i am very proud of the high schoolers in Pennington, NJ. As I was driving to work this morning, I encountered approximately 20 of them standing on the street corners of two of the busiest streets in the area. There was a police car on either corner (for protection, I hope) and two chaperones. These students were protesting the impending war in Iraq. My eyes welled up with tears of pride as I read their signs. “War won’t make us safe” one of them said. I thought of the multiple meanings of this statement. Not only will they as children be in danger, but also the adults they are to become. These children (for to most of us, that’s what they are) were taking the chance of being ridiculed or worse and standing up for what they believe in. This little town rarely sees such actions of what some would term civil disobedience. They were exercising their rights as American citizens and I only hope that they represent the majority of their fellow students.

I am heartened to see such conviction in our youth and inspired by their actions.