Bush Legacy Tour

CRAWFORD, TX-At every stop on this tour so far there is always one looming bus visit that people strongly anticipate and ask about.  When I mention that we will be visiting Crawford in August, people’s ears perk up and they say in disbelief, “Really? You’re going to Crawford?”, almost like they’re kids discussing a dare that’s been set forth.   Naturally, I always respond in the same tone when I reiterate, “Yes, we are taking this bus to Crawford!”

 No one quite knew what to expect when we got to our event location at the Crawford Peace House. We knew that the President was not going to be in town because he was at the Olympics. It is unfortunate that he wasn’t in town or we would’ve brought the bus to him so he could see it. Bush has spent more time on vacation than any other President so we were disappointed not to find him in town clearing brush.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201703_pf.html

(2005 article about one of Bush’s many vacations in Crawford.)

We did not anticipate huge crowds, although CBS news in their pre-press of the bus actually encouraged people to come out and protest the bus.   Apparently all of Bush’s local fans missed the CBS piece because the crowd assembled was there to support the bus.  Now I admit that the crowd was fairly small.   However, the Peace House is located off the beaten path and does not really generate much foot traffic.   Nevertheless a reporter decided to make the small crowd the main focus of her story and wrote that by her estimate only two dozen people attended the event.  According to Crawford’s website Crawford, Texas has a population of 789 people and twenty-four people represent 3% of the population.  Having 3% of the San Antonio population on Monday would’ve meant having over 3900 people.  If we continue to see that turnout percentage, we are going to have to get a few more buses!

Over the last eight years the people who came out have been accustomed to seeing their town be a hotbed of political activity.  Locals shared stories about the President’s visits and the visits of the tens of thousands that have come to protest. One man was discussing the Cindy Sheehan visits and said that a shopkeeper he was friends with was at first annoyed by the throngs of protesters that came to town and then eventually came to realize that they were peaceful and friendly and more importantly brought lots of business to his store. Kay the Director of the Crawford Peace House has seen thousands come through the town to protest the President and the Peace House has been the center point for most of the activity. The Peace house is a non-profit organization that relies solely on the support of the public. www.crawfordpeacehouse.org. I asked Kay what the response was in town when she started with the Peace House.   She said that the house is a divisive issue with some members of the community.  She had been in the area for decades and her activism has strained some relationships she has had for years with some people in town.  She has always felt a strong concern for needs of working people in this country and this administration has motivated her to act on it.