From: sojacobson@mmm.com
Subject: Re: National leaders or convention
Hi Andy,
There is a big difference between supporting a political position that one
may have opposed and being forced to support a position that goes against
one's conscience.  Nothing I have read indicates that anybody thinks that
an organization should be able to compel one to participate in
extermination.  Your example seems a bit extreme to say the least. 
On the other hand, not all issues are considered to be universally issues
of conscience.  I don't think we have an obligation to allow a member to
work actively against a position we adopt simply because that person says
it is a matter of conscience. If a member oposes an adopted position based
upon his or her conscience but the majority do not feel it is a matter of
conscience, the differences may not be resolvable and the individual may
need to seek an organization that does not violate their conscience.  We
shouldn't force someone who believes that eating meat is wrong to eat
meat.  Yet, I think we do have the right to part company with someone if
they opposed our efforts to get funding for braille training, even though
their conscience may dictate they oppose all government involvement in
education.  In the end, it takes some common sense to sort all of this
out, and we just have to hope that we have enough of it to do it right. 
 
> Hi Carl. I agree with everything that you said except for that last part
> about putting your full support behind what decisions are made whether you
> think they are right or not. I think this sets a dangerous precedent. This
> is like the Germans being expected to fully support the decision to
> exterminate the Jews. A democratic organization must allow its members to
> follow their conscience. Obviously, if you constantly find yourself in
> disagreement with an organization, you should probably leave that
> organization, but an organization that cannot except dissent is nothing
> more than a cult.
> 
> Andy Baracco
> 
> 
> 
--
          Steve Jacobson
          National Federation of the Blind
          3M Company 
          E-mail:  SOJACOBSON@MMM.COM
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the 3M Company.
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