I flew to Grand Junction, Colo., last week to take part in a panel discussion sponsored by Restore the Balance, an organization of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who, as the group’s website says, are “working together for the purpose of building an alternative to political extremism.”
The panel consisted of three speakers, each charged with discussing a specific constitutional issue. My focus, of course, was separation of church and state, and I debunked Christian Nationalist claims that America was founded to be an officially “Christian nation.” The other speakers were Jay Seaton, publisher of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, who focused on freedom of the press, and Ed Nottingham, a retired federal judge, who talked about the importance of the separation of powers and the rule of law.
I was impressed by the turnout. Hundreds of people packed a hall at Colorado Mesa University for the forum. The event was followed by a lively Q&A session.
One thing struck me: People are hungry for things to do. It was a common theme during the questions. Attendees thanked the speakers for sharing information and then asked what they could do to more effectively oppose political extremism.
As a 501 (c)(4) organization, Restore the Balance has the flexibility to get involved in political races; the group surveys candidates and issues voter guides. Obviously, being a good civic citizen starts with being an informed voter, so gathering and sharing this information is a great place to start.
For those who want to take it a step further, I suggest an emphasis on local activism. It’s easy to get discouraged reading the national headlines these days. We can feel helpless. But we’re not helpless. In your local community, there may be public schools, public libraries and other institutions that are feeling pressure from extreme voices pushing for dangerous policies – and you can, should and must respond to that.
Attend meetings of local government. Make sure the members of your city and/or county council, your school board, library board and so on are hearing from moderate voices, not just groups like Moms for Liberty.
School boards are especially important because they’re being targeted by Chrisitan Nationalist groups. Yet we’ve seen that when people organize and get active, voters reject extremism at the polls.
These are trying times, and one of the things I told the crowd in Grand Junction was that they need to dig in for the long haul. If you need inspiration, consider what is at stake: As the other speakers at the forum made clear, it’s nothing less than our very democracy.
Some things are definitely worth fighting for.
