Great night in the Valley of Lucas up in San Rafael. All it takes is one person to make a night go from craptacular to splediferous. First bunch of people were either a) extremely not interested, or b) actively anti-ACLU. But then I knocked on another enormous door and the nice gentleman that opened it not only joined as a monthly contributor, but also upped my request by $30 a month! He's in for $50 every month, and that completely rocked my world. He had protested the Vietnam War in his youth and he was very happy to join up with the ACLU tonight.

Weather was absolutely off the hook. Hot and breezy, which is a wonderful combination, followed by a gusty eve that gave way to a spectacular moonrise over the hills in the distance.

There were two people that I talked to who responded in ways I had never heard before.

The first one said that he used to be like me, but that he was getting old and he had lost faith in the political process. Instead, he told me, he was focusing on his Inner Journey. We had a nice conversation, though, and he suggested I pick up All and Everything. And I just might do that.

The guy at the very next house simply said, "I'm done with the system. Done with it." I tried to talk about the ACLU again, but before I could even speak he just repeated himself. "I'm done with it!" And then my demeanor changed. I wished him a good night, and then he transformed as well, leaving the dour rage he was expressing behind to become smiley and cordial as I left.

It was also early in the evening when I spoke to an older man that had nothing but disgust for the ACLU. I quickly realized there was no chance of winning him over, so instead I just told him how much I liked his sundial. After that he was very nice and I learned that he had to reset the position of the numbers to reflect daylight savings. Pretty cool.

There's also important/insane stuff to talk about with Ws and Darth Cheney's refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena, but that's rage inducing, and I gotta sleep at some point. More on that tomorrow and this weekend.

Welcome back! Cheney's part of the Executive branch again. Oh how we've missed you. Now release your fucking secret files and stop screwin' around.

There were Redwoods in the yards of the Palo Altians I canvassed tonight. They were in various yards the other nights we were down there, but I forgot to mention it. Which is weird, because the Redwood-Tree-in-yard phenomenon is something I would like to be a part of. If there's a cooler tree out there, I don't want to know about it.

1 new member tonight, who also elected to be "Sustainer." Which means he will be giving a modest contribution every month for the next year. That makes him a serious member. That makes him a Guardian of Liberty. If you want to be one of those, too, let me know. One other person donated, as well, but she did not want to become an official member, yet. But at least she knows we're out there, now.

Met a cat tonight. His name was Stormy. Our first encounter was on his driveway, where he told me that he liked headrubs. Since I have a cat of my own that thinks headrubs are second only to food, I knew where Stormy was coming from. On my stroll back along the other side of the block, Stormy stopped by again, and I chilled with him on the corner while I sat for a bit and drank some water. Of course there were more headrubs. Clearly he deserved them.

It is very interesting to be an observer of a neighborhood for a few hours. I've learned the ebb and flow of suburbia in a way I've not noticed for a long time. And the last time, it was as a participant, back when I was young. Now having lived in cities for many years, this environment is both striking in its vast difference from urban life, and powerfully familiar as the setting for my childhood.

The coolest thing I saw today was a prefabbed skateboard ramp. Re-enforced, slightly sloping plastic about a foot high, with a perfect curve and lip. And wouldn't you know it? Seeing it for the first time tonight, I actually saw 3 of them. 2 at one house with a block in the middle, making an excellent street skateboarding prop; then a third one, alone, near a stationary skateboard at a house about an hour later. I would have wanted one of those back when I was 14. Instead we had to figure out how to build them.

Next time I won't have to just describe an awesome little find like that. Lu found our missing camera, so from now on expect images from the street. There are so many cool details of the world I get to study in between blowing minds. I'm really excited about adding some images to this chronicle of canvassing.

Oh and my knuckles hurt today. I like the knock instead of the ring or door-knocker. The knuckle-knock seems more personal and real. And seriously people, if I'm anything, I'm personal and real.

Hot out there in the suburbs. And that heat was highlighted even further with the billowing clouds of gray smoke pouring from the hills above Palo Alto. Helicopters, planes, streets blocked off by police and crazy traffic proved that there was a major fire up there. For several hours as I walked the tree-shaded blocks I could see the smoke wafting up into the sky.

We were only a few blocks away from where we last canvassed the suburbs, but the people in this area were much, much nicer. Had a whole bunch of great conversations and even got 4 people to become members. That's a great way to start off the week.

ACLU Day of Action in DC tomorrow. Looking forward to the news coverage of that!

And if you're for habeas corpus, you're against Mitt Romney. He's got a great big hard-on for Gitmo. He doesn't quite seem to get that holding people indefinitely without charging them with a crime or allowing them to stand before a judge and defend themselves goes against everything that America is founded upon.

