why I'm p*ssed off about Palin's insult about community service

[radfringe]

I'm 53 yrs old, more than half of my resume includes working for community organizations

this means over 20 years of experience means nothing. Working with mentally retarded (including Down's Syndrome), mentally ill and physically disabled adults means squat

volunteering at homeless shelters means nothing
volunteering with a local greyhound rescue group means nothing
volunteering at fundraisers for women shelter groups means nothing
donating blood at a Red Cross blood drive means nothing
sending in donations for 9-11 victims, katrina victims and other charities means nothing
donating my time and talents to a local group called "valley with a heart" which raises money to help families hit with catastrophic medical bills means nothing

she just didn't spit on Obama's experience as a community organizer - she spit on each and everyone of us that has ever reached out a hand to help someone



McCain-Palin - Snuffing out a thousand points of light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dualGBF7zJE

[Curtland1015]

1. Because to Repugs, helping the less fortunate is a joke.

"You actually spend your free time HELPING PEOPLE!? HAW HAW HAW! What a dope!"

Hilarious, ain't it?

[Contrary1]

2. And it looks like they are either too stupid or too arrogant (most likely both)

to admit they have screwed up. Golly gee, this made them laugh and cheer, Let's add it to the 9/11 script!!11!!!!11!!

Many Republics are ignorant of the fact that they have been slammed too.

[radfringe]

3. and the churches that make up the religious right

have failed to grasp that they too have been spat up

whether or not you agree with a particular religious doctrine - many churches provide community services in one form or another

[yellowdogintexas]

5. that is so true! My liberal church is all over the place on community organizing

but they partner with any group that is working toward the same goal. I tend to forget we are not the only group in our city that is out there making a difference every day.

isn't Presbyterian Night Shelter community organizing
isn't Salvation Army Shelter?
Habitat for Humanity?
Red Cross?
the tens of thousands of church mission trips that criss cross this nation every year ?
Appalachian Service Project?
Big Brothers and Sisters ?
United Methodist Women?
Meals on Wheels?
United Way (say what you will about their various CEO scandals, they do a lot of good!)
Churches all over Tarrant County have joined up with the FWISD to adopt schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods ..to tutor children, assist teachers, provide after school care. Our church adopted a school near our downtown location ..and we ARE making a difference, one kid at a time

United Community Centers?

every community of any size has a group or two that is local in scope that is extending that helping hand.

Rudy Guliani and Sarah Palin essentially slapped the face of every selfless volunteer worker in the country

[tavalon]

26. Every one of these stupid ideas of theirs is another nail in the coffin

[Cougar]

4. I'm throwing my hat in the ring for VP

If living "near Russia" qualifies Palin in the area of foreign policy, then my marriage to a middle easterner makes me an expert. :think:

[yellowdogintexas]

6. my daughter just went to work for a Jordanian couple, guess that qualifies her

too.

And long years ago I worked for a woman from Pakistan. I could be President,if that is the qualification. We loved one another dearly but had many heated discussions about the Middle East and such...and this was before Fundamentalist Islam reared its ugly head. I learned a lot about her part of the world.

Ali Bhutto was still PM of Pakistan and Pakistan was considered a fairly moderate place.

She was one of four daughters and their parents sent them to Catholic schools in Pakistan because that was the best education available. If you had any money at all you sent your daughters to Catholic Schools or some other similar private education so they could be smart, and succeed...

They were all successful in different ways. Eventually all of them, including the parents, ended up in London except my friend who lives in Tennessee.

[scarface2004]

7. with palin, community organzier is code for....

uppity nigger don t ya know.

[Kazak]

10. Well, that's even worse then!

:puke:

[radfringe]

8. why this issue MATTERS

Community Service is something all americans participate in and benefit from

from churches to volunteer fire departments - these are community organizations

blood drives, fund raisers for schools, dropping change in a donation can at your local store, sending money to a charity, dropping off clothing at a salvation army box

if you've done any of this in any form - YOU have participating in a community organization

Community organizations are the heart of any community, be it a small neighborhood, a small town, or a city block

in one way or another we have all participated in and benefited from community organizations

write letters to the editor, call/contact your senators, representative, governors, mayors - tell them the repubs should apologize

[radfringe]

9. my LTTE

the follow was also sent to my senators/representatives (state and fed) and governor rendell

On Wednesday night, Governor Palin stood before the Republican convention and belittled Sen. Obama's work as a community organizer. She is repeating this insult in other appearances and it's being echoed by other Republican campaign surrogates.

Many vital services are provided by community organizations and volunteers. Are we to now believe this work is of no consequence, that it is something to be used only as a political tool? The Republicans postponed their convention, presumably to provide community service – was their intention really to provide “service” or was it just another political opportunity for a photo op?

