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Subject: (some) “A Camp” HipStory (for clarity) -- from award winner at Arkansas Gathering, beaplunker -- “AIN’T leaving anyone by the side of the road”
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:29:19 -0600
From: peace...@wildrockies.org
To: <a...@agr.welcomehome.org>

Howdy,

Wow... I won an award this year in Arkansas... obviously need not be present to win... yep... I couldn’t quite make it over... I, of course, was in the WAY OUT camp, (2000 miles from Center Circle) with some 100 or so (74)... nice Circle, small Kid’s Parade... and resource guy stopped by, had ice cream with folks late afternoon on the 4th...

For a storyteller, HipStorian to win a “talking” award seems common sense... thanks for all who supported me... it matches up with the award i received 2006 “counter-cultural hero of the year” (an award by the few staff of high times, new york), Cannibis Cup... I, of course, related i reckon I ain’t in the “counter-culture”... I am in the CULTURE... the War Culture is the “counter-culture”... and “hero”... folks, everyday seeking to raise their children, live in peace and respect of their neighbors... them is all “heroes” or “good people”... moving on...

[Jackie Betz (email follows): “I presented awards to some of the deserving at the Variety Show on the 4th”: 14. Barry Plunker Award: Person Who Talked More than Barry Plunker: No one. Title remains firmly with Plunker.]

NOW (some) “A Camp” HipStory:

Lots of rap concerning A Camp, and I can hear folks groaning... again and again, what is up with this A Camp Trip??

And again, some folks are considering somehow “leaving” some brothers and sisters (for alcohol related problems, etc.) and continuing walking on up the Road, i.e. keep on Gathering without this particular “Tribe”... (i.e. A Camp not wanted)

Every time, in all these years, this subject comes up, I re-relate some of the ACTUAL HIPSTORY of the A Camp, and also those of the “tribe” of winos, alkys, down and outers, druggies, etc... some of whom wend their way to the Place I call Home, Annual Gathering July 1-7... not only that, I call it THEIR Home, as much as it is to me also Home...

All folks who make it Home to the Gathering are (my) brothers and sisters; I am not alone in this acceptance, recognition, love, respect (yep, respect) of those who are able to make it Home, ANYONE, even with all the BAGGAGE -- IS THERE ANYONE WHO AIN’T GOT BAGGAGE, PLEASE SPEAK UP, please... looking for NO Baggage...

In other Words ain’t it hard enuf to get to the Annual Gathering, Home to those of us who are Rainbow Family and Tribe of Tribes, with or without baggage...

(some) HipStory A Camp:

(and of “winos, druggies, alkys”, et. al. i.e. fully rough-edged individuals who make it Home)

First off, reading from the Akashic:

I look back to my first days and times in the street, in 1966, and easily remember those brothers (and sisters) of the streets, who shared survival tips -- including dumpstering, which I have since shared/passed along to others... respect and thanks to those (anonymous, no names) winos and alkys, who showed me safe places to sleep, even kept track while I slept (places like the Bowery of New York, North Beach, San Francisco)... harsh people, kind to me...

1968, STP Family/tribe, outa New York (useta be called “MotherFuckers” as in “up against the wall motherfuckers” -- action and song... some became Buccaneer Family, near Nederland, Colorado

Buccaneer Family, Rainbow Family of Living Light Family (folks outa Rainbow House, Eugene, Oregon - myself, Harold and Jeannie, others), Rainbow Farm Family (Garrick, others), STP Family, Morning Star, Wheeler’s Ranch, others, plus the Krishnas, et. al... gathered with one another in Colorado, 1972...

Some of the STP young’ins, and some of the (now called) A Camp young’ins have “married in” and some of these have children... some 3 (or 4) generations of Family and Tribe, of folks coming Home, year after year, being brothers and sisters with my own children and my children’s children... straight up...

When you start talking about people (some) consider to be A Campers, it must be remembered -- GENERATIONS... and I have (among others) have Gathered with these generations of brothers and sisters since before there were (so-called) Rainbow Family... “winos, alkys, druggies (of all sorts), those who are weak barely able to Gather at all, will always be with us, unto the generations of the Earth” -- so it is written, selah..

Notable moments of interaction between the People (and Rainbow) and these “rowdies” among us, dates back in Gathering hipstory to the 4th of July 1972... parking lot, when the Feds, cops raided and took away some 16 individuals of the then “Rowdies” (as I call them)... this raid took place evening of the 4th, and hundreds of folks were sleeping in the parking lot (just come off Table Mtn. – Silence)...

Turmoil ensued, people rose up, Feds flashed guns... things got ugly... then, one of the most “Rowdy” of all Rowdies, Tony Angel rose outa of his bed and (literally, singlehandedly, loud voiced) stopped the “rising riot” in the bud... 16 people taken away, bail raised... no real charges... Feds slamming what appeared to be an “easy target” ... this (A) Camp was in the parking lot/Bus Village... a reasonably good area... Rowdy, but (good) people...

