Traveling with my dog and cat friends again! They are so great. We are at a campground in Wisconsin about 100 miles east of the Mississippi River. There is no one else camping, so Chloe and Lasky are free to do as they please. They roam a little, snooze a lot. Last night Lasky did her job, sleeping by me, keeping watch. She never needed to be told to do that, she just does it. When we are in a building she sleeps by the door. Chloe was in the car with her food and her litter box but she chose to come out and sleep in my sleeping bag...nice bit of extra heat too! I slept well, had breakfast, taking our time, we are heading out, planning on Badlands National Park tonight.

Yesterday we started in central Pennsylvania. I figure I drove 800 or so miles in about 15 hours. I was pretty tired, had only slept a few hours the night before, but it was a nice drive, beautiful weather, relatively peaceful. Some folks really do like to tailgate, but no other really whacky driving.

Today we cross the Mississippi River which always marks, for me, being "in the west." It's also so beautiful and clean up north, and I am aware of what happens to this living river as it travels through the southern part of North America, where it is used for shipping but also as a toilet for industrial and other human waste disposal. By the time it reaches the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans it's so polluted you could probably die from drinking a cupful. Sad. And yet it is still a living river at it's mouth to the sea.

OK, onward!

P.S. New episodes of my "Stories from the Road" are available on the WBKM archive page.

It's hard to know what to say, as I watch the american fascists in their boldest move yet, forcing the taxpayers into out and out slavery to the corporations.

Bush is bankrupting the country, as he bankrupted every other business he's run. The people must not let him and his cronies get away with this. They should be held accountable for the fortune of taxpayers money they have squandered and absconded. Bush came into office with a surplus! Look at us now.

I urge you to stand up and help impeach George W. Bush by contacting your representatives relentlessly, talking with your friends about what's going on. Bush is clearly a criminal. We all know it. Some of us are afraid to face it, some face it but are scared to speak out, some are speaking out. This our time! The people of the world are behind us and it is our responsibility to bring this criminal administration to justice. The cowardice of the american people, in this hour, will cost the world dearly.

The Bush/Cheney government through massive chicanery, illegal war (and war profiteering) etc. etc. has sucked bazillions of dollars out of the pockets of americans and into the pockets of a few CEOs and politicians. Now the Fed, a privately owned for-profit bank, is going to loan a ton of that money back to us, charging interest of course. And few are talking about it honestly in the media or in the halls of power. This is all a well engineered rip-off. How are the personal fortunes of the Bushes, Clintons, Cheneys, Rumsfelds, McCains, etc etc? ALL GROWING at our expense.

At what point will americans get it that they have allowed themselves to be utterly scammed, and hold the thieves accountable? I know, I know, most people are too busy watching TV and believing what they are told to be as outraged as they have a right to be. But it's time to rally. There are people in every town and city, in the hinterlands and even in the halls of power who see what's going on and are horrified. If everyone just speaks out, it will be a step.

A more effective step is to stop earning enough to pay taxes. That situation is being forced on millions of people who have financial obligations but you know what? Fuck your financial obligations. If you are foreclosed on, stay in the house and invite other potentially homeless people to live there with you. Plant a garden. Live free. There aren't enough police, soldiers, and mercenaries to throw all the people out who are being foreclosed on in this country. Let the banks fail. Fuck'em. Fuck the shareholders and profiteers, Fuck the CEOs with their golden parachutes woven from YOUR blood, sweat and tears. Fuck them. Really.

Check these out:

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009

I wrote a letter yesterday to the president of the APA, Alan E. Kazdin, PhD using the APA website http://apa.org/about/president/ask.html

I encourage others to do the same. Here is the letter I wrote:

Dear Dr. Kazdin:

I have been a clinical mental health counselor since 1985. I have extensive experience in the field as a psychotherapist. I tell you this just as a way of introducing myself to you as a person with appropriate background to make the following statements.

It seems to me that any health care worker who aids torturers knowingly in any way is going against the creed to "...at least do no harm."

I am glad to see that the APA membership rejected torture and aiding torturers, but I am concerned about the very high percentage of the membership who voted to continue to aid in torture. What kind of practitioners are these? What are their values, ethics, and what kind of therapists are they? I daresay these people should not be allowed to practice since their vote demonstrates a shocking lack of ethics, in my opinion.

I am emailing you to ask if the APA is going to issue a statement about what the role of psychological practitioners should be, and how it is incompatible with the values and ethics of the profession to aid in torture. I also would like to know if those who have been aiding the torturers will be held accountable.

I write this to you because I am concerned that there are so many APA members out there who may be causing harm to their clients. A person who supports the use of torture may be doing any number of unethical things in their work.

