FIRST REFLECTIONS

For those of you who want Folk People, go to folkpeople.blogspot.com.

After the joy I had creating Folk People, I thought I'd create a more general blog just for my reflections.
The semester is at last done, and I'm tired. I turned on WBAI radio and heard David Rothenberg talking about the need for justice in Census 2010; it was hard to listen. I felt like David was calling me to get to work, and I had nothing left. However, I realized my tiredness about that was related to a sense of hopelessness: after Bush took the election in 2000, by a vote of 5 to 4, (sorry my Republican friends- I still ain't over it,) I became very disillusioned about the government's ability to help people rather than simply lord over us.

I hope that the Obama presidency will be different: he's got a Democratic House and Senate to work with, and they can get good legislation passed. However, as Obama said in his victory speech, these years will be difficult for our country. I fear that much of the progressive agenda will be put to the side as the administration works on the war and other pressures. I guess it'll be our job to keep him honest about those other needs.

Journalism for me is about being a public servant as well as a storyteller. So, somehow I need to revive my faith that the world can change if we advocate for change. I need to believe that politics can work, if not in Washington, then at least at the grass roots. It's so easy to get cynical with corrupt guys like Blagojevich running around, or Bloomie running for a third term.

To be faithful, I think we all need to dig deeper and find stories of people struggling and winning victories at the grass roots level. The little victories do happen: they just get pushed to the back pages sometimes. Hell, as I find them, I'll post the links to you! We can grow in faith together.

Now that the semester's work over, I'll be writing some fun stories for myself, without the pressure of anyone's deadlines but my own. I have a few ideas in mind so winter break should be interesting. I'll post what I do here, and I hope you'll check in from time to time. All the best!
-Dan