Planet Petaluma and Planet Pachyderm. Two worlds, light
years apart it seems (though actually only 2832.27 miles from my house to the
White House, according Mapquest).
Planet Petalumites have withdrawn
much of their attention from Planet Pachyderm since November 2. There are
perennials to prune, garbage cans to dump, gardens to plant. There are green
hills and the promise of springtime for public art and artery paths to
strengthen our hearts. How could the clouds of Planet Pachyderm ever darken our
skies?
But the rumbling on Planet Pachyderm grows stronger. The
rogue elephants are trumpeting their new found power: their Senate has at last
approved drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Now I thought
elephants were supposed to be intelligent creatures. Since ANWR oil
exploitation will take a good half decade to actually deliver oil, why not
phase in higher fuel efficiency standards that will save an equal or greater
amount of oil, save irreplaceable arctic wilderness, save money for drivers,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make American auto industry more
competitive with the fuel-efficient foreigners?
Dem Environmules think ANWR is
symbolic: once the snowy queen is compromised, what’s to stop the assault on
every wilderness area in the lower 48? The guys running Planet Pachyderm are
oilmen, and they will need our loving help to break the oil habit. And they
will need help with this “culture of life” campaign too, don’t you think? Terri
Schiavo’s tragedy, according to a Republican
strategist’s memo, is a “great political issue” with which the “pro-life base
could be excited.” Religious conservatives, like columnist Cal Thomas, stress
that the Schiavo case, too, is symbolic, that she
must be kept alive despite the wishes of her (male) husband and judicial rulings
all the way to Supreme Court. But for every Terri Schiavo,
there are thousands who will die prematurely because 40 million Americans lack
health insurance while the Pachyderms are cutting $15 billon from Medicaid.
The Pachys, already controlling the
executive and legislative branches, want to advance more of these symbolic policies
by locking up the judiciary. They’re trying to sneak their self-titled “nuclear
option” into the Senate rules, which blows away the 200 year old right of a narrow
Senatorial minority to filibuster extreme judicial nominees—in this case,
judges who will further the anti-environment religious right agenda. Please, Go
to MoveOn.org on the web and learn how you can help preserve American
democracy.
What gives me the strength to stay engaged in national
politics after the election is the sustenance I draw from Planet Petaluma.
There are gardens, the hope of access to our surrounding ridge tops, our new creek-side
bike paths, and live music. And the March 21 City Council meeting, where the
Council approved the Community Art Ordinance. And Granicus,
which captured it digital video.
Granicus is Planet Petaluma’s newest tool
for citizen-powered government. Now you can find out what your City leaders are
doing in public meetings at your convenience, like having your own indexed film
library. Though I attended the March 21 meeting, I wanted to report verbatim
Basin Street President Matt White’s enlightened comment about the art ordinance
debate. With Granicus, I can: “Both sides are
conditioned to oppose what the other side is opposing, without looking at the
facts.” When Matt posed questions about the ordinance in January, his support
was written off by those who reflexively reject anything coming from a
“developer.” When Matt’s concerns were addressed by a review and amendment
process that City Planning Director Mike Moore praised as “a community effort”,
and Matt came to support the ordinance, there were some who felt he was selling
out to the liberals.
We ended up with not only an art ordinance that had broad
community support, but an example of how we can bring what seem to be diverse
interests together for community benefit. Here’s a toast to Planet Petaluma:
let us lead the way!
You can hear (and watch, if you have broadband) Matt’s
comments (at 4:20:25) and the rest of the meeting by linking to petaluma.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3.