> I remember at UNH I once saw a 'march' for women's rights or something like that (Actually, it was probably about 'taking back the night' and 'making the campus safe for women to walk around at night' . . .) that consisted of maybe a dozen screaming coeds carrying signs marching about a tenth of a mile down main street then quitting and going home.

I saw these marches several times -- it was a regular thing. "Take back the night" was exactly what they chanted. There were usually significantly more a dozen, 99% were women, and they marched around downtown for I'm not sure how long. They had a good enough cause -- I certainly can't argue with someone who would like to stop what makes many women feel uncomfortable walking across campus alone at night.

But yeah, I had the same reaction. *What* were they trying to do? Are would-be assailants going to hear this rallying cry and immediately mend their ways? Are persons of authority going to hear this rallying cry and magically stop all manner of abuse and harassment? Who is the audience of this protest? Maybe other people who are also frightened to walk across campus alone? Will they hear these chants, become inspired to persevere by then, and fight crime by...by...by doing WHAT? Joining the march! Yeah!

Actually, I take all I just said back. If we could gather *enough* people to march in these protests so that a throng of candle-holding chanters were marching through every part of campus at every hour of the night, I bet it really *would* cut down on the nighttime attacks.

The alternative, of course, is to send these people to Boston or New York City for a while, so that when they come back, they will realize that although UNH is part of an imperfect world in which bad things do happen to people who do not take common sense precautions that, true, often sadden those who have to make them, it's far from the crime capital of the world.