I support peaceful protests 100%. It's a democratic right. If we all stayed home and said nothing, we might also be the victims of totalitarian regimes. My husband grew up under one (communism) and protests against the government were forbidden and sometimes resulted in tanks coming in and shooting at people and buildings, and arrests. Right now in Russia, protesters are taken away by police and possibly face up to 15 years in prison...or worse. So yes, I fully support the right to protest and think it's sometimes needed. Unfortunately, some governments are not acting on behalf of the majority of people more than they are on behalf of themselves.

Peaceful protests have also sometimes been means of toppling weakening totalitarian regimes. Czech Republic is again an example. Back in the mid and late 1980s, several countries in the former communist block had protests that resulted in the end of communism there. It was the will of those people that ended it. Not Ronald Reagan saying simply saying "Gorbachev, tear down that wall!"

Peaceful protests CAN make positive changes happen. I believe that the gatherings led by Martin Luther King Jr. contributed to some improvements for black Americans. I hope peaceful protests help Americans preserve rights that may possibly be soon taken away.

Complacency can sometimes be dangerous.

Have you ever stood up in any way in support of a cause or participating in a "Walk" for some type of cause?