U. S. Citizens Can Be Better Citizens

Governance With RCS: Michael Moore reminded me to pick a policy or issue, contact a Senator or Representative, and tell him, or her, what is on my mind.

He suggests that it works when you work it. He also suggests that it is best to politely say briefly and clearly exactly what it is that you want. Then to back up he person who supports you.

Ways to contact your representatives include the following:
For your Senator go right to senate.gov
For Representatives go to www.house.gov/write/rep/

* Regular mail: Write to: Office of the Senate, (name of your Senator), United States Senate, Washington DC, 20510
Or to Office of  Representative, (name of your Representative),  United States House of Representatives, Washington DC, 20515 

Call 202-224-3121 the US Capitol switchboard. Tell them your zip code and they will transfer you to the office of your Representative.

It is fair and right to make contacts at local levels such as your: state, county, city, district, etc.

Use the "Comments" section below to tell us of your experience. You can choose your comment to be anonymous if you wish. 



                                                                                RCS

Citizenship?

 Governance With RCS:It seems that there is a lot to learn about this citizenship business; for US it is active citizenship and self governance.
            

                If someone asks me how I use my school district I might say, "I don't go to school? That ask me how other people use it and I might answer, "Your guess is as good as mine."

                If that same bothersome person asks me if I'm interested in water, I might say that I sometimes drink it and often bathe bathe in it. The person may ask me where my water comes from. I might answer, "doesn't come from the lake? He might ask me how I use my water district and I may say, "What's a water district? 

                If that same person ask me if I vote, I might say yes. If he asks me how I use my electoral district, I might say, "Huh?"

                If I ask you what your favorite planks are, how would you answer me?

                Are we good citizens? What kind of citizenship are we practicing? What's citizenship?

                Does our electoral district do things with our votes?

                Who's in charge here?

 

 

 

                                        RCS 

 

Test Questions:

1. What's the difference between a salamander and a gerrymander? 

2. What is it that is being gerrymandered?

3.What is the purpose of an electoral district?

4. What is proportional voting?

5. What is semi-proportional voting?

Place answers, additional info, questions related to content in the "comments" section below.

          

           

Work is Changing for the Better: and it seems to be doing so faster. Call it a shift change

 Governance With RCS: Participatory management and ownership leads to a democratic workplace or business.             

     

 

Shift Change. There are companies, industries, banks, in which workers share ownership. There are co-ops too. They say it leads to a better working atmosphere and more worker security. Its been going on for a long time and now interest is rising again. Some are looking to Basque Country for inspiration. An important purpose of  worker owned companies seems to be stable work and jobs.

                                                                            RCS

A New Farm Bill. We are All Eaters.

   Governance With RCS: We are responsible for feeding ourselves. We Are Many; We Need Not Govern Alone

                 

                Federal bills may seem boring, incomprehensible, and unimportant. They do not have to be that and many are important. Some of them very important to us personally. 

                  Federal bills become national laws which we must live with, or work to change. We need to co-operate to get early information about bills and the changing of bills. Changing them may be more difficult than passing them.

                A new farm bill comes along every five years or so and I am yet to witness a national dialogue or debate on it. It not only affects our national debt, but also what we eat and how much our food costs. It may determine the price of rice in Vietnam and the price of corn in Mexico. It is our main strategy for feeding ourselves. We, as a people, have never taken the time to talk about it.

                Most of us, including our legislators, consider it boring, incomprehensible, and unimportant.

                We don't have to be this way. We can educate ourselves. We can create bills that are much easier to understand and we can talk over the issues and our policy. When e find the bills easier to understand we may find them more interesting. We may find ourselves giving our children a better chance of eating well.

                The farm bill is important. It is our farm bill. We could probably benefit by putting our agricultural policy in better alignment with our public health needs and our environmental needs. If we cared enough we could make it easier to feed our children fresh food. W could make sure that farmers, got fair prices and not distorting subsidies.

                When we are willing to talk with one another we can get the issues on the table where we can look them over.

                Among people who are not slaves, it seems important to expand the circle of citizens who decide how we shall get the food we need and want.

