March 27, 2008
by Mike Palecek
SANTA CRUZ, California - "Take me off of your mailing list you arrogant, ego tripping ass."
You'll have to say please.
"I am not a pacifist Mike. Either remove me from your email list or if/and when you come to Portland you will leave in a body cast!"
That was an email exchange from one of my admirers after the column I sent out about Homeland Security and immigration from Douglas, Arizona.
Anyway, onward, huh?
I was in Los Angeles on Friday, at Track 16 Art Gallery in Santa Monica. Four of us who are in "Cost of Freedom" - Elena, Thomas, Rex, me - had a discussion with about twenty people about the war, war protests.
Part of the back-and-forth was about the lack of effectiveness of what we are doing to really do much to stop the war.
It's true. From way back when I started to write "Killing George Bush" up in my room in Iowa, one of the difficulties, besides knowing how to write a novel, was what good will it do.
I dunno. I did it anyway.
For all you who sent up prayers to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost causes - driving in Los Angeles [I call it L.A.] was fine.
I was even early and found the beach at Santa Monica, the place where they filmed some movies I'm sure, and the opening to "Three's Company," remember that shit show? Well, it's got the long line of palm trees and sand and skateboards, and now it's got an imprint of my fat butt in the sand. Maybe you'll see that in some of the movies they film there from here on out. I know I'll be looking for it.
Then on to San Francisco, the Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair in the Haight District, Golden Gate Park. I missed one of the turns on my Mapquest directions and drove around Chinatown for a while.
I sat at a table with Dan Benbow and Paul Corman Roberts, who also are in "Cost of Freedom."
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Lots of people there. Lots of people wearing black. The young people must do that these days. Didn't sell any books, but I was able to get the need to attend book fairs out of my system, probably forever.
I got to meet Tom Edminster, who was in the Community for Creative Non-violence in D.C. back in the day, along with Mitch Snyder and others. Tom now teaches ESL at a San Francisco high school. Tom and I have been exchanging emails over the years and Tom took the time to come over and see my while I was in town.
Also talked to Jim Fleming from Autonomedia and New York City, the one who risked his life to fight the crowds away after my reading at Bluestockings bookstore last year so I could make my escape into the night.
Afterwards Dan and his friend, Larry, and I went walking around the Mission district. We had a drink on a rooftop bar, looking out at the skyline of San Francisco.
Then we had supper, spaghetti, garlic bread, wine, prepared by Dan's girlfriend, Ariel.
Water for me, please. No drinking on this tour. No puking on church front lawns. I am waaaay too smart for that.
Larry wants to get a job in Bangkok. Dan is going next week to spend two weeks in New York City by himself, writing. Ariel is a Witch, capital "W." She is a nice Witch.
Today is Santa Cruz, at the Center for Nonviolence. I have a parking spot for my car and I see there is a movie theater close by. I might go see that show about prehistoric times, what's the name?
Tomorrow it's up to northern California for three dates.
See you there.
- Mike
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Mike Palecek [send him email] is an activist for peace and social justice. He served time in federal prison for civil disobedience and has run for US Congress. He has authored a number of books [click here to view] on behalf of the cause.
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