Notes From the Trenches - 20021224b Rambles and Extracts from Notes to Friends Narratives of My Travels James O'Connor Whitlock ------------------------------------------------------------------ 20021226A Revised every page in the new Web site at least a few times and continued tests with the listserv to optimize list parameters. There's just so much to do. I need to take a break for a few days soon. I just worked through the night. Too old for much of that anymore. We need some younger techie activists who have or find time and interest to invest. On my list. The christmas Lights vigils were great. Had a friendly chat with the police after they were called in on a complaint against us. VERY effective. Mike N's concept of a big rope-light "No War" sign is great! Make it flash. Make it look like the rest of the light displays and take it our next year. Too cool. Heat-packs are great for painfully cold extremities. A friend proposed New year's Eve vigiling and demonstration. Great! That's why community and sharing is important. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 20021224a The three volunteer researchers noted below could form the nucleus of the proposed Outreach WG. They might help build efforts to better define public needs. A focus group variant. BuffaloPeacePeople lists are now defined and partially tested. A Web site skeleton is also on-line. Testing fine points continues w/ development. I'm trying to pay attention to content organization, design and structure in a context that will allow transparent incorporation of shared content into branded sites -- but I have no special skills or experience in these Web design realms. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 20021222b I've been learning to facilitate meetings in a healthy new structured style lately and I like to use a gathering theme of hope -- for peace, for universal human rights, for unity, for all of us. A friend gave me optimism and I cherish and protect it like a small flame in a gusty breeze. We can be optimistic and hopeful. Our children understand. That's clear. All we have to do is nurture and protect them. Help them stay connected. Maybe provoke them once in awhile; keep those thoughts flying. And if we're all really just great big children, which is what I prefer to believe, then we can be optimistic and hopeful about ourselves too, although the path may be a bit more chalenging. We can do this. We are not alone. The others are merely still silent. They'll speak when they need to. Maybe we can resource them along if we understand what they want. I think that's the crux challenge. And I don't believe we've mapped it out yet. Three of us have committed to find ten new people opposed to war with Iraq at all and to try to determine what they want -- for example, a very simple statement or petition to sign. I've found about two out of four attempts picked up some degree of opposition and desires ranged from convenient *balanced* public debate to a very simple statement to sign in opposition to immediate war with Iraq. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 20021222 As for email being monitored, sure, I imagine it is. But there's not much I can do about that and I personally will not, at least at this point, allow fear to affect my own behavior. It feels like doing so would tacitly acknowledge and affirm the very actions I find so dangerous and reprehensible. I actually felt a twinge of fear nailing a copy of my placard to the front of my house awhile ago and in some ways it reinforced my conviction to do so. Fear? Here? In *my* country! For simply speaking out? No, I don't think so. All the more reason to stand up tall. At least until it gets a lot worse. And if it does, then we need a few bell-ringers to help get others motivated. And we need to know how far they'll go with otherwise modestly respectable citizens. I heard of a local book club of un-involved average folks who were actually afraid to check copies of Martyrs Crossing out of libraries for fear of triggering unpleasant consequences! They decided to buy new copies instead, Really!? Here!? In America!? Re What did you do on vigil?: Just stood silently holding my placard on the edge of the Christmas Lights path in Delaware Park for an hour. Last night from 5:30 to 6:30 but traffic increased dramatically during the second half hour. I tried a protected camping candle for light but it didn't take the wind. Had some LED flashlights though so it worked out fine. There are also lots of places where street-lights on the path are bright enough to allow drivers to read placards. Cars almost always paused to read my placard. I think I'll try to keep it up for a few days at least but will probably start closer to 6:00. Call if you want to join me. Re Vigil Afterthoughts to a friend: My little solo vigil on the Christmas Lights path was interesting, BTW. Almost no sign of contact or recognition at all from anyone. But nearly every car slowed or stopped to look and read. And in almost every car some mom or dad had to explain to wide-eyed kids staring curiously what that man in business dress and a silly hat was doing standing in the freezing wind holding a sign. And kids are smarter and more sensitive than most big people give them credit for. I trust them not to let their parents get away with too much.