                "How am I," you ask, "to take care of our food supply?" You already know the answer to that question. The answer is, of course, that you cannot. We need to organize to do things for ourselves. We. we need to co-operate, to organize and to do the work that needs doing.

                We all need to eat.

 

 

                                                                                 RCS 

Abdication is Not Delegation

Governance With RCS: You have delegated the responsibility of educating your children to your local school board. You are responsible for the workings of your school board. That school board employs the teachers educating your children

Have you any questions? In case not, here are a few.
+ What does "abdication" mean?
+ How do you make sure that your school board is properly equipping your instructors and schools?
+ What do you consider proper?
+ How is your school board allocating your money?
+ How are the men and women on that board having teachers treat your children?
+ How are they treating those teachers?
+ What kind of school district auditing program are you running? 
+ Who reviews your audits?
+ Who is watching that hen house?
+ What level of transparency does your school board practice?
+ Who attends to school district accountability?
+ How is your board handling pensions? Lots of money there.
+ How do you get your information about your local school board?
+ Who informs you about school board doings.
+ Do the men and women of your board tend to use rubber stamps given them by others? 

                You can post your answers in the "comments" widow just below the bottom of this post.

by Richard Sheehan
 

Governace and Economics & NEW SOCIALISM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governance With RCS: We don't know about the old socialism. What are we supposed to do with new socialism.

 

New Socialism. After 60 years of repression we have new socialism. Its old,but its new. It has been all around our world, but has been repressed in the United States. We have some new doings and some old doings to learn about. One Old curious set of doings is Worker Co-operatives. It is possible to interpret and to analyze an economic system, even micro-economic systems. Socialism has been alive and well even in the U.S.  

 

                                                            RCS

Mondragon Co-operatives in Basque Country

 

 Co-operatives seem doable, understandable, and worth learning more about.

 

                    This set of co-ops seems an excellent example. It seems to be a success in every sense of the word. I do not know all that is worth knowing about it, but I know enough to want to know more. If you are planning a trip to Spain and are up for visiting the Basque country. Do so. Arrange to visit the little city of Mondragon. Once there arrange for tour of the nearby Mondragon co-op facilities near by. Your purpose for doing this is to bring us a report and post it in "comments" below. You might want to check out the nature of worker co-ops before heading to Basque Country. Viewing this video makes a decent start.

                Enjoy the video.

                                                                                                            rcs

            

                                                                    RCS

A Little List (for the political)

Governance With RCS: Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

 

 

                They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:

* Restate clarified goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  

* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves.

May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.

Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:

* Restate clarified (party) goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  

* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves.

May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.

by Richard Sheehan

 

Be a Participating democrat. Notice the little ""d""

Governance With RCS: To Be A Participatory democrat

It is fair and useful to....

Show up.

Speak up

Frame the discussion.

Name the problem.

Team up.

Find a partner.

by Richard Sheehan

Why Have We Given Up Our Right to Govern?

 Governance With RCS: Do we no longer desire to govern ourselves?

Do we feel incapable?

Do we no longer know how?

What is it?

Don't we want a republic?

Are we no longer interested in democracy?

Why have we put our military in the hands of others?

Why do we no longer have a citizen army or military of any kind?

Why did we give up our war powers?

Why do we no longer teach our children or youth civics and governance?

Why have we surrendered our very word to others?

What does citizenship mean to us now?

Who are "we?"

Where is our education for governance? 

(Are ability to govern ourselves was our ability to take care of ourselves.)

If we just give up most of our children won't even be useful as slaves. How will they be able to take care of themselves. Does it not seem that we are living in denial. Are we unwilling to see reality? How do we go about maintaining a we?

Have you co-operated locally?

Do you have any questions?

Do you have any answers?

                                        RCS

MLK & Gandi

 

I am sorry, YouTube tells me that this Martin Luther King and Gandhi video is no longer available when published in Colombia.               

We do not know enough about Martin Luther King and his deep love for our ideals. How many of his hundreds of speeches have you read or listened to? How many in those in the year or so before he was assassinated?

Oligarcic Empire?

