I live on Long Island and Congressman Tim Bishop is my congressman.
Yesterday I just saw the reports of how he was mobbed at a town hall meeting.
I didn't go to the town hall meeting - I was not even aware he was having one.
What happened there is my fault. I did nothing and this was the outcome.
Giving money is comfortable and quick but is too easy (even if you can barely
afford to give the money). That's my opinion.
What must I do to make this right?
I must put forth an effort on my own terms - not on the terms of my opponents.
The game my opponent plays is to spend lots of money buying public opinion, fanning the flames of fanaticism and appealing to people's baser instincts.
I won't play strictly on those terms.
I am a citizen. I have the right to representation and I will not let hooligans take
that right from me. I can vote the way I like but it is (and has not for a long time) not enough. My vote must be reaffirmed by supporting my candidate of choice between elections. This is the nature of democracy today.
Benjamin Franklin said, "democracy is ours to keep if we can". The internets make it easier to express our opinions and gather in the public square. But the internets also require that we spend more time in the public square (online and in the real world).
Today I called his local office to offer my support. I gave
my name, address, phone number, email, and offered to talk to him directly if he wanted to. I asked about his next town hall meeting so I could attend.
Normally I stay away from such things.
[I'm not an adherent of the 'post-racial' America theory - I've seen
where that breaks down first hand.]
Someone said, before the last election, "Welcome to Daily Kos, now leave."
I completely agree. It is not enough to visit this site regularly.
Not everybody can contribute 1-2 diaries a week.
Not everybody has deep enough pockets to support their candidates of choice regularly.
But everybody
can, should, and must
call their representatives and tell them how you feel about issues of importance to you.
Don't wait for someone to send you a form letter to forward.
Don't just do it when some issue arises.
Do it just because it needs doing.
Don't complain that they don't vote the way you want them to if you don't take
the time to talk to them. It isn't easy - they are often not accessible. But
take the time and make sure their office knows who you are and what you think.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease and democracy can only be kept if we all squeak
together.
[anybody that wants to remind me that I'm late to this party - feel free - I deserve
it entirely.]
/rant ?