Cindy has been away taking care of her mother since late Thursday, but Camp Casey has continued to grow and flourish. We are now in Camp Casey II as we call it. The Vietnam Vet, cousin of the man who shot at us, gave us his piece of land right next to the Bush ranch. We are literally on his fence. We have grown. Saturday night the place was packed for Steve Earle, his band and an hour of stories from the Gold Star Moms. Sunday night Joan Baez had us on spellbound with her voice...and she offered to stay on. That is if she doesn’t ruin her back sleeping out in the tent.
Tonight Joan talked to us about being an activist, told us stories of being with Martin Luther King, marching, sitting in at draft offices, and being in jail...each story had a song to go with it. Forty-five minutes later she said she would have to do the rest of the story tomorrow night. We yet again had our spirits lifted and our souls fed after a hellish HOT day in the Texas sun. Cindy called to let us know her mom was doing a bit better, she was able to raise her right leg and arm on her own, a good sign and she would be coming home soon.
The camp was abuzz today, so much to do to finish getting it ready for Cindy’s return and the plans for the coming weekend -- working on the kinks still in a camp that houses and feeds over 500 mid-week and who knows the volume on the weekend. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from Houston came by tonight to meet with the Gold Star Moms that now number 10, and to give a rousing speech and introduce Joan Baez. Margo Kidder aka Lois Lane joined us making the rounds of the camp and buying up a CODEPINK wardrobe. It was wonderful to see all the little kids running around today, their cries of delight bringing smiles to our faces. We spent the day moving from sobbing as we listened to the stories of the new arrivals of Gold Star Moms, to laughing at the joys of being in and creating community in the strangest and more difficult of circumstances.
I heard so many stories today of volunteers being sent out on errands for our needs and returning with the money and the item. Most didn’t have to pay after they said it was for Camp Casey, they were offered what we needed as a gift to the camp and blessings on our success. Not just that Cindy and the Moms meet with George, but that we end this stupid war. Tomorrow the county commission has a meeting to yet again try and find a way to kick us out. The pressure from the White House can be felt daily, if not in the camp, certainly in the stories they spin for their bulldogs: Drudge, O’Reilly and Coulter.
Newcomers continue to make their way up to the site and those who have left are calling to say they will be back. Only 8 days left before we are off and on our way to DC for the September 24th mass mobilization. Again, I encourage you to come. This is a once in a lifetime experience.
Jodie 8-22 camp casey II