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Dylan Ratigan

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Meet My Best Teachers

Posted: 06/22/2012 3:08 pm

Meet my best teachers. They are advocates of all cultures that learn, teach, model and show how to get more abundant supplies of food, energy, learning and health, along with cultures that cultivate access to opportunity to maximize potential for all groups and individuals.

Over the past 3 years, I have been learning from these community heroes who are modeling a new culture of solving age old problems with new tools.

These cultures all share one set of universal principles:

1. They are honest with a tendency toward one set of rules and shared mutual understanding and goals.

2. They emphasize FIRST STEPS. This means they are ruthless in evaluating where they are and what they have before they make any plans.

3. They use an "Apollo 13" mentality of making the best use of what the group does have, rather than itemize what the group doesn't have only to get lost in fighting over why that is.

4. They have a clear imagination of exactly what the goal of their mission is.

5. They make decisions based on the clarity of that imagination not in response to available or lost objects.

6. They use mission-based hierarchical structures to plan, brief and execute tasks. But the more power you wield in the hierarchy to more you are expected to serve the mission.

7. They use communal, egalitarian structures for mission analysis and debriefing before and after each plan, brief and execution.

All of this is definitive to any true problem-solvers culture.

Failure to have a good first step can result in jumping out of a plane without a parachute, building a bridge without any nuts and bolts, or planning a political reform that treats symptoms, not roots. It is the most important step, before planning or execution can begin.

The people in this playbook have been some of my best teachers the past 3 years and I believe their culture of thinking represents a clear success in achieving security, abundance and individual and collective freedom.

The best community heroes use a "mission" culture. This best defined in the Marine Corps, a surgical operating room, or while engineering a bridge, road or factory.

I believe that if we teach, model and show good first step practices -- which are being shown to us by our "Greatest Generation," returning war veterans, youth and countless civilians -- a true renaissance is closer than we realize.

I am thrilled to share this Community Hero Playbook with you, featuring some of my most valuable teachers, and ask you to help me expand on them.

Here's to the story of our lifetime!

Dylan

 

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HUFFPOST BLOGGER
Gerit Quealy
Style editor, NBC's StyleGoesStrong.com
02:44 PM on 06/24/2012
Interested in where you are going with this. I recently learned of Zoe Weill. You might find her site worth exploring. http://www.care2.com/causes/im-an-educator-so-dont-believe-me.html
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Drew Sargent
Born-again human here
01:42 PM on 06/24/2012
Thanks for sharing this side of you. You are in my Community Playbook of Heroes, along with Chris Hedges, Bill Moyer, Bill Mahr, Noam Chomsky and Robert Scheer. Thanks to all of you, I am a wiser and richer man.
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realitytrumpsbull
Two 'alves of coconut!
10:57 PM on 06/23/2012
My question in response is, 'can you ram your nose any farther up the military's backside, or have we finally hit the physical limitation, here'? Quality talent comes from all walks of life, and is not necessarily always to be found within the ranks of the military, unfortunately. While our armed forces DO make the valiant effort to only maintain quality personnel, unfortunately...sometimes the standards get more than a little flexible, and over time sometimes end up degrading, much like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy, and then you throw in bureaucracy and politics and people all but suing the military to keep from being thrown out, and...that's why companies and educational institutions broaden their scope to likewise seek out and only maintain quality talent. The military also has an unfortunate moniker: Employer of last resort. Can't get hired anywhere else? You can go see the recruiter, and they'll find you a spot. That, though, may be changing, as enlistment/commission standards are continually reviewed, and budget cuts loom large on the horizon in the face of almost 16 trillion dollars' worth of national debt now standing assessed against the name of every man, woman, and child in this country. Where DO we go from here? To hell, if we don't change our ways...Educators? What next? What, indeed.
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Nic the wonder puppy
When life throws lemons, throw them back
01:54 PM on 06/23/2012
Mine was from that obedient school I was sent to, lol, a lot of good that did.
12:29 PM on 06/23/2012
I think he's one of those people who's thoughts are so far ahead of their mouths it's an effort coordinating the two.
12:26 PM on 06/23/2012
I thought your show was extraordinary and visionary. I'm sure you will continue to do amazing things. I liked your writing instruments as well.
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arthrbaum
11:11 AM on 06/23/2012
the best and the brightest..on target 100 percent of the time 'Martin Bashir' is Brilliant.. Ratigan can take lessons from this scholar!!
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arthrbaum
11:06 AM on 06/23/2012
Ratigan talks in Superficial tongue! philosophical corny nonsense..but i still like him!
10:15 AM on 06/23/2012
I going to miss Dylin in the afternoons but I know he will do good things in the future. Here's a question I want answered. Since the Supreme Court has now ruled that non-union members can't be required to pay any fees associated with benefits they derive from their fellow union members, especially be "compelled to speak" when it comes to union politics. Why doesn't that now apply to any stock holder in a corporation? Why must I be "compelled to speak" against my wishes when a corporation that I have invested in uses my profits to produce adds or donate to political action committees that I do not agree with. I oppose this speach, I don't want my profits used that way, but I have no say? Why is that?
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jjtm562
07:26 AM on 06/23/2012
Never quite understood what he was talking about. Always seemed to be parsing his words, holding something back as it were. Nice guy but a bit of an enigma.
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kalidescopemind
My glass is 1/4 full '(
09:50 AM on 06/23/2012
Its like what Bob Dylan said when asked about the meaning of his lyrics: "What do they mean to you?"
garystartswithg
el sueno de la razon produce republicans
11:10 AM on 06/23/2012
its a simple indtroduction to a group of young people that have lots of ideas, but those ideas are not taken seriously yet because the boomers are still mandating everything. learn to learn again instead of think you know everything already. is that more direct?

