Once Around the Bay...

I painted these up the night before last and yesterday I went for a drive around the bay.


By far the most efficient way to spread your message to traffic is to strike randomly on several different freeways across a large urban area. These signs (along with a dozen or so more) appeared yesterday on the 80, 280, 580, 1, 101, 17 and 92 and were seen, in all likelyhood, by over half a million people. Some of them are probably still up and being read right now.

One of the things that sets freewayblogging apart from most other forms of protest is that it can be effectively carried out by a single individual rather than having to organize a large group of people to act in concert. I honestly believe that we've been told to organize now for so long we've forgotten the power we have just as individuals. You'll know what I mean once you've had a sign stay up for a few days and know that a couple hundred thousand people have seen it: it's a remarkable feeling.

It should also be noted that the most effective freewayblogs generally make for the least interesting pictures. While large, dramatic overpass signs make for great photos, the real work of message spreading is done by smaller signs placed along the sides of the freeways. Ideally lettering should be no larger than what's needed to be easily read, and placed as unobtrusively as possible within the driver's field of vision. Believe me, until the roadsides of this nation become covered with signs, yours'll stand out just fine.

If you're someone who absolutely needs to work as part of a group, see what you can do about forming one. If, however, you think you could actually pull something like this off on your own, (And believe me, if you've got two arms, two legs and a car, you can.) I can't ask you enough to give it a try.

Hell, I'm begging you.

All it took to reach half a million people in the Bay Area yesterday was cardboard, paint, an overhead projector, and one guy driving around in a pickup truck. (And having a hell of a lot of fun doing it too.)

Apart from that all you need is faith: faith in a Constitution that guarantees your freedom of political speech and that by using it, even on the freeways, that you are not only within your rights, you are fulfilling your obligation as a citizen to speak out to as many people as possible if you feel your country or its democracy is in danger. If you're waiting around for the authorities to give you permission, forget it. They won't. In the words of Dear Mr. Vonnegut:

"Freedom of speech isn't something somebody else gives you. That's something you give to yourself."

Most of all though I think what you need is faith in the possibility that your actions, alone, are capable of making some kind of real difference in this world. Even though we all profess to believe this in theory, I doubt there's many of us who really think it actually applies to them. If you're one of those precious, crazy few who actually thinks they can change the world using nothing more than the power of words and ideas, write to me: I'd love to hear from you. freewayblogger@yahoo.com

If you don't think that you can actually change the world, simply pretend that you can.

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USA - 409