Speaking Up

This blog kind of has two parts... One my response to a question posed in yesterday's class and another a personal list.

Yesterday Ciara posed a question asking why people don't speak up. I have spent a good portion of today pondering why I personally do not. Everyone has something that they are passionate about, and for me, I have a passion against the School of the Americas. I have posted a blog about it before, but a quick and dirty defination of the SOA, is that it is a military training camp for Latin American soldiers located at the US Army Post Fort Benning. Soldiers that have been trained there have been linked to such horrible actions against people only trying to do good in their countries, Religious leaders, students, union organizers. For the past 4 years I have wanted to make it to Fort Benning to go to the annual protest in November, but life has always gotten in the way, and since I am writing my capstone on closing the SOA, I have decided that this is the year that I am going to go, make my small impact in the fight to close this terrorist camp.

What I am struggling with now, is if I want to cross the line, step onto Fort Benning, in silent, peaceful protest. I strongly admire those who do this brave act, because of the amazing statement they make, and also knowing that there is a good chance of arrest, and a chance to spend months in federal prison. I would like to think that I am strong enough to make such as bold statement of my beliefs, but at the same time, I fear the consequences. The protest will take place about a month before I graduate, if I am arrested that will be greatly affected.

Going back to Ciara's question, I think the reason people do not make such bold statements is because they fear what the government can do to them. There needs to be more selfless people, ones who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, and do their part to make a positive impact on our global community.

This leads me to my second part, I have a list of things I would like to do and see in my lifetime, some a random fun things I would like to do, others a little more serious.
• Jump out of a perfectly good airplane (Done)
• Visit every Major League Baseball park in the United States
• See Elton John in concert
• Sing along with Arlo Guthrie to Alice’s Resturant (Done)
• See the School of the America’s closed
• Make a positive life changing impact on someone’s life
• Make a positive impact, no matter how small, on the world.

These are just a few things, and some of them require me to let go of my fear. I was terrified before I went skydiving, and it ended up being one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I need to translate that fear into someday crossing the line and hopefully making my small impact on the SOA.