I’ve been writing about Petals for Peace all week. It is an easy way to send a simple “stop the war” message to Congress. If you want to get right to the point, you can skip to the blockquote below, and it will tell you what to do. But I thought I’d dawdle for a moment. A Petals for Peace digression.
I’ve been blessed. Literally. By a seemingly devout Catholic woman. I don’t feel particularly holy, after the blessing. I mean. I’m an atheist. Or at least an agnostic. Probably not well-versed enough in religious philosophy to know which I am, really. I mean, I’m not as devout an atheist as Darksyde. (That was about the best diary I’ve ever read on here). But I’m pretty devout.
And still. I feel kind of like I’ve been knighted or something. It was more than just a “bless you” after a sneeze. But far less than a full ordination, I think. The woman wrote me an e-mail. She found out about my Petals for Peace through the Catholic Church she attends. (This thing is spreading pretty well locally — kind of like a brush fire). And she wrote me. She is going to participate. A good thing. But then she said, simply, “May God bless you and all the work you do.”
There were no harps. No splashing of holy water. There was no light from the sky that struck me from a horse. But from the context of the e-mail, it was an honest and heartfelt blessing. And it did feel kind of good, this e-blessing. I mean, I’ve had the full Christian indoctrination. I know the story. Even after years of running away, it wasn’t hard for me to recall the Sermon on the Mount.
And I can’t reject the blessing. Trying to make peace is the rightest thing I’ve ever done. It is the best work, for the least pay, I’ve ever done. Christ was right about it. I don’t know what it means to say, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God.” I mean, I would think that if you believed in a creator-driven world, we’d all be the children of God. But still, working for peace makes me feel special. It is the best product I’ve ever sold. The best case I’ve ever argued.
And I’d like you to join me. (Fu, uh, I mean, fudge, you get blessed once, and you start proselytizing already). It is really easy. Just do this:
On Friday, June 2, 2006 (9am – 5pm EST) deliver a single flower to pro-war Rep. Mike Rogers (NEOHAWK-MI). He knows that the flowers are a protest. We’ve delivered almost 500 in five days. There are three easy ways to deliver:
Phone your Flower — Bancrofts Flowers. Toll free at 1-866-476-8608. Order one carnation for delivery to Rogers in your name (or anonymously, if you’d like to keep your name out of it). I think it is $1. Maybe $1.25.
Fax your flower — Draw a flower on regular paper and fax it to Rogers’ district office. (517) 702-8642. Don’t worry about your artwork. Just a simple flower. And if you jam his Lansing fax, then try Washington. (202) 225-5820. But Lansing first.
Deliver your Flower — If you are local, stop by Bancroft Flowers (1417 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing), buy a carnation, and walk it over to Rogers’ office (1327 E. Michigan Avenue). His office is right next door. To the west. If you can’t afford the dollar, we’ll be out front of the office all day with a free flower you can deliver yourself.
That’s it. It is simple.
If you’re bored, you can deliver one to Joe Schwarz (R-MI-07) as well. We’ve expanded to include him in our protest. His contact info: 6604 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing, Michigan — Fax (517) 327-7488.
You can also send one to your own Congressperson, if you’d like. Make sure you explain the message. We don’t want them thinking that the flowers are because we are so happy with them.
And let me know if you are participating. A note in this diary works. Or e-mail me (tjayolson@hotmail.com). It helps us keep count.
If you like this protest, there are a couple of other things you can do. Hit recommend. Let the message hang around for a while.
Also, tell your family and friends. It doesn’t take a lot of flowers over the course of the day to make a big deal.
We’ve got pledges of a 109 flowers to be delivered so far, plus the rank-and-file of a UAW local is taking up a collection to send more (they did 156 flowers in the last round). Even without the union flowers, that averages out to a flower every five minutes or so. Imagine sitting at your desk with these flowers and faxes rolling in. Think you’d get a message that day. I think Rogers will. And at the very least he will probably let his fellow pro-war Congressmen know just how upset people are.
Plus, you never know. If you get involved. You just might get blessed. Or knighted or something. Who is to say.
