How do we do this?

Tonight I had the extreme pleasure of attending a political forum hosted by Salt Lake Acting Company. The panel consisted of former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, famous gas and oil plot bidder Tim DeChristopher, Dr. Rebecca Hall, economic justice coordinator for the Utah Domestic Violence Council, and Marshall Thompson, former army journalist in Iraq (2006) and recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award from the Gandhi Alliance for Peace. The topic of the forum was "At what point does civil disobedience dip into terrorism? At what point does rule of law turn into tyranny?"

In addressing these topics, the panel touched on some things that I would like to bring into the discussion on this blog. Namely, what can we do, as citizens, to make the change that most of us agree needs to happen? Some of the suggestions were to organize and bring to the forefront the issues that are facing our current political structure, such as climate change, and corporate influence in political campaigning. References were made to activists of the past, such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Gandhi, and even Thoreau. Their methods of civil disobedience were discussed as well as those of current activists, including Marshall Thompson who led a peaceful march across Utah, and Tim DeChristopher, who bid on oil plots without any intention of actually purchasing them. Other attention was given to right wing activists, such as Utah Activist Gail Ruzicka. Interestingly enough, such methods were referenced as effective, which begs the question of those of us on the other side, why aren't we resolved to using such tactics?

And this is where I, personally, found a stumbling block. Why have those of us who believe so strongly in human rights, including the right of everyone to marry, the right of all of us to have climate change initiatives, and the right of all of us to health care; why do we so often feel that our voices aren't heard? And, more importantly, how are we going to get our voices heard?

In attempting to answer this question, the stumbling point seems all too often to fall on money, or lack thereof on our side. I hate to use such polarizing verbiage as "our side" but when one really looks at the political climate in our country, it becomes almost impossible to escape this "Us versus Them" mentality. In looking at such initiatives as a public health care option, the right for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, to marry, and the rights of corporations to drill for oil, they all seem to be thwarted by the same "them"; big business and corporations. And where do these companies tend to have their interests? In the right wing of politics.

This, my friends, is where I see our biggest challenge, as well as our biggest opportunity. The challenge, of course, is in our lack of monetary resources. No one is going to claim that those of us campaigning for human rights have the funding of those against it. And with the Supreme Courts recent ruling in the Citizens United case, big business has more power than ever. But what they don't have is the grass roots activism that has inspired change in our country since its formation over 200 years ago.

A point was made during the forum that real grass roots activism hasn't been seen in our country since the late 60s/early 70s. I can't find an argument against this, but I can find hope in the countless citizens I see trying to make a difference in the social climate in which we find ourselves. The question remains, how are we going to unify the concerned citizens of this country and make a push for real social change? The panel talked about the challenge of civil disobedience with respect to the law. I write this blog not to answer that question, but rather to offer an opinion on the best way to go about grass roots activism. And my answer...EDUCATION.

I can honestly think of no better way to combat the forces of big business and its political pull than to educate ourselves on the issues facing our country. I have no doubt that those of us in the apparent minority are more educated and knowledgeable in the issues facing this country, and the world, than those who are currently in control. Where they have an advantage in money, they lack greatly in knowledge. This is in no greater prominence than in the debate over climate change. Despite irrefutable evidence of climate change, there is still a disturbingly high number of Americans, and politicians in particular, who believe there is no such thing as climate change. And this at the expense of, not only our generation, but future generations.

Personally, I have made the determination to educate myself on the issues and position myself to make the most difference I can. This is of particular difficulty as I am a poor school teacher, and I would imagine that others in similar positions find this challenging. But, like I've said, we can combat the enemy of money in education. I write this blog, not as a soap box for my own beliefs, but rather as an open discussion for what we need to see in change in our country. Right wing, left wing, neither, I believe we all agree that change is needed in our country and our world. And there is no greater force than the citizens of this great country. The power only lies in the politicians that WE elect. We can't forget this when determining who has the real power. Again, the politicians are only as strong as the people who elect them. And it is my belief and opinion, albeit humble, that we have the power to enact real change and create a better today for us, and a better tomorrow for our children.

Thanks for listening.