The Counter-Inauguration Journey Begins Here
Sunday, January 16, 2005
At 4:45 in the morning, my mom, Mák, and I pile into the truck and depart for the airport, making two short stops in Berkeley along the way. My early rising efforts prove futile when I discover that the tiny pencil-shaped plane that I was supposed to be on has an electrical failure. The delay allows me to see Shira at the airport (and almost fly with her), get an extended lay over in Phoenix, and fly into Reagan National instead of Dulles… so perhaps my shocking electromagnetic force field is working in my favor! In Phoenix, I take a short day trip to some extraordinary red rock formations protruding from a park within the urban sprawl. From an alcove high up the rocks, Tzadik and I picnic, munching on delish sandwiches and green juice, and looking out over the city. I feel a bit sheepish in my all-black attire, already wearing long johns and donning my new pink petticoat… in Arizona’s 85 degree weather! But all is not for naught, because when I later step outside in DC, I am confronted with bitterly cold air.
But, I am skipping ahead. From Phoenix, after a moment of glorious sunshine, I jump on a plane to DC. En route, I sit in the bulk head and speak with the stewardess. She is a very friendly young woman, originally hailing from the Midwest, who has only been working in the airline business for four months. She tells me about her spiritual journey and how she, after a period of rebellion and uncertainty, had found hope through Christianity. After listening to me talk about my work with CodePink and the purpose of my DC trip to the counter-inaugural, she declares that she is a Bush supporter. When I ask her about presidential endorsement, she responds with the “Christian values” line.
When I ask what morals, specifically, she is referring to, she stalls and declares her lack of knowledge, and I can’t penetrate her opinion further. Here, sitting before me, is a woman who represents many women in this country: she is compassionate, generous, kind, caring, and wants to help make the world a “better place.” For her “better” means ending hunger, helping to construct houses and doing other volunteer work in “impoverished” countries, being a Christian (which she seemed to define as being active in the church, adhering to the opinions of her Colorado minister, and espousing the still unknown to me “values”), being anti-abortion, and supporting Bush’s war in Iraq, on the premise that we are defending our security and liberating a disempowered people. For me, “better” means a world in which each person has a right and an opportunity to a happy, healthy, beautiful, and free life. This inspires my solidarity work in other countries and in the US, and underlies my stance on being pro-choice and anti-war in Iraq. But here I was, sitting with the flight attendant, and noticing the similarities: we both have had profound spiritual journeys, and we believe that we are acting out of compassion for humanity and the earth. It’s just that the means that we believe will achieve peace and justice, that will lead to the fulfillment of our values, are, in some areas, radically different. I think this is the kind of interaction that we need to look deeply at in the forming movement, if we are to achieve broad-based support for ending this war and preventing the collapse of the US, and indeed the world. The fight is not between the ultra-progressives and neocons or between the atheists and the fundamentalist Christians; there is an uneasy silence that is growing increasingly loud between Bush supporters who find justice through inarticulate “Christian values,” and those who find justice through peaceful action that does not demand militarism or Constitutional prohibition of basic health care and social union rights, to name just a few examples.
And there is a sentiment, underneath these differences, that there are many people in this country who increasingly do not see a separation between church (Christianity) and state. When I bring up this separation, the flight attendant told me that this country was founded on Christian values. I politely reminded her that to my understanding this country was founded under the premise of religious tolerance, since its first colonial inhabitants had been fleeing religious persecution for their “unacceptable” beliefs. This is a deeper conversation that we need to be engaged in at this time.
When I reach DC, I am not greeted by my bags at the baggage claim, and do not see them until the next day. But I am greeted by my most incredible friend, Mr. Scott Paul, with whom I stay with for the duration of my protest adventure in our nation’s capital.
At 4:45 in the morning, my mom, Mák, and I pile into the truck and depart for the airport, making two short stops in Berkeley along the way. My early rising efforts prove futile when I discover that the tiny pencil-shaped plane that I was supposed to be on has an electrical failure. The delay allows me to see Shira at the airport (and almost fly with her), get an extended lay over in Phoenix, and fly into Reagan National instead of Dulles… so perhaps my shocking electromagnetic force field is working in my favor! In Phoenix, I take a short day trip to some extraordinary red rock formations protruding from a park within the urban sprawl. From an alcove high up the rocks, Tzadik and I picnic, munching on delish sandwiches and green juice, and looking out over the city. I feel a bit sheepish in my all-black attire, already wearing long johns and donning my new pink petticoat… in Arizona’s 85 degree weather! But all is not for naught, because when I later step outside in DC, I am confronted with bitterly cold air.
But, I am skipping ahead. From Phoenix, after a moment of glorious sunshine, I jump on a plane to DC. En route, I sit in the bulk head and speak with the stewardess. She is a very friendly young woman, originally hailing from the Midwest, who has only been working in the airline business for four months. She tells me about her spiritual journey and how she, after a period of rebellion and uncertainty, had found hope through Christianity. After listening to me talk about my work with CodePink and the purpose of my DC trip to the counter-inaugural, she declares that she is a Bush supporter. When I ask her about presidential endorsement, she responds with the “Christian values” line.
When I ask what morals, specifically, she is referring to, she stalls and declares her lack of knowledge, and I can’t penetrate her opinion further. Here, sitting before me, is a woman who represents many women in this country: she is compassionate, generous, kind, caring, and wants to help make the world a “better place.” For her “better” means ending hunger, helping to construct houses and doing other volunteer work in “impoverished” countries, being a Christian (which she seemed to define as being active in the church, adhering to the opinions of her Colorado minister, and espousing the still unknown to me “values”), being anti-abortion, and supporting Bush’s war in Iraq, on the premise that we are defending our security and liberating a disempowered people. For me, “better” means a world in which each person has a right and an opportunity to a happy, healthy, beautiful, and free life. This inspires my solidarity work in other countries and in the US, and underlies my stance on being pro-choice and anti-war in Iraq. But here I was, sitting with the flight attendant, and noticing the similarities: we both have had profound spiritual journeys, and we believe that we are acting out of compassion for humanity and the earth. It’s just that the means that we believe will achieve peace and justice, that will lead to the fulfillment of our values, are, in some areas, radically different. I think this is the kind of interaction that we need to look deeply at in the forming movement, if we are to achieve broad-based support for ending this war and preventing the collapse of the US, and indeed the world. The fight is not between the ultra-progressives and neocons or between the atheists and the fundamentalist Christians; there is an uneasy silence that is growing increasingly loud between Bush supporters who find justice through inarticulate “Christian values,” and those who find justice through peaceful action that does not demand militarism or Constitutional prohibition of basic health care and social union rights, to name just a few examples.
And there is a sentiment, underneath these differences, that there are many people in this country who increasingly do not see a separation between church (Christianity) and state. When I bring up this separation, the flight attendant told me that this country was founded on Christian values. I politely reminded her that to my understanding this country was founded under the premise of religious tolerance, since its first colonial inhabitants had been fleeing religious persecution for their “unacceptable” beliefs. This is a deeper conversation that we need to be engaged in at this time.
When I reach DC, I am not greeted by my bags at the baggage claim, and do not see them until the next day. But I am greeted by my most incredible friend, Mr. Scott Paul, with whom I stay with for the duration of my protest adventure in our nation’s capital.
posted by rae @ 4:52 PM
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