Today is one of those days. You know the sort. One of those days where you start off loaded with positive intentions that quickly are buried under the murky weight of dark news information freely flowing from one edge of the cyber swamp to another. Haiku was on my mind at dawn. Something about the crisp cold snow seemed sensible for a few brief lines. Then I got online and hit Democracy Now! for some news. I know better than to start every day off with Amy Goodman’s “War and Peace Report”. For mental health reasons, I try to switch it up for different times of the day after the livestream broadcast. Some days it’s better to read the transcripts rather than listen. Real news can be very disheartening. I don’t know how the news staff of this independent news venue manages day in and day out to thrive on a steady diet of The Dark Side of Humanity–without perky blonde cleavage or airy breathless reading of text monitors. Seriously. Actual journalism work is not for the faint of heart.
A report on the death of another gang rape victim in India lingered long after I moved on to other online tasks. I thought it was disheartening enough to learn that a woman is raped in India every 11 minutes–until I learned that there’s a rape every 6 minutes in the United States. These numbers maybe be skewed because so many rapes go unreported. Violence against women has been on my mind lately. It’s hard to avoid–fans of Downton Abbey will even get a taste of it. Yes, I watched ahead via online venues. In real life, things for the women of Afghanistan are at about the worst ever. So much for all the USA lip service paid to making life better for women and girls. Not so far in the back of my mind loiters the question: What is wrong with all the people who rape women, children and men? Are they born-hard wired to engage in such violence or are they made by their environments? Maybe they’re nature’s form of human predators for our species? I’m not sure. Before I forget, The Invisible War aired on PBS–again. It’s an expose about the rape epidemic in the military. Ladies, I know it’s tempting for some to enlist for economic reasons like supporting your family or college funds–but do so knowing the risks you’re taking by hitching a money ride with the armed forces on any front. Take note, men aren’t escaping the sexual violence either, they’re also targets. I’ve had conversations with people who say that rape has always been a part of war. Hmm, hard to dent that fact. But, how does that explain military people raping the men and women in their own ranks? Is that a by-product of military training people to kill, torture and rape other people who they’re taught to view as non-humans? Possibly. What’s going to happen when the rapists return home? Are they going to cease engaging in violent sexual crimes?
Well, this is now very far afield from haiku about biting frost. Or is it?
Maze of Injustice–The failure to protect Indigenous women from sexual violence in the USA–pdf file. This is the size of a small book complete with very informative end notes.
Revolutionary Association for the Women of Afghanistan ~ RAWA is the oldest political/social organization of Afghan women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy and women’s rights in fundamentalism-blighted Afghanistan since 1977.
What kind of world do you want to live in? Hold that question in your mind for a time.
While searching for some up to date information regarding a particular event, The Future Generations Ride, I came across a great deal currently online in social media venues regarding very serious issue raising events of the past. While sorting through the information overload I discovered a documentary film in the works, Fractured Land.Then, for this post, I decided to switch gears to the present and the future because we are in the here and now. What we do, all of us, has ramifications for the future, our future and the future of life on Earth. Earth has not always been as we know it–full of automobiles, grocery stores, shopping centers offering all sorts of techie toys, synthetic clothing, and fast food. Contrary to the commercials on the small screen, life has not always revolved around purple pills, phones and plasma screen televisions offering surround sound and high-definition imaging.
What I haven’t quite figured out yet is, why we, as in a great many of us humans, not all of us, but enough of us to make an intensely negative impact on our habitat, have chosen to do so. Why live like self-destructive maniacs when the Earth offers –offered– everything we need to survive as a species? If you’ve got a perfect environment to live in, why go around destroying it? Often the answer is profit/money. Okay–but consider this, money in any form only has value because someone attributes value to it. Paper money has no value in and of itself. It only has value within the context that created it. (No, I’m not going to get into a hashing out of the federal reserve concepts and issues thereof. That’s not what this post s about.) In contrast, water has value in and of itself because it is necessary for life. Necessary. Living things require water in order to live. We don’t require money or gold bars in order to function as living creatures. Yes, we are indeed creatures, bio-chemical entities, just like the rest of the wonderful species on planet Earth. If the adherents to the mainstream concept of living well–as in rich according to the specs of Wall Street and the World Bank–how do they propose to live at all when the water, air and land become too toxic to support humans? How does that work? It doesn’t. That’s basic life science, not my opinion.
