For those of you who had hoped for an earlier update on the March for Peace arrival to DC I apologize. It has been a long, busy week for all of us, and I have not had much time on the computer. Here is a brief update on the activities of the week. I will be back in New York within the next couple of days, and will hopefully have the time and energy to put together a more comprehensive update.

Join the March 4 Peace as they enter Washington, DC!

10 am Gather at Arlington Cemetery metro

March across the ArlingtonMemorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial to 23rd N, then to Constitution Ave, then East to 17^th N, to the WHITE HOUSE!

DESTINATION:  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

1pm - Rally and Protest in front of White House
3pm - Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Training
Campout at Dark

march@marchforpeace.info

800-95-NOWARx715

This is a March 4 Peace Event

Endorsers include Not In Our Name, Code Pink DC

www.marchforpeace.info

www.notinourname.net

www.codepink.org

This morning, the March for Peace walked into Virginia, the 12^th and final state we will cross before entering Washington D.C. In the past month and a half, I have been in 8 of them. Although I started while the March was in Iowa, I did drive Tom back to his car in Nebraska when he had to leave, so I’ll count that as my second of eight.

The March for Peace is walking through the mountains in West Virginia. This is a difficult stretch; the hills take their toll, and we don’t have places to stay for the next several nights. We camped last night in the Fellowsville City Park. It was a nice place, but a bit chilly. All of us are tired and sore, are missing family and friends, but are determined to continue on to DC. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of my comrades on this remarkable journey.

Several readers of this blog have sent comments that have suggested that the March for Peace should not participate in Civil Disobedience when we reach DC. I want to take the time to respond to these comments, and explain why I personally, and some of the others feel so strongly about this.

If you take a look at the March for Peace website, civil disobedience is clearly listed as one of the ideals of the group. Although none of us will claim to speak for the others on specific viewpoints, political stances and motivations, we are all here because we embrace the ideals of the March. We all feel that times like these demand extraordinary actions. Dropping everything to walk across the country is one example of an action all of us have decided to do. Engaging in civil disobedience that may result in arrest is another that many group members will also undertake.

Some of you have suggested that this will somehow undermine the goodwill and positive press that the March has thus far received. None of us are here to please the mainstream, corporate media. If you know your history, you will realize that those involved in all of the mass movements that resulted in real change were also warned to “behave”. Abolitionists, Suffragettes, Labor Leaders, Civil Rights Activists, LGBTQ activists and others have been constantly urged to avoid arrest for fear that it would label them as “troublemakers” and alienate potential supporters.

It is true that we have generated a tremendous amount of goodwill. Thousands have marched along with us, brought food, water and money, and even opened their homes for the night. One of our biggest goals is to inspire others to take action, or to do more than they are already doing to create a better world. We feel that those who have been inspired by the march will also be inspired by the fact that some of us are willing to risk arrest for our beliefs. Just as we have never suggested that everyone needs to walk across the country, we are not suggesting that civil disobedience is the correct choice for everyone.

I personally have been arrested on several occasions. Each time, friends, family and co-workers have told me that my doing so has inspired them to do more. All of these actions have generated considerable media coverage, including outlets outside the United States. The people of the world are looking at the actions of our government and wondering why the people in this country are not doing more to stop the madness. They can’t see our t-shirts and bumper stickers, but they do see many of our acts of civil disobedience.

Rally in Indianapolis

Up until Saturday, we had a long stretch where we were lucky enough to sleep inside. Most nights have been spent in the homes of supporters. The few nights when there was no available housing nearby, folks donated hotel rooms. In Reynoldsburg, supporters found a hotel that was willing to donate rooms for the night. As the group walked out of Lancaster, OH on Saturday morning, we anticipated a few nights of camping.

Despite the fact that my Honda Civic is packed with the gear of seven people, we continue to fill it further with interesting things found on the side of the road. Tom, who marched from Lincoln, NE to just East of Des Moines, started this game. He actually gathered an almost complete set of crescent wrenches, which he took with him when he had to leave. The other marchers continue to find a wide variety of items.

It took me two days to drive from Brooklyn, NY to Des Moines Iowa, where I met up with the March for Peace. The trip back to the east coast has been at an entirely different pace. I have been with the March for over a month, and am now in my fourth state, Ohio. Ashley and Mike have crossed nine states. Antonio and Isabelle have also traveled through all or part of four. The “other” Mike is now in his second state. Art began crossing the country in March.

Last night it was getting dark, and we didn’t have a place to sleep. After a run of luck that landed us in the homes of supporters for over a week, it was looking like a night of camping out, and it was supposed to rain. We were in western Ohio, most of the towns didn’t even have a store, and there were no campgrounds on the map. Art’s foot was hurting, so we drove ahead to try to find a good place for the night.

