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t r u t h o u t: William Rivers Pitt's Continuous Update from Crawford, Texas with Cindy Sheehan

**William Rivers Pitt is with Cindy Sheehan and other activists who are camped out close to Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. This is his impassioned running commentary, which he will keep updated for t r u t h o u t. In turn, I will keep my readers here posted, as soon as I receive the alerts from t r u t h o u t. We wish all those brave folks well, and keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
10:10 PM

The dark is complete and the activists are bedding down. We will be here early tomorrow. Until then, keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
9:30 PM

Nine thirty at night and we are back at the encampment. It is deep-country dark out here. A sliver of moon sneaks out from behind the clouds, but the only real light comes from the occasional headlights and the strobing blue and red from the sheriff's bubble lights.

Conversations mutter along the sides of the road as the demonstrators prepare their tents and make plans for the morning. The crickets cree from the underbrush. I don't know where Cindy is right now. I assume she is in a tent herself, getting some rest.

Tomorrow will be interesting. Condi and Rummy are coming for a confab at some point. The police may well clear the road before that. On Friday, Bush is going down the road a piece for a fundraiser. We know how much he likes to see protesters, so if they don't clear is out tomorrow, they might the next day.

The people out here are ready for whatever happens. The word people are using all through this site is "community.". Everyone is taking care of everyone. A woman off in the dark to my left talking on a cell to her son, who is a soldier. From the sound of the talk, he supports her completely.

This weird little triangle of road in the middle of nowhere has become the center of everything. The crickets could care less, but there it is.

The folks here are having a press conference at ten thirty tomorrow morning. We will be here.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
7:10 PM

We have sprinted back to a spot with high speed Internet so we can upload our interviews. The highway we took to get here was 84, otherwise known as the George W. Bush Parkway. Yes, the car almost wound up off the road.

Things seemed settled back at the protest site. We will head back as soon as we can, and will be there again first thing in the morning. Apparently, the threat from the cops about moving people tomorrow was not so empty. Cindy has vowed to sit herself in the road and not move should that happen.

We will be back soon.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
6:03 PM

Heading back to an Internet connection so we can upload the interview we just got with Cindy. Hopefully, it will be ready in a couple of hours, and then we will head back here. Stay tuned.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
5:38 PM

A fellow in a big doublewide just rolled by and gave everyone the finger. He didn't stop, though. No big surprise.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
5:26 PM

I just videotaped an interview with Jodi Evans of Code Pink. She has been on a hunger strike out here since Saturday and is weakened but holding firm. Imagine fasting while sleeping in a tent after getting blasted alternately with searing heat and thunderstorms that drop four inches of rain in an hour.

There is more courage by the side of this road than I have seen anywhere in a long, long time.

And the crowd continues to swell. More rain in the forecast.



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t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 10 August 2005
4:55 PM

After a rather uneventful journey from Boston, I am standing on a country road in Crawford TX. There are maybe fifty cars parked here and perhaps five dozen activists. It seems this is a transitional phase. Some have headed back to the Peace House and others are on the way down the road.

The police are being polite and deferential, and word has it the looming arrest threat may have been more a miscommunication than anything. We shall see.

Cindy Sheehan is in high spirits despite being sun-blasted and tired. She is also back at the House doing radio interviews.

A long caravan is coming down the road right now. More Iraq families, more veterans, more activists. The Crawford siege continues.



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posted by Annamarie at 11:10 PM