By Diana Poist
Published on October 10, 2007
It happens sometimes. Occasionally, on one small corner, in one small city a voice of reason is heard. And, a voice of reason brings change.
Anybody who has read the online opinions at eCorsair.com, or has seen the most recent print edition of the Corsair, knows exactly how I stand on the tactics of recent pro-life demonstrators who have occupied the intersection of North Ninth Avenue and Creighton Road.
I have offered no judgment on the message they wish to convey, only on the methods they have used to convey it. That they would shove graphic and disturbing images at the windows of passing school buses was reprehensible, and I said so in no uncertain terms.
On Friday morning, Sept. 28, when the school buses with their kindergartners and grade-schoolers passed the intersection, the man on the corner turned his sign around.
As a writer, I never know if anybody ever reads what I have written once it is sent out into the ether. Sure, I show my words to friends and family. Being loyal admirers they give me verbal back-pats then go on their way.
But, does anybody else really care?
So often we hear “I’m just one person, what good can I do?” or “I don’t really want to get involved. It won’t do any good anyway.” But all of us have friends or family, co-workers, fellow students and instructors. We strike up conversations with people at the store, and others in line at the bank. These people add up and it doesn’t take long before your one small voice is echoed by many.
It is this ground swell of many voices that brings change. Through these voices one person, taking the time to become involved, can start a revolution.
Some how, some way, one small voice of reason reached the voices of others and those voices reached the corner of North Ninth and Creighton. And, on Friday morning when the school buses passed, a man on that corner turned his sign around.
I like to think that first small voice of reason was mine.
