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Nobody's Story

12/26/2022

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“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens

Dickens' A Christmas Carol is read on Christmas Eve and told in countless ways in film. My son and I dug deeper and found that Charles Dickens had written other Christmas stories. I randomly chose Nobody's Story to read aloud and found it could have been written today.

A simple man figured out the system and how it stays the same with the Haves in charge and the Have-nots stay without power or possibilities to gain even safety or joy.

When reading something written 170 plus years ago, I expected to find unused language and uncommon terms but was surprised at the descriptive given to those in power: the Bigwigs.

The story reminded me of the way regular people living in and near Miami OK might feel about the "stateliest people thereabouts" who had wanted to save Nobody the trouble of thinking for himself, perhaps we might imagine the Bigwigs as those who operate the Pensacola Dam.

The Nobody in the story wanted his children to be taught, so they would have knowledge to know better and avoid the mistakes he had made. The Bigwig family had misgivings about that. As such Nobody watched the demon Ignorance taken his children toward suspicion and cunning.

The Nobody appealed to the Bigwig family explaining laboring people would benefit from mental refreshment and recreation, some escape from hard work and worry, but his innocent request provoked them so that he was left wondering.

Then a pestilence arose among the laborers and spread and people began to die, the air was poisoned. He stayed where he was, continued working, lost some of his dearest. Desperate, he asked for pure water, light and air. His Master lost loved ones too and blamed Nobody and the others living in poverty for not living more healthily and decently.

Nobody explained they needed the means to improve their lives, better education, respite from work and the Bigwig family heard and changed the circumstances for a time, never admitting to have had anything to do with it having been lacking before.

"The story of Nobody is the story of the rank and file of the earth. They bear their share of the battle they have their part in the victory; they fall; they leave no name but in the mass. The march of the proudest of us, leads to the dusty way by which they go. Let us think of them this year at the Christmas fire, and not forget them when it is burnt out."

How do we change this up? Our Nobodies vs. the Bigwigs? We will try everything. The City of Miami and over 400 of you Nobodies have attorneys doing their jobs for you. Now I am asking you to value your experiences, your memories and what you have lost.

The Nobodies are SOMEBODIES to me! Valued and able.

The Bigwigs have reigned power over others by using their power generating as a means to justify our backwater flooding. But there is a Commission that can approve or disapprove their next license over how the lake is managed for the next 50 years. That license application will be submitted by GRDA by January 1 to FERC.

Now is the time for your cards and letters to pour into the only federal entity that may be able to protect your property and your status as Nobody is on the line.

We have been practicing for this for months. If you need a stamp or addressed postcards we would be glad to help you out.

Clear your head of the joys of Christmas pasts and dwell back long enough to capture some of those harsher moments, make a list of the feelings you experienced and the items of value you lost. All of these words can be crammed onto the pages, onto the cards you flood FERC with.

No one believes in you like I do.

Respectfully Submitted ~  Rebecca Jim

P.S.  Should you require it:

Attn: Secretary Kimberly D. Bose
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE Room 1A
Washington, D.C. 20426
 



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Checking My List

12/26/2022

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The season lies about us and remaining on my list are those closest to me. The dear and most cherished, the remarkable cogs that turn what we have into gold at the LEAD Agency, our volunteers and the amazing board who knows what we've been thinking. I am hoping they and you all have peace, warmth and joy.

You will still probably receive phone calls, knocks on your door and short bouts of appeals as we end the year with our outlandish hope for the future for this corner of the state which has endured in spite of the risks and held strong throughout.

Find patience and join in the belief we have that we can open the flood gates that hold in what flood us. You deserve peace of mind and our band of brothers and each of you who have signed those postcards and filled in our Flood Survey have moved us closer to being heard by the only federal agency with power to protect you and your homes and property.

We and you will be working next on our list of resolutions, but am giving you a hint that high on that list is my resolution to do everything I can to save this town and I believe you will go to sleep better each night if this makes it on yours, too.

