Code Pink Journals CodePINK Journals

Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

ohio - finally!!!

who said feminism is dying/died w/us old dykes? probably those same folks who take those dire polls claiming there are more greedy citizens than compassionate ones! as you know, i've been travelling w/an awesome young feminist & now, here in cleveland, we've been so enthusiastically embraced by many more of her generation! driving into cleveland heights, finding friends of a friend's home that we've been graciously invited to share, as we pull up to park we are greeted by a unbelievably huge fiery streak of boundless energy coming from a tiny womon racing down the front porch steps and out into the street to grab rae outta of the truck & dance wildly w/her under the full moon! this seemingly compact effervescent young womon has flown in from nyc to join rae & me as we register voters in ohio and she has no trouble expressing her joy & excitement - neither do we!
as we exchange inspiration & plans, we move to the back of the truck to unpack & deal with the details of landing somewhere when we hear loud but short-lived sirens & suddenly we see 2 police vehicles - a motorcycle & a car - pull up in front of the truck. two older white male police officers, both of them looking kinda pasty & out of shape, dismount (one from each vehicle) and approach us. they want to know what we're doing here. i want to know what they are doing here. they tell us there was a complaint about our vehicle. we look around at the dark houses w/their big kerry signs posted on several lawns wondering if someone did complain & if we can peer hard enuff to figure out who. 'what did they complain about?' i ask. 'drinking' the motorcycle one replies.
obviously, there is no alcohol around, nor drugs & the cops, especially the patrol car one, seems to lose the little interest at least he apparently began with. he seems like those old-fashioned 'i-am-your-friend' police officers that existed in fairy tales. he states something about how they should be more worried about the cars parked illegally on the lawns down the block then this truck.
the motorcycle cop tells me as he climbs back on his hog & ignites the engine, he's a democrat - i smile - but he's voting for bush. i grab his attention as he tries to roar away & ask him in horror 'why?' he states inequivicably: 'because we are in a war, we are protecting our country, & we need our commander to see it thru to the end.' we get into the standard discussion of why bomb iraq, which he agrees - we did not have a right to attack iraq as retalliation for 9/11, bush is making lots of $$$ for his friends - bush lied. at this point he declares with part embarassment, part condescension and a wave of his hand: 'oh they all lie'. i say maybe so but no way would kerry lie to lead us into a war in order to make his buddies rich & avenge his father's agenda. he revs his engine in triumph & declares 'see, kerry wouldn't lead us into war' as he wheels off almost drowning out his last words!
well, at least we know we won't get a parking ticket tonite! peace, sam