Protesting is your Constitutional Right. But as my Mother always said, choose your battles wisely!
I found a copy of the local paper in the trash can at Goodyear and was intrigued to read an article about a local community activist protesting a road re-alignment. Christ Church, on Rich People's Island is a local landmark and all the Elderhostel tour buses stop there. We take out-of-town guests there to see it. It is on the way to Fort Frederica which is a National Monument. So they get a lot of traffic down that way, what with tour buses and tourists and whatnot.
Having been there, I can tell you it was dangerous. The only place to park was across the street from the church, and you had to dash across the road to avoid being run over by a car, because everyone in Georgia the United States the world drives like a jackass. So the County decided to re-align the road, moving the road to where the parking lot was and putting a parking lot on the same side of the road as the church. This way, the tour buses could park and discharge the elderly to go see this nationally famous landmark.
Seems like a good idea, right?
Well, a local community activist decided it wasn't and filed a lawsuit claiming all sort of malfeasance. He claimed the "tree ordinance" wasn't being obeyed, when in fact, the "ordinance" comprised an advisory committee (He would have had better luck on our island, which is a State Park and trees are sacrosanct!). They he changed his complaint to allege that the swapping of land with the church (giving the old roadway to make the parking lot and vice-versa) was illegal as the value of the two properties wasn't the same (in reality, both properties were worth nothing other than to the parties involved).
He kept this up, asking for injunctions, even after the new road was built. He dropped all his claims and raised a new one - claiming that under the First Amendment and the Georgia Constitution, the County had violated the establishment clause by moving the roadway, which clearly was establishing Christ Church as the State's new religion.
There was a happy ending to all of this, though - the judge finally was fed up and awarded the church and the County $100,000 in damages, for all the vexatious and pointless litigation this "activist" started. There is justice in this world, you just have to wait for it.
Did his claims have any merit? I don't think so. While the first amendment does require a separation between church and State, it does not mean the two should never interact at all. If the County is going to pony up the dough to install a new intersection near the new WalMart, then they can make similar improvements at a busy church - after all, a church is a business like any other, and like any other "non-profit" it is tax-exempt. The first amendment does not require that we provide churches only with dirt roads or no break in the curbing for access. The whole thing was stupid, and as someone who has visited the church and almost been run over, I can say the project was necessary.
You see, in addition to benefiting the church (which charges no admission for you to visit) it benefits the people driving on the road, who no longer have to slow down (ha-ha) or stop for the pedestrian crossing. It improves safety for everyone, and if safety of intersections and roadways is based on whether the adjoining properties are of a religious nature or not, that ends up being discriminating against religious organizations.
When I searched online for the name of this "activist" and his "Community Organization" I got a number of interesting hits - if you'll pardon the pun. Apparently he was arrested for assaulting a 70-year-old at some meeting downtown. Sounds like a fun guy at parties - could I recommend an anger management program?
You see, while it is good to express your opinion and even protest injustice, if you take extreme positions and make nonsensical arguments (take note, "trans activists") you end up undermining your own cause. People in general are pretty receptive to different arguments and protests, provided they are rational and don't sound crazy. When you come across like Professor Click, well, you end up defeating your own cause.
The opposition need only say, "You see how unhinged they get? They are crazy, therefor their ideas are crazy!" And often the opposition does this by trolling their opponent to get them angry and off-the-leash, which can then be used against the opponent. And in some instances, they will create a "crazy person" (or encourage a useful idiot) to say stupid things (and make sure they get lots of airtime and attention) to discredit an opponent or opposing idea.
I noted before we have such a group here on our island - the "Coalition to Hate Jekyll Island" which just knee-jerk shouts down anything that is proposed. This "Coalition" comprises seven people meeting in someone's living room and does not represent the majority or even a significant minority of the population of our island.
And organizations like this can be downright evil. A young immigrant had a contract with one of the hotels to provide beach umbrellas and lounge chairs for rent on the beach. He had a small trailer to carry them, and pulled them onto the beach once a day, using an access built by the authority for beach patrols and turtle patrols. He drove 50 yards on the beach and back. They decried this as "ruining the environment" while at the same time the State Patrol and the Authority employees were driving pickup trucks up and down the 7-miles of the beach. Worse yet, the "Turtle Center" was selling beach tours via four-wheelers, to go see turtle nests. Maybe what he was doing was worse, I don't know. What I do know is that it was evil to vandalize his equipment as someone eventually did.
Beware of committees and organizations - they take on a life of their own. And don't assume just because someone creates a "Community Organization" that it represents the opinions of anyone beyond the organizer. Funny thing is, I went on the website for this "Community Organization" and the guy behind the lawsuit is nowhere mentioned. Maybe they dumped him after the $100,000 judgment against them? I sure as hell would be mad if I paid dues to such an organization!
Choose your battles wisely. Re-aligning a roadway is hardly the end of the world and hardly worth litigating about - particularly after the fact. What were they hoping for? That the County would tear up the roadway and put it back the way it was and magically cause trees to re-appear?
Sorry, but to me the whole thing sounds crazy - and I am less than enthralled with this orgainization as a result - even if they have a bunch of PhD's on the board and may actually be doing good things elsewhere.
Then again, organizations take on a life of their own after a while, and if there is no outrage to protest against, you either have to close up shop or find a new outrage to protest over.
Or, failing that, manufacture one.
