protest chants

"The War on Terror is a lie
Bush ain't got no alibi
He's reckless
He's reckless
And he's really stupid"

Ah, protest chants, how I've missed you. Yesterday was the third anniversary of the US invading Iraq, and we celebrated with a protest in Hollywood.

Funny enough, it was my first time in Hollywood. I've lived in this area for almost five years, and I've never seen the stars or Chinese Theatre or any of that. Yesterday, I did. Of course another advantage of protesting in Hollywood is that the stars will come out and play - such as Martin Sheen and Rob Morrow and Mike Ferrell and Mimi Kennedy. The cool part about it is that's more likely to get media attention than just 10,000 protestors showing up.

I went with Jenny, so we marched with the International Socialist Organization, but we were between some other groups including a Palestinian one - this made our chants sometimes a little different. I think that the Palestinian and Iraqi issues are related, but they are also very different in significant ways.

When I got home (after celebrating consumerism at Ikea), I watched A Lot Like Love (which I liked). When I took it back downstairs (roommate's boyfriend has a large collection), roommate said, "Oh, that's where you were. Boyfriend thought you were depressed."

"Um, no, I wasn't here. I was in LA all day at a war protest. A friend drove me."

I think they preferred the idea of me sitting in my room or lying in bed, paralyzed with depression. Boyfriend is a hawk, I fear.

I'm not in the least bit depressed about quitting school - that is fine. After all, I've done it twice before, and I've already filled up my time through the end of the year it appears. Am I depressed about breaking up with Dayton? Of course. But it hasn't really fully hit me yet - just little windows of realization. Maybe it just doesn't feel real yet because he and I haven't talked about it (which I'm avoiding). Maybe it's better described as a break instead of a break-up, because I can't really yet picture my future without him.

Anyway, I've started seeing the world in a moral type of black and white. My mother would say I've always seen things in black-and-white, and that's limiting, but I think it actually makes things more honest.

Wrong? Invading sovereign nations as an attempt to divert public attention. Killing civilians - and killing soldiers who are part of a force who has not threatened/attacked us. But earlier, propping up dictators because we hated the Ayotollah. When are we going to take responsibility for the huge role WE played in Saddam Hussein's rise to power??

Also wrong: Lying. Cheating. Adultery.

Right? Helping people who need it, without pushing a political agenda. Recycling. Speaking the truth to power.

Sure, there are areas of grey, but most things really are simply right or wrong, and attempts to complicate are just obfuscations to deny the wrongness of them. If it feels wrong, then it probably is. If in doubt, don't do it.

At the same time, I moved away from protesting because I'm uncomfortable with the frequent simplification in political movements. I prefer to act politically in my every moment rather than publicly. I liked everybody I met yesterday, they were friendly and open and opinionated and I agreed with them, but it wouldn't take me long to run short on patience for the ideologies. So, I know I need to remain in the peripheries - infrequent interaction, keeping informed. Encouraging my students to question everything, presenting different views to them - without politically indoctrinating them. Doing the same with my more right-leaning friends and acquaintances. We don't have to agree, but I don't want them ignorant of other realities.