[nfb-talk] FW: {Disarmed} FW: A personal report from ChairmanGordon Gund

Sun Apr 24 03:19:26 UTC 2011

You made me smile, Gloria.  Hope you have a happy Easter.  In fact, I 
hope all on the list have a good Easter.
At 10:16 PM 4/23/2011, you wrote:
>Too bad that troll doesn't fall off the face of the earth!
>
>
>Gloria Whipple
>Corresponding Secretary
>Inland Empire chapter
>nfb of WA
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
>Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 17:10
>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] FW: {Disarmed} FW: A personal report from
>ChairmanGordon Gund
>
>The troll returns to one of his favorite ACB-inspired arguments about
>how evil the NFB is.  I say again, go away.
>
>Joseph
>
>
>On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 04:24:42PM -0500, John Heim wrote:
> >Yet, the NFB would have us ask for help to identify our money.
> >
> >
> >On Apr 22, 2011, at 9:21 PM, Gloria Whipple wrote:
> >
> >>Hi Joseph,
> >>
> >>Well done! I like what you had to say.
> >>
> >>My prayers go out to you and I hope you get better and I hope you
> >>are free
> >>from cancer soon.
> >>
> >>All my best,
> >>
> >>
> >>Gloria Whipple
> >>Corresponding Secretary
> >>Inland Empire chapter
> >>nfb of WA
> >>
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-
> >>bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> >>Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
> >>Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 19:01
> >>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> >>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] FW: {Disarmed} FW: A personal report from
> >>ChairmanGordon Gund
> >>
> >>Gloria,
> >>
> >>I think what it boils down to is that language is a powerful thing.
> >>The words a person uses are less important than the intent behind
> >>them, but from a choice of certain words over others we can infer an
> >>intent.  I have been battling cancer.  This implies something about
> >>me and my relationship to cancer.  I have been living with it, and I
> >>don't want to be.  In fact, I am fighting to make it gone, because
> >>cancer is a horrible thing.
> >>
> >>Am I fighting blindness?  Do I suffer from blindness?  Am I forced to
> >>use alternative techniques?  Well yes, I do suffer as a result of
> >>blindness.  Not because of blindness itself per se, but because of
> >>the reaction of others to it who are not blind (and a few who are,
> >>sadly).
> >>
> >>The refusal to be pigeon-holed into this "sad existence" of
> >>"suffering because of blindness" is precisely the kind of supposed
> >>"unethical" behavior the NFB engages in by spreading our philosophy.
> >>It is akin to those during the 60s arguing against the notion that
> >>they were afflicted somehow with being black.  Blindness is a bad
> >>thing only if you make it be so, and we refuse to make it so for
> >>ourselves.  Moreover, we refuse to allow others to force us into that
> >>role.
> >>
> >>Those who would disparage our efforts to do so are not our friends,
> >>just as those who would have you look down upon a man of color
> >>because his skin was darker than, say, mine is.  Is he somehow worse
> >>of because of that?  Is he lessened as a man or as a person?  Does he
> >>deserve something less, or for that matter anything more, than any
> >>other person simply because of the color of his skin?  Most today
> >>would say out of hand that he should have the same opportunities
> >>anyone would have.  No more, but certainly no less!
> >>
> >>The blind deserve the same equality that our more sunburn-resistant
> >>brothers demanded more than forty years ago.  In just one generation
> >>we have gone from a person of color being denied the use of a
> >>drinking fountain to electing him to the United States presidency.
> >>If there remains racial inequality, it cannot be because of the color
> >>of a person's skin anymore.  Some individuals may yet harbor such
> >>attitudes (and I recently observed some of those people in a public
> >>display, sadly), but society rejects such people as undesirable when
> >>they are exposed.  (And believe me, we are exposing them all over
> >>YouTube, since the local media won't even report it.)
> >>
> >>But what about the blind?  The same society who refuses to allow a
> >>black man to be treated as a second class citizen openly condones it
> >>when a blind man is treated likewise.  Disability is one of only two
> >>acceptable areas of discrimination that remain in this country.  (The
> >>other is so far removed from topical for this list that I won't
> >>discuss it here, much to Dave's relief.)
> >>
> >>We cannot continue to meekly request that we be treated as first
> >>class citizens.  It didn't work in the 1940s, and it hasn't worked
> >>yet.  Only by refusing to be anything less will we finally achieve
> >>that.  Unfortunately, that means getting a bit uppity over language
> >>that paints us into a corner, as it were.  I'm not here to be pitied
> >>or someone's inspiration.  I'm here because I've got a job to do, and
> >>within the National Federation of the Blind, that job is to achieve
> >>for myself and for all of us the basic rights of first class
> >>citizenship afforded to anyone else in this country today, regardless
> >>of their skin color, sexual orientation, and a whole host of other
> >>things.
> >>
> >>I don't expect any more, but I also won't accept any less.
> >>
> >>Joseph
> >>
> >>On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 09:33:15AM -0700, Gloria Whipple wrote:
> >>>James,
> >>>
> >>>Thanks for explaining what I wanted to say about this subject.
> >>>
> >>>I am glad someone is on my side!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>Gloria Whipple
> >>>Corresponding Secretary
> >>>Inland Empire chapter
> >>>nfb of WA
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>nfb-talk mailing list
> >>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> >>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> >>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> >>nfb-talk:
> >>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/ladygloria%40web
>ba
> >>nd.com
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>nfb-talk mailing list
> >>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> >>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> >>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> >>for nfb-talk:
> >>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/john%40johnheim.
>net
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >nfb-talk mailing list
> >nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> >http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> >To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>nfb-talk:
> >http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/carter.tjoseph%40
>gmail.com
>
>_______________________________________________
>nfb-talk mailing list
>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>nfb-talk:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/ladygloria%40webba
>nd.com
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>nfb-talk mailing list
>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>for nfb-talk:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/satin-bear%40sbcglobal.net