Forum warrior --> Activist

[Ananda]

Have any of you who are so passionate about your beliefs gone into politics in any way to do something about how you feel? I think Danlo did? Anyone else?

If so, what do you do and how does it differ from your experiences posting about your thoughts on the internet? (reality meets your ideals sort of thing)

[SoulBiter]

Here is my issue with going into politics. I have no desire to have reporters, investigators, and curious people, going through my life as if it should be an open book to the public. Unless you have a squeaky clean background (and very thick skin), forget trying to get elected to any office. The media will take every thing you have ever done and some that might not even be true, and use it to spin you as not being appropriate to hold that office.

[Cail]

Here is my issue with going into politics. I have no desire to have reporters, investigators, and curious people, going through my life as if it should be an open book to the public. Unless you have a squeaky clean background (and very thick skin), forget trying to get elected to any office. The media will take every thing you have ever done and some that might not even be true, and use it to spin you as not being appropriate to hold that office.

This.

I've done quite a bit of volunteer work for various candidates over the years.

[Orlion]

Is this the new "if you don't vote/are not a citizen of country X, you have no right to complain/criticize"?

I strive to be a "roll with the punches" kind of guy. But to do that, I need to understand what's going on around me. There are a lot of ideas out there, and the explanations for things going on are normally not in the open.

I'm just trying to find out what the terrain is so I can navigate it.

[Ananda]

Is this the new "if you don't vote/are not a citizen of country X, you have no right to complain/criticize"?

I strive to be a "roll with the punches" kind of guy. But to do that, I need to understand what's going on around me. There are a lot of ideas out there, and the explanations for things going on are normally not in the open.

I'm just trying to find out what the terrain is so I can navigate it.

What? Not sure I understand the question.

If you're asking if I am trying to negate people's opinions if they don't go out and do something about them, then no. I was curious how many people did go do something and, if so, how the ideals they walked in with did versus reality and having to deal with other people in a real time/reality based situation.

[Vraith]

Yea, by the time any political position crossed my mind I'd done too many things that would be an absolute bar to office if anyone found out. And all anyone does anymore is try to find out "bad" shit.
I'd very likely suck at it anyway for several reasons.
But I've been involved in other ways...registration and vote-drive things the most. And quite a lot with Vets when I was in LA. There was a huge problem with homeless vets there at the time. That seems an issue that's making a comeback. War is good for spurring homelessness it seems.
Only time I've worked on behalf of a particular candidate was a local school board election in a small-ish town. [less than 10k].

[Savor Dam]

I first testified to the legislature in 1977 and worked my first statewide political campaign in 1980. Have not been consistently active over the years, but I have been a precinct, district, and county delegate for the last few national cycles.

[Orlion]

Is this the new "if you don't vote/are not a citizen of country X, you have no right to complain/criticize"?

I strive to be a "roll with the punches" kind of guy. But to do that, I need to understand what's going on around me. There are a lot of ideas out there, and the explanations for things going on are normally not in the open.

I'm just trying to find out what the terrain is so I can navigate it.

What? Not sure I understand the question.

If you're asking if I am trying to negate people's opinions if they don't go out and do something about them, then no. I was curious how many people did go do something and, if so, how the ideals they walked in with did versus reality and having to deal with other people in a real time/reality based situation.

Just making sure

[lorin]

The last candidate I worked for directly is Bill Bradley back in the day. He was the last candidate I felt was worth my time.

I focus my charitable time on working for food banks for the poor, food coops for everyone, and on-call nonpartisan disaster relief work. I also volunteer in non-kill animal shelters.

[Ananda]

I first testified to the legislature in 1977 and worked my first statewide political campaign in 1980. Have not been consistently active over the years, but I have been a precinct, district, and county delegate for the last few national cycles.

What does a delegate do?

[Avatar]

Nah, but give me 10 or 20 years.

--A

[sgt.null]

when I was 16 I worked for the Mondale presidential campaign. I also worked for a anti-nuclear group back then. going door to door.

I still believe Mondale was a good man, but I disagree with his politics now. I am still against nuclear power plants.

I have done some volunteer work for local politicians (one judge and one city councilman) since moving to Texas.

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

I have done some campaign work for judicial candidates. Unfortunately all of them have lost.

[Ananda]

The last candidate I worked for directly is Bill Bradley back in the day. He was the last candidate I felt was worth my time.

I focus my charitable time on working for food banks for the poor, food coops for everyone, and on-call nonpartisan disaster relief work. I also volunteer in non-kill animal shelters.

That is really cool, lorin. I used to do animal help work, too.

Vraith,

What sort of work did you do with the homeless veterans? What is going on that so many become in that situation?

[Vraith]

Vraith,

What sort of work did you do with the homeless veterans? What is going on that so many become in that situation?

A lot of different things from serving food at shelters, to cloth donation collections, to documentation/paperwork, mostly VA-connected. Cuz I'm a vet, I was "in the system" so to speak.

