Traffic jam on the left

Maybe it's the end-of-the-year rush, but causes do seem to be piling up on one another.

Last Friday there was the stand-off between the Boycott Target people and the Shop at Target people.^*

And today is both World AIDS Day and blog against racism day. As the instigator of the latter writes,

[I'm declaring] December 1, 2005 - the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' heroic act of civil disobedience on that Montgomery bus - "Blog Against Racism" day, in which people post something on the very broad and complex subject of racism. You don't need to have a political blog to participate. Race, after all, affects almost every aspect of life in one way or another. Your post might be literary in nature, or historical, or concern current issues in need of political attention. You might take the opportunity to debunk scientific racism, or write poetry or essays about personal experiences, uplifting or depressing.

I like his idea of finding multiform ways of responding to the occasion, but I also think this is probably one of those moments where it'd be a mistake to limit this to the blogging world. Honestly, were any of my readers really for racism until they read my post today?

Instead of preaching to the choir (not that I don't enjoy that), I think it's time to practice the neglected art of getting your body out there for a cause. If you live in the Portland area, here's my recommendation:

All TriMet buses will pull over for a moment of silence at noon Thursday in commemoration of the day 50 years ago that civil rights hero Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus to a white man. Her act of civil disobedience on Dec. 1, 1955, led to her arrest and helped spark the civil rights movement. Bus operators will make a short announcement letting passengers know the significance of the day and the intent to honor Parks' historic action. TriMet encourages the public to ride the bus Thursday in tribute to Parks, who died Oct. 24 at age 92.

You've got 90 minutes. Get cracking.

^*Follow-ups:

1. We got a ton of email here at p3: How did our correspondent Gary resolve the go-to-Target/don't-go-to-Target dilemma last Friday? He writes:

Thanksgiving for the Copelands was on Friday. As I was preparing the meal I decided I needed dinner buns (in case the bread I was making didn't rise properly) and a pumpkin pie in case someone didn't like the peanut butter dessert I'd made. I went to Target (I don't usually buy groceries there) and bought them.

Sounds like he invoked the "emergency" clause. (Fresh-baked bread? Pumpkin pie and peanut butter desert? Mm-MMM!)

2. Speaking of emergencies: We like Walgreen. Faced with pharmacists in its Illinois stores who refused to dispense emergency contraception citing religious objections, Walgreen has suspended four of them without pay. (Of course, Walgreen's position is bolstered by the fact that Illinois' governor has ordered that all pharmacies in the state that dispense contraception must also fill prescriptions for emergency contraception.) A spokesperson for Walgreen seems to have come to the heart of the matter with admirable concision:

They will remain on unpaid leave ''until they either decide to abide by Illinois law or relocate to another state" without such a rule or law.

Sounds about right to me.