Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Our New Mayor Teresa Barth and the rest of this new city council brought a flesh and blood example to Eleanor Roosevelt's quote to the Dec. 19th meeting. Starting with the mayor requesting a moment of silence for the women and children murdered in Sandy Hook School shootings and deliberating over safe walks to schools it felt very close to home.  In the planetary scheme of things, this little city council is a very small place close to home. But in item after item we got to hear conscientious regard for individuals and neighborhoods, schools, boards and community volunteer groups. The city clerk, city staff, city manager and city attorney were helpful and efficient. Yes, I'm gushing because I'd begun to think this simple reality might never be.

Concerted citizen action gave us this excellent opportunity of a council bent on dignity without discrimination. Even when this council disagreed with a public speaker, the speaker's ideas were regarded in discussions and future agenda suggestions. There is no clip because the entire meeting is worth a resident's time.

Serious Giving

Some opt out altogether from the historically recent custom of buying Christmas gifts. Some because their family and familiars have plenty of stuff, so the holiday has changed with the seasonal generous urge fulfilled with one of the hundreds of alternatives. This isn't a new concept.

History of Rock and Roll - 100 Riffs - 1 Take

Did you miss the musical weekend in Leucadia's Summer Fun on the 101 last week? Me too.

Via Mock Paper Scissors, The Chicago Music Exchange

Waking Up

The most exciting political news in Encinitas is the waking of the giant, New Encinitas. Despite this being achieved in part through the dissemination of misinformation and appealing to all kinds of fears, there are New Encinitas people meeting, talking, organizing – awakening. Parallel to the excitement are attendant emotions of anger, confusion, fanciful dreaming, resentment, urgency and . . . well, you get the point.

In fact, this community consciousness awakening is a fair comparison to people waking from sleep. First and foremost, not everyone is the same. Can you spot yourself in any of the first states described below? Waking up:

Crabby

Numb

Chirpy 

Disoriented 

Blaming 

Sluggish 

Serene

Clumsy

Confused 

Wired 

Some of those even sound like the person might be heading back to bed.  The last could also be another way of looking at those who wake with great urgency. Although some people wake without this, some of the most urgently felt “need to do” first acts:

• Relieve oneself or other body hygiene routine
• Down coffee or other stimulant
• Feed oneself 
• Responsibility to feed or tend to others – kids, pets, etc. 
• Domestic tasks
• News (brain) –papers, internet, television, radio or other people 
• Sounds (senses) – music, television, radio or other people 
• Work one loves or . . . 
• Personal mission (reason to get out of bed) 

First tasks can make or break the day to come. Nobody wants a bad day. It might help to think of the diversity of responses in these lists when we think of all these people in Encinitas waking up to what is going on at city hall. Each person will probably be focused on what is closest to home. If you have been actively involved in vigilantly watching our city council majority’s antics (and Teresa Barth marginalization); try and remember what your overriding emotions, insights and first actions were all about at that beginning place. Many of us blush at our complete ignorance of how systemic the indifference to our outlooks and values were from these public officials despite heavy use of loaded words like folks, public input, feedback, deliberation and disclosure.

As much as it is fun to oversimplify, some of these issues within our city’s governance are not quick fixes. (I refuse to make a bumper sticker comment out of that last word. *mutters to self*). The overall General Plan Update is one of the most complex things within all that is going on currently, with heated buzz phrases about land use and traffic in New Encinitas, the many elements undergoing scrutiny and revisions are getting lost or 'erased' (ERAC'd) in the process.

These new advocates for public involvement from New Encinitas and other neighborhoods may well be progressing towards fully conscious understanding of the bigger picture with each meeting attended, public commentary comment, neighbor conversation, petition signed, campaign volunteer task and blog post read. There will be the eccentrics, the purists, the bigots, the experts, the liars, those believing in unicorns and rainbows and those who encourage . . .  all ‘advising’ neophytes. People will hurt each others feelings, blame the innocent and betray boundaries.  And all too often people will be to told how someone should be feeling. 

A healthy and productive reaction to someone expressing hurt or offense is not to audit whether that reaction meets our standards of acceptability (again, with caveat that no one is required to tolerate abuse), but to try to understand why it is that the person is reacting the way [he or she] is. Empathy is the best response to causing unintentional hurt.

Empathy and respect are the ultimate goal for a city council made up of thoughtful people who empathize and respect the citizenry. So, this consideration isn't something that we put on the back burner until we have the council we desire. It starts at the beginning.  When all is said and done, 2012 may well be the year Encinitas woke up to find a hundred activists looking for the sunshine and transparency promised to us all.

hat tip: Melissa McEwan for quote

Love

In a matter of days the year will end. The new year is a campaign year. We have past elections in Encinitas to warn us of the ugliness to come. For the council watchers, activists, community advocates this isn’t a big surprise. Week after week we witness humiliations, spin and a low ethical bar in the current city council. All is cloaked in the practiced decorum of Roberts Rule of Order. We watch, we see. The Encinitas machine will use tactics seemingly immune to shame and adept at projection and deflecting.

What we’ll continue to try to do is insist that citizens do matter. We want to feel the love. Respect, dialog and an effort to listen, to learn and solve problems to utilize our input or expertise; this all matters. We are in a depression for some though many register it holding as a recession; but wealth accumulation, private ownership, economics, price tags simply can’t be the only criteria with relevance in city government or citizen participation. Crisis demands financial accountability and more. Diversity and dissent are often messy and complicated so reminders of compassion need repetition and reinforcement. Consider embracing, championing the few who are willing to stand up to the crony machine.

Let’s use the winter to take a moment and do the preparation of coming together as people with ethics. It takes a pillage . . . so many more people are seeing the council doubling down on total control by again working to humiliate Teresa Barth by silencing her and ignoring her as a desired Mayor, naming an insider (Mark Muir) to Maggie Houlihan’s council seat following her death.

We want you to see for yourselves. Do not take anyone’s word for it. Watch the clips, watch full length meetings, go to the meetings. Be a new face at the speaker’s podium or in the audience. This an appeal to the underlying values that govern society and how we relate to one another.

A mentality that trashes people trashes the planet. Those who belittle human resources devalue environmental resources. The opposite of mean spirited is the effort to open hearts to the people of this community. Love Jerome Stocks, Jim Bond, Kristin Gaspar and Mark Muir as personal friends if you know them. But, demand that they serve the public good, follow the mission of the city’s General Plan. It’s also their duty to be accountable to us – all of us – as our public servants.