Also, big props to Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel. He's going to introduce an amendment that will cut off funding to Darth Cheney's office. Since Sith Lord Cheney has claimed that the VP's office is not part of the Executive branch, then the office should not be funded through the Executive branch. Which of course belies the utter stupidity of Cheney's claim.

Started training to be a Field Manager today. I'm psyched. I like being in charge and I think I'll do well in that role. I'm 10 years older than nearly everyone else in the office, so it does kinda make sense to have a leadership role.

Alright, time for my daily dose the Daily Show!

The 'military commissions' that stripped prisoners of their habeas corpus rights started with Cheney. The man is a menace to democracy! 3 more parts forthcoming from the Washington Post. Stay tuned.

A big thank you to Noe Valley today. Tons of ACLU members, lots of people that stopped to talk, and several that decided to go ahead and join on up. One gentleman was quite generous and made my day and week! (as well as the ACLU's.) It was a great Friday in that regard.

Not so good that The W. House decided *not* to have that Gitmo meeting that was leaked to the press yesterday, and initially tried to deny that it had anything to do with the news report. More from Think Progress here.

Here's another news report about habeas corpus (or the lack thereof), and then here is a short essay that very succinctly describes what is at stake. Currently, every single citizen in this country is living without one of the most essential rights of American Democracy.

You have been for several years now. It's not going to change unless we do something about it. Us. We. The government is supposed to work FOR us, not against us. Habeas corpus is essential for our society to continue to function and thrive. We must have it back. Next week we're demanding it, again.

More good news. The pressure is starting to work. Dubs is considering closing Guantanamo and moving the prisoners to US prisons to face trial. They might even get some habeas corpus kicked down to'em. If they're cool and the gang about it all.

So great how it only took 5 years for him to consider this. What a visionary. What a leader!

Next Tuesday (6/26/07) is an ACLU Day of Action. These are the demands: "We the people demand that Congress hold this administration accountable for its actions and demand the restoration of habeas corpus and all our constitutional rights." Pretty simple, eh? Between the ACLU and other groups 140,000 signatures have been collected. And they are going to deliver those signatures in DC on Tuesday.

Add yours here.

But if you can't make it to DC to participate, there are events in many cities across the country. In SF it's at the London Wine Bar in the Fugazy building at 413 Sansome Street. Attendees will get a free drink for writing a letter to their member of congress. 6-9pm. While you guys are whooping it up at the bar, I'll be out knocking on doors and interrupting dinner.

Got to do that in suburbia tonight. Nice cars out there. Well watered lawns, and wide, tree covered streets with prominently marked bike paths. Met a few superduper oldskool ACLUers. One woman first joined in 1947. Another cool old dude was already a member, but still decided to help out again tonight. Unfortunately most of the parental middle-agers I encountered, behind the threshold of their castles, were too busy with their lives to chat for a few moments.

There were two great lines of the night for me. The first was from a harried woman who opened the door and told me "I don't have time. My bird is flying around in here and I just... don't have time," before quickly shutting the door in my face. The second was from a Dad playing with his 2 kids in the street. He said, "Whatever it is, I'm sure I'm not interested." And when I told him I was from the ACLU, he proved himself right.

The contrasts in this neighborhood were fascinating. On the one hand there were many who could could not care less about what I was talking about. And then on the other hand there were a few with a long-time commitment to the ACLU, and a deep knowledge its amazing accomplishments.

My liberty mojo was off tonight. I think suburbia tweaked me a little bit. Next time, they're mine.

Anthony D. Romero is the Executive Director of the ACLU. This is a post by him that describes exactly what I'm bothering people about all day. Happy Belated Bday Habeas Corpus! Although it's really quite horrible that the 'unlawful combatants' in Guantanamo Bay have been utterly denied these basic rights.

Okay the Mission hipsters need to stop worrying about updating their myspace page with photos of their new tattoo and take five seconds to pay attention to some real issues. And dudes, you are all 35+, the dirtbike gang cruising Valencia at 2 in the afternoon is so played. Specially you with the bananaseat and big handlebars.

Alright, maybe I wished I was riding a fun bike on a gorgeous afternoon with my friends. And I suppose I did dodge the Greenpeace canvassers up the block without listening to their rap. I think next time, no matter what, when I see another canvassers, I'm gonna at least let them talk it out and maybe even throw them a few bucks. Shit. Now I feel bad. Next time for sure.

See, I learned something today. How beautiful. And I signed up one more member. A sustainer taboot (taboot). That's ACLU income alllll year.

But politics is still fucking crazy. More on that later.

