I believe there should be a part of society that conscientiously works as a ‘critical partner’ of the government.
-- Dewi Rana Amir
I have been watching with great interest the happenings in the little town of Apple Valley. For those of you that are unaware of what's happening, you can link to an article in the Salt Tribune that does a pretty good job summarizing all the activity here.
Throughout this process, the Town of Apple Valley has shown both the best and the worst that can epitomize a democracy. The worst are the threats, intimidation and name calling that occur so often when tempers flair and individuals act out in the heat of moment or in fear.
But the best far outshines the worst. A group of citizens felt that their needs were not being met and their opinions, ideas and concerns were being disregarded by their elected officials. This group of citizens came together and began to take action.
Throughout history, whenever a group wishes to express their disillusion with their government, these citizens have found ways to utilize the media to draw attention and rally others to their cause. Our founding fathers distributed pamphlets, delivered speeches and composed editorials for the newspaper. Couriers were employed to spread the word from town to town. During the Civil Rights movement, television and radio were effective in bringing awareness to the cause. Who today does not have an image of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial telling the country of his dream or the Freedom Riders being dragged from busses? Today groups promoting change utilize the social media tools of Facebook, blogging and YouTube to spread the word and to let the world know of their cause.
Yet still the most important element to any change is the individual. No matter the technology, it is the grass roots effort of the individual; going door-to-door, gathering together to debate or to demonstrate, taking the time to become educated on the issues, signing a petition and showing up to vote that empowers change.
The citizens' group of Apple Valley have done an excellent job in spreading their message. They have a spokesperson in Jake Dumpling, a scarecrow with his own Facebook profile, who offers sometimes cutting commentary on the events in the community. They have a symbol in the pink flamingo that is prominently displayed in the yards of residents who support disincorporation and the need for change. The words pink flamingo has become an acronym for the cause:
P - Political
I - Incumbents
N - Not
K - Keeping
F - Formal
L - Legal
A - Agreements
M - Must
I - Investigate
N - Necessary
G - Governing
O - Operations
An alien landing site has been established with extra-terrestrial visitors being invited to stop on by. And a series of videos entitled Apple Valley UT Take Back Our Community has been recorded and posted.
While much of this may seem tongue in cheek, the concerns of the citizens were heard and enough signatures were gathered on a petition to have a judge rule that a vote could occur. Tomorrow is the day determined by the Town to hold this important vote. The election judges are in place. The ballots have been printed. The time and location have been set. Now it is up to the residents of this community to show up. I look forward to the results of this example of the principles of democracy that are so important to each of us.
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