Well, Genie - "Sniffing out" those Chanty Sings out there should be safe enough by now, with all that tear-gas having dissipated we suppose.

Having grown up in the '60's in the mountains of Northern NH, we kind of missed out on all of those spirited protestations going on at the time. This Spring we decided to make up for lost time and participated in a "Tax Freedom Day" protest demonstration under the Victory Monument in Portland, Maine.

We got there a bit late, it was raining, and there were about a dozen of us there. The magic-marker I'd made my protest sign out of promptly ran all over the place, making my sign look like tie-dyed piece of impressionistic art, and a rather crude one at that. Our ringleader was dressed up like a money-eating donkey (that was kind of funny), and despite my fife renditions of "Rally 'Round the Flag", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" etc. calculated to stir up an impassioned mob, the good folk of Portland for the most part just politely ignored us. So we shrugged our shoulders, had a good laugh with each other, and went home.

It looks like you had a lot more fun - exitement anyway - in Portland West last week!

Really, despite any idealogical differences we might have, I'm glad to hear from an apparently undented and undaunted Charlie having a grand time with some wonderful people and participating, no doubt, in the sharing of some "Joyfull Noise" out there. We'll look forward to hearing about it at another one of our "Portland East" Chanty-Hoots. Gosh - ain't we about due for one?