Archive for September, 2008

Blue Pills and Red Tape.

On Saturday, I was first at bat to testify at a public Field Hearing on the health care crisis in this country. State and Federal Representatives, like John Conyers, were there. Senator Peaden (R), immediately pulled me aside and asked me to come up to Tallahassee to meet with the Governor’s team to discuss the problems I encountered and propose solutions. Thank you Simon and Wendy for coming.

I spoke about the problems I encountered dealing with COBRA, Open Enrollment, the state CFO site, the Department of Labor and being an automatic decline because I have pre-existing conditions. If an educated and tech savvy person has difficulty navigating their way through the labyrinth of a system we have, how are the less educated, less savvy supposed to do it?

I had it posted on youtube and disabled it because I got a call from Peggy Gaines, one of our great leaders. She said that it looks like the whole group of us might be headed to Tallahassee to speak to Congress and also DC.

Congressman Conyers

 

 

Navigating the system

 

Citizens and Congressional Reps after the testimonies were given.

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Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

I refused to tune in last night (in part because I was working) but I read Palin’s speech and all I can think is just when you think the Republicans can’t sink any lower, they prove me wrong.

In her snarky attempts to rile up her crowd, Governor Palin showed us who she really was. An ignorant water carrier with no comprehension of subtext and no concept of life in the lower 48 otherwise known as the Continental United States.

The media, from what I have read, have not caught on to two things:

the first – that Palin attacked a candidate that she never met and doesn’t know.

and the second – she insulted every community organizer in the world and said we have no actual responsibilities.

Now the thing about attacking Obama I think is a bit ironic. Since last night was Rudy’s wrap yourself in the memory of the twin towers, a noun, a verb and 911 stampede — for Palin to come out and attack someone based on hearsay, without any first-hand knowledge, comes off sounding like a radical, fundamentalist extremist.

Wait, aren’t they the enemy? The very evil John McCain will stare down with steely eyes and defeat just by exhaling? Has history not taught the Republican party anything? I know science hasn’t but is history too now subject for questioning?

Do they not realize that when they speak, people outside their inner fear mongering circle hear them?

I don’t think so. Because if they considered for a moment that people outside of their ego-maniacal world are watching, they never would have allowed a former PTA, city councilwoman to insult community activists the way she did.

And in doing so, she showed how callow she is, how insensitive the party is, and how ridiculously out of touch they are with, well frankly, the rest of the planet.

Gandhi was a community organizer. Jesus. Martin Luther King Jr. Gloria Steinhem. Moses. Mother Theresa! Every Precinct committee person for their local party is a community organizer. And we all have actual responsibility. I dare say, most of us probably know what the Vice President does without having to look it up on Wikipedia.

Palin might have galvanized the right-wing smear meisters, but she just opened Pandora’s box of activism.

Community Organizers will be opening a Community Organizers for Change office in Coconut Grove on Saturday. 3PM, Grand Avenue near the Ace Theatre. It’s open to everyone and anyone, but Saturday we will be canvassing to bring change to the White House. And Palin is not change. She’s just more of the same. Red meat in a red dress. And when I say ‘thanks but no thanks’ to that, you wont be able to go back and discover I said thanks before I said no thanks.

The gloves are off.

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