Protestors in Olympia, Washington were hit with pepper spray by police officials.  The 150 civilians were protesting the shipping of military supplies to Iraq.

This is not a major story, but I do like something that the sherrif's captain said:  "The majority were very peaceful, nonviolent, just exercising their constitutional rights," sheriff's Capt. Bradley Watkins said.

Let's not forget that protest is part of our constitutional rights.  Despite how the current administration has tried to quash that right.  Despite how dissent at major events such as political conventions has been relegated to small areas far from the action.  Despite how police often act as if protestors are criminals.

Protest is a right.  If we retain any shreds of democracy in this country, we must be able to dissent, and to voice that dissent wherever we want as loudly as we want.

The coming times are going to ask much of all of us.  Do we have the courage to dissent?

I hope so.

The link:  http://apnews.myway.com//article/20060530/D8HU2GRO0.html