Keep protesting

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Daily Egyptian

On Sunday Rachel Bjork rode to Kentucky Fried Chicken in Carbondale on her bike. On the same day - the start of Ramadan - hundreds marched on the streets of Saudi Arabia, according to a report in the New York Times.

Bjork stopped to protest what she considers KFC's torture and abusive nature used in the company's handling of its livestock. It was her 30th stop at a KFC since she left her hometown of Seattle Sept. 9.

Saudis were marching in hopes of reforming their country's monarchy and/or its removal.

Bjork and a group of other mostly PETA-affiliated protesters wore T-shirts and displayed signs, which said things like "Scalded Alive." They also passed out media kits, including videos depicting animal slaughterhouses.

The Saudis, who protested their rulers, came with no media kits, for there is no free press in Saudi Arabia. Instead, they came with Korans in their hands and mats to kneel on.

Bjork and the other KFC protesters went on their merry way once they felt their point was made.

The protesters in Saudi Arabia were removed by anti-riot police and were hauled off to jail. One of the protestors was a 65-year-old woman who took to the streets with a picture of her son who was killed in a prison fire. She was pleading to have his body returned to her.

While Bjork was on her way to the next KFC, Amnesty International was fighting to have the woman, and hundreds like her, released from prison.

While Bjork may have made progress for chickens' rights, Amnesty International - and the protesting public in Saudi Arabia - made huge strides forward for human rights.

Chickens weren't the only things on the minds of American protesters over the weekend.

About 50 anti-war protesters contested the U.S. occupation of Iraq Saturday at Carbondale?s town square. They joined thousands around the country for the first national anti-war protest since the president declared the war in Iraq to be over. It was also the two-year anniversary of the United States bombing Afghanistan.

Across the street from those protesting occupation in Iraq stood locals who voiced their support for President Bush's efforts.

Whether one agrees with the war or not, or those who protest it, we must acknowledge and be grateful for the simple fact that we are allowed to protest and for the reassurance we won't be arrested for voicing our opinions - even if it is in strong opposition of our government or its policies.

A single story like the one coming out of Saudi Arabia last week should remind us of how lucky we are that our forefathers drafted the 10 Amendments in the Constitution and that our government - like it or not - abides and upholds those rights.

During this time of conflict, many Americans have said being against the war or the current administration makes a person unpatriotic. This is simply not the case.

The people who were arrested in Saudi Arabia risked their lives in hopes of bringing change in their government.

Were they unpatriotic? Absolutely not.

Instead, those Saudi protesters risked everything to bring relief to their people, to improve their condition.

They went to jail for doing what we take for granted.

We may not agree with all the reasons why people protest, but we certainly support their right to do so and their practice of that right.

Most of all, we support those brave Saudi protesters and everyone else in the world who defies the norm - and sometimes even the rules - to do what they believe is right.

Copyright 2009 - Daily Egyptian