A demanding detour
Topic: politics

With this post I detour slightly from my travelogue. The times seem to demand it. So here are two crucial items of quite different sorts. First, a public notice, forwarded to me by local activist Hank Stone, telling that Rochester’s “People in Black,” a philosophical descendant of Israel’s Women in Black and their weekly vigils for peace and sanity, will once again be witnessing at Twelve Corners. I’m proud to have taken part in some of these events, and I feel the need to be there now more than ever.

 

Second, Wayne County activist and chronicler Roland Micklem has published an eloquent statement that shows where he stands – unmoved, you might say, to the point of engaging in civil disobedience – on protecting the earth. The statement was inspired by a particular threat to a lakeside tract of land near Wolcott, but Micklem’s words speak universally of the environmental crisis, its economic roots, and what is to be done.

 

Next time, I’ll continue detailing my trip across the state of Michigan, with observations that connect to both the posts below - without any tortured logic or literary tricks from me!

 

PEOPLE IN BLACK

We are needed now--more than ever--given the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the continuing escalation of violence [now including that on the “second front” in southern Lebanon – JBS]. People wanting peace and justice must not be silent!

Next Vigils:

Friday July 28th

Friday August 11th

Friday August 25th

All vigils at 12 Corners in Brighton, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM.  Please bring signs, and bring concerned friends.

We invite participants to wear black to show solidarity with those mourning the loss of life in Middle East conflict.

PEACE.

Statement of Intent, 18 June ‘06 - Roland Micklem

Dear Friends, Family, and the Public at Large:

As of a date to be specified later, I plan to launch a one person campaign of civil disobedience to protest the abuse of creation by both our nation and the world community.

 

With the imminent threat of global warming and the near zero response by the power structure that controls policy, with rampant pollution, species extinction, soil depletion, disintegration of the ozone layer, and a host of other forms of stress on our life support systems, civil disobedience seems to be the only non violent alternative that stands a chance of raising the consciousness of a people caught in the throes of a system that is wrecking the planet.

 

I have been a law abiding activist for over 30 years, have for the most part without deviation followed the time honored protocol for addressing grievances in a free society. I have written hundreds of letters and newspaper articles, attended meetings, made my views known to incumbent public officials and aspirants for public office. But because control of the political system, the economy, and the media is concentrated in the hands of a relatively few wealthy and powerful interests, the democratic processes that have served us in the past has been severely compromised. We can no longer depend upon the halls of government to salvage what remains of the global ecosphere, or indeed to solve any of the other pressing human problems. Our local officials, tho basically honest and people of integrity, are also caught in the grips of the system and cannot alone bring about the changes so sorely needed.

 

I am taking my position, not only because of the inaction of our public officials, but because I no longer subscribe to the credo that it is acceptable to exploit the gifts of nature beyond what is needed for material well being. God did indeed intend that we use the resources He placed here for our benefit, but He also expects us to be the caretakers of same, and to make sure that the abundance of Creation will be available for future generations. And most of us, despite a lack of coverage by the mainstream media, can see that this is not happening.

 

There is a decided global connection between overall environmental deterioration and types of development that call for depriving land of it’s natural cover and covering any of it over with asphalt, or of unnecessary construction of second homes on land that is needed by at risk wildlife which face problems of dwindling habitat. Each of such ventures results in some water loss to the water table, a net gain to the earth’s heat budget due to the heat absorbing properties of asphalt, and a displacement of the flora and fauna. The effect of any one of these projects is minuscule, but multiplied thousands of times over the face of the land, the cumulative impact is severe indeed, and is a major if indirect cause of global warming, stream and air pollution, water shortages, and loss of biodiversity.

 

Whereas some development is necessary, few will argue that we are not overburdened with Wal-Marts, automobile dealerships, fast food franchises, and many other enterprises which encourage overconsumption and occupy what otherwise would have remained green space. Their presence in turn fuels the need for more out-of-control-development. Atlanta , Georgia, for example, has mushroomed to the extent that the additional square footage of hardtop radiates enough heat to produce the city’s own weather system. While this is not likely to occur in Wayne County, not one more foot of God’s good earth in our region should be paved over for any such unnecessary initiatives. When we begin to see each foot of contested acreage as the Hallowed Ground it truly is, we will not allow it to be desecrated by McDonalds or the Ford Motor Company.