Who governs? When you do not, who does? Check deeply into the meaning of democracy

Democracy Is Participatory: Get what you want

 When you want a democracy, begin to participate. Show up. Show up to have democracy. Democracy is a participatory process which includes participatory decision making. Participation brings better policy. We get more of what we want when we show up. Start close to home, perhaps with schools and learning. The more it interests you the better, Don't wait to be invited, Its your democracy. We can make participation easier by initiating better mechanisms of participation.

Or, by showing up with a friend.

                                                                    RCS

There Are Still Some Little "d" democrats: Why the little "d"?

 There Are Still Some Real democrats: Why the little "d" in democrats?

In the distant past there were democrats. In the recent past there were some democrats. And, there are still some democrats. A democrat might be thought of as one who believes in our ability to learn and to do. I know little about what those who call themselves democrats are doing now. I do have a sharp memory for much of that which democrats have done in the past.

I hope you understand that I am not using the word “democrat” to refer to a member of a political party, but rather to one who holds a certain philosophical position. A Democrat can be a democrat, but she doesn’t have to.

Democrats have tended to promote certain doings. Those doings have tended to be definitive of their beliefs.

Democrats have promoted:

~ improved communications within political organizations and among them.

~ enhancement and protection of democracy among us.

~ the study of legislation affecting democracy.

~ vigorous ongoing education about the use and doing of democracy.

~ development of widespread leadership rather than super-leaders.

~ enhanced education for participation in government.

~ cooperative self-governance.

~ willingness to thoughtfully and promptly change a bad law for the better.

~ strong respect for the law.

~exclusivity and diversity in public life.

~ cooperation within and among groups.

~ knowledge of the history of democracy, including its limitations and advantages.

~ respect for the varieties of democracy around the world.

~ our Constitution at its Bill or Rights.

~ loving care for each and every child.

~ respect and honor for the individual, the family, and the neighborhood.

~ more nearly equal opportunity for access to healthcare for each person.

~ strong support and oversight for our public health systems.

~respect and support for the position of minorities.

~ the practice of better dialogue.

~ wide, ongoing educational opportunities for all.

~ honesty.

This list can be greatly improved. However, there is already enough here to suggests planks for the platform of a present political party or candidate, or, a new party and candidates.

by Richard Sheehan

 

An Active Citizen

You can restart, or start, your life as a active citizen by taking one, or more, of the following steps. More, may be better.

Consider:
1. what an active citizen can do to help his/her school district, town, city, state. You might start at you local library. 
2. keeping politically humble, curious, and modest.  
3. making an opportunity to attend a couple of meetings of civic organizations.
4. Joining a political party. It is Ok to change parties.
5. registering to vote.  It can be more interesting to register as a party member.
6. Getting a better understanding of issues, policies, planks or a specific Bill.
7. Contacting the office of a specific office holder and asking  what his or her position is on your issue of interest.
8.  calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard and telling them your zip code.  They will transfer you to the office of your representative. Tell your Representative's representative what is on your mind; ask your question or say what it is you want. 
9. writing to the office of your Senator. Check out how to spell his name online. Address Your letter to him at United States Senate, Washington DC 20510.
10. Writing to your Congressman/Representative by name at United States House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515.
11. Sitting quietly for awhile and letting what you have learned work itself around a bit in your mind. You may be beginning to cook a bit politically.
12. Remembering that no one has to be a full time politician all the time.
13. Finding a friend who seems politically knowledgeable or civically interested, and  talk civics or issues of governance and like that.
14. watching/attending meetings of your city council or of your local school board.

15.Keeping your sense of humor and having some fun as you remember that political actions can have seriously important  consequences.

Thanks for  reading citizen!


by Richard Sheehan
for you

Beginning Governance and the Political Dumbing of America

We need to redevelop our agile political minds to keep a bit of freedom. Among the critical practices we must learn to practice are governance, and politics. Governing ourselves means taking care of ourselves. Governing ourselves as a culture, society, and political body if not done by us is not done. We learn to take care of ourselves individually. To take care of a culture takes a lot of us and there are a lot of us. Do you really crave to be governed by a person you have never met. Has your club taught you to organize to govern? has your union, your political party, your city council, your uncle, your mother, your father. Have they all abdicated republicanism and democracy? How many civic classes have you been given that teach much more than the bare bones of present government's formal structure how many in organization? How many have you taken? Your education is not given; it must be taken.

