"Desolation Row"
Bob Dylan
Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance, one hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other's in his pants.
Bob Dylan
Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance, one hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other's in his pants.
Grateful Dead Cover: https://www.youtube.com
Organizing around local governments is so important, but many activists overlook it. Local governments are often the least corrupted by corporate dollars.
Not so Lane County, Oregon, whose commissioners mostly seem to be owned by the timber industry and other corporate interests. Just ask Community Rights Lane County, which has been organizing to stop aerial spraying of deadly herbicides and has done everything by the book just to have proverbial goals posts moved. Things are bad. Read up at CRLC’s page.
My comments to the Lane County commissioners this morning:
My name is Steve Dear. I live in Elmira.
I serve on the county Equity and Access Advisory Board. I’m here only speaking for myself.
I’m here to ask you pass a resolution in good conscience stating your opposition to aerial spraying of herbicides, and to affirm the county’s commitment to the democratic process and citizen initiatives.
The context of your decisions so far on this matter are rather disconcerting, and I can’t not mention them.
Bidding Adieu To Anti-Death Row Activist Steve Dear
In my work I’ve spoken before more than 100 city councils and county commissioners across several states but mostly in North Carolina.
I’ve never seen such a body as a board of county commissioners NOT hold regular meetings at night. For goodness sake, hold meetings at night so the working people of Lane County can speak directly to you.
I’ve never heard of county commissioners paid as much as you are. [$83,000 each]
Until recently I’ve never met with any elected official outside of state governors where the presence of an attorney taking notes was required, in this case by a commissioner about this issue.
Nothing exemplifies the undermining of our local democracy as much as your decision to act essentially in opposition to this effort.
I can think of nothing that exemplifies the inequity rural Lane County citizens face as your delaying and in effect blocking this initiative.
There is no excuse.
These words were spoken earlier this morning and I am sure plenty of times in this room before.
“The will of the people is the ONLY LEGITIMATE FOUNDATION of any government and to protect its free expression should be our FIRST object.” - President Thomas Jefferson
These words are outside in the plaza, written in stone, the quotation closest to the entrance to this building.
What I’m about to say may seem melodramatic, but given the seriousness of our situation I don’t think so.
At the end of our lives what titles we had, what salaries we had, do not matter. The only thing that matters is that we live our lives in love — and justice is what love looks like in public — and strive for justice and community.
Some of our rural sisters and brothers have had to go to their death beds unduly early because of the spraying.
When you are on your death bed what will have mattered?
Outside "The Cave" (in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) where we just made first contact for my band's upcoming gig.
The Cave
https://caverntavern.com/
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