"Unless there is a Democratic Uprising here, there isn't going to be much chance for the people elsewhere, who are struggling courageously." -Noam Chomsky on Democracy Now (link at bottom of post)
Recently, I berated a long-time friend for not knowing about a LANL issue. Sad to say she was the victim of my frustration with "the system" and my perceived lack of action on the part of the activist community. Right now New Mexico's legislature is deciding the fate of GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) or GE (Genetically Engineered) chile. Right now, LANL and the DOE are defying the State of New Mexico's decision not to issue a burn permit (currently allows LANL to burn 13 deadly chemicals in the open air, which they must obtain every ten years)unless LANL and the DOE follow certain conditions. LANL and the DOE have stated that the State of New Mexico has no jurisdiction over federal agencies. The State of New Mexico is THE regulatory agency over LANL. Right now, the DOE is building a new Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement building - the place where they will continue to build 20 nuclear pits (bomb triggers) per year. And, these issues are only the beginning.
If you're feeling a bit sick after reading the last paragraph, you are responding normally to many abnormal situations. So. What do we do about all these issues? Do we as individuals join a bunch of organizations to oppose the takeover of our world? Do we hang out at the legislature every day and register our opposition? Do we march and demonstrate? Or, do we go on with life without so much as a peep?
My hope is that you will educate yourself, or at least read the posts of friends and trusted others (on blogs, in newspapers, on social media sites - like Facebook), attend meetings, and/or do internet research. After educating yourself, I hope that you will decide what position to take on the issue affecting your life. And, finally, I hope that you will act. Directly.
I hope that you will email and/or call your State and National Representatives and Senators. I hope that on issues that are VERY important to you, you will either show up as an individual or as part of an organization at your local city/town council, county commission meeting, legislative committee meeting/hearing, perhaps even go to Washington DC and lobby on your own behalf. I hope that you will tell all your friends, family, and neighbors what you have learned and encourage them to act with you. I hope that you will get up a petition and let your politicians know what it is you want. After all, THIS is your life. You can choose to ignore problems or face them - head on!
I must warn you, though, that in taking action your may begin to feel powerless. This happens when we realize that the system of government, bureaucracy, and corporate business holds most of the cards. That would not be such a bad thing if it weren't for the corruption that power and money bring. It is our responsibility as living, thinking beings to act in our own best interest. It's called survival and is one of our most basic instincts. So why are we no longer using this instinct?
Oppression. Paulo Freire in his "Pedagogy of the Oppressed", writes, "Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people--they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress." Oppression can hold a person down. Through the actions of those in power oppression can be blamed on it's victims, and those victims can begin to believe it is their fault. Those in power can also normalize the oppression, so that individuals believe it is a normal part of their world. That is why action backed by education is so important. If those of us who know that oppression exists, know that it is not normal and not our fault, share the knowledge and organize action against the oppression, then we have hope. We have a shared energy that may carry us on through a struggle to end the oppression.
Those who know of and continuously act against oppression are activists. Those who share their knowledge and engage the community in continuous action against oppression are organizers. Each individual has the ability within him/herself to be an activist and an organizer. If each person who knows of oppression were to take action in regard to each social issue she/he felt affected by, he/she could hardly go to work each day. And, this is what the oppressors count on. So, how can we be effective and still take care of our daily responsibilities? That is for each individual to answer.
"[T]he more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can transform it. This individual is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled. This person is not afraid to meet the people or to enter into a dialogue with them. This person does not consider himself or herself the proprietor of history or of all people, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he or she does commit himself or herself, within history, to fight at their side.", writes Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed). Don't be afraid to be radical. Wear it as a badge of honor.
Some issues that currently affect northern NM (please comment and add your own):
For more information on NM bills in the legislature preserving non-GMO/traditional seeds and farming: http://www.savenmseeds.org/
Lots of great information on traditional seeds and food: http://www.culturalenergy.org/acequia.htm
Bills being supported by NM Acequia Association: http://www.lasacequias.org/legislative/2011-legislative-tracker/
Los Alamos National Laboratory/nuclear bomb issues: http://www.culturalenergy.org/lanl.htm
"New Mexico Slammed by Three Concurrent DOE NEPA Processes", the latest headline from Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety: http://www.nuclearactive.org/news/022511.html
A collective of local, women lead organizations working on environmental issues: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Mujeres-Hablan/147691853407?ref=ts
To make a claim regarding the NM Gas Company Outage/Crisis: https://www.nmgco.com/Claim_Forms.aspx
To register a complaint against NM Gas Company regarding the Outage/Crisis with the Public Regulation Commission (the State Commission that oversees utility companies): http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/complaintforms.htm
AND, on a broader scale, a piece from Mother Jones Magazine, on the inequality in America: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph
"Democracy Uprising" by Amy Goodman and Noam Chomsky on Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/17/democracy_uprising_in_the_usa_noam
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