...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Friday, March 14, 2003
      ( 3:47 PM )
 
Mama Rant
Be There or Be Silent
I am feeling a little disillusioned (again) by the amount of people I'm coming across (both in real life and the blogiverse) who are completely apathetic about what is going on, especially Americans. At least form some kind of an opinion about what is being done in your name. The Kid is only 9 1/2 months old and he's already been to 2 peace marches. His 3rd will be tomorrow. Now, he goes because we take him, but no matter what he chooses to believe when he grows up, I want him to at least have values that include actually thinking about issues, forming an opinion and standing up for what he believes in. Just sitting idly by makes no sense to me. Especially when human beings are going to be (or have already been) killed in your name as a citizen of this country.

For you dissenters, tomorrow is a huge day. It's a chance to take a stand - don't not go because there are already going to be thousands there. That's like not voting because thousands of other people already vote. We saw in 2000 how much your vote actually DOES count. You taking a stand and being counted as a dissenter is important, especially now. Don't let your power as a citizen be taken away from you by remaining silent. Don't teach your children to not care that what we do and say can affect the actual lives (whether they live or die) of other people - other human beings. Are we going to create a world for our children that consists of corrupt power, domination of the weaker states, imperialistic slavery of nations, loss of civil rights, a police state, and 5% of the world's population using 20% of its resources? I don't want my child to grow up in a world like that. And I want him to know that I did the very best I could to stop that from happening, that I did my best to speak out for his uncle, my brother Jon, whose life is now also at risk over there because he serves in our armed forces, that I made the effort to make the world better for my son.

Go out and stand with humankind tomorrow, wherever you are. Stop whining that you're sick of hearing about the war and that you wish people would talk about something else. Burying your head in the sand doesn't make it go away. Make a decision, have an opinion, do something. Show your kid that it matters.

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