The Return of Civil Disobedience

I'm not one prone to inflamatory or derogatory statements, so it's difficult to write an "opinion" column when you're trying not to have an opinion.But I'll give it my best shot not only this week, but as often as the GNN papers will put up with it.

There is something very troublesome going on in Niagara County and it needs our undivided attention. This problem is so vile and distasteful that I posit we're losing our population because of this reason above all others.

The problem is not the AES PILOT.It's not the debate on protecting our natural greenway.It's not whether Republicans and Democrats can caucus in private and claim to be exempt from the NYS Open Meetings Law. It's not the cost of medicaid, potholes, graft or corruption.

The largest and most serious problem facing Niagara County, its various governments and its business leaders is the lack of respect for civil disobedience.

Civil disobedience as a term was coined by Henry David Thoreau in 1849.

Thoreau was mad - outraged in fact - at the situation with slavery in our country. It was the law, so therefore okay, in many states to own slaves.But it was morally unjust.His premise was that the law should not trump what is morally right, and men shouldn't wrap themselves in the rule of law over the rule of doing right by your fellow man.

What's also implied in Thoreau's work is that man be able to debate openly and honestly about issues of the day and disagree with their government without regard to harm or retaliation.It was Thoreau's notion that it's your duty to disagree with your government and to voice those concerns loudly.

What's troubling in Niagara County is the lack of respect accompanying what passes for civil disobedience today.A complete lack of respect for an alternative idea or suggestion. Read differently, that could mean a lack of respect for public discussion of public issues.

One of Niagara County's Chambers of Commerce is concerned that "a small but vocal minority of county residents ... are distorting the facts...". Trouble is they say this in an ad not paid for by its business members, but paid for by the company that's benefiting by the tax break. The Chair of the county IDA tells a school district they've been living high on the hog for too long and its time to face the music, then doesn't attend the County Legislative meeting that questions his actions.This all has a ring of the exact opposite of civil disobedience. Educated professionals in charge of public money should be able to debate the facts in person, openly and intelligently.

Thoreau was never satisfied with his - which is our - government, and we shouldn't be satisfied either. This statement doesn't seem like it comes from someone who's satisfied, yet it reeks of intelligent thought:"Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government? Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of man? There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly."

Sure sounds like Thoreau would have agreed with Time Magazine that YOU are its person of the year for your singular ability to make a difference in this day and age.

Tom Christy is host of the live call-in show Legislative Journal which airs on local cable channel 22 Thursday evenings. He's also the founder of FAIR Government, a non-political and non-editorial educational foundation dealing with local government issues.www.fair-government.org