SomeBackground http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/message/40079 NEWS from CRAWFORD/Events in the Works/New Forum Find below:
1. Supplies are plentiful, but people still needed 2. General news on happenings/plans in the works/NEW FORUM 3. Deb's advice on surviving TX heat and integrating into Crawford more peacefully 4. Maia Thomas, with Buddhist for Peace Fellowship and CodePink, brings us great insight from this past weekend's events in Crawford. 5. Call from Iraqi Veterans Against the War to "adopt a vet" 6. Song and poem for Cindy: David Rovics & Thom the World Poet -----------------SUPPLIES PLENTIFUL in CRAWFORD------------------------------------- DUE TO THE BIG HEART OF TEXANS, supplies being donated in Crawford are getting larger than demand. Please call the Crawford Peace House at 254-486-0099 to see what they need. The one thing that is constantly needed: ICE. They do need bodies ANY DAY/S YOU CAN GO, but be ready to work in some hot weather -- see item #3 for advice! -----------------General NEWS----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ --- A new networking forum has been created for ridesharing, news updates, links to blogs, etc. http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/ please "create a new account" and keep plugged in. Drums, Not War - Texas-based drumming group arriving tonite to drum for peace in Camp Casey. The full moon is Thursday-great week for camping! Slumber party in the works via CodePink Friday night (CP breakfast Sat. 8am at Camp Casey). Events are in the works for Saturday in Crawford. Bush is hosting Lance Armstrong at the ranch then...lots of potential since Lance has recently spoken against the war (saying money could be better spent on cancer research). http://www.counterpunch.org/zirin07272005.html A bike activist in Tulsa, OK, is trying to drum up support for a Critical Mass bike ride to Crawford very soon--to respond to Cindy's suggestion that this war is for oil. Save lives...bike to Crawford! Watch the new forum for news or contact Paul at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Event in the works for AUSTIN: Thursday, Aug. 25 in conjunction with: www.ustourofduty.org Stay tuned for more details. -------------Deb's unsolicited advice on HOW TO STAY COOL in the unforgiving TX heat & other tips on KEEPING PEACE IN CRAWFORD--------------- DEHYDRATION: drink lots of water BEFORE noon; before you have a chance to dehydrate ("if you're thirsty, it's already too late"). Toss a packet of "Emergenc-E" in a glass of water or drink other electrolytes (plenty have been donated to Camp Casey commisary)/ or Gatorade type-drinks at this point --go easy on them, tho, due to the high sugar content (don't crash and burn--keep steady energy with low sugar & starch, and a high fiber, greens and fruit diet--snacking on such thru day). Sodas, tea, coffee & juices, etc. don't count as water & in some cases, they detract from your water intake...YOU CAFFEINE JUNKIES: GIVE IT UP! That one cup o' joe will seep the fluids from outta the places they need to be (why force yourself to stay awake?--if your body says nap, do it!). If someone stops sweating and is gray and clammy and slurring - call in medical help asap (before calling 911 and creating legal havoc, note there are probably trained people in your midst). Above all...PISS CLEAR! Seriously! Yellow pee makes an uneffective activist! SHADE & WATER -- seek shade ("Easy Up" shade structures are cheap/as are tarps and rope) & stay in it, from 11am-6pm. If you have to get in the sun at all: use umbrellas/large floppy hats - guys, this is no time to worry about "being manly"! But you don't want your hat to trap heat in -- make sure it breathes; hot heads make for hotheads (and heat stroke). Use SPF 30+ suncreen, waterproof (since you're sweating, a good thing) - REAPPLY - don't forget at least one second coat before 3pm. Before that second application (don't want the fishies to ingest it!), use the creek at Tonkawa Park mid-afternoon...go with lots of friends so the snakes will stay away! A dip may be the difference between heat stroke and being an effective addition to the camp. OTHER "TRICKS": I use a "CamelBack" backpack/insulated water bladder with an attached hose/nozzle with nipple dispenser clipped to my shoulder so I get in the habit of sipping water thruout day; shy of such a pricey contraption--devise some way to have cool water available at your fingertips at all times and don't let your mouth get dry. MISTERS! Toss some cooler water into a spray bottle and spray your face/body -- offer to others who look like they could use cooling -- they'll love you for it. (I like to add in a drop of peppermint oil for ultimate cooling effect). Dip that hankerchief or hat or your shirt, for that matter, into that cold melted-ice cooler water and put on your neck/head/body. Eat. Don't let the 'full feeling' of all that water and the low-energy from heat trick you into not eating enough. You need the nutrients to function well: none of which come from sugars and/or bleached wheat flour and/or table salt (sea salt is GOOD! tho) or from animal fat or cheese, for that matter! You can make a hand fan out of anything. 