10 posts tagged “premier mcguinty”

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

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.

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

After a quiet start to another t-shirt and shorts, beautiful day, (can this really be Oct 22?) we were pleased to greet a film crew from The National this a.m.  After my interview, they spent time with Bob Lovelace before heading to Frank Morrison’s to film the staked claims on his property.  It will likely have aired by the time you read this, as it is scheduled for Tues. at 9 and 11 p.m. on News World, and at 10 on The National. 

It feels very strange to me to be in the ‘limelight’ having been content to be the major support person, behind the scenes, for so many years.  During the filming and throughout the day, the site was abuzz with folks milling about, meeting new people, talking about yesterday’s meeting, this a.m.’s filming and various strategies to insure a moratorium.

Long distance visitors included a family from England, a couple from Killaloe, who brought along firewood, warm clothing and other gifts; Green Party representatives from Renfrew County; and Eric Walton, who is the Federal Green Party Candidate from Kingston – and a personal friend. The Greens and NDP representative, Ross Sutherland, who has been at the site several times over the duration, continue to take an interest in what is happening here.  Our new MPP, Randy Hillier would be most welcome, as would Liberal Party reps. Perhaps they need more letters and phone calls to encourage them.

I’ve not mentioned that Mike is off on book tour in Montreal.  He and I have spent most of the last year and a half on the road with his latest book. Before my life took a turn and I ended up here, I had planned a Vipassana Retreat south of there.  Mike was to spend the ten days doing discussions in the area.  When my plans changed, he consolidated his and is away for just a week.  At the same time, Kassia and her family, having been in a car accident (they are all fine) on their way to spend a day with me a week ago Saturday, decided to go to Nova Scotia, while her car is in the shop being repaired.  They are visiting with her older sister, Terra Nova, in Halifax and helping celebrate Eliza’s 9th birthday.  All to say that I’m missing family, so it’s really great to be seeing so many community members, from near and far, that I have come to love and admire over the years.

Again today, I was fatigued by midday.  I actually considered a nap, but that time will come soon enough.  I’ve a letter to get off to Premier McGuinty today, and, as well, one to our new MPP to advise him of what I am up to out here in Robertsville, just in case he has not heard.

Love
Donna

The OPP landed in first thing to do their surveillance.  There was a bit of a stir when the landowner and a neighbour wanted to come onto the property and were denied access (by the OPP) while that was happening.

Around 70 people attended the open Native council meeting this afternoon to hear Ardoch’s lawyer explain where things sit currently.  Lots of people stopped by during the day – it didn’t hurt that the weather was bright and beautiful. It is clear that support is strong and growing.  The prize for longest distance traveled goes to a couple of gentlemen from N.B., while our highest profile guest was Frank DeJong, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, and a personal friend, who stopped in to check up on me. Soon the trailer will be heated and the hut is already cozy and warm, so please come by for a few minutes, a day or several.  Just bring your sleeping bag, pillow and toothbrush.

News came from CBC Morning Show that they were not going to come for an interview after-all because they had heard, erroneously, that the blockade was down.  (Although they are showing good faith and continuing their move to this side of the gate, until the ‘I’s are dotted and the ‘T’s are crossed, the Natives continue to hold the gate.)   I explained that to the young woman who called, but she was not convinced that there was still a story here.  From my perspective, whether or not there is a blockade matters not to my purpose and presence here.

In the meantime, I know that we will win this by people power and with the power of the Internet.  Whatever you are doing – whether it is writing Letters to the Editor; attending the site; getting a ‘Bring Gramma Home’ sign where people can see it; speaking to your MP’s or MPP’s and the Premier, sending emails far and wide, including this blog; copying the petition; speaking, or having someone speak to your group; getting together a coalition of grandparents (and honourary grandparents) in your town or city; making donations or holding a fundraiser, please keep doing it – something each and every day.  If you have some other ideas please run with them and let us know so that we can share them.

