Q&A: "I Don't Feel As Helpless"
Q&A: "I Don't Feel As Helpless"
Interview with Bodhi
The Times Union ^ June 10, 2004 Jim Schoettler
Name: Bodhi
Home: New York City and various forests around the country with the Rainbow Family
Occupation: Activist
Q. What is the Rainbow family?
"They're a group of very spiritually minded individuals who gather out in the forests every year. All kinds of forests. We're everywhere."
Q. How long have you been protesting?
"Since [Richard] Nixon beat George McGovern [in 1972]. After that, I realized mainstream politics was not the place to go. I was severely disappointed that somebody like Nixon could get a landslide."
Q. Why did you become a protester?
"Because I didn't see any other legitimate way of effecting change. As sad as it is, our whole political process is bankrupt. It seemed to me instead of going out there just casting a vote, you have to go out there and do the groundwork."
Q. What is the most obscure place you've been to protest?
I did a tree sit in Oregon. I sat up in a tree for about two months a couple of years back. It was fun. I sat in a tree that was over 200 years old and prevented it from being logged."
Q. How has protesting changed your life?
It's made me feel more involved with what's going on. I don't feel as helpless. I don't feel as manipulated. I feel like I'm really doing something to effect change in this country."
Q. Why are you in Savannah?
"I'm here to ensure the G-8 demonstration goes off peacefully."
Q. Are you disappointed in the turnout?"
No, not at all. It's not quantity, it's the quality of the people who showed up. You [have] to understand, there was so much fear that was presented for this demonstration, that most people you would have expected to show up stayed out of town."
Q. What is the main issue in the G-8 that concerns you?
"Globalization."
Q. You were wearing a skirt to yesterday's protest rally. Do you do that all the time?
No. I was wearing one yesterday, but you need to remember I'm in redneck Georgia. If I could wear a skirt all the time, I would. If men would only just try on a skirt and wear it for one day, they would see the breeze is just air conditioning."
The Free Republic website took this interview i gave and did a pretty nice hatch job on it entitled "Crawl Away Hippie Scum"
Quoted in part saying, "What if they gave a senseless, violent, anti-capitalist 'peace rally' and no one came?" - check out this nonsense at:
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1151428/posts#commet
Interview with Bodhi
The Times Union ^ June 10, 2004 Jim Schoettler
Name: Bodhi
Home: New York City and various forests around the country with the Rainbow Family
Occupation: Activist
Q. What is the Rainbow family?
"They're a group of very spiritually minded individuals who gather out in the forests every year. All kinds of forests. We're everywhere."
Q. How long have you been protesting?
"Since [Richard] Nixon beat George McGovern [in 1972]. After that, I realized mainstream politics was not the place to go. I was severely disappointed that somebody like Nixon could get a landslide."
Q. Why did you become a protester?
"Because I didn't see any other legitimate way of effecting change. As sad as it is, our whole political process is bankrupt. It seemed to me instead of going out there just casting a vote, you have to go out there and do the groundwork."
Q. What is the most obscure place you've been to protest?
I did a tree sit in Oregon. I sat up in a tree for about two months a couple of years back. It was fun. I sat in a tree that was over 200 years old and prevented it from being logged."
Q. How has protesting changed your life?
It's made me feel more involved with what's going on. I don't feel as helpless. I don't feel as manipulated. I feel like I'm really doing something to effect change in this country."
Q. Why are you in Savannah?
"I'm here to ensure the G-8 demonstration goes off peacefully."
Q. Are you disappointed in the turnout?"
No, not at all. It's not quantity, it's the quality of the people who showed up. You [have] to understand, there was so much fear that was presented for this demonstration, that most people you would have expected to show up stayed out of town."
Q. What is the main issue in the G-8 that concerns you?
"Globalization."
Q. You were wearing a skirt to yesterday's protest rally. Do you do that all the time?
No. I was wearing one yesterday, but you need to remember I'm in redneck Georgia. If I could wear a skirt all the time, I would. If men would only just try on a skirt and wear it for one day, they would see the breeze is just air conditioning."
The Free Republic website took this interview i gave and did a pretty nice hatch job on it entitled "Crawl Away Hippie Scum"
Quoted in part saying, "What if they gave a senseless, violent, anti-capitalist 'peace rally' and no one came?" - check out this nonsense at:
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1151428/posts#commet
posted by Unknown at 18.3.05
1 Comments:
Bodhi,
I'm embarrassed to see what the Freepers were posting about Rainbow and you. My mother is an activist with the Freepers, and I fondly remember taking her to some protests. She contests Globalization and the "New World Order". It seems that these Freepers hold a different opinion, but I want to let you know that not all are this bad! Keep up the good work!
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