9.03.2008

something i forgot to say the other day

i forgot to tell you guys this the other day. you know the bangkok riots you've been seeing on cnn and cspan? maybe not, i guess. well, i was in those the other day. i was walking along the road the other day and all of a sudden i was surrounded by a sea of yellow clad protesters. the were nearly all wearing motorcycles helmets and wielding sticks, or metal poles. there were 1000s of them streaming down the sidewalks, and even stopping traffic to get to the prime ministers residence. as i began to get to the edge of the scene i stopped and chatted with some international journalist and asked if this was what i had been seeing on tv. they said it was indeed. and apparently their cause is a very just one. they simply want a very corrupt man out of leadership of their country, and they are willing to skip work, risking their employment, and get beat by police to see it done. i find that sort of person inspiring. now, i am not saying rioting is a good thing, but if i am honest, i would hope i would rise up when injustice needs an opponent. it's how the great countries of the world were started.

one final thing. as i walked the opposite direction as the ever growing numbers of protesters i was struck by their faces. many were stern and stone faced, heading for battle and difficulty. but many offered me unsolicited smiles, like they were truly excited about what they were doing, and difference it might make. it was a strange thing in the moment, a man clad in helmet with weapon in hand beaming a smile. just thought i would share this with you. not sure what is adds though.

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