scribblings

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Take a quick look at www.chrischandler.org. Chris is a good friend and a fine poet/songwriter/spoken word artist. He has created a moving video that everyone needs to see. Watch it for free on your computer. Buy a dvd and show it to your friends.

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I spent today in Crawford, Texas with the brave and hardy souls who are demonstrating outside George Bush’s ranch. For those who may not know, Cindy Sheehan, whose son died last year in Iraq, is camped outside the President’s ranch requesting a meeting with him. Fifty or more people have joined her there, while many more are coming to the Crawford Peace House to lend their support. Cindy began her vigil on August 6, and I have been reading about it daily since then.

Jackie and I had planned to spend today at the Pedernales River, soaking in the cool water and enjoying a rare day off. This morning, as I drank my coffee and read the morning news, I felt a strong urge to go up to Crawford and join the demonstration. I wanted to witness the protest and lend my support and energy. I asked Jackie if she would mind changing our plans. She smiled and said she had had the same thought.

So with a quick consult with Yahoo Maps, we set off on the 100 mile drive to Crawford. Not knowing exactly where the Bush Ranch is, we decided to drive into Crawford and see what we could find out. We pulled up to the Crawford Peace House at about 1:00 in the afternoon and found it buzzing with activity. Jackie and I were almost immediately drafted into service, which we happily agreed to. While Jackie took the job of greeting the constant stream of people coming to lend their support, I helped unload and stack supplies for the camp. People were arriving from all over the country, and most were bringing food, tents, water, and other goods. A tee shirt company sent a couple hundred tee shirts with “Anything War Can Do, Peace Can Do Better” emblazoned on them. A Flower delivery van arrived full of bouquets ordered by people from all over the country. The driver told me that a woman in Florida had ordered 35 DOZEN long stemmed roses to be delivered to the camp. The outpouring of support for Cindy and the other demonstrators is awe inspiring.

I spoke to many people at the Peace House. One woman (an African American) drove with a friend from San Diego last week after hearing about Cindy on the radio. On her way out she and her friend called in to a radio show and challenged other African Americans to come show their support. When they arrived at the camp they heard a black man telling someone he was there because of a woman he heard on the radio. Astonished, they introduced themselves as the women he heard. He had driven in from Little Rock, Arkansas.

A woman came from New Jersey to bring a cloth wall bearing the names of all the US military personnel who have died in Iraq so far.

I met a gentleman from Indiana who has a son serving in Iraq. He had a video camera and was creating a video to send his son. According to him, there are many soldiers in Iraq who don’t believe in the mission. They see first hand that the US involvement there has made life terrible for most Iraqis. Many feel betrayed and are simply trying to get out alive.

There are many more stories, and I’ll try to share some of them in the coming weeks. I see a growing groundswell for peace. So many people are putting aside the business of their lives in order to take a stand for peace.

At about 4:00 Jackie and I caught a ride out to “Camp Casey” where more than 100 people are camped along a 10 to 12 foot space between a single lane road and a fence. On the other side of the road was one lone counter protester. He was carrying a cross of his own and yelling until he lost his voice. Then he would wait a while and yell some more. None of the protesters challenged him, and at one point I saw a man walk over with a bottle of water and engage him in quiet conversation.

We didn’t get to meet Cindy. I didn’t expect to, and it wasn’t the reason we were there. She had been in court this morning. We felt that there were enough people wanting her attention already.

Go to Crawford if you can! The media has reported that only a couple hundred people are participating in the demonstration. That’s odd, as over 4000 people have signed the guest book at the Peace House. If you can go be prepared to lend your hands and back. Take food, water, ice, flashlights. If you can’t come and want to lend support, make a donation. Go to www.crawfordpeacehouse.org or www.meetwithcindy.org for the address. If you send anything, be sure to use the ENTIRE 9 DIGIT ZIP CODE. The postmaster in Crawford has been ordered not to deliver anything to Peace House or to Cindy without it (If you are mailing something to anywhere else in Crawford, this is not an issue).




