Subject: A friend asked me.....
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 06:55:41 -0700

Hi. Things are quiet today, the jaish {soldiers} have not returned.
Today is Friday, the Islamic sabbath, so most places are closed and not many
people are out. Its overcast and a bit chilly, sorta dreary outside.
Its a far cry from the searing heat here when I arrived in September.
Apparently winters here don't snow, but it gets chilly. An very dear long lost
friend just got in touch with me by e-mail and asked what a day in my life is
like here. i have no answer, and for a good reason. That reason is that as
long as i'm here, ridin' with the Palestinians in Jenin, i can have no
routine or predictability about my daily life. Like them, i can't make serious
plans for tomorrow, let alone next week. life is simply a series of
externally manifested disruptions and false starts. A Palestinian can't decide to
take a day off, because they had better make $$ today, as tomorrow could
bring a month long curfew in which he or she will be shot for leaving the
house, straight up. One can't put off the shopping for a day because there
might be yet another Israeli military incursion, transforming this beautiful
city into a surreal ghost town, with no one on the streets for fear of
death. And people do die for walking thru their own streets during curfew,
believe it. So, i have no daily routine, no typical day. Since the crushing
curfews of September and October ended {90% of days were curfew}, its very hit or
miss. About half the time i am awoken by tanks and gunfire in the middle of
the night, the rest of the time its quiet. Alot of the time people are
afraid to leave their houses, the rest of the time you see what a beautiful
community this is. Several times a week the Israelis come into town
and kill people, the rest of the days they don't. Often we go to villages
because the Israelis have invaded it and are terrorizing the folks,
often we don't.There is as complete lack of continuity for the folks here, never
knowing whats coming, or why. So as long as i'm here its like that for me too.
Its a really cruel thing, and goes on for months, years and decades. I
don't know anything about that. In these months i've gotten just a small
taste, but its changed me and i'll never forget it. So you can imagine how it
affects these folks.On a quiet day i come here to do an update for ya'all, or walk
around town chatting, eating. Occasionally i read a book or do laundry. I
sit alone alot and stare into space when i'm not busy, to be honest. I
smoke 2 packs a day, as does everyone else here. I go up to the roof of our
building and do pushups, and look for signs of invasion, such as tanks
etc. I think about goin' home alot, especially lately, and look forward to
it. I also wonder about how hard it'll be to adjust. People that came for
2 weeks write me, telling me its hard to adjust.....i've been here almost
3 months. Not sure what to expect. I like to go joke with my
Palestinian friends around town, shoot the breeze, drink tea, answer questions
about America. I call that "9-11 watch", because it might prevent another
one, not that i'm always sure we deserve it. Lemme explain that term: most
of our activities here, we call something-watch. So we have curfew watch,
checkpoint watch, stonethrower-watch, whatever. 9-11 watch consists of
going around, informally answering people's questions about America,
trying to highlight the difference between the neo-facist government and
normal folks like us. People here are very receptive to it, but often
genuinely surprised. They believe me, they often just didn't know there was
dissent in America.Pluggin a leaking dam with my fingers. They are happy to
hear it, and eager to meet ya'all!!!! Thats 9-11 watch.
It seems that our government is gonna get us into a huge war with these
folks, all based on a mutual lack of information, our lack about them
and vice versa. i'm gonna have to vote no on that one!!
And thats kinda what i do hear, when i'm not knee-deep in an invasion.
I hope that more people will consider coming hear to see the situation
for themselves, and see how much we've been lied to. One needn't come in
the capacity i did, you could just come check it out.
Folks are folks, don't let Bush steal that basic human truth from you.
Yours In Struggle, Ben