The Lord Will Take Care of Them...

Pulling into the camp ground last nite, the white womon taking our money didn't want to talk politics. She was registered to vote and was going to vote but she didn't want to talk about it!

As we set up camp, we heard a male voice from some site across the way yell "Love your truck!"

This a.m., two older males – one Black, one white – greeted us joyfully. One was the park ranger, the other another park employee. Both of them said they were so glad to see us, they thought bush was evil but they didn't have much hope that we'll defeat him. The ranger spoke of the last governor's 'election' in Alabama, saying it was just like bush's 'victory'. He said he went to bed knowing the democrat governor had won and then got up the next morning hearing the attorney general had decided the republican governor had won. He said this attorney general threatened to jail anyone who challenged the vote count!

Both men talked about the fear of losing their jobs, and the jobs that have already been lost by their neighbors, friends, relatives. They talked of the state of the world and their concerns about the world we are leaving to their grandchildren. They saw clearly how bush lied and manipulated not just his way into office, but his way into war and destroying our economy and quality of life.

Later we took a swim and met a white Alabaman man, a bit younger, who echoed the sentiment that bush is evil and needs to be defeated. He said he wanted to do something to help. We suggested he could find at least 5 people, especially wimmin, who are not registered to vote and get them to register. He promised he would.

Off to Echola, Alabama – Rae's choice – before we head to Reform, Alabama. In Echola, two 2-lane roads intersected with a gas station at one corner, woods and a home on the other corners. This is Echola. As we entered the gas station, we saw many god and christ signs and a rifle printed on a sign emboldened with: “I don't call 911”.

Christians!

Two older (over 65) white wimmin sat stiffly at the counter. We asked about diesel gas to break the ice. They didn't have any and from their response I thought they wouldn’t sell us any if they did. Then we explained that we were traveling around the country looking for christians so we can talk about what is happening today in our country and our world.

“We don't talk about politics!” they both declared almost in unison. “We never have and we never will” they threaten.

Okay. They told us Echola started off as fox and then was changed to Echola. About 100 people lived there, mostly retired folks. The young people didn't want to farm anymore and went off to the cities. They talked about how there wasn't any money in it for them so Rae asked if this was not talking about politics. They vigorously shook their heads and said no.

They claimed they didn't care about what was happening in the rest of the country or world. And I’m sorry to say I believed them.

One womon reported she had health insurance because her husband had a business and got them great coverage. I asked her if she was concerned about the other 45 million americans who did not have health coverage and she said “No, the lord will take care of them.”

Okay. I asked again, now that they seemed warmed up and eager to talk, if either one of them was willing to talk about what they see is christian about bush. They both said a resounding “No!”

One womon said she had raised 4 children and was taking life easy and didn't think she was capable of contributing to politics. In fact, she thought wimmin had no business in politics, that we should leave it up to the men. “It has always been that way, here in Echola, and it will always be that way,” she unequivocally states, eliciting a huge smile and energetic nodding from her companion.

Okay.

Leaving Echola, we drove about 8 miles to a gas station. There a prominently displayed large sign said: "Get your path straight - jesus is king".

I asked the skinny, hunched and shriveled although formerly tall elderly white man there if he was the one who put that sign up. He could barely hear and his hands shook as he talked with us. He declared it had been there forever, before he bought the station. As I was asking him if he was going to help us pink slip bush, Rae grabbed my arm and whispered “Let's go”. As we got in the truck, she pointed out the gun sticking out of his pants pocket! That was scary.

Off to Reform, Alabama – a city with more than a gas station and grocery store - although not much more. It looked like probably about three streets of businesses, including one main street that we walked up and down registering voters. Reform is an integrated city where we found strong African-american female support for kerry and against bush. These wimmin spoke firmly and loudly about the issues, including sending our children off to die in Iraq, bush's lies and anti-christian behaviors. A couple of wimmin wanted us to go to the tv station to let them know what we were doing. Several wimmin said they were going to pray for us and the success of our cross-country trip!

The white wimmin we spoke with tended to not want to talk, stating they don't know about politics, or stated that they supported bush. When we asked them how come they supported bush, they tended to say because their husbands told them what they needed to know, or they read it in the newspaper or watched the tv. I asked if they thought they were getting good, accurate information in the paper or on tv and they almost always admitted 'no' but they still do not want to talk about it.

We handed out or registered about 5 or 6 folks here in Reform!

We got 2 fuck you's in Alabama, 2 no's, and 9 yeahs!!!!