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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

Monday, October 03, 2016

Crescent Moon, Veggie Oil, and Lambswool



I end up driving all day even though I hadn’t intended to. My delivery to Las Vegas canceled, I’ve decided to go to the Grand Canyon for a couple days prior to heading to Nogales. I need a dose of splendor and glory before I continue this trek.

Plus the rest area I plan to stop at is closed – a minor detail they forgot to mention at the preceding rest stop so I end up driving into Arizona. The rest stop is small with only 5 or 6 noisy 18 wheelers idling illegally in their section of the parking area. I park as far away as I can, even though it’s under a too-bright street light, finding diesel fumes and noise much more irritating than a little light.

But returning from the bathroom, heading for my truck, I see a beautiful crescent moon hanging next to a brilliant star in the blackest sky, and a big coyote sneaking quietly on 4 balls of feet passed my truck until she suddenly notices me, head shooting up, eyes staring into mine before she pivots and whips off into the darkness.

I’ve been anxious all day about my veggie oil, feeling her slow down on a hill, wondering if I sense a hesitation – I’ve purchased oil from a new person, which is always a risk, although I only put in about 10 gallons into the tank I’m running off, just to test it out. I had to change both filters immediately before I left town but now that I’ve driven 600 or so miles successfully, crossing the incredibly beautiful Tehachapi range, through the Mojave Desert and into Arizona – probably a gain of 3 or 4000 feet in altitude – I’m feeling more secure.

My trip is taking shape. I’ll be at the border protesting our fuckin wall we’re building and the ‘detention’ prison there. Then I need to be in Connecticut around the 20th of October, then in North Dakota at Standing Rock by the 1st of November.

I’ve added to my mission: I want to collect winter things to take with me to Standing Rock. I KNOW how cold the winters are there. Did I mention I gave birth to a beautiful, most precious baby girl in the midst of that stark ugly racist place? We arrived there in mid-October and it snowed, and left mid June and it snowed. We had to plug in our garaged car overnight or it wouldn’t start the next day. The first time I took my baby out for her 10 day old check up (do they do that anymore), the car froze on the highway because the anti-freeze was only good for 40 below and it was 70 below. We’re alive because a tow-truck was following us down the highway.

So it’s fuckin cold in North Dakota. I want to collect things like lambs’ wool lined winter boots, military-grade parkas, gloves, hats, down sleeping bags, 4 season tents, blankets, insulated undies, lined pants, wool sweaters, stuff like that.

Probably any propane and/or solar things would be helpful as well.

I’m thinking I’ll go to thrift stores as well as fb and email folks to see if others can collect and I’ll haul.




What is not here….



Taking the cutoff on hwy 46 going east from 5 to 99, I can’t believe the ‘development’ as I approach the near half-way point between the major north/south highways where the only visage of civilization between the almond orchards and artichoke fields used to be one flashing caution yellow light where the gas station was, next to a little convenience store, liquor store and an insurance office I think across the street with literally 2 blocks of houses.

Now omg the first thing I see approaching the ‘town’ is a giant walmart is 10 times the size of what the town used to be - & now the ‘town’ appears to be a convenience chain strip mall stretching for at least a mile of a row of single businesses flanking both sides of the highway – macdonalds, big o tires, all the fast food places, funeral homes, their back doors cushioned with a couple rows of identical brown derelict houses already looking decayed and deserted.

But what is not here is any trump signs, which I’m thrilled.

On the road again: the Anti-“him” cross-country voyage!




By the time I’ve rested, loaded my bike, my dirty clothes that I haven’t the time to wash, piled the rest of my food into my tiny fridge, it is still dark but the sun is about to rise. Normally when beginning a trip, I love to listen to KPFA for as far as those radio waves will stretch but I no longer have a radio so that ritual has gone with the demise of my truck lighter, which I need for the veggie oil system.

The skies are patches of brilliant red and all hues of blues, grays and whites this morning like a polished oyster shell. “Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning”, my dad’s voice rumbles thru my brain as I think about the marvel on my neighbors’ pathetic faces yesterday asking me if I felt the rain.

Yes we had a sparrow’s spit of moisture yesterday. I’m hoping these morning clouds, dense and contoured as sheeps’ wool, are the foreboding of rain.

I’ve two positives already before the sun pops over the horizon and blinds those of us heading east, forcing total concentration on making out the road ahead. I’m slightly surprised as I’m passing thru Castro Valley and heading toward Livermore, the bastion of nuclear experimentation and industry.

Traffic on the other side has been bumper to bumper since east Oakland and extending as far as I can see toward Tracy. UFB – yet I might have influenced more voters going that way…

By the time I take the cutoff to I5, I’ve received a couple of slightly disgusted head shakes – but mostly I’m ignored. I’m wondering if I’ve written too much on the back. I see people squinting to read and then passing by with blank unsure looks on their faces.

A couple of womyn take pics & grin broadly passing me.

I stop at the rest area where our Black Womyn’s Lives Matter: Free Marissa Caravan did our first impromptu protest out front of the bathrooms, holding banners, signs, singing and handing out flyers. I long for a banner to hold but my truck has to be it this time.

No one speaks to me. In fact, I’m assiduously avoided, or so it seems. I ask two young men hanging out at a picnic table if they’re registered to vote, regretting I have no idea where my California voter reg forms are at. They look at me as if I’ve asked have they seen my elephant. “We’re felons, ma’am” they reply. I tell them so what, they can still vote in the state of California. That’s when they tell me they’re from Georgia and cannot vote.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

All the way down I5 dotting the sides of almond orchards and mega farms, I see, with dread, huge red white and blue “Vote to Make America Great Again” billboards – and we all know what bigotry that stands for – and then even huger sky blue “TRUMP” sign with smaller print saying “California Farmers say vote for…”. I guess after traveling thru the country roads of Vacaville and then having someone graffiti my truck with his bumper stickers, I’m not too shocked. Plus I know this section of farmland is where anti-womyn’s rights pro-fetus signs usually appear.

So I’ve decided to engage his supporters when I can with ‘facts’ about Hillary like oh yeah, can’t vote for her, she’s had 5 children by 3 different men, committed adultery many times, gets away with not paying federal taxes because she’s filed bankruptcy of what a billion dollars? Meaning she’s screwed little people out of wages, services and materials by not paying them. Ever. Plus she’s never held a public office before – how the hell can she go from no governing experience to the highest office of the most powerful country in the land? And when/if they say ‘huh’? I get to admit my mistake and say, oh no, that’s your candidate…

But this engagement is predicated on the ability of people to reason and dialogue. I wonder exactly how many people are unable to do this in our country? I’ve a feeling we’re gonna find out in November.

IF and I say if if if he gets ‘elected’, the only ‘benefit’ will be that those people in this country that have been able to sleep comfortably and adjust their blinders willingly, will no longer be able to claim they cannot see the truth of our country.