Whatever happening to protesting because it's Saturday and there's nothing else to do?
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

Lately I have been reading about activists of the past. People who broke laws and were accused of breaking laws in defense of their ideals. I can't help but make the comparison to today and the war going on now and wonder who are the protesters and organizers? Who's responsibilty is this to express the dissatisfaction I hear so frequently? And more what am I, specifically, willing to sacrifice in the name of justice, fairness and equality?

Is it my career in the Peace Corps? Even though I'm doing something I feel I've always wanted to do. As frustrating and slow going as the work may be, as confused as I am about what I'm accomplishing or going to accomplish in two years I still think every day "wow. I'm in the Peace Corps."

And yet I told myself if things get bad enough I may have to go home and become and organizer for peace and justice - which includes among other things ending the war.

What is bad enough? Another war with Iran? Reinstating the draft? At what point do I set aside my goals I've set for myself and say, "ok, now I really have to get involved." If it means not having a paycheck and sleeping on someone's floor, I have to do somehting about this.

When?

I told someone once that at the rate we're going it's doubtful the U.S. will still be a superpower in 100 years. Then I read there are people who doubt we'll even be around in 100 years due to global climate change - and you've got to admitt if the effects we're seeing now are from pollution that occurred 30 years ago - that's pretty scary!

I wondered a while ago if the United States would be a superpower for my entire lifetime. Now I question whether it will remain a country. We are so divided as the recent Presidential veto showed us compromise illudes us. One more faceless victim of politics.

Think about it. If, with the state that the planet is in, we only have 100 years left - what do you owe your country? What do you owe humanity? What can we do in this crucial moment to best serve our country? What must we do? And what are we willing to do?

After that heartfelt editorial, I'll close with a movie quote. I don't know if Abbie Hoffman actually said this but it's in Steal this Movie (which you can watch for free at tv-links.co.uk and you should)

"It's always the young that make change. You don't get these ideas when you're middle aged. The young have daring creativity and engery. They have impatience. So you take your young legs, and your eagerness and your natural feelings for justice and peace and a better deal for our planet. And you go out and myou make tomorrow better than it is today. You go out and you save your country."