It is not often that I sit down long enough to watch a movie. I normally only catch the ending of a movie on HBO late at night after a long day of protesting and spread the word about the abuse to the animals who are kept captive with Ringling Bros.
Last night was no different; I turned on the TV for background noise as I typed away catching up on emails. The internet connection at this hotel was acting up and would only log on for 2-3 minutes then disconnect and I would have to fight for an hour to get it to connect again. As I was trying to connect to the net, a documentary on HBO caught my attention. No, it was not the Real Sex documentaries. It was a documentary entitled, 'Run Granny Run' and of course, I only caught half of the movie.
For those who do not know about this film here is a blurb from their website, http://www.grannyd.com/
Doris "Granny D" Haddock is the nation's oldest political newcomer. A former housewife and office assistant, Doris was happily retired for over twenty years-but when her husband died, she needed a reason to live. So at the age of 90, she laced up her sneakers and walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections. Her epic journey galvanized popular attention to a political system gone awry, but for Doris the walk was a warm up.
Now 94 and still fed up with politics as usual, she jumps at an unexpected chance to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Judd Gregg (an intellectual sparring partner of George W. Bush). With just four months until Election Day, this great-grandmother of sixteen faces a series of challenges that would be daunting for a candidate of any age. Doris and her motley crew of political aces and amateurs work against all odds and craft a feisty campaign that personifies her democratic ideals of a government of, by and for the people.
A tale of doggedness versus dollars, grit against greenbacks, RUN GRANNY RUN is an unlikely portrait of a remarkable activist and an exploration of our fragile democracy in the corporate age.
And here is the trailer...
This film was entertaining and showed what one person can do. It is amazing what one person can do once they starting following their heart. I think Granny D said it best when she said, 'When you are my age you will understand that the voice you must listen to is the small one inside.'
This film got me to think about the question people ask me everyday since I actively became a voice for animals, roughly 14 years ago. "Why do you dedicate yourself to ...?" You can fill in the blank, in my case the blank if filled with the words, "fighting animal abuse."
I always find this question a little puzzling because people ask with such hesitation as if they want the answer to be, 'Oh, I do this because I want to become rich, etc'. so it will seem to make them feel better about their choices in this world. Do people ask this question because they truly do not understand? People in the film even asked Granny D the similar question. "Why are you doing this?" Why is it hard for people to allow others to follow their hearts and it not become a subject of something strange?
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."
This quote and a couple others help me keep focused when met with the resistance of what people consider 'tradition' but it also makes me wonder. Are people afraid to make a sacrifice to better themselves and fellow companions who they share this world? Do people not understand what a sacrifice is? I ask these questions not to look down at people but to look eye-to-eye with people, to try to understand because I have never ruled out that I maybe wrong. Even though my "voice inside" tells me, my actions, to do whatever is needed to help reduce the suffering of others, are right.
I think the question that should be asked to everyone, is not 'Why are you doing this?" but it should be "What am I doing?" Not only should we asking ourselves this question but we should be asking our friends, "What can we do to improve...?" again, fill in the blank with what your heart tells you.
So whatever your desires are, always remember you don't have to wait until you are 94 years old to listen to your voice inside.
"Life does not require us to be consistent, cruel, patient, helpful, angry, rational, thoughtless, loving, rash, open-minded, neurotic, careful, rigid, tolerant, wasteful, rich, downtrodden, gentle, sick, considerate, funny, stupid, healthy, greedy, beautiful, lazy, responsive, foolish, sharing, pressured, intimate, hedonistic, industrious, manipulative, insightful, capricious, wise, selfish, kind or sacrificed. Life does, however, require us to live with the consequences of our choices." - Richard David Bach
I arrived in Portland at around noon, and just want to give mad props for Portland's amazing public transportation. I was able to get from the airport to downtown in about 20 min and because a technician was fixing the ticket machine for the train, I also got a free ticket. It was a total, "My baby takes the morning' train" moment. Woot! 
Anywho, this blog entry will mostly be photos. It goes without saying that most of our time together was spent holding demos outside of Ringling shows, however, kids have to eat, so we gained about 10 pounds and ate our ways through the west coast. We also were able to catch a late show of the new Rob Zombie Halloween movie (yay!!) and celebrate our one year and seven month anniversary at this lovely darkly romantic thai restaurant where we had bananas soaked in coconut milk with 2 spoons over candlelight...yum. Other highlights:
