Putting my money where my mouth is.

Janni links to the ACLU FAQ, which suggests concentrating one's energy by picking one issue to work for:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/janni/136308.html

The only real volunteer work I've done in recent years, others than contributing money, has been with a terrific local organization that mentors kids. So I could try to do more with them... but the reason I haven't is that I have a hard time committing to a schedule, so I can't be a regular tutor, say, but only an occasional one. (This isn't a personal failing, it has to do with my job. All my jobs.) So... I like kids, generally, but doing more one-on-one work with them tends to require a more regular schedule than I have.

Other than that, the issues which I'd rank as the biggest priorities are civil rights, women's rights, gay/lesbian/etc rights, and the environment. (And imperialism, but I don't think there's much I can do about that here given that the biggest protests in history were ignored the last time.)

Of the three, protecting the environment is probably the most important, because once it's destroyed it won't be restored.

In terms of where I place priorities, gay marriage (as opposed to civil unions and gay rights in general) is not as high on the list, but marriage seems the big issue at the moment. (I personally rejoiced in the recent tide of gay marriages, but I think pushing civil unions first and marriage later would probably work out better in the long run.) On the other hand, the particular anti-gay marriage Constitutional Amendment Bush is pushing will apparently also squelch all forms of civil unions as well.

On the third hand, based on my experiences back when I was more of an activist, the gay rights groups would probably be the most fun to work with and have the most congenial company, which sounds shallow but would increase the odds of me actually showing up on a regular basis. Whereas environmental groups often contain a lot of... how shall I phrase this politely... granola types who tend to bug me.

I'd put women's rights and the company of women's rights activists in between, to be bumped up to number one if Roe vs. Wade actually gets overturned, which seems likely but not likely to occur within the next year.

Thought? Ideas? Reprimands for generalizations and stereotypes about the personalities of lefty activists?

Putting my money where my mouth is.

Janni links to the ACLU FAQ, which suggests concentrating one's energy by picking one issue to work for:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/janni/136308.html

The only real volunteer work I've done in recent years, others than contributing money, has been with a terrific local organization that mentors kids. So I could try to do more with them... but the reason I haven't is that I have a hard time committing to a schedule, so I can't be a regular tutor, say, but only an occasional one. (This isn't a personal failing, it has to do with my job. All my jobs.) So... I like kids, generally, but doing more one-on-one work with them tends to require a more regular schedule than I have.

Other than that, the issues which I'd rank as the biggest priorities are civil rights, women's rights, gay/lesbian/etc rights, and the environment. (And imperialism, but I don't think there's much I can do about that here given that the biggest protests in history were ignored the last time.)

Of the three, protecting the environment is probably the most important, because once it's destroyed it won't be restored.

In terms of where I place priorities, gay marriage (as opposed to civil unions and gay rights in general) is not as high on the list, but marriage seems the big issue at the moment. (I personally rejoiced in the recent tide of gay marriages, but I think pushing civil unions first and marriage later would probably work out better in the long run.) On the other hand, the particular anti-gay marriage Constitutional Amendment Bush is pushing will apparently also squelch all forms of civil unions as well.

On the third hand, based on my experiences back when I was more of an activist, the gay rights groups would probably be the most fun to work with and have the most congenial company, which sounds shallow but would increase the odds of me actually showing up on a regular basis. Whereas environmental groups often contain a lot of... how shall I phrase this politely... granola types who tend to bug me.

I'd put women's rights and the company of women's rights activists in between, to be bumped up to number one if Roe vs. Wade actually gets overturned, which seems likely but not likely to occur within the next year.

Thought? Ideas? Reprimands for generalizations and stereotypes about the personalities of lefty activists?

One sentence meme

From all sorts of people: post one sentence from your current Work/s In Progess:

From Secret Project # 1: "What's a broken cheekbone or two between friends?"

From Secret Project # 2: If you hear her wailing, you are doomed to die.

From All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: Unsurprisingly for a book plucked from the ashram library’s science shelf, it claimed that houseplants are telepathic and can tell if their owners are having sex thousands of miles away, though it did not explain why they’d care.

I'm pitching Secret Project # 1 tomorrow. Wish me luck, everyone.

One sentence meme

From all sorts of people: post one sentence from your current Work/s In Progess:

From Secret Project # 1: "What's a broken cheekbone or two between friends?"

From Secret Project # 2: If you hear her wailing, you are doomed to die.

From All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: Unsurprisingly for a book plucked from the ashram library’s science shelf, it claimed that houseplants are telepathic and can tell if their owners are having sex thousands of miles away, though it did not explain why they’d care.

I'm pitching Secret Project # 1 tomorrow. Wish me luck, everyone.