The Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium's BRING GRAMMA HOME BLOG by Donna Dillman

Happy 18th birthday Elisha. As you move into adulthood, may all your challenges be handled with grace and integrity. I love you and I'm proud of you.

Scott Reid, MP for this electoral district, arrived along with his assistant, Carol, having picked Mike up along the way. Standing around the campfire, Mr. Reid got a hint of what living on the side of the road is like with the bone-chilling cold upon us. With good humour, he accepted the down vest and scarf offered, but declined the toque. Those present seemed pleased to hear of his intent to advocate on our behalf with the province. He also committed to joining with the mayors' delegation that is being planned. They will head to Queens Park for a meeting with the Premier later this month. A further commitment was made to research what could be done to support the issue federally. Thanks Scott. We are grateful for your interest and support, and I personally appreciate your visit and your concern for my health.

photos by Oskar Graf

Having planned to visit the site for an interview, the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) reporter was on hand to also hear Scott's message. Those with cable, can watch for that. With other news taking precedence, the Global interview has not aired. As far as I am aware, it is still scheduled for Sean Mallen's 5:30 p.m. National Show.

Dr. Gordon Edwards and Rob Del Tradici gave an excellent presentation to a full house at the Notre Dame Catholic High School in Carleton Place. We all came away more enlightened than when we went in. It was good to see some young people in attendance.

Dr. Edwards advises, "If you only ask one question of the Premier and his Ministers, grill them on what they are planning to do with the waste, much of which will be a burden for millennia." He also suggested that networking with organizations that have been through similar struggles is important to winning this one, and that contacting health organizations for their support would also serve us. If you can connect CCAMU with people who fit those descriptions, we'd appreciate it. APTN covered the presentation.

A head's up to Ottawa readers - ActCity Ottawa will feature a lecture/discussion on "mining rights- people's rights" On Wed. Nov 21st at 7 p.m. at the Bedford Mining Alert and Mining Watch Canada, 1064 Wellington St. http://ato.smartcapital.ca/actcity Guest speakers are CCAMU's very own Marilyn Crawford, co-chair of Bedford Mining Alert and Mining Watch Canada and Joan Newman Kuyek, National Co-ordinator of Mining Watch Canada.

And to Carleton Place readers - contact Jessica Fraser at nouraniumdownstream@sympatico.ca if you'd like to help create a C.P. CAMU. Mori remains popular, with people supplying her with litter and food. It's easy to see that she is an indoor kitty, content as she is enjoying the comforts of the heated trailer (as I am). Thanks to St. Paul's University for the lovely hoodie (do they still call them that?) and to those who have delivered wood and taken the time to visit.

Blessings,

Donna

With a full month behind me, the pressure is mounting to have me end my protest and go home to my family. I wish I could comply with those folks who have my well-being in mind and at heart. But, as Mike wrote to an associate today, this effort has had more attention in one month, than his 35 years of education on the bigger picture of why this sort of thing is permitted to happen. While that is a sad commentary, it speaks to the kind of action that gets attention. All to say that I am not quitting. No one knows what the next weeks will bring, how my health will hold up, but please know that I feel strongly that what I am doing is 'right' for right now.

I had information today that the response to "The National" report has been huge. What people are commenting on is that they did not realize that uranium mining was taking place in areas outside of the north. This is great. People need to know this. Please keep the letters going to the Premier, the Prime Minister and the 'responsible' Ministers. As well, whatever encouragement is being given the media, keep it on. Keep on doing everything that you are doing because it is working.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Radio-ecoshock this a.m. The interview may run on Nov. 9th, as a teaser for a program scheduled for Nov 30th, which will also feature Jim Harding, author of "Uranium - Canada's Dirty Secret," and author of a great letter in Nov. 6th Uranium News. It will also go out to 13 community college and university radio stations and will be streamed on Youtube. Once the program has aired, a link will be provided for those with high speed.

More questions: Having said that I was taking in about 600 calories, am I a nutritionist?

I am not. I got that information from the label on a maple syrup bottle, (based on how many tablespoons I use). The juice is a guestimate. I'm assuming no calories in herbal teas, since I don't add sweetener. How can I have only lost 15 lbs. over a month-long period?