Respectfully Submitted ~ Rebecca Jim


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OFF DUTY

12/11/2022

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Jennifer Little, the gift LEAD Agency got for Christmas arrived early enough to capture the seasons of joy and the stark reality of our environmental risks that impact us. She is a professor at the University of the Pacific and teaches photography and other courses there.

The children's choir sang and at times we were allowed to sing along. The hometown came alive and mothers held their phones up in anticipation of the moment the lights would come on.

I brought a harsh dose of reality to the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. The Jeep Cherokee was dressed up with her Christmas lights and DONT FLOOD US signs made perfectly to fit by the professionals in town, while wearing my festive red apron. The apron was packed with the postcards depicting Miami in flood stage. And conveniently pre-addressed to the only federal agency that could protect us from the lake level rise that will doom  much of the city in the future floods that will come quicker and harsher.

Many people took time and composed messages that evening as we all awaited the magic moment when the lights would be turned on. It was a lovely time.

Saturday morning started like many other Saturdays, but the first Saturday of the month can find a transition occurring in Picher, Oklahoma. A disestablished town comes back to life for a brief time and this Saturday brought our DONT FLOOD US message as both the Grand Riverkeeper and the Tar Creekkeeper lined right up to be part of the story. The floats filled with tiny children were both in front of and behind us and the delightful moment came after what seemed like hours when we began to move forward. Some children on floats were placed in Christmas packages and we had the advantage of seeing their mothers first pack them in with warm blankets.

As for mothers, our team this year were mothers and sons. Mine with me and Martin Lively our Grand Riverkeeper with his mother, Lois. We wore our reindeer antlers and tossed all of our peppermint candy canes much too quickly and found ourselves left with only kind wishes and many Merry Christmas'es as we traveled the length of the parade. Such happy faces, so many friends, and several YES DON'T FLOOD US of recognition rang out as we passed by people who knew exactly why we bore those words. We parked along the road and became the crowd as the rest of the parade passed us by and got to experience the delight of becoming the crowd watching the Picher Homecoming Christmas Parade. What a treasure to be part of and take part in the joy of it.

We looped back and caught the tail end of the Quapaw Christmas Parade as most had called it over and stopped to congratulate the Quapaw Environmental Department on their Santa's Workshop float bearing the Netta Street sign that we had  lined up beside before the Picher Parade began, right aside the actual Netta Street!

All these happy moments allowed me to know that  the Miami Christmas Parade was hands off. Enjoy the lights, the floats, and strike up the bands.

Even though there is an urgency in stopping the flood waters from coming and coming quicker than ever before, it was out of a great consideration of the right of a City and her people to have some moments of JOY that the ever harbinger of dread failed to show up.

It was my privilege to give everyone the night off from a harsh reality, one night, since the reality you live with, the seriousness of place might feel daunting. You have shared much with me during these decades and these memories flood over me.

It seems as if I adopted all of you. I grieve with your struggles and celebrate your coming home and the countless occasions of life we have shared. Yet there are wrongs you all have faced and still ride with silently and perhaps not yet grasping the environmental justice site you dwell in and the consequences it has brought to you.

The metals that rest in your yards, that float down Tar Creek only to be deposited in your yards, what floats in the air that you breathe is the same as me, but not to the extent. I go home. Over these 45 years, I go off duty when crossing that Neosho bridge and go home to clean air, soil that has no contaminants.

Service to this community was not assigned but became a duty. To serve and while allowed, know that then surely, "the future will take care of itself," as Andrew Carnegie would say. I just want to do my part in ensuring the future you get will provide for you and your family a safe, dry place to live. These efforts will continue when Monday comes around and duty calls. It all gets easier with more hands lifting and if you get 'round to it, signing one of those postcards, filling out the flood survey, telling your story.

Respectfully Submitted ~ Rebecca Jim

 
 

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    Rebecca Jim

    Rebecca is the Executive Director of LEAD Agency and one of its founding members. She also serves as the Tar Creekkeeper with the Waterkeeper Alliance.

    Contact Rebecca

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Local Environmental Action Demanded Agency, Inc.
Miami Office:                                Vinita Office:
223 A Street SE                             19289 South 4403 Drive
Miami, Oklahoma 74354             Vinita, Oklahoma 74301
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