In message <h99ek7$8qn$1@news.eternal-september.org>, nomius
<nomius@myisp.net> writes
>I realize that this is not a political group, but in this case politics do
>have an impact on the blind and vip community.
>
You may recall some years ago that the UK had a blind member of
parliament, David Blunkett. At one point there was a very real
possibility that he could have been a candidate for Prime Minister, but
you should have seen the articles written that said that as he can't
sight read materials, he couldn't do the job. Well, I reckon (and I am
not a Labour supporter), if he could get through his work with what he
used to be a Minister, he almost certainly had the capacity to continue
his reading in the same manner.

Even though he's not a Minister now, he still seems to 'speak' for the
Labour party on some matters, so obviously someone in the party thinks
his voice (and therefore his research) is as good or better than some
other individuals.

Sincerely Chris
>

--
Chris McMillan
http://www.chinavision.org.uk/
http://www.oneplusone.org.cn 

chris mcmillan wrote:
> In message <h99ek7$8qn$1@news.eternal-september.org>, nomius
> <nomius@myisp.net> writes
> >I realize that this is not a political group, but in this case politics do
> >have an impact on the blind and vip community.
Mr. Patterson is to the best of my knolege an incompetent legally
blind? politician, and as such badly represents the VIP communitty.
You bring up a case of a person who seems to do a good job./goes to
show you that the blind and visually impaired are as good and bad as
anyone else.

> >
> You may recall some years ago that the UK had a blind member of
> parliament, David Blunkett. At one point there was a very real
> possibility that he could have been a candidate for Prime Minister, but
> you should have seen the articles written that said that as he can't
> sight read materials, he couldn't do the job. Well, I reckon (and I am
> not a Labour supporter), if he could get through his work with what he
> used to be a Minister, he almost certainly had the capacity to continue
> his reading in the same manner.
>

that is just terible, crazy, hopefully a babystep towards
understanding of the realitty? I hope. You and I know that for many
years now there are many options for reading, and for one with the
money and need there have always been human readers.Tape...
> Even though he's not a Minister now, he still seems to 'speak' for
the
> Labour party on some matters, so obviously someone in the party thinks
> his voice (and therefore his research) is as good or better than some
> other individuals.
>
> Sincerely Chris
Here in Mexico a few years back we ran across a deputy (the
equalvalent of a MP or congressman who came to talk at a ngo center
that does physical therapy and voc rehab work where I used to work.
He tried to convince us to vote for his party because it had given him
the chance to be in politics. His party was the PRI. The PRI is the
party that ruled Mexico for around seventy years,and was very corupt
for most of that time. This party still corruptly runs my state, and
is in large part responsible for the poverty that still persists in
this country. Should we have supported his party just because he was
blind?
I hear Gov Paterson described as black more than blind which is
probbably related to latent racism in the US, and or a special poli-
atmosphere that exists in this "Obama erra". So, if he goes away now
he may not give the VI world too bad a rep. He certainly had some
potential just for having overcome his handicap, but for a politician
who replaces another felled by a sex scandle to be involved in one of
his own?well maybe he just was in the right place in the wrong time.
Apart from that he seems to have had many other problems in office,
but as I said before, I'm not from NY and don't keep up enough to
comment much. I'll just say that He seems to have made many
mistakes.
As to the point that Brian expounds about the evils of the feds
meddling in non federal politics, the only real remedy is to not have
poli parties that exist in all levels of .gov. Here in Mexico some
local enteties ban state and nacional parties in there elections.
Candidates run as individuals, or as part of add hoc tickets. (the
red and blue tickets for example) Unfortunately this seems only to
have changed big party corruption and incompetence for a more
localized brand of the same)
In closing I will only say that in the U.S. black folks usually
support black candidates by wide margins, but in Mr. Patterson's case
his approval among black voters is at %30 last I heard. If anyone
really cares, check New York state news for the last few months to get
a better handle on the issue.
burt Henry

> >
>
> --
> Chris McMillan
> http://www.chinavision.org.uk/
> http://www.oneplusone.org.cn