When first denied sufficient calories the body goes into starvation mode, where it holds on to weight temporarily. I suspect that this has happened and, while I've lost 15 lbs. (for an average of ½ lb. per day) to date, I cannot be sure that that 'schedule' will continue, but I do promise to keep you up-to-date. What do I say to people who may be wondering whether my hunger strike is 'legit' and that "I should be in the hospital after a month without food?"

There will always be naysayers, in this case, those who do not believe me truthful. I cannot change that. In regard to why I am not in the hospital, all I can say is that I am as surprised as anyone as to how well I am feeling. It may be that my strength is holding as well as it is because there is a higher power at work, or just that I have a strong constitution. I do know that our fight is a good fight, worth the struggle, sacrifice and conflict that inevitably results. In any case, keep the prayers coming. I'd be pleased to welcome any skeptics to my humble abode. They are welcome to come spend 24 hours, or 72 for that matter, to see for themselves whether my actions here stand up to scrutiny. What can we do for others in similar situations, but without the settler support that this effort is blessed to be making history with?

If you have the time and energy for one more letter, please consider supporting the efforts of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) of Big Trout Lake, in their effort to hold off the presence of Platinex. There too, the Native population was not consulted before exploration began and, after spending 600,000 to 700,000 dollars, they have been forced to declare bankruptcy. For more info please see: www.kitchenuhmaykoosib.com and www.kitelecom.myknet.org

Tomorrow is my youngest daughter's 18th birthday. Happy Birthday Elisha. I will catch a visit with her (and a shower) before heading over to the Gordon Edwards talk in Carleton Place.

Blessings,

Donna

I had a fabulous sleep last night.  It was a quiet morning and I took time to speculate at how surprised and pleased I am to be ‘weathering’ so well.  I suspect others are feeling similar feelings.  Going in, I imagined that by the end of a full month, I’d be in far rougher shape than I am, energy/strength-wise.  Could it be that I continue to hold up so well because what I am doing here feels/is ‘right’ and, in conjunction with the efforts of others, the path remains clear.

Having internet service has definitely changed the look of my day.  I only spent about four hours outside today, compared to the usual 14 or more.  On the up side, the time was spent networking, mostly with radio stations across Ontario, and on an interview with Global TV.  They will air tomorrow night at 5:30 on Shawn Mallin’s show (I’ve likely spelled that incorrectly).  A positive response has quickly come back from radio-ecoshock, where they have already planned to speak with Jim Harding, author of  Uranium – Canada’s Dirty Secret, and will add a bit on our struggle here.

I neglected to mention that we had an unusual guest at the site last night.  Her (new) name is Mori (short for moratorium) and she is a feline, about 5 months old, mostly grey in colour, with very short hair.  Incredibly thirsty and hungry, she was inclined to devour the single can of dog food that I found, but, to give her stomach a chance to stretch, we fed her in little bits.  (That’s how we’ll be feeding me one of these days.)  I’m not sure whether she is lost or has been dropped off.  We’ve had a cat food donation and she is gradually getting her fill. Personality wise, she is a charmer. One of our MELT OPP officers has already fallen in love and I suspect that Kassia, Zephyr and Taegan will too when they visit on Wednesday.  We’ll wait to see if someone shows up to claim her before doing anything drastic.  Meanwhile, she is a lovely mascot for the site.

Today’s visitors included a couple of ladies who have been very active in Ottawa and in Carleton Place.  One, a member of Ottawa CCAMU, has written a newsletter and distributed 200 copies, with more to come.  I didn’t realize it when she visited, but she’s also responsible for the red ‘no uranium’ bumper stickers that you may have spotted.  The other has sent numerous handwritten letters to the Premier, the Prime Minister and various ministries and has had her ‘letter to the editor’ published in several area newspapers.  She’s planning to invite friends, feed them (potluck?) and have a letter writing party at her home.  This is an excellent idea for others to entertain and to spread around.  Maybe we could do it from here at some point, now that we have a nice warm spot to work from.   If you can join us at the ‘sit-in/picket’ at Premier McGuinty’s office on Friday, Nov 16th, throughout the day, how about handwriting a letter to deliver in person.

