Democracy Must Grow in Every Town

​www.nhgazette.com/2021/04/23/democracy-must-grow-in-every-town/
Peter:
We have long admired the N.H. Community Rights Network’s proactive approach. All too often, when communities find themselves targeted by some industry or agency, they are forced to cobble together a makeshift defense on the basis of this or that sub-clause of a petty regulation. Essentially, the powerful show up and say, “We have the right to (fill in the blank); you’re welcome to try and stop us.”
By establishing from the get-go that communities have inherent rights, you make it possible for otherwise-atomized individuals to collectively exercise their power. Keep it up—and keep us posted.
The Editor [of NH Gazette]
April 23, 2021To the Editor:
We the People have our hands full! We’re dealing with a pandemic, climate change and drought, unending wars, millions of people lacking health care, refugees at our borders, extreme income disparities, no affordable housing for the next generation, and a corporate-controlled media telling us what to think. Where do we go from here?
The answer is to get organized where we live, town by town, as that is where democracy starts and ends. By systemic design most people are uninvolved, uninformed, and politically dysfunctional, and if we don’t change that soon then the status quo will allow the oligarchs to continue to control our government and get richer as they destroy our Nation and planet.
The N.H. Community Rights Network offers organizing support to community groups in towns so that they can become empowered to pass ordinances that protect our rights to clean water, air, and land and to preserve our ecosystems. So far a dozen towns have acted and their children are safer from corporate polluters! Contact [email protected] for assistance.
The more towns that become organized the more local power and control for We the People, so that we can make elected officials accountable to us instead of the rich ruling elite. Every person matters so it’s up to you to take action!!
Peter A. White
Nottingham Water Alliance and NHCRN Board member
Nottingham N.H.