Mark's Pages

May 2, 2003:

The President made me late for work today.

Speech at a high-tech defense plant. His vision of future economics: tax cuts for the wealthy, while the poor work assembly lines producing bomb after bomb after bomb.

Yet despite the diverted traffic and the cops and guns and horses and helicopters there were moments of real inspiration, driving past Santa Clara University into an assembly point for demonstrators protesting his disastrous policies. Twenty-somethings, militant and festive, holding an event which was a parade and a party and a rally all at once, while for the first time in my life, I was the passing motorist who honked and waived and yelled "Thank you!", flashing the two-finger peace sign, grinning, thrilled and appreciative of their effort. I've always loved being in marches when that happened.

And so the generations pass and change. Our struggles continue. The forms are historically new, but the contest is as old as human nature. Whose side are we on? Life or Death? Good or Evil?

The inspiring thing is that despite the disgraceful media propaganda machine there are so many who recognize Evil and who put themselves at risk confronting it. 25% of all Americans continued to oppose the Iraq invasion even as the fighting happened, in the teeth of the overwhelming crash-bang-glare of pro-war blah blah that surrounded them. God bless 'em.