To a large extent this cognitive dissonance was reinforced by Obama’s selection of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. The commentariat and punditocracy consistently repeated the meme that Obama was addressing his “weaknesses” in his selection of Joe Biden as a “reassuring” figure. Meanwhile, John McCain has once again demonstrated his maverick touch by selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Sunday
Cognitive Dissonance
As we approach the final stretch of this presidential campaign I remain frustrated by the cognitive dissonance among the media and the public. Conventional wisdom suggests that Senator Obama represents dramatic change – almost revolutionary. Senator John McCain however is a conservative maverick we can trust as commander and chief even if we may disagree with him on other issues.
To a large extent this cognitive dissonance was reinforced by Obama’s selection of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. The commentariat and punditocracy consistently repeated the meme that Obama was addressing his “weaknesses” in his selection of Joe Biden as a “reassuring” figure. Meanwhile, John McCain has once again demonstrated his maverick touch by selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
READ THE REST +/-
To a large extent this cognitive dissonance was reinforced by Obama’s selection of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. The commentariat and punditocracy consistently repeated the meme that Obama was addressing his “weaknesses” in his selection of Joe Biden as a “reassuring” figure. Meanwhile, John McCain has once again demonstrated his maverick touch by selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Saturday
Saturday Sonata XII: Three Days From Deadline
LT here. Three days from deadline on a large book. Living at work. Tired. Cranky. But I still love you.
Here's a song to show you how much.
LISTEN TO THE SONG +/-
Here's a song to show you how much.
On The Anniversary of Katrina....
As the RNC gets ready for their Big Event, with their usual Pomp and Pompousity....We all know it will not be glorious enough to Honor this Titannical Administration...I have some Videos that Might help them remember Katrina.The sad thing is because all of our Troops and Equipment were in Iraq...so we also know that the Illegal War also meant deathes on Our Shores too. Because when Katrina HIT, NOLA had less then 400 National Guard to cope with this Devastation.
This is the THE Video that should play the First Night, PINK sings "Dear Mr.President",
EXPAND THE POST +/-
The Day The Music Died...
The Drive.....( Documentary of Lower 9th Ward)
No More War.....Eddie Vedder ( from the Documentary "Body of War")
And now it is three years after a Leader did a Flyover of America's Worst Disaster....and Another Hurricane bears down on the Gulf, it has NOLA and the Louisianna Shores in it's Sights.....Bearing Down like a Mother full of Righteous Wrath.And Once again will the Leaders Fiddle and Party while the City faces this Wrath ? This time there is a whole world Watching what happens.....
This is the THE Video that should play the First Night, PINK sings "Dear Mr.President",
The Day The Music Died...
The Drive.....( Documentary of Lower 9th Ward)
No More War.....Eddie Vedder ( from the Documentary "Body of War")
And now it is three years after a Leader did a Flyover of America's Worst Disaster....and Another Hurricane bears down on the Gulf, it has NOLA and the Louisianna Shores in it's Sights.....Bearing Down like a Mother full of Righteous Wrath.And Once again will the Leaders Fiddle and Party while the City faces this Wrath ? This time there is a whole world Watching what happens.....
REMEMBERING NOLA....
...EXPAND POST+/-
[ I originally posted this October 20th,2005, mere weeks after Katrina. It was reposted in January 10th,2006 after one of the King's shameless Jim Beam swaggered Visit. Impeach and Imprison remains my solution...]
I wrote this and called it" Why NOLA has to be Rebuilt". At the time on TV there were lots of Experts arguing about rebuilding NOLA, mostly the Business Sector. But I was concerned about it's Heart& Soul.....it's Culture, it's Way of Life. Now I just call it remembering NOLA, that is all I can call it. It is about What Katrina did to this country, it reminded us that Racism alive and well.
And that Poverty is not hidden, it next door, it is young and old, Black and White.It is about People, our People being Abandoned. We have been given a Wake Up Call.
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Lessons Unlearned....
It is now August 2008, and yet another Hurricane bears down on Louisiana, and this time there is more trouble on the Horizon. This time there is NO Dome of Horror to shelter 1000's, there is NO Shelter at all set up to shelter the People. The "Evacuation Orders" have been given, but this time the People have NoWhere To Go.....There are not enough Prayers.
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REMEMBERING NOLA...
It is a Way of Life,
It is deep hearted Blues,
It is gin soaked Jazz,
and grits,hushpuppies,and
fresh cornbread.
It is panfried shrimp with limes and hot sauce.
It is three day Gumbo that leaves you sweating and
thirsty.
It is Sunday Church where the buildings rock and
seismic sway.
It is the slideguitar pleading in the still of the night.
It is another Lonely Crooner sending shockwaves in an old
riverfront garage.
It is women swaying in gauzy dresses and men in
timeless suits.
It is granmommies lullabying babes, and singing
This Ol'Man with a hum and a roll.
It is where old folks are tended with loving gentle hands
and Respect.
It is where Family is a Way of Life.
In New Orleans a clock is merely an instrument,
But Time is a Place to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ I originally posted this October 20th,2005, mere weeks after Katrina. It was reposted in January 10th,2006 after one of the King's shameless Jim Beam swaggered Visit. Impeach and Imprison remains my solution...]
I wrote this and called it" Why NOLA has to be Rebuilt". At the time on TV there were lots of Experts arguing about rebuilding NOLA, mostly the Business Sector. But I was concerned about it's Heart& Soul.....it's Culture, it's Way of Life. Now I just call it remembering NOLA, that is all I can call it. It is about What Katrina did to this country, it reminded us that Racism alive and well.
And that Poverty is not hidden, it next door, it is young and old, Black and White.It is about People, our People being Abandoned. We have been given a Wake Up Call.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lessons Unlearned....
It is now August 2008, and yet another Hurricane bears down on Louisiana, and this time there is more trouble on the Horizon. This time there is NO Dome of Horror to shelter 1000's, there is NO Shelter at all set up to shelter the People. The "Evacuation Orders" have been given, but this time the People have NoWhere To Go.....There are not enough Prayers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
REMEMBERING NOLA...
It is a Way of Life,
It is deep hearted Blues,
It is gin soaked Jazz,
and grits,hushpuppies,and
fresh cornbread.
It is panfried shrimp with limes and hot sauce.
It is three day Gumbo that leaves you sweating and
thirsty.
It is Sunday Church where the buildings rock and
seismic sway.
It is the slideguitar pleading in the still of the night.
It is another Lonely Crooner sending shockwaves in an old
riverfront garage.
It is women swaying in gauzy dresses and men in
timeless suits.
It is granmommies lullabying babes, and singing
This Ol'Man with a hum and a roll.
It is where old folks are tended with loving gentle hands
and Respect.
It is where Family is a Way of Life.
In New Orleans a clock is merely an instrument,
But Time is a Place to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday
G'night all...
It's just a few minutes before twelve. I posted already today. But I thought I'd just publish one more thing before my time runs out. Hmmm...oh and Poetry Man? I don't understand where I'm supposed to place the "expand the post" link. I keep fucking it up. Apologies. Help!
READ THE REST +/-
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Recently posted on http://www.mohawknationnews.com
CANADA A COVERT POLICE STATE? THE SCIENCE BEHIND “CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY” CBSA ATTACK ON GRANDMOTHERS
MNN Aug. 28, 2008. The CBSA is a congenital violator of Haudenosaunee, Canadian and international law. They have no right to be at Akwesasne. Even the Supreme Court of Canada recognizes that it has a fiduciary obligation to protect the Indigenous guardians of the territory its people are squatting on. Yet the CBSA routinely attacks the Kanionkehaka/Mohawk people of Akwesasne. On June 14th, 2008 they attacked Katenies and Kahentinetha. Why did this happen?
We are facing an updated version of colonial oppression – totalitarianism in new clothes. Every misdeed and pratfall of the CBSA was the product of several decades of careful psychological research and strategic planning. Human beings do not naturally kill each other. They have to be trained to do this. The CBSA agents have been manipulated to commit human rights abuses. They have little concern for Mohawk culture. The very placement of the border in the middle of the community proves that.
Their tactics are not new. The CBSA applies Nazi science. Prior to WW II the German state systematically dehumanized the Jewish people. This set up the conditions needed to create the holocaust. Pictures of them as vermin and rats were posted all over Germany. They were herded into concentration camps and murdered in gas chambers and put into ovens. Indigenous have been subjected to the same kind of dehumanization since the beginning of colonization. Media routinely portray us as smugglers, drug dealers and criminals. In 2006 the process was escalated with a New York Times article that sent the message worldwide. Why? To continue reading..
CANADA A COVERT POLICE STATE?
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IS OPP COMMISSIONER JULIAN FANTINO INSANE OR JUST STERILE?
MNN. Aug. 25, 2008. MNN receives a lot of information sent anonymously. Most are ignored, but some are not. One in particular raises some thoughts about the behind the scenes shenanigans surrounding false claims to Indigenous land. Ontario, mining companies, a slew of ambulance chasers, the Ontario Provincial Police and some newly created “Algonquins” are fraudulently trying to settle claims to Haudenosaunee Territory . A lot has come out in the wash in this cops and robbers scenario.
