****I AM A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER****: Support Community Organizers!!

[everything-bolt-up]

Lets use this thread to collect ideas on how we can show our support for community organizers and the valuable work they do often times for little pay. I guess Social Work should now be removed as a degree progam - according to the GOP and Sarah Palin - it is not a profession

Community organizers and development workers are the best of America.

They help pregnant teenage girls who do not have rich families
They help in disasters areas when the government does not
They talk about AIDS and HIV
They provide help for the single parent home
They provide help for domestic abuse
They provide food for the hungry
They provide support to neglected veterans

I could on - but please add to this list and let us come up with ideas of how to show our support for community organizers.

For me - today I am going to get the following T-shirts printed today for my entire family:

- I AM A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
- MY MOM IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
- MY WIFE IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
- SOCIAL WORK IS A PROFESSION!

[RoccoR5955]

1. I have been a community organizer all of my adult life...

...this was a blatant attack on those of us who REALLY help people. This just goes to show that these people do not want to help anyone but themselves. They do not care about people in trouble. They want people to 'pull themselves up by their own bootstraps,' well what if they have no bootstraps?
They claim to be pro-life, but once that life is out of the womb, they want to control its reproductive rights, make sure that it worships THEIR god, make it cannon fodder, tax it to the extreme, and if it should commit a crime, they then want to terminate it. I ask you, how is this pro-life?
Community organizers are, in actuality, the pro-lifers, because they actually help lives in trouble survive!

[Liberalboy]

2. From one Social Worker to another...

Let's show Ms. Palin what happens when community organizers organize!

How dare she insult me like that.

[everything-bolt-up]

4. she just hit on the WRONG group!!

I have already called everyone in my office!! We are all getting T-shirts and we are seeking to link with other charities. Someone suggested a community organizer's rally all across America.

[Island Blue]

3. They change the lives of real Americans. Period.

Sarah Palin can kiss my ass.

[JawJaw]

5. To All Community Organisers:

How DARE the GOP slander you like this!

Thank YOU for your SERVICE to your Country.

I hope Palin regrets her choice of words very soon...something tells me you guys won't take this lying down!

[everything-bolt-up]

6. kick

[wildeyed]

7. Community organizers give a voice to people who have none.

It is hard work and long hours for sometimes little reward or recognition. But it needs to be done.

The way to show support for them is to volunteer for community events. Also, writing LTTEs to get their issues spotlighted is great.

[City of Mills]

8. Here's my favorite local community organization

United Teen Equality Center - Peace, Positivity, and Empowerment"

http://www.utec-lowell.org/

UTEC's mission is to be a "by teens, for teens" safe-haven for youth development and grassroots organizing. UTEC provides a safe and multicultural place of belonging emphasizing the holistic development of Lowell's young people, ages 13-23, particularly those most often overlooked and labeled as "at-risk." UTEC reaches out to these young people through intensive street outreach, builds upon their unique strengths within a youth development framework, and creates opportunities to best support them in becoming agents of social change and organizers in the community.

[Odin2005]

20. That place sounds cool! n/t.

[jhain]

9. ****I AM A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER****

I have been organizing and supporting groups of breastfeeding mothers throughout my community as they learn about parenting for over a 25 years.
Failin could use some of my support for her parenting.

[everything-bolt-up]

10. kick

[adamuu]

11. Community Organizers, for one thing, give troubled kids and alternative outlet

that they sometimes are not getting at home, due to divorce, distraction, or neglect.

They enrich childhood with specialized after-school and summer programs
They keep kids off drugs.
They give small meals to the homeless
They keep a lookout for crime in the neighborhood, and work with local police. (I'm not a big fan of "neighborhood watch", but i can't deny that it counts.)
They repair damaged parts of run-down neighborhoods

I mean... this list is endless.

Community Organizing is overall a good thing in our society.

[adamuu]

13. community organizing fights terrorism

terrorist movements end when they are folded into the political process

[H2O Man]

12. Nominated.

I have worked as a community organizer for decades. I'm writing an essay on the topic this morning, which I will post soon.

[betharina]

14. thank you for your service!

umm, the most telling quote i heard this morning on "morning crap" was chris matthews saying "republicans have not idea what they do" and then another person saying "don't they organize protests outside the gap?" how stupid are these people?
"Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies." David Plouffe

[everything-bolt-up]

15. To all community organizers

May I suggest that you raise this issue with your employers and in your various projects. Get your communities involved to say how they value your work, let's get talking and blast this nonsense. I will be penning an email to my bosses at HQ this morning and my branch will be demanding that they issue press releases. This is a damn disgrace. I cannot believe the GOP LAUGHED at this. Two speakers thought this was funny - it was the RUNNING THEME last night!!

