Vigil Continues In Crawford:
Camp Casey Memorial To Stay
By Deborah Mathews
Staff Writer
September 12, 2005 10:28 PM
CRAWFORD—The Camp Casey Memorial has been left as it was in the ditch in Crawford, with the Continental Flag flying at half-staff above. Organizers plan to maintain the site through the help of volunteers from Veterans For Peace and other groups, acting as Honor Guard and overseeing the maintenance and care of the controversial memorial.
Veterans For Peace member Carl Rising-Moore is currently living at Camp Casey and plans to attend the Commissioners Court to be held in Waco on Tuesday, to hear discussion on right-of-way issues and the legal aspects of long term existence of the site. Already having been presented with “Notice” from County Commissioner Ray Meadows, Rising-Moore said, “The document was addressed to no one and signed by no one.”
The document titled “Notice” included the following information: “All structures, tents, signs, crosses, vehicles and other obstructions must be immediately removed from the right-of-way of this County Road to allow the County to perform mowing, road maintenance and ditch maintenance. The failure to remove such obstructions could result in your arrest for obstruction of a roadway under §42.03 of the Texas Penal Code. See Brightbill v. State, 734 S.W. 2d 733, 734 (Tex. App. - Amarillo 1987) (blocking of ditch which prevented county maintenance held a violation of §42.03 of the Penal Code). Furthermore, leaving discarded structures or trash in the ditch area may be prosecuted as littering under §365.012 of the Texas Health & Safety Code.
The paramount purpose of public roads is travel; and maintenance/repair of roads is necessary for the convenience and safety of the public. Vehicles which are not moved will be towed. Other items which are not moved will be removed and hauled to storage, or disposed of by the County. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.”
Currently serving with Rising-Moore and the Honor Guard of Camp Casey Memorial is Dickey Ingram and Barbara Barker, both of Veterans For Peace. According to Rising-Moore, “We didn’t blink and they didn’t move it.” In response to the notice, the three have cleaned, mowed, and raked the memorial site and plan to constantly maintain it. “It will be the finest looking ditch in Texas when we get through with it,” said Rising-Moore.
“We’ll go into the winter soldier routine if we must. We will be here until our troops come home, however long that takes.” Making reference to the Winter Soldiers of Valley Forge in December of 1777, Rising-Moore said that what they’re doing is in honor of those soldiers, too.
Attempting to assert their First Amendment rights and, at the same time, be good neighbors, according to Rising-Moore, the three will continue maintaining the Camp Casey Memorial, without interruption, but are currently seeking volunteers to help in the Guard.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the Honor Guard of the Camp Casey Memorial can contact the Veterans For Peace organization.
Copyright © 2005 The Lone Star Iconoclast