It looks increasingly like Julian “Edgar Hoover” Fantino is collecting information on politicians or anybody for that matter. He builds up files against people that he may want to “crush” with his Mafioso scripted tough talk. Hardly any politician is safe. When his mind takes flight, he turns his sights on the Indigenous People.
The newspapers report that he has bragged that he could destroy people’s reputations if they got in his way. Fantino apparently uses the OPP as his personal intelligence agents. The information they collect or buy could be deadly to his enemies. It is rumored that he wanted to run in the next election for the conservatives to become the Solicitor General.
Who are the enemies that would allow such a preposterous character to assume such an important state duty? Who are his victims? Could it be the Liberals? Under whose orders is he acting? It can’t be us because we don’t vote in foreign elections! We do own every square inch of land that he walks on and all the resources above and below the ground. To continue reading..
IS OPP COMMISSIONER JULIAN FANTINO INSANE OR JUST STERILE?
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"SECURE CANADA 2008", OR “SICKO CAN”
– OTTAWA HOSTS WARMONGERS TRADE SHOW
by Iako’ha:kowa of Sharbot Lake, Haudenosaunee Territory and MNN Staff.
MNN. August 4, 2008. War is illegal. Did Canada forget? In 1989 there was a ban on military trade shows in Ottawa. Now the industry is going to sneak one on us. War or fascism is preceded by techniques to PSYCHE out the opponents or victims to scare everybody into hopeless despair. One way is to parade military and despotic hardware in front of the public to get us use to it. Hitler, Mouselini and Stalin all used this tactic.
TV ads are recruiting youth into the military; video war games extol death and destruction; air shows mesmerize children and glamorize bomber planes that kill people; and military trade shows promote the war industry. Soon only innocent human beings will be killed. It’s called “low level warfare” designed to attack the unarmed people.
This "Pukey Canada 2008" trade show for war makers is the height of absurdity, at Ottawa's Lansdowne Park on September 30 to October 1st. It’s about cutting edge "remote warfare" to help their military and police agents of repression in their quest for global domination and control. There they can buy all the lethal trinkets they need to kill, control or maim us from afar without getting their fingers dirty. Exhibitors will show off toxic toys for domestic control such as uav's [remote unmanned flying objects that shoot s**t at people] and all manner of satellite spy ware. To continue reading..
"SECURE CANADA 2008", OR “SICKO CAN”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHO’S PUSHING DOPE TO DESTROY INDIGENOUS YOUTH?
By Karakwine and MNN Staff
MNN. Aug. 4, 2008. Drug abuse in Indigenous communities is not random. Someone wants us to be pacified and to push us to have a total social breakdown. They want our brains, morals and ambition destroyed. They want our Indigenous youth to be criminalized and minimized. Drug abuse creates misfits and society dropouts who are supposed to be discarded and discredited. It stops us from campaigning for our social and political rights. The colonists want us to shut up. They don’t want to acknowledge their obligation to us. They don’t want to admit they are on stolen land.
It’s an old strategy.
Going back to the 1830s Britain was the world’s major drug trafficker. The Europeans were jealous of the Chinese. They had so many beautiful items like silk, porcelain, spices, etc. Britain only had wool to trade, which the Chinese did not need. The Europeans had to get silver to trade with China. They also had tobacco from Turtle Island. To increase demand for tobacco they cut it with opium from India. Before long, huge numbers around the trading ports in Canton [the modern city of Guangzhou] were addicted. Silver began draining out of China and ruining the economy. To continue reading..
WHO’S PUSHING DOPE TO DESTROY INDIGENOUS YOUTH?
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ONIGONRA “THINK TANK” THROWS LIGHT ON MAJOR MYSTERIES:
WHAT CAUSES “ABORIGINAL POVERTY”?
WHY ARE JAILS FULL OF “ABORIGINALS”?
WHY DON’T “ABORIGINAL” PEOPLE WANT TO BE COPS?
ANSWERS PANIC CANADIAN “INTELLIGENCE” INDUSTRY!
MNN exclusive by Ieriwa’on:ni & MNN Staff 25 July 2008
Canada has serious problems. Countless Royal Commissions have been struck. Millions have been spent. The answer they want is how can the colonial government and its agencies control Indigenous people until every last bit of our land and resources are stolen from us. The Onigonra Think Tank answers some nagging questions – FREE OF CHARGE!!
1. WHAT CAUSES “ABORIGINAL POVERTY”?
Indigenous poverty is deliberately created to force us owners of every square inch of land and resources onto the begging line. “Poverty” is “not having the necessities of life”. Before the colonists arrived there was no “aboriginal poverty”. Our ancestors survived and thrived though two ice ages or more. The first European arrivals marveled at how healthy we were and how long we lived. They had to put a stop to it so they could rob us blind. We brought food and medicines to help these pitiful scurvy creatures who stumbled to our shores and could not look after themselves.
These trespassers were physically and mentally ill. They responded to our generosity by killing us, vandalism of our resources and damaging our environment. They refused to leave their weapons on their ships. They shot cannon at us, tried to turn us into slaves and serfs and paid rewards for our scalps. They grabbed everything in sight, including our people. To continue reading..
ONIGONRA “THINK TANK” THROWS LIGHT ON MAJOR MYSTERIES:
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PLEASE NOTE: As can be seen, it’s becoming critical for legal actions to be taken to protect our rights. We have no funds. Canada is hiring costly law firms to suppress our rights. If you can donate anything to our cause, it will be greatly appreciated.
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Cross posting Indigenous Issues Reading list...
I posted this on my blog some time last summer, I think. Thought I'd reLOAD it here as a way to get myself back on track with my own educational process. Lot's to learn, lots of painful growth I've been avoiding.
Care to join me?
CONTINUE READING +/-
Care to join me?
I got this list via email yesterday. It makes reference to the post I wrote about being a Black colonized settler. To find my writings here brings up complicated feelings and contradictory perspectives in me.
At once I am honoured that this woman chose to include my work.
I feel validated in that she checked to make sure I didn't want to opt out of having my work included, she checked to make sure I was okay with being included and that this inclusion wasn't happening against my will.
I feel excited that the post will be seen and read and hopefully engaged with by more people in more places who occupy different locations and who can bring to bear different perspectives when they read me.
I feel uncomfortable with having my work included in a list of (majority) academic writings. As someone who attempted to learn in an academic context at one time, who realized that hoop jumping, validation seeking, elitist climbing and learning were not quite the same thing...
As someone who is not particularly impressed/ moved/ stimulated/ stretched/ broadened by reading many academic writings on resistance at this point in time, I realize that my post, created and emerging out of my experience, conveyed in a style so purposefully not trying to cling too much to academic literary conventions and rules will/may be understood as of lesser value, as not quite so intellectual, evolved or valid as some of the others writings referenced on this list.
This particular way of defining work as valid or invalid upholds a relationship to constructed intellect as desirable. Such a maintained and constructed perspective designed to reinforce the elite status of those who function inside the university complex. I've actually seen/read one academic blogger in particular refer in passing to my writing as indicative of a multi-layered critique. He didn't go into what he thought my writings in the form of my blog offered. Instead he then went on to point out that a tenured (read acceptable and co-opted) academic, someone due to unearned privilege and academically sheltered training conferring dominance, someone who is able to automatically call on an uncritiqued understanding of her work, words and analysis as valid, did a better job describing and outlining multi-layered, multi-faceted identities and experiences using an academic framework. So superior to my work, words, analysis gained against all odds insisted on whatever the price I've had to pay in blood and tears.
hee, hee, hee. whatEVAH.
Offending/offensive blogger methinks you do not actually possess as much analysis of domination, hierarchy, subjugation, identity, resistance, elitism and power as you would like to believe. You know who you are. :)
Finally, I feel excited yet most definitely out of place being included in a list of writings by (majority) Native writers who have experienced/ bled/ resisted/ worked/ screamed/ fought for the realizations presented here in the form of writing set to be consumed by others like me...settlers one and all.
I occupy.
I am learning to identify as part of an occupying force.
I take up privileged space even as what I attempt to discuss, to describe, to acknowledge, to claim, to challenge -- my hidden and obscured location -- through wordings designed to disturb, destabilize and bring into full view (for me and for others), a complicated experience as occupying colonized settler is forgrounded in this list through the inclusion of my post.
I occupy textual space on this list as a colonized colonizing settler. This is not a liberatory space for me as a Black person. It's more like a space where I am forced to embrace what it means to define as the dominated who dominates. Ugh. Yuck. This is uncomfortable yet still true. Even as I attempt to function ethically by writing, there's no avoiding the simple fact of geographical and therefore dominating location. This list is not about me.
sigh...
There are some writings I'll be wanting to take a look at, take to heart so as to continue to understand how I'm located in this mess that is kkkanada and by extension north amerikkka.
