Make Love, Not War

On Saturday, a friend and I attended the "Act Now to Stop War and End Racism" (ANSWER) rally in Washington, D.C. This is the first protest I've ever attended, which may be surprising since I've lived in the D.C. area for nearly two years. We congregated with the rest of the peace advocates at the Vietnam Memorial, where we were met by angry veterans, right-winged activists, and other crazy warmongers. Those in support of the war started a rumor that the protesters were out to deface the Vietnam Memorial, which couldn't be further away from the truth. One man showed up with a sign that read, "Peace Sucks." There is no room in the world for that kind of ignorance. Vets tried to keep the march on the Pentagon from taking place, and without the Capitol police, complete chaos would have broken out.

Tens of thousands of protesters came to march on the Pentagon, despite 20 mph winds and below freezing temperatures. This rally was one of the most interesting events I have ever attended. People from all over the country, of all different walks of life gathered together to speak out against the immoral war in Iraq, and help prevent war with Iran. The protesters were passionate, yet the pro-war response was strong. As we marched across the Memorial Bridge into Virginia, pro-war crowds lined the streets, some with backs turned to us, some shouting and flipping us off. There were enraged vets, dressed in biker gear, calling those in peaceful protest "pussies," "hippies," "cowards," "terrorists," and countless other profanities. But we all marched on, chanting all the way.

By the end of the rally, my hands and feet were completely frozen, but I was proud of myself and the others who met in D.C. to have their voices heard. The Virginia and Pentagon police used force to stop the group from marching to the Pentagon steps, but the whole world was watching. The rally was aired on C-SPAN and Al-Jazeera.

Some important participants included: Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney, Jonathan Hutto co-founder of Appeal for Redress, Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and youth and students in the anti-war movement.

Please see the videos below(sorry they aren't embedded). These are not my videos/pictures, but I witnessed the majority of these memorable events which will go down in our nation's history.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKiJYUV-7Ss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5bChqeDSi4

Jetta Love

I finally did it...I bought a new car. Is it weird that this purchase officially makes me feel like an adult? I had been driving my red 2dr 98 Grand Am since I was 16, and after 7 years, she was tired. The grandammit was reliable though, and she took much better care of me than I did of her. I remember all of the roadtrips, accidents, near fatal accidents and curb checks that she got me though. I got every bit of juice out of those 4 cylinders. When I left her, the paint was chipped, her front windshield was cracked, the rear view mirror was in the backseat and the heater didn't work. I let the dealership buy her from me for merely $750. But in her place, I have this nice 2007 Jetta Wolfsburg. The Wolfsburg has seat heaters, a sunroof and an iPod adapter -- all upgrades from the Grandammit. I don't know if the Wolfsburg will ever have quite the character of the Grandammit, but time will tell. Like many of you, I didn't purchase my first car, but was lucky enough to have parents that could buy one for me. There's nothing quite like your first car, but there's an overwhelming sense of pride when you are finally able to purchase one for yourself.

Note: If you see me driving around D.C. in the Jetta, please stay at least 10 feet away. I hyperventelate at the thought of someone scratching my car. Parallel parking in the city has been a new source of anxiety for me. Just keep your distance.