It's simple, actually.
Lowellians should talk to each other. Face to face is best. When that can't happen, we should meet in the most convenient way. Maybe, this forum can be that way?
As a blogger, I value discussion, even heated debate. What this group can provide, afforded by the tool of Facebook, is to have these exchanges with our true identity.
Please bring your voice, your vision for Lowell, and your friends to join us here.
Lowell Live Feed Forum (Link)
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Let me give you some background.I am a political animal. How that came to be, I'm not sure. My Dad was a Teamster and his family were mostly union members. My Mom's father was the Chief Electrical Inspector for the City of Everett. So, politics and organizing was not a foreign concept, but in no way was my family very active, when I was a kid. My folks were more into Jazz music than politics. I simply don't remember talk of it in the house, except for an occasional lauding of Jimmy Hoffa.
As a teenager, I came upon the Sunday pundit shows, like "Meet the Press." I devoured "The McLaughlin Group" for some reason. My favorite was Jack Germond (Link).
In my 20's, I joined the Army. There, I was the fist of America's foreign policy. I did a tour in Washington D.C., Korea and saw combat in Iraq. I would not trade those experiences for anything. I should also note, it was around this time, my Dad began to organize a small neighborhood group in my hometown of North Reading, the Martin's Pond Association (Link). One of my Dad's nicknames was "The Mayor of Matins Pond." When I left the Army, I started college at UML. So, I wasn't heavily involved in the MPA, but I, along with Salmira and the two girls, would always pitch in for big events. It was fun. There was a feeling of connection to others, doing something useful and positive.
That said, politics was a casual hobby for me, But then came, 2007.
To push this story along, I'll distill out a few points.
- I started blogging heavily in NH, as a supporter of Senator Obama. Not only did I blog, but I also did plenty of "boots on the ground" organizing, NH Veterans for Barack Obama.
- After 2008, I started paying more attention to my own back yard. There was some traction (Link).
The point being, grassroots skirmishing with the "movers and shakers" or "The Bubble" yields results. Some are full fledged successes. Others, less so.
- By now, I was regularly commenting on Left in Lowell (Link). That led to me becoming what is called a 'Front Pager.' Which just means I could write a complete diary and had Admin access to the backside of the website. Most importantly, I was fully engaged in political communication, while I was engaged in political ACTION.
- Lowell's blogging scene was really taking off. The foundations laid by Richard Howe, Jr & Left in Lowell were being built upon. "New Media" was challenging the narratives that corporate media was shilling for a fee. "The Bubble" was buzzing with ideas injected by upstarts. We lived inside their heads, rent free. We still do!
But, blogs present challenges. Worse, restrictions. I despised that.
- First, as new media took off, fakery escalated. It was common place for nitwits and political minions to use alter egos to say whatever they damn pleased. Anyone that reads comments in The Lowell Sun knows this. And, to be fair, the blogs were tainted by this. An over reliance on "comment moderation" kept the worse abuses in check. But, this was new territory in Lowell's political culture, so all sorts of bullshit was manifesting in nefarious ways.
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Between the fakery and the moderation handcuffs that stemmed from it, I endeavored to find a venue that would release activists and concerned residents from the existing paradigm.
What I sought was a blog site, like this: Blue Mass Group (Link).
Note how the left margins allow for "Recent User Posts." At BMG, they expand the blogging universe to include registered users. Should those diaries resonate, they can be "Recommended" by readers that are 'signed in,' which pushes that diary to the top of the left margin. If a diary is to the 'liking' of the website's Admins, it can put flipped into the main column.
This all works because of "mores and values" that are self policed by the registered readership, but enforced by the Admins. Blue Mass Group has been around for sometime, now. It has reached a type of 'equilibrium' in terms of content. There is a conservative facsimile of BMG (Link), but it is paltry in comparison, imho.
So, from 2012 or so, I dreamed of something like this for Lowell. Although, there was still one thing that plagues, even BMG. Fakery! It's hard to escape the sock puppets,
Even though the skulduggery of "Jim Bowen" and "Ed Howe" manifested itself on Facebook, I decided to look there for a platform that would increase political dialogue and activism.
In 2011, I created a small group on FB that focused on the hyperbole, high dudgeon & grandstanding which was becoming more common at City Council meetings. My FB pals where both captivated and disgusted by public proceedings that appeared to be so much "Kabuki Theater."
That group became more narrow, as sharper words were staked in to the buffoonery we witnessed weekly. It was funny as a bastard to play in, but I became disenchanted that it was insular. The purpose of political activism is not to be an 'echo chamber' for moral support. At least for me, I speak to engage, to stir. I try to proselytize. Knowing the Laws of Physics, that my efforts will stir an equal an opposite reaction by folks that disagree. I believe that ideals shape policy. But, it should be compromise that becomes codified in ordinances and regulations.
To faciliate that, I created this blog & Lowell Live Feed Forum.
The blog you are reading, this website, for now is for me to stir things. My pal, Jim Corrigan, will chime in on Boston-State politics, as he sees fit. Things will get feisty here.(Link)
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| This paperboy always delivers |
But, the Lowell Live Feed Forum is for you, if you want to join in. In the last 2 months, over 200 people have joined in. And, I am delighted to see more folks commenting and posting topics that are relevant to all of us that love Lowell.
This is not a site that demands consent. It actually prefers a polite tension. Will it cross lines of comity? Yes. When it does, I hope the community will help self police. If things get out of hand, the Admins will step in. In the summer, we enjoy the public beach, along side so many others. But, we are happy to have the life guards around.
Please, join us on Facebook. Bring your friends, bring your trunks, maybe even one of those foam speghetti floaties, but do JUMP IN!
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