I'm hoping that the Native woman who compiled this list makes a web page so that other people will be able to access the list via the internet.Indigenous Issues Reading List
Journal Articles:
1) Anticolonial Strategies for the Recovery and Maintenance of Indigenous Knowledge. By: Simpson Leanne R.. American Indian Quarterly, Summer/Fall2004, Vol. 28 Issue 3/4, p373-384, 12p; Abstract: Offers a look at anticolonial strategies for the recovery and maintenance of indigenous knowledge in 2004. Focus of the United Nations on Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Elements comprising the renewal of indigenous knowledge; Representation by the Indian Act of the criminalization of indigenous knowledge systems; Role of ecological damage in the destruction of indigenous knowledge; Documentation as a means of further colonizing indigenous knowledge.
2) From Expert to Acolyte: Learning to Understand the Environment from and Anishinaabe Point of View. By: Simpson, Leanne R.; Driben, Paul. American Indian Culture & Research Journal, 2000, Vol. 24 Issue 3, p1-19, 19p, 3 maps; Abstract: Deals with a study which analyzed the aboriginal environment in the Long Lake #58 First Nation, an Anishinaabe, Ojibwa community in the Indian Reserve of Long Lake, Ontario.
3) Stories, dreams, and ceremonies--Anishinaabe ways of learning. By: Simpson, Leanne. Tribal College, Summer2000, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p26, 4p, 3bw; Abstract: Focuses on the use of stories, dreams and ceremonies as methods for transmitting knowledge and learning among Anishinaabe people in Canada. Characterization of the learning process of Aboriginal children; Effectiveness of story telling in teaching and learning; Ceremonies as sources of spiritual knowledge; Pros and cons of using the methods in academic endeavors.
4) Coming Full Circle: Indigenous Knowledge, Environment, and Our Future. By: McGregor, Deborah. American Indian Quarterly, Summer/Fall2004, Vol. 28 Issue 3/4, p385-410, 26p; Abstract: Presents an article exploring the relationship between Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Canada. Role of indigenous people in global society; Problems with conventional constructs of IK; Definition and history of TEK; Discusses the difficulties in the field of TEK and questions whether or not it has ultimately been beneficial to indigenous peoples.
5) Minobimaatisiiwin: The Good Life. LaDuke, Winona. October 31, 1992. Cultural Survival Quarterly. Issue 16.4.
6) Decolonizing Antiracism. By: Lawrence, Bonita; Dua, Enakshi. Social Justice, 2006, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p120-143, 24p; Abstract: The article offers information on antiracism. In continuous research over the years, the exclusion of aboriginal people in the discussion of antiracism issues made these people unexposed to various antiracism contexts. Much more, they cannot see themselves in the antiracism consideration. In Canada, this issue is dealt with utmost concern. Police surveillances of racialized people are prevalent, and Native communities are sometimes at risk of direct military intervention. The author calls on postcolonial and antiracism theorists to begin to undertake indigenous decolonization.
7) Settler Colonial Realization Meltdown Take II. T.J. Bryan aka Tenacious. February 2007.
8) Indigeneity and Transnationality? Women & Environments International Magazine, Fall/Winter2005 Issue 68/69, p6-8, 3p; Abstract: The article presents an interview with Bonita Lawrence, a professor at York University in Toronto, Ontario. She differentiates the theory of hybridity from diaspora within postcolonial writing. Lawrence cites the reasons behind the disinclination of Aboriginal theorists on transnational feminism. The professor comments on remarks from theorist Gayatri Spivak regarding aboriginal people. Lawrence became aware on the issue of genocide within Indian tribes after she had written her book "Real Indians and Others: Mixed Blood Urban Native Peoples and Indigenous Nationhood." She believes that identities and lives of Natives in the U.S. and Canada are similar.
9) Gender,Race,and the Regulation of Native Identity in Canada and the United States:An Overview. By: Lawrence Bonita. Hypatia, Spring2003, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p3, 29p; Abstract: Presents an overview of the regulation of native identity, which has been central to the colonization process in the U.S. and Canada. Systems of classification and control that enable settler governments to define who is 'Indian' and control access to native lands; Gender and race issues in the regulation of native identity.
10) The Powerful History of Native Women. By: Anderson, Kim. Herizons, Summer2000, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p15, 4p; Abstract: Deals with the history of aboriginal women in Canada. Contrast between Western and Indigenous political systems; Number of ways in which women traditionally exercised political power; Women's recognition of the significant roles, responsibilities and skills involved in being the primary caregivers of children; Patriarchal provisions of the Indian Act.
11) Dismantling the Master's Tools with the Master's House: Native Feminist Liberation Theologies. By: Smith, Andrea. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (Indiana University Press), Fall2006, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p85-97, 13p; Abstract: The article presents a roundtable discussion regarding feminist liberation theologies. The participants of the discussion laid out a diverse agenda for future conversation and activism through their responses to the lead article's strategic reclaiming of the category liberation theology and its creative reuse of the image of the master's house and the master's tool.
12) Native American Feminism, Sovereignty, and Social Change. By: Smith, Andrea. Feminist Studies, Spring2005, Vol. 31 Issue 1, p116-132, 17p; Abstract: Analyzes the theories produced by Native American women activists regarding sovereignty and feminist struggles. Definition of feminism according to Annette Jaime; Views of Native women regarding the reasons for not considering themselves as feminists; Information on the projects of the activists that address colonialism and sexism.
13) Beyond Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life: Women of Color and Reproductive Justice. By: Smith, Andrea. NWSA Journal, Spring2005, Vol. 17 Issue 1, p119-140, 22p Abstract: This paper argues that the pro-life versus pro-choice paradigm for understanding reproductive rights is a model that marginalizes women of color, poor women, women with disabilities, and women from other marginalized communities. The pro-life versus pro-choice paradigm serves to both reify and mask the structures of white supremacy and capitalism that undergird the reproductive choices that women make. While both camps of the pro-choice and pro-life debate give lip service to addressing the concerns of women of color, in the end the manner in which both articulate the issues at stake contributes to their support of political positions that are racist and sexist and which do nothing to support either life or real choice for women of color. Instead, women of color activists should develop alternative paradigms for articulating reproductive justice that make critiques of capitalism and criminalization central to the analysis rather than simply expand either pro-choice or pro-life frameworks.
14) Spiritual Appropriation As Sexual Violence. By: Smith, Andrea. Wicazo Sa Review, Spring2005, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p97-111, 15p; Abstract: Explores how the New Age movement and other forms of indigenous spiritual/cultural appropriation constitute a form of sexual violence. Analysis of the primary causes of the oppression of Native Americans; Role of material conditions as the primary reason for the continuing genocide of Native peoples; Framing of Native genocide from a materialist perspective; Reappraisal of non-Native, colonialistic attitudes of entitlement to indigenous lands.
15) Introduction: Native Women and State Violence. By: Smith, Andrea; Ross, Luana. Social Justice, 2004, Vol. 31 Issue 4, p1-7, 7p; Abstract: The article focuses on crimes against women. Native women who are survivors of violence often find themselves forced into silence around sexual and domestic violence by their communities because their communities desire to maintain a united front against racism and colonialism. At the same time, the white-dominated anti-violence movement often pits Native women against their communities, arguing that they should leave the communities in which their abusers reside. The reason Native women are constantly marginalized in male-dominated discourses about racism and colonialism and white-dominated discourses about sexism is the inability of both discourses to address the inextricable relationship between gender violence and colonialism.
16) Boarding School Abuses, Human Rights, and Reparations. By: Smith, Andrea. Social Justice, 2004, Vol. 31 Issue 4, p89-102, 14p; Abstract: The article focuses on boarding school abuses, human rights, and reparations in the United States. During the 19th century and into the 20th century, American Indian children were forcibly abducted from their homes to attend Christian and the U.S. government-run boarding schools as a matter of state policy. The goal of the policy was to turn over the administration of Indian reservations to Christian denominations. Congress set aside funds to erect school facilities to be run by churches and missionary societies. These facilities were a combination of day and boarding schools erected on Indian reservations.
17) Not an Indian Tradition:The Sexual Colonization of Native Peoples. By: Smith, Andrea. Hypatia, Spring2003, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p70, 16p; Abstract: Analyzes the connections between sexual violence and colonialism in the lives and histories of Native peoples in the U.S. Argument that sexual violence does not simply occur within the process of colonialism but that colonialism itself is structured by the logic of sexual violence; Analysis of pertinent topics and relevant issues.
18) From the 'Clean Snows of Petawawa': The Violence of Canadian Peacekeepers in Somalia. By: Razack, Sherene. Cultural Anthropology, Feb2000, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p127, 37p; Abstract: Focuses on the violence of Canadian peacekeepers deployed from the Petawawa military base to Somalia. Twofold national aspiration of Canadian peacekeeping; Account of the violence in Somalia; Examination of racist organizations and racist conduct in all the military units of Canada.
19) Fellows, Mary Louise and Sherene Razack. “The Race to Innocence: Confronting Hierarchical Relations Among Women.” Journal of Gender, Race and Justice (1997-98): 335-352.
Chapters In Books:
1) Crosby, Marcia. “Construction of the Imaginary Indian.” Vancouver Anthology: The Institutional Politics of Art. Ed. Stan Douglas. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1991. 267-291.
