[AAACE-NLA] "Lobbying'' as euphemism

Sat Jul 5 11:33:22 EDT 2003

Hello Eileen:

About adding "citizen" or "teacher" after my name--I can only
speak for myself.  I added these because it seems to me that
the whole notion of "We The People" and the Bill of Rights
is being challenged in a way that it hasn't been since the
McCarthy era.   We on this list are a line of defense standing
just behind The People who have their jobs connected with the
government and who have had their livelihoods threatened.

Mussolini described fascism as the wedding of corporation and
government.   We are closer to it than some seem to think.  There
is nothing that stands between democracy and fascism-tyranny
besides the laws that guarantee "The People" our voice, and our
voices themselves.   When the laws are transgressed, and when
The People do not speak up in the name of citizenship and the
professions that are supposed to support the whole idea of
freedom of thought, the brute power of the state is left, sitting there,
waiting to come to be used by the political power that happens to
be at the helm.   I shudder to think.

The Patriot Act made the Bill of Rights conditional rather than
guaranteed; and in so doing, it came over the wall, as it were, that
stands between ideology, brute power and the "guaranteed"
power of We The People.  Citizens, teachers, librarians as well
as non-citizens are the victims of such movements.  But truth is
the biggest victim because it cannot emerge when people
cannot think and speak as they will without fear.   We have only
experienced a little of this loss, and many, it seems, do not
recognize the importance of what is happening; but the principle
has already been broken, and that's like opening the floodgates
where there may be many small cures, and small battles may
be won, but the disease has still been let loose and the war may
already be lost.

This is a small battle in a big war--but anyone who is not a citizen
should be glad that we are standing on this line and speaking up
in the name of citizenship.  It is not We who are the problem.

Regards,

Catherine King
Citizen (It doesn't go without saying any more)

----- Original Message -----
From: Eileen Eckert <eileeneckert at hotmail.com>
To: <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 6:34 AM
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] "Lobbying'' as euphemism

> This is not meant as criticism, but as something to think about. I am
> bothered by the sudden proliferation of descriptors after people's names:
> teacher, veteran, citizen, etc. Michael started it on the aalpd yesterday
> with his description of his qualifcations to speak and others have picked
it
> up, but please think about it. When you add "citizen" after your name, the
> implication is that your citizenship is what gives you the right or
> authority to speak. The Constitution confers certain rights on every
person
> on U.S. soil, not only citizens. Given the current assaults on legal
rights
> and protections of non-citizens in the U.S., I ask people to consider
> whether adding the descriptor "citizen" after your name contributes
> to the targeting of non-citizens. Thanks.
>
> Eileen
>
>
> From: "George E. Demetrion" <sophocles5 at juno.com>
> Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by
> AAACE<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] "Lobbying'' as euphemism
> Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 10:46:35 -0700
>
> It would seem that at the least we would want some exact definition on
> how lobbying is being defined and on whether that is being defined by a
> narrow or expansive definition of, I presume, the Hatch Act, which
> related "lobbying" specifically to congressional, and I presume,
> Presidential campaigns rather that to the status of specific legislation.
>   The broader intent and the politics behind such interpretation is also
> important.  However, as a simple point of clarification, it is important
> to have a detailed and explicit definition of what law and what statues
> in the law are being applied to NIFL postings, on what bases, and on
> whether there alternative legal analysis has been sought and whether it
> is available.
>
> The Fourth of July is a good symbolic day to raise these issues as part
> of a broader effort to get at the politics which may be behind these
> legal rationales.
>
> George Demetrion
> Citizen
>
>
> On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 07:32:21 -0400 kmccook at tampabay.rr.com writes:
>  >Hey! Happy Independence Day.
>  >===============
>  >The problem in the new NIFL posting rules is the use of the
>  >word, "lobbying," which seems to be a euphemism for any
>  >discussion of current issues that are not favorable to those in
>  >governmental power.
>  >The chill created by such rules is guaranteed to cause those
>  >posting to self-regulate. Down the road those joining will not
>  >know what is no longer shared and will not expect more than
>  >cheery 'how we do it good' messages. Welcome to Stepford.
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