OUR VIEW: Peacefully getting the message across
A strange sight may have greeted those driving down Main Street Saturday afternoon. Gathered around the old court house were a group of people holding signs and waving flags. It was a peace rally.
Logan’s own Marshall Thompson was back in town. The Iraq war veteran who walked across Utah last year as a protest of the war in Iraq was back for the Logan premier of the documentary about his walk, called “A Soldier’s Peace.” As part of that, he led another short walk around Logan.
The marchers were met with honks and cheers from many and dissent from a few. People from either group will probably not have their opinion swayed just by this one rally.
The point is not what they believe, however, but that people are expressing an opinion. Apathy is a problem we, as a country, cannot afford to have any longer. Without people educating themselves and taking an informed stance, our democracy begins to fade.
We are given the right to openly express our opinions without fear of arrest or retribution, something that isn’t enjoyed in some countries in the world. Without people exercising those rights, we stagnate. The bureaucracy that we live under will begin to run without the input of the people it was created to govern. And that is the real issue.
Those in charge of the country are not representative of the people who live in it. They are, in large part, more wealthy, more disconnected and more white than other Americans. Unless citizens have opinions and demand that those in power listen, only the interests of the decision makers will be served.
That is why the protesters should be applauded. Whether or not you agree with their stance, they are doing something to make sure their voices are heard, and doing it peacefully too. Maybe we should all take note of this and do something about our beliefs. We aren’t necessarily advocating a march down a city street to express opinions, but we do strongly advocate expressing opinions to those in power – whether that be on campus or in the community or in the nation.
Until we, as a people, pull ourselves out of our apathy, we will continue to be at the whims and will of those who may not seek our best interests. If one of our great freedoms is to have the right to peacefully assemble and voice our opinion, then let’s take full advantage of it.