Scott Reid’s office called tonight and he will be out for a visit on Wednesday morning.  Scott is the MP (Conservative) in this riding and I’ve a personal connection to him, through Mike.

Blessings
Donna (and Mori – she enjoys ‘helping’ me type by walking over top of the keyboard)

The last day of my first (I say that hoping there won’t be a second) full month on site proved to be a lively one.  First off, I was able to get on the net, al-be-it briefly.  There are still some kinks, but it is looking very possible to get hooked up, via dial-up, to the world.

About 50 interested supporters showed up for the community meeting, which will continue every Sunday at 1 p.m.  An agreement is in place and the monitoring team will begin work tomorrow.  They will be doing a baseline survey to record where the exploration company is currently, so that they can come in two or three times a week and check the progress.  No date has been set for the mediation with the province and the feds, but the mediator has been agreed upon.  It is unclear whether the twelve-week period before drilling will begin starts tomorrow, or on the date of the first meeting.

I’m very pleased with Janice Kennedy’s column in today’s Ottawa Citizen.  Not only is it well written, but it also very well researched.   As to, “She gets under the skin of people put off by the implied arrogance of her action, by the suggestion that one ordinary person should make a difference,” the way I see it, everything starts with one person, but never in isolation.  For example, Ryan’s Wells Foundation www.ryanswell.ca is a huge and growing organization that has built 319 wells in fourteen countries because one six-year-old saw a need.  It’s ever been thus.  I’m a firm believer that changing the world happens one person at a time and somebody, ordinary or extraordinary, whatever that means, has to start.  In fact, in this situation it was Frank and Gloria Morrison, local landowners who were not willing to sit by and let the status quo reign supreme.  My action is one more cog in a wheel that they set in motion well over a year ago.

My schedule this week has me out at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, from mid afternoon to late evening, and from Friday mid afternoon to late Sunday or into Monday (if I can get some press, or a meeting with the Premier in Ottawa).  Please don’t let that stop you from coming by and saying hi to those that continue to keep the vigil on the side of the road.  If you are able to help financially, the “Bring Gramma Home” campaign would like to have some bumper stickers, buttons, etc. printed.  Click on the appropriate link (Editor’s note: How you can you help” tab) on the website www.ccamu.ca for more info on donating to help make this happen.

New numbers to report:  BP 109/66; Pulse 77; Weight loss 15 lbs.  (I continue to feel blessed that I had an extra layer to work with there.)  I’m still feeling very positive about achieving our goal and grateful for a good night’s sleep.
Love
Donna

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the days pass here on the side of the road.  Between boiling water, squeezing lemons, greeting visitors, keeping warm, making and tending fires, giving interviews (phone and in person), the time just flies by.

Today we were videotaped and interviewed by two students doing a paper on conflict for a course at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa and by a writer from a bi-monthly publication in the Killaloe area.

One of our MELT (Major Events Liason Team) OPP Officers was kept busy mediating over whether hunters would be allowed inside the gate for their annual hunt.  The issue is one of safety.  I’m personally fine with it so long as the hunters remain aware that there are people on this side of the gate.

One of our overnight guests, joining us for his first visit, came from Kingston bearing gifts of flour, oat flakes, rice, sugar, propane and organic chocolate bars.  It was debated as to whether the bars could be juiced but we decided that it likely wouldn’t fly.

News came that the twelve-week negotiation period will begin on Monday and that more news would be forthcoming at the community meeting to be held early tomorrow afternoon.  The campfire discussion this evening was stimulating, as is often the case.

If you have the annual Native Christmas gathering marked on your calendar, please change the date from Dec. 1st to the 2nd.  The hall had already been booked for the former date, hence the change.  Please do plan to attend; it should be quite a party.
Love
Donna

The sun rose over another quiet day on the roadside.  We have been so blessed to have had so much sunshine during the (almost) month that I have been here.  And speaking of blessed, I had the opportunity to soak in a hot bath before an evening meeting.

Thanks for the firewood, the down comforter, another pair of cozy hand knit socks and the juice that was delivered today, as well as to all of those who visit once or often.  Thanks also to everyone who has responded to Mike’s emails, to those who are phoning and writing to us, to the government ministries and the Premier. I continue to be amazed and awed by the support this issue is receiving.

