When Cliff said he was going to publish this article, I was hoping to be able to reply to some of the brave souls out there who always yell, “GET A JOB”, at me from the window of their speeding car. Stop and talk to me. I won’t hurt you!

I’ve been carrying the sign for over four years now and over 400 miles. I don’t keep track of the mileage any more because I’ve found it’s effective to plant myself at busy intersections where people have a better chance to respond. I have put in many hundreds of hours at different intersections over the last couple of years. I have lived in Salt Lake City my entire life and am appalled at what has happened to my country.

I’m 54 years old and have had a steady, full time job since I was 17 years old. Although I’ve been out of work for a year now, I had carried my sign for three years while employed at a job I held for 25 years. My sign does not say, “will work for food”, so please stop yelling, “GET A JOB”. This blog is giving you a chance to tear me a new one, so bring it on. You can even use a fake name if you want.

Things have not changed a great deal over the last four years. About 90% of the people who see me will do either nothing, scowl or smile. Of the 10% that offer a strong response, I get overwhelming support and just a few birds. If it looks like I’m having a lot of fun, it’s because I am. Since this may be my only chance to use more then five words to inform people, I’m going to use the opportunity.

In all probability, that kid in the picture isn’t going to want to work 5 jobs so that people my age can collect social security in the future. I’m hoping Michael Moore’s new movie will show that it’s not entitlements, but the cost of drugs, (legal ones), hospitals, (not doctors), and wars, (all of them), that are causing the real problem.

The kid in the picture has not known a world without the lies of Rush Limbaugh, but he understands the world much better then the silent majority of Utahn’s. That gives me hope. We have to help him, and to hell with the 900 billionaires in this country. You guys do not work THAT much harder then I do.

This is a letter I sent to my mother, who was on an LDS mission in Des Moines, Iowa the first day I took my sign out, (which used to say “Impeach Bush - Vote-To-Impeach.org”). The rally I’m talking about was one at the capitol against the “Patriot Act.” I’m not religious at this point in my life.

- – - – - -

Jan. 26, 2003

Dear Mom,

Well, here’e the meeting at the capitol article (what a bunch of looney’s) I’m the one with the little red arrow pointing at him. Hope things are well with you. Typed letters probably aren’t as personal as hand written ones, but It’s been so long since I did that, it would look terrible anyway. I can’t believe the weather here. It’s still not raining at all and it’s almost like spring still. Since George’s state of the union address is in two days, I’m worried that he’s going to announce that we’re dropping bombs now, and it’s too late. Rumsfeld told the French and Germans they are no longer relevant and even Canada is breaking away now. I even read (though it didn’t make the news), on a CONSERVATIVE web site that some senior pentagon officials told Bush they didn’t think war was a good idea, because America shouldn’t be starting wars, and Bush became livid and said he was the commander-in-chief and what they said was tantamount to TREASON. Rumsfeld said they would no longer have thier jobs if they didn’t step in line with the president. I think we all know what the punishment is for treason. I wonder if that’s going to make the news.

Anyway I got a wild hair today and made a sign that read IMPEACH BUSH and walked ten miles, holding it up whenever cars went by. It was a great deal of fun. Although I tried not to stare at people as they went by, I got dozens of thumbs up. It’s probably impossible to tell if a honk is supportive or not, but I think if someone lays on the horn, that’s bad, and if someone gives a couple of short beeps, that’s good. There were FAR more short beeps that long ones (in fact, only one)! A police officer went by and didn’t stop. A car full of young people drove by and turned around to come back to see what I was up to. One of them leapt out of the car and shook my hand and seemed to just be blown away by what I was doing, he told the others in the car to go ahead and let him walk with me for a while. I told him I was hoping to inspire others to do this and explained what a wonderful walk I was having. He asked me if I had a web site, and I said no, but that I had run across a site started by Hollywood people like Ed Asner that are politically active. They have actually written up articles of impeachment and were asking to get people to give thier signatures, I am proud to be # 828. I really believe all this country needs to end this horrible nightmare is to get rid of this inane corporate enabler we are pretending is our president. A very short while later, his friends picked him up and they waved goodbye.

As I said, the huge majority of reactions were positive, and It really makes you feel good to have put a small spark in someones day. But one guy with his wife yelled, YOU ASS, out of the window and so I waved. On Highland drive, another car full of young men yelled WIMP and other things like that out of their window as they sped by. I yelled, Where’s YOU’RE sign and waved for them to come over and confront me. It’s impossible not to notice that there are almost no people showing up across the country with signs SUPPORTING George’s war. If they are so sure of themselves, they should be able to come over and support their views. Like the other car of young people, they turned around, but they sped by at 50 mph yelling at me again. Gee, seven against one, and they didn’t get within 30 yards of me! Who’s the wimp here?

