8,000 mile road trip, America
Bring on Nader!
MVP Summer, 2004
Day 1: Thursday, July 14th
The Majority Visibility Project is on the road this summer, Seattle to Boston for the Democratic Convention August 26-29. It's 3,000 miles to Boston, and we are on the way.
Is anyone listening to Nader in the heartland? We wanted to find out for ourselves. Sure, it would be simpler to just accept the punditry of the corporate hairpieces on the tube -- America says Bush good! America thinks war good!, rah, rah, rah, etc.
Well, we want to know for ourselves, to either prove or disprove that our country is running this far amok. And on the way to Boston we're going to have a few chances to check it out.
We especially want to talk with "true" conservatives and mix it up with the "Kerry Democrats". Ralph has a powerful message for both these groups and we want to watch "heartland America" react to it. And to be meaningful, we have to see it straight, not through the blur of the corporate media.
This first two weeks we expect layovers to be with Nader supporters along Interstate 90 and 94. We want to do some low key visibility work and share what we've learned in California and Oregon. We want folks to see and understand and embrace the beauty and simplicity of these visibility techniques we've figured out and are using so effectively.
Once in Boston we're going to add to the rousing Nader presence around the Democratic Convention. We want to do some full-bore, large scale visibility to support Ralph as he takes on these sad and moribund Dems. Who knows how this is going to turn out? But we're 'having at it' and as far as we're concerned, this is as good as it gets -- righteous company on a righteous course... can't do better! Stay tuned! It'll be quite a ride. We'll keep you posted as best we can with this log and pictures.
Can't think of a better way to spend this summer! — yossarian, for the MVP
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Click image for photos of day 1 |
Day 2: Thursday, July 15th
Our unofficial Nader popularity ratio at this point stands at 5 to 1. That is, Five favorable responses from the motoring public for every one "flip off". So, yay! and yay! four more times! Let's hear it for Washington and Montana! (Idaho was a little grim... but then again, Idaho IS a little grim. Must be something in the water that has them clinging to George Bush, no matter how bad he gets. We're trying to figure it out.)
Tonight in Missoula we were unable to connect with our planned Nader contact at the University of Montana. Multiple unanswered calls and something of a fiasco with our various cell phones -- Sprint doesn't think Montana needs cell phone service. This left us pondering where we were going to sleep. But lo, a miracle... and who should appear but the former (year 2000) Montana state Nader coordinator who popped up out of nowhere on his bicycle and offered us convivial lodging for the night. We camped out on a deck next to the household solar cooker and the tomato plants.
It was great connecting with these folks. They are just starting up a business venture that is bringing bio-diesel to Montana! What a place! Apparently this area around Missoula, MT has the largest per capita Buddhist population of any city in the United States. Also, we were told that the original Native Americans around Missoula did not actually live in the area itself as it was reserved for vision quests and spiritual ceremonies. Of course now there is a Walmart store. Ain't progress great?
And who knows where we will stay tomorrow night... Forward. — Fraeda, for the MVP
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Click image for photos of day 2 |
Day 3: Friday, July 16th
I talked to a truck driver today while at a stop in southern Montana. He approached me and was friendly in tone, but wanted to know what was up with this Nader campaign. He made sure I understood that he didn't want to argue, but was curious. He went on to let me know that, as a Republican, his concern was that Nader was going to take votes away from Bush, throwing the election to Kerry! (We have actually heard this more than once, confirmation of what Ralph has been saying all along about his appeal to true conservatives.)
I told him that my big issue in this election is the war. He couldn't see it. Hard for him to understand how "people like you can't figure out that sometimes you just have to have wars to protect youself..."
His belief was that we had to fight in Iraq to protect ourselves from the terrorists; that we had to go to war with Iraq because Saddam supported terrorism and was a threat to the USA. He was clear that "anyone who thinks the (Iraq) war is about oil just doesn't understand what's really going on."
Unfortunately, to him, this misunderstanding about purposes was the fault of the media being too "liberal" and so "obviously anti-Bush." And this said with such honest belief and conviction... frightening.
By the end it was pretty clear that we were going to stay at cross-purposes because of our different information sources. We had it mutually agreed that both of us were sure that the other's information sources were tainted and faulty, if not downright dishonest. (Think Amy Goodman and Rush Limbaugh and you'll get the flavor...)
I pointed out that it was pretty solid that the Iraq war is all about economics and oil if you look at the proof of all past history. Throughout time and culture, if you want to understand the maneuverings of international foreign policy, generally it is a matter of following the money. That is where you invariably find the connections and the motivations. In this we actually found our common ground. We agreed that both Bush and Kerry are rich, elitist liars, it's just that he believes that Kerry is a bigger rich, elitist liar than Bush -- but clearly only a matter of degree. We parted with a hand shake and he wished me luck and thanked me for the conversation.
We find this typical of our interactions so far on this trip. We pull into a truck stop or a gas stations and get some stares and and maybe some head-shaking. But nowhere has anyone been anything less than markedly friendly in an actual encounter. God, I love this country.