2) Crosby, Marcia. “Lines, Lineage, and Lies, or Borders, Boundaries, and Bullshit.” Nations in Urban Landscapes: Faye Heavy Shield, Shelley Niro, Eric Robertson. Vancouver: Contemporary Art Gallery, 1997. 23-30.
3) Dumont, Marilyn. “Positive Images of Nativeness.” Looking at the Words of Our People: First Nations Analysis of Literature. Ed. Jeanette Armstrong. Penticton, BC: Theytus, 1993. 45-50.
4) Mackey, Eva. “Settling Differences: Managing and Representing People and the Land in the Canadian National Project.” The House of Difference: Cultural Politics and National Identity in Canada. Toronto: U Toronto P, 2002. 23-49.
5) McLeod, Neal. “Coming Home Through Stories.” (Ad)dressing Our Words: Aboriginal Perspectives on Aboriginal Literatures. Ed. Armand Garnet Ruffo. Penticton, BC: Theytus, 2001. 17-36.
6) McLeod, Neal. “Plains Cree Identity: Borderlands, Ambiguous Geneologies and Narrative Irony.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies xx.2 (2000): 437-454.
7) Shohat, Ella. “The Struggle Over Representation: Casting, Coalitions and the Politics of Identification.” Late Imperial Culture. Eds. Roman de la Campa et al. London: Verso, 1995. 116-78.
8) Shohat, Ella and Robert Stam. “The Politics of Multiculturalism in the Postmodern Age.” Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. London: Routledge, 1994. 338-62.
9) Valaskakis, Gail Luthrie. “Postcards of My Past: Indians and Artifacts. Indian Country: Essays on Contemporary Native Culture. Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier UP, 2005. 67-87.
10) Valaskakis, Gail Luthrie. “Rights and Warriors: Media Memories and Oka.” Indian Country: Essays on Contemporary Native Culture. Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier UP, 2005. 35-65.
Entire Books:
1) Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming.
Winona LaDuke. Between the Lines. September 8, 2005.
2) Thunder In My Soul: A Mohawk Woman Speaks. Patricia Monture-Angus. Fernwood Pub. September 1, 1995.
3) A Recognition of Being: Reconstructing Native Womanhood. Kim Anderson. Sumach Press. November 28, 2001.
4) Strong Women Stories: Native Vision and Community Survival. Edited by Kim Anderson & Bonita Lawrence. Sumach Press; 1 edition (May 22, 2003).
5) Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. Andrea Smith. South End Press. April 15, 2005.
6) Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology. Andrea Smith August 1, 2006. South End Press.
7) Global Lockdown; Gender, Race, and the Rise of the Prison Industrial Complex: Race, Gender, And The Prison-industrial Complex. Julia Sudbury. Routledge. January 18, 2005.
8) Real Indians and Others: Mixed-Blood Urban Native Peoples and Indigenous Nationhood. Bonita Lawrence. University Of Nebraska Press. July 1, 2004
9) Not Vanishing. Chrystos. May 15, 2000. Press Gang.
10) A Gathering of Spirit: A Collection by North American Indian Women. Beth Brant. January 12, 1988. Firebrand Books.
11) Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative.
Thomas King. House Of Anansi Press. November 1, 2003.
12) Ojibway Heritage. Basil Johnston. University of Nebraska Press. January 1, 1990.
13) Indian School Days.
Basil H. Johnston. University of Oklahoma Press. January 3, 1995.
14) Race, Space, and the Law: Unmapping a White Settler Society. Sherene Razack. April 15, 2002. Between the Lines.
Thursday
Surveillance
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and
the persons or things to be seized.
– Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The word surveillance and its associated connections have appeared everywhere since the 9/11 bombings. The catalyst for my own exploration of this topic comes from a recent discussion I had with a person who expressed the point-of-view on surveillance that it's necessary and only minimally, if at all, affects the "average American".
She pointed to how video surveillance, for example, can increase our safety as citizens by deterring crime and pointed to the prosecution of terrorist responsible for the bus and subway bombings in London in 2005. I listened and said little. I have always had an aversion to surveillance. Almost like an intuition that it is wrong, dangerous and indicative of a society using technology as a means of political and social control. Intuition, however, helped me very little in responding to the person to whom I was listening defend surveillance as essentially a positive tool. With that in mind, I began by searching the internet for information about surveillance. I learned enough to be able to formulate a small argument against it. And since in my day-to-day dealings with people, I don't need or want to be any sort of scholar on this type of issue, I think for now it is enough of a base of knowledge to at least begin to take on the issue.
I first began by reading a few articles on video surveillance. One MSNBC article, which I will refer to again later in this piece, contained on a sidebar a video surveillance clip depicting a cold-blooded murder, due to which the suspect of said crime was promptly arrested and charged. Sounds good, right?
The article mentions a huge surge of and push for further video surveillance by police and city officials across the United States. Yet, no comprehensive national study has been done on the effectiveness of video surveillance as a deterrent to crime. Some folks are catching on, though:
Police officials in San Francisco, meanwhile, have delayed approving installation of new cameras pending a final study from researchers at the University of California, who said in a preliminary report this spring that the city’s 68 anti-crime cameras had failed to deter street crime. Where the cameras had any impact, the interim report said, they simply moved crime down the street or around the corner.
London's head of Metropolitan Police, had this comment quoted in the article:
Licata noted that he had supported the plan when it was introduced in May, but he said he changed his mind after Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville, head of London’s Metropolitan Police, reported that the city’s network of near-ubiquitous public cameras had been “an utter fiasco.”
“Only 3 percent of crimes were solved by CCTV,” or closed-circuit television cameras, Neville said in an address to the Security Document World Conference last month. “There’s no fear of CCTV. “Why don’t people fear it?” he asked. “The cameras are not working.”
But is it just video surveillance and the "Big Brother is watching you" phenomenon the only thing we should be worried about?No. Data and government surveillance are perhaps, in my opinion, the most dangerous. But as I learned from a position paper from the ACLU, it's the three in conjunction with one another, in a time of eroding regard for privacy and civil liberties, that makes the issue of surveillance such a formidable three-headed monster. The interplay of technology, law and politics has never in our history seen a situation so dangerous to our privacy and constitutional rights.
In the ACLU document Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society, many aspects of surveillance were brought to light for me. Too many and too complex to be properly addressed here. It's a very compelling paper and I urge everyone to take the time to read its fifteen or so pages. I will attempt here to highlight some of the basics of what I was able to garner as tools for thinking about and discussing this issue.
Data surveillance is defined by the ACLU article thus: ... the collection of information about an identifiable individual,often from multiple sources, that can be assembled into a portrait of that person’s activities.
Thanks to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act passed by Congress in 1999, financial institutions can sell personal financial information about us to private corporations. They're free to give out all financial information about you, including balances on accounts and financial activity associated with deposits and withdrawals. If it's any small comfort,the only thing your bank cannot sell is your account number.
Then there is the matter of medical and genetic information which can be shared about you to insurance companies and possibly even employers.
Cell phone location data is the type of surveillance that we've seen a lot about in the media recently, with the passage of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (FAA). Here it is, straight from the horses mouth.
Other types of data surveillance of interest are:
* Black boxes
* Biometrics (fingerprints, etc.)
* RFID Chips (used at tool booths)
*Implantable GPS chips (used in delivery boxes; can also be imbedded in the skin)
All of these types of data surveillance can crop up on powerful search engines when any type of security check is one on any individual. If you use your imagination, I'm sure you can form a picture of how this type of date could be used against you. Are you properly terrified yet?
Then there is the most dangerous head of the three-headed Surveillance Monster: government surveillance. We know about this and yet I, for one, have somehwat ignored it. There are literally thousands of government data bases with information about Americans in them:
*The FBI, of course
* The Registry of Motor Vehicles
* The Department of Education
* The Treasury Department
As a government, as a system, as a society, we now have all of the above surveillance capacity (and some I've not mentioned) and new ones in the cooker. Couple this with the passing of the Patriot Act and the monster is complete, with restrictions on its activities eroding at an alarming pace. Secret searches, wiretapping, power to demand records on individuals with little or no justified cause. What a field day for the heat, to quote an old Stevens Stills song.
The fact that we have the various technologies to create such extensive and multi-faceted surveillance strategies makes them neither sound, nor reliable. Society is yet again forging ahead with the implementation of strategies that are not well thoughtthrough to begin with and subsequently not studies to determine their effectiveness and potential for social and political malaise.
Further, we the people, are showing just how little we value our personal freedoms and rights under the constitution. The fact that in the U.S., our government has gotten away with so much erosion of core American principles, with very little effort, demonstrates how easy it will eventually be to abuse surveillance on a larger and large scale; affecting more and more people in the civilized world.
The threat of world domination through various methods of sophisticated, complex and inter-related surveillance mechanisms seems to become less science fiction and more reality daily. Corporations and government alike are watching us when it is they that need watching.
Wednesday
The Age Of The President-Pontificate Of The U.S.A.
