Today in D.C. I met a vegan pig farmer from Iowa named Chris. (She is in the photo above with the blue shirt and hat.) Her husband is at home with the pigs, as mine is. Except they have 1400 hogs in confinement and they don’t really own them, “just do the dirty work.” It put their kids through school but it isn’t a sustainable way to farm, she told me. I laughed a little at the irony and told her that we farm in a way that is sustainable, except where is the money these days?

Chris was with Cornel West, standing on the top step of the Supreme Court building, and was arrested and put in jail for 24 hours. She shuddered a bit when she described the dirtiness of prison, which coming from a pig farmer is saying something, don’t you think?

The occupiers are young (mostly), peaceful, and determined. I heard someone walking through say in disgust to his friend that he doesn’t understand how “they” can get away with camping in a public park. I wanted to say to him, “Hey, they are sleeping on the ground and going without running water for you.” Whether you are on the right or left, the corruption of the government is hurting all of us. I’m glad to have read Lawrence Lessig’s letter. He argues that we need to find common ground.

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In the very same day I had the amazing experience of hearing Elijah Cummings speak at my sister’s and Mary’s fundraiser. He was my hero already from the Michael Moore movie, Capitalism: A Love Story. I sometimes forget to trust a hero is also human. This guy is the real deal.