| A simple listing of political discussions, meetings, debates, forums, rallies, events and such |
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About: Brief Irony, 2014:August
1st the calendar:
Irony This simple listing of political meeting and events turns out to be incredibly complex. Partly a good demonstration is a party and place to talk about issues we care about. Partly we always have some issue that we 'want to do something about,' hence CivicSatisfaction.org - Partly Civic Satisfaction affords a chance to think tank and explore issues when questions arise - see some newer postings in the right column. Partly we wanted to platform for issue groups and candidates to share resources. If you can program and at least consult with us, please email. Donations also help, alot ----------------------------------------------------
About: Irony of Purpose, 3 ironic purposes and more, 2007:September You have opinions or questions on most everything, especially politics, that you would like to express. At least, you want to assess how people react to your opinions. If you raise an opinion in our conversation, we'll explore our opinions until we get distracted, see what we can do and try to remember all the groups who are dealing with those issues. Mention you "want to do something" about our politics to me and we'll probe the issues you are most concerned with, assess how much time you can or will put in., and, again, or who is going your way. Ironically, for all the millions of people meeting, speaking and writing in politics, until Civic Satisfaction there was no central place to look at what all is going on, what information is available and where you can best raise your opinion and follow-up. Yet a political calendar seems such an ironic simplicity. And after two years with CivicSatisfaction.org we now look at the listings of all the political groups meetings and events, web-sites and information to see what strikes our minds and hearts, and opinions. So the First Purpose of Civic Satisfaction is to open the discussions, help people who want political information or to do something. At the center of our politics are the officials who often vote so strangely or do not even provide a forum to listen to us. At the center of politicians and how they vote, good and bad, are candidates and elections. Don't you love 30-second image ads? You want enough information to know who all the candidates are before the election. Ironically, most candidates want to get their Word out to the voters. Especially pity the minor candidates who can't be heard over the cacophony of major candidates. All candidates want to be heard, just like the people. We won't go into Media problems right here, however ironic. But add on that we evaluate candidates best when we see them speak live and talk to them personally. And candidates yearn to talk to more people, in groups and personally. So much irony, again, leads to the calendar with all those information links. And again the irony of such simplicity at a central nexus or center, and doing so much. If we are to elect the thoughtful legislators we always imagined, rather than so many salesmen, too many of whom front for powerful bullies, then voters and candidates need to connect. So CivicSatisfaction.org provides publicity for all the candidates' websites, their meetings and events, and, ironically has been very successful when candidates call for volunteers. The Second Purpose is to connect people, candidates and their information. Politically active groups, ironically, have the same problems getting their message out as candidates and people. Active groups always need more people to lend their creative ideas, do the information research and distribution, talk to candidates and officials, and show how many people are concerned with their issues. Note that officials and candidates often need and depend on active groups' research, and pay attention to how many voters they represent. So Civic Satisfaction's Third Purpose is to help bring people to these groups, make their information available, and in a central location. Current gripes, opinions and the urge to do something, First Purpose, leads into the intensity of elections, Second Purpose, bombardment of spin ads, and the need for us to make some kind of decision. The frustration of electing people who didn't really listen is followed by the intensely relaxing silence of post-election. Then too late we realize that we ignored politics for too long and the election homework is fast and furious, once again. Politicians and pundits blame the victims of burnout and frustration, and call them apathetic voters. Voter apathy is a symptom of a bad system, without Civic Satisfaction and other solutions. The end of this roller-coaster is the First Corollary, building on the Purposes, since, the active groups, Third Purpose, are a way of getting to know officials and future candidates, of spreading the homework thru the years. In only two years of Civic Satisfaction we know more of the candidates, know WE can invite them to speak to our group and answer our questions and gripes; and have the whole event publicized on CivicSatisfaction.org The Second Corollary is that CivicSatisfaction.org is more than a central nexus, but, ironically, one major coordinating nexus for you with opinions, the "active community", candidates and groups. Ironically, Civic Satisfaction serves as a reminder of all the resources, information, connections and contacts other groups would love to lend. Civic Satisfaction is also a planning aid to see who is meeting, when and where. And sometimes we all need to shift our foci and our issues to best grow or