Wow, now John Francis is a black environmentalist I can relate to, unlike Norris McDonald, who's more like Clarence Thomas and who Grist seems to be pushing for some unfathomable reason.

Francis seems like a lovely guy. Why is it that only good-hearted lefties take vows of silence? Has no one suggested the power of this approach to, say, Tom DeLay?

I saw him in 1988 when he came to Madison and played his banjo at the Earth Day Festival. He was interviewed on WORT radio. There was an interpreter and John used hand signals and other things, but he got his point across. He's like John Muir - who walked all over this country.     If we all copied him, there'd be a lot less pollution.  But Bush would probably arrest us as terrorists.

I have a driver's license, but when I was in high school I decided that our society was overdominated by the ubiquitous automobile. Our society is addicted to the car. So I have registered my protest by never owning a car. I am now 47. Sometimes it definitely has its inconveniences (for example, I recently received a notice that I was on the jury duty list; I have no problem being on a jury it is just that this one is a federal one 50 miles away in Des Moines: a very long walk!)

I read about you in the LA newspaper - you are an impressive man.

I met john francis when he came up to me to say hello. My parents knew him well and I supposed I should have too. When I turned 11, which was 1 and a half years ago he signed the extrordonary book he wrote. 'Planet walker'. I loved it and I shall never forget that gift and the kindness. We live in a small coastal town called west marin he lives there to at this point. By the way john, Its maggie