Hear No, See No ....

Surely, in our own minds, we are beginning to say, "This is not working for me". Something needs to be done. And though it may be easier to simply send a check in the mail and hope that some official organization will do the work for you, it's not enough. I've said before, becoming an informed citizen is a necessary goal. But becoming a citizen first and making your voice heard is the foundation of everything to follow.


If you are among the many - far too many- in this country who would prefer just to remain silent and therefore invisible (or you fear you don't actually know enough to qualify for an opinion or the right to complain), then you should realize that everyone has the right to make themselves heard to those that represent us. As for knowing enough, you only need to know what's distressing you, and then let somebody who represents you know all about it. In any situation, (but especially in making yourself heard), it's worth repeating: "I am not as helpless as some would like me to believe." And then prove it!

Here are a couple of tools to help you do that:

Who Is My Representative.Com
(Not sure who your representative is? Put in your zip and get all the contact info for your representatives in Washington. Gives you the latest news, bills in the works, and many other good resources.)

Congress.Org
(The same with this site, but it's not limited to Congress. With your zip code you can find your elected officials for all federal, state, and local governments. It also gives you access to legislative news, bills, etc..)


There are plenty of similar websites and resources available with a simple web search, but I like these.

But let's not forget that we would also like to become informed citizens. One of my pet peeves is how we've handed over all of our reasoning and critical thinking skills to interpreters. People who are supposed authorities or "in-the-know" that we allow to tell us what things mean. This occurs in news, academics, religion, and especially government. I call them middle-men, situated squarely between the facts and our opinions. My question is: Why do we need them? Do we think ourselves to be so incapable of looking at the facts and making up our own minds? I, for one, am not trusting enough of anyone to allow them to make up my mind for me. And with good reason.

Jefferson's Wolves and Sheep

Thomas Jefferson was, likewise, not so trusting. He believed strongly in the rights of free speech and a free press (and at least having access to the truth). It was no accident that this was the First Amendment to the Constitution. But rather than tell you how he felt, I'll let him do that:

I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led astray for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are the only censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution.

... The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right;
and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.

I am convinced that those societies (as the Indians) which live without government, enjoy in their general mass an infinitely greater degree of happiness than those who live under European{-style} governments. Among the former, public opinion is in the place of law, and restrains morals as powerfully as laws ever did anywhere. Among the latter, under pretense, they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep.

Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors, shall all become wolves.

He summed up with:

It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions; and experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor.

This was written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Edward Carrington, a Virginia statesman, in 1787. (You can find that letter here . Or do your own search. I found many sites with copies.) I think Jefferson would be chagrined to find that, more than two hundred years later, the "governments of Europe" in his letter have now become the governments of the nation he helped birth.

Perhaps now you are beginning to understand how things could have gone so wrong, and why "This is not working for me". Jefferson foresaw the dangers of citizens who become "inattentive to public affairs" . Those who govern become "wolves". And in place of "those who govern", we can insert anyone in the upper levels of the hierarchy who, held unaccountable, unwatched and unchecked, simply become the wolves. There is no better argument for becoming an informed citizen.

It also makes the case for the importance of making your voice heard. Let those who would rather you remain silent know what you think is unacceptable, intolerable, or just plain BS. Tell them they are being watched and will be held accountable for their actions .... as well as their inactions. We are not as helpless as some would like us to believe.

In my next post I'll discuss some ways to cut through the clutter in our attempts to become informed. I'll also give you some helpful ways to determine the actual news from that which is simply rhetoric or noise to distract you, so that you can use your own good judgement (that Jefferson so strongly believed in) to make up your own mind. Your comments and voice are welcome. -JW