A Most Unexpected Road Trip

So yesterday Cara posted on her Facebook page about her intention to attend the Heartland Peace Rally in Joplin as a counter-protest to the Westboro Baptist Church's plans to demonstrate at the Memorial Service for the Joplin Tornado victims.

She asked if anyone else was going and indicated that her car had room for 3 more people.

In an uncharacteristic display of complete spontaneity, I decided to ride along. So a young, female, Jewish, conservative and an old, atheist, socialist curmudgeon set out on a road trip!

We got there early and had time to view some of the devastation left by the tornado. It was staggering. I've lived in the midwest all my life and I've never seen anything like this.





You here people compare the destruction to a war zone. I've never been in a war but I'm fairly certain that nothing short of a nuclear weapon could cause this amount of damage.




The turn out in support of the folks in Joplin was quite large, loud and enthusiastic.














We got to see President O'Bama arrive on Air Force One.



It wasn't the usual 747, but a lesser Air Force One that landed in Joplin.




We never did see any members of the Westboro Baptist Church, although various rumors had them blocked in at the Flying J truck stop by truckers, getting beat up by some truckers, getting tear gassed by the police and being hauled off to jail. None of which were true. But having never encountered them we can't claim to have been much of a counter-protest.

We didn't help any residents clean up or rebuild. We didn't actually accomplish anything.

But sometimes you just have to see a thing for yourself and lend your support in whatever way you can.