Last week's Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency, quite appropriately dubbed "The Faith Forum", heralded a new age for the Presidency of the U.S.A. - that of the President-Pontificate.
EXPAND THE POST +/-
For decades now, especially since the late 70's-early 80's, it has become a ritual of sorts for candidates seeking the Office of the Presidency of the U.S.A. (POTUS) to make profuse declarations of faith while seeking the public support of pastors, preachers and priests.
Pious demonstrations of belief in God (the Christian one, of course), humble statements of abundant praying for guidance from the Divine Will, public displays of church attendance, etc. - all such things have become nothing more than par for the course in the (democratic) process of choosing the next POTUS.
Through it all, the political/governing functions of a POTUS have likewise become intimately intertwined with all matters of faith - whether it is the expected utterance of the incantation of "God Bless America", frequent references to God on any and all subject matter (policies, decisions, etc.), the White House prayer breakfasts, the lighting of the White House's Christmas Tree, attending Christmas mass, yet more public displays of piety and praying/church attending, and so on and so forth.
In short - the POTUS has come to acquire an increasingly preeminent function of "Christian faith representative" in the eyes of Americans throughout the years.
Why else would Americans have elected three openly-declared Born Again Christian Presidents (Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush) out of the last five who have held office since the 1976 elections?
No wonder then that so-called "moral values" and "moral issues" have come to dominate the American political landscape in the last three decades or so - especially with regards to school praying vs. no praying at school, a woman's right to choose vs. criminalizing abortion, same-sex marriage allowance vs. interdiction, teaching safe/protected sex vs. promoting abstinence, teaching evolution vs. also teaching creationism/intelligent design, etc., etc., etc.
And I will spare you the all-too-known details of the (waning) George W. Bush administration's embrace of fundamentalist Christian "values" and consequent attitudes/actions with regards to all things secular and scientific (see also this recent post of yours truly).
(I remember cringing at that little piece of news when I first read about it some three years ago - that one as well)
Then came 9/11 - and since that tragic day a majority of Americans have apparently locked themselves in a mentality of "Christianity vs. Islam" - what some like to call the "Clash of Civilizations" - a mindset which appears to stubbornly persist to this day, overriding all rational considerations (one more recent example here).
Indeed, 9/11 was in good part responsible for the re-election of George W. Bush, the "War President" fighting the evil islamofascists ...
Which brings us to this year's primaries and the current contest between John McCain and Barack Obama for the Presidency of the U.S.A.
Never before have I witnessed such profusion of declarations of faith from candidates left and right, being asked questions on all matters of Christian faith, morals and values, including whether they believe in evolution or not.
Never before have I witnessed a democratic party presumptive nominee speak more like a pastor as Barack Obama has been speaking throughout this election year - even more so than the born again Christian Jimmy Carter (and I remember a good part of Carter's campaign and his Presidency, because I had "come of age" enough as a teenager to start paying attention to such things already then).
Never before have I witnessed such lingering (ill-informed, uninformed, or deliberately mendacious) questions concerning the "purity" of the Christian faith of candidates - especially regarding Barack Obama ("Is he Muslim or Christian?", "Is he Christian enough?").
Then came last week's Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency, whereby McCain and Obama got to be vetted on matters of Christian faith, morals and values by an "influential" evangelical pastor, Rev. Rick Warren, in a live broadcast to millions of Americans to see, hear and judge.
Since then, many have parsed through the questions posed by Warren in this so-called Faith Forum and the answers given by McCain and Obama - however, it appears that the sheer precedent enormity of such an exercise has been lost entirely.
Think about it - before McCain and Obama got to face each other for a first time to debate their political ideas, ideologies, visions and solutions, they got to be quizzed/tested by a pastor first about their Christian faith, morals, values and visions.
In other words: they had to demonstrate first and foremost their Christian credentials to the American people above all other (political) considerations.
Talk about separation of church and state, no?
Since 9/11, the American people, through their Congress and Senate, have granted monarchical powers to the Office of the President of the U.S.A. - the Military Commissions Act and the Patriot Act quickly come to mind as but two examples.
In short, the POTUS can spy indiscriminately, detain indefinitely and torture - the pretense being that all of this is necessary in the name of temporal security of the Homeland.
Not unlike the British Monarchs of old.
And now, thanks to the precedent of last week's Faith Forum, the POTUS has become the de facto Spiritual Leader and Keeper of the American Christian Faith.
Again - not unlike British Monarchs who still retain to this day (since Henry VIII) the title and function of Head of the Church of England.
So after some 230+ years after the Declaration of Independance, the Americans managed to give themselves a bona fides British-like Monarch in all ways, shapes and forms.
Makes me wonder what the hell the American Revolution was for, then.
Yet, the conclusion nevertheless remains: thanks to the fear, ignorance and, yes, hate of Americans regarding things non-christian, all still driven by 9/11, the Age of the President-Pontificate of the U.S.A. has officially arrived.
God Bless America indeed.
(and whenever I hear born again Christian Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, throw "God Bless Canada" whenever and wherever he can, I keep wondering whether my country is slowly but surely going the same way as our neighbors to the south ... but I digress)
In the meantime, all I can do is wish - and hope - that enough people out there will never forget the necessity of keeping church and faith fully and completely separate from state.
But in this new Age of the President-Pontificate, I shan't be holding my breath ...
(Aftermath: go read this and that as well - both are definitely worth the click).
(Cross-posted from APOV)
For decades now, especially since the late 70's-early 80's, it has become a ritual of sorts for candidates seeking the Office of the Presidency of the U.S.A. (POTUS) to make profuse declarations of faith while seeking the public support of pastors, preachers and priests.
Pious demonstrations of belief in God (the Christian one, of course), humble statements of abundant praying for guidance from the Divine Will, public displays of church attendance, etc. - all such things have become nothing more than par for the course in the (democratic) process of choosing the next POTUS.
Through it all, the political/governing functions of a POTUS have likewise become intimately intertwined with all matters of faith - whether it is the expected utterance of the incantation of "God Bless America", frequent references to God on any and all subject matter (policies, decisions, etc.), the White House prayer breakfasts, the lighting of the White House's Christmas Tree, attending Christmas mass, yet more public displays of piety and praying/church attending, and so on and so forth.
In short - the POTUS has come to acquire an increasingly preeminent function of "Christian faith representative" in the eyes of Americans throughout the years.
Why else would Americans have elected three openly-declared Born Again Christian Presidents (Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush) out of the last five who have held office since the 1976 elections?
No wonder then that so-called "moral values" and "moral issues" have come to dominate the American political landscape in the last three decades or so - especially with regards to school praying vs. no praying at school, a woman's right to choose vs. criminalizing abortion, same-sex marriage allowance vs. interdiction, teaching safe/protected sex vs. promoting abstinence, teaching evolution vs. also teaching creationism/intelligent design, etc., etc., etc.
And I will spare you the all-too-known details of the (waning) George W. Bush administration's embrace of fundamentalist Christian "values" and consequent attitudes/actions with regards to all things secular and scientific (see also this recent post of yours truly).
(I remember cringing at that little piece of news when I first read about it some three years ago - that one as well)
Then came 9/11 - and since that tragic day a majority of Americans have apparently locked themselves in a mentality of "Christianity vs. Islam" - what some like to call the "Clash of Civilizations" - a mindset which appears to stubbornly persist to this day, overriding all rational considerations (one more recent example here).
Indeed, 9/11 was in good part responsible for the re-election of George W. Bush, the "War President" fighting the evil islamofascists ...
Which brings us to this year's primaries and the current contest between John McCain and Barack Obama for the Presidency of the U.S.A.
Never before have I witnessed such profusion of declarations of faith from candidates left and right, being asked questions on all matters of Christian faith, morals and values, including whether they believe in evolution or not.
Never before have I witnessed a democratic party presumptive nominee speak more like a pastor as Barack Obama has been speaking throughout this election year - even more so than the born again Christian Jimmy Carter (and I remember a good part of Carter's campaign and his Presidency, because I had "come of age" enough as a teenager to start paying attention to such things already then).
Never before have I witnessed such lingering (ill-informed, uninformed, or deliberately mendacious) questions concerning the "purity" of the Christian faith of candidates - especially regarding Barack Obama ("Is he Muslim or Christian?", "Is he Christian enough?").
Then came last week's Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency, whereby McCain and Obama got to be vetted on matters of Christian faith, morals and values by an "influential" evangelical pastor, Rev. Rick Warren, in a live broadcast to millions of Americans to see, hear and judge.
Since then, many have parsed through the questions posed by Warren in this so-called Faith Forum and the answers given by McCain and Obama - however, it appears that the sheer precedent enormity of such an exercise has been lost entirely.
Think about it - before McCain and Obama got to face each other for a first time to debate their political ideas, ideologies, visions and solutions, they got to be quizzed/tested by a pastor first about their Christian faith, morals, values and visions.
In other words: they had to demonstrate first and foremost their Christian credentials to the American people above all other (political) considerations.
Talk about separation of church and state, no?