Tonight was a good night. 4 more people signed on, and even better, I got to talk to a whole bunch of people that were both interested and outraged at what's been going on. Most of them elected not to become members this evening, but I could see their brains working as I wished them a good evening and continued on.

One thing I did notice is that I am absolutely without any nervousness when I ring these bells. I've been doing presentations and speaking in front of people for various reasons for a long time, but it wasn't until tonight that I realized just how thoroughly it does not bother me. I suppose being a waiter was perfect training for this. I certainly never felt nervous walkin' up to my next table, but I kinda thought it would be different out there on the street.

It's not. Same thing exactly.

Each time before I ring the bell--just like each time I stepped to a new table--the only thing that goes through my mind is "What kind of person am I going to meet now?"

Tonight it was a whole bunch of good ones, and I'm really quite thankful that they all gave me a few moments of their time to talk about some very important issues facing this country. Sure, I need them to sign up so I hit my quota and get paid slightly more. But seeing the difference between last night's consecutive blowoffs and tonight's great conversations, it proved to me that setting these minds in motion is even more rewarding than the money alone.

I like this job. We've just got to make sure we're getting out of there on time. Leaving late every night definitely puts a bit of a negative vibe on otherwise great shifts.

Back on the street corner tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what wonderful excuses people come up with to justify their apathy. Lunch can wait 2 minutes! Let's chat about some really important shit, first. Although it might ruin your appetite, it very well could ignite your conscience, and believe me, that's a great thing. A lit conscience is a first step toward change. And we need a lot of change right now.

Suckass night on the hills of SF. Got waved away without even an open door so many times I wondered if I was sneering instead of smiling. But I practiced in the darkened glass of the empty homes and I knew my smile was bright and sincere.

A huge tree behind the hill I trudged up raged in the wind as the fog gathered behind which was ready to pounce once the sun finished setting. It had to be 40 mile and hour winds up there tonight. The whole time I was canvassing the neighborhood, the wind on that enormous tree made a sound like a plane landing, for 2 hours!

I have a feeling that wind blew the mojo right out from within my ACLU t-shirt.

Finally on the second pass through the 'hood, I found two concerned, outraged individuals that decided tonight was the night to become part of the solution. Without them, my tally sheet would have a big fat zero in the total box and that's never fun.

The worst part, though, wasn't the lack of new members. It was the lack of interesting, engaging conversations that really bothered me. On a night I can't get people to sign up, at the very least I do want them to listen for a few moments 'cause otherwise I'm just a lowly doorbell tester.

Turned out that no one had a very good night. That is, except for one guy, who happened to reel in a donation quite a bit larger than I would ever expect. He didn't even get to the 'Ask' part. This generous individual just whipped out their checkbook and wrote 6 numbers in a row, including a decimal. I suppose if I test enough doorbells, a few of them will be winners!

Five doors before I was done as nine 0'clock rolled closer, I heard a child practicing the trumpet. Duh nah nah nah nah-naaaaah!! he or she bugled falteringly, and in my head I finished the call, hoping it would bring me renewed vigor to my final doors. Charge I did, but in the end, my donation sheet and I were routed, soundly.

Looks like Field Manager is in my future. And I just signed the forms that let me drive for the organization. I'm cool with that. It'll be fun to get out of the city and helpfully harass some suburban folk. I hear they have good lemonade.

Out with the tourists on Friday, and it was an education. I'd say it was about 60% Dem / 40% Repub out there. Quite a few people replied to my grab line saying "I like it!", or "I support Bush!" Certainly more people than on the day we stood in the middle of the Castro.

Oh and here's the line we're using to start the conversation: "Hi there! Would you like to help stop President Bush's abuse of power?" Most just shake their heads and smile as they walk by. Some laugh outright. Others reply ruefully, "You can't stop it!" A few do stop to chat, though, and most leave slightly shocked by the facts I'm telling'em. A couple of times on Friday it even moved them to the point of action, and now there are several more card-carrying members of the ACLU out there.

Here's some recent news about said abuse of power. The White House has been using RNC email accounts to avoid oversight. They used the RNC accounts instead of White House accounts because White House accounts can be subpoenaed, and it is illegal to destroy any official White House emails. By using the RNC accounts, they hoped to avoid scrutiny. Surprised? Yeah me neither. Here's the meat of the story:

The Presidential Records Act requires the President to “take all such steps as may be necessary to assure that the activities, deliberations, decisions, and policies that reflect the performance of his constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties are adequately documented … and maintained as Presidential records.” To implement this legal requirement, the White House Counsel issued clear written policies in February 2001 instructing White House staff to use only the official White House e-mail system for official communications and to retain any official e-mails they received on a nongovernmental account.