best meet the challenges, so Civic Satisfaction is there for all the issues and all the people, candidates and groups. Now that people, candidates, officials and their Parties, and active groups are getting more people and response thru Civic Satisfaction, as so many have predicted, we do see more of the creativity of the people. Many have commented that democracy is as easy as herding cats. Civic Satisfaction says herding cats is easy, turn on the can opener. You don't herd cats, you lure them. Democracy is not top/down marching orders. Democracy is people moving to issues they see as good for them, important to them or interesting to them. Democracy is a network of people raising their voices, where the volume needs attending or the system breaks. And so Civic Satisfaction is one central nexus in the network that adds to the ability of people to show what needs to be dealt with politically, and that is coordination. Then to get beyond the center of CivicSatisfaction.org is the Third Corollary. A website makes a good center, but we also need people, candidates and groups to carry that information beyond the website to anywhere people talk with each other, especially about politics. And ironically, mentioning other meetings is very natural when you decide or mention your own next meeting(s). Related groups, pro or con, rival candidates, just other issue groups that your members are interested in or you may want information or connections with. Show how open you are and mention opponents' events. For more on this see: We ask all who use this site… Use or mention Civic Satisfaction when people, candidates and groups have questions or want to do something. We need all to spread the word on how the people and word are spreading. A Fourth Corollary is that Civic Satisfaction is an active calendar who seeks other groups and their meetings and events, and their information. Many groups post passive calendars which members and friends contribute to. Civic Satisfaction mines their calendars, always with the cooperation of these groups. We ask you let us know when holidays or schedules change, but as an active calendar we also check. Ironically, being an active calendar also means we need to raise funds to keep this going. Parallel irony, with all the information on all the issues of all the groups, and the only group who deals with all the issues and groups, we are in a unique platform to raise funds with our sponsors' announcements and fund-raisers. For more on Sponsors see Contribute. We do passively accept sponsors and must actively pursue them. Fifth is all the groups, all the candidates and all the opinions. As opinionated as we are, Civic Satisfaction cannot claim to raise the entire discussion without including all. We actively balance our opinions and our sponsors', and so we are deliberately 501(c)3. Like a writer is told to write what he or she knows, so too, we started with the progressives or liberals who we know. But we include anarchists, Greens, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Constitionals, and many, many undecided, other, and groups who cut across all definitions. As an active balance we seek opposing views and sponsors. If you touch on politics and include some discussion, you may post on CivicSatisfaction.org. And that's pretty broad. But politics affects everything. Yet we need all the groups' discussions if we are to craft the best solutions for our society. With three Purposes overlaying five Corollaries, we get to the large peak. This is IN the name Civic Satisfaction, which caps all the Purposes and Corollaries. You look for volume and culinary satisfaction in your food, meaning and purpose satisfaction in your work, function, comfort, hospitality and more satisfactions in your home, interest knowledge, musical and artistic satisfactions. So too, your eternal vigilance as the price of liberty and your enjoyment of debate, your need to express concerns and ideas, and just meet with folks, all are part of your Civic Satisfaction. Beyond planning your schedule, your own and others', is your a balance of what you can do and finding enough to fulfill your own Civic Satisfaction. Ironically, Civic Satisfaction is a balance and a necessary part of your balance. Then beyond the all-issue focus, the folk who work Civic Satisfaction, like our contributors, are very active politically. Indeed we have worked on most of the issues over our decades of activism. Now we are looking to the center for the keys, like Civic Satisfaction, to unlock the political doors and logjams. The rapier thrust into the heart of ignorance and frustration and toward civic satisfaction is all we seek. As integration and balance of your own spirit is part of civic satisfaction, so, ironically, Civic Satisfaction seeks the integration and balance of our politics. And as we "be the change" toward what gives us civic satisfaction, Civic Satisfaction is the change we "be." ------------------------------------ After two years of running Civic Satisfaction, we are re-clarifying this dream. Now you can help us complete the ironically simple and profound reality with the help and donations you can summon. 2007:Sept
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The following is the original About: Irony from 2005:Sept
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About: Irony
Many people want to "do something" about our current political situations. Ironically, many active political groups are screaming for more people at every level of involvement. So, CivicSatisfaction.org is a simple listing of political meetings and events, and media. And we link people right to groups' sites to find out more.
