In a message dated 10/5/2007 7:30:58 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Doesn't this also mean that we also have to remember that non-joiners are not the superior group of citizens either; they don't have the greater right to berate joiners and the groups they join? This is a good point. Writ even larger, it's at the heart of the much broader debate about individual vs group rights -- as in things like affirmative action and discrimination in housing. American society is based on the rights of individuals. My personal belief is that the individual neither gains nor loses rights by being a member of a group. I was afraid that without organizations to help them out, the citizens who take these projects on would, like me, eventually get tired and "retire." The crux of the problem I have with many organizations is that they have an effect disproportionate to their actual numbers in the community they purport to serve. When their involvement goes beyond things that affect only themselves, they tend to assume the mantle of the anointed and make decisions that affect others without ascertaining and allowing for what those others need or want. This was the case with SHCA and UCHS and the historic designation issue. And it's at the heart of the widespread opposition to what many think is UCD's social engineering and it's NID initiative. Always at your service & ready for a dialog, Al Krigman -- 36-year local resident and activist but (in general) non-joiner ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
