Activist’s apology


To the Editor:


Jack Monaghan is right [letter “On vicious rhetoric,” October 1 issue]. My co-tabler’s comment to him was rude and had no place in the political discourse we were trying to create with our table. I am sorry that I did not immediately apologize to him; I do so now.


I’m not sure what expression or movement of mine Mr. Monaghan interpreted as my telling him that he should simply leave, and I’m sorry he mistook my reaction as such. I had no such thought beyond hoping the situation didn’t escalate. When the gentleman I was tabling with made the comment, I was stunned because it was so rude, and out of nowhere — Mr. Monaghan certainly hadn’t provoked a response, much less a rude one. 


I scolded my co-tabler for the comment, both on the grounds of its rudeness and its counterproductive nature, as Mr. Monaghan’s letter aptly demonstrated. My co-tabler agreed, and, to his credit, from that point on he successfully and politely reached out to many other Islanders. As a result, I would table with him again without hesitation. 


Ironically, the concept behind the tabling was to shift the tone and approach around the health care debate. Rather than use pre-printed cards labeled with some organization’s name, logo and potential baggage, we offered people blank Shelter Island postcards, stamped and pre-addressed to Congressional leaders, President Obama and our own Congressional delegation. 


We encouraged people to write their own health care reform messages, and were so non-controlling we gave some people postcards to write in the privacy of their own homes and mail on their own time. We hoped everyone taking cards was pro-reform, as we were, but had no way of enforcing that desire. 


In addition to postcards, we offered information sheets that both explained why reform is crucial and itemized specific reforms that Congress and the president have proposed. We cautioned everyone we gave an information sheet to that no final bill existed, so we could only promise that each proposed reform we listed was currently in the mix of bills moving forward. 


We took this blank postcard and qualified information sheet approach because we wanted to give people access to high quality information and the opportunity to freely participate in the process of health care reform. We believe many people who care deeply about the issue have been alienated from the process by the hyperbolic and hostile rhetoric swamping the debate on television and elsewhere.


We don’t represent a formal group, much less a national one; we are just pro-reform Islanders who found each other informally. I don’t know how many tabling sessions we will be able to do, but we hope to do more. If you see us at our next session, we hope that your experience of us is pleasant, even if you disagree with us, don’t choose to take our information or decide not to write a postcard.


ABIGAIL FIELD


Shelter Island