Someone applied that label, “activist,” to me today as a group of us peacefully protested the Iraq war in front of Congressman (R-NV) Jon Porter’s local office. It’s the second week I’ve participated in a peace rally, and I intend to go tomorrow to the Federal Building and join a group of Moveon.org members who are holding a press conference there about the insane cost of the war – Over $460 billion and rising.

So does that make me an activist? In the late 60’s and early 70’s, I guess I was considered a “radical” among other students at my university (DePauw). I went to D.C. in 1971 to protest the Vietnam War. I was among the 35,000 camped out in West Potomac Park and ousted Sunday morning, May 2nd, by Nixon and the DC police. Later, I headed up the local Free Angela Davis campaign on my campus. I actually met her in New York in the summer of 1972 as she was flying to Bulgaria after her release from prison. I had been to Sophia, the capital, as part of my junior year abroad program. We chatted a little. SHE was an activist.

And maybe I was, too, 35 years ago. Indiana has always been a bright red state, so the label “radical” or “activist” applied to anyone left of Dan Quayle’s politics (he graduated four years ahead of me, same school). Fact is, I’m a Buddhist, opposed to war and violence in general. Although I empathize with our troops, I do not advocate their harming other human beings under any pretense, even defense. War results from the failure of diplomacy. Politicians are to blame, not soldiers. War is nothing less than government-sanctioned murder. So I guess the most appropriate label for me is “pacifist” or even “passivist,” since I’d much prefer to follow the path of least resistance. But am I also an activist?

The bottomline is: This war needs to end. Label me whatever, I’m going to do what I can to help see that it ends sooner, not later. Too many have died already.