The actions of Tim DeChristopher this past Friday should be lauded. For those of you who may not know, DeChristopher was able to find his way into a Bureau of Land Management auction of various parcels of land around Zion National Park designated for potential oil drilling and bid on them; artificially raising the price of the land and forcing legitimate bidders to up their bids in return. DeChristopher, having no way or intention of paying for these lots was effectively defrauding the government and was soon arrested.
Other attendees to the auction were, unsurprisingly, upset with DeChristopher, some calling his actions “sad” and, with what the Tribune suggests is an angry tone, wanted to “make him pay” the $1.8 million he owes to the Federal Government.
As I stated before, DeChristopher should be praised for his actions; and this is coming from someone who does not consider himself an environmentalist and is, at best a weak ally who values the importance of a cleaner world, but also understands that there is a practical need for development. Why, you may ask, then would I come rushing to the defense of DeChristopher? Simple, he stood up for what he believed in and he is willing to pay the price.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote “Good men must not obey laws too well.” Is it true that DeChristopher broke the law? Well I am no lawyer, but I am willing to bet he did. But is what he did wrong? I say no – his actions were a direct consequence of a system that ignores the will of the people, a system that puts the desires of the minority over the rights of the majority.
As DeChristopher put it in his own words “I have marched, held signs, written letters and spoken to my Congressman. I have built trails and removed invasive species in National Parks. I have educated friends on climate change and donated to a dozen different groups…It hasn’t worked.”
Indeed the past eight years of the Bush Administration have produced environmental policies that are less than eco-friendly. Environmentalists have continually fought a loosing battle against backroom deals that favor companies and ignore peoples desires to look upon God’s creation in its natural state.
The actions of DeCristopher are the natural progression of a civilized society – as opposed to uncivilized societies where we could reasonably expect a person like DeCristopher to blow up the BLM offices rather than simply sit in on an auction. I hope and trust that environmental groups don’t reach this level, but we must not forget that any group, ANY group, when marginalized and disregarded is capable of doing just about anything (and, of course, those actions should be looked upon with great disdain).
This is a democracy and nowhere more should civil disobedience be encouraged than in a system of government that is ruled by the people (in theory, of course, civil disobedience in a democracy would not be necessary as the will of all of the people would be taken into consideration at all times). I dare say that anyone opposed to this peaceful civil disobedience, whether you believe in his opinion or not, is not a true, freedom loving American.
The Revolutionary War, the womens rights movement, Rosa Park’s refusal to sit at the end of the bus, all were varying levels of disobedience that were necessary to the formation of a more perfect union. History may not note DeChristopher’s actions, but we can not deny that it is important that they took place.
