The Times, They Are A-Stayin' the Same

Walter Mosley writes about the Watts riots 40 years later, and what we should have learned from them. Also found: a dispiriting Thomas Pynchon essay published about nine months after the riots. I'd love to believe that things have changed for the better since that time, but I don't think they have, much. It's significant that MLK Jr. was assassinated not during his campaign for Civil Rights, but rather as he was beginning his Poor People's Campaign.

One person trying to make change right now is Cindy Sheehan, who is prepared to camp outside G.W.'s Crawford, Texas ranch for his entire five-week vacation until he agrees to speak with her. Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq, and she's become a committed anti-war activist. twistedchick has an exhaustive rundown of the situation, and the intimidation tactics being used by the Secret Service and the local sheriff's department. It's a 16-hour drive from here to Prairie Chapel Road in Crawford. I've got Friday and Monday off. I've been thinking about it.