Below are the 9 most recent journal entries recorded in rovingmadness' LiveJournal:

Friday, September 2nd, 2005
4:40 am	The Crawford protest is over. Someday I'll take the time to write down the rest of that story. Right now I'm in Houston, coordinating with volunteer groups to help people in Louisiana. I spent yesterday evening is the Astrodome, getting in idea of what conditions were from Katrina's victims themselves. The Astrodome was supposed to be where the desperate people in the Superdome were evacuated to, but in the dozens of people I spoke to, none were from the Superdome. One woman wad a secondhand account of murders over petty theft and multiple rapes within the Superdome, so some people have left to get the news out. Still, most of the people I spoke with had been picked up from the highway, with a couple who were rescued by boats or helicopters. At least 25 buses sat outside the Astrodome, with people onboard waiting to unload. They were starting to remain on buses when I arrived at 3, and the busloads only increased by the time I left at 10:30. These are exclusively low-income people, almost all black. Among the few thousand refugees inside the dome, maybe 20 were non-black. The refugees recognize this, too. One woman was repeating "Look what they doin' to us now, like a goddamn concentration camp." I talked with her, and when I asked who was doing this, she said "The white establishment." She had been on a bridge for three days, and had no idea where her sister or mother were. Several dozen refugees wore gang and prison tattoos, including the teardrop that indicates a murder. One of the few Caucasians in there wore Klan tattoos. Between those factors, petty theft and crowd justice, and tensions over overcrowding and deteriorating conditions, I expect violence in the night. Already around 7pm there was a secondhand report of someone masturbating in front of children. There were children carrying signs looking for parents and other family. People who only managed to rescue their pets were denied entrance, and pet owners were told the nearest pet shelter was a 7-mile trip, probably on foot. A grandmother sat with her 5-year old granddaughter, reminding her to do her homework and say her prayers. She said they saved the schoolbooks, but had to leave almost all of their other things behind. People were running out of cigarettes, and junkies of every type were going into withdrawal. Yellow eyes and blue lips betrayed any number of substance abuse and other medical problems. Coughs and sneezes predicted additional sick in coming days. I'm traveling with my friend James and two media folks. James and I are planning to go to Louisiana to help, and the media folks are friends headed the same direction. The activist group Veterans for Peace (whom we met in Crawford) is headed to an outlying area of New Orleans, and we're going to work with them. More updates as time warrants. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 19th, 2005
9:34 am	Road Trip! op·por·tun·is·tic (ŏp'ər-tū-nĭs'tĭk), adj. Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit. cow·ard (kou'ərd), n. A person who lacks courage; a timid or pusillanimous person; a poltroon. ---- Our opportunistic Coward in Chief is taking advantage of this latest tragedy in Cindy's family to tuck tail and run to Idaho, ostensibly for a fishing trip. We'll make sure he catches something. Details of when/where to aren't firm yet, as this is very new info. More soon. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 18th, 2005
6:45 pm	Cindy Update Cindy's mother had a stroke today. Cindy is traveling home to manage this additional tragedy, and will return soon. Her wishes are to keep the protest strong and growing, and if Bush shows up at this opportunistic time, "give him hell." Now more than ever, please come down to show your support. Dedicated protesters, veterans, volunteers, and activists are here from all over the country and internationally, and more are coming all the time. Please visit the websites for The Crawford Peace House and MeetWithCindy.org. (Comment on this)
2:11 pm	A letter to Laura Bush Dear Mrs. Bush, You once said that though you disagree with your husband on a lot of issues, you would never do anything to undermine his point of view. He once remarked that the world’s leaders must be prevented from threatening America’s peace. Heartbreaking as it is to write, I believe your husband has become that threat. As tensions grow within this country, violence escalates around the world. Many people claim your husband is responsible for these events. Please, support him by encouraging him to put and end to the violence and killing that have already claimed too many beautiful, hopeful lives. Please ask him to end his war. Sincerely, and with all my prayers, [RovingMadness] EDIT: Sorry, the reason for this post was anything but clear. Today, a large group of women made up of Code Pink members, mothers of Iraq vets, and other committed women made an attempt to deliver letters to Laura Bush at the ranch. This letter was my contribution. Being male, I didn't participate in the delivery. They're not back yet, so I'm not sure what the result was. More later. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 17th, 2005
9:46 am	USA Today completely distorts reality USA Today is running a story that I can't *officially* refute. Yet. I can offer my considered opinion based on personal impressions, though. Their story is that Cindy is discouraging people from coming to Crawford. My opinion is that Cindy intended to state her concerns that massive organizations might begin to eclipse the nature of her protest if they created too much of an overshadowing presence. My opinion is that Cindy wants everyone who supports (and opposes) *her* protest here, but not hordes of folks who just show up because a mailing list said to do so. If you sincerely support Cindy's protest, come on down. Ignore the fishwrapper that gets its circulation by shoving itself down the throats of weary motel guests. (Comment on this)
