It seems like a very helpful publication. I have only read some of it but have saved it for when I have more time. Unfortunately, many of us don't live in areas where we can easily find like-minded people with whom to physically organize. Some of us don't have cars or are even unable to walk (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.) Petitions happen to be a good way to make our voices heard.
I am well acquainted with my senator and reps, all Rs. I frequently email them with the help of petition sites. One rep is very responsive. He answers everything I send whether he agrees with me or not. He thanks me for writing and always says how important it is for we voters to express our thoughts. The other two occasionally send off a short, snarly reply basically telling me I'm not as smart as them. They are not worried about being re-elected. They know that repubs are basically not very intelligent and only hear what they want to hear, while dems seem too lazy to get out and vote when the time comes. It's either that or voting truly is rigged by TPTB and there ain't diddly we little people can do about that.
We can’t count on status quo Republicans or Democrats to save us. Both parties are too embedded in a system reliant on the power of corporations and Wall Street and that system is killing the environment, supercharging the military-industrial complex, marginalizing people of color, and creating massive disparities of wealth.
But petitions actually do 'do much.' I just got an email from Change.org thanking me for my participation and telling me that: "We see at least a dozen victories a day on petitions ranging from human rights to animal welfare, and everything in between."
Examples:
Pushing forward legislation that will establish a "Bill of Rights" for survivors of sexual assault
Helping reform the grocery store egg industry so that chickens don't suffer in dangerous and painful cages
Honoring the legacy of women pilots in World War II by making sure they are treated as proper American veterans
Also, This week, President Obama protected millions of acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans from Big Oil.
Plus,
Wonder Woman Will No Longer Be U.N. Ambassador for Female Empowerment
"A large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions, scantily clad in a shimmery, thigh-baring body suit with an American flag motif and knee-high boots is not an appropriate spokeswoman for gender equity at the United Nations,” stated the authors of the petition.
We need a living, breathing, and possibly even human woman, of any ethnic background, to become the UN’s Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women & Girls around the world.
(These were all the object of petitions)
There is power in petitions. Besides, petitions are about more than just how many signatures they can amass. They’re about getting groups of people together, united with one voice, even though miles apart, and making a reason for decision-makers to listen.
Sadly, the time may soon be near when petitions will be forbidden. I am certain no one in our new mis-administration will be paying any heed to them. But we still have a few weeks left and I will proudly sign each one I can knowing that my signature might just be the one that puts it over the top.
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