Lone Vet

When i heard that ol' Joe, the Lone Vet was staking out Wednesdays in front of Rep. Blumenauer's Portland office (729 NE Oregon St.) to drum up yet more support for the Thursday demonstrations in favor of defending the Constitution, i was determined he wouldn't be standing alone... not today. When i rode up, sure as shit in a pig stall, there he stood.

Now, don't read anything into that last allusion save for my inability to avoid alliteration. Joe is a salty old sea dog. Better than a swabby, he corrected me. He's a snipe. He shared with me this advice he got from his father:

"With the government, you can kick'em in the shins and they may or may not ignore you. You gotta kick'em in the balls and they've got no choice but to come after you."

I'm not sure if this was a call to courage or a cautionary tale. A bit of food for thought for me, an urban farmer who's usually content to just sew seeds. I'm seeing growth though, first hand. Sara, a "seriously pissed off grandma" showed up again today, sign in hand, as did Clyde. And passers by stopped to talk. Some promised to return. I'm optimistic.