Creating Citizens, Creating Community?

Governments can't create citizens (Matthews).

For some reason this line sparked a train of thought and personal memories, which I have basically outlined here. While reading the readings for today I am reminded of a TV special on Meth addiction and how it started in Oregon and spread East all across the US in record time, which led me to think about my home town and it's special issue with Meth.

There was a serious meth problem in my hometown (Ovid, not Westphalia)---so much so that a meth house blew up a block away from my house---I was at home when it happened--it felt like an earthquake, or what I assume an earthquake would feel like. No one was at the house that blew up--thank goodness. However, the house was completely destroyed. It just so happened that the firefighters were having a fund raiser that night in the Town Hall and there was drinking involved so none of them were in any condition to fight a fire.

Anyway, more to the point. Why didn't the community come together to fix this meth issue? What would have happened if they did? Knowing what I know now I realize that the meth problem (at least in the schools) was strictly the "stoner kids" it didn't directly effect the jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, or anyone besides those "lost cause, stoner kids." But what would have happened if one of the stoner kids shared with a jock or cheerleader or other student who was higher on the high school hierarchy? I assume that their parents would get involved and then there would have been community action. But since we have a marginalized group of people whom have been deemed unhelpable or whatever, nothing was done.

This is a example of citizenship not taking place. No one stepped up to fix this serious problem. It wasn't addressed in the school. Even after the meth house blew up NO ONE talked about it! At least not to the students, whom it was obviously effecting. Knowing what know now this is rather frustrating and disappointing…

Random Thoughts
People being citizens---doing citizenship---is this always a good thing? The people on the flight that crashed in Pennslyvania on 9/11 were being citizens---practicing citizenship---saving lives.
But what about protesters---standing up for what they believe in ---are they doing citizenship? What about terrorist doing what they believe to be citizenship? Are there right and wrong ways to do citizenship or is it more a matter of moral versus immoral ways of doing citizenship?

Kinda like Martin Luther King Jr. versus Malcolm X (before he went on Hajj) Both were doing work for the black community--trying to change the world--just in different ways.

"Some of the most striking instances of the force of political will come from stories of how people have acted in times of crisis" (Matthews). Reminds me of learning about the Civil War--when so many Westpoint graduates stood out as leaders---changing our country.

“Own their problems rather than blaming them on others” (Matthews)
What if the problems really aren't their fault---I am told repeatedly that "urban youth" are the way that they are because of certain systems that are in place which ultimately keep them there and perpetuate the cycle of poverty…

Perhaps communities wanting to solve an issue may benefit from producing a logic model?