We will have to drive most of the night in order to get into Rapid City by midday tomorrow. — Fraeda, for the MVP
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Click picture for photos of day 3 |
Day 4: Saturday, July 17th
We awakened this morning from a 3-hour "nap-in-place" along the roadside. The way this works is we have me and Emmia in the car and Mike out on the top of the trailer. This is looking good. We are rested and ready and see today as clear sailing -- burning across I-90 into NE Wyoming. We made Rapid City, SD at about 1:00 P.M.
Our connection here is with Tom and his 6-year old son Elija. (Tom's dog is named Ralph Nader!). Tom is the Assistant Public Defender in Rapid City and is as nice a guy as you can imagine. He is extremely friendly and amazingly comfortable with a rowdy crowd of strangers sleeping on his floor!
We also met Toby and Pat, traveling signature gatherers for Nader. They certainly fit one with one of the more pronounced demographics we have observed working with the Nader campaign: These guys are twenty-something, sharp, smart, well-educated and of the non-machisimo, no-big- truck variety. They are a joy to be around.
We are tired today but will be doing a large visibility tomorrow in Spearfish, SD, a town north of Rapid City with a city park festival full of folks just waiting to sign our Nader petitions! — Fraeda, for the MVP
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Click image for photos of day 4 |
Day 5: Sunday, July 18th
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Day 6: Monday, July 19th
Today we visited the "giant big heads" at the Mt. Rushmore monument, about 30 miles south of Rapid City, SD. All along the road leading to the mountain we were subjected to a lengthy horror show of cheesy roadside tourist traps and gee-gaw stands... America at the low, low end of commercialized crapola. Yikes,
At the monument itself the parking and viewing areas are now a "privatized" concession, but wait! It's still staffed by park rangers, complete with Smokey-the-Bear hats! Go figure. Thank goodness for the free market, complete with taxpayer funded employees for the concessionaires. Rah, rah! Well, that being said, the huge carvings are truly remarkable, set in and against these stunning Black Hills of South Dakota.
A problem with the trailer lights gave us a chance for interesting talk with the mechanic who put back on the road in short order. It seems his take on the situation was that Clinton is at the heart of all the big problems -- he was where all the trouble started. Our mechanic was a Gulf War I, Desert Storm vet who believed "we should have finished the job back then..."
We are noticing quite a range of awareness and opinion from folks we meet on this trek. The most common conversational pattern seems to be an immediate launch into the day's media buzz phrases, all in the first few minutes, and then not much in the way of follow through. Overall, it looks to us as though few folks are actively engaged politically, one way or the other. It just doesn't interest them. And we are strange because we have gotten ourselves all worked up about this stuff. Well, it will be interesting to see what a year of body bags coming home does to the conversation.
Driving on to Brookings, SD, just north of Sioux Falls, we will stay the night with Ryan at his fraternity house (South Dakota State University). — Fraeda, for the MVP
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image for photos of day 6
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Day 7: Tuesday, July 20th
Today is a rest and "catch-up" day. We had some serious auto work done on the NaderMobile (front brakes and a wheel bearing), uploaded all the pictures from the camera, and ate well -- sharing homemade lasagna with friends in Brookings, South Dakota.
Our overnight here is with Ryan, fervent Naderite and a student at South Dakota State University. The late-night talk included new information about Israeli training programs for the Kurds in Northern Iraq and and a fascinating discourse on the implication of recent studies in "thermal depolymerization". (check it out!)
Tomorrow we are back on the road to Madison, WI. — Fraeda, for the MVP
Day 8: Wednesday, July 21st
Drive all day to Madison, WI.
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Click image for photos of day 8 |
And
here comes a Yossarian Interval report: Well, obviously, our faithful
journaling broke down. But we made it to Boston, plus another 4,600 miles
around the country before we saw soft beds in Seattle, mid August. (And
our hard-charging Fraeda is still
at it even yet with the CrimeBuster Van #10 in Florida with
Ralph!
-- Actually, as of 11/27, Fraeda is now in Bosnia.
We are eager for her status report!)
Some day we hope to be able to process through all the pics and sort out the souvinier napkins, gee-gaws, etc. to fill out the trip record. But we have this damn serious campaign work just now that is keeping us topped out and cranking busy. The trip was great. And everyone should do something like this at least once in their life. Maybe starting right now? — yossarian, for the MVP
First leg, to Boston!
Day
1
Wednesday July 14th
Leave: Seattle, WA
Arrive: Ellensburg, WA
Day
2
Thursday July 15th
Leave: Ellensburg, WA
Arrive: Missoula, MT
Day
3
Friday July 16th
Leave: Missoula, MT
Day
4
Saturday July 17th
Arrive: Rapid City, SD
Day
5
Sunday July 18th
Layover: Rapid City, SD
Day6
Monday July 19th
Leave: Rapid City, SD Arrive:Sioux Falls, SD
Day
7
Tuesday July 20th
Layover in Sioux Falls, SD
Day
8
Wednesday July 21st
Leave: Sioux Falls, SD
Arrive: Madison, WI
Day
9
Thursday July 22nd
Leave: Madison, WI
Arrive: Cleveland, OH
Day
10
Friday July 23rd
Leave: Cleveland, OH
Arrive: Niagara Falls
Day
11
Saturday, July 24th
Leave: Niagara Falls
Arrive: Syracuse
Day
12
Sunday, July 25th
Leave: Syracuse
Arrive: Boston, Mass
