First Video

WOO HOO! Here is the first video footage made available, weighing in at 4:08 minutes. Can’t wait to put more up and have more people offer their words. Wow! We are doing it over here, however slowly, it’s happening.

The star of this one is Matthew, from Maui, an Inspirate as he calls himself and others in his improv comedy troupe. InspiratesThe question he is answering, using random prompts, is, “How do you define Peace?” This is an improv game him and the sunshine posse enjoy playing as a way to explore conscious thought. The player has to reply using the letter prompts in a sentence. Make sense? Watch closely, you’ll get it!

I met him at Earth Dance 2007, in Laytonville, CA, a friend of a friend. I played that game, for hours, on the Whale Bus. The whole group was so energizing and fun to be around, living completely in the present.

Without further ado:

Peaceful, nutritional start to the day

Peace is what's for Breakfast

Writing you from Maine! Woke up and while the coffee was brewing, I started playing with fruit and eggs. The best thing was when the kids trudged in and helped complete the art piece.

Ironically and SADLY, the day Dennis Kucinich announced his exit from the Presidential race, a card arrived in the mail from PJ Chmiel.

President Worth a Damn!


The card was an absolute testimony to both Kucinich and Chmiel’s greatness. Not to be irritatingly verbose but the art, theme, and words were really impressive. PJ designed a grassroots card with suggestions towards everyday actions we can make to foster change. Very cool. Thanks PJ

How do you teach it?

One question I propose to people is “How do you teach Peace to your children?”

This question seems to help when people are stumped as how to define Peace-that’s the other question I ask people all the time….

So, juices flowing? Please, contribute your thoughts-How do you teach Peace to children?

At work this week they started a new “Quote of the Day” board. So far, these three have been submitted by baristas. There are seven of us, one a week.

“Be careful about political jokes. They might just get elected.” Will Rogers

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King. Jr

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, You would never think a negative thought. ” Peace Pilgrim

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tombstone

 

 *photo taken July 27, 2007, in Atlanta, GA

In honor of a man who shared with his dream of liberation with the world, and whose legacy still nourishes the ideas of justice and freedom. Today all the Presidential candidates offered their respects, and oh do I pray that they begin to embody the truth he represented. Thing is, I dont’ want to HOPE to get a President like him, rather, that esteemed office shouldn’t be led any other way. Below, a passage from a book I picked up when visiting MLK JR’s tombstone. Peace.

“It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to return to her true home of brotherhood and peaceful pursuits. We cannot remain silent as our nation engages in one of history’s most cruel and senseless wars. During these days of human travail we must encourage creative dissenters. We need them because the thunder of their fearless voices will be the only sound stronger than the bast of bombs and the clamor of war hysteria.
Those of us who love Peace must organize as effectively as the war hawks. As they spread the propaganda of war, we must spread the propaganda of Peace. We must combine the fervor of the civil right movement with the Peace movement. We must demonstrate, teach, and preach, until the very foundations of our nation are shaken. We must work unceasingly to lift this nation that we love to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humaness.
I have tried to be honest. To be honest is to confront the truth. However unpleasant and incovenient the truth may be, I believe we must expose and face it if we are to achieve a better quality of American life.”

King and Ghandi


Travel Gear

Super Heroes

2007 Trip STATS

The places, characters and events that I experienced last summer were so significant that it seemed only right to compile a brief list about ’em. Enjoy! Don’t see something you want to know? Email me. Cheers!

Key Dates:

  • May 29 Decide to do P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER, with no experience or money
  • June 14 First conversation with Philip McCaleb, owner of Genuine Scooter Company
  • June 21 Philip surprises me by saying that Genuine/Scooterworks will offer full support. I promptly freak out
  • July 6 Pick Up Scooter from Scoot Richmond
  • July 15 Engines start in D.C. Drive to C-ville, then leave for good on 19th, after confusion over who was dog sitting
  • July 31 Reach New Orleans, FIRST PART OF PEACE SIGN is complete
  • August 5 Shreveport, LA : same circle of latitude as Iraq
  • August 12 Reach the bellybutton of the Peace sign, Salina, KS. SECOND PART complete
  • August 13 MEMORIAL FOR DECEASED U.S. SOLDIERS, 3,690
  • August 16 4 weeks on road
  • August 17 Reach Fargo, THIRD PART COMPLETE. Mileage, 4, 292
  • August 23 Cross Continental Divide, elevation 9,000 ft. Finally reach Missoula, MT
  • August 24 Meet my partner in Peace. *smiles*
  • August 30 Reach Seattle, FOURTH PART COMPLETE. Mileage, 6,200
  • September 13 8 Weeks on road
  • September 27 FIFTH PART complete. Leave CA after 2.5 weeks!
  • October 1 First Time I saw the Grand Canyon
  • October 9 Reach Salina, KS, 2nd time. SIXTH PART complete
  • October 11 12 Weeks on road
  • October 13/AM FINISH. SEVENTH PART COMPLETED IN Crawford, TX
  • October 13/PM BEGIN relaxing, in Austin, TX. Homeward bound 2days later.

BASIC STATS:

  • 87 days on the road
  • Total Distance: 11,198 miles (D.C. to Crawford, TX)
  • Gas Expenses: $388 dollars
  • Avg. Daily Distance: 203 miles
  • Avg. Weekly Distance: 1,000 miles
  • Busiest Month: August, 3,600 miles, from New Orleans to Seattle, WA
  • Days off: 27 *some unexpected, some pleasant interceptions*
  • Longest Drive: 380 miles, Bottineau, ND to Circle, MT
  • Shortest Drive: 43.1 miles Palm Springs,CA to Joshua Tree, CA
  • Coldest Drive: Pacific Highway 101-Lincoln City, OR to Port Orford, OR. Windy sea breeze, shivering and damp all day.
  • Most Complicated Drive: Mobile, AL to NOLA only 116 miles.
  • Windiest Drive: Had to drive on shoulder at times, Santa Fe to La Junta, CO. 40mph gusts, from the South.
  • Most Irritating Drive: Old Hwy 66 from L.A. to Palm Springs, due to smog/traffic
  • Lowest Altitude: 20ft. elevation New Orleans
  • Highest Altitude: Taos, NM 7,090ft. elev.
  • Highest Crossing: Roger’s Pass, past Continental Divide, close to 9,000ft.
  • Hottest Day: 105,Salina, KS to Nebraska, Aug 12
  • Coolest Day: 48 deg., Oregon Coast, Sept 10
  • State in the Longest: (bliss!) California, 9/11-9/28, 1, 700 miles
  • State in the shortest: (fear)Texas, first time, 14.2 miles, near TexArkLa
  • Number of states I went through: 21 states
  • Flat tire: 1
  • Tire change: 1, back tire, at 6,000 miles
  • Breakdown: 1
  • Number of Bridges Crossed: 6 at least
  • Longest Bridge: Oakland Bay Bridge
  • Times I fell off scooter: 1
  • Minutes it took to pack up when I started trip: 20-25
  • By the end: 5

Where did I sleep?

