TCM - a final few words A cure for division A national UNON

January 23, 2006

My wife is in a profession that was attacked with legislation for years.

Then a bill was proposed that would have eliminated her participation in her

career completely.

A wise person proposed they join the AFL-CIO. With a minor amount of

money as dues, they did.

The AFL-CIO went to Tallahassee lobbied for their rights, stopped the

legislation and got them additional rights. It was the best thing they could

have done. Since then, all legislative challenges have stopped.

I have appreciated the efforts of all the individual Acupuncture

organizations around the US. However, I believe we really need a national

organization that has much more clout to interact with law makers on our behave.

I have talked to the AFL-CIO about the Acupuncture profession and asked

if they would be interested in representing us in Washington. They would be

very excited to join with us and protect our rights and promote our desires.

Imagine having a very large organization promoting our rights.

I know from personal experience how division in a profession opens the

possibility of legislative demise and how unity can restore safety and improve

opportunities.

I feel strongly about the importance of the US Acupuncturists joining

together and I believe joining a national union like the AFL-CIO is the best

opportunity we have.

What do you think?

Chris

In a message dated 1/22/2006 6:44:58 PM Eastern Standard Time,

alonmarcus writes:

Zev

A fair warning

Oakland, CA 94609

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Chinese Medicine

Sunday, January 22, 2006 3:37 PM

Re: Re: a final few words

This is a major problem for us. Such divisions led to the demise of

homeopathy as an independent profession in the U.S. 100 years ago.

January 23, 2006

You have my vote! Excellent idea!..this has been proposed before, but never

acted on in any systematic or strategic way. I heard this way back when I first

began TCM school. However, the other reality is " union " in the USA is a four

letter word for most health professionals...or most workers, period.I It seems

you are in Fl, which was the first so-called " right-to-work " state in the US and

where even organizing sanitation workers is tough. (Union organizers in Tampa

were publicly tarred and feathered and beaten by goons in Tampa...)

I have also found many AP's to be very apolitical and apathetic when it comes

to organizing as a body in our own interests at the national level...so this

would take quite a bit of resources and reserves....but worth the challenge. How

do we get started?

Twyla

Musiclear wrote: