Power, Lost and Found: America At Century’s End 523
victims could fill out loan applications via the Internet. It was doubtful that
the people stranded on rooftops could pick up a Wi-Fi signal, though. In the
meantime, organizations such as the Common Good formed to provide the
life necessities that the federal government was not. Once up and running,
Common Good Collective provided the community with basic health care,
modest supplies of food and shelter, clean water, garbage cleanup, and, if one
cared to wait, access to two functioning toilets. Hundreds of people visited the
place daily; needs were greater than they could address. Thus the Common
Good Collective provided local solutions—as much as they could manage—to
public policy blunders
Grassroots activists across the United States are currently organized in
Rising Tide North America [RTNA], a network of activists organized against
climate change and the corporations that are responsible for causing global
warming. Scott Parkin, an organizer of environmental protests for Rainforest
Action Network and RTNA, explained,
Vital eco-systems like mountains, forests and water sources, as well as the
communities living in them and the climate itself, are under full scale attack
by Corporate America. The political system has been designed to benefit
those business interests over ordinary people and the planet. Rising Tide
North America was founded to fight back against that system and the fossil
fuel extractive economy in particular. From Big Mountain in Arizona and
the Appalachian mountains to the flooded streets of New Orleans to Wall
Street, we’ve stood with those most effected by climate change and fossil
fuel extraction.
The larger mission of the group that formed in November 2000 is to achieve
climate justice globally. RTNA has ties to the Earth First! movement and
describes itself as “a grassroots network committed to taking action and build-
ing a movement against climate change.”
They are an inclusive group, stating, “We do not have a formal member-
ship structure—anyone who supports the political statement on our website
can become a part of the network.” RTNA has over 50 chapters in Canada,
Mexico, and the United States and has accomplished a number of direct action
initiatives including the closing down of coal-powered plants in Virginia and