during my protest years, on the frontlines, my critical nature began to wonder why we were there, city after city, phalanxes of riot police, same shield, same batons, same arsenal of crowd control tactics. same chants, same filthy clothes, same blisters, the sameness began to seem useless.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/us/illinois-summit-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

now I am on the outside, far away from the frontlines. gave money to the occupy movement, showed up at a march. and now I catch glimpses of the frontline on cnn. and the purpose is becoming clear. the coverage only comes with the battles. The slogans and the chants are the message that is publicized. It is the only way for the dialogue to occur. And then it is heard, the proclamations of how the WTO, the World Bank, NATO, G8, any amalgamation of power players and puppetteers of world economies, is forced into the light. Transparency occurs through those throngs in the streets, those willing to do battle with the battons, ingest the pepper spray, and face the confrontation of anger at those that disrupt the peace.

and what peace is that? The tranquility of mining the world of its natural and cultural resources.

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/21/152683549/mineral-rich-mongolia-rapidly-becoming-minegolia

But that is another entry, this one is simply to state that we have to keep yelling, keep causing trouble, keep demonstrating that they cannot do as they please, that we will be there, that each time we will rally. Maybe I will make it to the frontlines again.