CCAMU is looking for people to picket the Premier’s office and hand out info at city hall in Ottawa (and possibly Queens Park, too).  If you are in Ottawa or Toronto, or can be, please let us know when you can spare a few hours.

Thanks to Philip Thompson for the fabulous sleeping bag - good to 25 below.  With some hot rocks and a hot water bottle inside with me, the cold problem should be licked (and just in time too).  Up till now, I had not been naming the people who have been supporting just in case they’d rather not have their name on the site, but I was assured that Philip would be ok with that.  Thanks for the note too, Philip. It’s incredible how the needs of the camp are met sometimes even before we put out a request.  Thanks everyone.

Today was the first day that I felt fatigued and my blood pressure was up, though still in the acceptable range.   Weight loss is in the 10 lb. range.  Mentally, I’m good and I’m feeling both disappointed - to think that what I am doing is not of interest - at least to one news program (expectations will get ya every time) and blessed to have the support that is here (and out there).  I’m also grateful for the break in the weather.
Love
Donna

Today is my oldest granddaughter’s 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Eliza. I love you.

As the blockade draws to an end, I want to say again how very grateful I am to the two First Nations for the sacrifices they have made to get the uranium issue to the negotiation table. We non-natives could not have accomplished this without their help and, of course, ours was needed to ease their way in staying the course. And the pressure must continue as we move into the next stage.

Saturday was another adventurous day outside the gate. The sixty foot Dickey Moore trailer, so generously provided by a community member, was moved onto the road allowance with some very capable help, that just happened to be on hand for the job. It seems that that is the way things unfold here; people just show up. The location of my little home away from home was then adjusted to allow easy entry into the ‘house that Harold built.’

After the moves, everyone lent a hand in tidying up this side of the gate. When my oldest daughter had just turned two, I had her in the bathtub one day while I was scurrying around the bathroom cleaning up. She looked up at me and asked, quite innocently, “Whose coming Mommy.” Two years old and she’d already figured out that most of my cleaning got done in honour of guests. So whom, you might well be asking, are we tidying up for, besides ourselves. The National will be here on Monday morning for an interview with me. The National will be interviewing Frank Morrison as well.

There was further excitement during the day when we were advised by the OPP that they would be checking out the site (behind the gate) and joining us overnight, one car in front of the gate and one behind. I felt very well taken care of, though they were not actually here for me. One of the neighbours had ventured onto the property on his 4-wheeler just after the trailer had been removed and the OPP wanted to survey the site once the blockade was down (and prior to anyone else moving on), so they are watching it overnight and will be filming it tomorrow.

Special thanks today to the CCAMU web-site manager, for her time, skill and today’s visit; to all of you who are passing my blog along; to the owner of the Boler for his visit today and for taking the furnace away for repair or replacement; to the neighbour who spent a day trying to make it work; to all those who are helping reorganize the site and to all of my personal helpers who make sure that I am well stocked with what I need to be here in relative comfort. Despite a sting by a Yellow Jacket and the dip in the temperature last night, with all that support at hand, I remain very much dedicated to seeing this through. Tomorrow, as I begin the third week of the hunger strike, I will be sending Premier McGuinty an open letter in that regard and I will copy it here for all of you to see. Please feel free to forward it, and this, anywhere and everywhere.

Love,

Donna

LETTER TO DONNA FROM GERMANY

Dear Donna,

Dear people in Canada struggling against uranium-mining!

We have heard from Günter Wippel (Germany) about the hunger strike. We
spread this information in Germany and in other European countrys too
(Netherland, Sweden, Russia). Thank you for your activities!!!

We hope you can stop uranium mining in Eastern Ontario and you can tell to
the press and to the media in Canada that we hope this too. Your fight is
our fight too!!

In Germany we have no more uranium mining. But we have nuclear power
stations and one uranium enrichment

This enrichment plant belongs to the Urenco Company and is sited in Gronau
(I live very near to this plant, 2000 meters). This plant works with
uraniumhexafluorid (UF-6), which is made in France, England and other
countries. And the natural-uranium for this uraniumhexafluorid maybe is
mined in Canada too?! We think: If we all can together stop world wide
uranium mining, the atomic companies have not enough natural-uranium for
producing UF-6. And if we can stop world wide Uranium enrichment, they don't need further uranium-mining.

