Its Saturday morning. First off, you should note that I never post on the weekends. Second, I closed my diary a while back, with the intent to not post anymore. Every once in a while however, something comes up that is so important to speak about, so important to write about, that it becomes necessary to change the path you were walking. In essence, plans change. Circumstances change. Events unfold that make it important to speak about something. A chance conversation or the morning reaction of turning on the TV as you pour your first cup of coffee can instantly change the course of your life.

I have spent a lot of time and effort in this diary speaking about social inequality and injustice, talked politics and religion, mostly however, only where it home with me. Where it reached my life personally. I have followed the butterfly on many occasions (as ADD persons are want to do) and spoken up in places where I thought it necessary. Ive seen movies and read jazz that I thought was important, and then spoken up about it. But never in my life has a documentary so moved me that I felt the immediate need to share it with everyone I know in every way possible.

I got up this morning, turned on the TV and started the coffee. I had been watching something on HBO last night, a movie or some such thing, got sleepy, turned it off and went to bed. My mind wasnt quite functioning yet (no coffee) and for the first 2 to 3 minutes I was completely oblivious to what was on. It was 8:30am CDT, July 11, 2009, just two hours ago. As I said before, I wasnt quite with it yet, and all I could really discern was, there was something on which looked like an older Native American talking about getting fired for speaking out about 9/11. It was Ward Churchill. Then my the morning fog cleared, and I recognized the name vaguely. I sat down. And was riveted. On at that moment, at a time when 30 years ago I would have been looking for the cartoons, was an HBO Documentary Films segment - "Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech".

In short, it is a documentary about people who have stood up for the right of Free Speech in this country. Its about an hour and a half of people who, at various times and in various ways, stood up for the right to speak out about injustice and government abuse.

If you have HBO, go watch it - right now. Its available on-demand. It looks like this in the title "Shouting Fire/Free Speech". If you cant order on-demand, check out the HBO website here - http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/shoutingfire/index.html for the page describing it, and a short trailer.

I have been asleep at the switch... for a long LONG time. The bad part is, I actually thought I wasnt. I dont know where I want to go, or how I am going to do it, but I AM going to get involved. I spent a long time following the "afternoon of my boyhood", and still have right up to this day. Its time for me to grow up. To stand up. Please, if you do nothing else today, take a look at the link and the trailer. And if you can, schedule some time to watch this important piece of film. At the moment, I have no idea whats in store or ahead of me. I have no idea what shape it will take. For the moment, I am just going to say.. have a nice weekend.

- SDG