Voting isn’t enough

 These days I have a tendency to fuss and fume about the state of the world. I’ve noticed I’m not the only one. An assessment of actions and inactions indicates we have reasons aplenty to be perturbed, although I’m finding more indications that we may be overreacting and things aren’t quite as doomy and gloomy as we portray. It’s just that many of US don’t have it as good as we used to.

By comparison, I was thinking about my parents this morning. They got married during WWII, while my father was serving in the Air Corp. I was born before the war had quite ended. After the war, things were settling down and improving but, not more than half a decade or so later, my father was called back to active duty because of the United Nations “police action” in Korea. That hardly seemed fair, in the broader sense, especially when I remember that the action was intended to stop communist aggression. The same thing we fought against again decades later in Viet Nam. Isn’t that a significant part of what’s now occurring in the Ukraine?

My parents, however, didn’t have the swords of climate breakdown or biodiversity loss hanging over their heads, at least they didn’t know about it in those days.

I’m not suggesting the recent SCOTUS reduction of human rights isn’t exceedingly important, I am thinking that this nation, and the human race, have a long history that’s captured in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” In contrast, Martin Luther King, Jr., told US that “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Before that, Frederick Douglass noted “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” 

July morning, storms ahead

Photo by J. Harrington

I’ve been encouraged recently by a couple of things. An organization to which I’ve long belonged, Trout Unlimited (TU), formed a partnership with Back Country Hunters and Anglers. Each organization asked its members to join the other and they’ve been collaborating on several events and issues since then. [This reminds me that I still need to complete my membership application to BHA.]

TU is also becoming more active in responding to the challenges a warming world and more volatile weather bring to cold water fisheries. There’s a section on their web site devoted to climate change: Working to help trout, salmon and our communities weather climate change. Notice that the focus isn’t just the fisheries resource, but includes affected communities.

So, I’ve a few of suggestions:

• Be hopeful. Growing numbers of folks are working to make things better.
• Don’t focus just on the politics. Find an organization of two that does work you admire and find relevant to issues that concern you. Work through and with that organization to increase your leverage.
• Don’t confuse the idea you can be anything that you want with the idea you can be everything that you want. Even if any of us really had it all, where would we keep it and how often would we enjoy it?
• Vote the individual candidate, not the party. (Check Douglass’ quote above.)

"Anthem"

Leonard Cohen

The birds they sang 
At the break of day 
Start again 
I heard them say 
Don't dwell on what 
Has passed away 
Or what is yet to be. 
Ah the wars they will 
Be fought again 
The holy dove 
She will be caught again 
Bought and sold 
And bought again 
The dove is never free. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in. 

We asked for signs 
The signs were sent: 
The birth betrayed 
The marriage spent 
Yeah the widowhood 
Of every government
Signs for all to see. 

I can run no more 
With that lawless crowd 
While the killers in high places 
Say their prayers out loud. 
But they've summoned, they've summoned up 
A thundercloud 
They're gonna hear from me. 

Ring ring ring ring ring 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in 

You can add up the parts 
But you won't have the sum 
You can strike up the march, 
There is no drum 
Every heart, every heart 
To love will come 
But like a refugee. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in. 
That's how the light gets in. 
That's how the light gets in.

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