Best-placed efforts

The graceful canopy of ancient trees arch gracefully over the street that loomed before me.  On either side, a charming mix of bungalows and Victorian homes flanked either side of this main commercial entrance into downtown Orange.  Mostly converted into modern use offices and business fronts, these old family homes still stand proud and beautiful, despite the passing of time and the elements.  I just love the drive into downtown Orange.  Charming little shops, restaurants, and retro specialty stores conjure up memories of a simpler time, free from the worries and concerns of today’s headlines. One can easily imagine an Orange of bygone days, when malt shops brimmed with greasers and gals in poodle skirts.  One can easily envision other memories, from even earlier.  So beautiful, so peaceful, so free of the stresses and worries of a 2008 world…

 

…at least, until one reaches the circle.

 

Camped out in the middle of the circular park located in the middle of the Orange roundabout, several war protesters, many of them decorated in tie-dye and face-painted flowers, pleasantly and peacefully hold up their signs calling for the return of our troops from Iraq.  This local Berkeley-like movement gives me mixed emotions.  On the one-hand, I am proud to see this combination of older hippies, and young school or college-age dreamers peacefully making a statement for what they believe in.  They hold up signs saying, “4,000 dead – why?” and “Bring our troops home!” and “Honk if you support our troops.”  OK, so I honk.  I do support our troops.  As I honk while driving by, they cheer.  All of the smudge-lighting, tarot-reading, hooka-toking, face-painting, wild-child weirdos.  (I consider myself much more part of their social circle than the standard conservative one, so YES I can make fun of my own stereotype).

 

Sadly, I really have to wonder about the effectiveness of such a protest.  OK, so they are out in the evening holding up signs.  For the most part, they are preaching to the choir.  Does it do any good?  I just don’t know.  It certainly does not do any harm – they are holding a peaceful demonstration and stating what they believe.  OK.  They are upset about a situation and at least getting up to do something about it.  OK.  But is this the best or most effective use of energy?  Sadly, I think not.  Once upon a time, sit-ins and protests and marches on Washington did make a significant difference.  But then, these methods became standard and overused.  When a protest can be expected, it begins to lose its effectiveness.  It is simply no longer unusual and thus, no longer newsworthy.

 

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that people shouldn’t go and demonstrate.  If that is what they want to do, and they do so peacefully, feel free to exercise those constitutional rights.  I just do not believe it is really going to help.  Sadly, I do not know what will. 

 

I do support our troops.  I do hope they come home soon.  I hate the fact that we are in this situation with a very unstable Middle East.  I recognize that terrorists exist and that the threat is very real.  However, I refuse to BE terrorized.  In some ways, the terrorists have won.  The extremities that our government has been taking have, in their own ways, moved away from what we consider to be the freedom that is the American way of life. 

 

Waterboarding is ok, and not considered to be torture?  Excuse me?

 

Soldiers being sent to die in a “peacekeeping” mission that is not considered to be a war?  Excuse me?

 

Gas prices sending a strangle-hold on the country?  Excuse me?

 

Le Sigh… The faces of the past who saw those quaint little houses not as businesses but as charming neighborhoods certainly faced struggles.  An uncertain America of the 1940’s prayed daily for victory in a war overseas.  But they had one strong advantage over the Americans of today.  They at least knew who they were fighting, and the vast majority bought into the fight.  Today, we have no idea who we are fighting, and have fears that we may be fighting more tomorrow.  And the worst part – we don’t know why.