July 4, 2014

Been thinking about the recent Supreme Court decision a lot lately.  I have come to feel that, merely, voting is not enough. Probably never was, but certainly, as things are now, it isn't.   Once the elections are over and the government has been installed, the elected officials  begin to serve their true constituents...big business, conservative religious groups and wealthy contributors.

So, how do we influence policy, take back our government and force it to be responsive to the will of the majority of the populace?    There are a few ways, but I think the most effective is always through the dollar bill.  If we disagree with the current Supreme Court decision, we can refuse to shop at businesses which choose the benefits they will provide based on their religious beliefs.  When it comes to Hobby Lobby, boycotting them should be relatively easy.  Every town I drive through has, at least, one craft shop that sells knitting, quilting and scrap book supplies and is owned by a local individual who will take the money you give her (or him, don't mean to be sexist) and spend it locally.

 If we feel that the factory farms are selling us tainted foods and contaminating our planet, we can begin to grow our own food from heirloom and non-hybridized seeds.  What we cannot grow, we can purchase at independently owned organic groceries.  Even if all you have is a window sill or a balcony, you can grow salad greens.   If enough of us quit eating out and began packing our lunches, we would impact the fast food industry.   They'd quit serving us food made out of petrolueum products and pesticides.  Not to mention the money we'd save.

When we do eat out, we can eat at small, locally owned cafes and restaurants.  Had I not eaten at a nice little cafe in West Memphis, I would never have known there was such a thing as fried dill pickles.  Think of it, in one snack, it is possible to eat dreadful amounts of both salt AND fat.  Tell me that's not worth doing.

Although we make these resolutions, are we ,as a populace, able to hold to them long enough to make an impact?  Or, do we take our anger, spread it all over social media, and then, return to our lives?

When I was in AmeriCorps, I served  at a half way house where I provided instruction on how to re-enter society and the job market.  I taught a little course that addressed ethics.....what is ethical as opposed to what is legal. My students had lived their lives , for the most part, on the wrong side of the law.  As they  were making an attempt to join society,  too many times, they would voice the opinion that as long as they were staying within the letter of the law, their behavior was acceptable.  I wanted them to understand there was a  distinction.  

One day the conversation turned toward the sixties, the  Civil Rights and Anti-War movements. The Memphis Bus strike came up , and many of them had not realized how long that strike had lasted.  I pointed out to them that the strike had lasted for a little over a year.  During that time, people walked many miles every day.  And, one of my students asked, 'Do you think we could carry that momentum today?'

I had to say then, and I have to say, now....I just don't know.

Men and women have given their lives and health so we can live as we do.  If we don't stand up and do our part, we are letting them down and will, in all probability, continue to have our freedoms eroded.