Isn't the Sky Always Falling?

Has any doomsday prophesy come true since our old friend Noah believed and built his arc? I don't know, but it seems as though all my life the world has been coming to an end and people have believed the end was coming and have gone so far as to kill themselves in preparation. Many Tea Party people are hearing and believing this message right now. True believers in the immanent apocalypse are preparing right now by stockpiling weapons and canned food and other shit that will help them survive until the rapture. George Bush 11 seemed to have this view that he was righteous by starting his crusade in the Middle East. There doesn't seem to be any other reason that holds water for our provocations against the Muslims.

Some doomsday predictions in my lifetime have spurred people to positive unselfish actions in response. The Nuclear Freeze movement is one example that comes to mind. The last big protest at Seabrook, NH was so successful that the second reactor there was never built and there has not been another nuke built in the US since. To me, an activist response dedicated to changing the conditions that are threatening us seems healthy.

Anger, turned into action for the greater good,  can be positive anger. I am angry that my taxes are primarily used to kill people. I think we should be able to dedicate our taxes to something in line with our values. I would like my tax money to be used to feed the hungry and house the homeless and educate the ignorant. I would like my taxes to pay teachers as much as we pay people who develop drones and other weapons. I would like my tax money given to other countries to be used for the same thing, not to enhance the power of murderous dictators and build more US bases in other countries.

If I gave an endowment to a university, I could dedicate that money to something important to me. I have always felt that I could be happier about paying my taxes if I knew they were going to help others. I have not seen much success in the Tax Resistors movement. I would welcome any ideas out there for constructive non-violent action to allow similar voices to be heard.

I am one of those people who can do a lot if I can get a clear picture of what I am doing. Until I 'see', I wait and watch.  With the help of Howard Zinn and other wise men, I do understand that positive change in our country doesn't come from the top down. "Mr. President, please do something about Civil Rights.", but rather comes from the bottom up. Rosa Parks, where are you? We all need to be Rosa Parks about the things we care about. I pray for the courage.