Candlelight Vigil No. 234, 9/1/10

"I am a follower of Gandhi," said a 60 ish Indian man as he joined the vigil. "He resolved things peacefully with the British in India."

"I am against war," he continued. "But I am especially concerned for the 18 to 35 year olds. They have their whole lives ahead of them. They are the ones who get sent off to war. They should take the old ones instead. We have lived our lives. If somebody has to go, it should be us."

This man offered another suggestion I think you'll find of interest. "Just like they just conducted the census," he stated with a soft smile and a sparkle in his eyes, "each month they should let the people vote. Do you want the wars? Yes or No.

"Next month, do you want the health care program? Yes or No. Let the people decide. That is a true democracy. Why should they have to write letters to a Congressman?

He felt technology would make it easy to vote and the peoples' voices could now be heard directly as they helped to make the decisions. For TV shows the U.S. public votes by the millions to vote someone off an island or to vote for the next rock star, why shouldn't they have a voice in policy decisions that directly affect them?

This would encourage their participation, something government officials and their lobbyists may not like, but it would give the people a sense their vote might mean something. If so many more of them would get involved, versus now when every other person eligible to vote doesn't even register and of those registered, at most only about half vote.

As for the vigil, it was peaceful and warm and would have made Gandhi proud. It was held by John Fortier and me and in addition to the Indian man was joined by a 50 ish couple who often participate and by a 66 year old woman who generally does.

There was a crush of rush hour traffic and some of them honked their horns in support, including a bus driver, and many people waved. One 50 year old woman who has joined past vigils, last night as a car passenger had the driver blast his horn and she called out her support.

That the vigil would be so well received was no surprise for there are many people who care about those who have paid so severe a price in these wars and their hearts call out to be heard.

Dick