I headed downtown. As I crossed over the 5th avenue bridge, the salmon were running and the seals were there too.
I attended the weekly peace vigil at Sylvester Park at noon. Normally, there is a just a handful of people. Yesterday, the Japanese Peace Delegation joined, bringing their truth about the horrors of war to Olympia. Buddhists who traveled down from Seattle, whose drumming and chanting called for peace in the world, joined us.
Early that evening, the Citizen's Movement to Impeach Bush/Cheney held an informational meeting on How to Impeach a President. About twenty people came to the library to learn more. People are angry at what is happening to this country and the abuses of the President and Vice President. It was amazing to watch their anger transformed into action. They found kindred spirits who shared their concerns and were energized by the fact there was something they could actually do! Many took petitions and made a personal commitment to engage their friends, neighbors, and co-workers in the impeachment process.
From there, I went to a concert by Dana Lyons (of Cows with Guns fame) given to celebrate the visit by the Japanese Peace Delegation and our joint desire for a peaceful world that is safe for all living beings. Dana uses humor and puns, which do not necessarily translate well outside the English language. His introductions to his songs were translated into Japanese, which was not an easy job. How do you explain his song about swimming in the river of denial as a play on the Egyptian river the Nile? The intrepid audience joined in swimming as he sang. Yet, he found some common ground when he discovered that they did indeed know the disco tune by the Village People "YMCA." Dana had used the tune and concept but changed the words to those about the WTO. He asked them if they knew what the WTO was. Translated, they said yes. He then gave his own definition—when the rich countries take all the resources from the poorer countries without a war. When translated, they applauded in agreement. What was most amazing to me was here you had an audience of people who did not share the same language but could use their arms to spell out the W T O! In the back, the children sang Dana's songs with gusto and people danced.
It was a joyous ending to an extraordinary day in Olympia and I am grateful for all those people who just by doing what they do created this magic.
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