From: Richard Webb 
Subject: purposes of  nfb-talk, was acb postings
Hello George, and listers.
On 1997-09-29 g.cassell@worldnet.att.net said to elspider@interl.net
   >If I may, I'd like to chime in on the topic of ACB info being
   >posted to this and/or any list pertaining to the blind and visually
   >impaired.
   >The reason why I subscribe to this list is to LEARN.  I learn from
   >everyone who posts anything to this list, whether it pertains to
   >NFB or not.
   >Knowledge is not selective.  Closed-mindedness is.  The source of
   >the material is not important or relevant.  The CONTENT is.
   >ACB, whether you agree with what it has to say or not, does it's
   >best to do what it can to benefit the blind community, just as the
   >NFB does.  I don't agree with either organization 100% of the time,
   >nor would any intelligent, independent-thinking human being.  But I
   >can't make intelligent decisions unless I am first provided with
   >the information.
   >This list is available to all of us to post, within established
   >guidelines, information that may be of interest and benefit to us
   >all.  I don't recall seeing anything in the guidelines that
   >specifically and selectively prohibited information provided by the
   >ACB from being posted here.
   >I should think that we would all be grateful to anyone who provided
   >us with such worthwhile information.  For those of us who wish to
   >read it, such a service is an invaluable resource from which we can
   >all draw.  To those who are so unreasonable and intolerant as to
   >object to it's very presence, I would simply remind them that they
   >have the power, judgment, capacity and capability to simply press
   >the "delete key", and their problem is solved.
   >As for me, I prefer not to stick my head in the sand.  When one
   >does that, you know what part of their anatomy is exposed!  :)
This is true to a point, and I  quoted your entire text here so that
my reply won't be misconstrued by anyone.
Problem numero uno:  ON the blindtlk listserv, it would be more
appropriate, as blindtlk is general discussdion of blindness etc.
This listserv, on the other hand, is expressly for discussion on NFB
goals and programs.  Wrong listserv, in other words.
In another sense, the problem is like this:  The two organizations
utilize different approaches to furthering organizational goals.  The
makeup of the two organizations is somewhat different.
Our political priorities are not theirs.  An example was the NLS
funding legislation earlier this year.  Our leadership posted articles
encouraging us to contact our congress folk about it.
From those in the know, I understand ACB dealt with it not at all.
Now we come to the Gordon ammendment.  ACB was exhorting the troops to
get out and beat the bushes, getting their congress critters on board.
Our leadership was working quietly makingsure rehab was not in great
jeopardy, but rehab is close to being a sacred cow to ACB.  It is not
near as sacred to me as it is to them.
Rehab has done most of what it can do for me, and I don't see my life
changing too much if there was no more rehab agencies tomorrow.
We're not saying its not necessary, we just found different ways of
dealing with the Gordon Ammendment problem.
The postings of ACB call out the troops messages here were unwelcome
to many of us for those reasons.
WHebn rank and file federationists need to get on the stick and
contact the politicos, Jim alerts us in timely fashion.  Presidential
releases distributed on cassette as well as this forum spread the word
to write your congressman/senator/whomever today.
WHile ACb cries crocodile tears about any assumed danger to their
precious rehab, and many of their cushy token jobs, we are fighting
for true equality of blind folks.  Access to better and more plentiful
accessible reading material gets this done.  An edeucated person makes
their own opportunities.  Therefore, we spend our political currency
on the NLS issues, and on this issue, we let our folk such as Mr.
Gashel talk with political leaders, see what's really going to happen,
before we do a general calling up of the troops.
Why do you think NFB spends real money to operate a BBS with its
fulltime internet connection, and pays for software to operate
listservs, etc?  The equipment, phone lines, and software I'm sure
cost us plenty.
It's done to further goals of NFB< not to aid ACB in furthering its
objectives.  Let ACb spend their own money should they want a presence
on the internet for informing of membership.  When our goals aren't
the same, as they often are not, we don't need the muddying of the
waters.
AS I said, I do read an ACb listserv, because its the only game in
town on that subject.  Should our organization create a similar
listserv which became active, I'd probably not spend the time reading
items from the ACB listserv.  Until that time, though, I can
participate in discussions with its members on these issues, none of
which are dealing with government, rehab, RAndolph Shepard, social
security or anything else where our  philosophies and attitudes
differ.  It's not a matter of politics, it's a matter of philosophy.
Our two organizations look at the whole spectrum of blindness issues
from two different viewpoints.
I don't know how long you've been associated with the movement, but
you might wish to read "Walking alone and marching together" which
will give you some background on why we have NFB and ACB.
ACB exists today because of an internal disagreement over two decades
ago.
It's structure and attitudes is more like that of a company union
which has been set up to keep a real labor organization from coming in
to bargain with management.
It is beholden to the large agencies in "work with the blind" and is
there to basically show consumer input where none really exists.
This is why our policies and objectives differ so widely, and why you
have folks like myself objecting so strongly to ACB material lbeing
posted here.  It isn't just a matter of information, it's a matter of
what ACB wants people to do with that information.
Regards,
Richard Webb
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