I've never been to a protest that didn't have an effect. At the very least, a few people are talked to, facts and opinions are shared, and that tends to reverberate, and sometimes it's a lot of people who get that effect. At the opposite end of the spectrum, those huge pre-war protests in 2003 would've prevented the American attack on Iraq and saved a million lives ... in a democracy, or in a nation ruled by anyone who gives a damn about the people.

Between these extremes of small protests and huge protests, well, let's see... I didn't participate, but last year some local protests kept an elementary school open here in Madison. And let's not forget that JERICHO came back for a second season after being cancelled, because so many protesters mailed nuts to CBS.

Of course, being a pessimist, in recent years I'm more accustomed to arguing the other side of your question, SirJ. We often return home asking why we've wasted a couple of hours protesting the insane policies of the Bush-Cheney administration ... and more urgently wondering, what's the alternative to protesting? Riddle me that, Batman.

I tell myself Americans would care, if newscasts gave Americans any serious news, any way to know that something's wrong beyond Amy Winehouse and the top-grossing Hollywood movies. Not sure if it's true that Americans would be furious if they only knew, but that's what I tell myself. And until corporate-controlled media is utterly unplugged, America is going to continue swirling down the toilet in one giant flush from sea to shining sea.

I never watched JERICHO. I like post-apocalypse fiction, but not when it's sponsored by General Motors and Army recruiting...

A little less competition for First Place among screwover corporations would be nice, wouldn't it?

geoff422 replies