March 22, 2006

Maybe it's not such a bad thing that protests, signs; banners and the like are now being contained. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that "freedom of speech" is being withheld. Think about it. All these years of chanting "freedom of speech," all these years of yelling out "we all have rights" through bullhorns and microphones, and what have we gotten from it? Look where we are.

Maybe it's time to stop the speech. Maybe it's time to put our actions where our mouths have been.

Maybe there's another side to the downside of the controls being forced upon us. Wherever there's a bad – there's always a good to counter.

Maybe it's time we started closing our mouths and looking for the good – and then moving toward it.

Protests are as meaningless as the rhetoric of so many useless politicians, if the words spoken at the protest are not followed by actions. So – where are the actions? What is the point? Talk is cheap.

Politicians at every level have given us speeches and campaign promises for years, but never seem to get the work done until the threat of re-election comes. Then in a whirlwind of supplemental spending, gifts are given – purchased on credit the politicians give themselves. I have bills to pay, some overdue – I think I will wait and pay them from my grandchild's paycheck; I can give myself a higher line of credit, can't I? "What, I can't do that?" Imagine that.

Yelling, "Bring the Troops Home Now" for the past three years has not gotten us any closer to ending the war. Shouting obscenities at politicians who are only partly to blame for the mess we are now in has not gotten us any closer to ending the war.

Banging on doors to the White House, the Capitol offices and the US Missions has certainly not brought us any closer to ending the war. Nor has any of this presented any viable alternatives to what we now face – nor any functional solutions to not only the issue of war, but concerns of Americans across this country; healthcare, social security, border control and the wholesale distribution of American jobs to foreign workers.

We are closer to reaching the truth about many things our government has done, and many corrupt actions members of our government have taken. It is not because people have taken to the streets and demanded their rights that we are making this progress. It is because there are real people behind the scenes, people whose names are rarely mentioned, people who rarely make appearances on nightly news broadcasts touting their next adventures, or the glories of their latest accomplishments; people who are consciously, and conscientiously, acting on their rights.

The truth is closer to us because there are actually people who are doing the work to bring it to the open. There are investigators carefully going over every detail of questionable practices. There are whistleblowers with definitive evidence to contribute to these investigations; who are willing to sacrifice their own personal safety and freedom to see that their knowledge of the truth is brought to the attention of those who can use it to make a difference. There are real people working to show that the system works, when it is used as it should be, and in their quiet ways, with little fanfare, they are fighting against the threats of real repression, retribution and jail time that is not self-imposed, simply to see that the truth of what they know is not covered up, is not shredded and is added to the stockpile of evidence growing everyday in real terms – evidence that will one day prove without doubt all that others now only talk about.

As more people come to terms with the truths that are showing themselves, many wonder what it is that they can do to contribute. It seems so easy, make a sign, find a corner and speak out. But it's been done. For years that has been done, and where has it gotten us? More of the same. Listen to what we are hearing as veterans both military and pacifists alike recount the similarities between these times and the times of another era thirty years ago.

Civil disobedience didn't work then – if it had, we would not be where we are now – so why will it work now?

Demanding that our government settle its debts with veterans and with citizens of this country, who have yet to see campaign promises brought to fruition, will not solve our problems. Our government is bankrupt, in case you haven't noticed, and money is not the only thing missing.

Protest – but do it in a way that generates real capital. Take a stand – but use the time wisely, and use it to make a change that can become permanent. Take steps to add your brick to a foundation that will grow strong from the first construction, because it is laid with solid facts, with proven truths.

Speak softly – and carry a big stick. Where are the sticks??

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Monica is the wife of Sgt. Kevin Benderman, Conscientious Objector to war and the current status of this country, and currently serving a prison sentence at the RCF at Ft. Lewis, WA. To learn more - please visit http://bendermandefensetrust.blog.com

Kevin and Monica may be contacted at mdawnb@coastalnow.net