Saturday, June 30, 2007

What You Can Do





Write "Impeach Bush Now!" on a piece of paper, place inside a waterproof container and bury it in your back yard. Future archeologists will know that this was a generation that wasn't afraid to speak out!

"Wink for Peace" is an offshoot of last summer's largely failed "Blink for Peace" movement. Said one organizer, "We think a lot of people were put off by having to use both eyes for the action. 'Wink for Peace' addresses these issues and provides a level of commitment we feel more people will be comfortable with."

Obey the Law for Peace!

Do you think the government and the media are giving us all the facts about September 11th? Do you think maybe 9/11 was an Inside Job? Demand the Truth! Don't buy mustard on July 19th.




Taking a cue from the renegade firebrands at Red Friday, the organizers of "Wear Your Socks Inside-Out on Thursdays for Peace and Social Justice" are committed to practicing what they preach. Not just one sock, but both. Not just this Thursday, but Every Thursday. Until They Come Home.

Limping Into Port...

I was passing some trucks in the mountains south of Ashland when something in my clutch assembly gave out: the pedal stayed glued to the floor, refusing to disengage. I managed to pull the pedal back up with the toe of my shoe, re-engaging the engine, and quickly aborted the passing maneuver to pull over onto a thankfully wide shoulder. Scared the shit out of me.

Whatever it was that made the clutch pedal come back up had apparently given out entirely. Fortunately, all that was required to jury-rig a springback mechanism was a bungee cord looped between the pedal and the dashboard, and if there was one thing I had plenty of, it was bungee cords.

Long story short: I ended up driving from Oregon to San Francisco pretty much without shifting - keeping it in fourth gear all the way. Although for the most part it was a pretty clear shot, there were some lights, construction zones and traffic situations that required the sort of expert timing and vector-analysis that only the clutch-impaired can truly appreciate.

In the past month I've driven over 4000 miles and put up more than 200 signs on freeways along the west coast. Millions of people, (and by "Millions" I mean "Many-Hundreds-of-Thousands", not just "a-whole-lot") have seen what I've had to say.

That part was easy... hell, it was fun.

But that last couple of hundred miles - driving without a clutch... Man...that was art.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Location Location Location




The best way to find good posting spots is to simply drive around and see where your eyes are naturally drawn. The above bit of fencing is directly next to I-5 in Seattle by the Ravenna Ave. offramp.

Other spots are good by dint of the sheer numbers of traffic lanes that overlook them. While not readily apparent by the photo, the fencing above, bordering Kobe Terrace Park in Seattle's City Center, is highly visible to some sixteen lanes of heavy, heavy traffic, none of which have a prayer of getting to it. It took three days for someone to take down the giant "The War is a Lie" I'd put up before this "Chimpeach", which was still up 24 hours later. If you live in Seattle and have something to say, there's no better place than Kobe Terrace Park to say it.


Article in The Stranger
(note: I was a political correspondent for Penthouse in the late 80's/early 90's - not the 70's)



I-90 West just after the causeway from Redmond. Sign reads "Impeach Bush for Blowing the Job."
These two spots reach everyone going North and Southbound on the 405 near Portland City Center: Impossible to miss and impossible to get to. Unless, of course, you know how.


USA - 1002
FB - 966

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Border to Border: Bellingham WA


Bellingham WA: The end of the trail was a driveway off a quiet suburban street into a compound filled with laughing children, flowers and trees. Meeting our contest winner was as close to meeting an old friend as I've ever felt with a stranger.

We sat and talked for a bit and then got down to business: putting paint on cardboard. I broke out the overhead projecter and he showed me his roller/stencil method:

Some folks showed up from Whatcom County Peace and Justice with beer. I traced while they painted.
When time came to hit the overpasses our merry crew tended to dawdle a bit to wave and elicit honks. This is not always such a good idea.

After hitting a couple of overpasses and some side fencing, we all went out for dinner and speculated on what effect garlic might have on the Vice-President and where he kept his coffin.


It's been a long and fun but grueling trip from San Diego, and when I rolled into my final destination I was exhausted. Meeting the good people of Bellingham was a real leaven though - recharging the batteries just enough for the long road back home.

USA - 1002
FB - 957

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Pretty Pictures from Seattle


I've been dreaming about hitting this spot ever since I saw it last year. Perfectly banner-sized fencing, flush with a row of hedges, directly over the I-90 heading into Seattle from Redmond. Getting there from the street requires little more than a fifty foot walk and ducking through some bushes. Getting there from the freeway, however, is impossible.

Aurora Pedestrian Walkway over I-405

I-405/Hwy 520


Saw this by a ped overpass on the 405. It was the remains of a sign done in my font and style, but I couldn't remember ever having been there. Closer inspection revealed use of an industrial type duct-tape I'd never used before, so it was definitely a copycat - made my day. I was going to do an impeach sign, but did this one instead:

I took off early in the day and spent the afternoon relaxing. I'd have posted more, but since practically all my signs from the past two days were still standing, so I figured I could take a break. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.


USA - 999
FB - 955

Monday, June 25, 2007

Students Lose Right to Free Speech


Supreme Court Rules Against Student Free Speech

Don't worry folks, Free Speech is Alive and Well in America. Just don't get caught at it.


Adventures in Seattle



I left Portland and headed north, leaving a trail of free-speech breadcrumbs along the way. The I-5 corridor didn't stand a chance: nothing but fencing and flyaway ramps and, like Portland, a gallery of freeway overlooks that can only be reached by those who really, really tried.


My assault was two-pronged, hitting first the freeways then the airwaves
thanks to fifth-columnists of the Jewish Liberal Media. Enraged callers branded me a criminal, impotently vowing revenge: all but Sound and Fury, signifying nothing. Until they catch me, all they can do is take down my signs, and the next day as I swept back through the town I found they couldn't even manage that.




Taking shelter in a safehouse of fellow partisans
I conducted a Free Speech Madrassa the results of which can be seen below.

(Note clever coded message for Microsoft employees.)



Best to remain sleepless, Seattle... I'm not done with you yet.


USA - 999
FB - 949

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Border to Border: Portland




I put these up in Portland today, covering five major freeways. All of them, except for the one below, stayed up for at least seven hours. (Update: all still up at noon next day!)


Portland's freeway system is complex and convoluted, covered with places that are "right there" but simply cannot be reached without miles of doubling back.




If I lived in Portland you wouldn't be able to drive anywhere without seeing signs.

I love living in a country where you can do this.

Signs painted by Mungen Cakes and Scarlet.
Heads up Seattle: you're next.

USA - 999
FB - 938