Column by Nate Kremer

As the sun rose over Capitol Avenue last Tuesday, something in me thawed. I stood alongside thousands of concerned Kentucky citizens from all across the state demonstrating support for the Stream Saver Bill. The I Love Mountains rally, organized by KFTC (Kentuckians for the Commonwealth) was heating up the frigid stone staircase of the Capitol building, and my cold, estranged relationship with the political scene was finally beginning to burn.

Sure, I’ve long been politically opinionated and have voted several times, but a strange feeling of detachment and inefficacy has loitered behind the scenes. Many would agree: it’s easy to feel insignificant in today’s political system. The whole process of picking our leaders can seem surreal, like some sort of made-for-TV evening drama, which is sometimes not too far from the truth (Sean Hannity for Best Supporting Actor anyone?). All too often, I catch myself weighing “hope” against “change” or “the real America” as if some sort of choice between them exists in reality. In a system of government heavily influenced by big business and under distortion from our mainstream media, the quality of democracy is diminished. The loud public outcry against mountaintop removal I witnessed and was a part of last Tuesday began to wear thin my icy coat of cynicism. I realized that in these difficult times, a defeatist attitude will not suffice, and that we, as citizens, must stand up and demand to be heard.

I’m not looking to argue policy here regarding mountaintop removal. I’m not here to denounce or praise President Obama. I write to simply urge all readers to get actively involved in the democratic process we too often take for granted. I will travel to Washington D.C. later this week to attend Power Shift 2009, a youth climate conference where more than 10,000 young Americans look to help shape our environmental future and build a community of active, empowered citizens. From rallies in Frankfort to conferences in D.C., there are a multitude of ways to get involved. Contrary to what many think, and admittedly what I used to think, the everyday citizen can make a difference. A phone call or letter to a representative, while maybe not the biggest or the loudest voice, is a voice after all. There is no time to be passive; these policies affect us all. The greater the number, the faster the change.

Driving home from the rally, I came upon a wall-sized poster of our most recently elected president proudly strewn across the side of a rundown building. I understand how people can get behind politician’s messages of hope and promises of change, but let’s not conflate getting people elected and getting real things accomplished. We must take it on ourselves to affect change. Let’s not succumb to the mindless demagoguery presented to us on television. Maybe that’s the “hope” Obama had in mind. If you’re looking for a great way to get involved around Kentucky, head to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth’s Web site at www.kftc.org for more information. We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to each other. The former governor of the Land of Lincoln, Adlai E. Stevenson, reminds us, “As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the law-givers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end.”