"STANDING UP TO THE MADNESS"

We all have power...

I just finished reading Amy and David Goodman's excellent book "Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times."

Published in 2008, the book does just as the title suggests: It looks at everyday individuals who stood up to powerful governmental and military institutions, regardless of the personal risks and costs.

These are powerful stories about conscientious objectors, courageous librarians targeted by the FBI, Hurricane Katrina survivors victimized by their own government, and high school kids who refused to let their school administration prevent them from performing a play of great social significance. And others. Heroes all,indeed.

And to think that we waste so much time and attention on what some air-headed reality "star" is doing or whether Puppet Candidate A will make a "better" president than Puppet Candidate B. We really do worship the wrong things.

Well, not always. And this book proves it. And it shows how the lights can go on.

The great message here is one of hope. That the small act of conscience CAN make a difference. In his story, Iraq veteran Liam Madden, who stood up against the American invasion of Iraq, started the Appeal for Redress (an anti-war petition for active duty service members) and is now a Boston official of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said this:

"I'm involved in this because someone saw a flier. Don't discount your efforts if you think that your little event is worthless. Because someone saw a flier, it brought in two thousand names of soldiers. That should inspire people."

And the last word to the authors:

"Protesting is an act of love. It is born of a deeply held conviction that the world can be a better, kinder place. Saying 'no' to injustice is the ultimate declaration of hope... Wherever there is injustice, there is resistance. It may not begin as a mass protest, but it often ends up that way."

Amen.

Take care,
Adrian

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