More years ago than I care to count, I taught 4th grade in a portable trailer out in the Mojave Desert. Year-round school, of course. It got a bit ... balmy there in August. My air conditioning went out. Kids were getting sick and fainting. I submitted work orders for days. Finally, on day 5, I took my students, with their Social Studies books, into the office. We sat on the floor of the (air conditioned) front office, talking about Martin Luther King for about 75 minutes - by the end of which time, my air conditioning was back online.

I'm not a big one for violent protest (did not think Seattle showed herself well during the WTO riots a few winters back), but peaceful ones will always have a place in our country - in my opinion.