PUSHING DRONES

I sat under the Veterans for Peace canopy this morning and talked to many of the young Occupy folks who passed by our spot on their way to the primary gathering place in Franklin Park.  I was there about three hours before a young woman approached us carrying a large painting.  Turns out she spent the entire night painting this scene of a night sky with 50 stars, fields with amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, and a masked woman holding a banner that said that the blood we shed is for each other and not our nation.

She told us that she had a vision of the painting last night and wanted to paint it for us veterans.  All of us were very moved by her incredible artwork but even more so we were impressed with her loving spirit.  She asked us all to sign her diary.  The picture will be delivered to the next VFP convention in Miami in August.

Around 11am the huge July 4 parade began down Market St. and ended just after 1:00 pm.  As the parade was ending about 30 of us got behind a replica of a Predator drone (1/5 the actual size) that was mounted on a wheeled display.  We pushed the drone up and down the street and it was followed by people with signs, banners, and a bunch of white VFP flags.  Once the streets were reopened we crossed onto Independence Mall and circled around the area that was packed with tourists.  Pushing a drone, with replicas of Hellfire missiles mounted on it, gets the public's attention.

After wheeling the drone around for a good while in the blazing sun we returned to a still busy street corner and held a short rally with music and speakers.  I said a few words but cut them short because the temperature felt like it was about 120 degrees on the hot sidewalk.

I head back home in the morning on the train.  I was sorry I missed the parade in my own community today.  I heard that more than 30 people turned out for the joint PeaceWorks-Occupy contingent with an anti-corporate message in the Bath parade.  Thousands attend that parade and its a tough audience since so many of them work at the shipyard building destroyers.