'Start, it's your example that caused our willingness to human-shield.' SL (text)

From a note to a friend - 

To my shock and delight, for the first time since I've been in DC I see some real Peace Makers beginning  to emerge - a small, largely mature cadre of folks from within Occupy, half of them Vets. 'Give me a military man to fight alongside any day.  Don't give me any cowards.'  Gandhi.  Like Diane Wilson, Col. Ann Wright, Brian Willson....

Based on visual sightings, the a fringe group that have one quadrant of the DC Occupy park, had armed with lethal mustard gas bombs and feces bombs.  I figured, that as usual, I'd be standing alone as a human shield, protecting and shielding our brothers and sisters in uniform, and protecting the deserved international good-will that the Good protesters have built with their Occupation.  I was wrong. I was not to stand alone.  There were another 8 that rose up, and we developed plans, we were standing together, for Brotherhood, no one gets abused, no double standards - the only and entire hope - the only thing that would be New, to Save us, under the sun.

And then, at midnight, we learned that the hostile group had self-destroyed the materials, afraid for their own safety - that the stuff might detonate and they'd be the victims. 

But we grew in Spirit through the trial, folks in Occupy grew as we've rarely seen in 60 years.  Morphing toward 1 Family, 1 Human Family, the only Hope, by whatever name.

As our cadre last night broke up, with the good news, at midnight, we went to sleep, exhausted from a prior sleepless night of vigilance. As I was leaving, the most senior in the group, a fellow for whom I have developed immense respect for his character, humanity, seriousness of purpose..., an AFL/CIO guy, 10 years younger than me, I've been watching him for months now, said, 'Start, it was you. It was your Spirit that rose us to this level of humanity, your Spirit,  your Example and the coaching you've shared with us.'  

The potential for hostilities continues, over the pending removal of the tarp on the McPherson statue, and further resolution on camping.  And now the reports of Right-Wing hostiles is no longer just a report - http://dcist.com/2012/01/man_sick_of_occupy_dc_tries_to_cut.php  .  So, I'll continue my recent pattern of recharging the laptop in the morning, and spend afternoons and evenings sitting, working, on the southwest edge of the concrete circle around the statue.

xx sl

ps:  It is such a tragedy how religiously, how scrupulously I've been ignored, marginalized, excluded by the DC activist 'club' ever since I've been here.  The young and just plain 'folks' that have come from all over to Occupy McPherson, weren't smart enough to do so, so for now anyway, I've been able to work some of the magic I'm placed here to work.