The interview on Perth radio (Lake 88.1) went very well and was aired on the noon news.  If you would like your radio station to cover the story, please advise them that I am available for telephone interviews at 613-279-1905.
Love
Donna

Another relatively quiet day on the home front, with a visitor from Hamilton taking the long distance prize.  (The only prize is mention here, of course.)  Mike came by and altered the phone set-up to insure that no calls are missed.  He spent the night and left today (Fri.) to give a talk in Toronto tonight.

Getting a solar charge on my laptop looks like a possibility at this point, after which time I’ll see about getting a dial-up service so that I can be more ‘in touch.’  If that happens, it will certainly change how my days look.

Blood pressure was down slightly today to 97/74, with pulse at 68.  Having felt tired earlier than usual, I’m grateful to have the warm trailer to put my feet up in as the ‘need’ arises.  As much as I’ve learned to love the great outdoors over this time on the side of the road, it’s is also nice to have a cozy place to welcome visitors.

News came that radio station Lake 88.1 in Perth will air an interview at 12:05 p.m. on Fri.  As well, someone from ‘As it Happens’ is looking to connect.  There’s a nice picture with Zephyr on the front page of this week’s ‘Frontenac News.’  The story that accompanies the pic is well written.  Many thanks to Jeff Green.

Rock and Soul

Janice Kennedy

The Ottawa Citizen

SHARBOT LAKE, Ont. - The lake country west of Perth, a landscape of clear waters and boreal forests, could be a postcard for the True North Strong and Free. On the road up from Highway 7 into the interior, its sides defined by crags and dark outcroppings, travel is not so much across the Canadian Shield as through it. Precambrian rock, old as time, holds the planet's secrets.

One of those secrets is uranium, the heavy-metal element that offers new power sources through nuclear reactors -- and the dark possibility of destruction, through weapons and radioactive pollution.

It is uranium's dark side that has a 53-year-old woman spending hard days and nights by the side of a county road in the area, stubbornly cold and without food. For 28 days now, Donna Dillman has been on a hunger strike.

"It was something I felt I could do," she says simply, explaining this particular protest. "It was an attention-getter." She plans to take no food until the provincial government declares a moratorium on uranium mining in Eastern Ontario.

Dillman's home these days is a roadside patch of the rugged terrain 12 kilometres north of Sharbot Lake. A stretch of gravel and grass, it is dotted with flags, temporary shelters and signs announcing that "Our spirits will not be broken." The site is outside gates opening on to more than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) marked for uranium exploration and open-pit mining by Frontenac Ventures. Nineteenth-century provincial legislation allows the company to enter private and Crown land without permission and mine underground minerals -- like uranium, whose market popularity has skyrocketed in recent years.

The project exploded into controversy when a private landowner was outraged to discover last fall that Frontenac had staked some of his property and, subsequently, when the area's First Nations communities set up a blockade June 28. In a letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Chiefs Doreen Davis and Paula Sherman pointed out that the land is unceded Algonquin territory, and, "while we generally permit activities by non-Algonquins in our territory, and indeed welcome settlers and the development they bring, we cannot accept uranium exploration."

Their concerns are understandable. When released from the rock that encases it, radioactive uranium can contaminate both air and water. The tailings, pulverized rock left over after extraction, possess elevated concentrations of radioisotopes. They release radon gas into the atmosphere and seepage water contains radioactive material and other toxins. From the proposed mine area, that water would end up in the Mississippi River watershed and ultimately in Ottawa, where it could filter into the capital's water supply.

Frontenac Ventures, which says its extraction method is safer than earlier methods, claims its mine would have no measurable impact on an environment that already has plenty of natural uranium contamination.

Native protesters temporarily left the blockaded site two weeks ago to await the outcome of legal wrangling between them and the mining company. But Dillman is in for the long haul.

She has spent her nights in a sleeping bag inside a cramped camper van and, more recently, a hut. During the day, she walks about the small area or sits by a fire that warms shins and little else.

Even in the crisp sunshine of a late fall day, it is cold, with gusts of wind funnelling up the road to the site. This is the worst part of it, she says, this cold that penetrates her five layers of clothing and seems to come from both outside and in.