The evidence obtained by the Committee indicates that White House officials used their RNC e-mail accounts in a manner that circumvented these requirements. At this point in the investigation, it is not possible to determine precisely how many presidential records may have been destroyed by the RNC. Given the heavy reliance by White House officials on RNC e-mail accounts, the high rank of the White House officials involved, and the large quantity of missing e-mails, the potential violation of the Presidential Records Act may be extensive.

This is just one more example of an Administration gone batshit insane. I hope they face legal repercussions. If anyone can make a difference in this fight, it's the ACLU, and it feels great to building their ranks.

What an amazing night! I got to wear shorts until 10pm and the sunset turned the sky a massive splash of pink before fading into endless purple. Perfect breeze, utterly cloudless, a truly beautiful SF eve.

I didn't really have to rock any hills tonight, but the block I was on had houses and apartments with the doors at least a story off the street. That's a lot of steps! But I like it 'cause it got my heart pumping and my legs working. I'm going to be in better shape after one month of this than I have been in a long time (maybe ever?) Another bonus.

I've begun to notice the little things about each of the houses. How the metal numbers nailed to the door have bled and run down the wood. Days of papers discarded in a heap on front porch that's never used because they go in through the garage. One house had a peculiar smell as I tromped up the front steps. It wasn't awful, but it did smell slightly tangy and old.

The funniest moment of the night happened early, while it was still a bright afternoon. I was on a porch that had 4 doors to 4 different apartments. I rang the buzzer to my left and waited. While waiting I heard commotion from the door on the other side of the porch behind me. I turned to speak to the person exiting, but only got about halfway around before the door swung open and a woman began to step out.

But she did not expect me to be standing there. Not at all.

She screamed, convulsed and reared back, shocked that I was on her porch. I scared the absolute shit out of her to the point that her fear scared me, and I jumped back because of her extreme reaction. Of course I apologized and said that I was there from the ACLU, but I most definitely did not try to canvass her. She skittered away, barely looking at me, but I chuckled a few times throughout the night remembering our shared, contagious panic.

$20 off my goal for the eve, but I talked to a lot of great people and definitely got a few of them to go and learn more about the extreme injustice our government is perpetrating. If I can't get their money, I can at least get their minds.

The National Security Letters that the FBI uses to spy are "still too weak," according to the ACLU, and that "it doubted the new guidelines will be sufficient to protect the privacy of Americans."

But there has been good news re: the Military Commissions Act. Nice to see the Senate Judiciary Committee taking some action.

Off to hit the hills in a few hours. Not sure where we're going tonight, but it's friggin hot out there. (or so reports the wife). Dressing for the fickle weather of San Francisco is not easy. On Tuesday it was nice all day, then right at sunset the wind picked up and the temperature dropped fast. I was on the streets above Noe which made it especially blustery, and I was not prepared for the cold. But about a half an hour later as dusk really sunk in, I noticed the wind had stopped completely and it was actually rather warm again. I'm hoping it stays warm all night, but I'm bringing a hat just in case.

Alright! Libby's going to prison while he waits for appeal. The judge denied the defense's motion to allow him to stay out of jail while the appeals process rolls on. He will have to report in 6-8 weeks, but my money is on a pardon from the Preznit. And if it doesn't happen now, you can bet your sweet ass that it'll be the last thing Dubs does as he's leaving office. Despicable.

I started this post complaining about the people that didn't stop to talk to me today. But that's the wrong approach. That's not where I should be focusing right off the bat. I have to be patient with the masses. Until yesterday, I was one of them. Until yesterday I blew past every canvasser on the planet without so much as a glance. Time was something I didn't have much of, and money even less.

Some did stop, though. Some did take a moment to listen, many expressed support even as they passed, and a few gems even went so far as to step up and become members. I signed one person to be a monthly contributor to the ACLU, and with that signature, I went from a 'trainee' to 'staff'. I'm very happy to be officially on the team.

It was hot out there today, but as tired as I was from standing and walking for hours on end, I found somewhere a spring for my steps that bounced me all the way home.

This is the first time I have ever been a grassroots activist, and it feels really fucking good. My legs, however, are sore as hell. There are hills in my future tomorrow and many doorbells to be rung. I hope they are ready for me. I am definitely ready for them.

I've been selling things for many years, but this is the first time I've ever rang a doorbell with justice on my side.

As a waiter, selling and serving food felt good.

As a newspaper salesman, selling subscriptions seemed useful.

As a recruiter I enjoyed the fact that I was helping people get jobs.

Today was the first time I felt proud, even though I was getting paid less than shit.

I probably should have done this 10 years ago, but eh, fuck it, now's good too.