Fellow Travelers' Advisory from Anne Feeney - OCT. 2005: VOLUME ONE, #7

Thanks for being on my mailing list! It's the best way I've found to stay in
regular contact with my friends and family and activist heroes. Let me know
what you're up to... I love it when you write back! Please feel free to forward this to your friends and relations! You can subscribe by clicking here.

IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:

The Great Midwest - Indianapolis; Richmond, IN; Kansas City; Grinnell, IA;
Cedar Falls, IA; Winona, MN; Minneapolis, MN; Beloit, WI; Chicago, IL;
Springfield, IL; Meredosia, IL

and then... Detroit, Ann Arbor & Lansing MI

and then ... Lexington, Louisville, Terre Haute & Cincinnati

and THEN ... Florida, Georgia, Sweden & Mexico

all the details at my tourdates page

Please check out my CDs at CDBaby
Proceeds from the sale of Heartland, Vote in November and the Great Peace March are all benefiting the Red Cross this month.

Fellow Travelers' Advisory from Anne Feeney - OCT. 2005: VOLUME ONE, #7

Greetings from the "Show Me" state... that's a moniker that has always
puzzled me -- (and, while I'm on the subject, what's a 'Sooner?' -- and a
'Hoya"?) -- So tonight my tourmate Evan Greer asked our fabulous Cape
Girardeau, Missouri hosts what the heck "Show-Me" means... As some of you
have probably guessed, it means Missourians are skeptics and don't accept
anything as true until it is proven to them.

Well, I don't know how much more proof we can possibly endure before we
concede that this President doesn't have a clue how to run this country. Now
we know that FEMA was being run by his incompetent fratboy buddies... who's
running the rest of the country, and at what risk to all of us???? (I saw a
handpainted sign in someone's yard that said, "Homeland Security My Ass.")

As the inept series of spokespersons for the White House were offering up
ridiculous excuse #771 - "Uh, we think it was a state problem... or a local
problem... we didn't think it was a federal problem... uh, we couldn't act
until the state asked us, or the local authorities asked us ... or
whatever..." I did laugh out loud at Jon Stewart's observation on the Daily
Show -- "Yes, far be it from our federal government to interfere with state
and local affairs... why, the federal government would NEVER usurp the powers
reserved to the state and local government... *unless* ... *unless* New
Orleans were to drift into a persistent vegetative state."

But laughs are hard to come by these days. My anger and my sadness battle
each other daily as the agonizing details of this hopelessly bungled fiasco
unfold.

Today I saw a mural in Cape Girardeau, MO - another river town named by the
early French explorers - and while many aspects of this town's history are
depicted, slavery is not even mentioned!!!

And it's not just because this is Rush Limbaugh's hometown ... our entire
American identity is based on crazy mythology. We are *not* and never were
an all-white nation. We do *not* and never did all speak English. And most
of us are really *not* doing well in this free market economy.

American history is bloody and murderous ... our nation's wealth is built
upon the genocide of the indigenous people of this continent, and the chattel
slavery of the people of another continent, and the ongoing brutal
exploitation of immigrants.

But our mythology denies and denies and denies our history. Well, it's this
same mythology that has allowed the vacuous puppet in the White House to
mumble things about "staying the course," and "noble cause" and the rest of
the country to mumble assent.

But then Cindy Sheehan says "What noble cause?????" ... slowly more people
begin to ask the same question... and on Saturday more than 100,000 people -
(check out the photos) -
come to the nation's capital to ask the same question.

Mr. President, please don't show me any more. I've seen enough. If it were
up to me, you wouldn't get to make one more decision that would put one more
person in harm's way. It's time we had some "Truth and Reconciliation" here.

*************************************
EVAN GREER!

Last night was the first night of my midwest tour with Evan Greer.
- It's a joy and a privilege to work with such a
talented and bright young performer, and I look forward to introducing him to
all my midwest friends. Don't miss these shows! Evan will be performing
with me through October 22nd.

*************************************
THANKS!

Many thanks to Jerry Tucker and the St Louis Health Care Education Fund for
making my trip to the inspiring Jobs with Justice national conference
possible. It was great to see so many friends there, and also to meet so
many great folks. Thanks to the Missouri Rural Crisis Coalition for hosting
such a wonderful dinner.

*************************************

CIW TAKES ON BURGER KING

I'm traveling with postcards you can sign to help the Coalition of Immokalee Workers bring its campaign for justice to Burger King.
This is a logical step following the terrific victory with Taco Bell.


*************************************

FAMILY NEWS

My New Orleans cousins were still living somewhere near Austin the last that
I heard. I hope they are safe at home soon!

My daughter Amy is finally back from Mexico and back in school at Portland
Community College.

My son Dan will run a marathon in Washington, DC this month.

My cousins Mary and Paul Grefenstette are in Ireland right now with daughter
Erin & husband Mark.

*************************************

HELP!!!

The lockout of the 156 families employed by Celanese in Meredosia, IL
continues - please read up on this struggle and donate online
or by mail to:

Boilermakers Local 484 Solidarity/Defense Fund

P.O. Box258
300 Main Street
Meredosia, IL 62665

Remember how very difficult it is for other hardhit people to raise money
right now and please be generous. I'll be doing another show for them on
October 9th....

Hope to see you somewhere soon!