seriously now

On October 5th there is a protest called "The World Can't Wait". In Boston, it will happen on the Boston Common at noon.

If you were disappointed to read in the New York Times last week that the Iraq war is costing approximately $1 billion per week, or that we have spent nearly $330 billion already... think about going.

If you were embarassed to hear President Bush say that "the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage"... think about going.

If you were disappointed yesterday to read that wiretaps in the US no longer require a warrant... think about going.

If you were horrified to read that the Senate passed a bill that disallows terror suspects the right of Habeus Corpus... think about going.

This protest is run, in part, by the American Communists. Is that scary? You decide - maybe you hate communists. But here's what I think: I think that waiting to find an organization who exactly represents your beliefs before you act is dangerous. It's unlikely to happen, and I believe in the name of this protest - the world can't wait any longer for change. Just because you attend a protest or event associated with a particular party doesn't make you a member.

I'm not sure what I'll think about the protest. In general I'm afraid of crowd mentality and I don't do well in large groups. But I think it's worth it to go. It's worth it to put yourself in to an uncomfortable situation in order to catalyze change.

A lot of people critizise the American left for knowing who they are against (Bush!) but not knowing what they are for. In many cases I find this to be a valid criticism - sometimes it's just not useful to complain unless you an offer a better alternative.

But in some cases, when your government is torturing prisoners or slowly removing the rights of its own people, there's no time to sit tight and think. We can't wait until we know exactly what will happen next.

This has to stop.