Re: US Politics: Bush to Dismantle Digital Divide Projects

Kynn and all:

       Rather than protesting per se, how about an unconsidered alternative?

       Don't push it as something OUTSIDE OF the War On Terror...

       Include it as something within.

       How? Simple. Senior Citizens = Ready and generally willing mass of 
organizers of community efforts, such as neighborhood watch programs and 
similar. Failing that, point at the mass of Federal employees currently on 
leave to serve in the Guard and Reserve. Should they need to be called up for 
overseas duty (since domestic support missions seem to be lacking), say to 
participate in a campaign in Southwest Asia, said seniors make a ready pool 
of people that might be willing to donate their skills to keep what the 
reservists leave behind going, IF you serve their needs and help them 
contribute. (Failing all that, let your local AARP or similar know of the 
situation. Jeb Bush is up for re-election, remember.)

       Similarly, the disabled represent a READY workforce for intelligence 
agencies and anyone else in government or the various contracting industries 
willing to make use of their skills and interests. Generally speaking, I 
would confidently make a Wild-Assed Guess that most of the disabled do NOT 
have mental or intellectual limitations; Probably the opposite for most, in 
fact, simply because what limitations they do have require creativity and 
intelligence to work around, above and beyond what the normal person puts 
forth to any single problem (particularly when the disabled person in que
stion has to navigate bureaucracy...). So why doesn't the government use 
them?

       Finally, isn't part of the fight in the War on Terror helping the 
economy? Well...helping the disabled means they can work...disabled people 
who work can be consumers....more consumers = more spending into the economy. 
Ta-da!:-)

       Otherwise, I'll fwd this to various mailing lists, see what happens.