From Rod Coronado's support campaign

ELP has just received the following mailout from Rod's support campaign which may be of interest to people on this list.

As ELP reported a few days ago, Rod has now handed himself into prison and deserves all the support we can give him. Rod has never shyed from helping others and now its our turn to help him.


> From: info@supportrod.org
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> It has been 4 days since Rod left me and our 5 year old last Monday in a hotel in Phoenix. It was 3 am. That morning at about 2:15am, Rod got up, began sifting through photos of our kids, trying almost desperately to organize those last minute details that have seemed less urgent until you realize there really is no more time before you have to go…. and “there” is a place that is a vacuum of emotion, warmth, humaneness. He was on his way to catch a flight to Oklahoma; he had to surrender himself to El Reno FCI by noon that day.

> It was so hard to say good-bye; a part of us both just let the wee hours of the sleepy morning melt our emotions away. We looked at each other, knowing what lie ahead, and wiped the tears away, and the phone rang to remind him that the shuttle was waiting for him. (We decided to have him take a shuttle so Maya would sleep, and not be in that traumatic situation of asking for him to stay, and him having to go…) So he left, and I felt sick to my stomach, and tried to sleep again. But you know how that is. All of the visions that start to play, to lead your mind into the future, remind of the tenderness in the past, and how you can ask to let go but your heart still pleads to change something it cannot.

> Prison. Good for no one. Well, let me restate that, great for empire and all those who profit off of the oppression rampant in this system. But, for anyone who is stricken with having to experience it, it is not good or helpful in any way. I have said this before, and I will again, it has no hope of rehabilitation or solving any social problems. Quite the opposite, it generates the dis-ease of our nation, and breaks up families. It provides room for hate to grow and revenge to foment. Uh…..

> Rod knew that these coming months were going to be difficult, but knew that there was really no better way to deal with shifting to a life that focuses on our family and building strong ties within a community. The plea deal is really no deal; it is paying a price for being willing to take a stand. Unfortunately, things look pretty bad for most activists willing to take a stand these days. I think that is where Rod began to rethink his approach to dealing with the government.

> At no time has he condoned any of the heinous acts that the government and transnational corporations have committed against human and animal peoples. Neither do we believe it is time to shut up and accept what is happening around us. Quite the opposite actually, I think it is more accurate to say that the message is that we need to be OUT OF PRISON to do the good work that needs to be done. We need to be part of the community structures that can be avenues to the world we want to see. We need the passion we feel toward our vision of the future to be funneled into creating networks that exist outside of state systems. Perhaps that sounds difficult to imagine, but start with cooperative models like local food cooperatives, community supported agriculture, housing cooperatives, ect. There are projects happening in cities all over the world that lend to great ideas. One day perhaps we will all have a voice in how our local lands are used, our resources are distributed, and how our time is managed. There are endless possibilities!

> Rod’s time in prison is only (hopefully) 10 months, and then we can move on and begin our journey into creating a better world! The sacrifice is small for the ability to have our lives back and to have the chance to do the community building that we long to do, to support our children in the ways that they deserve. Truly, how can we expect the macrocosm to heal when our own little microcosms are suffering from the attack against their daddy?

> I also want to take this opportunity to apologize for the lack of communication over the last few months. Rod and I moved in February and we, being a living a little bit in the stone ages, never got hooked up to the internet. It meant going to the library to write an update, which I did, but literally as I finished, so did my allotted hour and the hour computer shut down on me, saved document was lost and it was really a Zen moment. If you have ever watched Buddhist monks create a sand mandala over a period of days, only to blow it to the wind once it is finished, well, not that the posting was a Buddhist act, but I felt the same. Let it go. It has been difficult to find enough time to juggle all of the normal family functions with all of the legal dealings that surround Rod. But again, I will be posting regularly and I will do a post on the sentencing and the visit to the FBI office to get his things returned.

> Rod and I have been deeply humbled by the amount of support and warmth that has surrounded us during this time. It has been steady and strong, and there have been kind folks at all steps of this process to let us know we are surrounded in love and gratitude. I always feel held in the love of all those who have stepped forward. But more than anything that has been revealed is that this movement of people who stand for a better world, a just society, and an ecological system in balance is strong. We have seen it! Although at times it seems fragmented, at least under attack, we are witnesses to the strength that exists. We were talking about that as we drove to Phoenix, the last conversations were of this. We want to share with you that the energy which surrounded us has come from far and near, in many forms, and keeps us ready to move forward! We hope you feel warmed in knowing that we, and you, are not alone.

> Much love and thanks!

> Chrysta
>
> PS: Rod’s address is
> Rodney Coronado 03895-000
> El Reno FCI
> PO Box 1500
> El Reno, OK 73036
>
> Only USPS money orders can be sent for his commissary fund at:
> Federal Bureau of Prisons
> Rodney Coronado 03895-000
> PO Box 474701
> Des Moines, IA 50947-0001
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> You must have his full name and # on them, and your name and return address on the envelope.