[Blindtlk] Fwd: [Nfbv-announce] Retirement of Dr. Maurer

Mon Dec 2 05:05:18 UTC 2013

I think the flock and shepherd mode or puppet type mentality are unhealthy for me personally and i am sure that my having my own mind is why i am on the fringes of the organization 

Sent from my iPhone

> On 1 Dec 2013, at 8:00 pm, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I don't think it's a problem that Dr. Maurer announced who he was
> supporting. The issue is that in the ensuing election there will
> likely be only one presidential candidate. This is not typical of any
> truly democratic group, at least not any that I am aware of. In the
> United States, even presidents who were widely supported and respected
> still face some competition for re-election, and the candidates they
> endorse to succeed them do not necessarily always win by a landslide.
> The candidate President Obama supports in 2016 won't automatically win
> a unanimous vote from the Democratic party; he or she will still have
> to stand up to scrutiny. Regardless of Dr. Maurer's popularity and
> efficacy as a president, I am concerned that because of the
> organizational culture in the NFB, those who would endorse a
> leadership change feel they must either keep quiet or withdraw from
> the organization, and so their voices are not heard.
> I was recently president of the NFB's student division. When I decided
> to resign I announced publicly who I was supporting to be the next
> president. Someone ran against him who, though not my first pick as
> president, was also a qualified and accomplished potential leader.
> There was an election, and though the candidate I endorsed did win,
> the other candidate received a sizable number of votes. I don't think
> the people who voted for him did so because they distrusted my
> opinion; I think they just thought he was a strong candidate. In fact,
> I was pleased to see such healthy democratic debate among the student
> division. It gave me more confidence that the individual who won the
> presidential election was someone that the majority of the people
> truly wanted to be in charge, not just someone who was elected by
> default because he had no opposition. As president I always felt it
> was better for members to question my judgment rather than blindly
> trusting me. When members questioned my judgment it allowed me to
> improve as a leader and to ensure I was doing things the membership
> wanted to see happen.
> 
> I am curious if others share my views; perhaps this is not actually a
> significant problem in the eyes of our membership. But if there are
> others who think the culture could be improved, this discussion could
> be quite productive. Furthermore, even as I question whether the NFB's
> political culture and procedures could be improved, I don't oppose the
> philosophy or the major policy decisions of the organization and I am
> committed to support them.
> 
> Best regards,
> Arielle
> 
>> On 12/1/13, Ray Foret Jr <rforet7706 at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Steve, I fear that perhaps you missunderstood.  Of course, Dr. Maurer has
>> the right to support he or she whom he pleases and to publically ask the
>> membership to support that person.  I’m just questionning whether an
>> election that looks too much like a mere hand off is necessarily the best
>> way to go.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my Mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the blind
>> built-in!
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray, still a very happy Mac and Iphone 5 user!
>> 
>>> On Dec 1, 2013, at 8:36 PM, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ray,
>>> 
>>> What you are really saying, though, if you think about it, is that
>>> President Maurer should not state who he thinks should follow him.  What
>>> purpose does
>>> that really serve?  The only way this will work has a "Hand-off" as you
>>> put it is if President Maurer has enough support and trust to have his
>>> recommendation followed.  Therefore, the process is important because if
>>> he were to not have the support and trust of the membership, there is a
>>> means
>>> to elect someone else.  To me, that is far more than a technicality.
>>> 
>>> Best regards,
>>> 
>>> Steve Jacobson
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Ray Foret Jr" <rforet7706 at comcast.net>
>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2013 5:17 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Fwd: [Nfbv-announce] Retirement of Dr. Maurer
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Paul, You seem, with respect, to be implying that one must choose between
>>>> 
>>>> lack of transparency and a good program for the blind or else full
>>>> transparency and a bad program for the blind.  I do not agree.  Here is
>>>> what
>>>> I think will go down.  Maurer will support Riccobono and then, when it
>>>> comes
>>>> convention time, and time to elect the next president, Riccobono will be
>>>> 
>>>> chosen by acclamation without any competition.  Now, if one were to take
>>>> 
>>>> this process strictly in parliamentary terms, it would be impossible to
>>>> quarrel with its legitimacy.  My concern, to speak frankly, is this.
>>>> That
>>>> looks too much like a mere hand off instead of a legitimate election.
>>>> Smooth?  Yes.  Efficient?  You’d better believe it.  Morally right?
>>>> Well,
>>>> that’s where I have a slight problem.  I’m not saying that this way of
>>>> doing
>>>> it is completely wrong:  however, when you have a process that looks too
>>>> 
>>>> much like you’re just handing it off, you might as well not even bother
>>>> with
>>>> the formality of election.  Just might as well go ahead and crown
>>>> Riccobono
>>>> king of the movement.  I just do not feel terribly comfortable with the
>>>> way
>>>> things look like they’re going to happen.  Call me a traitor to the
>>>> movement
>>>> if you will:  but,  ‘Tain’t no skin off my nose.  Look, this procedure
>>>> just
>>>> don’t set to well with me.
>>> 
>>>> I ain’t sayin that President Mauer can’t support whom he pleases, and I
>>>> ain’t
>>>> sayin he can not publically say whom he supports nor that he can’t urge
>>>> the
>>>> members to back his choice:  But, to just do a hand off and have the
>>>> election as a mere formality really bugs me.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Sent from my Mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the blind
>>>> 
>>>> built-in!
>>> 
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray, still a very happy Mac and Iphone 5 user!
>>> 
>>>> On Dec 1, 2013, at 5:01 PM, Paul Wick <wickps at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>>> Ray that's how things have always been in the Federation In the world
>>>>> of the organized blind there is an organization that while it lacks
>>>>> transparency has a strong program, while another has democratic forms,
>>>>> but is kind of an empty suit when it comes to the programming
>>>>> department; I would rather be part of the former than the latter. I
>>>>> wish President-designate Riccobono well, and may he reach out to all
>>>>> the unaffiliated blind people rather than just preaching to the choir.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Best,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Paul
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 12/1/13, Ray Foret Jr <rforet7706 at comcast.net> wrote:
>>>>>> I should like to pint out that there seems to be an assumption upon the
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> part
>>>>>> of the top NFB leadership that Mark
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Riccobono will sort of just be given the presency of the federation.
>>>>>>> That
>>>>>>> strikes me as not being the proper democratic way to do things.  To
>>>>>>> assume
>>>>>>> that just because Doctor Maurer personally supports Mark
>>>>>>> Riccobono for president he will just sort of be handed the presidency
>>>>>>> by
>>>>>>> Dr. Maurer and the election of Mark
>>>>>>> Riccobono a mere formality strikes me as being very improper.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sent from my Mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the
>>>>>> blind
>>>>>> built-in!
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray, still a very happy Mac and Iphone 5
>>>>>> user!
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Dec 1, 2013, at 12:44 PM, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Mark
>>>>>>>> Riccobono
>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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>> 
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