We?

Governance With RCS: We the people. A more perfect union.

                We can agree that "we" is a relationship, can't we? When we agree to relate it may be good to speak of the level at which we wish to relate. At what level might it be good for us to relate? We could speak of the reason for our relationship. How might we go about relating ? Might it be important that we show our concern for our "we?"

                What's in it for you? What's your interest? How is a mutual or reciprocal relationship handled?

                A "we" must consist of people, persons, individuals, right? Have you seen
the start of a "we?" Was there a kind of joining? Doesn't a "we" require some kind of maintenance?

                What do you suspect, believe, or know about the "we" in the "We the people..." document?

                That "we" could refer to us. How do we go about keeping track of our common interests? How do we reciprocate? "We the people" are a social relationship, aren't they?

                Let's say that we are the people in the "We the people" we know about.
What is the nature of our relationship? What is reason for our relationship? What's in it for you?

                "We" implies a unity, a union. We can probably agree that better and worse unions can be detected. How might we form a more perfect union?

                You may have some notions of "we" stirring in your mind now.

                Communication is important. Talk, dialogue, discussion are important. Talk of "us" and "we"  may be so important as to be called vitally important.

                I say that communication of persons is vitally important for the initiation and maintenance of a "we".    

                To have a good nation we have to have a good "we". 

                We can learn.

                We can contemplate.



                                                                                        RCS

Active Citizen Two: A brand new political organization

  A Brand New Political Organization.

Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations for many reasons: a new national party, a coalition, an ad hoc effort to promote a special bill or effort, for social betterment, and on and on. They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens. They are expecting wider participation in self-governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

There is much which needs to be done and many of us to do it. However, just now I will offer a list of hints which may prove helpful to an organizer. 

The hints:

~ Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member, be a member.

~ Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help can be useful, but that which we do for ourselves is more important. Each a learner, each a teacher.

~ Clarify aims and goals. Restate them often. Better them when you can.

~ Arrange to have each member have opportunities to help in achieving those goals. How will that be done?

~ Arrange to take care of all business promptly. How will it be done. Arrange for the ongoing education of all members. That's education in the skills and understandings necessary to the organization and organizational aims.

~ Make each member an educator. You do not have to use any of these hints; but anyone of them can be very useful.

~ Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust in each member.

~ The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

~ Let each member know that he or she is participating in the creation and nourishing of the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

~ Lay out clear steps for accomplishing the important doable goals of your organization. 

~ Remember you are not alone. You are part of an organization. laying out, demonstrating, making, and doing are group affairs and  doings. Members want to be active. Let them be active. 

~ It is best that a goal members undertake not only be important and doable, but also ought to be attractive, challenging, and a big deal.

~ Set out a goal or two to be completed today. That is you as in you all set out a goal. You all want your organization to be where the "doings" are.

~ Each member deserves a worthy job he or she can work right now. What a power house an organization can be! Your organization is a big powerful group.

~ Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. A grand vision for me might be the ongoing practice of active self-governance. or the ongoing practice of participatory democracy.

~ Ends, goals, objectives, aims can all be good. However, to be well done is important and the way it is done can be the most important.  

~ Aim to govern yourselves by practicing active self-governance of the whole. Begin with "how to do" teach-ins.

May these hints/suggestions help you in your action plans.

We have a lot to learn and a lot to do. Its that there are a lot of us to help with that learning and doing. 

As That Active Citizen

As a participant in a meeting it is fair and useful to:

~ Show up.

~ Speak up.

~ Name the problem.

~ Team up.

~ Find a partner.

~ Frame the discussion.

That is: be there; address the group; Clarify the topic; Identify those of like mind; make a friend; listen and learn; sum up what the meeting has been about.

It all starts with showing up and being there.

RCS

  

Dorithy Kilgallen and Investigatived Reporting

Women may develop interesting attitudes by learning about Dorothy Kilgallen.  Protect your representatives. We need more investigative reporting and fewer dead journalists. Were we truly a we, we could protect our sources of information. Do you remember president John F. Kennedy? Start learning your USA history from 1964 to today.

