Women's Crossroads

It's true, isn't it, that laughter is good for the soul?

There was an article in the New York Times this week that actually made me burst out laughing, and these days, there is hardly anything in the newspaper that I find funny.

It was the story of the New York City trial of eighteen "grannies" who were arrested by the NYPD for allegedly blocking the entrance to the military recruiting center in Times Square. The defendants claimed that they were not trying to impede traffic into the recruiting center, they were merely trying to enlist themselves!

According to the Times article, "The prosecution's case consisted of testimony from police officers about how the women blocked the door of the recruiting center, impeding entry for anyone who wanted to sign up, although the evidence suggested that the only people who wanted to enlist on the afternoon of Oct. 17, 2005, were the women themselves, who said they wanted to give their lives for those of younger soldiers. But they were not allowed in. "

The women, who range in age from 59 to 91, were not, according to Times reporter Anemona Hartocollis, "resort grannies with dyed hair and manicures. For the most part, they had let their hair go gracefully, defiantly gray. Some carried canes, others used walkers. "

Hartocollis reported that the presiding judge, Judge Ross, "frequently looked mortified, squirming in his seat as if wondering how in the world he, of all judges, had the bad luck to be chosen to rule on the grannies' fate."

She provided snatches of testimony that give a sense of the zany flavor of the trial:

"Did you personally believe you were going to be allowed to enlist?" one of the defendants was asked by a "fresh-faced" district attorney.

"I wasn't sure," she replied. "I do have a skill set." She is a facilities manager and "could be used to deploy equipment," she said.

But, the prosecutor insisted, was she prepared to go to war?

"Yes," Ms. Dreyfus replied. "I was totally prepared. I had just recently gotten divorced. I was ready."

The grannies burst out laughing, and a red blush spread, once more, over Judge Ross's face."

In the end, the Judge did the politically expedient thing, and dismissed the case against the grannies. As the Times article points out, "the verdict was a rare victory for protesters at a time when they have faced uphill battles in other forums.

"Hundreds of people who were arrested and detained for demonstrating at the 2004 Republican Convention are still embroiled in federal litigation charging the police with false arrest and violating their civil liberties. And the police continue to arrest bicycle riders on charges of disorderly conduct when they participate in monthly group rides called Critical Mass."

I so admire these older women for wielding what power they have to bring attention to the on-going insanity of the war in Iraq.

In a month when 69 American soldiers have given their lives in Iraq, when our feckless leaders in Washington are so clueless about what to do with the Iraq debacle that they've called out fixer James Baker, who hasn't been seen since 2000 when he helped manipulate the Supreme Court into appointing W President--in a month when gas prices on the homefront have topped $3 a gallon, when conservatives are yammering to start drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, when Katrina victims are being sent to homeless shelters--this is a month when we can use all the humor we can get.

Thanks, grannies! Keep it up, please! We need your spirit more than ever now!