Well, the sun was out most of the day today, but I happened to get caught in the rain. I had got on my trusty bike and cycled down to the Shaw’s on the other side of the JFK/UMass T station. I make it a point to go to that supermarket rather than the new Stuper Slop-n-Schnapps because every time I go to Shaw’s I hear Nicolette Larson’s “Lotta Love”. They have it on a continuous loop there, and Jesus God I love that song with all my heart. I do. Neil Young wrote it, and I have his version at home, but Neil Young is no Nicolette Larson. Once you’ve heard her version, you go back and Neil sounds like Kermit The Frog singing it. I heard Nicolette’s version first, of course. That’s the one they played on the radio back in ‘78, when I was nine. Nine. That was a very good year.

So every trip to Shaw’s is like a trip back in time. To nine.

Now, it was sunny–you know, partly cloudy, but the sun was shining, when I got to Shaw’s. When I stepped out of the supermarket there was this wall of black, impenetrable evil barrelling across the heavens. It was inscrutibly ominous and headed straight for me, like, like, like my future, or something. But it was moving so fast and headed for Southie, I thought maybe, just maybe it’ll pass right on over me and rain on somebody else’s parade.

No such luck. Just as I got on my bike and jetted off across the parking lot, all hell broke loose. There was this ferocious wind whipping all around, and lightning and thunder. It was very Wagnerian. And then came, not rain, but HAIL! Riding your bike in a hail storm. Not a good idea.

So I took a detour into the T station. Haven’t been in JFK for probably a month, maybe a little more. Figured I could wait out the brunt of the storm there. Or at least the hail. I was surprised to see that they’ve got a wall of ticket machines where the newpapers used to be. They’ve also got a couple of the new turnstiles in there, though I can’t say if they’re up and running yet.

I still didn’t really want to hang out there, so after a couple minutes, I took off. I was soaked to the skin by the time I got home, and now the sun’s out again. It’s true what they say about New England weather: you don’t like it? Wait a minute, it’ll change.

So why, exactly, should anyone boycott the T and attend a rally in Copley Square on JUNE 6TH?

A poll at Universal Hub shows those opposed to a one-day boycott and rally are neck-in-neck with those in favor. (Sure, only about 75 people have taken the poll so far, and a quarter of them chose: “Don’t take the T but love polls,” but somehow I think the level of resistance or apathy towards organizing and demonstrating shown in the results is probably pretty accurate.) So it’s a good question.

As I have said before, I’m more an agitator than an organizer, and I’m actually fairly uncomfortable in the role of encouraging public spectacles. I think most people should remain indoors at all times, and never show themselves publicly. But there are times when a demonstration is in order, and I think this might just be one.

What, in my view, would a demonstration achieve? Well, for one, it shows that there’s a significant level of interest and involvement in the issue on the part of those affected, that requires the powers that be to take notice.

In this case, while the MBTA is calling meetings and “workshops” it’s really the legislature that must be lobbied. By demonstrating outside of the MBTA-sanctioned “workshops” taxpayers and MBTA customers are showing that we understand that we have a stake in the system, that, in fact, it is our system, many of us are paying for it two times over, and we’re willing to take responsibility for reforming it ourselves.

And it needs reforming. If the legislature does not address how the T is funded, how it is managed, and how it is maintained, we are looking at a spiral of rising costs and declining services.

I also believe, as I have stated before, that fair fares are a social justice issue. I am not for silly proposals like free fare on the T. But I am very much for fares that take into consideration that for many there is no alternative to the T, and that realistically consider the social impact of constant fare increases on those who have already overstretched resources.

So, some of the more astute smart allecks out there will say, “hey, those people who have no alternative to the T can’t boycott the T, now, can they?” Well, no, they can’t. But maybe you can for them. And there’s also a rally that you can come to regardless. You don’t have to boycott the T on the 6th to come to the rally.

If you can’t afford to boycott the T, you can still come to Copley Square and show the legislature that you understand that this is about more than an isolated fare hike, that this is part of a much bigger, even more troubling trend that if not addressed by lawmakers will result in a downward spiral.

The rally is not to stick it to the T, it’s to widen the discussion of what’s wrong with the T, and to show legislators that taxpayers and T customers are serious about a system that works for those who need it and those who use it.