  • Friends/Omegans: 24 nights
  • Scooterists: 12 nights
  • Hotels: 33
  • Average Hotel Price, on East Coast. $60
  • Everywhere else: $15-40
  • Free Hotels: 10
  • Hostels: 2
  • Camping: 6
  • Offers from strangers that I couldn’t coordinate: LOTS!
  • Random note: Visited the place Terry Nichols lived and the monument in Oklahoma City

My take on the hotel situation. Hmm, more than I had planned, definitely and what cost the most, fer sure. Many nights it rained, many nights it was HOT and many nights I wanted to blog. Most of the time I didn’t throw my stuff in a ditch and camp because I didn’t want to worry if I was safe. If I did it again-I would secure more places to stay before leaving, or www.couchsurfing.com.

Other Long Distance Scooterists that I met
Marke from OKC (8,000 miles) and Mike from NOHO (all the way up to ALASKA!)

  • Number of Peace Definitions left on website: 94
    Number recorded (tape, writing): about 20
    Number left to reach a billion: 199,000,886
    Number of Peace Postcards distributed: 1,600
    Number left now: 6
  • People who came out to ride: 33 (two motorcyclists)
  • People who wanted to and we couldn’t hook up: Holy Crow, too many to count!
    People on the road also on Cross Country trips, on motorcycles: 3
  • Miles driven with others: About 700
    Miles driven alone: 10, 497
    Donations from Strangers: 42
    Donations from Friends, some twice: 17
    Total donated through PayPal/Mail/Face to Face: around 2,000
    Anonymous donor: 1,500
    My loan: 6,000. Yes, I am in debt. You can still donate! Every bit helps!
  • Trip cost about $1 a mile, rounding up

*bit more expensive because of start up cost. Jacket, boots, saddlebags, helmet, gloves, fancy camcorder, tent, riding pants, external hard drive for video footage. Consider that advance planning could make it much more affordable. More time to work some deals.
BEST IN SHOW/TRIVIA/SALUTES

  • Magazine that did numerous kind things for me: Scoot! Magazine
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT MANAGED TO FIRST GET THE PRESS OUT and who can (seemingly) drink the most beer: ATOMIC BROWN
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT THREW THE BIGGEST, BESTEST PARTY: Urban Modo, Austin, TX
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT DID MY SECOND OIL CHANGE and PUT ON THE PLATES: Twist and Go
  • SCOOTER SHOP WITH SERIOUS STREET CRED and BEST LOGO: Centaur Cycles in Santa Fe, NM
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT WAS OWNER TO THE HIPPEST SCOOTER: Scooter King/Vespa Portland
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT HOSTED MY FIRST RALLY: Vespa Santa Barbara
  • SCOOTER SHOP STUCK HOSTING (graciously) ME AND MY VISITING FRIEND: Scooterville, MT
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT TOOK ME TO A PEACE PARTY: Scooterville, MT
  • SCOOTER SHOPS WHERE I THINK I HAD AN IMPACT IN THE BUDDY SALES: Scooterville, MT and NOHO Scooters (those people wrote to me)
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT GAVE ME NUMEROUS PROTEIN SHAKES B/C I LOOKED LIKE TOTAL CRAP: Scheel’s All Sport in Fargo, ND
  • SCOOTER SHOP with a FERRIS WHEEL INSIDE: Scheel’s All Sport, Fargo, ND
  • SCOOTER SHOP WITH THE BEST MEMORABILIA AND TOTAL COOL ALL AROUND: NOHO Scooters
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT I JUST RAN INTO SAY HI AND THEY HELPED CASH A CHECK: Coos Bay, OR
  • SCOOTER SHOPs that BOTH DONATED $100: Scoot Richmond and Vespa Portland
  • SCOOTER SHOP that offered me a bit of everything while there and good sense of humor: Tulsa, OK
  • SCOOTER SHOP that really isn’t a scooter shop that did towed me and did a major repair, while busting my chops: Circle, MT
  • SCOOTER SHOP not affiliated with Genuine that gave me a free plug in the flat tire: Conti’s in Wanatachee, WA
  • SCOOTER SHOP where most employees ride Ducati’s but sell Buddy’s, and threw down the red carpet: Ducati Seattle
  • SCOOTER SHOP that had the most bizarre sleeping arrangement: Well Necessities, also a sleep apnea clinic (and scooter showroom) Shreveport, LA
  • SCOOTER SHOP THAT I SPENT THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME IN AND WISH I HAD STAYED LONGER: Encore Performace, Prescott, AZ
  • SCOOTER SHOP that received the scooter twice, via shipping- patiently dealt with it, while being totally stylish, oh and kicking me their awesome Corazzo jacket: Scoot Richmond
  • SCOOTER SHOP with the all around best showroom (that I visited): Scoot Richmond
  • SCOOTER SHOP where I felt like I had the most in common with the owners: Atomic Brown (Coffee, Beer, Buddhism) or Centaur Cycles (they are my heroes)
  • SCOOTER SHOP that gave me the best tshirt: Vespa New Orleans “Transportation Revolution
  • SCOOTER SHOPS THAT MADE MY DAYS BETTER: ALL OF THEM!
  • Scooterists with websites that were mad helpful: Crystal Waters-www.girlbike.com. Steve Guzman-www.thescooterscoop.blogspot.com. Ellen and crew over at www.scooterdiva.com
  • Place with coolest promo item (we all know, right?), BEST JACKETS and fun shop games: Corazzo
  • Scooter Forum that connected me with lots of people, brought the most traffic and makes good reading: www.modernbuddy.com
  • Scooterist of gallant proportions who organized huge end of scoot event: Steve Guzman
  • Expensive Gadget used the least: GPS
  • Thing I was happiest to have packed as an afterthought: Camelbak
  • Top three things that made trip easier: RevPacks, Cowl Protector/Front Rack
  • Number of people seen more than once, in different states: 4
  • Times I ran out of gas: 3. State I ran out of gas the most: Kansas, 2x
  • Biker Bars I went to: 2
  • Tshirts gifted to me: 11
  • Best book given: The Alchemist
  • Number of Festivals attended: 2, Bumbershoot and Earthdance
  • Favorite New Performer: My Brightest Diamond
  • Dried Beans I went through: Big ol’ sack
  • Times I aprox. used stove for making breakfast and coffee: 19
  • Patches:10
  • Stickers: 31
  • Favorite gift: Peace Sign Scooter Seat Cover from Crystal Waters
  • Number of sunglasses given: 3
  • Number of headphones went through: 3
  • Free Haircuts: 3
  • Number of gems/stones received: 3
  • First person to buy me a cup of coffee: Denise in D.C.
  • Last person to buy me a cup of coffee:Steve Guzman
  • Fellow Espresso Affcionado: Chuck Pefley, WA
  • Autographs signed: 17
  • Press Accounts : 19, including one movie interview
  • Worst One Written: CNN
  • Number of mean comments on website before CNN video: 3
  • After CNN video: 7
  • Coolest Natural Monument: Joshua Tree National Forest
  • Prettiest Drives: New Mexico, Blue Ridge Parkway, 89/89A through Arizona, Highway 1 down CA coast, Highways 2/200 through Montana, Idaho and Washington
  • Freakiest Gas Station Experience: North Dakota, near Greenfield. Ugh.
  • FANCIEST HOTEL WITH THE COOLEST STAFF: Hotel Donaldson
  • FUNKIEST HOTEL WITH THE COOLEST STAFF: Joshua Tree Inn
  • STATE THAT TOTALLY SURPRISED ME BY BEING VERY COOL/CULTURAL: Oklahoma
  • Motel most similar to Hotel California: PORT ORFORD in Oregon
  • GROUNDSCOREs: 1 (40 dollars)
  • Best Places with great live music: NOLA, Seattle, Portland
  • Best Place to meet fun people while hanging outside the bars: Missoula, MT
  • Best Camping Spot: Humboldt County Redwoods
  • Nicest Scooterist I met on the road: Bobo
  • Scooterist I had a crush on: He worked at Vespa Portland. 😉
  • Coolest Random Thing: Someone gives me an Ice Cream Man sticker in Seattle. 5 days later, I meet him on my way to yoga, in Portland
  • Favorite Coffee Shops: Butterfly Herbs, Missoula. Cherry Street, Tulsa. Vivace, Seattle. The Ugly Mug, Soquel, CA
  • Best Sandwich: Falafel joint near NOHO Scooters
  • State that I had never been: North Dakota
  • Surprising number of people I stay in touch with who I met through www.zaadz.com: 6
  • FAVORITE SMALL TOWN: Ukiah, CA (15,497)
  • FAVORITE MIDDLE TOWN: Santa Fe, NM (63,000) or Missoula, MT (61,790)
  • FAVORITE IN BETWEEN TOWN AND CITY: Tulsa, OK (382,872)
  • FAVORITE CITY: Austin, TX (657,000+)
  • City that threw down the red carpet, made me blush a bit from generosity: Seattle
  • Irate Drunken felon who ridiculed the cause: 1, in Palm Springs

FREQUENTLY ASKED:
You rode that here? From there?
Does your butt hurt?
How fast can you go?
Do you have a support vehicle?
Don’t you feel scared? Or lonely?
How else are we going to keep “them” from coming over here and bombing us?
Really strange question: Wanna race for pinks? “Your Buddy against my Qlink”

Towns I came close to and just missed: Climax, KS
Places that I am now beyond: Hope, KS and Hope, ID

HOPE

Ok, as of midnight, January 21, 2008, this is the list. If you think of anything you would like to see there, send me an email.

Thank you everyone who helped make the trip eventful and possible. YAY!

“Raking war over the coals”

Photobucket

*photo courtesy of http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/bbq/archives/offbeat_bbq/

Past coupla days the theme here has been activities involving the formation of a Peace sign- er, in Wisconsin. Well, just 114 miles down the road from Racine, WI, in Madison, you are invited to the “Grill’n for Peace.” I think Tom Barry, founder, artist and obvious Peacenik is a top notch man. Far as I’m concerned, this is a brilliant event, focusing on the jewels of life; food, old-school weber grills, outdoor gatherings, Peace signs, fundraisers, community and frozen lakes. That’s right. The event will be held on Lake Wingra. This is astonishing to a Southern girl like myself-the only bodies of frozen water I’ve seen lately are in the ice cube tray.

Now, the weather forecast at www.wunderground.com tells me that tomorrow is going to be warmer than today in Madison, a whopping 3 degrees FAHRENHEIT. So, maybe by February 2, temperatures will be a more comfortable 15 degrees. However, we want that lake to stay frozen, since participants will be setting up their Weber grills, in Peace formation, at 10am. Aerial photos will be taken, which I look forward to seeing. Apparently, this isn’t the first time that Tom Barry has used a frozen Lake as a canvas, once he arranged 53 Christmas Trees into a Peace sign in tribute to his former neighbor. Is this guy cool or what? And if you know him, please, ask him to leave his Peace definition over here on the Wall. Otherwise known as the Speak Your Peace wall (SYP)

Now, my apologies to Wisconsinites that I missed ’em last summer, when I was scootin’ around the country to make a big Peace sign. But I promise I did have some healthy portions of BarBQ in Austin, TX. And I sure look forward to meeting some of these peaceniks when I visit in 2008….

The full story can be read over at: http://www.madison.com/tct/news/268268

*thanks to Pete Selkowe for another good scoop*

Racine, WI shows unity through Peace demonstration

Photobucket

*Photo/Karen Sherlock
What better way to spend a cold winter evening than huddled with hundreds of your neighbors, in the shape of a peace sign? What better way to illuminate the senseless violence taking place in Racine, WI and to honor your loved ones and community?

Pete Selkowe, retired journalist, sent the picture below and link to me. Like most of the people who send me mail, I’ve never met Pete. Wish I ridden with him on his “God Protects the Stupid Tour,” from London to Athens, a roundtrip trip done on his PX200, at 58 youthful years of age. That’s a solid 4,300 mile trip involving a ferries AND new languages. Google maps list some of the directions in Greek, like : Λεωφόρος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Now, thats COOL.

Incredibly moving is the young man who organized this event, in tribute to his childhood friend who was tragically shot. He addressed the circle gathered and closed by lighting his candle and saying, “I am a soldier of Peace.”

Human Peace Sign

 

A demonstration like this would be a very powerful thing to do once a month. The organizers wanted to show that humans can all work peacefully towards a common objective-in this case, needless violence in Racine, WI. You can read the article here on the Racine blogspot. One part I disagree with though is the sentence that says working peacefully towards a common objective is, ” A simple message perhaps..though important to the organizer…adults and kids.” Simple message? Yes, but I think it’s one of the most complicated undertakings for us humans. Go ahead, prove me wrong. I’ll meet you at the common ground.

 

ONE MILLION PEACE SIGNS

Ok, all those with a glass (hopefully full), please lift it and join me in a toast to serendipitous events.
Check this out:

1) December 31, 2007, Crystal Waters sends me a picture of a Peace sign she found on a house. She writes, “We have been looking at houses to buy, and when I wandered around to
the back of the garage/workshop at the one we looked at yesterday, I found this a peace sign and had to take a picture for you. 🙂 I think it’s a good sign.

And was it ever. Eventually the picture Crystal sent was posted, and the tag on flickr.com caught the eye of a particular project, called One Million Peace Signs.

This is where I introduce my favorite, new inspirators to you and continue the tale of serendipity.

2) January 1, 2008, a splendid group of peeps out in Wyoming resolve to collect One Million Photos of Peace Signs. Now, I fully understand goals that involve GRAND numbers and GRAND ideas, so I want to tell you about them. No, I first I want to stand up, do a jig, and scream, “You peeps in Wyoming are AMAZING. YAY!”

Here is their story, copied from One Million Peace Signs:

“Snowed in on Jan. 1, 2008 in the Middle-of-Nowhere Wyoming, we decided that collecting One Million Signs of Peace for a website would be a fine New Year’s Resolution. Crazy? Probably. Possible? We think so! Since then, people from all over the world have sent us their Peace Sign Photos, Peace observations, and “go for it” encouragement. We’ve also added Clark, our resident guru and Real Life Superman to the mix. ‘Tis awesome, and we thank you all! ”

Well, they are off and running! With close to 3,000 photos already, I’m totally impressed and can’t wait for us to work together. I visualize a cool program that generates random Peace images and puts them with random Peace definitions. That would be a powerful visual experience, huh?! They will surely reach their first million before me-people seem to like sending pics of peace over defining it ! Go check them out at http://www.onemillionpeacesigns.com/. You can send your pictures to their flickr or facebook account, just follow the links from their website!

Cheers!

Peace Everywhere

Crystal Waters sent this photograph to me. Apparently, Crystal discovered this on the garage outback a potential home purchase, in Vermont. My heart skipples, (a new word folks) that she thought it a good sign and that she also thought about me. YAY! Peace on Earth. And especially Peace for women who ride scooters and run websites. 😉 I’m gonna fashion one of these for my house-I’ll post the photo when it’s done! Brilliant!

Peace on Barns

Are politics divisive?

***Update***
Daphne commented that this blog seemed to be more contentious than most of my posts. She asked about the “point two fingers, not one,” philosophy that I promote. Yea, well. Sometimes I walk that line-accountability is a tricky thing, especially when I can so clearly see we do have a system that perpetuates injustice. Pointing two fingers means-how can I change it??? And I think calling slime, slimy is fair place to start. Because otherwise I might just keep accepting the amount of injustice manufactured by our government. Anyhow, I think Daphne expressed this sentiment pretty well in one of her blogs. As follows:

“We live in a really amazing country, if you can separate the landscape from the turmoil…

And if you can’t, it may be because we’ve all been so fragmented by our differences in opinion, that we can’t manage to get it together enough to find out what we have in common.Think about why that may work in the favor of those with money and power.
And think about every little thing you can do to change it.
Okay. Now, go do it.”

 

 

Below is my dog, Marco Polo. That is his look of indignation for our political mess. He also suggests that leaving your definition of Peace will create feelings of joy and accomplishment.

Wish it would snow

Brief post for now, more on this later. For now I am reposting, with some COMMENTS OF MY OWN IN IT, a written article, from a news source where, unfortunately, a high percentage of people get the “scoop.” You can tell by its title, “Clinton/Obama clash over race issue” that its meant to create a reaction- it is PART OF AN AGENDA. For what, you ask? Here we go people, here come the race and sex cards for this years election. (and don’t get me started that even Hilary has said it’s a “gender” thing-sex is actually the correct term, not gender) Pretty impressive that we finally have BOTH a woman and a black man on the ticket. I remember talking about the ODDS of this back in 92, the first year I was eligible to vote. But how impressive is it if the candidates and media begin this superficial descent? I don’t think Clinton gives a damn about the color of his skin. I don’t think Obama gives a damn that she’s a woman. The end. I don’t give a damn about it either. George W. Bush, neither a woman or black man, has excelled only at being a shining Lonestar of bad foreign policy, hypocrisy, war mongering and nonchalant divider. Obviously sex and race don’t play into what makes a good President. So, why is the media beginning to serve up these two things as an issue? Because it’s still a hot button issue; because it takes a long time to eradicate oppression from our cultural psyche. 42 years ago, the KKK were beating the crap out of blacks who were simply marching for their Voting Rights and the police were right alongside them. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), intended to guarantee equal rights under the law for Americans regardless of gender, has failed to be passed since its introduction in 1923. What happens if we become captivated by the mudslinging? Hmmm, we forget that we actually need to ask these candidates some important questions-and that we need to hear them make some solid, viable proposals for our nation’s future.

Let’s not be distracted. Let’s look through this. Let’s not root for Obama or Clinton if they get one point for putting their opponent down. One way to start is by asking yourself, well, what do you want in a candidate?

My time is being wasted while the news and the candidates rehash the incident where Clinton said “It took a President to help MLK Jr. realize his dream.” Well, it’s true. That’s why MLK JR. marching to the Capitol of Montgomery-he knew that the LEGISLATION had to change. Can we move on?!!!! If Obama really wants to plant some seeds of hope, then do so by not beating the blood out of this one just to secure some black primary votes. The more this sticks in the news, the more I see MLK Jr.s name next to Obamas-and I fear some comparison is going to start. Barack Obama is NOT anywhere near the league of Martin Luther King Jr. It is SAD that our nation is so desperate for change that they cling to his pedestal, showering him with adoration and hope that he will be our nations savior. All the while he makes NO clear proposals for policy or strategy. Obama isn’t necessarily our hope for the future. We are. He’s not the only one planting seeds. We are. We’re just hungry waiting for them to grow and it seems like he’s got some meal tickets.

You know my take on it-KUCINICH is the one.

Reposted Article:

Clinton/Obama clash over race

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have become embroiled in racially tinged disputes as large numbers of black voters (OH, COULD THIS BE OBAMA’S REASON IN DRAGGING IT OUT-IS HE PLAYING THE RACE CARD HIMSELF?) prepare to get their first say in the Democratic presidential campaign.

The candidates and their surrogates are heating up their rhetoric, (COULD THEY PLEASE HEAT UP THEIR LEADERSHIP VALUES? THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE) and it could prove to be combustible beyond South Carolina’s Jan. 26 primary.

Clinton, on defense over comments that she and her husband made regarding Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and Obama’s fitness for the White House, tried to turn the tables on her top primary rival. She accused his campaign of looking to score political points by distorting their words. (DID SHE? OR IS THIS THE NEWS HELPING TO FIRE IT UP? LET’S SAY IT’S TRUE. WELL, HILARY, THANKS FOR BEING THE PRINCIPLED LEADER. ARE YOU GOING TO UTILIZE THESE HIGH SCHOOL TACTICS FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS?)

Hillary Clinton had said King’s dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Bill Clinton said Illinois Sen. Obama was telling a “fairy tale” about his opposition to the Iraq war. Black leaders have criticized their comments, and Obama said Sunday her comment about King was “ill-advised.” (ILL ADVISED, SURE. TRUE, YES. KINGS HAD A POWERFUL DREAM AND THAT WAS TO SEE THE SYSTEM ITSELF CHANGE. DO YOU SEE HOW THAT WORKS-CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER WANTS RIGHTS FOR CIVILIANS, SO HE TARGETS THE EXECUTIVE/LEGISLATIVE/JUDICIAL BRANCHES.)

“I think it offended some folks who felt that somehow diminished King’s role in bringing about the Civil Rights Act,” he told reporters on a conference call. “She is free to explain that, but the notion that somehow this is our doing is ludicrous.” (OH, AND THE PUBLIC-THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE OFFENDED BY? WHAT ABOUT, HMMM, EXPENSIVE HEALTHCARE, CORPORATE TAKE OVER OF OUR GOVERNMENT, LUDICROUS WAR BUDGET THAT CUTS THINGS LIKE ARTS AND EDUCATION, CRIME, POVERTY?)

As evidence the Obama campaign had pushed the story, Clinton advisers pointed to a memo written by an Obama staffer compiling examples of comments by Clinton and her surrogates that could be construed as racially insensitive. The memo later surfaced on some political Web sites.

“This is an unfortunate story line the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully,” the former first lady said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I don’t think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it’s not about race.” (IT’S ALL A RACE ISN’T IT? A HORSE RACE. AND DON’T FORGET, SOMEONE IS CALLING OBAMA HIS HORSE) (WHAT IS THIS CAMPAIGN ABOUT?)

Clinton taped the show before appearances in South Carolina, where at least half the primary voters are expected to be black. On Monday, she planned to attend a union event honoring King’s legacy in New York City. (PHEW, GOOD TIMING)

But no sooner had Clinton said she hoped the campaign would not be about race than it got even more heated. A prominent black Clinton supporter, Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson, criticized Obama and seemed to refer to his acknowledged teenage drug use while introducing Clinton at her next event.

“To me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues — when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in his book — when they have been involved,” Johnson said. (HMM, GOOD POINT THOUGH, AND DON’T FORGET, HILARY SEEMS MORE SUPPORTIVE OF HOMOSEXUALS THAN OBAMA-WHO HAD A GOSPEL SINGER SPEAK AT HIS RALLY-SAYING HOMOSEXUALITY IS SOMETHING GOD CAN CURE)

Obama wrote about his youthful drug use — marijuana, alcohol and sometimes cocaine — in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”

Johnson later said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign that his comments referred to Obama’s work as a community organizer in Chicago “and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect.” (BUTT KISSER)

Another Clinton campaign official, Bill Shaheen, resigned last month after suggesting Democrats should be wary of nominating Obama because his past drug use could be used against him in the campaign.

Obama, campaigning in Las Vegas, declined to respond to Johnson. (LOVE THAT HE’S IN VEGAS AS THIS ONE HITS THE PRESS, LIKE A KID CAUGHT WITH HAND IN COOKIE JAR :))

“I’m not going to spend all my time running down the other candidates, which seems to be what Senator Clinton has been obsessed with for the last month,” Obama said. (NO, HE WON’T. HE’LL PAY SOMEONE ELSE)

His strategist, however, didn’t spare Johnson or Clinton.

“I don’t see why this is so much different from what Billy Shaheen did in New Hampshire,” David Axelrod said. “Senator Clinton apologized for that. It’s bewildering why, since she was standing there, she had nothing to say about this.”

Clinton was not yet on stage when Johnson made his statements and she did not mention them when she emerged.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Obama’s wife rose to his defense over Bill Clinton’s “fairy tale” comment. Michelle Obama said some blacks might be skeptical that white America will elect her husband, but advised them to look to his win in Iowa.

“Ain’t no black people in Iowa,” (ENGLISH IS ALREADY ON THE DECLINE IN OUR COUNTRY-DOES SHE AS A POTENTIAL FIRST LADY NEED TO SPEAK LIKE THIS?)she said during a speech at the Trumpet Awards, an event celebrating black achievement. “Something big, something new is happening. Let’s build the future we all know is possible. Let’s show our kids that America is ready for Barack Obama right now.” (IS THIS HOW WE BUILD THE FUTURE? LET’S SHOW THE KIDS HOW TO ENGAGE IN SHALLOW, EXPLOSIVE POLITICS-YAY!)

John Edwards, a third candidate in the Democratic primary, waded into the dispute Sunday.

“I must say I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change came not through the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that,” Edwards told more than 200 people gathered at a predominantly black Baptist church in Sumter, S.C. (OH, THAT’S JUST DESPERADO, HE’S PROBABLY HOPING JUST TO GET ON AS OBAMA’S VP)

DONT FORGET-WE CAN REMAIN AS BLIND AS WE CHOOSE TO BE.

Reference Point

Starts with me

I checked out a book on Buddhism from the library. It’s an attempt to force myself into stillness and to expand my mind, and spiritual understanding. This next passage illuminates my sense of motivation for reaching out to thousands of people, enduring hardships with optimism, and experiencing the sense that we are always, as a species, so close. So close. So close and on our way to ‘getting it’. The author is Robert Thurman, and the book is called Inner Revolution.

” We can retrace for ourselves the steps the Buddha took by beginning where he began: with the reality of our own situation. We are highly organized socially, relatively well educated, have great technological power and industrial productivity. We have myriad forms of entertainment. the sun rises in the morning, the rains come, the water flows, the wind blows. We stay cool in summer, and warm in winter.

In the United States we live in the first country on earth with founding documents that formally guarantee the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet we are miserable. We may blame our malaise on circumstances-our jobs, our families-or see everything around us as the source of our unhappiness. But the question arises” Will we ever find happiness from within this frame of reference?” A good meal leaves us stuffed and uncomfortable. Attachment to a spouse leaves us worrying about being left alone. Pursuit of good health leads us only to the inevitability of dying. We’re chasing shadows, but we see them as real, as holding the keys to our happiness.

To take responsibility for facing our living condition, we must look at who we are and how we see the world. Everyday, we wake up in the morning and are hit by the biggest intuitive lie known to human consciousness. That lie goes like this: “It’s me, it’s me, I’m it, I’m the center of the universe. I come first. I hold it all together.” The bottom line is “me.” It is not just that we are selfish; it is deeper. We perceive the self as the one sure thing, the only thing, that we can count on. I am sure of my own ideas, my own dictates. I know without question what I want, what I hate, what I fear. I think; therefore I am

I worry about myself all the time-we all do. Am I happy enough? Can I get some more? Can I get ride of that concern? Is this good for me? Is she treating me right? I am self preoccupied, self-obsessed. Sometimes I am selfish in an obvious way; sometimes I am kind and selfless. But in either case there is no possibility of my not being self involved.

Such self-involvement is natural, given that we see ourselves as the most important thing in the universe. Moral condemnation of it is beside the point. But I question its accuracy. While we may wake up “knowing” that we’re the center of the universe, the minute we walk outside we will not encounter one single person that agrees with us. If we could hear everyone’s mind speaking out, we’d hear choruses of “It’s not you, it’s me! I’m the center.” We are thus in a state of constant disagreement, all in the grip of that little dictatior inside telling each person that he or she is the center of the universe.” Robert Thurman

 

The pure seed in the ride for Peace this summer was the idea that asking people to define peace with me would accomplish two things: 1)take our minds away from its daily preoccupations 2)empower themselves to envision a broad concept like Peace and in its revelation, recognize, that it must start within, but it is fiercely interdependent with the lives of others. And that this displacement from self preoccupation might catapult us into a “we” space-a space where we contemplate the effect of our actions, and thus deliberate more viable solutions than war. Oh, and offer compassion, for we recognize the role of we were playing in our head, that perpetuated suffering, and what that must feel like to others.

goodnight

There is no way to Peace…Peace is the Way

Here are three different maps that illustrate the routes driven this summer. Perhaps they could be photoshopped into one?
Google maps gets overloaded when I try to do the whole thing consecutively, and most of it has to be done in little increments, or else Google creates a different route altogether. Anyhow, this is a start to compiling information; matching pictures with routes and labeling routes for their convenience, etc. Still need to do the gas tally for total cash spent. Grimace. But I rode a scooter-at least I know its only a quarter of what cage drivers would have spent on gas!


View Larger Map

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Speak YOUR Peace

 

Daphne

Daphne, a.k.a Switch
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“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes from within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Sacred, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of [people]”. – Black Elk

“Each step outside our everyday lives is a step into the everyday lives of others. These are the steps-one by one, which pave the way to Peace.
Community, Family, Peace.
Touch one life and you touch all the lives that life touches. It’s the kind of powerful force that makes strangers into friends and friends into family.”

I am also sharing this with Ashley, Mike, and Tom on the March for Peace site:

It is a wide, brave gap between knowing the right thing and doing the right thing. Sometimes, the bridge is there and all we do is walk across, but sometimes we must pave the way. –daphne comeau

ALL MY GRATITUDE TO YOU WHO PAVE THE WAY, AND DECIDE THAT NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT, BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE IS. THANK YOU!!!

Sometimes the photographs I put up here are people who were in my life momentarily and contributed to Speak YOUR Peace. I met Daphne, however, at the beginning of PEACE SCOOTER, and she’s gonna be in my life forever. Daphne was behind the scenes in PEACE SCOOTER. She has given me laugh wrinkles around my eyes; talked to me while I waited for storms to pass and keep scootin; driven 1,500 miles to be at the finish line in Texas; heard my frustrations; told me the final death toll the day I held a memorial in Nebraska; contacted Peace organizations and media; called motels to wrangle deals; and continues to tell people about Speak YOUR Peace-in a way that makes me look shy. Rock ON Switchboard! (1643)

Thank You.

Home Brew

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A few weeks ago my roomate Wendy started a batch of home brew. Tonight I was her assistant bottling the batch. I got to thinking about my purchases in general and how to follow the trail to their origin. IMG_1905Often, its an elusive one to follow and often, by the time you get to the end of it, the origin is less than savory. I appreciated that over the past decade, since becoming an independent shopper, I assert a lot of effort to buy local and buy fresh. My tastebuds and health have totally changed. I’m hardly ever sick since I changed my dietary habits to eating fresh and free of preservatives as well as avoiding the spectrum of cancer, as I call it. Which means yellow, blue, red #2, 3, 5, etc. Anyhow, we will see how the brew tastes in about 10 days, but it was cool to expand my awareness of how easy and rewarding DIY stuff is.

Oh, and this picture is of my new spicy hat that came in the mail today. Crystal Waters has got me covered, from scoot to hoof. Check out the new, warm peace hat that came in the mail today-its from the same cloth of my scoot seat cover. I’m totally rocking it and its totally the best! Thanks Crystal-I like your masterpieces!

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Happy New Year

2008

Time for Peace

Happy New Year to all!

