The Charge of the Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Utah was beautiful, especially from our ridiculously fancy accommodations. The views of snow capped peaks! The endless railing against the insanity that is these United States! The dry dry dry air, the lack of sleep, the effects of altitude, the one ounce, six dollar martini! (At that price and volume, I stopped at one.)

It's strangely appealing to spend your days learning just how bad things are - torture- detentions- extraordinary rendition, the school-to-prison-pipeline, REAL ID - and your nights drinking with colleagues who are determined, in the face of ridiculous odds, to exhaust themselves fighting injustice on behalf of the weakest members of society. And each time there's a victory, the enemy opens an entirely new front.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;

We take solace in our numbers (500,000 and growing), our occasional victories, and in the knowledge that we will find ourselves on the right side of history. Sometimes that's enough.