This is a short note, but I would be glad to have a lengthier discussion with you at some point if you are interested.

Thank you for your time.

It's Day 2 of our permaculture event in Keene, NH. Yesterday we had a session on the ethics and principles of Permaculture, then started on a sheet mulching project by moving the pile of scrap wood away from the area where a garden will go. Today we put down the cardboard and a layer of compost. It looks great! We are taking our lunch break now, and will then proceed to moving some lilac babies to start a new hedge, and sheet mulching another area. Tonight we're watching a film about Habitat for Humanity and a "blitzbuild" that happened near here in 2007.

The last week has included lots of visits with friends, making preparations to head west, even some time to relax in beautiful Vermont, where it is raining right now.

In discussions with friends the themes have been consistent; love and the amazingness of life, dismay (an understatement really) at the bizarre circus of American politics, recognition that this country and many others are currently being run by psychopaths, concern for Earth.

Here in North America, in the USA, there is a need for awakening, for awareness, for people to pay attention. What's happening is that the fear level keeps being ramped up by the government which has manipulated the economy so that most people in the US do not have financial security. The quality of food continues to be degraded because the government places profit above life in it's priorities and the food supply is controlled by corporate profiteers. Degraded food of course means a less healthy population and poorer neurological development for kids, so kids are children are literally being bred to be less intelligent. Less intelligence means less critical thinking, less questioning of the government, more "rah rah" militaristic culture, thus Sarah Palin for President (because McCain won't last 6 months if put in office).

There are so many things to write about, and I have to get myself together to leave the house shortly for more visiting.

A quick note to my friends in the US. New federal regulation. If you have more than 6 transactions a month from your savings account you will be charged a fee for each subsequent transaction.

My credit union charged me $21 for my 7th transfer of funds ($50!!) from my savings to my checking. This is a new way for the feds to rip us off and control the flow of resources i.e. money so watch out!

My dear 7 yr old nephew is doing well after being diagnosed with a small glioma on the top of his brainstem. Thanks to the many people who have been and are sending love and energy! Looks like they will wait to see what the tumor does...these often resolve themselves when occurring in children.

Most of my friends, maybe all, have been released from jail in Minneapolis. Injured people are receiving health care, the gestapo appears to have backed off for the time being as the Republican National Hypocrisy Convention has come to a close. I do know that there are 6 people being held on conspiracy charges. The feds need to prove that their use of force was justified so they will scapegoat some activist kids and jail them for years. Living with fascism.

I continue to think about and discuss with friends and acquaintances the reality of living in a world run by psychopaths. This needs to change, as a matter of the survival of Earth, not just humanity.

This has been a very intense 48 hours. I have been tracking friends in Minneapolis, some of whom have been brutalized, beaten, tasered, illegally detained, had their vehicle impounded illegally (a "regrettable misunderstanding" the Minneapolis City Attorney says) and on and on. I have a friend in crisis in Florida, and found out yesterday that my 7 year old nephew was just diagnosed with a brain tumor.

My antenna are up. I am back on Turtle Island, came back saying "I am ready to work" and it is in front of me now, to do what I can to help in these situations.

Coming from Europe, being here in the US, even in Vermont, there is a feeling of "the shit is just starting to hit the fan" and some people see it. Some folks are still hiding from their terror behind nationalism, religion, greed, consumerism etc. but there is a gradual shift in the direction of realization.

There is also the rapidly increasing militarization and lockdown occurring in "civilian" amerika. What happened in Minneapolis this week is the most blatant fascist behavior I have seen in a while. I personally know dozens of people who are in Minneapolis; peaceful creative resourceful loving people who have emailed me with accounts of multiple illegal acts on the part of the police, including the feds. There will be lawsuits, the taxpayers of Minneapolis will end up footing the bill for the violence of the government agents, and amerika goes on.

It is not surprising or a new thing that the more a government represses, the more radicalized the populace gradually becomes, until that repressive regime falls.

I am focusing in this entry on events in Minneapolis where people gathering to protest the criminal actions of the Republican controlled/manipulated government at the Republican National Convention. Houses are being raided, people are being detained and otherwise hassled and intimidated by the police.

I am posting some links here. Please look at them.

•Crackdown begins: Food Not Bombs house among Saturday raids
•Massive Police Raids on Suspected Protestors in Minneapolis
•NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51
•NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51 explained on Wikipedia
•Police State RNC: A Nun and Eight Others Swept into Unmarked Van by Cops in Minnesota
•Permaculture Education Bus Seized by Twin Cities Police at RNC
•Federal Government Involved In Raids On Protesters

On another note, here is a link to a live webcam in New Orleans for those of us watching closely.