Since 9/11, the American people, through their Congress and Senate, have granted monarchical powers to the Office of the President of the U.S.A. - the Military Commissions Act and the Patriot Act quickly come to mind as but two examples.
In short, the POTUS can spy indiscriminately, detain indefinitely and torture - the pretense being that all of this is necessary in the name of temporal security of the Homeland.
Not unlike the British Monarchs of old.
And now, thanks to the precedent of last week's Faith Forum, the POTUS has become the de facto Spiritual Leader and Keeper of the American Christian Faith.
Again - not unlike British Monarchs who still retain to this day (since Henry VIII) the title and function of Head of the Church of England.
So after some 230+ years after the Declaration of Independance, the Americans managed to give themselves a bona fides British-like Monarch in all ways, shapes and forms.
Makes me wonder what the hell the American Revolution was for, then.
Yet, the conclusion nevertheless remains: thanks to the fear, ignorance and, yes, hate of Americans regarding things non-christian, all still driven by 9/11, the Age of the President-Pontificate of the U.S.A. has officially arrived.
God Bless America indeed.
(and whenever I hear born again Christian Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, throw "God Bless Canada" whenever and wherever he can, I keep wondering whether my country is slowly but surely going the same way as our neighbors to the south ... but I digress)
In the meantime, all I can do is wish - and hope - that enough people out there will never forget the necessity of keeping church and faith fully and completely separate from state.
But in this new Age of the President-Pontificate, I shan't be holding my breath ...
(Aftermath: go read this and that as well - both are definitely worth the click).
(Cross-posted from APOV)
No Way. No How. No McCain.
BEFORE:
Gee… The headlines sure look different than before Hillary’s speech, huh, Wally?
And, with that said, let me reiterate that I think Hillary gave a magnificently powerful and moving speech, and proved, yet again, that she has the skills, the intellect, and the grace to lead... I just don't want to be led...
Clinton takes spotlight at convention
Clinton Supporters Discuss Supporting Obama
Clinton fans deaf to words of healing
As Clinton backers steer toward apparent nominee, a few signal problems
Hillary supporters still lagging
Bill Clinton Undercuts Barack Obama
Democrats set for Clinton moment
AFTER:
Clinton makes strong case for Obama
Clinton urges party to back Obama
Clinton delivers ringing call for Democratic unity
Clinton Delivers Emphatic Plea for Unity
Gee… The headlines sure look different than before Hillary’s speech, huh, Wally?
What did we expect, a bar fight, a WWF smack down, a Jerry Springer moment?
The obvious underpinning of all the negative pontificating before she spoke was pure, adulterated hype meant to sell newspapers and get the advertisers to line up and maybe help Ann Coulter write another useless book. With the MSM going all apeshit over the Clintons, go figure, one might have thought that Bill and Hillary
Hillary gave a very powerful speech tonight; a resounding message of we are united. A call to hold hands and sing Kumbaya…
Yes. In some way I meant that last line in a patronizing, smart-assery sort of way, but, in another part of my brain, I truly think that that is, metaphorically speaking, what took place during her speech. Not because the Democratic party and the country were fragmented, but because the American people, despite the last eight years, see through the bullshit that is tossed around and recycled into what is essentially pandering and they choose their own moments. You’d think that after all these years the powers that be would have learned this lesson? I suppose they have their noses too far up the money changer’s asses to grasp the not so subtle message.
“
With that said… We urgently need to change this countries political thinking. It is not a two party system. It is a United Constitutional Democratic Republic- for the people, by the people and of the people. There are more viewpoints than conservative and liberal. Than conservative and progressive. There are more diversities. There are other parties. Other ideas and ideals. Other considerations besides Republican and Democrat.
Corporations are not a people. The Military Industrial Complex, aside from the men and women in uniform, are not a people. Big Pharma is not a people. Big Oil is not a people.
On the other hand… Teachers, Brick Layers, Fire Fighters, Engineers, Factory Workers, Nurses, Doctors, Lawyers, Coaches, Actors, Writers, Retirees, Athletes, Hair Dressers, Farmers, Dental Assistants, Restaurant Workers, Pilots, Military Enlistees, Homemakers, Clerks, Telemarketers, Artists, Singers, Dancers, Scientists, Preachers, Pianists, Violinists, Conductors, Surgeons, Bankers, Landscapers, Builders, Judges, Taxi Drivers, Disk Jockeys, Professors, Students, Architects, Street Walkers, Homeless, Jobless, Brown, White, Red, Yellow, Tan, Black, Gay, Straight, Bi, High, Low, Tall, Short, Skinny, Fat, Redheaded, Blonde, Brunette, Grey, Male, Female, Transgendered, Indian, African, Asian, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, and yes, even Politicians, are the people… These are the people(s) who, quite evidently, need to be represented by more than only two parties. Right?
Well come two thousand and nine I suggest that we begin to make that happen…for the good of our country and its peoples.
And, with that said, let me reiterate that I think Hillary gave a magnificently powerful and moving speech, and proved, yet again, that she has the skills, the intellect, and the grace to lead... I just don't want to be led...
Tuesday
The Desired Effect
Clinton takes spotlight at convention
Clinton Supporters Discuss Supporting Obama
Clinton fans deaf to words of healing
As Clinton backers steer toward apparent nominee, a few signal problems
Democrats unite at convention, but Hillary supporters still lagging
Bill Clinton Undercuts Barack Obama - AGAIN
O'Reilly: Danger in Denver
Democrats set for Clinton moment
OKAY! OKAY! ENOUGH ALREADY!
I GET IT! WE ALL GET IT!
(Maybe not everyone gets what the MSM and the RNC are doing here…but they should and they will!)
The Clinton's have less to do with this hysteria than a select group of operatives and a complicit media. The Clintonite's who are saying they’ll vote for McCain instead, since Hill didn’t get the nod, have less to do with this spin than do those attempting to sell products to their listeners and readers, and the RNC, and Rove and his gang of thugs who want to frame the Denver Democratic National Convention, and by proxy the Democratic Party, as a raging cat/dog fight without a clue as how to govern.
Sure there are a few, a few mind you, of the Clinton loyalist guard still holding their breath like spoiled friggin' brats trying to get their way after having been told “NO” for the umpteenth time, but they are a minority in the Democratic Party. Get that? A minority. A small number compared to the whole. Got it?
It is an attempt by the RNC, and yes, the "mainstream" media, to bring about a desired “hysteria”.
"Oh my! What should we think? What is wrong with us? Why are we falling apart? We're so unorganized! We're split down the middle!”
What should you do? Start by telling anyone that is flapping such nonsense to STFU! It is not some quagmire! That’s the Republican Parties dilemma! It is not Barack, or Hillary or Bill’s predicament to hold! It is, however, going to be handed off to the next president to fix.
Let the RNC and Rove's minions suck wind and pontificate until their blue in the face and out of a job in 2009! The Democratic Party, and the country for that matter, are not split or in danger of implosion- the RNC and their respective party are.
musings and wanderings
i live in upstate new york and am about 4 hours or so from new york city- or 'the city' to new yorkers. yep. it is, apparently, the only one. anyhoo, a reader of my rantings sent me an email regarding kevin powell who is running for congress in brooklyn's 10th district, i think, please correct me if i am wrong- i only know about the 5 boroughs- not how they work :) anyhoo, kevin is running against an incumbent who is looking at his 13th year in the house and apparently, according to many of his constituents, basically checked out. should be a done deal right? smart, charismatic young african american man in his mid 30's or so running against an incumbent that is basically collecting a paycheck.
READ THE REST +/-
ahhhh.... but it's new york politics and it's 2008 and nothing is ever as simple as we would like it to be. now, i am not going to rehash the whole sordid tale here- i will provide links and whatnot. apparently, kevin is a 'recovering misogynist' or something like that. he admits to having what we in human services like to call 'anger management issues' and he became physical with several women- and men- and has said that he has been working towards changing via therapy, spirituality and apparently, gloria steinem. the last known act of violence allegedly occurred in a nightclub with an altercation with stuff magazine contributor bart graham- however, the only place i could find any mention of the story was in the new york post- and links to the wildly popular 'page six.'
so, of course, i started down the path where i doubt the emailer wanted me to go. because misogyny has been so much a part of the news over the last year or so- as has race- and both come into play in this scenario. kevin powell writes freely of his childhood upbringing on the streets of new york city- and i don't know enough about him to know if he uses this as an excuse for his behavior or merely as background information. i do know that there is no excuse for committing violence towards another person or persons and i certainly don't condone it. but i do think it is disingenuous to hold kevin powell to a different standard than john mccain, for example. i mean mrs. buffalo chip? now, i don't know if mccain ever laid hands or staplers on another person or persons. i do know that he treats people badly. very badly. and derives pleasure from it. i can't speak for kevin powell- there are only his own words to do that:
"And, moreover, I APOLOGIZED to those few women I violated nearly twenty years ago, and they have accepted my apology and forgave me, as have all the males I have ever had conflict with, Congressman Towns, for the record. Human beings appreciate honesty, and they appreciate accountability. If a Malcolm X or a Bobby Kennedy, two of my heroes, could change, could grow, could learn to be fully human, self-critical, and accountable in their very short lives, Mr. Towns, why can't I? If they both could grow into world-class humanitarians, Mr. Towns, why can't I?"
