[nfb-talk] Notes about NFB News Line

Sherri fl_mom at earthlink.net
Mon Jul 24 07:23:55 CDT 2006 

I don't complain about ACB radio. I believe it is a service enjoyed by many 
people. Bookshare is also great. Mr Mills is around just to stir up trouble 
and call attention to himself. The less said about him the better.

Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "priscillamckinley" <priscillamckinley at cox.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Notes about NFB News Line


Is it really worth the time and effort to argue with someone like Mr. Mills?
I think not.  He is one of those whiners who shows up to complain about
anything good that results from the work of the members in the NFB.

Many of us were out there when Newsline was first established, trying to
find the money so that the blind, all blind, could be on equal terms with
their sighted counterparts, and I can't even  begin to describe how
empowering it was to get on a city bus and/or go into a classroom and know
something about the stories others in my community were discussing.  For the
first time since losing my sight, I was able to read the newspaper in the
morning, get on the bus and go to classes, and participate in the
discussions.  I didn't have to do as I had done before and sit there without
a clue.  But, just because this service was initiated by the NFB, the
whiners had to do whatever they could to lash out against us, even though
the services are there to benefit *all blind people*.

More recently, the NFB worked on legislation for the Braille coin so that we
could earn money to support literacy programs for *all blind people*, not
just members of the NFB.  Because it's a matching funds program, the NFB
will have to come up with the same amount of money that is raised from the
selling of the coins.  As we were trying to get this legislation passed,
once again the whiners showed up to complain about the coin, just because
the idea was initiated by the NFB.  Otherwise, why would any blind person,
or any sighted person, try to stop programs that will benefit blind
children?  Is it that those whiners want to remain ignorant and want all
blind people to remain ignorant so that they have an excuse to sit home and
do nothing with their lives but whine?  This is the way it seems to me.

If blind children don't learn to read and blind children and adults can't
read the newspapers and participate in their community discussions, then we
might as well all go back to the sheltered workshops and live in happy homes
for the blind, making sure that someone is there to take care of us.  I for
one do not want that.  Instead, I choose to push for positive advancements
for all blind people.  Now if those whiners would put even half as much
energy into doing positive things for blind individuals, all blind
individuals, as they put into complaining and whining about the positive
things we in the NFB are doing, the world might be a better place for all of
us.

Priscilla




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan Wheeler" <awheeler at neb.rr.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 6:54 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Notes about NFB News Line


