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MuseRider and I drove all day Tues and got to Waco around 7 pm. The most exciting thing about the trip down is we were listening to Ed Schultz and he said he was going to be in Crawford the next day. So we called him to tell him we were on our way. He said come by and see him.
When we got to Waco, we met DancingBear and we went out to dinner. Then we went to bed early. The next morning, we headed out to Crawford - it's about 30 miles west of Waco. We called The Peace House in Crawford and asked if we could bring anything from Waco and they said yes, will you pick up a girl at the airport. So we went to the Waco airport and picked up this girl who lives in L.A. She flew in to help. We spent the whole time we were there with her and she was a neat kid. We even shared our hotel room with her. She was like many of the people there; she literally dropped her life, got on a plane and flew in to help out. She asked us how she could thank us and we said join DU. And she had better!!
When we got to Crawford, we went to the Peace House. It was brimming with people. As soon as we got out of the car, Muse saw Medea Benjamin from Code Pink. There were reporters there filing stories, activists posting to their blog sites and lots of people working. There were 3 girls who cooked all the time. There was food out the entire time we were there as well as anything you can imagine to drink (no booze though). We stayed there until they asked us to go out to Camp Casey and pick up a load of trash. Muse had driven her pickup truck - perfect for trash.
So we drove out to Camp Casey. When we got there, Cindy was in the middle of a press conference. There were a bunch of TV stations there as well as newspaper reporters and CNN.
After the press conference, we walked over to Cindy's tent and introduced ourselves. She hugged us and thanked us for coming. All I could do was cry. Muse cried too. I told her that we each have two boys and we don't want them sent to fight in a war we don't believe in. And I think that if this war ends and our kids are not drafted, it will be because of her efforts.
We then walked around the camp and saw the crosses along the side of the road; that is impressive. They stretch for about a quarter to a half a mile. 1800 small white crosses. They all had flowers by them and some have pictures beside them and that made me cry again.
After that, we loaded up the trash. It filled Muse's truck bed. Muse and DancingBear drove the trash to the dump in Waco. They said they send pickup loads to the dump every day. And they recycle everything they can. There are that many people there; 100s come every day to support Cindy.
Then we went back to the Peace House and had lunch. All the food is vegan and very good. There was a variety of food out all the time we were there; a huge bowl of fruit and lots of crackers and peanut butter as well as coffee and tea. I asked if Ed Schultz was there yet and someone introduced me to his producer, James. James said Ed wanted Muse and I to be on his show! So we agreed to meet him out at Camp Casey in a couple hours. But first, we were recruited to clean the bathroom and hang a shower curtain. Muse and I made DancingBear hang the curtain because he is tall. :)
Then we headed back out to Camp Casey. We walked around, took lots of pictures and watched Anderson Cooper get ready to tape his show on CNN. We found James who said Ed still wanted us on the show. So we waited until he told us they were having technical difficulties and could we be on the show tomorrow. But we were leaving the next morning. Oh well.
After that, we went back to Waco, took badly needed showers and went out to dinner. Then we headed back to the camp for the peace vigil.
There were several hundred people there for the vigil. We each had a candle and walked in silence as a small group sang. It was very moving. There were a ton of reporters there and lots of TV cameras. Muse said she saw one of the cameramen crying. It was so wonderful to think of all the vigils going on all over the US at the same time.
The next day, we got up, drove out to camp and did another trash run. Then we were part of a press conference that featured women only. I met a mom who lives close to me who lost her son in the war in February.
They asked people there to write letters to Laura Bush and they walked to the ranch at 5:00 and delivered the letters to the White House staff there at the gate. We had already left by then but heard the White House folks were very nice.
We left around noon to come home. Right before we left, a guy in a red pickup truck came barelling through the camp. Then a guy drove through very slowly, with a passenger filming the camp. They seemed pretty strange.
The entire time we were there, we never saw more than 4 counter protesters at one time. They had a camp across the road. They were there watching our vigil and a couple of them came over to our camp and talked to the guys who were the security folks but I never did find out what they wanted.
Last night, DancingBear called to tell us that right after we left, a guy came out with a 5 year old kid and he parked his car and got out and was yelling "I hope Teddy Kennedy gives Cindy a ride home." He said Rush must have put the word out because there were a bunch of strange drive bys all afternoon.
Right after we left, Cindy got word that her mom had had a stroke so she left to be with her mom. Then last night, we heard her mom was doing better and
she is planning on returning this weekend.
Joan Baez will be there Sunday.
I am so glad I went. It was an amazing experience. I am recommending it to anyone who can manage to get there. A movement has started, folks. Be part of it.
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