so, i don't know if kevin has truly changed but i do know that congress is made up of men- and a few women- who are pedophiles, cheaters, liars, misogynists, homophobics, drug and alcohol abusers, spouse and child abusers, and on and on.... i know that these people all share a common trait and that's a lust for power. of that, i am sure kevin has no shortage. but then again... neither does john mccain.
ahhhh.... but it's new york politics and it's 2008 and nothing is ever as simple as we would like it to be. now, i am not going to rehash the whole sordid tale here- i will provide links and whatnot. apparently, kevin is a 'recovering misogynist' or something like that. he admits to having what we in human services like to call 'anger management issues' and he became physical with several women- and men- and has said that he has been working towards changing via therapy, spirituality and apparently, gloria steinem. the last known act of violence allegedly occurred in a nightclub with an altercation with stuff magazine contributor bart graham- however, the only place i could find any mention of the story was in the new york post- and links to the wildly popular 'page six.'
so, of course, i started down the path where i doubt the emailer wanted me to go. because misogyny has been so much a part of the news over the last year or so- as has race- and both come into play in this scenario. kevin powell writes freely of his childhood upbringing on the streets of new york city- and i don't know enough about him to know if he uses this as an excuse for his behavior or merely as background information. i do know that there is no excuse for committing violence towards another person or persons and i certainly don't condone it. but i do think it is disingenuous to hold kevin powell to a different standard than john mccain, for example. i mean mrs. buffalo chip? now, i don't know if mccain ever laid hands or staplers on another person or persons. i do know that he treats people badly. very badly. and derives pleasure from it. i can't speak for kevin powell- there are only his own words to do that:
"And, moreover, I APOLOGIZED to those few women I violated nearly twenty years ago, and they have accepted my apology and forgave me, as have all the males I have ever had conflict with, Congressman Towns, for the record. Human beings appreciate honesty, and they appreciate accountability. If a Malcolm X or a Bobby Kennedy, two of my heroes, could change, could grow, could learn to be fully human, self-critical, and accountable in their very short lives, Mr. Towns, why can't I? If they both could grow into world-class humanitarians, Mr. Towns, why can't I?"
so, i don't know if kevin has truly changed but i do know that congress is made up of men- and a few women- who are pedophiles, cheaters, liars, misogynists, homophobics, drug and alcohol abusers, spouse and child abusers, and on and on.... i know that these people all share a common trait and that's a lust for power. of that, i am sure kevin has no shortage. but then again... neither does john mccain.
MASTER OF THE PUPPETS X 2
Thanks to Dark Daughta I discovered a new band, Apocalyptica, which inspired this post.
I love when musicians (and singers), of any stripe, attempt something out of the ordinary and create music that is anything but ordinary...
EXPAND THE POST +/-
1. Apocalyptica - A Finnish cello metal band, composed of classically trained cellists and, since 2005, a drummer. Three of the cellists are graduates of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Their music features elements from classical music, neo-classical metal, thrash metal, and symphonic metal.
2. And now Metallica, an American heavy metal band, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, of which, neither need further introductions...
I love when musicians (and singers), of any stripe, attempt something out of the ordinary and create music that is anything but ordinary...
1. Apocalyptica - A Finnish cello metal band, composed of classically trained cellists and, since 2005, a drummer. Three of the cellists are graduates of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Their music features elements from classical music, neo-classical metal, thrash metal, and symphonic metal.
2. And now Metallica, an American heavy metal band, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, of which, neither need further introductions...
Sunday
Un-Skinned
UN-SKINNED
We are all walking these streets
Under our own abysmal verdict.
Frequently we hear that we’re faced
by avoidable contamination. We’ve heard it before,
that we must breed our skin apart from those others
until our masks are solid and chaste,
irremovable, useless. Force the skin’s hue down,
imprison our colors on the nomadic streets.
We need be single-minded to form our face
into the perfect color of a perverted truth;
this evolution is ugliest now,
storming its infection across the world.
We’re walking the streets, the roads,
the twisting spheres bending away; humanity
begging we refuse this council, this deception. One
stride on this earth, one long, delightful use of man;
animal, dying now, ready to live. Our fuel’s the blood
Under our skin, our reckless mind, the contagion.
Understand this; our progression has long commenced.
We cannot forgo its breathing revolution.
We cannot, from its rise, ourselves remove.
O! It will thrash our sticks and stones,
and turn its heaven away from our brutality,
away from our bigotry, our war, our contempt of evolution,
until we dissolve our masks and flee our unbending dreams!
O we need make our pulse in the unknown.
We are the pollen that dropped from the same flower,
eyeless and frightened.
Our worthless dread,
motionless souls,
splintered hearts,
cagey minds,
thrashed hopes,
derelict empathy,
throttled voices,
parading our death
over scorched noises.
Maybe we’re not walking the streets and roads...
maybe we’re being carried by the wind?
© 2008 mrp/tpm
Tricky - Make a Change (6:01)
Tricky - Make a Change (6:01)
Saturday
Huddled Masses Yearning.....
“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams ..." Anonymous
I write about the Masses, The Struggle....because I am part of that...all of it. I have been living as a refugee in my own country...Our Country for almost the entire Bush Administration.I have lived it , walked it, cried it....fought it. I have moved more than 5 times in 5 years while trying to be a Mom ( all over the country)....I was a witness on a large Criminal Case against a Chemical Company, a Big Company with Friends in high places. I investigated the Evil Company because they made my neighbors and family sick. And I confronted the Company and the Government with their Own Documents. I did it because I am a Nurse, and people were sick and dying. But in the midst of ALL that Bush became President and then the US Attorneys who had ALL of our Data were fired by Bush's Men. And long story short It set my son and I on a Path..Adrift...of Wandering this Country, because we had to.We Lost Everything, Our Home, Our Neighbors and our feeling that we belonged, we mattered. We became Invisible in a way.But in another way it brought us Something else. Something as tangible as the sun shining through the darkest rain.
**************************************
EXPAND THE POST +/-
So my son and I wandered up down the West Coast at first, and we lived in a dilapitated old Victorian Rooming House.I worked there,and took care of the Old Building so that we would have a roof over our head. I also ended up taking care of some of the tenants.We lived 2 blocks from the sea, we would sleep listening to seals barking on the beach. and watch deer wander over from the park to eat our bushes. It was Beautiful, it was where we needed to be. Then we wandered East.
Due to some different Circumstances we stopped in Cleveland. And we fell in love with Cleveland, we lived in an Old Loft Building Downtown, the Heart of the City. And then my landlord a lovely woman got foreclosed, so the middle of winter I hit the streets searching for a New Home. And I found us an old Side by Side, run down in need of work, I made a deal with the landlord. And In Mid winter , 10 below, I moved us, and our critters.And Once again we huddled in a New Place.
And again I painted and plastered and glued and promised my son that this would be a good home, for a long time. And I fixed up a porch and made a garden, because we needed that. And along the way we met people and heard their stories, and learned of their plight and our problems did not seem so overwhelming. Everyone has a story....if you just take time to look in their eyes and Listen from Homeless Vets to Elderly sick Neighbors to Lost Jobs. We have heard it all. Even Katrina tales of loss and survival. And we learned that we are part of a much bigger ripped Shredded fabric, that there is no shame in that, maybe even pride and wisdom. And all along the way, we helped neighbors move, job hunt, fix and repair when there was barely anything to share. We learned that Humanity is more than measured or valued, it is gifted at the rarest of moments. The sharing of food after a storm, or sharing of books and music when there are no outings or vacations.We learned that Nothing is taken for granted.
And so I know that Home is where our Heart is, it is what my son and I share together, it is made of moments and battered homes that have been glued and painted, and shared with others. And we both know that there will be another one on the Horizon in the Monthes to come, as our landlord has money troubles again. And so we sit and plan our next adventure. And we value that Home is so much more than a House.
All spring and summer I have watched people leave my little urban hood, packing up and leaving, and I have said goodbye as I walk the dog. I used to make brownies to welcome people, now I make them when they leave. I miss the sounds of children playing and laughing. And I walk Lilly on empty sidestreets, and this summer we even started walking the Rich Streets 5 blocks over and stunningly, they are not immune from this Exodus either, there were more empty houses there. The windows stare back in a disquieting way, lonely for life. It is the Quiet of Something Larger, and Something Looming.
What is happening in this Country is not in anyone's imagination, and is not psychological. And that a Senator running for President would perpetuate such a lie is Criminal, and disrepects that all of these people have lose not just their Houses, they have lost more than that. They have lost their HOMES,and a sense of Community and that they matter. 4000 people lose homes a day right now. The actual Homeless Estimates are 1.7 million to 3.2 Million, and the truth may be worse, since it is hard to track Homelessnes with any accuracy. Homeless Vets are atleast 700,000 nationwide.And Mr.McCain this week showed at a forum on Faith that he lacks compassion and a complete understanding of any of this , or What Poverty means and is in this Country. He has more Homes than most of us will have in a Lifetime, he is indeed arrogantly Rich, so much so that he is ignorant of the Human Condition. He is oblivious that a Home is so much more than a House.
