[nfb-talk] Here he comes...

John Heim john at johnheim.com
Sun Jan 22 01:24:16 UTC 2017


Everybody believes in education for all and jobs for all. That's like 
saying you are for world peace and ending hunger.


On 01/20/2017 10:02 PM, josh lester via nfb-talk wrote:
> 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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>>
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>
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