A few weeks ago, the nation was captivated by a Florida postal worker who flew a gyrocopter onto the National Mall in Washington DC to deliver the mail.
This was not just any mail– Doug was carrying 535 personalized letters to every member of Congress calling for action to restore our democracy to the people.
Doug is back in D.C. this week (this time by car) for his arraignment hearing for violating D.C.’s no-fly zone, and though his flight is over, his message continues to strike a chord with a public hungry for solutions.
It’s no secret, of course, that America is currently falling short on its promise as a government of, by and for the people. Big corporations, fossil fuel interests, and individuals (like the Koch Brothers) who can cut a big campaign check are drowning out the needs and concerns of regular Americans– for example, addressing climate change or raising the minimum wage. In fact, this is such a non-secret that the role of the Koch Brothers’ plans to spend $899 billion in the 2016 election and the kingmaker role are playing in picking the 2016 Republican presidential nominee it’s even appeared on the front page of USA Today.
It’s a better kept secret, however, that it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there is something that we (and Congress) can do about it– and calling attention to this fact is exactly what Doug’s nonviolent civil disobedience was designed to do.
So at Greenpeace, we’re cheering the fact that Doug’s courageous and compelling action is giving more juice to the national conversation about solutions to money in politics– and specifically the call to restore our democracy to a government of, by, and for the people.
We don’t all need to fly a gyrocopter to D.C. to take back our democracy. More than 90% of Americans agree that big money has too much influence, and in fact, a growing movement is already hard at work, with momentum building every day. People are fed up, and Doug’s flight is just one high profile example of how people are taking action.
Doug’s flight captured the attention of the country because without millions in campaign contributions, carrying a message about restoring our democracy to the people, he found a way to make this call heard.
April 22, 2015
p.s. Thanks to our friends at Every Voice for creating the graphic that appears with this post!
