Herald Democrat
Thursday, April 17; 1997
Page A1

ANN WELKER
HERALD DEMOCRAT
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Photograph by DON A QUIST / HERALD DEMOCRAT

Rudy Stolfer pauses on Travis Street in Sherman Wednesday while promoting his mission to "free the belly button tribe." Stolfer is in the midst of the trek he began on Dec 3, 1996, a journey - on foot - from Washington, D.C., to Washington state to promote world peace.
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Rudy-Stolfer of Washington, Pa. is on his way from Washington, D.C. to Washington State, by foot, to promote world peace.

He was walking through Sherman Wednesday, promoting his mission to "free the belly button tribe."

"We all have belly buttons," he said, "and it's time we got along. "

Stolfer carries behind him a coffin on wheels, symbolic of the victims of war. Stolfer's one-man journey is a continuation of a group effort begun many months ago. Around election time, a group of people decided to walk down to Washington, D C. from New York City. The group wanted to make the government accountable.

After reaching the capitol a few of them decided to take the message on the road, and they left the city Dec. 3,1996, eventually narrowing down to two people. Just outside Selma, Ala., a car hit the cart and Stolfer's partner, breaking his legs. Stolfer stayed with his friend for awhile, then continued along once his friend was OK to fly back home to California.

Stolfer continued on with a new cart and the same message.

He is tired of war, he said, and that includes the so-called "War on Poverty and the "War on Drugs." Neither of these wars has produced results, he said, and drug-related violence continues to escalate.

Stolfer takes issue with many, of the ills of society, especially what sees as lies given to people to protect big business: lies about toxic and nuclear waste, deforestation and harmful chemicals.

When asked what he hopes to accomplish by walking, Stolfer pulls out articles written about his trip. One article appeared side-by-side with a front-page story concerning the release of 20 hostages by terrorists in Peru.

From here Stolfer's journey continues west' along U S. Highway 82. Once he hits Wichita Falls, he plans to head northwest on U.S. Highway 287 towards Colorado.

Stolfer has been averaging about 20 to 30 miles each day, and people have been offering food or a place to stay. His trip was slowed down some in Sherman, while he tried to find a place to fix a broken spoke on one wheel.

Along the way he picked up some trinkets, such as an Easter bunny and several bungee cords. He also now sports a T-shirt from Bonham City Limits given to him when he stopped in there.

"I don't want to take myself too seriously." he said, "But then again this isn't a joke."

Stolfer spent 16 years as a railroad equipment operator, then owned a business with his wife making educational puzzles. In 1993 he joined Greenpeace.

He plans to hit Washington State around July I0. "If world peace hasn't happened by July 10." He said, "WALT becomes a walk for freedom." WALT ROOT is the acronym for the peace walk, standing for "We Are Living the Results of Our Thoughts."

The politicians can give up their "nuclear games," he said, or he'll just keep walking. . "The ball's in their court," he said. "I'm not here to change everybody's mind," he added. But he believes that if people ask them selves if they like the kind of government are that they are paying for, they might not like the answer."

Stolfer was a marine for four years, he said, but has become upset with the country he spent those four years to defend. The United States is a great country he said, but it needs adjustment