Matter-of-factly, she reports that she has headaches, sleeps poorly and gets dizzy if she stands or turns too quickly. To maintain her strength, she drinks herbal tea, juice and a concoction of maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper, which neutralizes stomach acid. She has dropped more than 12 pounds.

But she is awash in support. A nurse checks her every two days, and there are always people around to offer warm socks, fruit juice and companionship. From down the road, Hedy Muysson, 68, drops by three times a week. A former Torontonian who once worked with refugee children, she is profoundly opposed to uranium mining and hopeful about Dillman's protest.

"It has to work," she says. "There's no maybe about it. We can not have a mine here." The protest signs outside homes up and down the road echo her words. The Green Party, to which Dillman and her husband belong, has publicized her hunger strike, and leader Elizabeth May called her "inspirational."

Outside the area, and outside the environmentalist community, reactions to Dillman vary. Many are impressed by the obvious courage of her convictions, but others view her in a less kindly light.

She angers defenders of nuclear power and critics of newer alternative power sources, who see her position as unreasonable and extreme. She gets under the skin of people put off by the implied arrogance of her action, by the suggestion that one ordinary person should make a difference, by the maddening persistence of her self-denial, by her unspoken reproach to the comfortable. Some people just call her a flake.

"Hmm," she says, her smile wry. "I don't consider myself a flake. And I don't think what I'm doing is crazy. I'm here to make a statement."

Wife, mother of four, devoted grandmother, entrepreneur, all-round busy bee, Dillman lives a full, rich life she has no desire to endanger. Nor does she enjoy creating anxiety for her family who, she says, are torn about what she's doing, both proud and worried.

"But I believe in it. I wouldn't be able to keep going if I didn't."

Every second day, she writes Premier McGuinty, who has not yet responded. She wants him to know that uranium and nuclear energy are not benign. That area real estate values are being threatened. That the proposed mining project could endanger a million of his constituents, including family and friends in his home town of Ottawa.

Yes, she admits calmly, her politics and lifestyle probably belong to the "loony left." "But maybe it's time people started listening to the loony left. They've been saying things about cancer and asthma since the '60s, and it's all been proven to be true."

She met her current husband, environmentalist Mike Nickerson, at a 2002 Green Party convention. She has the gentle speech of the "alternative healer" she is in her other life. She practises reiki in the Lanark County home she shares with Nickerson and her youngest daughter.

But the strike and uranium fears transcend polarizing politics, she suggests. "We're doing this for our grandchildren. We could have the Band-Aid solution of power for 30 years, then we'd run out of uranium, too -- except we will have left a lot more hot spots behind and gene damage going into forever. It's not the legacy we want to leave, and I don't think it's the legacy McGuinty wants to leave."

She's willing to give an inch, though. If the government even announced an inquiry into a moratorium possibility, she'd start eating.

"Beyond that, I don't have an end date," she says, wind whipping her words, ancient rock beneath her feet.

"I'm here for the duration."

Janice Kennedy is a senior writer at the Citizen.

Settlers, the more the merrier, are invited to join the annual Christmas party put on by the Shabot Obaadjiwan at the Catholic Church (across from Timber Mart) on Hwy 38 at Sharbot Lake on December 1st at 1 o’clock.  There well be a short presentation on the sacredness of the land, followed by a feast (bring a desert if you are so inclined, but not to worry if you cannot).  If you are a man, please do bring a wrapped gift marked ‘man;’ if a girl age ten, mark your gift ‘girl - 10 years old.’  ‘Santa will be responsible for the distribution. This will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the solidarity, the friendships and the extended community that has developed here over the months.

We, at the site are waiting patiently and with anticipation for the negotiations with the governments to begin.

Special thanks today for the pair of Alpaca socks received from a somewhat local lady.  They are so cozy and soft I’m almost tempted to use them to warm my hands.

I’m including the rest of the “What you can do when times get trying?” list.
Whatever you are able to accomplish is one more step in the right direction toward bringing sanity to a society that is dangerously close to the edge in terms of resource drawdown, climate disaster, pollution and waste.  While the train is traveling one way and some of us are out of our seats walking in the other direction, we must get the train stopped and turned around.  Enough of us, working together, can do that. We are on a roll.