1972-1977... there was an “unspoken agreeing” by Rowdy characters to drink, drunk, raise hob away from the Gathering, away from Home... and then, when they come Home, lay down the rowdiness, even dry out for a time... do good things, help the people...

in 1977, New Mexico... anyone bringing any booze into the Gathering, beyond the parking lot or Bus Village would find hundreds of folks crying out... i.e. “Beer Up”, like “6 Up”... Feds, et. al., with guns AND folks with alcohol were asked to take them out beyond the Gathering...

DISCOURAGE (abuse of) DRUGS, ALCOHOL, VIOLENCE...

This was on the Howdy Folks, and Rapped to folks coming Home, then when Rap 107 was written, this was/still is on the Rap...

“DISCOURAGING” AIN’T THE SAME AS “BANNING”

It makes little sense for “outlaws” to be “banning” other “outlaws”... only encourages a “black market” (see War on Drugs, USA)...

Folks who drank (a lot) during the year, would do their best to be “dry”, during July 1-4, (then) July 1-7... “FOR THE SAKE OF THE FAMILY” i.e. Rainbow Family -- their brothers and sisters...

In 1979, as a way of getting “drunkers” outa Alpine, Arizona (small town) AND, as a way to NOT have “drunks” driving, messing up in the Gathering, I created the OK Corral (with a couple of “true Rowdies - Crazy John, and Tony Angel) plus, with the “Shanti Sena” Camp... a collection of long-time family with varied backgrounds, most of them were “rowdies”... “roots rowdies”...

OK was OK... it worked, (mostly) to get some of the “drunkers” off the streets, outa the town, and sober before getting Home (to the Gathering)...

In Idaho, 1982... Indian Jesse, Dave and Charlene, and young Dave and young Sammy gave a hitch-hiker a ride to the Gathering... Jesse, Dave, Charlene, and the kids became Parking Lot Kitchen, and stayed (mostly) “dry”... they weren’t alkys, rather folks who drank...

Next year, and subsequent years, Dave and Charlene, kept a kitchen going... A Camp is what they called it... as in “a camp” NOT “alky camp”... a place for the rough edge to land, be at Home, and (if needed) some “maintenance alcohol”... (folks who drink all the time can not simply “dry out”... I used to carry snickers bars around with me, sugar helps)

People like No Guns would show up at A Camp and bring herb teas... etc...

Many of the folks who came to work/volunteer for Front Gate ALSO were/are folks who drink... and folks “in Gathering” wanted less and less to do with the A Camp, which became (as is easily recognized) sloppy, and harder core... YET, at 4 in the Morning, facing off with the Feds... welcoming folks Home when it is dark, cold, nasty on the road... who is out there??

In the many times I have worked Front Gate and the road, in the deep times of the night... it IS folks , yep “rowdy” folks who come forth... ask Carla, Sara, Sueb, or Donny, or the (few among us) folks who have worked Front Gate... it is the “rowdies” of A Camp who are there... and yes, when there are not way cool, responsible folks like Carla, etc.. out there working the Gate then things get sloppy (even nasty) and yep, Carla (I pick on Carla because she has worked Front Gate many times, day and night) and I are getting so we can’t stay up all night on Gate... one of the great experiences of any Gathering...

The answers to A Camp is for all the folks to contact, communicate, share with any and all of A Camp their concerns, and their hugs and good vibes... as with any other Camps...

ANSWER TO FRONT GATE:

There is ONLY one answer to the Front Gate Situations... all of them, regardless of source, root... etc... AND THE ANSWER MY FRIEND IS YOU ON THE FRONT GATE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WELCOMING PEOPLE HOME...

It only takes the care and attention of every single person who comes Home to ‘look after”, to tend to, the Front Gate...

I agree with Garrick when he says A Camp was more “in Gathering” than for a long time... Crazy John is now John Bufallo... original “A campers - alkys” are now considered “respectable Gatherers”... ones still alive and riding with us Family...

No, it ain’t a matter of riding without (some) folks (or another)...

Gathering at Home is ALL ABOUT figuring out HOW TO RIDE WITH ONE ANOTHER, baggage and all...

A feller named Jesus was rumored to have said, “Let the one without sin among you cast the first stone” OR, as we say “In Gathering”...

“Let him/her who ain’t stoned be shared unto by the many”

“Kegger” Dave and Charlene, and Dusty Rainbow, Two Tokes, and (on the side) Luke, etc... are gone to the skies... they was/are folks I loved and respected, maybe not for all their baggage, but for their dreams and visions of a better place, A Camp (Home) for all, even them “rowdies”, rough-edged, road-dogs of the trail...

Now, generations of folks who rode with A Camp come Home... maybe things ain’t all worked out yet, maybe take a while longer... but, for the Akashic Record...

I won’t be leaving ANYONE BEHIND... iffn I don’t get there with you, why watch down the track -- when all the folks get Home, with or without baggage, then I’ll be along directly... New Jah-ru-salem... in the new spirit of the people... Ain’t going to be leaving anyone on the side of the road, ain’t going to be leaving anyone behind love to lay down my baggage, yeah, down by the riverside, up on the mountainside, one day the circle will be unbroken when everyone is Home.

My prayer is folks be looking for solutions, for helping folks lay down their baggage, all of us, and for helping folks getting Home to get Home...

 

peace, barry plunker, montana, rainbow family tribe

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