We Share Our Message with Delaware Students

This is Lou. She is a 9th grader at the Wilmington Friends School in Delaware. After our presentation she came up to us and asked if we would take a picture of her with this sign she made and send it to the kids in Afghanistan (Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers). We were delighted to say yes, of course.

Yesterday we spent 6 school hours with the students at the Friends School. We spoke with 9th and 10th grade classes from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon. Some 11th and 12th grade students joined us whenever they heard the music playing.

We were inspired when we heard more students like Lou get interested and share their feelings. We had a lot of that. Jacob told his story 6 times yesterday and, likewise, we played all of our hillybilly peace songs over and over. We talked about how the ride began and how Jacob's brother, Jordan, made the decision to resist the Afghan war after receiving his orders to deploy. We talked about how the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers are struggling to share their message of peace in a world so easily accepting of violence. Not to mention how easy it would be for those youngsters to pick up a random Kalashnikov and join the violent anti-occupation movement. Instead, though, they choose peace.

It was these discussions about the youth in Afghanistan, Jacob and Jordan's stories, and peace songs that inspired class after class of Delaware students to stand up and raise their wrists to show solidarity. Even further, many of the Afghan kids and the Delaware kids share the same age. Very powerful.

We Are Off to Wilmington, Delaware

We were greeted by the local peace community this morning in Wilmington. We shared in a vigil where we waved messages of peace and justice. Then they treated us to lunch where we all scribbled peace wisdom on the table for the bussers. We took off down the road shortly after. Delaware is a beautiful place to ride a bike. We crossed the Brandywine Canal and cruised down quarter mile-long hills till we landed at the church that is housing us.

Though the message on the sign in the picture below is slightly misleading, it should do. The church has been very welcoming and accommodating. Big thanks to Tim, Sally, Sarah, Wayne, Judy, June and friends!

Sally took us out to a local food coop for groceries and delivered an inkind donation. Rus and I study coffee for 20 minutes. How exciting. Our itinerary is set for the weekend and we will begin tomorrow morning with what is being described as an Adult-Education class.

We left Philly this morning with some good hugs. We also pulled off a Richter-Family interview and gained some more insight into the lives of our hosts. Thanks again to the Richters for all their hospitality.

A Lunch Date With ARTTE and Insight from Elaine

Soooo, the daughter of our hosts goes on dates and then blogs about it. So Rus playfully suggested we all go on a date together, and then we did yesterday. And it was lots of fun. And actually, Rus bailed so it was just me and Jacob. We were joined by an interesting Russian woman who invited us to view her home/art exhibit. We were happy about the invitation but didn't go. We did have some interesting conversations, of course. She gave us all marbles and blew bubbles while we ate, and we gave her a wristband. I wonder how much more interesting Kat's blog about our lunch will be?

You can read more about it on Kat's blog; katrichterwrites.wordpress.com

The night before that we finished editing a video to share the wisdom and insight of our friend, supporter, and former host in NYC, Elaine Brower. I have posted the video here for all to view and enjoy.

Philly is a Whirlwind and Another Vet Becomes Victim to Suicide

Philly has been a whirlwind of presentations and meeting up with folks. We have playing songs in churches, in bookstores, community spaces, etc, having great discussions, and raising bicycles! We met up with Emma who is the lead organizer for the Bradley Manning Solidarity Network and she came to speak at one of our presentations yesterday. Our event last night at Lava went well and was a lot of fun. In attendance were some Civsol and IVAW friends who came out to support our ride. Lots of love coming around from every place. Thanks to all who have had us; UFPJ, Jane Dugdale and friends, Brandywine, the town of Radnor, Lava, Quakers and friends!

Some disturbing news came today, however, that I can get out of my mind. I'd like to start by asking a question that very much needs an answer; how does one still rationalize the “war on terror” after all that we know about the wars in the Middle East? Of all that we know – how about the fact that there have been more military suicides in the past two years than military deaths in combat! And we lose yet another today!

I received an email this morning from a veteran who shared his thoughts and feelings about his friend and fellow veteran, Keenan Rinehart, who became a victim to suicide last night. As the email pointed out, Keenan was alone in a community of civilians who seemingly refused to recognize and understand his struggle with PTSD and would likely have sent him back to war before going themselves, all while claiming they “support the troops”.