In Plain Site:

Our government can be ours. Most federal governments are evidently not ours. We have a vested interest in our governance. We can be an effective we. We have great potential. We can learn and practice governing in. There are meetings we can attend not too far from where we live. There are courses online, at high school districts night schools and community at community colleges. You can find the place which interests you. School board meetings, citizen groups for a nearby state park or forest, local or national paty meetings near you. You have a great deal to choose from to please yourself. Those who live in a repulican society have and a duty to participate in governance. It is possible to be socially responsible and to please yourself at the same time. Your possibilities are enormous. Begin to explore them.

 

Common Sense: Rule of, by, and for the Common Man?

  What happened to the teaching of civics and government? Are parents doing the teaching? Is it really true that we are no longer willing to govern ourselves? Has democracy just become a waste of time. Do we really love becoming serfs and slaves? Why are we unwilling to take responsibility for our own governance? My whom do you expect to be governed.

What does government mean to you. If you don't do it yourself its them that does.

You can be ready, willing, and able to govern democratically if you decide to. There is some learning and enough help and cooperation if you look for it, but does it make sense? What are the likely results of abdication?

                RCS

Organization: What's to like in yours?

 We know that organization increases our power enormously. We know that our organization informs us and educates us well.

We are capable of forgetting the pleasures and satisfactions of organization. I expect the pleasures and satisfactions I am recalling just now will not be the same as yours. Even so, among mine you may find one or two of yours.

I have an interest in ad hoc organizations and those of longer term. Below are are many of my personal likes, of the moment, in organizations. Among mine you may find one or two of your own.

An organization which attracts me often has:

~ members who feel connected, involved, and respected.

~ the motive of helping me an others to thrive.

~ a clear understanding of costs an benefits.

~ members who promote widespread participation and responsibility.

~ members who embrace reality and who are willing to approach the truth.

~ members who value honesty and justice.

~ a mission I find valuable and pleasing.

~ plenty of talk in which all participate.

An organization which pleases me is one which:

~ which keeps me in the information loop.

~ most members feel well connected with leadership.

~ makes very clear who pays how much and who gets what.

~ moves in the direction of democracy.

~ tends to be inclusive.

~ tends to safeguard that which I value.

~ includes those who study and promote actions good for me and others.

~ advocates and protects people and processes important to me.

~ promotes dialogue which leads to appropriate action.

I find an organization congenial when it includes:

~ teaching the process of organizing.

~ the process of advocating and protecting me.

~ objectives very like my own.

~ individuals I like and respect.

 I expect to post more on organizing and organizations here.

Right now and just below were it says "comments," note a like of your own or question me on one of mine. It is easy to do so anonymously if you so wish,

A Little List (for the political)

Governance With RCS: Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

                They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

    

                We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:

* Restate clarified (party) goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  

* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves.

May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.

Many in the U.S. are considering brand new political organizations on a wider than usual scale.

                They want organizations capable of working with large numbers of active citizens effectively. They are expecting wider participation in self governance. They want to do that which effectively furthers their aims right now.

                We might analyze those aims into organizational aims and platform aims, but here here I will just offer a first draft of a "to do" list. It seems OK to call our organization political for now.

To Do Now:

* Restate clarified (party) goals and aims.

* Arrange to have each member help in achieving those goals.

* Arrange to take care of all business promptly.

* Arrange for the ongoing education of all members.

* Make each member an educator.

* Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help is seldom as good as that which you do for yourselves.  

* Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust for each member.

* The fewer secrets the better and "no secrets" is the best policy.

* Be inclusive. Help anyone who wants to be a member to be a member.

* Let each member know that he or she is in building and maintaining the organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

* Lay out clear steps for important and doable goals of your organization.

* One goal must not only be important and doable , but also a truly  attractive, challenging,  big deal. 

* Set out two or three goals to be worked on today. You want an organization where there are happenings right now.

* Every member needs a job they can do right now.

* Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. (Learning and teaching participatory, democratic, self-governance would be an attractive"grand vision" for me.

* Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self governance. Begin with teach-ins.

* A big enough vision for a brand new political organization might be "Govern ourselves and help others to govern themselves."

                May you find that your consideration of my early hints lead you to thoughts of your own organizational plan and action. I wish you active citizenship.

                                                                                                            by Richard Sheehan