 

When I hear of proposals for such businesses or unnecessary real estate development (such as may occur on Scott’s Bluff) on land yet to be cleared, I will, insofar as I am able, quietly appear on the scene and place myself in the path of the moving equipment. I’m not trying to play God, insofar as I make the decision as to which endeavors to oppose. I do not consider myself above the law and if arrested will not resist. I will be totally non violent, and pose no threat to any person or piece of equipment. But in trying to understand my motives, realize that I consider some acts legal but immoral, and other acts moral but illegal. I will be acting in the spirit of the latter, which is also the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a host of others who have used "soul force" to bring about needed change.

 

My actions are not part of any devious overall strategy, and I will countenance help from no one that harbors any kind of vendetta against those who will oppose me. My decision is part of a personal witness through which I publicly disassociate myself from the practices and mind set that are causing such troubles for the earth and its people, and do not expect it to be the genesis of any revolution. Long after I am gone from the scene, the same forces that I will be confronting will still be at work. But if I can blunt their impact just a little, I will pass on with a clear conscience.

 

Tasting the sweetwater sea
Topic: travel

I hate to rub it in. But my experience aboard the Lake Express ferry between Milwaukee, WI, and Muskegon, MI, shows how such a service can be done right. That is, differently than has been done, ah, elsewhere.

 

Lake Express Inc. runs three round-trips daily – the ferry runs only May through October, with a reduced fall schedule – across Lake Michigan between the two ports. The boat is small by Rochester standards, such as they are. It’s rated to carry 46 cars or light trucks and 12 motorcycles; the promo literature says nothing of bicycles, but mine rested nicely in one of maybe a dozen special mini-racks mounted on the bulkheads. The passenger cabins (first- and prole-class) seat around 150. So as you see, this is a boat that’s small enough to bhe viable economically, though questions about marine diesel and air pollution still apply.

 

The ferry also benefits from geography. It’s 280 miles between Milwaukee and Muskegon by road via Chicago and northern Indiana, versus 100 miles by water. Time on the road is estimated at five hours; the Lake Express catamaran gobbles up its route in half that time, even allowing for a slow passage through enormous Muskegon Bay.

 

Milwaukee has provided workable dockage for the ferry. Public entities have also chipped in loan guarantees, etc., and the ferry company’s business plan inspired lots of local commentary before the service began two years ago. But the investment at risk, both public and private, is much smaller that what Rochesterians have been treated to. You can see this not only from the scale of the ferry itself, but from the Milwaukee terminal, which is modest and utilitarian. Over in Muskegon, things are more spartan yet; the ferry docks at an old pier with minimal upgrades. Both terminals are in commercial-industrial zones that otherwise are low on boat traffic.

 

The service is not cheap. I paid around 55 bucks, including a $10 bike charge, for my one-way trip. By comparison, I paid $84, plus a $15 bike charge, for my 600-mile Amtrak journey from Rochester to Chicago. (Let’s leave the Amtrak delays aside, however costly they were in time wasted.) The ferry operators also have put a $6 fuel surcharge on each passenger and vehicle. This surcharge doesn’t apply to bicycles – simple justice, I guess. But when you consider that the other categories not subject to the surcharge are infants and pet kennels, you wonder what message is being sent.

 

Whatever my social status as a biker on board, I enjoyed the trip. Lake Michigan has real azure depths, straight outta Homer, and oceanic immensity. The dunes and mixed clay-and-sand bluffs that dominate the eastern shoreline are spectacular, too, and extensive enough almost to withstand the impact of modern tourism, the latter being synonymous, at least in moto-state Michigan, with promiscuous use of gas-guzzlers and off-road “recreational” vehicles.

 

(Next time: the two sides of Muskegon, and thoughts about other economically-stressed smaller cities in what is less a “heartland” than a dominion of the fuel-injector.)

