I'll sleep when I'm dead

Converging with involved, progressive activists of all ages from all across the country was invigorating. Meeting Ali was incredible, hanging out with Chappelle was one of the most memorable nights of my life, and the entire ACLU conference was tremendous. I'm full of ideas and stories from the conference, and will dump those out slowly over the next few days, but for now I want to blog about the most inspiring person I met:

Ginelle Weber was a 15-year-old high school student in Oregon in 2000 (she's now 18 and just graduated). She was kicked off her high school volleyball team for refusing to take a mandatory drug test.

When I was in high school I was concerned with why girls didn't like me (turns out you have to talk to them), what to wear, the t.v. schedule, and all the trivial crap that accompanies many at such an age. Ginelle and her parents (with the help of the Oregon chapter of the ACLU) sued her school district. I am astounded that a 15-year-old would have the courage and conviction to take on the government. In talking to her, she said she was ostracized by her peers and the townspeople.

Ginelle (and thousands like her) cares so passionately about this country and its founding principles that even at 15 she sacrificed tremendously to demonstrate the absurdity and corruption of government policy. Such a powerful statement and is inspiring and humbling. I certainly wouldn't have stood up for all of us just because it was the right thing to do when I was 15.

We need more people like her, and the conference was full of them. They're young and they're smart and they're coming. Watch out Ashcroft.

Note: Evil-Off 2003 will resume when I get back to Minneapolis