiently.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2017 1:47 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Trump Stumped: Tax Cut Based on His D-Student
Misunderstanding of Economics
Incredible Faith? Hmm...I think for me it's a case of Faint Hope. In fact,
after listening to as much of Donald Trump's rant this morning,as much as I
was able to do, accompanied with the howls and cheers of the Loyal
Believers, I would say that it is more like Hope Deferred.
But hope is hope, and as long as there is even a faint smudge, it can be
coaxed to life again.
I remember when I was around 12 years of age, making a vow to myself that I
would never become part of the American Communist Party. The thought of
these humorless, strict disciplinarians, who demanded both loyalty and
observance to the letter of Marx as they knew it to be true, were not people
I wanted in leadership roles. But they would sit around and talk about,
"After the Revolution", and dream about the top jobs awaiting them.
While I never allowed myself to become that involved in the Democratic
Party, I did give considerable time to toiling in the field. But then came
blindness and the NFB, and I got myself suckered into exactly the same
situation that I had vowed never to allow the American Communist Party to
draw me into.
And oh yes, prior to blindness, I had made a conscious effort to connect
with God Almighty.
In all three situations, the Democratic Party, being Born Again and Baptized
in the Holy Spirit, and the NFB, in all three I came to understand that I
was not expected to think for myself. I was expected to embrace the beliefs
of leaders much wiser than I. And I was to follow and spread the word,
according to the word that was handed to me.
The bad news is that, by declaring myself a "Free Spirit", any effectiveness
I might have is nullified simply if for no other reason than the lack of
numbers. It's hard to think of a conference of Free Thinkers trying to
organize an organization. As surely as I express the sort of basic
philosophy I believe we should adopt, dozens of folks would spring to their
feet with dozens of differing philosophies.
So if anyone out there knows of an organization whose members are not afraid
of having their beliefs challenged by other members who are not afraid of
having their beliefs challenged, please let me know.
Carl Jarvis
On 4/30/17, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 4/30/17, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Good Sunday morning, Bonnie and All.
Although I did spend years as a member of the Democratic Party, not
the Democrat Party, and served as precinct committee person back in
the days when we were Committeemen, and worked within the Party
trying to keep it as an open, member driven Party, , after years of
token membership I tossed in the towel after the DNC and the Super
Delegates and the Party leaders all finished roasting Bernie Sanders
and giving us what amounted to Left Overs in Hillary Clinton.
We are privileged to be living in a time of great change. Well,
privileged unless we are in the growing portion of humanity living in
abject poverty. But we are witnessing the changing of the guard, the
end of Capitalism and the potential of a People's World. My personal
fantasy would be a world with no national boundaries. A world where
all people have a voice in governing themselves. A world where we
humans truly become the caretakers of Mother Earth. A world that no
longer has greed driven power hungry people making war upon one
another.
Well, that's a partial list, but you get the idea. As long as we,
the People, allow ourselves to be turned against one another, and
Trump is doing a wonderful job of this, we will be headed for
extinction. And with us, the entire planet as we know it.
Carl Jarvis
On 4/29/17, Bonnie L. Sherrell <blslarner@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
What comes top-down is brown and smelly, Carl? That is putting it
mildly.
I
cannot for the life of me figure out why people like Ronald Reagan,
Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, Bush Lite, much less Trump so invigorate
the minds of the Republican Party they'd even imagine them as
Presidential material. As I've said before, the far right has so
overrun Republican ideology I left the party I grew up within with
few regrets. They have no room for intelligence or intellectualism,
and see progressives and moderates as being the equivalents of
Communists. Not that they understand the reality of what Communism
and Socialism were ever supposed to be.
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large
"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even
the very wise cannot see all ends." LOTR
"Don't go where I can't follow."
We gave the Goblin King control of our nation!