Revolution of the apathetic?

My first post was going to be sort of a tribute to my wife and my best friend, but I've got something else to say right now. It isn't necessarily that it's more important. There are too many ways to judge that. It's just that it's weighing on me.

This country has two deadly personality flaws: a short attention span and some fierce apathy. A really dangerous bill passed the Senate yesterday, and we let it happen. I didn't let it happen. I've been watching it for years. I sent my messages and called my Senator to get him to vote against it. But we let it happen. It passed by a vote of 49 to 51. My Senator voted against me, and it made a difference. The supporters of this bill knew that if they were persistent enough long enough, public interest would wane, and they would be able to get what they wanted even though it's unjustifiable.

What's funny is that four of the five oil companies that had been supporting the drilling of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge withdrew months ago for a couple of reasons. Their public backing wasn't substantial enough, and chances are really good that there's not enough oil there to make the endeavor worth it for them. It didn't matte to them that the areas they would have impacted would NEVER recover. But now they're only one step away from having their precedent to drill in other pristine areas. There is already a push to drill in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, in the last great grassland in the southwestern U.S., and other places that aren't as remote as ANWR. It just amazes me.

It's pretty plain to see that Dubya has manipulated public opinion and otherwise doesn't listen to us. So, how do you start a "revolution" in a group of people who don't listen long enough to care?