A bustle of folks today - a woman who has been here a few times in recent years, was earnestly making several points to one patient listener (I later learn that she was advocating Ron Paul, lamenting nuclear weapons and expressing fears that we will yet launch a war on Iran). An old familiar face has been here several days recently, good to reconnect. I'd hard a draining day and I moved North of the crowd to focus on the people passing; I like to make eye contact when I can and respond to friendly folks (or to not so friendly folks - they get an even bigger wave) A passing van had two small children in the back seat - or, at least I guess so as all I could see were small hands waving the peace fingers at us. I often ponder what conversations happen in the cars where small children give us cheery waves. An angry man in a gray sedan lowered his passenger windows to curse us: "GO to Canada! Get out of here!!" In what is his fury rooted? Is he momentarily relieved of some simmering rage or does he drive on with mutters that fuel his disquiet? Shortly thereafter a big extended cab pick-up with steroidal wheel base and camouflage decor passes us and four large men turn to wave with cheering smiles. Who can possibly guess the why & wherefore of it. Early on in the hour an auto transport truck passed us with a vigorous sounding of the air horn which seemed set off a following flurry of horn honking. This reminds me of a few years ago when, for a couple of months, a flock of college students (Young Republicans, we were told) used to stand, one afternoon a week, across the street and a bit down the block. They displayed signs with slogans like "bombs not books" & "honk if you hate hippies". Each honking horn brought on wild howls. Then as now I am bewildered by the both the rhetoric of hate and the inanity of finding it funny.
11 for the hour.
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