At the Community Level:

* Support and invest in local initiatives/enterprises; buy locally - i.e. a 100-mile diet supports local farmers and producers; when buying from a distance, support fair trade initiatives; start a community garden; The more we do such things, the more adequate local provision will be when transportation costs become unaffordable.

* Invest in conservation, renewable energy, and in sustainable infrastructure - soil fertility; forest management; community cohesion, (festivals, craft and information fairs, block parent programs, community radio, theatre, etc.)

* Participate in your local community or intentionally bring people together to form community.

* Make your opinions known: Write letters to the editor of your local paper; expand your personal communication comfort zone to let others know that you see perpetual economic expansion (and specifically, in this case, uranium exploration and mining) as a recipe for calamity.  Letting people know that you question the current direction gives them permission to question it as well, thus building support.

*Support people and organizations that are leading the way; begin discussion groups in your home, church, school or community centre and invite speakers; donate your time, your energy and/or your money to the effort.

* Develop/participate in a community currency or trading system and encourage others to do so.

At the Government Level:

* Write, email or call your MP.   (For MP's contact information, call 1 (800) 622-6232 )
Let him/her know that you support:

- The Well-Being Measurement Act  www.SustainWellBeing.net/WBMA.html
The WBMA measures environmental and social factors in addition to economic ones,
i.e.: unpaid work; extracted resources, both renewable and non renewable; food quality; community stability; income distribution; education; pollution levels; quality of employment; amounts of exercise & stress; participation in decision making; levels of violence and more;

- The enactment of laws/subsidies that encourage sustainable activities and discourage non-sustainable activities;

- The formulation of a more equitable tax system, which draws revenue from pollution, natural resource use and speculation, while lowering or removing taxation from local businesses and low-income jobs;

- Full cost accounting; Extended producer responsibility; Proportional Representation;
Reigning in usury and, ultimately, adopting a monetary system that is not based on debt and the consequent need for perpetual growth.

Thank and Blessings,
Donna

Into the 4th week here on the side of the road, more people are expressing their concern for my well-being.  I’d like you all to know that I expect to come through this just fine, with our goal accomplished.  Please be assured that, if I did not, I would quit the hunger strike today.  The daily letters and calls you are making and the actions you are taking to reach and educate others are making themselves heard.  As a society, when we make that kind of concerted effort we cannot NOT succeed.  Our job is to keep on keeping on and I, too, intend to keep on calling attention to this issue by not eating.

Someone suggested to Mike that governments refuse to be ‘held ransom.’  I was surprised (yes, I’ve been accused of being naive at times) to hear that someone considered that this hunger strike was a form of blackmail.  I don’t perceive it that way and I hope that others don’t and haven’t.  My aim is to influence the populace to act, as is our democratic right.  If I’m able to influence Premier McGuinty directly, so much the better, but it is more likely going to take thousands or tens of thousands of us to accomplish this.  And we are doing that.

A hunger strike is no more blackmail, in my opinion, than is the Native Blockade or a road closure for a rally. I am protesting what I think is a moral, ethical and deadly irresponsible decision by the Ontario government.  Given their commitment to consult with the Natives over mining on unceded territory, it was also out of integrity and possibly illegal as well.

Longest distance visitor today was Patsy George a long time activist from Vancouver.  She was in the area to receive the Order of Canada.  News came that the Council of Canadians passed a resolution at their annual general meeting in Kelowna, BC in support of a moratorium on uranium mining in Canada.  I’ve yet to see it, but I’m told that Elizabeth May put out a press release about this issue recently, and Jeff Green from the Frontenac News was here for an interview today.

In the comfort of the room temperature Dickey Moore Trailer, I weighed in with a loss of 12 lbs.  Does anyone have access to a small solar panel and a battery – something just large enough to boost the battery on a lap top computer?  With that I’d be able to get dial- up and that would plug me in to media and press possibilities.  It would also save the people who are running back and forth with the one gig memory stick some driving, not that any of them for even one minute is complaining.  Every part we play is important.  Thanks again for yours.

Blessings
Donna