BushGreenwatch (disclaimer: I wrote for BGW last year) ran an overview of what a vacancy on the court could mean for environmental laws, and it won't surprise anyone to read the anxious prognosis. I'd say this forecasting is even more relevant with O'Conner's departure than Rehnquist's. Less doctrinaire than either her most liberal or conservative colleagues, she was often the swing vote on the Court from case to case. Replacing her may well mean a real shift in the Court's balance of power. I can almost feel the air around me thickening with emergency appeals from the liberal/progressive/green alert-o-matic machine. I'm getting preemptively exhausted just contemplating the impending blogospheric rantings.
Here's my radical idea: What about taking all -- okay, some -- of the activist ire that is about to be aimed at opposing President Bush's as-yet-unnamed nominee, and instead direct it into organizing in local communities? The current political situation took decades to come into being; it won't be solved by focusing every drop of energy at the very top. Rebuilding long-term relationships and relevance at the political, environmental, educational, media, and economic grassroots is what will ultimately create a sustainable future for the U.S.
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Bart Anderson Posted 4:04 am
01 Jul 2005
There is no contradiction at all between work on local and on national levels. Some of us choose to put our energy in different places, but it is important to support people who are involved in national politics.
I feel suspicious of this call to ignore national politics. There is nothing that Bush & Co. would like better than for there to be confusion and apathy among envrionmentalists.
Some of the Grist bloggers seem to specialize in sidetracking political involvement and muddying the waters, in a strategy not far removed from greenwashing. For example, Emily points to an article that says the coming Supreme Court appointment could mean a real shift in power, but then advises against doing anything about it because she is exhausted from reading "blogospheric rantings."
Emily, if you really are committed to environmentalism, could you talk about some of your political activities that have exhausted you? The committed people I know do not talk as you do.
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Corey McKrill Posted 4:57 am
01 Jul 2005
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Bart Anderson Posted 9:58 am
01 Jul 2005
It's the story of the blindmen and the elephant. Each of us sees a particular side of the story and wants to over-generalize.
I agree with you about working on the local level. Personally I'm strongly attracted to it, and I spend a lot of time with local groups.
On the other hand, I respect and support the people who are willing to get involved with the nuts-and-bolts of politics. It is critically important -- especially now. If one wants to take a break or contribute in other ways, that's fine.
But I think it is intellectually lazy to say that politics is messy and confusing and both sides are the same. Therefore one is going to retreat into a safe little hole.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men [and women] do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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Emily Gertz Posted 10:40 am
01 Jul 2005
I don't have fatigue for environmentalism, bart. I have crisis fatigue.
The near-constant air of emergency drives people away. A dedicated hard core of activists alone is not enough to right the wrongs, make the future better, etc. How does environmentalism get out of this reactive mode? How does it gain a broad, broad base of support that would protect the nation's environmental laws regardless of who is on the Court? That is what I am asking.
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Bart Anderson Posted 12:49 pm
01 Jul 2005
You're absolutely right. And I think your solution is right -- if you are suggesting that we connect with people around us and not pursue abstract struggles so obsessively and intensely.
I remember feeling guilty during earlier years because I wasn't doing as much as some of the people I admired. I was involved in my own personal issues, and besides I felt uneasy around groups.
Since then I've seen so many activists burn out, with their perfectionist attitudes and (to me) unrealistic goals. Also, the past few decades have been very hard for political or environmental activism. It sometimes feels as if one is slogging through maple syrup.
How can one keep going over the long term? Some sort of religious or secular faith seems to be important. It helps if the theme of one's activities is congenial. Homegrown food, gardening and people who like plants all give me a charge and make me want to get up in the morning. I have a hard time getting excited about legal issues or electoral politics, so I leave that to other people.
What things do other people do to prevent burnout?
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jdhlax Posted 1:57 pm
02 Jul 2005
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amazingdrx Posted 10:31 pm
05 Jul 2005
She mentions the supreme battle.
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