Thanks inevitability.

[lithera]

I totally agree that Keith Olbermann rules. Watch his commentary on Rummy's speech.

Not for the first time, I wonder what more I can do. I give money to politcal causes. I've gone to rallies and protests. I sign petitions. I vote. I like to think I'm a relatively intelligent human being, but I don't know what to do that will actually 'move the needle' as it were. I think this is a problem facing a lot of us on a lot of topics, not just politics. How do you get involved with something in a way which is not only useful but also bears results?

The worst part, is I've felt this way for a long time now. Tell me, all of you, what do you do? I know there are some of you out there who read my journal who are much more in tune with the political heartbeat than I am - any recommendations?

Comments

[arian1.livejournal.com]

You stand up. You don't back down. Engage people when you hear them saying things you disagree with. To often in this country we just shake our heads and walk away, or pretend we don't hear it. Engage in debate, but not in attack, let them do that. But stand your ground and say what you believe. It's the only way it works.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

That's not normally a problem for me. I also live in an area where most people agree with me.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

There is that benefit.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Well, if I'm looking to work on changing things... it isn't so much.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

Have you considered sigining on with some political action groups? Moveon.org or the like?

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Already done.

*grins*

[arian1.livejournal.com]

There ya go :)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Well, I was looking for something more. I'm already hooked up with them and have been for awhile.

[thezzyzx.livejournal.com]

The power isn't so much in one person as it is in groups. What can you do? Not only do you have to vote, but make sure that your friends who agree with you go out and vote too. Volunteering to work for the party of your choice (especially on grunt work and gotv stuff) might not be the sexiest thing ever, but it can be effective, especially in votes where the state is split down the middle and the important thing is to get the Seattle people out to the polls more than the eastern WA people.

[lysistratah.livejournal.com]

Vote in local elections. Get your friends to do so as well, even if that means taking a half day off on Tuesday to drive them around.

Seriously. So much little shit that influences daily life is hidden away in local elections. Property taxes to pay for schools, luxury taxes to pay for libraries, who gets to be your local judge, sherrif, etc. These things make an incredible on-the-ground difference. You'd be amazed how few people make it out to vote when it's not a federal election. If you can get twenty people to vote on the next school board funding, you can probably sway the election results. I've seen incredibly important things like this decided by as little as 200 total votes, because only retirees show up on a Tuesday in June when the issue didn't even recieve any local news coverage.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do. I vote and I encourage others to do so too. Our race for govenor was crazy close last time around.

[inevitability.livejournal.com]

That's the bitch of it, isn't it?

I keep reading political treatises and works by revolutionary leaders trying to get an inkling of what the hell to do. And honestly, I've found no easy answers.

Protests are a good start, but the problem is that our free speech has been eroded to the point where those in power never even have to hear of the protests. They're in "free speech zones" and shit.

Outright rebellion isn't an option, not even in the slightest, because things haven't hit the stage where people would be willing to resist. There was no unrest during Katrina. There should have been, it should have been the Kent State spark that started an explosion, but it wasn't. The people won't rebel at this stage. The country is strategically divided against itself to prevent it: right and left hate eachother, races hate eachother, genders distrust eachother, coasts dislike eachother, north and south hate eachother, etc. Rebellion isn't an option, the leaders learned from previous rebellions (including the US's own) and figured out how to stop the common man from getting that sort of power. You distract him with bullshit that doesn't matter (see: TV and sports) and you divide them on artificial lines so they can't unify.

Voting really doesn't do anything because all the candidates are largely the same. They're all part of the same machine and are either bourgeois or aristocrats.

I figure all we can do is keep gathering information and trying convince others that things are not how they should be and that they could be much better. We keep protesting so that we can gain support on the ground (people are sheep and if we protest, others will join), and once we start to get mass support in the working class and the churchs (I don't believe in myths but it's shocking how many march lockstep with their churches) we'll start to see the power structure start to quake and change.