Anyway it’s kind of fun being a lunatic when you know you’re on the side of good! Even if Saddam has all of the bad things they keep telling us, it’s insane to go in with the rest of the civilized world thinking we are the bad guys. Even if those guys in the second car had attacked me, it wouldn’t be as bad as what we are about to enter in to under the “leadership” of our great ruler George W! The good news is that the democrats have finally realized that the reason they lost the midterm elections is because they were just lap dogs for W. They are actually starting to confront him on the issues now. The amazing thing now though is that a LOT of republicans are starting to distance themselves also, but the bad thing is that the media gives very little attention to dissent and that’s not good. Come on America, WAKE UP!

I hope Janet isn’t too mad at me. I called to tell her to look in the paper to see the article about the capitol rally, and she was exited for me, but we got talking politics and we were talking about how it would be nice if there were less partisanship between the parties, and I said a good place to start would be for the republicans to do like Charlton Heston, and appologize to Bill Clinton and then Un-impeach him. Well you can probably guess where that went. Anyway, I like Janet, but I’m just an evil democrat I guess. At least she didn’t defend Bush when I asked her strait-out if she liked him. She just said she didn’t really like any of them.

I’ll let you get back to your going-ons now. By the way, somebody on the radio said that the church had come out against the war somewhere, did you hear anything about that. If you did, I’d like to hear what they said! Let me know what’s going on in Des Moines.

Love You Mom!

Cliff

Are you saying it’s ok for parents to teach hate to their children?

What the heck is “Spirit Week”? Is that some kind of a Mormon thing?

Ken,

If that’s the case, why did the subject of teaching hate to children even arise? I don’t see Mr. Bergan doing or saying anything different than you describe vis-a-vis Mayor Anderson. It’s not “hate” but, rather, expressing an opinion in a strong fashion.

PS Sorry about the misidentification re the SLTrib public forum letter.

Cliff

“I mean, think about it. This kid is maybe 14 years old. Lets say his mother has hated Bush since 2001. That would mean starting when this kid was nine-years-old he has been confronted with a bad war, bad president and angry parents.”

That line at least implies that since his mother hates Bush that she would have also instilled hatred for Bush upon her child. Also your article implies that since the boy shook hands with the guy calling for the impeachment of Bush that the boy must hate Bush as well. He could have just made a friendly gesture to the man before he told him how wrong he was. Who knows. Whenever I attend liberal protest rallies I often shake hands with the protesters to show I am not there to attack them personally but have a friendly debate. Too bad it doesn’t always end that civilly.

Not too mention that having ‘negative emotive issues’ isn’t at all unnatural. How do I hate thee? Let me count the lies / crimes.

(chanelling Cliffs future comments). Hello.

VTSharron:

Spirit week?

Thanks Cav.

I thought is might be some kind of Church-ball game between junior high students and spirit babies from the spirit world wanting to become legalized American citizens.

PS For those still confuzed, read the sign in the photographs above.

Is that really you, R2-D2?

I wasn’t mocking religion R2-D2, I was just hazarding a guess,my bad, and by your reaction, hazarding was the right word. In any case you need to know that some of us out here are not particularly well versed on Mormonizm, and will grant that you are not particularly well versed in ‘my’ religion, though somewhere, back before our attitudes hardened, we probably shared that same old ‘One God’.

Beat me if you will, but I understand Ken Bingham’s the one ready for a spanking.

VTS’s comment was pretty funny, and I can’t remember the last time someone recognized my jackassedness.

I must admit, I perked up a little when I saw the jackass comment. If there is a gentleman on this board it would the Cavaet.

So I went back and read the offending post. Not only did I find nothing remotely offensive, it had zero to do with the LDS church.

…which takes us back to our apparently inactive Mormon friend D2. What’s going on with the defensiveness D2? Thinking about going back? Let me guess, you met yourself a sweet Mormon lady?

I hope D2 will stick around and fill in the gaps where the gentiles lack the intimacy with the Church to get it quite right all the time.

On the other hand, for me personally, I have found I know a heck of a lot more about the doctrine and tradition than some returned missionaries I’ve met. How much does the average 20 year old disaffected Mormon really know about the Church?

Why did you leave D2?

Lynette, you’re too kind. Come over and sit by me, we’ll figure a way to fix R2’s operating circuitry.

More on democrat capitualtion. Andy Jackson founder of the party, is rolling in his grave.

http://brickburner.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/03/broken_promises.html

I hope it wasn’t a girl ….