[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Sharon Centanne's STOP CHENEY email to list



Without getting into a who's right/who's wrong debate of admittedly
questionable value to the List, I merely want to say that our profession
encompasses a much broader political spectrum than Lucinda implies in her
first paragraph. I think some poltical discussion would be helpful at times,
especially  if relevant to the profession, but we'd do well to leave the
finger-pointing and name-calling to the polticians. I have been, after all,
an occasional finger-pointer myself.

Best wishes,

Thomas Berry, Archivist
Historical Construction Equipment Association
16623 Liberty Hi Road
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Phone 419-352-5616
Fax 419-352-6086
tberry@wcnet.org
http://www.hcea.net

----- Original Message -----
From: <UFTARCH1@AOL.COM>
To: <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 12:52 PM
Subject: Re: Sharon Centanne's STOP CHENEY email to list


> Monday, May 21, 2001
>
> Dear Archivists,
>
>     As a self-described activist-feminist-archivist I am saddened when
list
> members implore that we "keep politics off the listserv."  I always
consider
> our profession to be well-educated and progressive, i.e. political, so I'm
> always suprised by the anti-lefty comments.

To wit, Diane Russell's comment
> that Sharon "libels the Vice President with charges like "rape, burn and
> pillage,"-- it seems more likely that she's a deliberate mouthpiece of the
> radical-left, enviro-wacko hate lobby ..."     Well, I happen to agree
with
> the recently published election reviews of voting in Florida that show
that
> the presidential election was stolen out from under us before a complete
> review of the contested votes/totals could be completed.  Democracy should
> not have a time limit.
>
>     And, I also agree with Sharon's comment that we should speak out
against
> plunder by energy tycoons.  We all have also read that our VP and P are
going
> to try to push nuclear on us as a solution, even though we still can't
figure
> out that tricky "waste" problem--how about paige "miracle boxes"?  And in
> view of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island disasters--is our archives
profession
> too young to remember these devastating wake-up calls?  And, at our energy
> consumption rate,  how much gas and oil are left?  Read the
estimates--it's
> scary.  We should be blessing our conservation and environmental
lobbies--as
> outfunded as they are-- for keeping our air and water breathable and for
> daring to buck the big boys--polluters.  Think Houston, anyone?
>
>     Anyway, we live and  work in a world of political connections,
> Everything that we do as archivists--from selection (appraisal) to access
> (technology decisions) to outreach (marketing our collections) exists in
the
> real world of funding decisions and cultural values assigned to either
> maintaining or neglecting historical records.  We would not have been
> discussing Baker and microfilming for a month if we didn't care about
> politics--i.e.  the political ramifications of his book and opinions on
our
> profession and by extension, our jobs...our livlihood...our weekly
paychecks.
>
>     I love political discussions.  I want all archivists to feel that they
> can post political messages to our list when they feel strongly about an
> issue --in this case, energy and conservation--that affects not only our
> lives/environment but also our "stuff"-- in terms of energy to maintain
our
> archives facilities, our databases, our preservation activities (HVAC
> systems????)  I repeat:  we all know that our archives activities do not
> exist in a vacuum but are directly affected by political decisions about
> value and budgetary considerations.  In fact, don't we all have to be
> excellent politicians to survive and thrive in our institutional settings?
> No archives is an island unto itself.
>
>     Aside from trying to get every vote counted fairly, you know,
democracy!,
>  The UTNE Reader "View" in the MAY-June 2001 issue suggests that as
> disgruntled voters we all push for proportional representation in our
> election process as utilized in continental Europe and many other parts of
> the world.   This would insure that political parties are apportioned
power
> in the national government based roughtly on their percent of the vote.
> Therefore, no spoiler Greens--but a sharing of power with the Democrats.
Go
> to the website:  www.fairvote.org (put up by The Center for Voting and
> Democracy) for further info.
>
>     A final quote from the UTNE article:  "...remember that most of what
we
> call politics happens between elections.  Social movements and citizen
> activism are powerful forces that frame the national political debate in
ways
> that candidates of every party must respond to.  That should be the
mission
> of Greens, Democrats, and everyone over the next few years:  advocating
for
> the changes you want to see in American society.  Talk to your neighbors.
> Write letters to the editor.  Organize an activist group.  Take a stand
any
> way that makes sense to you.  And then let's see what happens in 2004."
And,
> definitely, talk with your archivist collegues online about important
> national issues, such as energy policy, that do, indeed, affect our lives,
> our families, our jobs and our facilities every where.  Cheers, everyone--
> but especially to Sharon Centanne in Tampa Bay.
>                                      Lucinda
> Lucinda Manning
> United Federation of Teachers
> UFT Archives & Records Center
> 260 Park Ave. South
> NY, Ny   10010
> 212-598-9213
>
> Revolution is but thought carried into action.
>             --Emma Goldman (1869-1940)
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
>       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
>                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
>
> Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>