To say the impact of the Internet on protests of any size, shape, or form, has been enormous is a tremendous understatement. If you want to march, you can find other marchers. If you want to turn your back on the president's inauguration, you can do it en masse with others who've found out about it and signed up. So many prewritten letters and petitions circulate that one may start to wonder if they're truly effective. Still, the Internet has opened the door to the perception that I, as an individual, can make a difference. From there it has been a relatively easy jump for me to actually get out there and march or leaflet for a cause or phone bank for an issue or candidate, especially because I live in the Bay Area, which has a rich heritage of activism as long as you can stand all the patchouli.

Yah, I've marched. I've marched up and down San Francisco. Marched to voice opposition to the Iraqi occupation/war. Marched against Bush's victory in 2000. Marched in the annual dyke march. Marched in support of Palestine. My flat feet have gotten flatter, making the rounds around City Hall and through the streets of San Francisco. And my fingers need respite from all the petitions and letters emailed and forwarded--or deleted when I become overwhelmed by my inbox. I've even attended a Ruckus training. I also try to keep myself informed even though the task is daunting. I can't tell you how many newsletters and bulletin board digests I receive on a daily basis; if I hadn't worn glasses before, I'm sure I'd be seeking out ocular therapy wherever it's doled out.

But try as I may, only rarely can I escape what Joe Bageant calls "the politics of the comfort zone." Talking, writing, blogging, being told what to write or say or do and doing it or creating one's own response--it all feels like the first thing on my friend's list, i.e., doing nothing. For that, I feel guilty and immensely so. The only time I feel like I am having an impact on the social ills we face is when I volunteer my time and physical presence--not just marching or writing a check, but actually doing something whether delivering meals to the needy, mentoring an adult learning to read, sitting through emergency response trainings so that when the next big quake hits, maybe I'll be able to useful.