perhaps you are the problem, and not the solution. the problem never sees itself as the problem.
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jjtm562
01:18 PM on 06/23/2012
Feel better?
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Unlisted2u
...but not polls, pols or 3rd party affiliates.
05:40 AM on 06/23/2012
You go, Dylan; I'm with you all the way!
Y'all have a great plan.
It's way past time someone(s) are willing
to act to save America and the American Dream!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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adcan49
Lone Star Liberal
02:01 AM on 06/23/2012
Thank you, Mr. Ratigan, for being a teacher to me. After today, I will never have to DVR your excellent show. :( I did not know what to make of you when I first came across "The DR Show". Slowly, but surely, (I kept coming back for more--why IS that?), I realized that your show was not the same old cookie cutter BS of cable TeeVee. I am not all surprised to learn that you are moving on to bigger and better things. You deserve it, and so do we, as far what you have up your sleeve! ;)
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Mamma Roma
Contrarian and proud of it
01:35 AM on 06/23/2012
Dylan, I'm going to miss you...but I'll wait until you come back. I must say though, I was shocked to learn you're only 40 years old..... how could you be so smart and souful at so young an age? The man of my dreams and I'm old enough to be your Mother. Ah well. Perhaps in another life.
01:30 PM on 06/23/2012
I'm shocked he's 40 because he looks well into his 50's. Does he smoke?
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Mamma Roma
Contrarian and proud of it
11:29 PM on 06/23/2012
I don't know. I think he's just an old soul.
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LelioRisen
Carpe diem! @leliorisen
11:35 PM on 06/22/2012
"Don't it always seems to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?"

Joni Mitchell had it right. With Dylan Ratigan leaving his perch on MSNBC, that is going to leave a void that I don't see being filled anytime soon.

I never always agreed with Mr. Ratigan, but I was fascinated by his intellect, his honesty, and his solution-oriented approach. He was not a panderer, he actually cared about what he spoke about.

My biggest regret is that I did not watch him more. However, I just bookmarked his blog, which is truly a treasure.
11:09 PM on 06/22/2012
The next time I see Dylan Ratigan on TV, I wish him to be a protester amidst an Occupy rally that finally carries a message inspired by him in order to bring public attention to the disgraceful actions and inactions of our nation's media.
Dylan, the members of Congress, The Senate, former Presidential Cabinet members and other noted citizens who spoke out publicly on his program were only able to reach less than 1% of citizens with their message, because 99% of media failed to carry their words to citizens. Citizens must recognize that it's not our Supreme Court standing between us and needed change, but a media ownership makeup that's unwilling to give up their opportunity to use wealth to gain Legislative favor for the many business entities which they also own. I suggest that The Court would succumb to overwhelming public opinion and media is preventing citizen awareness to the words and actions of those working toward change in order to prevent gathering of such opinion.
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imdroppingdimes
This ain't no after-school special.
02:38 AM on 06/23/2012
I'll respectfully disagree.
If American citizens want change, it is up to American citizens to take the necessary steps.

For a nation that was in two wars, a dying auto industry, a banking system collapse, a housing implosion, and high unemployment, apparently America wasn't that motivated to change.

The Presidential Election of 2008 had less than 60% voter turnout.. about the same as that of 2004.
If people wanted change, there is NO WAY that less than 1% of America would be dictating to the rest.

Do you know..
How many people STILL think Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11?
How many people cannot name their Congressman?
How people can't name one piece of legislation that has been voted on in the last ten years, much less how it may affect them?

Laziness, when coupled with a lack of knowledge will not allow for change.

If you wait to be acted upon, you will be acted upon.

Libyans, Syrians, Iranians and billions of others would appreciate and take advantage of the rights and opportunities Americans so casually throw away.
06:55 AM on 06/23/2012
Totally! We are getting exactly what we deserve. I hear so many people brag about not voting and hating politics. I mean I get the hate part but to not understand that standing on the way side and letting the fox guard the chicken house does in fact affect you is frightening.
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kalidescopemind
My glass is 1/4 full '(
09:52 AM on 06/23/2012
Sorry dimes, I do not believe in blaming the victim. And leaders like Dylan: We need them!