I really appreciate your reflections on the event, I was musing about writing about it as well, but too many of my memories are too tied up in the love affair I was having at the time and the fact that I was feverish with strep throat during the protest and any recollection is dubiously tainted. Sort of like the night I saw the Ravenna Pig, I have to keep asking myself — did that really happen?

I agree, the real tragedy of the WTO protest was that there was no follow-through. I can remember feeling the overwhelming sense of accomplishment in closing down the talks that day, of seeing 30, 000 regular people take to the streets of Seattle to unite for one purpose. It was so empowering, I recall feeling physically swollen with pride. We all had our reasons for being there whether it was for labor standards, frankenfoods, animal welfare or economic equality (to name a few) but on the day we were all hand in hand despite our differences. I thought that kind of unity could not be reckoned with. We would convince the world what we had to say was worth hearing. We could not fail. I was wrong.