[nfb-talk] Here he comes...

Steve Jacobson steve.jacobson at visi.com
Sat Jan 21 14:05:40 UTC 2017


There are many of us in the Federation who have strong feelings both in favor of and otherwise regarding the new president.  As individuals, we may take whatever action we feel we need to take that is consistent with our beliefs.  As an organization, though, it is our job to figure out how best to achieve our goals given where we are now, not where we wish we were.  I am reminded of the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  He was a different kind of candidate than some would see President Trump, but he made some efforts to cut back dramatically the funding of rehabilitation at that time and to remove regulations and leave more to the states.  We steered a careful course then to not just oppose everything he said because having some credibility with his administration was useful.  At some points, I remember we used the notion that we were the only group of disabled people who did not condemn and deplore his actions.  I will add that some of us felt that we didn't get much of a reward for our stand but that's another story.  The main point is that we were able to have an effect.  We simply have to pull together and do the same thing now.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson


-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of josh lester via nfb-talk
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2017 10:03 PM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: josh lester <jlestermusic at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Here he comes...

Actually, he believes in education for all, and jobs for all.
He was asked at a campaign event by someone in our group about the
Fair Wages Bill, and he vowed to sign it.
Let's wait and see.

On 1/20/17, Jen via nfb-talk <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Ray,
>
> I agree with your post that the National Federation of the Blind belongs to
> all blind and sighted people who support civil rts for the blind, no matter
> what your political leaning is. Personally, I don't consider myself as a
> liberal or conservative. I feel I am a progressive.
>
> Yes, we need to work together. To add to that, I think President Trump
> presents a huge challenge for us in the blindness community to resist his
> policies (and Betsy Devos' would-be policies) and get our voices heard. But
> I think this can be an opportunity for us instead of an obstacle, if we use
> it that way.
>
> I'm also curious to see the resolutions the Federation comes up with during
> the Trump administration and how we can support our cause in the Trump
> climate.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ray Foret
> jr via nfb-talk
> Sent: Friday, January 20, 2017 10:07 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Ray Foret jr <rforet7706 at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Here he comes...
>
> Okay.  You really want my thoughts?  Make sure you do.
>
> In the first place, I’d remind us all here that technically, the federation
> cannot support either the right or the left.  The reason is that our 501C3
> status strictly forbids it:  however, there is another more practical
> reason.  We in the federation have always prided ourselves on being a cross
> section of society.  Meaning, (in this context) that among our membership,
> we count both liberals and conservatives and other folks who couldn’t care
> less about that sort of thing.  IF the leadership of the federation
> supported only the left, it would completely alienate those on the right:
> likewise, if the federation supported only those on the right, it would just
> as completely alienate those on the left.  We CAN, NOT, afford to have
> either happen.  To tolerate such a thing would I think have extremely
> serious consequences for the movement and might perhaps result in
> irreparable devision:  not a good thing at all.
>
> 	Now, having set the stage, let me go further.  Just because the above facts
> are true, it is NOT true to say that the federation dictates to its members
> what to think and say nor how to act politically.  The leadership is (I
> firmly believe) perfectly aware that some individual members of the
> federation will be liberals and that they will, (within the context of their
> constitutionally granted freedom) speak and  act in defense of their
> liberalism.  They will, (as a matter of human reality) culler their
> interpretation of federationism with the liberalism which they bring to it:
> which, I should like to point out, is their constitutional right.  Likewise,
> conservative federationists will (within the bounds of our constitutionally
> granted freedom) speak and act in defense of our concervitism and will:  in
> the same way, color our interpretation of federationism with the
> conservatism which we bring to it.  By which last remark, you will have
> gather that I myself am a conservative federationist.  Now.  Just in case
> anybody out there is asking themselves (albeit privately) how can somebody
> like me dare to call myself a legitimate federationist and be conservative?
> Or, to put it another way, How can I call myself a legitimate conservative
> and be a federationist?  I answer both questions the same.  I start by
> offering my understanding of federationism and both what it is and what it
> is not.
>
> 	Let me start by saying this.  My politicks does not inform my belief or my