In Gronau (45.000 people, sited in germany on the dutch border) is a small
but good action-group (Arbeitskreis Umwelt Gronau). In our area
(Münsterland) we have one nuclear power station, atomic waste storage and
others. The protest in the area is organised by the Aktionsbündnis
Münsterland gegen Atomanlagen. I am active in both and in BBU too
(Bundesverband Bürgerinitiativen Umweltschutz / Federal Association of
Environmental Action Groups,
http://www.bbuonline.de/html/Selbstdarstellung2007%20englisch%20Netz.pdf) .

In September in Germany we held an international uranium-conference, English
informations about it you can read here:http://de.indymedia.org/2007/09/194964.shtml

Fotos:
http://www.aku-gronau.de/images/20070922urankonf/20070922-erklaerung1.html

Best wishes

Udo Buchholz

Yesterday’s sun and news of progression in the talks made for a lighter energy around the campfire last night. This a.m. we await news of the meeting in Almonte and many are looking forward to the Victory Concert at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake, Sunday at 2 p.m. (There is still need, so please come and enjoy. Only $10.00.) The concert will feature Terry Tufts, Frank Morrison, Neville Wells and other local talent. Since I will remain at the site, Terry and friends brought out their guitars and provided us with a preview yesterday afternoon. What fun to groove to such great tunes in the sunshine and open air.

Native Prophecy

Only after the last tree has been cut down;
Only after the last river has been poisoned;
Only after the last fish has been caught;
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Relationships, family and loved ones come ahead of worldly possessions and status for almost all of us. Why is it then, as a society, we measure only economic growth – GDP? The more puffers sold, the higher the GDP. More oil spills, more Katrinas, more war – the GDP goes ever higher and we consider that a good thing. Uranium exploration, extraction and mining is strictly about economic gain/growth. However, after some very short term benefit to a very few people, the community will be left, as was Elliot Lake, devastated.

Isn’t it time we spoke to the people who govern us to point out that community matters, health matters and that the air we breath and water we drink to survive matters. The community could be defined as the watershed. This particular watershed includes everything between here and Ottawa. Understanding this would/should result in a half million people taking to the streets in an appeal to Premier McGuinty to stop the insanity. If you are interested in bringing this issue to your club/group or in bringing together a grannies (and grampies) coalition, please let CCAMU know how they can help. In the meantime, don’t forget your “Bring Gramma Home” signs.

More Questions:

1) What is happening at the site?

Court negotiations, in preparation to come to the table with the government, are moving in the right direction, painfully slowly. Preparations are underway to erect a small pole building that will bunk three on site, outside the gate. There is a work party planned for Sunday a.m. Thou not yet on site, a bowler (sp.) trailer has very generously been loaned. Tents dot the road allowance and others are sleeping in their vans or trucks. Some of this will change as colder weather sets in. People, new and old, visit with supplies and well wishes, for which I am both humbled and appreciative. We are short on dry wood if you could bring a box full or armload when you come.

2) How is your family feeling about your hunger strike?

For the most part, they are of two minds. They fully support what I am doing AND they know me well enough to know that I won’t quit just because it is or gets difficult, so they worry and wonder. I feel for them (probably the hardest part of this for me) and hate that I’m putting them through the turmoil. I wish I could see another way, but I do not. It would probably alleviate the concerns somewhat if I could be in phone and internet contact, but those details have not yet come together and may not for the duration. I love them and that love is returned many-fold. My oldest granddaughter turns nine on Day 13.

Like so many of you, they get that we are given this world for a time, as a gift and a responsibility; as a scared responsibility and a sacred trust. The difference each of us makes in our time here is the legacy that will be remembered by those not yet born.

While others continue the vigil, I’ll be way from the site for a meeting from 5 to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Hope to see some of you over the weekend.