We can't do everything and we all have a lot on our own plates, but if you have the time and the energy, there is a growing movement of service members working their asses off everyday to shed light on the fact that many veterans are struggling with treatable ailments and do not get medical attention, and many times are sent back into combat. They need support. If you are fed up with the wars but support the troops, please dig into the work. You can start with the links at the top of this page (Civsol, IVAW, ARTTE).

Onward to Philly!

I know now why people hate hipsters, though I'm still committed to calling them snarkies instead. I mean, we didn't meet them, they just scowled at us from the their post at Starbucks seemingly frowning because we were taking attention away from their new boots. Otherwise, the ride into Philly was smooth riding all the way; beautiful day, blue sky, wide shoulders.

There was an instance where Jacob attempted some off-roading. I tried to reason while Russ volunteered to take pictures. As you can see in the pictures, my reasoning was abandoned for a thrill ride.

Just before this we had a delicious lunch atop a mountain, where we hopped a slow-rolling train and had some rest. Russ was super excited and pulled a "Rocky Balboa".

Philadelphia, by the way, has stop lights at every block. It does get a little exhausting. But our hosts are fantastic. Steve has the highest Boat Captain's license one can have and he pilots container ships going in and out of port. Debbie is a Code Pink regional Coordinator who, two days after hurricane Katrina hit, was in the affected region asking people what they needed and going off to find a store to fill her car full of food and other necessities. Debbie is a true American heroine. We are glad to be here in Philly with some good peeps.

Peace Action Princeton and Food Is Medicine

Our time in Princeton is almost up. We leave to tomorrow for Philadelphia and will be there for a week, give or take. Our event last night was a great turnout.

There was a potluck dinner to start and we ended with some music for all to sing along. Mid-day in a park we met some Princeton Uni students who joined us at our event to play along as well. We met up with them later to join a weekly folk sing along with fifty people or so all singing, strumming banjos, mandos, fiddles, guitars, mouth harps and so on.

Big thanks to Bob Moore, Carol, Carter, Kate, Manisha, and all the other folks at Coalition for Peace Action (Princeton) who showed to give support, ask questions, and share the message of peace. And for all their organizing prowess.




Today we have spent most of our morning singing and gathering food for our ride tomorrow. It is a small 43 miles or so and you can track our progress at http://trackmytour.com/b4FB3#79788 .

Most important about life on a bike is staying healthy and eating food for medicine, lots of water, and fancy flower, herbal blends for teas. I am a tea newb, but Jacob and Rus are medicine men, no doubt. Also important that we take note of the change in season and prepare our bodies for that transition. Thanks to Hamsa and Moshe for that reminder! Tonight we'll cook down some nutritious greens and grains, eat them for dinner, toast with some dandelion tea, and pack the rest for our trip out of town.

Radical Feminism and Goodbye to New York City

Our event last night was great space to say goodbye to New York City. We shared some music and Jacob gave his presentation in an intimate setting with some really great folks at a radical feminist bookstore in the lower east side called Blue Stockings. We are very thankful to have been there.







This morning we left for Princeton, NJ. We said goodbye to our hosts and took off down the road. Great riding in the morning through some homely neighborhoods. We were looking for a bike trail that would take us down to Princeton. We found it just past Rutgers in terrible shape from the last storm.

We tried to bear it, and we did for about six miles. We finally hit the county roads all the way into Princeton where we are being hosted by a local church.

9/11 Truth and a Volunteer Military

9/11 in Manhattan was a spectacle. We spent the day with some good folks who put together a great demonstration to tell the truth about the wars after September 11th. There was much to discuss, to take in, and we were able to meet many people and interact with them.

The photo above is Jacob with Jim Rider, an ex-NYPD officer who now works within the surveillance industry. Jim had come to heckle some of the demonstrators, remarking that the soldiers who die in these current wars volunteered to do so. Jacob reminded all of us that though there isn't a mandated draft, there is an economic one, of which Jacob was a part.

