What is the purpose of protest, especially far from the seat of any real power? Does protest then become an empty sort of symbolism? An infantile act of egotism?  Or a reminder, a testimony to resilience and truth?

 

On Kodiak Island, Alaska, about as far from Washington DC as you can get, a handful of protesters conduct a weekly vigil against the war in the Middle East . Come rain or shine or blowing snow, they stand in front of the main post office every Friday afternoon--and have for more than four years now.

 

"To remind complacent Americans that an unjust war is going on," said local DJ Jim "Cowboy" Cobis. A Vietnam vet, Cobis hosts a radio show called Peace Train. "I close the show with that song," said Cobis with a twinkle. Older Americans may recall the singer of the song as Cat Stevens, now disdained as an Islamo-fascist by the people in power in DC.

 

Part of a group called Women In Black, the Kodiak protesters opposed the war since the very beginning.

"The same six," said Dick Ross, unfurling a colorful peace sign, "But sometimes as many as a dozen." His pup, Smarty, joined us and swelled the group to seven. "Fewer people give us the finger now," said Ross. "Used to be about half. Some would come up and argue the case for the war. Not many do that now."

A genial bear of a man, Ross was a twenty year veteran of the Navy and Coast Guard, here on an island with a strong Coast Guard presence. Ross refused to believe America was a dying republic, but a vibrant democracy, alive and still kicking. " I prefer to see the glass as half full," said Ross. And maybe Ross is right. When MSNBC asked recently whether President Bush should be impeached, 89% of the half million respondents said yes.

Still, as I stood there, with the cold wind blowing off the ocean, I wondered what difference did this protest make? Had anything changed? Would anything change? What-the-hell good did holding an anti-war sign do, when many fat and distracted Americans were far removed from any sacrifice? Imagine Jesus standing in front of the Jewish temple, holding a sign: "Stop The Moneychangers." Now contrast that with Jesus' memorable moment of activism, overturning tables, whipping the moneychangers, yelling at the top of his lungs.

Peculiar how pacified we so-called activists have become. Unless, of course, we can, each of us, look inside ourselves and remark: MY activism is very personal and very purposeful. There are a thousand different and effective ways of protesting an imperial state, many of them too minute to be discerned. But collectively these methods have impact, like termites weakening and then collapsing a structure.

Many of us, millions nationwide, are already engaged in the pursuit of toppling the rotten structure or rebuilding the old one.

"I hope this makes a tiny bit of difference," said Arlene, as cars rolled past, many filled with young people. Local school kids trudged to the nearby library and recreation center. Two Turkish workers, employed by the cannery, stopped and joined our group, but none of the local Kodiak youngsters did. Would younger people (or their parents) become more outspoken, I wondered, once the bills for the war became due?

With the tab now estimated at more than a trillion dollars (and counting) the hangover would be hard to ignore. Did anyone see the similarity between Iraq and Vietnam ?

"Sure," said Cobis; "The same government lying through its teeth in both operations."

Kodiak is a prosperous town, among the top US commercial fishing ports every year. A melting pot of Aleuts and Norwegians, Texans and Filipinos, Russians and Salvadorans, a vibrant community mostly focused on fishing. A hardworking community and, from the stares, not quite used to the diverse group of men and women practicing non-violent civil disobediance, even after four years.

Despite the quizzical looks from the kids, who will have to pay for this war, their parents practice that peculiar activism, NIMBYism, familiar to all. A recent local protest against the relocation of a proposed, new police station, drew hundreds of Kodiak marchers. "They were lined up all along the street," said Arlene; "upset at the city council and mayor who voted against their wishes."

Sadly but not surprisingly, elected leaders, whether in Washington or Kodiak, ignore the wishes of the people to further their narrow agenda or ideology. Regarding the proposed new police station here in Kodiak, the locals then put a successful referendum on the ballot before the recent election. Why the same couldn't be done for an unpopular war is anyone's guess.

Power, by the people, and for the people. So recommended a few fellows named Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin and Paine. Those guys knew a thing or two about hardships. Some had spent a winter or two camped in snow at places called Valley Forge and Trenton, New Jersey. By the way, Friday's weather forecast for Kodiak called for 17 degrees, with some snow flurries, and a windchill of 8 degrees.

Longtime Kodiak fisherman, Douglas Herman wrote the colorful Internet feature: Alaska Chasing A Lucrative Rainbow  and writes regularly for Rense.