Politics, Community Organizers, & McCain/Palin/Republicans

[wynddancer]

A part of the reason why I dislike McCain and Palin so is because they made fun of community organizers, which shows a fundamental lack of understanding of what community organizers do. I'm kind of amused and happy about the dislike the that one statement has generated among the health education community. SOPHE, the Society for Public Health Education, posted a statement about community organizers, of which this is an excerpt: Recently, there have been many questions about the role of community organizers, the nature of their work, and their contributions to society. Community organizers work with people in a community to identify problems, find solutions, and accomplish desired outcomes. They learn about cultural groups’ beliefs and values, create avenues for information exchange and education, and often serve as the conduit between neighborhood groups and elected officials. In the United States, community organizing has a long tradition dating back to the 1800s, and a variety of colleges and universities today offer graduate and undergraduate programs and courses in this area. It's a 1-page pdf file and it's worth reading.

Also, on SFgate is this letter to the editor about community organizers (it's short and about 1/2 way down the webpage so I'm quoting it here): 

Community organizers'

Editor - Rudy Giuliani and Gov. Sarah Palin's mocking disrespect of community organizers at the Republican National Convention demonstrated shocking ignorance of how change occurs in communities, particularly those most marginalized by injustice, poverty or economic disaster. Throughout history, community organizers have been central to the legal, organizational and personal changes that enable us as a society to live up to our promise of equality and opportunity for all.

Our Founding Fathers were among the very first community organizers - organizing countless small communities to oppose unjust colonial rule. As demonstrated by their actions and still true today, effective community organizing requires a sharp analysis of power and politics, a keen sense of time and place, and an abiding hope for what is possible. It requires the ability to listen, to find common ground, and to inspire others with words, action and courage. It also requires the ability to understand complex problems, mobilize resources and achieve things that matter. I want a president with the skills and sensibilities of a community organizer. I also want leaders who speak of others' professional and service careers with respect. "The fierce urgency of now" demands nothing less.

KATHLEEN ROE

Now, if only I liked Obama. I don't like him but I guess I'll vote for him since I'm damned sure not voting for McCain and Palin. I'm tempted to vote for Nader though. I wanted Hilary Clinton, dammit. After all, the Clintons only balanced the budget. Not to mention, Bill Clinton is still widely respected around the world and had the knowledge/charisma to get the other nations to be less angry at us. They wanted healthcare for everyone.