I write about the Huddled Masses as we struggle together, and take care of each other, and fight such Ignorance. And that all of us may be taken care of with Healthcare, and have Homes and Jobs, and good education available to our children....None of that is asking too much. None of us is Invisible, and we are all Part of the Story, the Fabric of This Country.And Someone needs to remind DC of that. And that Someone is Us.E.Pluribus Unum.
***************************
As each family has moved I have made brownies and taken them boxes and helped, and given hugs...and said "Hold On just Hold on...." And I hear this song..."Hoid On, Hold On" by Neko Case. She is from the Northwest, she knows what Wandering is all about...."the most tender place in my heart is for strangers" she sings.....
And yes, I have been praying for Change, For Something Better because we have too many lives at stake at this point....
So I am posting the other song "American Prayer" that was made for the Obama Campaign. The song has a messege, and not just about Obama....It is all about the Struggle....and The Yearning....And where we all Stand right now.
" What you see depends on Where you stand" American Prayer song.....
I write about the Masses, The Struggle....because I am part of that...all of it. I have been living as a refugee in my own country...Our Country for almost the entire Bush Administration.I have lived it , walked it, cried it....fought it. I have moved more than 5 times in 5 years while trying to be a Mom ( all over the country)....I was a witness on a large Criminal Case against a Chemical Company, a Big Company with Friends in high places. I investigated the Evil Company because they made my neighbors and family sick. And I confronted the Company and the Government with their Own Documents. I did it because I am a Nurse, and people were sick and dying. But in the midst of ALL that Bush became President and then the US Attorneys who had ALL of our Data were fired by Bush's Men. And long story short It set my son and I on a Path..Adrift...of Wandering this Country, because we had to.We Lost Everything, Our Home, Our Neighbors and our feeling that we belonged, we mattered. We became Invisible in a way.But in another way it brought us Something else. Something as tangible as the sun shining through the darkest rain.
**************************************
So my son and I wandered up down the West Coast at first, and we lived in a dilapitated old Victorian Rooming House.I worked there,and took care of the Old Building so that we would have a roof over our head. I also ended up taking care of some of the tenants.We lived 2 blocks from the sea, we would sleep listening to seals barking on the beach. and watch deer wander over from the park to eat our bushes. It was Beautiful, it was where we needed to be. Then we wandered East.
Due to some different Circumstances we stopped in Cleveland. And we fell in love with Cleveland, we lived in an Old Loft Building Downtown, the Heart of the City. And then my landlord a lovely woman got foreclosed, so the middle of winter I hit the streets searching for a New Home. And I found us an old Side by Side, run down in need of work, I made a deal with the landlord. And In Mid winter , 10 below, I moved us, and our critters.And Once again we huddled in a New Place.
And again I painted and plastered and glued and promised my son that this would be a good home, for a long time. And I fixed up a porch and made a garden, because we needed that. And along the way we met people and heard their stories, and learned of their plight and our problems did not seem so overwhelming. Everyone has a story....if you just take time to look in their eyes and Listen from Homeless Vets to Elderly sick Neighbors to Lost Jobs. We have heard it all. Even Katrina tales of loss and survival. And we learned that we are part of a much bigger ripped Shredded fabric, that there is no shame in that, maybe even pride and wisdom. And all along the way, we helped neighbors move, job hunt, fix and repair when there was barely anything to share. We learned that Humanity is more than measured or valued, it is gifted at the rarest of moments. The sharing of food after a storm, or sharing of books and music when there are no outings or vacations.We learned that Nothing is taken for granted.
And so I know that Home is where our Heart is, it is what my son and I share together, it is made of moments and battered homes that have been glued and painted, and shared with others. And we both know that there will be another one on the Horizon in the Monthes to come, as our landlord has money troubles again. And so we sit and plan our next adventure. And we value that Home is so much more than a House.
All spring and summer I have watched people leave my little urban hood, packing up and leaving, and I have said goodbye as I walk the dog. I used to make brownies to welcome people, now I make them when they leave. I miss the sounds of children playing and laughing. And I walk Lilly on empty sidestreets, and this summer we even started walking the Rich Streets 5 blocks over and stunningly, they are not immune from this Exodus either, there were more empty houses there. The windows stare back in a disquieting way, lonely for life. It is the Quiet of Something Larger, and Something Looming.
What is happening in this Country is not in anyone's imagination, and is not psychological. And that a Senator running for President would perpetuate such a lie is Criminal, and disrepects that all of these people have lose not just their Houses, they have lost more than that. They have lost their HOMES,and a sense of Community and that they matter. 4000 people lose homes a day right now. The actual Homeless Estimates are 1.7 million to 3.2 Million, and the truth may be worse, since it is hard to track Homelessnes with any accuracy. Homeless Vets are atleast 700,000 nationwide.And Mr.McCain this week showed at a forum on Faith that he lacks compassion and a complete understanding of any of this , or What Poverty means and is in this Country. He has more Homes than most of us will have in a Lifetime, he is indeed arrogantly Rich, so much so that he is ignorant of the Human Condition. He is oblivious that a Home is so much more than a House.
I write about the Huddled Masses as we struggle together, and take care of each other, and fight such Ignorance. And that all of us may be taken care of with Healthcare, and have Homes and Jobs, and good education available to our children....None of that is asking too much. None of us is Invisible, and we are all Part of the Story, the Fabric of This Country.And Someone needs to remind DC of that. And that Someone is Us.E.Pluribus Unum.
***************************
As each family has moved I have made brownies and taken them boxes and helped, and given hugs...and said "Hold On just Hold on...." And I hear this song..."Hoid On, Hold On" by Neko Case. She is from the Northwest, she knows what Wandering is all about...."the most tender place in my heart is for strangers" she sings.....
And yes, I have been praying for Change, For Something Better because we have too many lives at stake at this point....
So I am posting the other song "American Prayer" that was made for the Obama Campaign. The song has a messege, and not just about Obama....It is all about the Struggle....and The Yearning....And where we all Stand right now.
" What you see depends on Where you stand" American Prayer song.....
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It seems to me however that John McCain is neither conservative nor a maverick. John McCain is a radical nationalist and zealous proponent of American exceptionalism. His running mate is a compelling person with admirable qualities. It’s impossible not to like her or respect how Governor Palin challenged Alaska’s entrenched corrupt political establishment – a cause many bloggers on both the left and right have an affinity for.
However, Governor Palin is not a person to challenge Republican orthodoxy with respect to cultural issues or global warming. Nor will she represent any counterweight to the neocons that inhabit McCain’s foreign policy shop. Hence, Palin’s selection only reinforces that McCain is captive to the Christian radicals in his own party and has no interest in empowering any counterweight against the radical global vision the Bush/Cheney administration disastrously pursued. Simply put, Governor Palin being a heartbeat away from the presidency is no better than the prospect of John McCain becoming president.
As for Senator Obama my fear is that his presidency would be too risk averse and fail to boldly challenge the mindset that produced our current occupation in Iraq or dramatically reverse the crony corporatism that pervades our culture and economy. Obama will facilitate adjustments in the tax code to provide relief for wage earners and with an enhanced Democratic majority deliver something on healthcare. I’m also reasonably confident his selections to the Supreme Court and the federal bench as a whole will have more respect for the Constitution, civil liberties and protecting whistle blowers who tell truth to power. These are not unimportant things.
However, I am not confident that Obama will come up with a bold new economic and social contract like FDR. This country needs a dramatic overhaul in infrastructure as well as committing to the vision expressed by former Vice President Al Gore that we end our dependence fossil fuels. So far, I’m not seeing or hearing any evidence beyond platitudes that an Obama presidency will be sufficiently bold. In fairness to Obama though, FDR’s 1932 presidential campaign wasn’t especially bold either.
My sense however is that the Obama/Biden ticket represents a restoration of the corporate centrism of George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton. This brand of corporate centrism cultivates cooperative relationships among democracies and strategic rivals in the name of “stability.”
Under such a regime, when America doesn’t appear to have a dog in a fight such as genocide in Rawanda in the early ‘90s there is a good chance force will not be used. When our energy supply is threatened, as it was when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1991, our military will be deployed. Corporate centrism is more socially moderate when the president is a Democrat and certainly preferable to McCain. If nothing else governments will not be toppled gratuitously and allies needlessly alienated. But it’s not good enough.
So my message to all like-minded progressives is that while the cause is better served with a President Obama the fight does not end there. A progressive reform majority is essential in congress as well as state legislatures and governor mansions from coast to coast if America is to become better global citizens abroad that also promotes dignity and economic citizens for all our citizens at home.
Ironically, Obama himself, a community organizer in his youth has advocated for the American people to push for change from the bottom up. So while I am not convinced Obama will be out front on the change we need perhaps his presidency can be a catalyst to the public mobilizing in a direction of national renewal on behalf of working people, civil liberties and social justice. At least I hope so.