April 22, 2017 marked the day of the outstanding Doylestown March for Science, and I can sum it up like this: The Kids Are Alright. Meaning the high schoolers from the Central Bucks School District who put the whole March together. Aside from the 2017 People’s Climate March in Washington, DC, this was the most well-organized march I attended all year.

Lots of people showed up with great signs, and the streets of Doylestown were filled to the brim near the intersection of Main and State Streets, where the crowd gathered for the short march up Main and onto Court Street, where a rally would take place that featured several speakers, all speaking up for the importance of science in our society – and the importance of sustained, effective activism.

Many causes interfaced at this march, immigration being just one:

It should be said that if not for the scientific advantage of the US, World War II might have been lost…to someone now emulated by Donald Trump, who was installed by that 538-member junta known as the Electoral College in the US.

The student emcees of the Doylestown Science March struck a non-partisan pose, but we know the deal. The Republican Party has descended from supporting science and the ERA back into the dark ages of a religious nature, but I have yet to figure out which religion it actually is.

As we marched to the Bucks County Courthouse, it became apparent how big the crowd was, to my left…

…to my right…

…and behind me…

…there were a few people in front of me, but I had a great spot to see the speakers, which included the emcee from CB West, Hina Rub, and Doylestown mayor Ron Strouse…

Soon after, we heard from an array of science-based business owners, scientists, educators and experts, along with environmentalists and other organizers:

And, of course, lots and lots of great signs populated the crowd, representing all stripes. One that caught my attention in particular was this gentleman’s sign, which put two and two together and illustrates how we are all interconnected:

And then, there was my own contribution, which arises from my experiences with science as it has been corrupted by money in the US pharmaceutical industry, where not all treatments for cancer are honored. Often it is only patented medications, which can be profited to the hilt from under the current healthcare system, offered to cancer fighters by mainstream medicine – and thus is its own form of ignorance:

There are many treatments for cancer, all science-based, but not – or no longer – patentable. That is all about the money, and if I am to be fair, I must demand fairness in medicine regarding medical treatments, along with the acknowledgement that sometimes the simplest things, like peroxide and vitamin C, neither of which are patentable and are too cheap for mainstream medicine to profit from with the long roster of players with their fingers in the healthcare pie.

Can we please have a system that is fair, scientifically-based and all-inclusive, instead of one where certain medicines and treatments are weighted differently according to profitability? This is one thing I’m working toward, because I never want to find myself subject to treatment by science which has been corrupted by money to the point where many simple and effective treatments are left completely off the table.

Resist on,

Alison