Passage to Wisconsin
Topic: travel

The Illinois trail continues straight as a shot over and a good deal north of the Wisconsin border. I enjoyed riding it, though the trail gets a little tedious as the miles go by. Not enough changes of scenery. The experience reminds me of how I feel about rail-trails in the abstract. As proponents say, these trails also perform a service by “land-banking” rights-of-way that otherwise might be sold to private developers. (This sort of public-private transfer happened a few years ago in Monroe County, under Primo Privateer Jack Doyle, the thankfully former county executive.) On the other hand, many rights-of-way, particularly former trolley routes, should be supporting state-of-the-art light rail. I think of two historic routes in my neighborhood that now are multi-use rec trails: the old Auburn line that went through what’s now the Can of Worms at the Rochester-Brighton boundary; and the line that is now a paved section of the Erie Canal Trail in the village of Fairport. I enjoy riding these trails, for sure, but I’d happily share the space with a functioning rail service.

 

Most roads north of Waukegon, IL, lead to Milwaukee, WI. I had no trouble transitioning from trail to highway and finding my way into the southern neighborhoods of Wisconsin’s largest city. It was my first time there, and what I’d heard about this double-edged post-industrial town – that its local economy was among the hardest-hit in the country, and that its citizens were doing exciting things to bring the community back to health – seemed true. Milwaukee’s south side is an ethnic melting pot; I stopped at a well-stocked Italian market and loaded up with fresh whole-grain bread. There were just enough anti-Bush signs on porches and in windows to signal this was friendly territory.

 

I crossed a lowland area of old warehouses and empty factories (and aggressive motorists) on my way toward downtown. The historic business district, at least the portion of it I toured, is packed with mid-height 19^th-century commercial buildings that form solid “street walls.” A re-habber’s delight. An apparently brand-new café beckoned; I stopped for a bite and some essential caffeine, enjoying the odd urban quiet (double-edged again – a pleasant atmosphere made so by the unfortunate absence of dense commercial traffic) and begging information on how to get to the ferry dock.

 

All around me outside the café were students, at least two dozen, sketching on art pads. Guess there was some kind of class underway. One young man was kind enough to draw me a map so I could navigate the portlands and find the ferry that would take me across Lake Michigan. The map worked – but it turned out I had almost run into the boat as I came through the south side.

 

(Next time: I ride a properly-proportioned fast ferry that’s making a go of it.)

Tripping through the heartland, pt. 1
Topic: travel

I just got back home from a week-and-a-half on the road. Actually many roads, plus a little stretch on the water. And the 600-mile trip – three-quarters by bicycle, the rest by ferry and rail – taught me much about the state of the union.

 

First I traveled westward via Amtrak from Rochester to Chicago. Not too much to report on this leg, though a four-hour delay on a scheduled eleven-hour train ride speaks volumes about the status of passenger rail service in Bushlandia. The current administration is not the only one responsible for the decline of this sector, of course. It’s taken decades of neglect and underfunding and turning a blind eye to technological progress (compare European and Asian high-speed service today) to bring our once-proud rail lines this low. But the flip side is just as obvious: we need to support Amtrak while it’s down – by riding the trains and applying political pressure where it will do some good.

 

Back to the road trip. After a fine weekend in downtown Chicago at my sister and brother-in-law’s place, I headed north along Cook County’s wonderful lakeside trail system. The Lake Michigan waterfront is one of the country’s treasures, more so because it’s open to the public. The system isn’t so good that it could compensate for Cook County’s atrocious inequalities of wealth and power. No amenity could do that. But the lakefront is still a great pleasure, a model of what can be done when public needs are put high on the agenda.

