Mono Monday : : Words

I was talking to my son Matt over the weekend as his daughters both attended the March for Our Lives in Los Angeles, while I attended the one in Santa Rosa with my grandson Peter.  Matt commented that my generation was a generation of activism, and now my grandchildren are learning to be activists, but this his generation 'didn't do anything'

I have often felt that the 60's and 70's were another difficult  terrible period in American history. We were young and motivated to work for the Civil Rights movement. We were galvanized into action in 1965 when armed police attacked demonstrators demanding equal voting rights as they attempted to march to the state capitol. 

During the Vietnam War,  young people were being drafted by the government and slaughtered in Southeast Asia in a war that made no sense. Many of those who survived returned to a country that did not welcome or even understand their sacrifice.

The circumstances are different, but I think that in both cases, activism stems from the fact that young
people are being sacrificed on the altar of greed, political expediency, and a total disregard for their lives by those in power. My children did not feel the same fear for their lives and turned their attention away from politics. Now it is their children, my grandchildren who are once again under threat and speaking out. 

I took today's shot directly from theSanta Rosa Press Democrat, Sunday, March 25, 2018. The photo was taken by Erin Schaff of the New York Times.
Saturday's demonstrations were certainly a fine example of words on display as many people carried signs*, but I liked the show of words on hands...

*My favorite was:
If teachers are required to carry guns,
the president should be required to read books.