So, the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war came and went with a flurry of emails urging me to join this vigil, that march, to make more calls, write more letters. Maybe I'm feeling pessimistic, but what's the point? Does it really matter to the cabal in charge that I don't like the war? That there were so many candlelight vigils, so many marchers?

I don't think so. It didn't matter to them that people thought it was a bad idea to begin with. As long as whatever world-domination need they have is getting scratched, and the coffers of their multinational corporations are getting fatter (nothing like having your friends destroy the infrastructure of a country and then give you the no-bid contracts to put it back together again), I think they are probably utterly non-plussed that people are against the war.

Over the weekend, a friend mentioned the pointlessness of marching. It doesn't really get anyone's attention, and it doesn't have any visceral impact. So, you marched. So what? Instead, he suggested, what might have happened when the buildup to the war began, if instead of marching, everyone who opposed the war stopped shopping? What if all the angry consumers simply stopped consuming? Would it have been enough to damage the (almighty) economy? Would it have captured and held the attention of those setting up this runaway train?

It's an interesting proposition, one I'm not sure how to put into action. They say it's important to vote with your dollars, and I'm inclined to believe it. Corporations and the government that loves them don't seem to pay attention to anything else. I'm just not sure what to stop buying, where the lack of my money would make the maximum impact...