Opinion

A force to reckon with

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

By Richard Anderson

It’s interesting – I really hadn’t thought about it before – but at a Sunday night presentation on global climate change, Glenn Prickett of Conservation International pointed out that many (all?) of the major movements in the United States started out at the grassroots level before they were embraced by the country’s elected leaders.

That seems like a true statement to me: abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, Vietnam, right up to modern issues like funding for AIDS and global climate change (I hope).

I’m sure each had its early champion in Washington, D.C. – a senator or cabinet member or some such pillar of the community for whom it was a pet cause – but mostly it was us, the people, the hoi polloi who spoke loudly enough, clearly enough and in unison that elected officials and their fellow power-brokers couldn’t ignore them.

The implications of that are profound.

On the one hand, it suggests that the United States really is a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people, that the direction of this country really is determined by its citizens, and that the will of the masses really can fo
rce the hands of the fat cats and entrenched politicians.

I, for one, had been wondering.

On the other hand, it also suggests that the forces of democracy are not quite as orderly, predictable or malleable as political scientists might think. It’s not always about counting ballots and taking polls.

It’s much quieter in many ways, like the grinding of tectonic plates, and then much louder, like an earthquake – not to mention messier.

On the third hand, this sort of change from below appears to take a long time. In their marble halls, politicians tend to be far removed from the roiling masses – or at least they can pretend to be – so they can maintain the status quo for a long time.

But once it acquires a critical mass and really gets rolling, a grassroots effort has a huge amount of momentum, and anyone who gets in its way is likely to get hurt.

Just imagine what else we Americans could accomplish if brought our power to bear on healthcare, literacy, poverty, crime, our crumbling infrastructure, our endangered natural resources…

But first things first, I suppose. We have a long way to go on the daunting (but doable, CI’s Prickett assured) task of getting a grip on our greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing the forces that are causing global climate change.

If we don’t get that one right, all the others may not matter.

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A force to reckon with | Planet JH News Article: Editorial

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Saturday, July 04, 2009

Thunder in the Vicinity

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TODAY'S EVENTS
Community
Volunteer With Habitat for Humanity
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
call for location info.
Music
DJ Thunder and Just Kenny
10:00 PM
at 43 North.
Art
Wilson Summer Arts and Crafts Fair
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
on the Banks of Fish Creek at the Fish Creek Center in Wilson.
Music
Pianist Pam Drews Phillips
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
in the Granary at Spring Creek Ranch atop East Gros Ventre Butte.
Music
Phil Round
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
in the lobby of Amangani Hotel.
Music
Lost Traveler
9:00 PM
at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.
Film
NWMA Summer Film Series
2:00 PM
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Music
DJ Optimal
11:00 PM
at Cutty's.
Music
Bob Greenspan
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
in the Four Seasons Lobby Lounge.
Music
Cowboy Logic
8:00 PM to 11:30 PM
at the Silver Dollar Bar in the Wort Hotel.
Music
Revolver
9:00 PM
at the Virginian Saloon.
Music
4th of July Parade
10:30 AM
with the Jackson Hole Community Band from the Rodeo Grounds, up Glenwood St. to Broadway and on past Town Square. The band then plays a full concert on the Town Square starting at 11:30 a.m.
Community
Howdy Pardner Parade
10:30 AM
Teton County Fair Ground to The Town Square.
Community
Jackson Hole Kids Games
11:30 AM
St. Johns Episcopal Church.
Community
Fourth of July Fireworks
12:00 PM
At the base of Snow King and in Teton Village.
Music
God Bless America Festival
12:00 PM
at the Knotty Pine in Victor.
Music
Music in the Hole
3:00 PM
outside at Alpine Field.
Music
Music in the Hole
3:00 PM to 7:30 PM
On Alpine Field
Music
Wounded Knee
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
on the deck at South Side Pub and Pizza.
Sports & Recreation
Jackson Hole Rodeo
8:00 PM
Rodeo Grounds on W Snow King Ave.
Music
Head for the Hills
9:30 PM
at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village.
Music
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash
10:00 PM
at the Bull Moose Saloon in Alpine.
View All Events
planet polls
Main Poll
Should local government foster public art initiatives?


Total of voters : 95