100% cotton (or hemp!) is your friend. Keep checking in with yourself before others have to check in with you. ----KEEPING PEACE IN CRAWFORD------ "EARTH GUARDIAN" NEEDS Deb's identified: we need coordinated recycling - making sure we pack it up and get it back to Austin or Dallas or nearest recycling center (posting such info on the forum would be helpful). Please organize some micro-trash sweeps. Thanks to Maia Thomas for starting this process Sunday/let's work to maintain it. This weekend's crowds weren't well-versed on the concepts of "leave no trace" and "don't let it hit the ground." "MOOP" (Matter Out of Place) includes the little stuff...the bits of plastic wraps and cig butts (altoids cans and film cannisters make great pocket ashtrays) and string and that broken prong off a plastic fork and apple stems those stupid stickers on fruit all count as MOOP! If we leave Crawford cleaner than we found it, we will have done our part to 'live by example' as we call for the administration to stop raping and pillaging the world. There are some new folks from many different walks of life coming to bat right now. Peace activists, please actively relay the message of the power of using peace to address war -- such as by not yelling "IDIOT!" in response to someone yelling some insipid, jingoistic remark (yes, a parking volunteer at the Peace House did such Sat.) We're there to build peace, not make enemies of the locals. We're not there to lecture locals on feminist values. I personally smiled and waved when a right winger tried to 'throw me' by whistling suggestively at me. I can put on my "good ol' TXgrrl" hat when needed! :) ----------------REPORT from the GROUND this past weekend, from Maia Thomas------------------ Sunday August 14, 2005 Crawford, Texas USA # of Days at war with Iraq; 878 # of US soldiers killed; 1853 # of US soldiers number wounded; 13,189 # of Iraqi civilians killed; Estimates range from 23,000 to 100,000. We really dont know. Nothing is more powerful than an individual acting out of his conscience, thus helping to bring the collective conscience to life. Norman Cousins It started with Cindy. With her grief for her son, Casey Sheehan, and with her audacious and stubborn claim that she would camp outside George Bushs Crawford ranch until the President agreed to speak with her and answer her simple questions, Why did my son die? What was the noble cause that he died for? Camp Casey started with Cindys lonely resolve but has blossomed into a spontaneous convergence of the collective conscience. Since the beginning of her vigil, thousands have come to join her, putting Camp Casey and the tiny Crawford Peace House on the map and in the national eye. Camp Casey itself is a strip of tents, memorials and non-profit group tables lining the side of a small country road about a mile from the Bush ranch. The Crawford Peace House sits about 4 miles away in downtown Crawford, where it has sat mostly unnoticed for the last several years. Last week, the Peace House had $0 in the bank. The phone service had been disconnected. This week they not only have phones, they have wireless internet, DSL, and $85,000 in the bank, with which they plan to pay off the mortgage. It has become the staging area for Camp Casey operations, the welcome center for new arrivals, the donations drop-off, the telecommunications center and the media convergence area. Camp Casey has the feeling of a pilgrimage spot. Some people make the trip here just to see Cindy, to bring her a card, some flowers, or a homemade pie. Others come bearing car-fuls of gift offerings for the convergence- batteries, cash, protein bars, handi-wipes, computer gear, and lots and lots of bottled water. Some come briefly from far away. I met a woman yesterday who had driven, with her son, 17 hours from Ohio. A few hours later they were getting ready to make the long drove home again. I have to be back to work on Monday, she explained. Another woman told me Camp Casey has become sacred ground. It feels like it, with rows of white crosses, crescents, and stars lining the side of the road, each bearing the name of a fallen soldier. The atmosphere at the Peace House is filled with a level of industry and optimism that sometimes borders on mania. People stay up late talking politics, planning the next days events and helping edit one anothers blogs. They get up early and start the days work of keeping camp for the thousands of visitors passing through. Its hot and sticky. The Peace House electricity flickers from the overload. A passing cloud temporarily cuts off the wireless connection. A Texas State Representative spends the entire day shuttling visitors between the Peace House and