Jacob also suggested ignorance (lack of education, geographical isolation such as rural areas throughout the south) and the over-arching influence of military recruitment as the reason behind a so-called “volunteer” military. They ended their discussion with a handshake and a hug and Jacob asked Jim one last question; “Can you tell me a time in the Bible where Jesus advocated for violence?”. He responded that he didn't like to discuss religion on the street.

The day was packed with similar discussions and were typically constructive. Chalk was laid out next to rows of boots of fallen soldiers for people to write on the sidewalk how they felt. There was also a spiral of shoes worn by civilians killed in wartime at the end of the rows of boots.

We ended the day with a group discussion at a book store about our ride, Jacob's experience of transitioning from a soldier to a peace seeker, and a presentation about a new book that is coming out called “Redact This” which looks at art inspired by U.S. Foreign policy after September 11th.







Final thought; New Yorkers have a strange reaction to the idea of the 9/11 truth movement and it is likely not what you think. Even Jim Rider expressed that he could not easily ignore all of the evidence brought forth by the “truthers”.

Two Days Before the 10th Anniversary of September 11th

We are in New York City. We are in New York City two days before the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We are in New York City and it is a wild place to be right now. We joined a press conference at city hall about combating Islamaphobia on 9/11 and in general. Our host, Elaine Brower, spoke at the conference. Jacob George was called up to speak as well. We were all interviewed by several news organizations afterward and will update as they come in. We spent a good portion of the day singing too.

It ended with a BBQ with Elaine and her husband John and a documentarian making a film related to September 11th. Needless to say the conversation was intense, rooted in 9/11 sentiments, and a blessing for an Afghan war veteran, a revolutionary mother, a small town boy, and the father of a NYPD officer who did clean up work at ground zero, to share their thoughts together around the same table two days before the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

One Blue Sky Above Us All

Tonight was a speaking event at the Unitarian church in Long Island. We listened as Jacob shared pictures from his latest tour in Afghanistan as a peace activist. Once a combat engineer (explosives expert) in the war, Jacob returned to Afghanistan to meet with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, a group of young Afghans committed to non-violence. He returned just a few weeks ago.

His presentation included pictures of the people he got to know, including a young AYPV organizer with whom Jacob shares a common past of hills and farming. In the picture featured for this post you can see the blue wrist bands everyone is proudly showing. This material was bought in Kabul and is the same material and color with which the AYPVs make their scarves of solidarity. Tonight we all wore these around our wrists to show our solidarity with Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers. We will be sending this picture along to them. Their scarves are a show of solidarity with the people of the world. The rare blue color is their message they send and is a representation of one blue sky above us all. You can learn more about the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers at www.livewithoutwars.org

Special thanks to Susan and Chuck for their hospitality and commitment. The same to Claire, Jackie, Mack, Bill and all the attendees for their contribution and commitment.

No Anti-Muslim Bigotry!

Last night we attended a planning meeting in Manhattan about the counter-rally against the Anti-Muslim Bigot "party" that is set to happen at Ground Zero on September 11th. Together with union organizers, independent activists, veterans, Muslims and so on, we discussed the purpose of our ride and committed to being a part of the counter-rally.

I could have posted some pictures of the Manhattan skyline at night, but chances are you've seen plenty of those. So here is a pic of the folks down at the International Action Center as they appeared last night! It was fun and rewarding to see those peeps in action, fighting the good fight. This morning we are preparing for an event in Long Island. It may be important to note that we play music at events where appropriate. Today we will be doing just that. I'll post some hill billy tunes in the future.

We arrive in New York

We are here! After some preliminary spiritual rendezvous with some great people from Fayetteville, Arkansas, we have finally arrived in New York. Fayetteville, by the way, is what the American south was meant to be.

In a moment of symbolism, friendship, and solidarity, our travel up to New York was accompanied by Elizabeth Barger, of “The Farm”. Once, in 1971, Elizabeth was a part of the initial caravan that left San Francisco headed to Nashville, TN to build what has become the longest-lasting intentional-living community from that era. “The Farm” has had several books written in its honor. It was a pleasure to be with her and a symbolic moment for the ARTTE collective. Thanks to Elizabeth for taking the trek with us! And Don, for breakfast and a quick nap. http://www.thefarm.org/