oh shut up

all the highways thru the west & midwest seem to be named after wars & the men who fight them: the veterans highway, the purple heart highway, the armed forces highway; and the rest stops also - some honoring of men who are willing to kill - and to die. the militarization of our society is all around us. what if soldiers were not heroes? i started a poem with that focus - of course, my lap top died and so did my writings - that was the last trip.

nebraska is overwhelmingly pro-peace. i do not get one fuck you. i do interact with a middle-aged white woman who is studying the 'codepink:women for peace' side of my truck. i observe her from a distance - i'm jogging around the rest stop, trying to re-vitalize my muscles. she is taking so long reading that simplest side of my truck, i'm again thinking she's pro-peace. she's still there after i've jogged for 20 minutes, moving slowly down the side of the truck. i can't imagine what she's thinking so i approach her, a little breathlessly, and say brightly, 'hi!'. she turns to me & declares 'i love bush'. 'oh,' i say as friendly as i can, 'so you're one of the 36% of americans who still approve of the president. i'm glad to meet you. i'm wondering why you still love bush?' she glares at me & hurries up the hill toward the bathrooms, tossing over her shoulder a nasty 'oh just SHUT-UP'.

i'm not proud that i instantly yelled after her 'oh, that's why you still love the president - neither one of you can talk.' knee jerk reaction - i drove away. peace, sam