Everybody loves to talk politics, not just the politically active, but most everybody. The irony is that almost everybody, except the active, hates elections. Partly, we have more fun as active participants in political discussions, than we do as the dubious audience for overly staged elections. So CivicSatisfaction.org helps people pursue their interests and find their best fit, all the time, at their own pace. And as issues break, Civic Satisfaction can help you find who is acting and how, when, where. This is real time networking of all the groups.
All of the issues we care about come down to the vote of leaders we elected and the circus we call elections. Just for irony, we wanted to get to the center of all the issues and election reform and how we conduct politics has to be that center. The Election Reform Committee of, initially Move on Denver, then Denver Progressives, worked for voter verified paper ballots and the voter registration rules with many groups, the Secretary of State and the Colorado Legislature in the spring of 2005. We mostly won. But much more needs to be done.
How do we find and elect the thoughtful legislators that we always imagined? Do you get tired of the screaming salesmen who are all image and no substance, and getting worse. In time we do come to know the true agenda of elected leaders, but only after they have been elected on an image, or with negativity. So, CivicSatisfaction.org helps people keep up with meetings, events and media on their interests, all the time, at a rate that is comfortable for each person.
At election time people want to do all the election homework and especially see leaders discuss issues. And, candidates need to let people know where they will be, so people may come and evaluate them. But, much of the media is image or negative. Many people are sick of elections and glad to see an end. Then, many people are out of the habits of politics when election season arrives. To break this cycle, CivicSatisfaction.org helps people keep up between elections.
For all the issues that we care about, each comes down to a vote of elected officials. We don't have to agree with a leader to work well with them and show them the votes we can turn out. But, when they surprise us, we loose trust in them, in government and in elections as they are run. If we must take more control of our government, then we must find out who the candidates really are and who they represent. And we have to know our issues well. And always doing a little, and keeping up on all the ironies of politics, is much easier than major election time homework. We build trust in government by building a government we can trust. Civic Satisfaction just wants to aerate the grassroots.
And we need your help. Tell us about your events or other peoples meetings that should be listed with Submit your Event or with Contact. We can't know all the events; it takes everyone and you. So when you realize you're not sure if Civic Satisfaction lists a meeting, think about when you'll next check CivicSatisfacton.org and what you'll tell us. And any feedback helps.
And we need your help. We Ask All Who Use This Site to mention more than their own meetings, events or broadcast schedule for follow up or more. A successful meeting is one that agrees to meet again. So, when you decide when and where to hold your next meeting, also mention similar meetings, events or media. And mention Civic Satisfaction, especially as where you looked for other meetings to mention. Word of Mouth is so important we spent a page on it.
And we need your help. You know we need Contributions of money and volunteer help. These listings change every day and webpages are very time consuming. So when you are thinking about contributions, think too of whom you check with for meetings and events, and who is changing the face of politics.
Civic Satisfaction is just one step toward making politics more sane. But a subtle step, which can shift the mountain.
CivicSatisfaction.org was founded on the 4th of July. Mostly it was a day off. So much for superficial patriotism. This website supplies fuel for the creative fires of Liberty's Torch on all the issues we care about - including political and election reform, and cutting hype. People talking is democracy. These are the townhall meetings of today. Freedom's eternal vigilance, and civic duty, includes the occasional event to follow your interest and to air your gripes. Whether daily or monthly, such meetings and events are fun - active participating entertainment. Don't you love the irony of duty that is fun? And civic satisfaction comes from accomplishing such duty, with alacrity.
So, please help more people attain greater civic satisfaction and to enjoy all the ironies of politics. And let us help you, help us, help you….
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