Fiona Tennyson can't drive, get a tattoo or see a PG-13 movie by herself. But what's most frustrating to the 9-year-old activist is that she can't vote, she said.
"The president is kind of making lies," Fiona said as her tiny peace-sign earrings swung in the breeze Monday. "Sometimes it gets me annoyed."
Fiona joined about 75 other protesters on a march from the Reitz Union to Tigert Hall and finally to City Hall on Monday afternoon to rally against the Iraq war and global warming.
Members of UF's Students for a Democratic Society, a student protest group, led the demonstration, which had several goals.
Students wanted to remind UF President Bernie Machen that transparent and responsible investing should be a top priority, said Tina Steiger, a member of the group.
Steiger said the group also wanted to raise awareness about the Iraq war and global warming because many students don't care.
Four-foot-tall Fiona agreed.
"There's melting in the Arctic," she said. "The polar bears are gonna get extinct, and they can't really swim for a long time."
Diane Solmo, one of Fiona's two moms, said she and Fiona drove the nine hours to Gainesville from Key West to see a science program featuring her other daughter, Chelsea Solmo, a member of Students for a Democratic Society.
Diane Solmo said Fiona begged her to stay an extra day to participate in the protest.
"She said to me, literally, 'This is more important than the fourth grade,'" Solmo said.
When she's not trying to change U.S. foreign policy, Fiona said she likes to paint and read. She said she's already on the sixth Harry Potter book.
On Monday, it was all business. Fiona hiked alongside her sister, Chelsea, as they chanted in unison, "One, two, three, four - we don't want this oil war. Five, six, seven, eight - stop the war, stop the hate."
As protesters gathered on the steps of Tigert Hall, leaving behind scents of patchouli and sweat, Clifton Hicks took the megaphone.
Hicks, a 22-year-old Iraq war veteran and SFCC freshman, served in the U.S. Army from October 2003 to July 2004. He was granted an honorable discharge in December 2005 because he was named a Conscientious Objector.
"When I was in Iraq, me and the other guys always swore that when we got home, we'd fight against this war," he said. "Most of them have tried to forget about it, but I want to keep that oath."
After protesters gave several more speeches and symbolically spilled red liquid on to Tigert's steps, protesters were back on the road. This time, they marched the 1.25 miles to Gainesville's City Hall to speak out against Gainesville's proposal of using wood and waste products for energy.
As for UF's reaction, Steve Orlando, UF spokesman, said Machen has been cooperative with protesters this semester.
"Isn't free speech a great thing?" Orlando said.
