Prisoners Of Conscience Run - 2004
The Run
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PeaceHq |
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Prisoners Of Conscience Run - 2004 |
I got to start in one of my favorite places, right at the top of the hill that went down into the Kentucky river gorge and across the old metal bridge at Clay's Ferry and up the other side to rejoin with a newer part of 25. It was quiet and almost surreal down in that valley, and the scenic beauty of the gorge got me off to a great start for the day. We got a little drizzling rain in the middle part of our miles, but not enough to drench us. We decided to divide our miles up in smaller bites to conserve energy, and my second section had me passing a Military facility called Bluegrass Army Depot. Its claim to fame is that it is a repository of tens of thousands of old chemical and biological capable weapons and a storage site of huge amounts of blister,mustard,and nerve gas cannisters. There has been an ongoing fight between local activists and the military as to how to deal with and dispose of these obsolete, yet highly toxic and dangerous materials. Eventhough this run focused on POC's I was acutely aware of our overriding responsibility to include prayers for the protection and healing of our sacred Mother Earth as I passed this large facility.
On each event it is our custom to give the "Toughest section of road" award to the runner who goes beyond the norm in their section of miles. Usually only one runner gets the award, I said usually, but there is a first time for everything, and because of a little confusion at the Clays Ferry bridge our two groups overlapped some miles right in the middle.
Just south of Richmond Ky. We turned off hwy 25 onto hwy 421 that went straight to Manchester. Around thirty some miles from where we started the outer bluegrass region of central Ky. meets the knobs of the appalacian mountain foothills.
There is a place there called - you guessed it - Bighill! The two groups both ran this hill as we overlapped right there, sorry about your luck Erik and Jon!LOL! So our two intrepid runners -
one a battle scarred vet and the other a virginal rookie - share the award for the worst section of road for running the dread 2 mile straight uphill section of BIGHILL! Good work guys, better you than me!LOL! The rest of the sections went smoothly and when Jon's van caught up with Mauricio's car we were only 6 or 7 miles from the prison. We eagerly dispatched the remaining miles and soon found ourselves reforming our circle on the road beneath the grim specter of Manchester Federal Prison.
As before, after our thanks for a successful and safe run Erik got the honor of speaking first. He showed us an item he picked up on the side of the road along the way ( a practice very familiar to veteran runners, but thats another whole story in itself for another time). They were a keychain item representing a pair of childrens flip-flops that Erik remarked reminded him that what we do is for the children, so they might have a future free from war, famine, relocation from their homes and land, and freedom from fear. A sentiment that I had learned from my mentor Bucky Fuller, who said that children were the future of mankind and absolutely had to be protected for us to even have a future. As we stood in circle, Erik recalled a song that repeated the refrain: "Circle round for Freedom" and each time it was repeated a new word was substituted for freedom - Love, Justice and then finally Joy, relating that to our morning circle where we recognized that Joy was the gift we had been blessed to share on our run this day. Next he assured that it is the gift of Grace to do what we have done this day with some vision of what is possible, and also the gift of knowledge descends to us so that we know what is going on, we aren't duped by lies and propaganda that holds some people captive. Another song was the next step in the lesson for the day and it was sung by Erik and his supporters at his actual trial. The song goes like this: Peace is flowing like a river flowing out from you and me flowing out into the desert setting all the captives free As before in each refrain a new word is substituted for peace - Love, Joy, Justice, and last came Hope. Erik," Hope is really a key word about what we are doing now, I think we make Hope visible in our actions, in our words, and in our relationships with one another. My Hope has been renewed just being with you all today. As you look at this prison, joyful for our allies who are outside now, we are reminded of the people they left behind on the inside, some there for many many years." Whether deserving their fate or not, theirs is a harsh, oppressive life containing very little hope - how could we instill hope there? In a place without instruction, any form of rehabilitation - nothing. At this point Erik became overwhelmed with heartfelt emotion and was unable to continue. I would like to add my concurrence to the affirmation of Hope, and yet another example that upholds my fervent belief that Hope is alive in the world. Although the excegencies of life threaten to weigh us down and force us to abandon Hope, we must never give in, and as long as just one of us is able to keep putting one foot in front of another spreading Footprayers around this planet keep the Faith and take heart - HOPE IS ALIVE IN THE WORLD! We will never give up until the last gasp escapes our lungs!!!!!!! Thank you for your support and interest, and we'll see you somewhere down the road! TIL THE AM! |
Participants Erik Johnson Jim Toren John Toren Jon Blickenstaff Larry Crane Maurizio Conti Home |