 

The trail runs for miles past beaches, a golf course, greenspaces wide and slender, and magnificent clusters of shade trees before morphing into a rail-trail – or more accurately a railside trail – in Evanston. But north of this posh community, which is as much defined by leafy suburban splendor as by Northwestern University, the lakeside changes character. Things start looking more Rust Belt-ish, particularly in economically stressed communities like Waukegon. And the Great Lakes military base and hospital can’t be ignored, much as you try. Here we are, more than a thousand miles from the Atlantic or Pacific, and we’ve got a major naval installation held over from World War Two, when it may have served an actual purpose, and worse, pumped up by Pentagon spending into what must suffice for a regional economic anchor. Such is the price, I guess, of maintaining a credible deterrent to Canadian expansionism.

 

Another odd convergence: This afternoon I was watching Democracy Now on Cable Channel 15, and what did they have but a segment with a Vietnam vet and Veterans for Peace member who was arrested at a Chicago VA hospital just before the Independence Day weekend. It seems that Mike Ferner, who's been working with Kathy Kelly, founder of the Chicago-based Voices in the Wilderness organization, entered the facility while wearing a VfP t-shirt, an act interpreted as staging a protest.

 

Ferner, who mentioned he'd done his basic training at the Great Lakes base, said he'd only gone inside to have a cup of coffee. The wheels of justice are turning at this moment - more slowly and heavily than bicycle wheels, no doubt - and it remains to be seen if the charges against Ferner, including criminal trespass, will stand. Ferner wondered aloud whether the VA will come to its senses and drop the charges. I hope the brass try to stick it to him, actually. He'll beat the rap with no problem, and the VA will have a whole omelet on its face - and Ferner and Kelly's principled opposition to the Iraq war will get wide publicity.

 

(More instalments to follow about the trip, so visit this blog again soon.)

What part of STOP don't you understand?
Topic: antiwar
The Democrat and Chronicle’s resident sages have done it again: they attempted to define “a sensible war policy” but ignored the small matter of the war’s illegality.

The June 21 editorial rightly declares the war “the most important public-policy issue America faces.” But in identifying “the heart of the matter,” the editors find only three core tasks: first, determining what must be done to stop the insurgency; second, finding how the US “can “get more support in soldiering and money from our allies”; and third, “stopping the war profiteers.”

Amen to number three. Down with Halliburton, et al. As for number two, read the tea leaves. Italy is now about to withdraw its token force under stiff domestic opposition to the deployment, and there’s a history of similar troop withdrawals by other nations finally listening to their citizens. And of course, there were many more nations who never supported our adventure in the first place and wouldn’t touch it now with even an eleven-foot stick. Anyone who suggests the US now make the rounds with the begging bowl must be totally wacko or Gannettized. (On the other hand, if the US were to prostrate itself before the UN, a true coalition of the willing might form to pick up the pieces.)

And number one? Yeah, right, we’ll whip ‘em with one hand tied behind our back, just like we did in Vietnam. (Actually, we did win the Vietnam War, in the broader sense. US ruling elites did realize their core objectives: thwarting a nationalist movement with merciless physical force and reinforcing an old imperialist object lesson to countries who stray; then eventually re-integrating the wayward country into the “world system” as an offshore sweatshop.)

The D&C editorial writers caution against what they call the “let's-just-get-out solution,” which they say is a no-go because there are “repercussions to leaving Iraq in chaos.” Yes, there will be repercussions – more of what we’re seeing now, though probably not more in frequency or scope, and very likely less. But not just a host of analysts, but the Iraqi people themselves (minus our lackeys; think Vietnam again) are telling us to leave ASAP because our presence is making things worse. We should heed these voices, not least because they echo what our moral instincts tell us.

But finally, we have to get out ASAP because our war/occupation was illegal from the get-go and doesn’t acquire legality with age.

I remember what Stan Goff, a former US Army Special Forces master sergeant, told a Rochester audience last winter at a rally in support of US war resisters. (Confession to a class prejudice: I like Goff because he’s a radical non-com, not an officer.) He said, in essence, we shouldn’t fool ourselves with talk of an “exit strategy.” Military types know “exit” is an order, he said, not a strategy.

Indeed, to borrow a legalism with a good provenance, we must get out of Iraq “with all deliberate speed.” When you’re conducting a criminal military expedition, you have to pull back and pull out - and you should feel blessed if granted even the time to make travel arrangements.