On a regular basis, the March for Peace gets calls and e-mails asking what we need. For the most part, our day to day needs are met by supporters who offer us housing, buy us meals, and bring us food, water and other supplies. We deeply appreciate all of the help we have received along the way, and here are a few more things our supporters can consider…

The March for Peace is heading out of Indianapolis today. Although it was probably the most hostile city we’ve visited so far, support outweighed angry comments, yells and gestures by about three to one. We met another great group of people, were lucky enough to stay in the home of amazing supporters, and are marching out of town with four local residents brave enough to face the heat, humidity and discomfort.

I have been asked frequently by reporters and march supporters whether all of us get along. The truth is, any time six people are thrown together for weeks on end through difficult circumstances, there is bound to be some conflict. Still, for the most part, we get along well. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have wonderful networks of family, friends and others who have supported me and helped me get through challenging times. The five people I’ve spent the past few weeks with are truly an amazing group. Here’s a bit about each of them…

The March for Peace will arrive in Washington, D.C. sometime in early/mid September. We are shooting for September 10^th, although it is difficult to predict where we will be at the end of any given day, let alone a month from now. September is the month that General Petraeus will present the (lack of) progress report on the “surge” that began months ago. It is also the month that Congress will take up the reauthorization of funds to continue the illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq. We hope to see many of our supporters in D.C. next month.

Another World is Possible, and over the last few weeks I have been living in it. We have been traveling through Iowa and Illinois, marching past corn and soy fields, feed lots and through small towns, far from the big cities and coastal areas that supposedly contain the progressive, anti-war folks who would support a cross country march for peace. Nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the questions that reporters have repeatedly asked the marchers is “What has been the hardest part of the March?”  Last night, in a hotel room generously provided by our supporters, Isabelle had the perfect answer. To paraphrase, she said that the hardest part is not what the marchers have to endure, but rather the ongoing suffering of the Iraqi people.

The physical toll of walking 25 miles a day in the 90 degree heat certainly takes its toll on the marchers. In Iraq, it is regularly above 120, with perhaps a few hours per day of electricity to power fans and air conditioners for those lucky enough to still have a home and wealthy enough to be able to afford such luxuries.

Water is another of our main priorities. Each of the marchers goes through a tremendous amount in a day. In Baghdad, there has been no water for the last few weeks. The few drops that do trickle through the faucets are contaminated, and cause disease. My friend Dahlia visited her family in Basra a few years back, and was sick for days when she rinsed her mouth with tap water after brushing her teeth. According to the Geneva Conventions, an occupying power has the obligation to provide the basic necessities of life. This is one of many war crimes the Bush regime has committed.

Although we are often fortunate enough to stay in the homes of supporters, we regularly camp by the side of the road when it gets dark. This is nothing compared to the lives of over a million Iraqi refugees.

During these nights, I have been bit by spiders, mosquitos, and who knows what else. We all have bumps and bites, and have grown accustomed to the itching, scratching and the buzzing in our ears as we try to fall asleep. Thirteen year old Abeer Hamza had it far worse. Her family was killed by American Soldiers while she was repeatedly raped, and then shot, and finally her body was burned to destroy the evidence.

For the last week, I have been getting 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Ashley sleeps even less. We are not, however, waken up in the middle of the night and handcuffed. Our homes are not ransacked, torn apart, and even destroyed because our neighbors told the occupying forces that we were terrorists.

Mike is 18, Ashley 19, and Isabelle 23. That they have sacrificed their summers to walk across the country is remarkable. Murat Kurnaz, a German Citizen, was detained from the time he was 19-24. He spent this time in a series of detention facilities, including Guantanamo. He was hung from his wrists in shackles, beaten, and humiliated. He was recently released when United States courts found there was absolutely no evidence that justified holding him. Although exonerated, he was flown home to Germany in shackles, wearing a muzzle, opaque goggles, and sound blocking ear-muffs. He was denied food and water during the 17 hour flight.

Ashley, Mike, Antonio, Isabelle and Art have undertaken a courageous act of resistance. They are facing hardships on a daily basis, but nothing compared to those faced by the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and those held in Abu-Ghraib, Guantanamo, and the secret network of prisons across the globe. In solidarity with them, we march.

As the March for Peace was nearing Muscatine, Iowa, someone suggested that we should make a stop in the Obama office in downtown Muscatine. Especially in Iowa, many March supporters seemed to assume that we were somehow aligned with the Democrats, or at least whichever Democratic Candidate(s) they happened to support. Although I don’t claim to speak as the official March spokesperson in this blog, I can say that the March for Peace does not and will not align with any candidate or political party.

Over the past few days, the March for peace has grown from two to five, all who plan on walking all the way to Washington D.C. During the time I’ve been along with the March, I have seen Ashley and Mike do dozens of interviews with local and national media. It is inevitable that sooner or later, the “are you disappointed that others haven’t joined you” question pops up. Of course, there have been dozens of folks who have marched; some for a few hours, others for up to a few weeks, but now I hope that the media will let that question rest, and start asking some more significant questions.