Primary Community Exercise
“Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
“If we shatter the chains of egotism, and melt into the ocean of humanity, we share its dignity. To feel that we are something apart is to set up a barrier ….. A drop in the ocean partakes of the greatness of its parent, although it is unconscious of it. But it dries up as soon as it enters upon an existence independent of the ocean.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Within every community -- from a university campus, to a rural village, to a big city -- there are groups of people who are going to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in their state’s presidential primary. Now, there are also people who will be supporting a republican, or some other candidate. And people who don’t vote. But today, I’d like to focus on the groups supporting Democratic candidates.
These two groups are largely self-identifying members of the Democratic Party. So that’s another layer of social identity, and one that we generally share. And it allows us, in the age of the internet, to participate within some newly-accessible communities. A good example of that, for me and many others, is the Democratic Underground.
The DU community is of value for several reasons. It can serve as a resource for information, including documented information. One can sharpen their debating skills here, if that’s their thing. You can make new friends, and some really good friends. And, at times, it offers much-needed support.
In October, 2014, an off-duty law enforcement officer, in an unprovoked fit of “road rage,” shot my cousin and his son. My cousin was seriously injured, and endured several surgeries. His son bled to death in his arms, in a gravel parking lot. People here offered me support, and more: as pre-trial hearings approached, this community made more calls, e-mails, and sent letters to both the DA and County Judge. It set a new record for contacts from the community in our county, by more than doubling the old record.
Next month, the trial begins. And I’ll do a daily report on it, on DU:GD. And that’s to thank everyone who helped my family and I. It was the DU community that did so, not the supporters of one candidate, etc.
So, I’m trying to think of something that might be interesting, even of potential value, that includes everyone, without any hostility towards other community members, or either of the candidates and their supporters. It still doesn’t mean everyone likes one another. But that, as community members, we all value some things.
Thus, I hope people will consider answering a few questions: name an issue that you find especially important; tell how you became interested or involved in this issue; and then tell us how you think your candidate might best deal with that issue. Everyone should be able to participate, and contribute something of value, without any need to insult anyone else.
An issue that I am concerned with is the environment. My interest in these issue can be traced, in large part, to some outstanding teachers that I had in grade school through college. I believe that among the many actions that Bernie Sanders will take to help protect the living environment, will be to include traditional Native American leaders in the national conversation. I am confident that the non-Indian public, in electing Sanders, has reached a point where the teachings of the Elders -- the Faith-Keepers, the Wisdom-Keepers, the Fire-Keepers, and the Clan Mothers -- has already started taking root. I think that we can again become a constitutional democracy.
Peace,
H2O Man
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