The True Cost of Peace

I'M STARTING TO think I’m never going to see that money. For years I have demonstrated for peace and justice, sometimes playing my guitar, sometimes not (by request), and I’ve yet to get paid for it.

I never thought I would, of course, having decided long ago that a strong public witness was an end unto itself: expressing solidarity for the oppressed, calling for political change, seeing myself on TV.

But lately right-wing media have claimed that millions of people marching for justice are doing it for the money, a possibility that, frankly, has a certain appeal.

The latest such accusation was in response to the outpouring of support for unjustly detained immigrants. Fox News’ Sean Hannity tweeted, “Who is bankrolling the protests taking place at airports across the country?” A serious question, but not from somebody who looks exactly like Lou Costello.

(Editor’s Note: No one knows who that is. We’re trying to reach millennial readers here, and young people have never heard of a comedian from the 1940s. Please try to be more current with your cultural references.)

Point taken. On second thought, Sean Hannity looks more like Moe from The Three Stooges, you know, the angry one who was always poking ...

(No one gets that, either.)

Regardless, in these troubled times, when the Beach Boys sing “Good Vibrations,” one hears the universal ...

(Nope.)

Gilligan says ... (PLEASE!)

Fine. Uhm ... Sean Hannity looks nothing like Beyoncé.

(Perfect.)

HANNITY IS JUST one of many conservative commentators who accuse activists of being bankrolled by wealthy elitists who, coincidentally, are all named George Soros. I won’t bring up the fact that billionaires on the right have donated much more money, particularly the Koch brothers, Larry, Curly, and ... (STOP!)

But, for the moment, let’s just say Hannity is correct, which is why I keep watching the mail for checks.

Throughout our history, Sojourners has been at the forefront of public witness for justice in the nation’s capital. We’ve led dozens of demonstrations, and will be involved in many more, and I’d be happy to itemize them for payment.

Assuming the minimum wage at the time, adding in expenses such as bus fare to the rally and supplies, including poles for our banners (you have to get the angle right when boarding, otherwise you knock off the bus driver’s hat, which makes him less sympathetic to the cause), and art board for our large signs (initially we used Post-Its with accusatory messages, but they all blew away). Adjusting for inflation, I calculate my participation should be worth about 75 bucks per protest.

I can deduct $10 for the vigils where I played guitar at the front of the march—those were fun—although I’ll charge extra for the march when I turned left at the White House and everybody else turned right, and I didn’t realize it until a tourist asked me why I kept singing “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us” when it was just me.

And I’ll expect an extra $25 for the time my shirt tore when I was shoved roughly into a police van. The shirt was made of madras, a light cotton material that I thought was perfect for summer justice activities. But it didn’t hold up to zealous police officers. Plus, tear gas makes the colors run. So now I recommend unbleached muslin as the best outerwear for today’s busy activist. (Gandhi might not have looked his best in this fabric, let’s be honest, but it holds a good pleat.)

Throw in another $60 for the shoes I ruined stepping into an icy puddle during a candlelight vigil (why is it we never hold flashlight vigils?)—and I figure I’m owed about $3,400 total. And that’s just for me. Thousands of other people marched, too, sometimes behind me, sometimes not.

So pay up, whomever. I could use the money for new guitar strings, which I haven’t changed since the days of Ronald Reagan, when our constant public witness finally ousted him from the White House after eight years. (Never thought I’d miss the guy.)