Man. It truly seems like a week ago I was lamenting here about the annual T.A.P. Conference, which Aunt B and i attended together. Turns out, its been a year, and Nell and her crew are fixin to do it all again. I was very happy to see her come on the thread and offer a rebuttal in the comments. I was a bit harsh, and she made some great points. Still, i wish they would “discover” how effective an active blog could be for their organization. That said, I have always thought the idea of a mass meeting of Progressives, Liberals and assorted Lefties was a good one. Perhaps now more than ever it is crucial for like minded people and organizations to network.
For those of us concerned about the steady erosion of our rights as citizens, and, equally important, the outright denial of basic human rights to people around the planet, the next several months are of critical importance. There is much at stake in the next election. The people who attend the T.A.P. Conference year in and year out are committed, engaged, and knowledgeable.
The Tennessee Alliance For Progress always offers a stellar keynote speaker, and i have seen more than a few outstanding documentaries in years past.
One of the concerns i have about the immediate future of volunteer organizations is, from reports i get from friends, contributions are down. Way down. This makes sense to me, after all, people in almost every tax bracket are stretched pretty thin Even large corporate donors are cutting back in this economy. Ok, so, (here comes my call for collectivism again) shouldn’t these organizations be looking for ways to share ideas, and talent? Maybe one has a kick ass office infrastructure, maybe another has I.T. savvy volunteers to offer. Perhaps there is some wisdom in the idea of motor pools. Shared office space. In fact, I’m pretty sure we had a workshop devoted to ideas like this 2 years back. Always ahead of our time, it seems. 
Anyway, if you care about one or more issues of the day, you would be well served to attend the conference this year. If your funds are sketchy, or, you are a student, they offer scholarships to attend for little or no money. Don’t let money be an obstacle for you. Take a friend or two, and carpool.
NOTE TO STATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES: Go there. Make your case. Meet potential volunteers or contributors. Bring buttons and bumper stickers. This is like shooting fish in a barrel. You can bet Chris Lugo will be there.
4 responses so far ↓
Aunt B. // May 12, 2008 at 7:07 am
That was an awesome time. Was that in May, last year, too? Was there ever a May like we had last year in the history of Progressive Nashville? That awesome conference, our snarky commentary, you bought me a car, and we gave a Guatamalan baby a home with Kleinheider. We totally have dropped the ball on this May.
Oh, and I learned of your secret love for McDonald’s apple pies!
Southern Beale // May 12, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Off topic but guess who’s back. My favorite putz.
This is gonna be fun!
Aunt B. // May 12, 2008 at 4:13 pm
But did you see how Hobbs is already accusing him of being too Democratty? You’re right. It should be fun.
Southern Beale // May 13, 2008 at 9:03 am
But did you see how Hobbs is already accusing him of being too Democratty?
Yeah because on occasion he cares about poor people. Which is anathema to Republican’ts.
They’re the ones who believe that homeless people are responsible for global warming and all!