Out and About - August 2008

Without doubt, one of the highlights of July-August was the week long visit of my older brother and his family to St. Paul.

Above: Standing (at right) with my brother Chris and my nephews (from left) Brendan, Mitchell, and Liam. My eldest nephew, Ryan, did not accompany the family to the U.S. (You were greatly missed, Ryan!)

Above left: With my sister-in-law, Cathie.

For more images of my family’s time in the Twin Cities, see:
An Afternoon at the Museum
Pool Party
Climbing Barn Bluff
Good Times, Happy Memories
Out and About – July 2008



Above: The 9th Annual “Welcome Home” Traditional Pow-Wow of the Mendota-Mdewakanton Dakota Community – August 8-10, 2008.

For more images and commentary, click here.



Above: From August 14-21 my friends Kathleen and Joey and I took a road trip to St. Louis, Missouri.

For more on this road trip, see:
Part 1: Following the Mississippi
Part 2: Dubuque
Part 3: St. Louis
Part 4: The Arch
Part 5: Carondelet
Part 6: Hannibal



Above: Kathy Kelly (second from left) and Lauren Cannon (right) were among several peace advocates who walked from Chicago to St. Paul as part of Witness Against War: 2008.

On Monday, August 25, I traveled with friends (pictured below) to Red Wing so as to greet and support the walkers. For more images and commentary, click here.




Above and right:Kathy Kelly with a young child – August 30, 2008.

Upon their arrival in St. Paul, the Witness Against War walkers were guests of honor at a reception held at the Carondelet Center.





Also in attendance at this reception was Medea Benjamin (above) of Code Pink and Ann Wright (below) of Veterans for Peace.



Both Medea and Ann were in the Twin Cities for various justice and peace events organized in response to the Republican National Convention (RNC), scheduled to take place September 1 – 4.

Also in town were former UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, and Jeremy Scahill, investigative journalist and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, both of whom, unfortunately, I did not hear speak.



Michael T. McPhearson (above), executive director of Veterans for Peace, and former FBI agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley (below) speak at a media conference August 30 in response to police raids on the homes of activists ahead of the Republican National Convention.




Above: At the August 31 rally and march against torture and the war in Iraq, “Death” bears silent witness to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq.

For more images and commentary on this event, click here.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Back in the USA
Out and About - April 2007
Out and About - May 2007
Out and About - June 2007
Out and About - July 2007
Out and About - August 2007
Out and About - September 2007
Out and About - October 2007
Out and About - November 2007
Out and About - December 2007
Out and About - January 2008
Out and About - February 2008
Out and About - March 2008
Out and About: April 2008
Out and About - May 2008
Out and About - June 2008
Out and About - July 2008