Activism Across America

Al Franken likes to depict himself as a well-informed, straight-talking kind of guy. Franken says that if he is elected to the United States Senate, he will stand up for the rights of voters in Minnesota.

So why is it, then, that Al Franken refuses to take a position on the FISA Amendments Act?

Go ahead and search through Al Franken’s Senate campaign web site. Search the news. Search the blogs. Nowhere does Al Franken even mention the FISA Amendments Act.

This proposed law threatens to take away Americans’ constitutional rights, and to destroy the system of checks and balances that keeps our democracy alive. The FISA Amendments Act represents one of the worst policies of George W. Bush - spying on millions of Americans without a search warrant or any other form of judicial control. The FISA Amendments Act is corrupt to the core.

So, why won’t Al Franken take a stand? Has Franken been too lazy to bother to read the FISA Amendments Act, or is he just too afraid to condemn this latest abuse from the politicians of fear?

Today, students in at least 55 schools across the state of "http://www.cafepress.com/irregularstates/168718">Indiana are taking place in the national Day of Silence protests. Those are the number of schools from which students have officially registered their intent to protest. It is expected that students from many other schools in Indiana will participate without registering.

Students participating in the protests will remain silent throughout the day of school, in symbolic recreation of the silence in which non-heterosexual students often experience intimidation and even physical attacks.

It’s a protest against intolerance, and a protest against bullying, and a protest against violence.

There are some right wing extremist groups that are trying to organize opposition to the protests. What a shame it is to see such people organizing in defense of bullies in Indiana’s schools.

To those students participating in today’s protests: Thank you, and keep quiet.

The Old Man’s Lavender World cites the Des Moines Register as reading that 43 high schools across Iowa will be participating in tomorrow’s Day of Silence protests.

At these protests, students will remain silent, except perhaps during class when directly asked to speak by their teachers for instructional purposes. Their silence will be in protest against bullies who attack and intimidate non-heterosexual students.

The protests aren’t just happening in Iowa, of course. They’re taking place across the United States, and in schools in Canada too.

There will be some who, not getting the message of the Day of Silence, will attempt to indimidate and attack students who are silent tomorrow. Chin up to those who keep the protest strong.

We hear your silence.