THEY MOCKED US AND LAUGHED AT US!!!

I am making it clear that we demand a press release from my organisation and we are definitely taking a stand by getting the community to help us say - NO YOU DON'T!! HELL NO YOU DON'T!!

I have a PhD in Criminology - I could easily get a better paying job. And maybe in a few years I will - I am still young. BUt for now - there is NOTHING like seeing the difference my job makes to the life of a teenager who was lost, nothing like seeing a child turn from a possible life of crime and recognize that YES THEY CAN!!!

And they laughed at me? And they mocked me? Did that bitch snark at my profession? You bet I am am taking it to the streets! I am pushing for nationwide rally. THIS IS NOW INTENSELY PERSONAL. Not that it was not before - but now - now............IT'S ON!!

[wvbygod]

16. What is the typical income for this kind of profession?

I know that some organizers do it part time for free but what of those that do it for a living?
What are the lower and higher limits one can expect if they choose this profession?

TIA!

[calimary]

17. Damn straight!!! That rubbed me so EXTREMELY the wrong way:

Or, as I might have titled this: "Hey, sarah, BACK ATCHA, Baby-doll."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6922745

:grr:

[goclark]

18. PTA Presidents are Community Organizers

Many High School Principals could have a "community" of
2000 students , 4000 parents, 300 staff members etc.

Try being a School District Superintendent.

Head of the National Red Cross during Katrina?

What about Habitat for Humanity Organizing -- try that one on for size.


Many elementary schools have 1200 students in California, going to school on Year Round Schedules - try organizing that with Special Needs children, Gifted and Talented, wide range of issues involving parents and staff --- what would we do without their leadership.

The head "organizer" of the Olympics has a pretty big job.

What about Union Leaders and Hospital Administrators.

Ministers are community organizers.

The head of the Red Cross is a community organizer.

Community Organizers are the glue that holds people together.

Her speech writers are stupid and so is she.

[Odin2005]

19. If I was religious I would call you guys angels!

O8) O8) O8) O8) O8)

[goclark]

21. The President of the USA is a "Community Organizer" and OBAMA

is the best person for the job because he " has experience!"


:bounce:

[RedSpartan]

22. Some community organizers throughout history...

Oh, let me see... Martin Luther King, Gandhi, The Founding Fathers, Jesus of Nazareth. HA! What did they ever do? *scoff* Just a bunch of liberals! Palin has more executive experience than all of them put together!

[CitizenPatriot]

23. Ideas for press releases

FIrst of all, as someone who has participated all of my life in fund-raising drives for local shelters, homeless people, abused women, etc -- this is an OUTRAGE.

They cut all the social programs and then MOCK people who step in to the jobs the government has failed on.

What exactly do the Republicans do in office? WHAT do they DO? Why are we paying them? No government is their mantra, so what the fuck are we paying those high salaries for?

Here are a few of my ideas for writing PR pieces about this -- for whatever they are worth. I'm just spitballing here- throwing out catch phrases. I think it's important to stay on message about how we are the real americans! here goes nothing:

1)a "how dare they mock community service?" outrage piece This is my choice, because it takes back ownership of patriotism and writes a narrative for the Dems of being real americans. EG; Last night at the Republican convention, Sarah Palin mocked a great tradition of the American people; the American spirit which shows itself through community service, took fire last night at the GOP convention. Derisive dismissal of those commjunity service leaders brought hoots of laughter from the Republican attendees, which only brought into sharper focus their utter disregard for the average american. Sarah Palin cut funding for special needs and disabled people by 62% in her state of Alaska, and now she is making fun of the people who give their lives to the inspiring cause of community service. JFK said it best, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." community service leaders take that message to heart and walk their talk. And it's a good thing, too, since we the people obviously can't rely upon the "compassionate conservatives" to lift even one pinkie to help those in temporary need. Community service has always been an American Tradition, it is what this great nation is founded on. Why does Sarah Palin mock our great traditions?


2) a soft-pedaled piece (depending on your paper), where you use a story to capture people's hearts, and their minds will follow. If you can find a person who has benefited from your community organization, use their story to make the point about doing good work. A feel good piece that strokes your community's ego a bit by saying here's why this town is so great- look, we helped so and so and now they're doing great. And the end of the story -- Community Service is the American Dream at Work, when americans come together to help their fellow Americans brothers and sisters who need a hand. This is the American spirit, which was so sadly mocked and denigrated by Sarah Palin and the Republicans whose laughter clearly supported this anti-American notion.

If anyone who writes something will post it here, I'll take it to my local campaign HQ and friends to see if anyone can get it published here as well.

FIGHT these alien faux humans with every breath in our bodies!