Exploring Ways To Make Peace Within
Ourselves & the World

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Why Do I Write This Blog???

The easiest (and probably the most honest) answer to that question is: I don't know. It all started in the summer of 2005, when I went to Crawford, Texas ( a.k.a. the home of the prez's ranch, a.k.a. the home of Camp Casey) to support Cindy Sheehan. I wanted the world to know that, contrary to what one could read in the mainstream media, the peace movement was alive and well and large numbers of Americans did not support the war in Iraq. I wanted people to know that thousands of Americans were willing to travel to Texas and tolerate the heat, humidity, and bugs in order to support a grieving mother whose new purpose was to shine a light on the lies that led to the war and to bring home our troops so that no other mother would have to know the pain that she felt.

Over time, this blog has become more of an exploration of who I am, my spirituality, and how life works. I love life's complexities, exploring the shades of gray. I want to, as Rainier Maria Rilke said,

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

Maybe my blog is just one big question about what is needed in order for people to take the time to love and cherish each other and our earth. Maybe someday, I will "live along some distant day into the answer."

In the meantime, thank you for joining me on my journey. I welcome you to share yours with me

Saturday, July 28, 2007

The Verdict is in

Yesterday, I attended Carolyn's trial at the Westminster City court. It lasted eleven hours.

Denver Post article here.

Carolyn was charged with trespass and illegal assembly for sitting in Representative Udall's office in March. She, along with four others, were reading the names of Coloradoans who have died in Iraq, along with the names of many Iraqis who have died. After ten minutes of doing that action, she and the others were asked to leave. They refused, so the police were called. I need to say that activists had been sitting in the office for two days before that and that about 60 people had been coming in and out of the office, on this March day, in order to deliver their letters of concern regarding the war.

To save you the suspense, I'll let you know the verdict first. This was a verdict delivered by a six-member jury.

Trespass charge: Guilty
Illegal Assembly charge: Not Guilty

Sentence (ordered by the judge):
365 days in jail and a $1000 fine.

But he waived all but 30 days of the jail sentence and 1/2 the fine.

I'll write some of my observations and thoughts about the trial later. It is time to go to the Farmer's Market to buy my first big box of organic peaches this season.

Labels: Carolyn, Iraq War