I spent New Year’s Eve day at work, asking customers:
“2007-was it a YES or NO?”
Mostly, No’s, or begrudging “okays.” So then I asked, well, did you learn anything that will make 2008 different?
People softened, responded, at least storing that question away for later contemplation. I am not fond of the hoopla that surrounds the New Year. If anything, it’s a time to look back, assess the mile markers, give thanks and realize your future intentions. Something I recommend doing as often as possible, no need to put it off. Unfortunately, many people stumble through the night, drink away their frustrations and wind up with lousy hangovers to greet the New Year. Oh, and the social pressure of hasty, superficial New Year’s resolutions, along with the performance anxiety to which people generally acquiesce by late January. Personally, I’ve discovered that it’s more effective to celebrate frequently through the year, play as often as I can and accept there are hardships in life which make me stronger. I can’t confront my own demons, or anyone else’s if I’m not participating in my own life with an active determination. This year I experienced what it really means to point two fingers, not one. Point two for accountability-how am I responsible? How can I generate change? Essentially, I removed myself from the detached role of passive onlooker, victim, or angry critic.

2007 was the best year of my life. It was the year where my philosophies were put into direct action. I experienced an inner peace that I have never known before, with this I have seen the dissolution of fear, programming, anger and judgement. There are so many diverse souls that came into my life this year, who interacted with me along the journey; helping, teaching, playing, loving and supporting. There is no way to express to each individual how amazing you are and the amount of appreciation I have for you. I can OM, I can pray, I can take care of myself, I can make snow angels, frolick, and I can keep working for peace and justice. A deep bow in gratitude. I wish you all the prosperity, both spiritually and mentally, that one needs to sustain themselves and our global community with happiness, progress, and joy.

Please, join the peace movement. It starts with you and then it spreads. Please, in 2008, discover the most joy and intelligence through living, that harms the least people, and Pass it On.

Most important job: Public Citizen

AN UNREASONABLE MAN: ” The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him… The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself… All progress depends on the unreasonable man.” –George Bernard Shaw

Today I watched Unreasonable Man, a documentary about Ralph Nader. It’s really about time I started studying this man. Honestly, I feel a bit behind the times. I was a political science student during his 2000 campaign and the institutional academia (at my conservative university *gasp*) trashed Nader, holding him responsible for every woe we have suffered during the Bush administration. Well, utilizing my “point two fingers, not one,” I’ve given this man a closer look. I’m walking away, twice now, from this documentary, feeling inspired, informed and a bit frustrated. A few quotes that jumped out were, “Do you want to be famous-or important?”; “Did you learn to believe today-or learn to think?”; “What we need are full time professional citizens.” I encourage you to watch this movie-especially with our horrendous upcoming political elections gathering more fuel. The good note-at least this is W’s last year. The bad note-our country still faces a lot of problems-now are we gonna be active or passive citizens?

Please watch these videos:
LONGER (more informative, but you might not be able to rush right over to facebook and fight ninjas)
SHORTER

Meet Mamma Peace

Mamma_Peace

“Peace is an inner experience. An awareness that, the I that is I, has no end. That that ‘I’ is connected to the whole universe. The uni-verse, one voice. Peace does not depend on events ‘out there.’ Peace depends on becoming conscious of my thoughts, then I can consciously choose creative thoughts of love instead of destructive thoughts of fear. Our thoughts truly become our reality.

As each one of us consciously change our thoughts, our collective consciousness of ‘one voice’ changes. The’I AM’ is crucial to peaceful coexistence. Then we KNOW that WE are crucial to the whole of existence. But only by being peace, not by dictating peace, or forcing peace, or demanding peace.
Be peace. Blessings.”

It is part of the Speak Your Peace project to pair photos with peace definitions. In tribute of my Crawford Host, meet Kay. She is a wise, wise woman. She has taught me a lot in the mere 3 times we have spoken. Actually, we’ve spoken more on the phone than we actually did in Craword, TX, with so many people and interviewers around. I want to thank her for maintaining a Peace House in the hostile waters of Crawford, and for understanding that it is important  people have a refuge to speak their truth. She has served her global community well with these efforts, dealing with us fired up activists and she continues to recognize the way to peace and justice is to BE THE WAY.

A wise woman said, “You can’t dismantle the master’s house, using the master’s tools.”

Alix dreams up a new drink


Now three months back from the 11,000 mile ride for Peace, I’ve been decompressing and processing the eye and heart opening experience. Today I came across the old daily heroes blog that had been running since April 2006. The last entry I made, before trip preparations took over my life, was Cindy Sheehan. I’ve avidly followed her for years, but what placed her on the heroes list was her Memorial day journal entry on dailykos. I had been planning P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER for just one week when she released the news to close Camp Casey in Crawford, TX. There were many reasons I had already chosen Crawford, TX as the final destination of the Peace ride. Her being one of them. I thought it was ironic that Camp Casey was closing, but in my optimism, especially after reading her journal entry, I felt we would have a chance to work together. I remember the inspiration of her words and my excitement that she seemed to be coming out of the beige fray of muddled political lines and anti-war activist egos. Her proclamation that, “… the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of “right or left”, but “right and wrong,” had me on fire. Our insights about the prevalence of ego within the Peace movement seemed congruent. She writes, “It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.” My own previous experience had made me bypass a big rally in D.C. for the start of the Peace ride, feeling as though it was time to take it out of D.C. and instead to the people all across America.

June 05, 2007, I would have been more likely to welcome a comparison to Cindy Sheehan. However, by August my opinion changed. After feeble, if any, responses from her and major Peace organizations/affiliates like Not in Our Name, ANSWER, Veterans Against the Iraq War, CODE PINK, and United for Peace and Justice, I sadly realized that those who rage against the machine often mimic it.

I have been uncomfortable with the media’s comparisons of me to Cindy Sheehan. The main reason is that at the root of the comparison is a classic, blatant media tactic that ultimately suppresses insights of the Peace movement. The media, acting as puppets to their corporate bosses instead of instruments of democracy, often paint Cindy Sheehan as a contentious woman. The general public, a rather large amount of people who need to be recruited into the Peace movement, know her as an angry woman. Of course, she has a global following, and these supporters both understand and appreciate her passion, insights and eloquence. At a mainstream level, this comparison to her implies that I, too, am angry or preaching the same message. However, the focus of my Peace tour was to ask one brief, yet important question and listen to the answer- without judgement, anger or preaching. As a result of this comparison, persons hearing of P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER are likely to feel as though they automatically understand my message. And likewise, to those “counter culture,” supporters of Sheehan, I simply become dismissed as someone attempting to follow in her footsteps. How frustrating, when I saw her as a hero, but our work and impetus were completely different. I still don’t even know sometimes what to call P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER, because it had so many complex messages intertwined into it. Without appropriate, thoughtful media coverage, these messages can be easily lost. It was a direct action to demonstrate that we need to put Peace on the map, that our nation needs to move forward as leaders to implement viable solutions; policy created through principles of non-violence and compassion, not conquest, death and imperialism. P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER was a direct action that acknowledged our general public are the opposite of asleep-they are awake without the necessary framework to recognize their own important role as catalysts in creating peace in everyday life. This is why, based on John Lennon’s quote, “If a billion people were thinking about Peace there would be Peace in our world,” I recognized a need for their empowerment-which could happen if they summoned up their personal definition of Peace. This movement is an attempt to create inner revolutions, whereas I see Cindy in her political forum as someone handling an external revolution. Which makes us quite dependent on another-for how can people rise up and be the proponents of a lasting external revolution without knowing what they are working towards? Our human liberation is beautifully, but precariously intertwined.

