Of the past 100 visitors:
From the number of visitors, it seems that there is quite a bit of interest in this demonstration. If only 300 people are expected to show up, why would Ghost Town Orange attract 100 visitors this quickly?
- 3 have been from halliburton.com
- 4 have been from the State of Oklahoma [presumably law enforcement agencies or the city of Duncan?]
- 1 from the US Senate
- 1 from the US House of Representatives
- 2 from Oklahoma House of Representatives
- 1 from US Courts - DCN [which I assume to be the Stephens County Courthouse in Duncan]
I read a rumor somewhere that Vice President Cheney would make an appearance at the Halliburton shareholder meeting. From the visitors to my blog, I would guess that the rumor is false: there would be more .gov visitors if he were coming. [Unless the Secret Service uses dial-up internet providers to cover their tracks!]
I may be biased because I live in Duncan and know many people who work for Halliburton, but protesters would be well advised to not portray Halliburton as evil incarnate. If they are concerned with making a good impression with local people, criticize the war in Iraq, war-profiteering, etc. but don't characterize Halliburton or people in Duncan as ignorant right-wing hicks, etc. Build bridges, look for common ground, and try to remember that ultimately we all [even supporters of President Bush] want a world with peace, liberty and justice for everyone.
Several years ago, oil prices were very low and Halliburton announced that many workers would have to be laid off. No one knew yet who would lose their jobs; a Wednesday evening worship service at a Nazarene church turned into a time of testimonials about working for Halliburton and prayer for those affected by the lay-offs. Older members of the congregation had especially fond memories of the founder of the company, Erle Halliburton. They told very emotional stories about hard times in the past; the oil industry seems to always go in boom and bust cycles. This meeting was one of the key events in my spiritual life, to see first hand the power of God at work building community.
As far as the protest goes, shareholders of Halliburton should be the ones asking tough questions about Halliburton's misdeeds. Outside protesters can complain all they want; if I wanted to make a difference, I would purchase shares of Halliburton stock and attend the meeting *officially* so I could ask questions. But I don't know how they screen who attends the shareholder meeting, or what opportunity shareholders have to ask questions...
Anyway, I will attend the protest in my favorite orange shirt [Ghost Town Orange, get it?] with my camera; I hope to meet many of you there. Peace.
God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988