> Amen, amen, and amen!  Mr. Mills should have, in my opinion, been banned
> from this list ages ago.  Not based solely on this thread, either.  His
> past
> history with this list would indicate that banning is necessary, but it
> hasn't happened...yet.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cynthia Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 4:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Notes about NFB News Line
>
>
>> Mr. Mills,
>>
>> Before Newsline, you could not read *any* newspapers.  Now you have a
>> choice
>> of newspapers.  Whether you like it or not, someone has to pay for the
>> service, which the vast majority of blind people, (NFB members or not),
>> value.  That's why blind people, who are members of the NFB, have gone
>> out
>> and found funding for this service.
>>
>> If you don't like it and don't want to help in funding it, then leave it
>> and
>> us alone.  What you're doing is not advocating for improvements.  You're
>> simply bashing something of which you know very little.
>>
>> Cindy Handel
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Tom Mills" <tmills79 at bellsouth.net>
>> To: <4alabama at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: <alabama at acb.org>; <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing
>> List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>; <acb-chat at acb.org>; <rsva-l at acb.org>;
>> <acb-l at acb.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 2:34 PM
>> Subject: [nfb-talk] Notes about NFB News Line
>>
>>
>> Excuse me!  regardless of what has been traditional practices for the NFB
>> News Line service such as bulletin boards for advocate groups like the
>> National Federation of the Blind, News Line should never be considered
>> anyone's own personal fiefdom or still worse yet just another domicile
>> for
>> every
>> blind brown noser and NFB hack that comes along! The reason that I
>> continue
>> to grace you with my presence is quite possibly because like you I
>> believe
>> that continued persistence will bring about much needed reform.  The
>> intended purpose of News Line and its professed mandate to deliver
>> accessible News papers to the blind community simply rings hollow when
>> dominated by a biggest bully on the block attitude.  Sir: I beg your
>> pardon!
>> Tens of millions dollars have been contributed by
>> many other government and private partnerships to News Line.  But even if
>> every single penny were donated by the many generous federation members I
>> still would have the right to raise my concerns about the operation and
>> administration of News Line.  I think the NFB News Line news paper
>> service
>> has quite possibly over-reached
>> its intended purpose. I do not know of any other organization like NFB
>> News
>> Line. It is apparent to me that information based on your Email that News
>> Line has become to big and powerful that is in need of a major down
>> sizing.
>> I feel that my criticism of News Line is justified and Appreciated by the
>> National Office of the National Federation of the Blind.    -----
>> Original
>> Message -----
>> From: "David Andrews" <
>> dandrews at visi.com
>>>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:29 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Blind people deserve a library experience
>> readingthenewspaper! NFB News Line Fails that!
>>> Tom:
>>>
>>> As usual you are trying to create a problem, th4en use it to beat on the
>>> NFB.  As William said, if we are so evil, why do you stick around.  You
>>> make yourself a nuisance on one list, get moderated, then move to
>>> another.
>>> Is NFB-talk your latest target?
>>>
>>> And, as for Newsline, each state has a local channel where a variety of
>>> publications can be put.  In MN for example we have newsletters from
>>> both
>>> NFB and acb state affiliates, the Library for the blind newsletter,
>>> transit news, and the schedule for our radio reading service.  We will
>>> add
>>> Minnesota Monthly soon.
>>>
>>> This is the only potential place on Newsline where stuff other then
>>> newspapers would be.  The only people politicizing Newsline are the ACB
>>> who use it, but oppose it at every turn because it is from the NFB.  If
>>> you take away opposition to the NFB from the ACB, little is left.
>>>
>>> Dave  For goodness sake since when did the members of the National
>>> Federation of
>> the Blind begin to use your rival blind group the American Council of the
>> Blind as a standard of comparison and excellence?  The NFB has not proven
>> itself worthy to be the sole organization in the world I know of
>> that Distributes over two hundred main stream daily and weekly news
>> papers.
>> With
>> that responsibility comes an enormous need to remain above any suspicion
>> of
>> fishing and grabbing subscribers from News Line for other purposes. The
>> National Federation has had a long history accusing other organizations
>> in
>> the blind community of that!  Once upon a time, the American Foundation
>> for
>> the Blind was with out
>> question the richest blind organization in existence.  They held a
>> virtual
>> monopoly on the sale and distribution of aids and appliances for blind
>> people in the world. estimates of the AFB's wealth ranged upwards of 250
>> million 1970 dollars.  Many blind leaders of that time long ago believed
>> that AFB gained most of their wealth by charging usury prices for aids
>> and
>> appliances for sale to blind people. Also the AFB and many other
>> organizations working on behalf of blind people used their considerable
>> prestige to obstruct fund raising efforts by the National Federation of
>> the
>> Blind in particular. I happen to think that the Federation's  cocky
>> attitude
>> toward those blind people who have learned from past experiences would
>> always remember to remind all of us the lessons
>> of history.
>>  The only information offered by the NFB News Line Service should be
>> limited to those news papers in the News Line Library. Remember that the
>> whole concept of NFB News Line is a most rarest of privilege granted to
>> the
>> blind community by many contributing news organizations in the news paper
>> industry.  And the blind should respected as such.
>>  I too wonder where the blind community is when they turn their backs on
>> decency and respect for an unbiased library experience while reading the
>> Alabama NFB News Line Service. The Federation is more interested in
>> promoting its blind advocacy program; like filing frivolous law suits
>> mostly
>> for the sake of publicity and all the while knowing that most government
>> agencies and big business concerns will quietly settle crappy law suits
>> in
>> the legal settlement mill. Remember I am talking about the National
>> Federation of the Blind! The NFB News Line should never be used to
>> promote
>> NFB's advocacy positions and federation policies. Also, the Alabama
>> chapter
>> of the National Federation of the Blind should not be permitted to use
>> the
>> NFB News Line Service to advance the reputation of Mister J. Michael
>> Jones,
>> the Alabama affiliates state NFB president.  NFB President Doctor Marc
>> Maurer has said that the NFB News Line Service has "A Special
>> relationship
>> with the news paper industry publishers participating on News Line." Let
>> me
>> tell you something all you girls and guys, that frightens me!  I believe
>> that the NFB News Line Service should be held above any and all politics
>> for
>> the sake of the blind community and most of all to provide         blind
>> news paper
>> Readers an honest library experience!  note unless otherwise specified
>> all
>> of these remarks were written by
>> Tom Mills.  Thank you for allowing me to express my opinions about the
>> NFB
>> News
>> Line Service
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
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>
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