One man can speak volumes

During the Vietnam War, students congregated in large numbers to protest what they saw as a futile, pointless quagmire. These days, you only need one man to protest.

At least that's what 23-year-old Tim Scott believes.

You can find Scott outside the Tangeman University Center at least once a week, but you'll hear him before you see him. He wears a pair of iPod speakers strapped to his waist, blaring Anti-Flag's "Welcome to 1984" and other punk protest anthems. He holds a poster - a plain, undecorated white sign - declaring the number of people, both Iraqi and American, killed in Iraq to date. Scott's man-bag, slung over his shoulder and adorned with buttons, proclaims his message as well. One button reads, "I AM A PEACEFUL PROTESTER. That means you don't have to hit me."

How would Scott describe himself? Anti-war? Anti-killing?

"Anti-senseless murder," Scott declared.

He told me the reactions to his demonstrations have been mostly positive. Although he's a libertarian, he's happy that Democrats share his views. He said the few conservatives who walk by just shake their heads and keep walking.

Although he's gotten plenty of invitations from people who walk by, Scott claims no membership to of any of UC's anti-war groups. He is not a student at the University of Cincinnati. He works a week-on, week-off third-shift job while his fiancée studies here. When she's in class, he's outside, no matter the forecast. Monday he was not even wearing a coat.

It's a far cry from self-immolation, but given the weather we've had lately, it's not exactly pleasant, either.

Though he doesn't study here, Scott sees a great opportunity at UC - the opportunity to inform and influence.

"These are the people that will be voting for the next president," Scott said. He hopes they would use their votes to end the war in Iraq. But he does not think a Democratic president would solve all our problems, either.

What is Scott ultimately accomplishing, then? Is he affecting change?

On Jan. 26, two Washington-bound buses full of protesters left from Cincinnati. But the cargo only amounted to about 100 people, and of those, only about half were students from UC. Final estimates of the crowd in Washington put the throng at more than 100,000 people, but we haven't seen or heard much from those protesters since then.

Back in the '70s, when anti-war sentiment was at its height, the only way to reach people and get noticed was to hit the streets. These days, many have turned to the Internet, which provides a cheap, easy way to voice opinions and inform people. Blogs are the new anti-war poster.

The problem with the Internet, though, is that someone surfing the Web chooses where to go and what to read. A blog may preach to the choir, while a protester on the street is unavoidable.

Scott may be a bit eccentric, but he's hard to avoid.

And once you've seen him, he's hard to forget.