When ordinary people to get involved......

I received an email from a young army second lieutenant that reflects all that is great about our society: enthusiasm and volunteerism. I promised I would share the quote he sent to me.

"That (society) which separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.

" -Thucydides, The Peloponnesian Wars

I attended the "Stop the War Rally" in Providence this Sunday. There were courageous people who shared their experiences. A Latino father lost his son and was himself suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Cindy Sheehan shared the same anxiety before her son was killed. There was a Rhode Island woman, an Iraq war veteran, who shared her experiences about how unremarkable and wasteful this war has been. No speaker, or I dare say attendee, felt our troops currently serving were being dishonored.

My emotions were most moved by the number of people present who took the personal time to act on what they felt. This included folks who were with the Green Party, folks supporting kindness to the environment and equal rights (14th Amendment in the Constitution) for gays and lesbians. It's been almost exactly 30 years since Operation Eagle Pull marked the official end of our war in Vietnam. This was a period of social activism, marked consciousness and responsibility. We pledged then that never again would we enter into an unjust war. I was 15 then and six years later, I'd be doing what Lt. Quigley is doing now, but in the Marines. It was the peak of social involvement and a time when the Democratic Party was the party of compassion. Now, sadly, the Green Party seems to be picking up much of the slack.

I remain optimistic that the myriad of issues left remaining can be overcome when we take what little time and energy we save for ourselves and give it to something bigger. I walked on a health drive sponsored by the YMCA, the South Providence Neighborhood Mission and MetLife. There was a wonderful degree of enthusiasm and goodwill to make folks aware of the need for healthy living. There were many young and old minorities. Many of the organizers were not, but one could clearly see this did not matter..... and it shouldn't.

In the afternoon I went with my friend Ingrid to an elementary school in a rough neighborhood where the principal, teachers, parents, and students as well as community businesses and people, were volunteering their time and resources to repair and renovate the building and grounds. Their pride was evident. I was glad to have helped in a small way and Mayor Cicciline was there pushing a broom, too. This was all being done because no money was coming to pay for these things.

There's a point to all of this. Half of us vote. Half do not. Can we find a way to encourage the half who do not to think of Lt. Quigley, the volunteers and the massive impact we have made to inspire those who have lost their faith or priority? When we do this, we can elect people from among us who care about our security, our health, our faith and our prosperity in more ways than rhetoric and lip-service. "We the people" choose our government and we have the numbers and the power to choose one that represents our values. This is what I believe. You?