That Senator McCain, Governor Palin and others in the echo chamber are unable to see their own hypocrisy is mind boggling. They will take full advantage to parade volunteers and community workers on their stage when it suits them, and insult them if when it’s politically advantageous.

Community workers, volunteers from those who work with animal rescue groups to our volunteer fire departments, from the leaders of our Girl and Boy Scout troops to church groups, from homeless shelter workers to the meals-on-wheels volunteers, from the volunteers who adopt a highway to our first responders – these volunteers, these community workers all deserve an apology.

[Subdivisions]

11. Yeah, but did you have actual responsibilities?

:sarcasm:

[radfringe]

13. know it's sarcasm... but yes

alot more than a hockey mom screaming out for blood in the stands

[Subdivisions]

18. The day after Palin's RNC address, I called around to a few

community origanizations around the midwest and none were happy with her comments, re: community organizers, and all felt disrespected by her. Party not withstanding.

[salin]

12. Yet they don't want to fund such things - ergo - it should be funded

via charity - and work should be volunteer rather than govt funded.

Now they are admitting even that isn't what they believe - they believe that those in need should be left in need.

[JVS]

14. Then volunteer to get democrats to the polls, and don't volunteer to get likely repub voters to vote

[samsingh]

15. we're all pissed

[DemoRabbit]

16. 9/11

Do you know how many voluteers and community organizers help out in HUGE ways during and in the aftermath of 9/11. Not only should Palin be ashamed of herself, but Guiliani too.

I am DISGUSTED at the belittling going on.

[tblue37]

17. Good line-- I hope Obama's campaign makes ads with it:

"McCain-Palin - Snuffing out a thousand points of light"

[C_U_L8R]

19. Jesus would have done a spit take

at Palin's hateful screed ...wine out the nostrils, ouch!!

[lonestarnot]

20. Ohs nos not the thousand points of light! First to go! Can't have community service in

the new fascist regime should they pull it off with a cheat which has begun in Virgineee!

[Nikia]

21. Community service is vital

Especially when there is so much need that isn't funded by the government. Traditionally conservatives/Republicans, have said that social funding isn't necessary/desireable because it should be funded by charity and people should volunteer. In the past, some of these people really believed in that and did give a great deal of time and money to such organizations and encouraged others to do the same. Some continue to do so, but it is disturbing that a Republican vice presidential candidate would undermind this publically.

[radfringe]

22. some numbers regarding community organizations-volunteers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3941371

[krabigirl]

23. She and her speechwriter are horrible, selfish people. I couldn't imagine writing that speech.

You have done great work - don't listen to those lame-brains.

[Dukkha]

24. the only community service repukes do is court ordered

after getting caught in one of their many many scandals

[radfringe]

25. kick

[earth mom]

27. Fundie nutjobs hate community service because they want the government to PAY THEM to do it.

It's ALL about the money for them. And they are working overtime trying to get the government to give OUR TAXPAYER MONEY to their disgusting fundie churches so they have plenty of money they didn't earn and don't deserve so they can set about not helping people but converting them.

FUCK THE FUNDIES! :puke:

[dansolo]

28. What about the cleanup volunteers after 9/11?

People from around the country came to help after the attacks on 9/11. Wasn't that a huge example of community organizing?

[nancyharris]

29. Keep your shorts on...

Palin didn't say anything about "community service".

[radfringe]

30. shorts are on

without community activists there would be no community organizations and no community service

so while my shorts are on, so are my combat boots

[davsand]

34. Just what you want to do in any campaign--PISS OFF the organizers.

The insanity of Palin going out front and deliberately pissing on the organizers just takes my breath away, still. Makes zero sense to go after the ONE group of people that are guaranteed to come after you (and do it well!)


:shrug:


Laura

[radfringe]

31. kick

[cap]

32. Obama's community service was with a Catholic organization

please let your fellow Catholics know this. I wonder how Palin-McCain are planning to privatize the government into faith based initiatives without community organizers that staff them.

[radfringe]

33. one more kick

[crickets]

35. "McCain-Palin - Snuffing out a thousand points of light."

Oh, I like that. It's catchy and turns Repub rhetoric right back on them. :thumbsup:

she spit on each and everyone of us that has ever reached out a hand to help someone

You got that right. Insulting community service organizations was disrespectful in the extreme.

It was also really stupid. The more government programs are cut, particularly during a bad economy, the more people have to depend on help from community service resources. The convention crowd may have gotten a cheap laugh out of it, but Joe and Jane Public are not laughing. That cheap shot is backfiring on Palin, as it should. Big time.