By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga News
Tim “Izzy” Israel, 51, has been hiking through back roads, swamps, and unfamiliar territory for over four months now with one mission in mind – to shine a light on U.S. Congressional term limits.
Israel, who lives in Hartsville, Tennessee, worked in the music business for over 28 years as a roadie and equipment manager for famous musicians, and most recently, Miranda Lambert. When the music industry was hit hard last year due to covid, he lost his job, leaving him with a decision: What’s next?
Israel decided that he would take a year out of his life to travel and advocate for U.S. Congressional term limits.
“I try to stay away from the term ‘career politician’ because I don’t believe there should ever been anyone in that type of office for life. These people are lawmakers, and I don’t believe politicians should be elected for life in a free county like ours,” Israel said.
While his message is one that may be agreed upon by many, his way of sharing it is unconventional. Israel plans on walking, not driving or flying, from Key West, Florida to Cape Flattery, Washington – a trip that spans 3,662 miles.
“It’s been tough at times. Doubts have started to creep in if I’m actually going to finish the journey or not,” Israel said.
Four days ago, Israel found himself in Ozark, Alabama. He left Key West on December 22, 2020 – a trip that spans nearly 900 miles. He walked every inch of it.
The EAN tracked him down in the Prattville area Wednesday.
“I’m certainly no athlete, but I like to think that I’ve held my own so far,” Israel said with a laugh.
Not only has he walked that miles, he’s done it with a 50-pound backpack weighing him down. Israel explained that he typically walks about 20-30 miles per day, from sunup to sundown.
“I really only keep my necessary items in the bag. Some food, clothing, and materials for shelter. I carry around a solar panel, so I use that to charge my phone. Cloudy days can be kinda bad because I don’t get the amount of power that I’m hoping for,” Israel explained.
He’s documented his journey so far on Facebook, making key stops in Miami, Tallahassee, and Montgomery. Most recently, he was spotted spending the night in Prattville, Alabama.
“I’ve had the chance to see a lot of poverty-stricken areas and meet a lot of really great people. All lot of the damage that I see can be traced back to politicians who don’t care enough about their communities because they are entangled with greed. It’s makes you wonder how this is is happening in your own backyard,” Israel said.
While in his travels, Israel has had to live in less-than-ideal terrains.
“There’s been a lot of nights when I’m sleeping in the woods, or in a swamp, and to be honest it really sucks. Some nights I get lucky and I’m able to find a parking lot somewhere. I think it’s a little romanticized when you see people do something like this because you don’t take into account all the tough stuff that comes with it,” Israel said.
Regardless, Israel says that the message that’s he’s trying to send to U.S. politicians far outweighs sleepless nights and uncomfortable situations.
“I could drop dead at the end of this and be happy if it means that the movement brought upon some sort of change quickly,” Israel said.
Earlier this week, Israel was contacted by Jeff Tillman, a member of U.S. Term Limits – the largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. Tilman drove down from his office in Michigan to help market Israel’s movement and to provide shelter for him at night.
“We heard about Izzy when he was down in Tallahassee and I was sent down here to see what his movement was all about. He’s a really great guy, humble and honest, and his tenacity and willingness to do something like this really speaks a lot about him,” Tilman said.
Tillman drove to Alabama in a van, which is where he and Israel sleep at night. He still lets Izzy walk everywhere he goes, because that’s what he wants to do, but he’s always about 10-15 minutes away from his location.
“I’ve been helping him set up interviews with various newspapers and radio stations because I feel like his mission and story is one that he needs help telling,” Tillman said.
“Jeff’s been great, and I honestly can’t thank him enough. He’s been so kind to me, providing me with shelter and food while setting up these interviews. It’s been amazing,” Israel said.
As “Izzy” is making his trek through Alabama, the Legislative Director for US Term Limits happens to live in Elmore County, Alabama. Shanna Marie Chamblee offered her home to “Izzy” for a reprieve on the trail this past Saturday night. He joined her family for a meal and conversation about Term Limits then camped in his tent on her property.
Even when offered a bed inside, he chose to tough it out for term limits and camp outside before heading back out to near Ozark Alabama the next morning to continue where he had left off on his trek.
Now, the plan is to walk to Birmingham in the coming days. Since Tillman became a part of the movement, the trajectory of the walk could change, says Israel.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to Washington State, because we both kind of agreed that we’ll go where people need us the most. Since publicity is starting to blow up, we may have to take a major detour to another city in the United States outside of the original path,” Israel said.
To find out more about Izzy’s journey, or keep up with his travels, go to gowahldinsoles.com
or follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gowahldinsoles
