Grandma knows Best

When I “opened” yesterday's Times Argus, I was drawn to the article entitled "Vermont grandmother faces second protest trial" about Ruth Jackowski, the 69 year old Vermont woman who was arrested for blocking traffic during a war protest in Bennington on March 20, 2003. Does that date ring a bell? It’s the day that the War in Iraq began.

What was Grandma doing out in the middle of the busiest intersection in Vermont protesting? Well, she must have had a damn good reason because Grandmas always seem to know best, particularly when it comes to their grandchildren. The world’s grandchildren were in grave danger on this March morning and Ruth Jankowski was dong what any good Grandma would do step up and protect them. She was trying to stop this nation from murdering grandchildren in Iraq or sending this nation’s grandchildren to die in an unjustified and unjust war.

Ruth Jackowski is part of national group that call themselves the Raging Grannies. This group takes the protection of the world’s grandchildren very seriously. The Raging Grannies are involved in a range of social and political activism that defies that typical “granny” image. Members of the Raging Grannies have taken their post-career and/or child rearing days as an opportunity to speak their minds not only to their families, but to the world. These women have some years of wisdom on me and probably many other people reading this blog. Furthermore, they’ve got all those great feminine attributes such as networking skills, compassion, and determination that are so important to an effective activist. The Raging Grannies explain what they like about “grannying” in the following excerpt from their website

The delights of grannying include: dressing like innocent little old ladies so we can get close to our 'target', writing songs from old favourites that skewer modern wrongs, satirizing evil-doing in public and getting everyone singing about it, watching a wrong back down and turn tail and run, sharing a history with other women who know who they are and what they're about. Grannying is the least understood yet most powerful weapon we have.

What a brilliant philosophy! Who would arrest a Grandma? Especially for trying to protect her grandchildren. Unfortunately, that's what happened in Bennington on March 20,2003. What a crazy world we live in. We arrest pro-active and loving Grandmas and keep criminals in the highest political office in this nation. Grandma Ruth seems like a much better fit for the presidency and George W. Bush should be awaiting trial.