Blogging Toward A Better, Brighter Community
Just as no community is an island, existing in isolation, one without the other (hence, the need for umbrella organizations such as The Community Alliance), so, too, must the voices of community, however varied and disparate, come together from the great diaspora of the blogosphere, joining in spirit -- if not through the wonders of cyber technology -- to give moment to the great cause of community-building.
An e-mail recently received from a reader of this blog -- himself a blogger -- highlights the need for all of us who care deeply about community, about Long Island, about a quality of life that is sustainable, to lend our voices, along with our energies -- to this empassioned endeavor:
I write an advocacy blog on the Lighthouse Project called Let There Be Light(house) (lettherebelighthouse.blogspot.com). I just wanted to thank you for the great pieces on Kate Murray that have run lately, and I’m especially glad to not be the only one out in the blogosphere trying to get the truth out.
I also think some of my readers, who sent me the link to your cow post, may have been overzealous…Now that I read it again, it looks like complete and udder (pun intended) satire, though it says something about Kate Murray that I could actually see her doing that.
Either way – thank you for the great blog, and I hope to continue working with you and others who get it on this very important issue.
Cheers,
Nick Giglia
Let There Be Light(house)
lettherebelighthouse@gmail.com
Finally, someone who recognizes and appreciates satire!
Then again, beneath the greatest satirical works of our time lay the foundations of truth, as ironic -- if not downright painful -- as that truth may be.
The Let There Be Light(house) blog is one of many on Long Island that lay bare the plans, the foibles, the best, and the worst, offered and pondered. And yet, there is a disconnect, even among blogging communities, as if we were travelers through space and time, each in our own universe, totally unaware of one another's existence, unless and until our worlds collide (or at least gently bump).
The Lighthouse Project, and with it, the redevelopment/revitalization of the Nassau Hub, is a vital component of Nassau's sustainability well into the 21st century, and one in which we all hold a communal, if not proprietary interest.
Nick Giglia's blog is an attempt to shed light (pun intended) on but one of the issues that will, one way or another, profoundly impact upon Long Island's tomorrows.
Surely, there are other voices, other bloggers, other footnotes to the worldwide web, yet unseen by the surfing eye, begging to be heard, read, and cross-referenced by link, post, or Twitter.
Perhaps a Community Blogging Alliance is in order.
Well, if nothing more, we can continue to search out the voices of community, boldly going where no blog has gone before.
After all, if our mission is to find common sense solutions to common community problems, we'll need all the help we can get!
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Postscript:
In a further e-mail from Nick Giglia, whose blog is about as non-partisan as they come, yet another community truth is revealed. Call it not matter vs. anti-matter, but perhaps, Murray vs. Anti-murray. We see a pattern emerging here -- on all fronts. . .
I believe that we are pushing for a necessary step forward in Nassau County and Long Island as a whole.
. . .I did not expect the blog to become partisan, and I in fact spent many months giving Kate Murray every benefit of the doubt and pleading for sanity among the people emailing me and calling for ceremonial hangings from the nearest liberty tree. However, the Town of Hempstead simply pushed me too far. I was tired of the ridiculous statements to the media, the dismissive attitude toward voters, the phony petition drives, and their lackadaisical approach to just about everything. As someone who lives literally right next to the Bellmore Army Base (which the Town of Hempstead agreed to re-develop 13 years ago), I sadly know exactly what a promise of speed from them is worth. I realized that a commitment to truth meant a duty to share unpleasant truths rather than misleading sunshine.
Despite this, I still don’t believe the blog has become hyper-partisan, and in fact I have said many times I would stop criticizing Kate Murray if she would bring herself to attend a meeting or publicly proclaim a commitment to get something done at the Coliseum site. I see my mission as simply getting the truth out there and letting people make their own decisions, even though I never hide my support for the project. I just ran an interview with sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, which highlighted some of the issues surrounding public financing for sports facilities, and I am hoping to bring more experts into this discussion as the blog matures and the issue becomes more high-profile.
Thank you again for the kind words and a willingness to stand up and fight for the future we need. I am in my early 20’s and I don’t see an economic future for myself here on Long Island. It might be too late for me – I see myself having to go to Boston or San Francisco to get my high-technology business off the ground – but hopefully some new policy can prevent those after me from having to make that decision . . .
Thank you again, and together I hope we can continue to educate the public.
Cheers,
Nick Giglia
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Know of a blog or other online missive offering comment on community-building, quality of life, or other aspects of community here on Long Island? Pass along the link to us at thecommunityalliance@yahoo.com. We'll do our best to get out the word.
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