Camp Casey. Long-haired vegans chop buckets of vegetables in the tiny kitchen. A 10-year old girl works the crowd, surprisingly articulate as she patiently explains who Amy Goodman is and why everyone should sign the petition to get Democracy Now on the radio in Dallas. So far today, I have organized the trash/recycling system, set up hand washing stations at the outhouses, been interviewed for a documentary about free speech in America, and made flower bouquets for the luncheon. Ive swum twice, once alone and once with new friends, in a natural limestone swimming hole complete with waterfall. An Argentinean man introduces himself to me. His son was killed in Afghanistan. Now this man travels the country speaking to high school classes, warning students of the realities of war and lies of military recruiters. He shows me a big card a class has sent to him. The students have written notes like, you really opened my eyes, I will think twice about joining the military now, and Your son really is a hero because he inspired you to come here and speak to us. My wife, he says, his eyes reddening, She is devastated and only cries. But I...I have to do something. Possibly the most novel aspect of the Camp Casey phenomenon is the growing alliance between military families and long-time peace activists. A man wanders through a room of busy media folks wearing a T-shirts saying, My daughter wears combat boots. A young man searches for his desert fatigues. He put them somewhere last night and wants to wear them this afternoon to the Iraq/US luncheon. A US colonel and diplomat, who resigned in protest over the Iraq war sits at a picnic table excitedly planning the weeks events with peace activists from L.A. Its crowded here. People stumble over suitcases, extension cords and each other in an effort to help. Tensions and voices occasionally rise as a result of too much coffee, too little sleep and an eagerness to get the work done. People smile and cry easily. They embrace strangers. The phone rings again. Someone wants to know how to get here from McGregor, Texas. It rings again. An artist specializing in aerial photography offers to create a shot of a huge human banner in a nearby field. It rings again. A female soldier is calling just to say, Thank you. Come to Crawford. Come to soak up the optimism and the camaraderie. Come to pay your respects to the dead and your respects to the living. But dont come empty-handed. Bring a case of toilet paper, a box of instant oatmeal, a stack of trash bags or a bag of breakfast bars. Bring your own ideas and your own optimism. Bring your belief that people working together are stronger than people standing alone. --------------CALL FROM IVAW------------------------- 1. People who wish SEND VETERANS TO JOIN CINDY may donate to Iraq Veterans Against the War. www.IVAW.net Or write checks to: IVAW P.O. Box 8296, Philadelphia PA 19101 (write "Cindy" on the memo line) 2. Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans - call Frank at: 610-931-9046 for airfare assistance, if you wish to stand with Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey outside the gates to Bush's vacation ranch. -------------SONG and POEM for Cindy---------------------- DAVID ROVICS--coming to Crawford in a week or so--wrote a song for Cindy just this past Saturday. (lyrics linked on www.davidrovics.com). ... He attributes William Rivers Pitt's article in www.truthout.org entitled Every Mother's Son. David also notes Chris Chandler's new song, "There's Something In The Air But It's Not On The Airwaves." It's the first link down after his picture on www.chrischandler.org. http://www.davidrovics.com/ www.soundclick.com/davidrovics ------------------------------------ FROM THOM the WORLD POET, http://www.vcomm.com/Poets/Thom/index.htm ---- Better that you go to her now,in that ditch ,in that tent outside Crawford Ranch where a five week holiday means more war(unless and until he listens to Cindy Sheenan).Character assassinators are hate radio mongering/ slandering her character in the same way they imputed treason to Purple Heart John Kerry... Her son died his first week in Iraq She (and eye)want no more dead No more dying.Better that you leave this poem/petition now-go to her.. Restore a human connection to assure and re-assure that not all are warmongerers that we are made of peace and wish no harm to other nations no mutilation of innocent civilians Credibility requires action These words my injunction Leave now.She is waiting Tell her eye said HELLO! Tell her eye want PEACE NOW! Forget this poem.Go to her.. THOM AUGUST 12,2005 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hvubppm/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705060682:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124144707/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992 ">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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