UNBELIEVABLE!

June 10 -- Sixteen days to go


IF YOU NEVER came to a Beach Impeach event (or even if you did), I wouldn't blame you for wondering right about now: "Is this guy just making this stuff up?"

Helicopters, crowds, postcards. One night he writes about his visit to a Croatian miracle worker, and the next night it's marches around the Chronicle, Cindy Sheehan, his friend "Jason's" disaster-at-sea, and then he moans about his own sleepless nights. "Is this guy stable? Is he hallucinating?"

And now this!


I ACTUALLY STARTED ORGANIZING this event in the spring of 2009 when I received an email from a student at Brown University who had seen Beach Impeach imagery on the web. Now he was interested in using human bodies to spell out "Sorry" in Arabic script on a beach in Rhode Island. I loved the idea, and for several weeks he and I talked about doing a same-day, bi-coastal "Sorry" event, but we never pulled it together.

That's when I started thinking about an annual event at Ocean Beach, as there is always some message that the people need to spell out for their leaders. Earlier this year I started stopping by the Park Service office to chat up June 26, and just yesterday they issued the event permit.


SO BELIEVE IT OR NOT, just THIS MORNING I receive an email telling me that a group named "Hands Across the Sand" (ever heard of them? me neither) is organizing a worldwide series of anti-drilling events where people will go to their favorite local beach and join hands in a line along the shore. (How could something so huge sneak up on me? No clue.) There are already a few dozen events scheduled for California, including two in San Francisco.

One of them is scheduled for Ocean Beach.

It is scheduled for Saturday, June 26.

The time is 11 a.m.


TODAY I TALKED briefly with the local organizers. They are sort of incredulous to hear about Beach Impeach (they love the photos) and the Park Service permit and the helicopter. The serendipity of it all! We noted that it seems pretty obvious that the universe wants us to join forces, and we're discussing how to best do that. (If you're wondering, I think this is an absolutely TREMENDOUS turn of events. I will admit to a short bout of "Hey-that's-our-beach!" but it lasted less than three seconds.)

After dinner tonight I opened a fortune cookie that said, no lie: "Prepare to modify your plans."

Under the blast of the shower nozzle just a few minutes ago, I found myself thinking about the unlikely nature of reality and suddenly had a thought that caused me to burst out laughing: "Braht-zo!" Check him out here.

Hands Across the Sand. Check them out here.

To be continued, I am sure.


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