This immediate gut response to CNN’s (and other media sources) comparison to her was also heightened by Sheehan’s and other’s failure to respond to the numerous emails I sent asking for help in some fashion. She was pleasant and encouraging, but responded similarly to others like Not in Our Name-“that sounds awesome, have fun, love you.” Clearly, these people don’t understand that 11,000 miles is a LONG way even in a car, much less on 12 inch wheels. When I set out on the road, I was driven by our urgent need for Peace, driven by my heroes, driven by a belief that Peace makers would hear and reach out. I didn’t need a congenial thumbs up, I needed support. How about accepting my request to endorse or publicize the Peace ride, so that the national/global Peace family could participate and have the ability to offer resources-much needed food, fuel, housing and media coverage? This would have made P.E.A.C.E SCOOTER much more visible to the public. It is my belief that the intent of our Peace forces across the world is to stand up, be counted and help expand the message. The list servers and databases of major anti-war groups swells because the people are ready for change-and group leaders have a social responsibility. If our own counter culture media can’t jump to cover stories like mine and others, we won’t have any readily available sources other than the corporate media mafia. We need our leaders in the Peace movement to view our paradigm change with the principles of abundance-there are enough resources to go around. We can take care of one another-the Civil Rights Movement swelled because of its community and steadfast commitment to manage and volunteer resources to the cause. The more we splinter as a movement, segregate, judge and cling fast to sparse light the media occasionally grants us, the faster we will sputter out.

Sixty days deep into my trip preparations, I heard news that Cindy was walking from Crawford, TX to NYC, on a Journey for Humanity. The day I left on the peace ride, someone excitedly told me that there was a cross country March for Peace happening, and one week later I heard from a few people biking for Peace. My initial excitement that we would somehow all surge forward, unified in purpose, waned throughout the trip, as no meaningful responses were made to my inquiries for solidarity amongst all the groups. Imagine the ruckus we could have all made were there a concerted effort to promote the nation wide mobilizations occurring in unison. A ball was dropped by many activists this summer. It was obviously meant to be a summer of action. Just think about how strong in number and volition we could have been. When I think about the sheer number of miles clocked between all the different activists-I get chills. It’s almost like these anti-war groups support the conservative agenda by their failure to promote all the direct action that happened.

I ask Cindy Sheehan and the other organizers, “Where HAVE all the Giants gone?” Cindy, you were my heroine-I thought if anyone would show me what a Giant was it would be you.Ironically, right after my trip, Sheehan posted a bulletin calling for the solidarity of Peace organizations, commenting on the fragmented, protective nature of these organizations. A few weeks later she posted a bulletin in honor of John Lennon, in which she proclaimed the importance of defining Peace. I invite her, and you, to leave your definition over on www.peacescooter.com, seeing as I agree with her, and have been using the website to host 1 billion definitions of Peace. It will be up the rest of my life, but hopefully, there will be a unified movement long before some beautiful soul leaves that one billionth definition.
Thank you for reading. The song playing right now as I conclude this is off the 2007 compilation I just put together in time for the New Year.
“I ain’t gonna study War no More, I’m gonna join hands, the whole world round…ain’t gonna study War no More.”
I am thinking that applies just as aptly to our fractured counter culture Peace movement as it does our war mongering empire.

Peace,
Alix

p.s. If you want a copy of that 2007 compilation-its coming soon, I’m fighting with tech gadgets to make this happen-or you can cover the shipping and I will send it to you!

Kucinich is the one

Congressman Dennis Kucinich will be visiting our town, a little blue city in a red state, on Friday. PJ Chmiel MasterpieceThis post is a tribute to him. A couple of years ago I heard a speaker, Marianne Williamson, comment that in most countries there are fourteen political candidates to choose from and 2 choices of toothpaste. Yet, here in the land of democracy, it’s the exact opposite. In resistance to our diminishing democracy and trepidation that neither Hilary or Obama will offer anything other than empty rhetoric-I hereby pledge my vote to Kucinich. I’ve followed him for years and believe he is the best Democratic candidate. He has both the experience and ethos to lead our country towards a better future. I refuse to buy into the idea of “wasting a vote.” Its truly our democracy wasting away if the “little guy” with big ideas can’t get the spotlight, just because of money and popularity. I believe there should be a network mandate to offer Presidential candidates free air time as to avoid the war chest competition. Perhaps then we wouldn’t have to pay high prices to go hear our potential leaders speak.But either way, this Friday night, December 7th, from 7:15-8:45, I’ll shuck over the $20 to hear him speak. Maybe I’ll get the student discount. I’ve heard him speak for free a number of times when I lived in Oberlin, OH and he is an amazing orator. So is Barack Obama, but as much as I would love to see a black man win, I feel Barack makes empty promises. I snuck into a campaign speech by him in Portland, OR. There was a lot of contagious gusto, but then he said, “Within the first year of my administration-we will have Universal Health Care.” I lost interest after that bombastic statement, despite how badly I DO want universal health care. Our country has endured enough pompousness and arrogance. I know I want integrity, experience, commitment, peace and ethos.

What about you?

PJ Chmiel took some time to lend his graphic design prowess to the Kucinich campaign-which was surely lackluster before. Definitely take a looksee over at PJ’s webpage: http://pjchmiel.com/president_kucinich.html
Kudos to him for the volunteer work and snappy designs. I love them,want to get a shirt, make a yard poster-the money earned from his sales goes right to the Kucinich campagin coffers.
And that’s pretty darn swell. Speaking of swell, well, gee, you should check out this informative, witty video since you’ve got some more time to spare! For more information on the best person for the job, check out the official Kucinich page: http://www.dennis4president.com/home/

Don’t waste your vote! Don’t waste our future!

Peace!