Vermont is, once again, dealing with legislative matters pertaining to the civil rights of it's citizens, this time in the form of gay/lesbian marriage. Once again the powermongers in the republican party are going the route of "divide and conquer" by accusing gay people of being fascists. Talk about projection! Check out this article. It's been an effective tactic for thousands of years and it still seems to work. By appealing to fear and anger people can be manipulated. It's such a tiresome cycle.

I had a great evening a few days ago. I met a couple who live in an amazing place near Owls Head mountain, a place I spent meaningful time in the late 1970's. They have invited me to proceed, with them, towards a future where I am living on that land with them, and with others. My job there will be to organize and manage the shared food garden. Am I excited?? It's my lifelong dream coming true. This week I will go back and spend some more time just walking around the place, and sitting.

I've been able to go at a reasonable pace this last week. I did have stuff to do, people to see, everyday, but I didn't run myself ragged. I am gradually seeing my peeps. I have been saying that I needed to come back to Vermont and make the kind of life that is really good for me, not fit myself into the american box, and it is happening. As things take form I will undoubtedly report them here.

Today I produced and uploaded episode 39 of the "Stories from the Road" program. I'm listening to it as I type. Ella Fitzgerald!
I'm back in Vermont settling in. I didn't realize until I had this comfortable place just how much I need to rest and decompress. I felt myself decompressing when I left Montana, but now having space to be comfortable in I really feel it. I'm moving at a pretty slow pace, in part because I want to but really, it's because I have to. I can't rush around. Next week is already booked with one thing every day; all good things, but I do need to pace myself.
I have a good feeling about the coming projects. Nothing is set yet but there are some exciting and interesting possibilities presenting themselves.

Upstate New York; it sure feels like "back east." Tomorrow Chloe, Lasky and me head to Vermont. Honestly I am so sick of driving, it will be great to land and take a few days to recover.

Two things of note, one is shocking information I heard for the first time tonight. There are commercial dog and cat foods that contain euthanized dogs and cats. Here's an article about it.

The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food

Also, the latest episode of my radio show "Stories from the Road" is available.

Sad news today. The military industrial complex claims yet another victim in Israel. The following is quoted from http://palsolidarity.org/2009/03/5324

13th Friday 2009, Ni’lin Village: An American citizen has been critically injured in the village of Ni’lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear-gas canister.

Tristan Anderson from California USA, 37 years old, has been taken to Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. Anderson is unconscious and has been bleeding heavily from the nose and mouth. He sustained a large hole in his forehead where he was struck by the canister. He is currently being operated on.

"Tristan was shot by the new tear-gas canisters that can be shot up to 500m. I ran over as I saw someone had been shot, while the Israeli forces continued to fire tear-gas at us. When an ambulance came, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow the ambulance through the checkpoint just outside the village. After 5 minutes of arguing with the soldiers, the ambulance passed."

– Teah Lunqvist (Sweden) - International Solidarity Movement

The Israeli army began using to use a high velocity tear gas canister in December 2008. The black canister, labeled in Hebrew as “40mm bullet special/long range,” can shoot over 400 meters. The gas canister does not make a noise when fired or emit a smoke tail. A combination of the canister’s high velocity and silence is extremely dangerous and has caused numerous injuries, including a Palestinian male whose leg was broken in January 2009.

Please Contact:

Adam Taylor (English), ISM Media Office +972 8503948

Sasha Solanas (English), ISM Media Office - +972 549032981

Woody Berch (English), at Tel Hashomer hospital +972 548053082

Tristan Anderson was shot as Israeli forces attacked a demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall through the village of Ni’lin’s land. Another resident from Ni’lin was shot in the leg with live ammunition.

Four Ni’lin residents have been killed during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land.

Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition on 29th July 2008. The following day, Yousef Amira (17) was shot twice with rubber-coated steel bullets, leaving him brain dead. He died a week later on 4 August 2008. Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), was the third Ni’lin resident to be killed by Israeli forces. He was shot in the back with live ammunition on 28 December 2008. That same day, Mohammed Khawaje (20), was shot in the head with live ammunition, leaving him brain dead. He died three days in a Ramallah hospital.

Residents in the village of Ni’lin have been demonstrating against the construction of the Apartheid Wall, deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004. Ni’lin will lose approximately 2500 dunums of agricultural land when the construction of the Wall is completed. Ni’lin was 57,000 dunums in 1948, reduced to 33,000 dunums in 1967, currently is 10,000 dunums and will be 7,500 dunums after the construction of the Wall.

Updates:

Orly Levi, a spokeswoman at the Tel Hashomer hospital, tells Ha’aretz:

He’s in critical condition, anesthetized and on a ventilator and undergoing imaging tests,” She described Anderson’s condition as life-threatening.

Israeli activist Jonathan Pollack told Ynet:

"… the firing incident took place inside the village and not next to the fence. There were clashes in the earlier hours, but he wasn’t part of them. He didn’t throw stones and wasn’t standing next to the stone throwers."

"There was really no reason to fire at them. The Dutch girl standing next to him was not hurt. It only injured him, like a bullet."

Update 11:50pm March 13: Tristan is sedated and in surgery, being seen by an ophthalmologist, and will likely be in surgery for some time.