Thursday September 29

Four or five at the beginning, increasing steadily throughout the hour until there were fourteen at 6:00PM. Someone told me about In Depth, a three-hour C-SPAN program which airs in Oregon on Sunday mornings. This Sunday, October 2, the guest will be Michael Moore, the film director who has recently written a memoir Here Comes Trouble. You could find out more at the website booktv.org .

Wednesday September 28

Four folks at the beginning, eight or nine at the end. Someone stopped by to tell us that Senator John McCain wanted to cut defense spending by cutting veterans' benefits. I think that he meant an obscure-to-me 2008 argument about the best way to structure college tuition benefits for veterans. Our visitor's proposed solution is to encourage Howard Dean, one-time government of Vermont, to break off from the Democrats to form a new political party, maybe called the Pragmacrats, emphasizing campaign finance reform. It would take a lot of work to make that real -- maybe even more than the hour a day which the vigil asks.

Tuesday September 27

Four at 5:00PM, half a dozen at the end. Just at the end of the hour a young man in  a truck shook his head violently. There were many gestures of support, but I remember the disagreement more.

Monday September 26

Half a dozen people at the beginning, thirteen at the end. A friend who left Corvallis three years ago has returned and is again joining us.

Sunday September 25

Around a dozen people today. As is usual for Sunday, traffic was light on Fourth Street.

Saturday, September 24

Brightly colored Pinwheels for Peace lined the edge of the courthouse lawn today.  Their spinning beauty inspired families with young children to stop and look closely at the designs drawn on them.  One dad was eager to figure out how to make one with his small daughter (who was enjoying an ice cream cone).

8 'curb people' standing vigil this day.  The town was bustling what with Fall Festival & an OSU football game.  Most of the parking was occupied.  This necessitated us standing in a different portion of the block. I noticed this gave me a different view of the passing traffic. I wondered if people who see us frequently saw us in a different way as well.

Autumnal Equinox, Friday, September 23

Eleven for this late September heat wave.  Cardboard squares arrive in a cardboard box: we could make new signs (for fair weather).  We could make "burma shave style signs"  to share our points of view in a different graphic way.  Some of us note the rising number of positive responses to our presence.  A convertible with  two children in the back seat passed us, all four occupants waving enthusiastically.  Judging by their appearances the vigil has been happening nearly the entire life of those children.  And, no end in sight.