> faith.  It’s my catholic faith that informs my politics.  This means, among
> other things, that I may not always fall in line with my fellow
> conservatives on some issues.  So, that said, here’s how I see things.
>
> 	In my view, the National Federation of the Blind is meant to function
> principally as a repository of faith among fellow blind human beings to
> which any blind person can turn both for help and instruction in how to get
> done those things in his/her life which need to be done.  A belief in one’s
> self is of the utmost importance in this matter.  The Federation gives you
> the tools you need to be independent:  however, it cannot pick up your cane
> and walk for you.  This you must do yourself.  Yes, sometimes we have to
> regulate, sometimes we have to pass laws saying you cannot do this or that
> to the blind.  We do this only when pursuation of every sort and after every
> effort has failed.  In other words, use a feather when you can, and a hammer
> only when you MUST.  The federation, then, is not meant to look after
> anybody.  It is not the job of the federation to magically make life better
> for any blind person.  Rather, it is the job of the federation to aid the
> would be beneficiary of the life betterment to get that themselves.
> 	Now, we come to President Trump.  I may be the temptation of some liberal
> federationists to maintain that now all is surely lost.  With one such as
> President Trump in power, the Federation must spend its time whining for the
> left to return to power and assume, (very naively) that our new president
> cannot be persuaded to support the federation simply because he’s not a
> leftist.  To such individuals, (if any) I ask you to honestly consider this
> question.  Is it the job of President Trup or the federation to magically
> make life better for you by regulating everything and you just benefit from
> it?  Are you that disillusioned with the normal way of life that you would
> stoop to having such a low opinion of conservative federationists that you,
> (even if only privately to yourselves) dare to say that my kind are not
> legitimate federationsts and that therefore, the federation is your domain
> only and no others hav a right to tread there?  If so, you have a very
> different understanding of Federationism than I do.  Now, to my fellow
> conservative federationists.  I challenge us to be just as honest.  Have we
> so sunk ourselves in the mud of recent politics that we dare to say that
> liberal federationists had just damn well better accept the plain fact that
> our kind won and their kind lost and so just get a Kleenex and deal with it?
>  IF that’s the way we act, what kind of federationists are we?  Look, we
> cannot afford to let ourselves sink in to the mud like this.  What is
> obvious to me is that we’d better work together to solve the problems with
> which we find ourselves confronted or we really will go backwards.
>
> You cannot pursuade a concervative politition with leftist arguments and you
> cannot pursuade a leftist politition with concervative arguments.  Now that
> concervitives have taken power, I firmly believe it is the duty of
> concervitave federationists to explain how we think, why we think the way we
> do and how this can be used to better pursuade our fellows in the political
> world to come on board with us.
>
>
> Sent from my Mac, The Only computer with full accessibility for the blind
> built-in
>
> Sincerely, The Constantly Barefooted Ray,
>
> Still a very happy Comcast XFinity Voice Guidance, Mac, Verizon Wireless
> iPhone7+ and Apple TV user!
>
>> On Jan 20, 2017, at 8:16 PM, Jen via nfb-talk <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> President Trump, that is.
>>
>> I'm sending this message to both lists because I'm in a weird surveying
>> mood
>> and want to get as many thoughts as positive, so I'm sorry if you get
>> duplicates.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on his presidency as blind people?
>>
>> On "Blind Talk," I was reading about the "Aim High" law, and I respect
>> that.
>> But I don't think Betsy DeVos will ensure accessability gfor blind
>> students
>> unless she is really pushed to do so.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on the inauguration if you watched / listened to
>> it?
>> I watched a lot of the inauguration today. Strangely, I'm addicted to the
>> "oath of office" part of every inauguration; I don't know why. When Trump
>> and Pence took their turns, I almost held my breath because I was afraid
>> they would screw it up, and I was so relieved they didn't!
>>
>> I didn't like Trump's inaugural speech that much because it was stuff
>> regurgiated right from the campaign trail. Plus, the news anchor covering
>> the inauguration said Trump was reading from a Teleprompter, and people
>> reading from Teleprompters have always sounded fake to me.
>>
>> But back to the bright side. In addition to the oaths of office being done
>> well, the national anthem was, too. I loved when Jackie hit the high note
>> at
>> the end and when they played "Hail to the Chief" after Trump's oath and
>> the
>> 21-gun salute. Nothing like new pictures for my mind's eye...
>>
>> How about you?
>>
>>
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-- 
Joshua Lester
Blessings to you in the name of Jesus Christ
"Then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized everyone of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," (Acts, 2:38.)

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