I was about to tell y'all about High Sierra, but then Josie showed up here at the house with a bunch of people, fresh from the annual Rainbow Gathering. So now I'm all basking in their fresh-off-the-land glow. I've fed them, and will soon provide laundry facilities. I didn't know who she was bringing, but it turns out I know four of 'em already. How nice to suddenly have all these beautiful guests! OK, back soon....
Posted by Jason at July 7, 2004 07:02 PM
there was an interesting article in the Des Moines newspaper while we were there about the Rainbow Gathering, of course focusing on the negative aspects, like the guy who almost beat another guy to death with a shovel for driving too fast through the campground.
the thing that was most bothersome to me personally was that the Rainbow Gatherers always argue that they shouldn't have to pay a fee to gather on public lands, such as a State/National park, but this year the Forest Service spend $700,000 ( a LOT of money) on adding patrols, port-a-potties, emergency services, clean-up crews, etc. that's a lot of money to spend to help out a group of people who refuse to pay any sort of fee. what do you, or your friends, think about that situation?
Posted by: leblanc on July 8, 2004 11:19 AMall i'm interested in is seeing those pictures! ;D
Posted by: Jen B on July 8, 2004 12:03 PMpost the pics!
post the pics!
post the pics!
i brought my camera.. but didn't take any pictures!!
Posted by: sarah on July 9, 2004 02:29 PMhi, sorry for the belated response.
I'm not fully informed on rainbow logistics, but.. I've never seen any port-a-potties at the few regional and national gatherings I've attended. People dig communal "shitters" - deep ground trenches - and there's a lot of emphasis on responsible dealings with this topic. There are also lots of people who stay after most people have left the gathering, to clean up - with the goal of "leaving no trace" to the extent possible.. litter is virtually unseen at rainbow. Of course, the impact of thousands of people treading a small tract of earth for a week is undeniable - it has been estimated that it takes 1-3 years for the treading impact to be ameliorated, an irony that's hard to ignore. There is always a medical station at rainbow, staffed by people with medical training, to attend to noncritical needs. There is also an internal crime-prevention/attending system, whereby gathering members know to respond when someone calls out a particular phrase (shanti sena).. there have been various instances of gathering members intervening in situations of mild violence or disturbances of the peace, etc. So the intention overall is to be a self-sufficient and minimally impactful gathering to the extent possible. I don't know about real costs incurred by the forest service, so I can't speak to that. hope this helps somewhat.