Friday, October 31, 2008

Point Au Chene

I'm setting up the satellite internet in Point Au Chene, LA. The rainbow Family has dispatched to kitchen busses here and are already freeding several hundred a day. The internet will allow them to publize their efforts and bring in more donations; meaning the can feed more people. This is probably a short term assignment as they are suppose to be getting internet capabilities from Common Ground Relief by the end of next week.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Filler Up

I'm back in Sildell at BioLiberty filling the tanks with all the oil I can hold. Gordon is packin up the bio diesel plant to move it into New Orleans as part of a larger project so I've got about 500 gallons of fine veggie oil at my disposal.

I'll be heading down to Point au Chene in the deep bayou country where the native indian population has been intentionally left to rot after both Katrina & Gustav. I'll set up the satellite internet for them and try to sort out the reasons they NEVER get any more than an MRE for hurricane relief.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Dharma's Lost in the Rubble

Upon recieving a tip from a friendly police offer that I should go HERE and check out the damage, myself and a local worker who fashions himself a citizen journalist headed down there.

While filming the debris of a house we were warned that we could be shot for looting and told that the police were being called. Since we had not touched anything or even approached the house in question further than a few feet onto the driveway to get a better angle.. I continued filming. The guy who rode down there with me was more interested in eating the 6 Red Cross dinners he scored us and while I filmed some of the other houses he proceded to spill 2 of the dinners on the bus seats and LET DHARMA ESCAPE. (no, he wasn't drunk or high... just stupid). He had asked Red Cross for 2 meals and they gave him 6 to run up their numbers since no one in this well to do neighborhood wanted to eat the shitty food they hand out.

The police eventually showed up threatened to arrest us if I did not allow them to search the bus for the items the lieing resident had said that he saw us take. I consented, filmed the search, the cop said on camera "no, that stuff's not here" and then got bent out of shape we he realized I had filmed him performing his duty as a public servant. Ran us for warrants and told us to leave. I told him we would have been gone long ago if the cat had not escaped and we were hoping he'd come back. He said leave or be arrested. Gave us a Trespass WARNING and said if we came back we could be arrested. I informed that I would be back the next day in the afternoon to allow my cat to come home. He said that would be ok in the afternoon but if I was there after dark I'd be arrested for trespassing.

I returned this afternoon and did NOT leave the bus at all for fear of being shot or arrested. I'd been parked there on the public street NOT under any curfew for about 3 1/2 hrs waiting... Dharma did not return. With about an hour of daylight left the same cop showed up and informed me that he had been called once again because I was seen trespassing. I had not set foot off the bus. I told him that. He said leave or be arrested. I told him I didn't want to be there, I was just waiting for my cat. He told me to get off the bus and go look for him, I had a 1/2 hour to leave or be arrested. I told him I didn't think that me wandering around in this neighborhood looking for my cat was safe. He repeated his directive to leave or be arrested.

I stepped into the middle of the street and yelled for the cat for about 20 minutes and then left.

Tommorrow morning I'm going to the police station and demand that I be able to sit in my bus on the public street and wait for my cat to return.

HERE's the video that helped save him.

Thanks to all how called to vouch for me. Dharma came back 4 hours into being allowed to stay there after dark.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

I made it to Galveston

... All I can say is... I've made a lot of bad choices lately.
I have not yet ventured outside of the bus, but I've driven most of the Island and it looks like they've got it under control. I'm not feeling very needed here. The satellite is useless as I've got cell phone coverage and my broadband internet card works everywhere.

I saw 2 Free Meal Christian operations on the way in even though the grocery stores, bars & restaurants are almost all open. Some of the island had random electricity but those going without would appear to be "second" homes.

I suppose I'll know more when I decide to get out of the bus, but at the moment I'm not feeling very social. I spent the entire night editing my last RNC video regarding the harassment of the bus in St.Paul. I'm going to start preparing it for the internet now and take a nap.

Maybe this is my beach vacation...