Is it me, or do today's antiwar protesters look more like our parents than our peers?

Although some young people are speaking out, the majority seems to be adults old enough to have protested the Vietnam War.

You might say that it's because most young people today support the war, but a national Election Day poll reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer last Saturday found that 62 percent of young people are opposed.

Just like college students in the 60s and 70s, we can hold signs, organize rallies, march through Washington, write letters to our legislators and join political campaigns.

If nearly two-thirds of young people today are against the war, then why aren't more out there protesting?

OK, this may sound crazy, but I think I found the answer in a John Mayer song.

In his latest tune, "Waiting on the World to Change," Mayer sings: "We just feel that we don't have the means/To rise above and beat it." His words speak volumes.

Unfortunately, many young people are under the false assumption that our generation is powerless over our government's decisions.

Sure, it may seem like the current administration operates according to its own agenda and doesn't care what the little people think.

But as American citizens living under the Constitution, young people have the rights and the means to publicly protest the war and the government.

And that's pretty powerful.

Remember that First Amendment stuff we learned in high school?

Well, it really comes into play for young people today because it's more important than ever to know your rights.

Besides granting religious freedom, the First Amendment guarantees us the freedom of speech, press, assembly and petition.

Yep, that means we can openly voice our political views through speaking and writing, organize and join political groups and appeal to the government about our grievances.

Some young people are doing just that and making changes in big and small ways.

Many took part in an anti-war rally Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

And in State College Saturday, a group of protesters, some of whom were students, marched down College Avenue chained together in orange jumpsuits to protest the government's treatment of prisoners in the war on terrorism.

Whether you agree with these protesters or not, you have to admit that they got their point across and made people think.

While not everyone is inclined to protest, there is no excuse not to vote.

Voting is one of our most important constitutional rights and civic duties, but less than half of young Americans ages 18 to 24 voted in the November 2004 elections.

How can we expect our concerns and opinions to be heard if we don't take advantage of our opportunity to determine the political direction of our nation?

Staying informed also helps us to become politically-minded citizens.

However, only 40 percent of people ages 18 to 24 read a newspaper on weekdays, according to data from a consumer market company Scarborough Research.

Some young people avoid watching the news or reading newspaper articles because they are upset and disturbed by the state of the world.

Others just don't see the point in keeping up with events that they feel they have no control over.

But by remaining ignorant to what is happening in the world, we are giving all the power to the decision-makers and underestimating our power of public opinion, and nothing good can come from that.

To its credit, John Mayer's song does capture the ambivalence some young Americans, including myself, feel about the war in Iraq.

We're not sure what the best course of action is to take, with the United State's purpose there so unclear and the stakes so high, it makes sense that we're struggling to find a solution.

We don't want to see our young soldiers carried away in body bags, but we also don't want to "cut and run" too soon and risk leaving Iraq an unsecured haven for terrorists.

Still, no one can argue that young people don't have the means to speak out if we feel passionately about something. We can and we should ask questions if we are confused by the mixed messages we receive from the government and the media.

If you have something to say about the war or another political issue, take a lesson from the old folks.

Stop waiting and start changing.