home again, home again

Hi everyone,

Well, after being a recluse here for about two weeks, I thought I'd better
write and let everyone know I am back in Mason City. My lack of speed in
writing probably has a lot to do with my lack of energy following the tough
spring. It is good to hear that even major US media is questioning the
trumped-up case for the war; it is still difficult to gently combat peoples'
stereotypes and prejudices about Iraqis and Arabs in general. It has also
been nice to come home and have thunderstorms almost every night, but not
too many rainy days. People here are commenting on our 'Camelot' weather,
and I can't get the theme song out of my head...

It was a tough spring, and I have felt as though I've come home from the
war. Many of you commented on the reflection I sent from my time over
there. It turns out that under the stress, I dropped a size in a little
less than a month, without really trying. I had been thinking while over
there that my clothes had just stretched out (a consequence of hand-washing
and drip-drying) which usually is fixed by running all my stuff through an
electric dryer when coming home. But no, everything's still pretty baggy. I
had a similar sudden drop last year during the invasions. Being surrounded
by so much disaster makes it difficult to think about eating, or really
anything at all. I wouldn't really complain about the downsizing itself,
but still, I cannot recommend this particular means of diet for others.
First of all, I don't think any of us have surplus friends to lose in
horrible circumstances. I recommend sticking to a a Nordic Trak.

On the topic of clothing, usually I wear out clothes in about three months
of project work, but was pretty impressed that my latest pair of jeans had
survived quite well. Yet oddly enough, after warming an office chair in the
Toronto CPT office for about a week, the seat wore through!
Hmmm...fortunately a yard sale (in downtown Toronto!) replacement pair saved
the day.

I have some pretty interesting speaking engagements coming up over the
summer--it is really my 'Lutheran Summer.' Beginning July 13th, I'll be in
Atlanta talking about CPT work and overseas peace work for the Multicultural
Youth Leadership Event, then up to Washington, DC by the next weekend to
represent CPT at the US Campaign to End the Occupation conference. [As part
of that trip, our Hebron project coordinator has asked me to meet with
members and staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. So far I have
a tentative date with the staff of the head of the Middle East Subcommittee.
Wish me luck. I'm glad I'm getting a workshop in on lobbying before I
go!] Then I'm home for a bit and over to Michigan where I'm speaking as
part of the Lutheran World Federation Post-Assembly Visitation program.
Finally, I should be running a display table at Churchwide in Milwaukee if
all goes according to plan. I'm looking forward to all, but I think with
the travel I should not take on any more speaking closer to home.

Towards the end of summer I may perhaps spend a short stint up at Grassy
Narrows, Ontario, with our newest project. The Anishnaabek indigenous
people there are trying to maintain their right to hunt and fish on their
traditional lands (as guaranteed by treaty), while the government is selling
off the trees on their land to logging companies which are destroying the
environment. So there is a nonviolent blockade of the logging trucks that
our team is accompanying. You can find out more about this by looking at
our website, http://www.cpt.org under 'CPT in Canada.' After Ontario, or
perhaps sooner, I will be heading east again into Iraq to shore up our
little team there. They are looking forward to my Arabic, I hear. It will
be a while, I think, before I am returning to Palestine. But I think also
it will be a much-needed break and change of pace.

In work closer to home, though, I'm also working to get a CPT regional
group started here in the upper Midwest. As of the latest training, I
discovered we have 2-3 more CPTers from Minnesota and Wisconsin, for at
least a dozen CPT-related people within a 3 hour drive of my house.
Regional groups are formed by trained CPTers and people who support CPT, and
gather regularly to share reports from the field, 'bond' (over food, no
less), practice violence reduction skills, and occasionally organize public
witness actions (like vigils against the war, etc). The group meetings are
really good places for people who are interested in getting more involved
with CPT to find out more. I am throwing this 'plug' right into the middle
of my letter because I do believe there are a few eager CPT supporters who
get my letter and might want to come to a meeting if I organize it for later
this summer. If you are one of those types, or know one of those types,
send me an enthusiastic reply...

I was going to write quite a bit more about my time in Canada, but that will
have to wait for another time. I should have gotten this letter out days
ago!

peace,

Le Anne