Civic activism? Here are places to look for the genuine article.

A day of rest might be defined in a number of ways, and for me, it is the one that comes immediately after a Tuesday during which we dispensed somewhere between three and four kegs of Poor Richard’s “Old Lightning Rod” Ale to thirsty celebrants of Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.

The New Albanian Brewing Company very much appreciates the great response.

Among those not able to attend NABC’s fete was Randy “Volunteer Hoosier” Smith, who instead visited the New Albany Plan Commission meeting and provides this sterling report: Vignettes From the Third Floor.

Some of us in the CFP took a stroll down to the courthouse this evening to see our government in action. Of particular interest this night was the request for rezoning by the entity known as Daisy Lane, LLC, otherwise known as The McCartin Companies.

I’m not going to give away the ending, so you’ll just have to go to Volunteer Hoosier and read the piece.

For more background on The McCartin Companies, see “The Gary: An excess of pure, unadulterated ego? Perhaps tolerable in the exurban sprawl, but not relevant to downtown New Albany.”

Meanwhile, at NA Health, the unmasked and emboldened Healthblogger, a.k.a. Dr. Daniel Eichenberger, continues his series of provocative postings on matters pertaining to Floyd Memorial, the hospital’s board, and a variety of local health care issues.

While it’s obvious that readers are free to agree or disagree with Dr. Eichenberger’s personal perspective on these issues, the fact remains that he is attempting to provide information on these important topics, and to initiate discussion about them in a public forum.

As with Volunteer Hoosier’s coverage of the New Albany Plan Commission, NA Health is staking a claim to territory that isn’t being adequately charted by the local print media.

Similarly, consider the five most recent postings at the reinvigorated New Albany Renewal:

· Could This Build New Albany?
· DIY Neighborhood Improvement
· Markets Build Relationships
· Get Up Off the Couch: Ideas for Building Community
· For Kids

No bells, no whistles, and no fireworks – just solid, practical, tested ideas and for building a community.

Loyal readers, I’m asking today that you consider the preceding blog links within the context of “civic activism,” a term used by some in the community to describe their innate disgruntlement and a concurrent commitment to politically motivated blogyard graffiti.

Go to the websites noted above, as well as NA Confidential, New Albany Today, Diggin’ in the Dirt and Our History in New Albany (and there are yet others), and scroll randomly through them.

Take note of the sheer depth and range of issues and ideas on offer, a vast majority of which are directly applicable to the challenges that lie ahead for the city of New Albany and our goals in meeting these challenges.

Know that the writers responsible don’t always agree with each other, but that they recognize the commonality of their undertaking, and that there are rules governing agreement and disagreement in a society that espouses freedom of speech and expression.

Consider again what is implied by “civic activism.”

I believe you know where to look for it … and, conversely, where the term has little, if any, applicable meaning.