1:09 am	Crawford Press Update, and Call for Spanish Speakers Please spread this around! Univision arrived a few hours ago, and plan to stay for three days. They represent our biggest international coverage to date, with impressive viewership detailed at the bottom of this post. They brought with them a veritable library of Spanish-language wire stories, which we are working on understanding. It would be fantastic if they had more Spanish-speaking people to interview about the protest. Any Spanish-speakers who are on the fence about coming, let this be the sign that brings you here. The Spanish-speaking world wants to know what you think of Cindy Sheehan, the war, etc. I can't promise interviews, obviously, but I can promise cameras and microphones running around. This week, Crawford Texas is the place to be. Come on down, and *be* the people working to bring peace. According to a Univision.net press release, Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 98% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 80% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 27 Univision Network television stations and 1 non-Univision television station; TeleFutura Television Group, which owns and operates 33 TeleFutura Network television stations; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 68 radio stations in 17 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 4 stations in Puerto Rico; Univision Music Group, which includes Univision Records, Fonovisa Records, and a 50% interest in Mexico-based Disa Records labels as well as Fonomusic and America Musical Publishing companies; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at www.univision.com. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
10:48 pm	HELP from Crawford The Crawford Peace House needs a Vietnamese translator, whether in person or over the phone, pronto. A vietnamese man was just brought to the Peace House by police, and all we really know is he wants to see the President. He was riding through crawford on a bicycle late at night. We're trying to hammer out some comprehension. So far, we think maybe he arrived from Minnesota. His presence in the US has something to do with family and dental work, in addition to meeting with the president . We need help. He's a person who seemed to be in need, and the police officer (Donny) very kindly brought him to the best place for him, rather than taking him to jail for the night. He's among two or three dozen friends who have welcomed him now, but we still need to be able to communicate with him. Anyone with any Vietnamese, please call the Crawford Peace House at: 254-486-0099 (crossposted) (Comment on this)
10:48 pm	HELP from Crawford The Crawford Peace House needs a Vietnamese translator, whether in person or over the phone, pronto. A vietnamese man was just brought to the Peace House by police, and all we really know is he wants to see the President. We're trying to hammer out some comprehension. So far, we think he either came from Minnesota or maybe somewhere near Waco. His presence in the US has something to do with family and dental work. We need help. He's a person who seemed to be in need, and the police officer (Donny) very kindly brought him to the best place for him, rather than taking him to jail for the night. He's among two or three dozen friends who have welcomed him now, but we still need to be able to communicate with him. Anyone with any Vietnamese, please call the Crawford Peace House at: 254-486-0099 (crossposted) (Comment on this)
Monday, August 15th, 2005
11:50 pm	Bush's Fields Today is my second full day at the Crawford Peace House, supporting Cindy Sheehan in her effort to ask George Bush what was the noble cause for which her son died. We all remember the answers: they hate our freedom, they're evil, and so on. Imagine for a moment, drawing that connection. Imagine telling your neighbor, your boss, your mailman-- Your son is dead because they hate our freedom. You will never see his first child, you will never welcome him home, you will never, ever meet the woman he loves, because of those evil folks. Could you say that with a straight face? Those are the best excuses we ever got, and even they grew stale before the Iraq invasion began. I can understand Bush not meeting with Cindy. Cowards run from the strong like cockroaches run from the light, so I expect Bush to avoid Cindy indefinitely. What I can't understand is the reprehensible behavior of Bush's supporters. This evening, I was helping people park correctly. It's a constant battle. As I listened to Deborah the Parking Goddess tell me about local parking rules, a fellow volunteer approached us. He said, "Someone drove over the crosses." Both Deb and I stared. "Come again?" I said. "The crosses at Camp Casey, Arlington West," he said. "Some guy in a truck drove over them." At roughly 10pm local time tonight, a pickup truck drove toward Camp Casey along Prairie Church Road, for which Bush's Prairie Church Ranch is named. Just before the truck reached the beginning of the ever-growing rows of crosses, Stars of David, and crescents that make up the Arlington West memorial at Camp Casey, the driver stopped, got out of the truck, and attached a steel bar to the back with a chain. The chain was long enough that the bar dragged on the ground behind the vehicle. The middle-aged driver re-entered his vehicle, and deliberately drove into the memorials. Where his tires failed to erase a name, the steel bar certainly succeeded. He swerved along the side of the road, into and out of the rows of solemn symbols multiple times. Hundreds of memorials were destroyed over the Bush supporter's roughly 100 yard path of desecration. Courageous patriot that he surely is, he turned tailgate and drove off before coming within clear view of Camp Casey itself. I looked at some of the aftermath up-close. One fallen cross read Jason... something. I couldn't make out the last name. Another was Mr. or Ms. Taylor. Two dead people, who like Casey also gave their lives for platitudes and lies. Two dead Americans, two dead soldiers, two dead kids. Now, thanks to a faithful Bush supporter, we can't even read their names. Some of the mowed-down crosses appeared mostly intact. I have no explanation. Many people will blame heartlessness, or stupidity, or un-American-ness, or something else. The offender is an American, though. He was nurtured by this nation as surely as I was. I see no evidence that he acted out of anything but sincerely held beliefs, just as we are all acting. His support for war, death, and Bush lead him to this. He is part of Bush's base. This act was done in support for your president. Come here, no matter what side you're on. Be a part of this. If you support war, influence your comrades to behave a little better (or continue to destroy, if that's what you need to do). If you support peace, come be part of the movement, and work with some of the most committed and caring people you'll ever know. (photos thanks to the generosity of www.crawfordorbust.com.) (28 Comments |Comment on this)