RIDING UNTIL WE GET THERE - waging peace in Manhattan - For eight days I rode my bike with a big PEACE sign on the back wearing an upside-down American flag as a cape. I must have clocked over a hundred miles during the convention randomly riding in circles around midtown confronting people, fellow protestors and the Republicans. Most of the time when I made eye contact I held up my two-fingered peace sign and quietly waited for a response. When I got a positive sign back it felt as if we had made an agreement that we will both act to restore peace and will live peacefully now in order to see peace in the future. The majority of the people did not respond or would cursed at me. My only wish is that they had to think about their negative response as they saw the word PEACE on the back of my bike. What do they want? War? Hopefully a seed of doubt was planted. From time to time I sang my own Passover song, “Get Out of Egyptâ€. The lyrics include: “Bush lied, we cried. The news said he was right. The Constitution has died. So get out and shout tonight.†Sometimes I sang “Here Comes the Sun†with one word changed in the opening lyrics: “Little darling, it seems like years since PEACE has been here.†Most of the younger cops nodded their support or raised their hands with a thumbs up or a peace sign themselves. Fortunately, no officers actually forced me to stop as long as I kept the flow and didn’t get in the way. My heart goes out to all those patriots who were arrested and their bikes confiscated. The fluidity and freedom of my bike enabled me to be anywhere and everywhere during the demonstrations. I was able to join the Green Dragon’s Paul Revere ride announcing “The Republicans are coming!†and I was one of the 5,000 bikes in the Critical Mass ride. I walked my bike in the United for Peace and Justice march and rode all over the city during the August 31st day of direct actions. I saw a live board game of American Oligopoly that had our present Big Business political landscape represented and the Bush crew playing the Kerry party. I also caught the Eyes Wide Open installation in Central Park with boots and shoes representing the troops and civilians killed in Iraq. On the last night of the convention my bike ride rant boiled down to, “Hey delegates, news flash: Bush is lying to you!†One Republican man mouthed quietly to me that he knew Bush was lying, to which I said, “When you go in your voting booth you don’t have to vote for him.†Before popping into a cab he whispered, “I’m not.†I’m writing this all down not for self-congratulation but in the hopes that this may inspire other bikers to devise their own signs and songs. Even though the convention is over, it is imperative that we continue our direct confrontation as often as possible. Let’s go to the tourist traps in the City and engage those Americans that need to reconsider their vote. The work isn’t over when we have so far to go. Let’s divide and conquer. Power to the peaceful. Eric Wallach September 5, 2004 ebwally@yahoo.com