At the time, it was almost entirely Vietnam vets. A smattering of Korean, and I recall one guy from WW2.

Vietnam vets had some issues that previous and current vets didn't/don't.
But some things are the same. And it's complicated...no one knows everything...or even much of anything...for sure.
Some things I think matter, in no particular order:
The military sucks at recognizing people who might have issues at point of entry, doesn't deal with those issues [if they even recognize them] while people are in service, and if they are recognized ignores them [and sometimes actively harms them] when they are released.

Also, much of what one can learn from military service is convertible to civilian occupation, but not directly transferable. [I'm speaking both of social/cultural issues and skills]. But it takes work/time/knowledge.
The transition is hard, even if it was peace-time and short-term service.
We train people going in...it is necessary. Cuz life is just different even if you never have to shoot at anyone, or see someone blown up. If you do, things change even more. The prep isn't really sufficient.
The shock of exiting, believe it or not, is just as hard for many. But we don't train people going out. [a fair number of things are theoretically available, but they might as well be mythical in fact].
[[For some folk, interestingly, these shocks and the fact of transitions and social adaptations are just what they needed. It makes them better. It's an ugly way to have to learn that, though]].

And there isn't even a good way to identify who might struggle and who will be fine. Some guesses can be made, and the truth is most will be just fine eventually.
[[this is a different issue than one previous...where they KNOW someone has problems cuz they are "symptomatic" and they cut them loose and cut them off]]

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Interesting, Vraith.

[Ananda]

Vraith,

Is the homelessness typically because they choose it due to not fitting in or because they don't fit in and therefore become homeless due to lack of resources (t.ex being able to have a jobb or a social fund that can support them)?

[Vraith]

Vraith,

Is the homelessness typically because they choose it due to not fitting in or because they don't fit in and therefore become homeless due to lack of resources (t.ex being able to have a jobb or a social fund that can support them)?

I don't know the answer to that. I can't tell if it's cause/effect one way, cause/effect the other way...because it's so tangled when you hear enough stories.
And not only do I not know, I don't think anyone does.
The second is more common by a bit. My personal experience, it took me quite a while before I could do a reasonable imitation of a civilian, and a lot longer before I mostly felt like I wasn't faking it.

But I suspect that neither is the cause...they feed each other once in place, they're contributing factors, but the root cause is something, or a combination of several somethings, else. And those things tend to be individual. Like depression or cancer: taken as a whole, there are similarities. But the particulars of cause/effect, and the specific strategies/treatments for the sufferers have to be custom fit or they fail.
And, like those diseases, it is a shitload cheaper and more effective if you prevent it in the first place, or catch it early.

And, like those illnesses, sometimes they fail no matter what.
But more often around this country they fail because they don't exist.

[Ananda]

Vraith,

If it is something that you are comfortable talking about, I'd love to hear your story about how you did an imitation of a civilian and felt like you were faking it.

[Vraith]

Vraith,

If it is something that you are comfortable talking about, I'd love to hear your story about how you did an imitation of a civilian and felt like you were faking it.

I thought about it. I'm not really, in detail. Too many words, too much info.
One thing, at the risk of making it seem trivial...but may make the point.

There's this really funny thing that happened while I was stationed in Germany...quite long in the telling in its own right. Part of the story...a small part, but essential, sets up the punch-line...involves a politically-incorrectly designated hat [a cunt-cap] that is scorched and in its place because the guys car blew up on a base, and a bunch of us that got minor cuts from flying glass.
[[half a dozen at least of my "army stories" involve that kind of cap for one reason or another...how can they not? We're a bunch of late-teen/early 20's males who have a thing called a cunt-cap as part of our daily lives. Military vocab of the day...I assume still relevant: a hat isn't a hat. Cap, headgear, or "cover" may apply. But not hat. Your weapon is a weapon...it is NEVER a gun. Your "gun" is your penis. That one may be gone nowadays...there are a lot more women now. And it is probably verboten for a drill seargent to drag a woman trainee to the front of formation and shout to the company "This private has a GUN! So which of you sorry ass GI's is MISSING his?"]].

Anyway...so I'm telling this funny story to all my old friends shortly after I got out. They're all looking at me strangely, and then they don't laugh, and then they want to know what happened to the guy in the car.
I'm all "he's fine...but, don't you get it? The hat, all those months later..."
Now...after that first time, I came up with a version of the story that alters the creation and placement of the scorched hat for civilians. And usually I tell it as if it happened to "this guy I knew."
But if I tell it to military people, I have to tell it the original way...or they don't think it's worth telling.
See...that might seem a little thing. And in isolation, or occasionally, it probably would be. But for a long time, in most situations, basically 24/7, to avoid strange looks and/or peeps missing the point, I had to talk about things not-quite-as-they-were, and one step removed from being me.

[[I'd put the story itself, despite length...which I'm perfectly comfortable telling nowadays...up around here somewhere...maybe in both forms...except I've come up with a fictionalized version that's integral to something I hope to someday publish]]