Agendas

Every now and then I hear someone accused of "having an agenda." This is odd, as I usually think of agendas as way to keep on task during meetings. Okay, I understand that the accusation is really sloppy English for "hidden agenda," which is certainly a difficult charge to defend, at the same time being impossible to prove, being hidden and all...

I suspect that those who suggest that others have hidden agendas are suspicious or afraid that there is some sort of deeper conspiracy at play, such as: "The environmentalists say that they want marine reserves around the rocks where we don't fish, but their real agenda is to take away our clam guns."

This business about agendas is both paranoia and bad grammar. The same abusers of language also believe that there are armies of high paid progressive peace-pushing tree-hugging coral-loving lobbyists.

I'll let you in on a secret. If you're against conservation, don't worry about agendas or lobbyists. Your worry would be much better directed at the committed volunteers and citizen advocates that organize around issues that raise their passion. Give these firebrands a bit of training in campaign tactics and strategic planning and they are formidable.

The tools of conservation go far deeper than "having an agenda." When citizens believe their cause from the heart and intelligently organize, you just might be better off stepping aside.

Observe as an example the anti-LNG movement. Observe and recall the stages of development of an effective grassroots campaign that grew into a powerful political force that is a major driver in our local cultural shift. This movement will succeed, not because of agendas but because righteous indignation was focused and directed. The development and outcomes of this movement may end up in a textbook.

Hmm, perhaps the fear of hidden agendas stems from the personal experience of those anti-conservation individuals. They themselves probably plot in secret about how they are going to scorch and burn the earth and destroy the environmentalists that stand in the way. Yes, that's how it is. Ah, the sweet adrenalin of paranoia mingles with the urge to fight or flee. And now I begin to understand...