					Tuesday, August 16, 2005 Take a quick look at www.chrischandler.org. Chris is a good friend and a fine poet/songwriter/spoken word artist. He has created a moving video that everyone needs to see. Watch it for free on your computer. Buy a dvd and show it to your friends. ********************** I spent today in Crawford, Texas with the brave and hardy souls who are demonstrating outside George Bush’s ranch. For those who may not know, Cindy Sheehan, whose son died last year in Iraq, is camped outside the President’s ranch requesting a meeting with him. Fifty or more people have joined her there, while many more are coming to the Crawford Peace House to lend their support. Cindy began her vigil on August 6, and I have been reading about it daily since then. Jackie and I had planned to spend today at the Pedernales River, soaking in the cool water and enjoying a rare day off. This morning, as I drank my coffee and read the morning news, I felt a strong urge to go up to Crawford and join the demonstration. I wanted to witness the protest and lend my support and energy. I asked Jackie if she would mind changing our plans. She smiled and said she had had the same thought. So with a quick consult with Yahoo Maps, we set off on the 100 mile drive to Crawford. Not knowing exactly where the Bush Ranch is, we decided to drive into Crawford and see what we could find out. We pulled up to the Crawford Peace House at about 1:00 in the afternoon and found it buzzing with activity. Jackie and I were almost immediately drafted into service, which we happily agreed to. While Jackie took the job of greeting the constant stream of people coming to lend their support, I helped unload and stack supplies for the camp. People were arriving from all over the country, and most were bringing food, tents, water, and other goods. A tee shirt company sent a couple hundred tee shirts with “Anything War Can Do, Peace Can Do Better” emblazoned on them. A Flower delivery van arrived full of bouquets ordered by people from all over the country. The driver told me that a woman in Florida had ordered 35 DOZEN long stemmed roses to be delivered to the camp. The outpouring of support for Cindy and the other demonstrators is awe inspiring. I spoke to many people at the Peace House. One woman (an African American) drove with a friend from San Diego last week after hearing about Cindy on the radio. On her way out she and her friend called in to a radio show and challenged other African Americans to come show their support. When they arrived at the camp they heard a black man telling someone he was there because of a woman he heard on the radio. Astonished, they introduced themselves as the women he heard. He had driven in from Little Rock, Arkansas. A woman came from New Jersey to bring a cloth wall bearing the names of all the US military personnel who have died in Iraq so far. I met a gentleman from Indiana who has a son serving in Iraq. He had a video camera and was creating a video to send his son. According to him, there are many soldiers in Iraq who don’t believe in the mission. They see first hand that the US involvement there has made life terrible for most Iraqis. Many feel betrayed and are simply trying to get out alive. There are many more stories, and I’ll try to share some of them in the coming weeks. I see a growing groundswell for peace. So many people are putting aside the business of their lives in order to take a stand for peace. At about 4:00 Jackie and I caught a ride out to “Camp Casey” where more than 100 people are camped along a 10 to 12 foot space between a single lane road and a fence. On the other side of the road was one lone counter protester. He was carrying a cross of his own and yelling until he lost his voice. Then he would wait a while and yell some more. None of the protesters challenged him, and at one point I saw a man walk over with a bottle of water and engage him in quiet conversation. We didn’t get to meet Cindy. I didn’t expect to, and it wasn’t the reason we were there. She had been in court this morning. We felt that there were enough people wanting her attention already. Go to Crawford if you can!** The media has reported that only a couple hundred people are participating in the demonstration. That’s odd, as over 4000 people have signed the guest book at the Peace House. If you can go be prepared to lend your hands and back. Take food, water, ice, flashlights. If you can’t come and want to lend support, make a donation. Go to www.crawfordpeacehouse.org or www.meetwithcindy.org for the address. If you send anything, be sure to use the ENTIRE 9 DIGIT ZIP CODE. The postmaster in Crawford has been ordered not to deliver anything to Peace House or to Cindy without it (If you are mailing something to anywhere else in Crawford, this is not an issue).