[nfbmi-talk] blind kids and civics

[Terry D. Eagle]

I too grew up with similar civic values, as inspired by JFK, LBJ, and the
likes of Sen. Humphrey and Rep. O'Neal.  It was that inspiration that lead
me to serve as a Peace Corp volunteer in Guatemala upon graduation from
college.  My greatest civic service hero, however, was my mom, who just
happened to be blind, and she demonstrated the civic values I learned, from
her practice of those values through imvolvement and holding office in PTA,
PTSA, and other civic activities, like teaching students about blindness and
vraille.  I have strived to pass along such civic values through my
involvement in a long list of community activities.  I still chuckle when
Mark, in his civic and political activities, he is  asked if I am related to
him, or people tell mark that they rememver him as a child, from the days
gone by, when I did civic activities.

As some people know, I am very about the future of our youth, and the future
quality of life of our nation and organization, if we do not discover a way
to engage our youth in the values of civic service as a duty of simply being
an American, and showing appreciation for that honor, by giving something in
return for such a blessing, rather than exhibiting entitlement, or being a
victim of whatever they choose is beneficial to only themselves
individually.  It really concerns and saddens me when the only close
relationship they really have is with their 24/7 relationship with their
electronic devices, whatever that is this week, and their form of sharing
with the world outside themselves, is to unload on social media how lousy
the world is today, and what a victim they are of the world.  I can only
hope and pray that the youth, collectively as a segment of society, learn
the lesson I learned early in life:  One need look around and observe to
realize that as an individual, there are many many people worse off than
self, and in need of a hand-up, a word of encourage and smile, and a helping
hand to get to the next day, week, or hour perhaps.

I still tell people who believe life in this country is so bad, and only
manage to complain of their situation, that either they need to go live in a
country like Guatemala, or switch places with a person in pure poverty in a
foreign land, and then observe and evaluate how horrible their life is in
these United States called America, and whether they wish to become a
citizen other  than an American!  In many countries they could not
communicate their conclusion through any electronic device in which they are
in a relationship!  

God bless America and our youth.


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
harcz Comcast
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 6:52 PM
To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] blind kids and civics

I grew up as a moderately visually impaired person having RP. But back in
the sixties we did have a sense of public service, mostly from the likes of
JFK as being a goodly thing and something that all of us no matter how small
in the eyes of corporations or big government cared about. We also simply
cared as a civic duty about each other. Moreover, we were taught in both
private school and public school basic tenants of our democratic-republic
and the rights of citizens under our Constitution.


We were taught basic principles like the necessary checks and balances of a
government that is made up of a legislature, executive and judiciary. Some
of us also learned about the "Fourth Estate" which is and was the media to
be a watchdog for all of our rights and to be a source of information to
make these entities accountable.


Now these simple things were fought for in our American Revolution and
fought for again in our second revolution which some call the civil war.

For blind and otherwise disabled people these things were implicit and
explicit in principle especially in the writings of Jacobus Tenbroek who was
and is a lion of civil and human rights and not just for the blind but all
of us.


Facts are that our children, including those who are blind are not versed
let alone properly instructed in the basics of our legislative and related
processes.


Part of what I do is to educate each and all of us in these fundamentals
which apply to all of us as citizens.

We, who are blind are not children of alessor God, and nor are we children
of lessor laws, or rule of law.


At least we are not so in the basic principles of good governance I was
taught years ago.

But our rights as citizens, let alone as blind people have been perveted by
the likes of Arwood, Zimmer, Rodgers and, yes Snyder.


Some of us call ourselves Republicans. Some say we are Democrats. Still
others don't affiliate with either for they are disfunctional and/or
corrupt.

But a basic thing that does apply is public activism and that applies to we
who are blind.


It disturbs me greatly that our youth are not taught the basics of civic
involvement. And that certainly includes our youth who happen to be blind.


We need to demand more of our youth. But, not in a vacuum. We need to demand
that at least basics of civics are taught to our blind kids.


This is so that they and we and all of us are included in our
democratic-republic. For we regardless as to disability are supposed to be
full citizens in this, sad and messy thing we call again a
democratic-republic.


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