The reason I started this little online experiment is because there is a whole county full of news going unreported. And there is a whole new breed of citizen-reporters out there, with the desire and where-with-all to see the successes and missteps in their part of the county documented and addressed. People who are party to the happenings that often are only told by word of mouth.
How many school board meetings, volleyball games, orchestrated acts of kindness and citizenship have you witnessed or been a part of, that never made the printed page? I'm betting plenty, and now, we have a way to link up, share our piece of Upshur, and keep everyone up to speed.
I'll be honest with you. I'm not a reporter. What I am, is a concerned parent and citizen who thinks we are all less informed and proactive than we should be.
Do I think we have huge problems in Upshur? No, I don't. In fact, I think, in the seven years since my family and I moved here, we have met some of the most honest, hard working and down to earth people anyone could ask to meet.
I am a little ashamed, though, that when I voted today, there were people on the ballot I didn't know, and had never heard speak. Why do they want the job they are running for, and why do they think they are the best person for it? I can't answer that tonight, but I hope this site will have a chance to rectify that. If you feel the same way, help me get this thing going.
What it takes, are fair people with a little time, a little civic pride, an internet connection, and maybe a digital camera. When you have an opportunity to attend a civic event, the privilege to witness a good turn, the pleasure of watching your child kick some butt in a school activity, or the misfortune of finding a problem that needs fixing, send me an email, or comment in the 'Letters To The County" section.
Ask some questions, take some notes, snap a few pictures and send it here. I'm hoping we develop a large enough readership that we can follow up and get some answers.
We're going to develop contacts with pastors, principles, superintendents, commissioners, coaches, teachers, business owners and others. We're going to ask them to contribute their thoughts and knowledge to the site. The dialog will be polite and respectful, like I think our broader political and social discourse should be.
The thing I think that we all forget nowadays, is that we are all in this together. We citizens and voters are the ultimate bosses, that's true. But it is also true that we are the best resource this county, and indeed, this country has. An engaged, informed, and active citizenry is the only way we maintain, grow and prosper the promise that started in Philadelphia over two hundred and thirty years ago. When we ask our elected officials to work with us, and are willing to work with them, we all win.
I believe America is essentially a centrist country, but I also think partisanship has an important place in process. What we see at the national and state level, however, isn't partisanship, it's polarization. Partisanship should be the competition of ideas in the marketplace of what works. These days, it's defined as a concerted effort on both sides to demean, demonize and nullify people and ideas. That's not competition, it's warfare, and it's tearing this country apart.
What we see in debates are endless talking points, a few flare-ups, and everyone waiting for the "gotcha moment". And more and more, the guy who can round-up and turn-out the biggest number of angry, greedy, or clueless voters is the guy that wins.
When we are at our best, is when we face challenges like 9-11. The times we look around, and realize that sixty percent of us are closer to the middle than we thought; When we ignore the radical fifteen percent on either side, and set our minds to do what is best for the whole one hundred percent, we shine. And what that takes, it seems, is simply a common goal.
That's why I chose the name 'Advocate' for the site. We need to advocate for common sense solutions and basic decency in discourse and dissent, We need to exhibit the neighborly concern for our communities that we hope our children will attain. And short of dishonesty or thievery, we need to realize that the people who lift the mantle of elected burden are, after all, just people. We need to stop looking for the 'gotcha' and the 'gimme', and start looking for results and progress.
Maybe I'm thinking big, but the next election cycle, I would like to see this site in a position to sponsor some candidate forums, so there are some faces and facts to go with the names the next time we pull we the lever.
To accomplish that, it takes enough voices to be heard. The only way this site does that is to generate a consistent, interactive readership. And the best way I know to accomplish that is to put you to work for the cause, and give you some benefit for doing it.
The work part, we've already covered. Get out there, get involved, and let the readers of this site hear about it.
The benefit? Well, we will have classified ads, lost and found listings, and even some business ads for free. We'll announce church, school, civic and social events for free, and we'll make sure our kid's pictures show up prominently when they sink that last second outside jumper.
And we'll turn up the heat when something just isn't right, and try to shed some collective light on the things that are.
Till next time!
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