Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Back home from Crawford



Delivering the tents for the Prairie Dog Twelve's arrest, early morning Nov. 23rd 2005. I volunteered to drive the truck because I do it here in Hollywood all the time. I was bit taken aback that it was a standard- not so much because it was a stick, but that it was such an old stick shift.

After dropping them off, I made the judgement call to NOT try to cut the turn at Camp Casey I to get back to Camp Casey II- the last thing this CD needed was to get a 16ft U-Haul truck stuck in the infamous ditches of McLennan County. So Cassandra and I headed towards the Peace House instead... which worked out anyway...

I've been thinking a lot about where I just came from- work today was blurry

I met some wonderful people last week. Inspirational people- so many in such a brief period of time


And there were the handful of people that drove by Camp Casey II and told us to go home. They circled the Peace House in jacked up shitkicker trucks, peeling out after yelling a "hippies go home" or "stay the course". I saw hate there- and I tried and tried to understand that they are feeling a type of anguish as well- if they truly believe that to stand for peace is to undermine the soldiers, then of course they are going to yell and scream and shout and attack.

There is always a strange place where the "extremes" meet. We all Support Our Troops- we just want to save them.

I saw the fatigue of grief in parent's eyes, the wariness in the face of an Iraq War vet.

I saw one generation of veteran reach out to a new generation, like a parent that doesn't want to see their child waste their life going through the pains that they did.

no one hates war like a warrior

blogging has been spotty- hope to add pictures soon

Chito

Elliot from Veterans for Peace

Charlie from Iraq Veterans Against the War

Jesse Dyen

Daniel Ellsberg

The Prairie Dog Twelve

Johnny Wolff from the Crawford Peace House-a Sufi Quaker who walks the walk and talks the talk of peace and radiates it

Bill Mitchell who lost his Michael on 04-04-04, the same day Casey Sheehan died.

Ann Wright

Mona, our Blue Star Mom we will be thinking of everyday

Juan Torres, who carries the photo of his sweet-faced boy and doesn't have to say a thing.

Dede Miller, aunt to Casey Sheehan

and of course, Cindy Sheehan

the turnout was smaller than August '05, of course.but there was turnout. And an important targeted action to test the new ordinances, laying the groundwork for future actions and Camp Caseys.

Whenever President Bush visits his ranch, there will be souls there standing for peace to remind him, to haunt him, to spur his conscience if it is at all possible.

Yahoo slideshow here.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving from Crawford, TX

Yesterday in Crawford at the site of Camp Casey I:





Jesse gets cuffed





Helped Ann Wright, Daniel Ellsberg, Dede Miller, and others get arrested yesterday to test the legality of this county's new anti-camping ordinance

The police were very, very professional, very mellow (it may not look like it, but they really were. Just doing their job and being cool about it. They probably don't want to spend next August enforcing this dumb ordinance.)

expecting many more people this weekend -Cindy Sheehan arrives tonight, so the media will get bigger- but there are other Gold Star parents here already and they deserve the same respect and admiration that Cindy does.

We need to support our troops and their families and get this situation in Iraq rectified.

Peace- Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 20, 2005

leaving los angeles

The President of the United States of America, George W. Bush.
Wowing them in China.




leaving the glamour of hollywood behind tomorrow for a week- depending on wifi and power access, may or may not let you know where I am...

Lt. Gen. Odom sez yer nine reasons to stay in Iraq are really nine reasons to leave.

blows yer mind, don't it?

Go get 'em, Bill:

What’s wrong with cutting and running?ASK THIS August 03, 2005
Everything that opponents of a pullout say would happen if the U.S. left Iraq is happening already, says retired Gen. William E. Odom, the head of the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration. So why stay?

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

sorry bout yer penis


it's what i think whenever i see one of those ri-fucking-diculous "cars"

thanks for the picture, FISH OUT OF WATER
and as a history buff, i thank you for the compelling theatrical piece, Upon The Event of General Grant's Ascension

Senate war maneuvers

Whatever... the Dems had a bill with a timetable, Frist called it "cut-and-run" and the Repugs came up with a diet version of the same bill... but at least the self-serving repugs, facing a a solid TROUNCING in 2006, are realizing the country doesn't really buy the pap anymore about the War in Iraq.

If that's what it takes that's what it takes...

Optruth responds:

The nation’s first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans organization, Operation Truth, released the following statement today from Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff in response to the Senate amendment calling for accountability from President Bush on the future course of the Iraq War:

“Today’s passage of the “United States Policy on Iraq Act” has now aligned Senate opinion with public opinion, and most importantly, the Troops’ opinion that the Administration must be held accountable on the war and answer vital questions.

The amendment passed today is a good first step towards finally demanding a real plan for Iraq and an exit strategy, but instead of patting themselves on the back for its passage, Senators should be thinking about what the next step is.

This amendment has two critical shortcomings that must be addressed immediately. First, the resolution’s call for a plan for Iraq is non-binding, and therefore a hollow gesture. It must be made law so that this Administration cannot brush it off like it has so many other calls for accountability on the war. Second, there is no timeline requirement. While an immediate pullout is not an option, it is essential that the Administration establish some sort of timeline for an exit strategy so that the American public and the Troops can be prepared for the long commitment it will likely take to stabilize Iraq.”

Friday, November 11, 2005