Jim Goodenow is a Vietnam era veteran who has
dedicated the last few years to working full time
for peace. His Silver Eagle Greyhound-style "The
Yellow Rose Peace Bus" has been his home as he has
traveled the country lending a hand to many notable
peace and justice efforts. The Yellow Rose ferried
Cindy Sheehan, Iraq vets, John Nichols and I across
Vermont last spring as we successfully raised the call
for town meeting impeachment votes. He took Liam
Madden and other Iraq Vets Against the War down the
eastern seaboard last summer, as they went from one
military base to another, talking about the appeal for
redress that many active duty soldiers are starting to
sign onto, demanding an end to the war.
Most recently he was in New Hampshire, where the
Yellow Rose was riding caravan with John McCain's
"Straight Talk Express", providing a pointed contrast
with its large "Bring Them Home Now", "What Honorable
War?" and "Don't Bomb Iran" signage emblazoned on the
sides. And it was in New Hampshire that Jim
encountered a sort of bus driver road rage, McCain
style. Videographers on the Yellow Rose filmed
McCain's press bus performing blocking maneuvers and
eventually running the Yellow Rose into the breakdown
lane, just to prevent the possibility of a photograph
of Jim's traveling billboards of truth running
alongside McCain's fictional claim to be the truth
teller. This turned out to be a harbinger of an even
nastier event to come.
After the NH primaries, Jim was headed to South
Carolina to hook up with some peace activists there to
continue his good work in South Carolina leading up to
their primary next week. He stopped in New Jersey to
get some maintenance performed on the bus by a garage
that Jim knows and trusts. Mechanics there adjusted
the brakes, checked the engine, gave it a good look
over and handed it back to Jim in good shape and ready
to roll. A couple of hours down the road, still in
N.J. Jim pulled into a rest area, had dinner and
decided to take a short nap. While he was preparing
for his nap, he saw a man walk by the bus, to the edge
of the parking lot, look carefully all around him, and
walk back towards the bus. When he went around the
back of the bus, the man was out of sight and Jim
didn't give it much thought. He had turned off the
engine and was ready to settle down for his nap when
the back of the bus was quickly engulfed in flames.
Jim escaped unharmed, but the bus is almost certainly
a total loss and he lost most of his clothing and
bedding which were near the engine compartment.
Jim has received lots of threats over the years as
he has boldly staked his claim of free speech, and
while investigators have not yet determined if this
was an act of arson or not, it only fits in with the
new atmosphere of brown shirt style intimidation that
the Bush/Cheney regime has engendered with vile
rhetoric and criminal actions.
But Jim Goodenow will not be silenced and whether
repaired or replaced, The Yellow Rose will rise again.
You can help by going to yellowrosepeacebus.com and
contributing via pay pal, or you can make a
tax-deductible contribution to the Texas Vietnam
Veterans Against the War, who will use the money to
help Jim.