i'm going to crawford!

i'm doing it. i have to. i can and i must.

so after sleepless nights i finally charged the tix on my credit card and then i went ahead and bit the bullet and sent out this lame-ass email:

Date: 8/17/2005 12:08:17 P.M. Pacific
Daylight Time
From: Cassandra Complex

Subject: i'm asking for money

so you don't need to read any further if you don't want to... i really won't hold it against you.

i'm not good at asking for money so this will not be pretty.

here's the deal: i'm going to crawford. i have to join cindy sheehan in her vigil. i have to be a body in this demonstration, get the body count up... let people know that there are folks who really fucking care about this enough to drop everything and do whatever it takes to end this war...

the thing is, i don't have kids, my job is flexible, i don't have commitments that tie me down so i can go. many of my friends who care as just as much can't go -- so i feel obliged to go.

i'm going to pack my rubber gloves and my work gloves and do whatever dirty work i can find to do there. there are so many folks there who have suffered loss and who have family in this war that i feel hardly worthy of showing up, so i'm going to be support.

i decided to fly. if i drove i would have ended up spending more time on the road than at camp casey. and with gas prices it looks like it will be about the same cost. the cost of the flight and car rental (i'll be camping in the car) is $613.08. it looks like i'll spend another $50 on gas... as far as i can tell the crawford peace house is feeding folks and i'll load up on bugspray and sunscreen at my mom's house in fort worth on the way.

so here's where the "ask" comes in...

if you... can you... would you... this is not easy for me!!

can you send me ten bucks? i'll keep five and spend five on any supplies needed at the camp. the last i heard they needed things like disinfectant lotion, candles, big garbage bags, etc but they may not need that anymore... i'll know more when i get there...

if i get too many contributions of ten bucks i'll send it back! if you don't want me to do that, let me know and i'll just donate it to crawford peace house.

send any donations by check made out --. that way dutchman can cash them and deposit them if they get here after i've left and i can get the funds from texas...

i'm leaving monday the 22nd and returning tuesday the 30th. hopefully i'll be able to blog while i'm there...

i will blog about this later, but right now i've got some packing and lots of work to catch up on before i leave...

sorry this is such a mess, i told you i suck at this...

peace,

CC

but as lame as that email was, here are the responses i'm getting -- and they're making me cry my eyes out!

Go get 'em. I put a check for $50 in today's mail. -- Love, Michael
A.

Hey, I'll send you some money. (check in mail tomorrow) Your OLD friend. Hey and just a couple of other things. One, thanks for doing this. Thank you for going. I can't go and it makes me feel like I'm helping. Two, if you want to write a story about your experience I'll run it in the FFW. Mucho Gusto. -- SP

Count me in,... Good for you and may the peace go with you. This reminds me of the old days. Cheers. -- L

Whew! I'm so proud of you! Sending $20 in the mail tomorrow. Do what you will with it all. Sending love and prayers with you. Thank you Thank you Thank you. -- hugs, C

You are so WONDERFULLY humble about this request. OF COURSE I will support it. I should just hop on a plane and JOIN YOU (but, alas, I am not able to do so). I'm sending you a check for $30 ... it will go out in tomorrow's mail. Wish it could be more. Keep whatever you don't need and give it to The Crawford Peace fund or to your favorite "stop this f*cking war" organization. BE SURE to take earplugs. The new crowd control devices being used by our lovely government are SONIC and bring folks to their knees in pain (anyone with hearing impairments could become deaf or worse). take care while you are taking care! -- f

Wow. You do suck at that. It's in the mail. -- michael s.

you can count on me for $100.00 Spend it however you wish. Thanks for doing what we should all be doing every day. I sometimes wonder how we as a nation are not all screaming at the top of our lungs while running down the street; STOP HIM, OH PLEASE SOME CREATOR SOMEWHERE! STOP HIM! The check will come from a bill pay account to your address. all the best Peace -- DK (this is an artist whom i've never personally met but whom i've adored from afar!)

Hell Yeah, I'll send you $10.00!!!!I wish I could go, too. But, I'm needed here in the Department of Education, so that I can encourage people to be free thinkers. Good luck and take care - there are a lot of wackos out there, who would love an irrational rationalization to hurt someone. -- MP

this is cool. good luck. i'll collect some cash from the roommies and send it to you this weekend. kick something over for us. xoxo -- j

I think you are incredible for going Will put a check in the mail -- STC X

Hi, I'll give you twenty bucks to help protest against that asshole and his war of choice. Though I don't know if you are going to get it in time if you are leaving next week. If I give you another five bucks will you come visit us in San Francisco? Hope you and [dutchman] are well -- your friend du

Count me in!! I'm glad to be represented there through my donation. You're the best. Lots of love, B

We would be proud to help you with some money. I wanted to ask you something else. We met a very nice guy last night at a candlelight vigil for Cindy. He is riding down to Crawford in a friend's van sometime next week, this very cool hippie woman, he says. We asked him if they might have room for one more, and he said he'd check into it. I just thought I'd ask for you. Would you be interested, if he said they wouldn't mind taking along another passenger, in heading down there with a couple of friends of the cause? I would think he'd let me know in the next couple days or so. Maybe you've already bought your plane ticket. Take care, and all our best to Dutchman. -- All our love and support, D&A

more later, i've got work to finish!