Driving through Catonsville last night on our way to pick up some dinner, Jen and I found a crowd of people outside the library holding signs, flags, and candles. They were having a rally to support the lady in Texas, who has become a lightning rod for protesting the war (finally, somebody is a lightning rod.) I’ve heard all kinds of stone-throwing from different people saying she’s using her dead son’s memory to get on TV, make a political point he wouldn’t have wanted, et cetera. I don’t know about the dead kid or his politics, and I don’t know about the woman’s politics either. I do know that anybody in the United States has the right to say whatever they want, and it’s about time somebody started making noise (hello, Democrats? where are you?) I used to think that people who had rational moral beliefs and the experience to back them up would triumph over those who don’t, but the 2004 elections killed any remaining idealism I once had where that was concerned. For that reason, I’m glad she’s making a stand, politics and axe-grinding aside. It’s about time this country got its conscience back.

On our way back, we passed by again and I honked the horn while Jen waved, and we got a bunch of whistles and cheers from the assembled crowd. Jen’s response was different than mine (She can relate the story to you better than I) but it was a bittersweet feeling for me.