Caleb Behn knows this–and as you’re well aware, he’s not alone.
A young First Nations law student and emerging leader from northeast BC, epicenter of some of the worlds largest fracking operations, tries to reconcile the fractures within himself, his community and the world around him – blending modern tools of the law with ancient wisdom.
Directed and Produced by Fiona Rayher and Damien Gillis
Executive Producers: Daniel Conrad and Mark Achbar
Music by Edo Van Breemen
Digital Strategist & Community Manager – Hilary Henegar
For more information about the film’s issues, petitions, newsletter and other items of interest such as:
Join us Jan 9 for a live video chat on #IdleNoMore
Fractured Land filmmaker Damien Gillis moderates a lively discussion among a diverse panel of activists, industry experts and leaders from around Canada.
The topic of the conversation will centre on how the Idle No More movement can serve as a bridge toward empoweringnative and non-native people to advocate for more sustainable, equitable energy development.
“They’re Using The Water To Fracture The Bones Of Mother Earth.” — Caleb Behn
Award Winning Fractured Land Documentary Featuring Naomi Klein, MP Thomas Mulcair, Josh Fox, Maude Barlow, Bill McKibben, Wade Davis, Lillian Moyer, Terri Brown, Oscar Dennis and other powerful voices. ‘ “Fractured Land tells the story of Caleb Behn, an inspiring, young First Nations law student from northeast BC, working to defend his peoples’ land from some of the most intense industrial activity in the world.
Caleb is Eh-Cho Dene and Dunne Za/Cree from Treaty 8 country, the front lines for Canada’s biggest natural gas fracking operations. The swift proliferation of fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas, has had profound consequences for the water and the ability for his people to practice their traditional way of life.
Having recently finished law school, Caleb is among the first University of Victoria Law students granted the Concentration in Environmental Law and Sustainability. Prior to law school, he was the Oil & Gas Officer for the West Moberly First Nations and a Lands Manager for the Saulteau First Nations.
The film follows Caleb to places of largely unseen beauty from his traditional territories, where he’s fished and hunted moose his whole life, to Maori lands in New Zealand, where he sought to learn how Indigenous law could be blended with the current legal system in order to protect our sacred ecosystems.” Scheduled for release 2014 Spring Festival.
Never know what you’ll discover when you start connecting dots and surfing the energy lines in cyber-space. First I caught the photos on Supporting South Dakota Reservations Facebook page featuring the 38 Memorial Riders, then while exploring the latest entries I discovered the information on Fractured Land and then, and then. I think you get the idea.
Heads up, documentary film, Young Lakota to air on Independent Lens on November 25, 2013.
I am wondering how in-depth this documentary will delve into the ongoing issues facing young Lakota –especially young Lakota women. From the trailer it appears to address at some level the sexual violence endured by many Indigenous women. I’ve provided links to two very important documents created by Amnesty International. Depending on your awareness of the issues they may or may not prove to be very disturbing reading. I think they’re required reading for anyone entering into a serious discussion of violence, abortion, and sexual issues concerning Indigenous women–and all others as well.
As I could not get the video on the link via TT to work properly I ventured to the tubes of you for an alternative which is posted here. I’ve included the links cited on Turtle Talk as well.
Three young people living in the Pine Ridge Reservation try to forge a better future. When the first female President of Oglala Lakota defies a South Dakota law criminalizing abortion by vowing to build a women’s clinic in their sovereign territory, the three young tribe members are faced with difficult choices
10 .m. EST, Monday, Nov. 25, on PBS’s Independent Lens. The film chronicles Tribal President Cecelia Fire Thunder’s challenge to a proposed abortion ban in South Dakota, and the political awakening she inspires in Sunny Clifford, a young Lakota woman living on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Young Lakota was an Official Selection at the Big Sky Film Festival, the New Orleans Film Festival, the American Indian Film Festival, and won Best Documentary at Cine Las Americas and the Smithsonian Showcase.
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Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA. (Note: Depending on your PC the PDF file may load fast or slow, but it will load–or so we hope.) This is not reading for the faint of heart. Report by Amnesty International.
Stolen Sisters, Canada, A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada (Also not reading for the faint of heart.)
All Following Content is from Idle No More email news:
#INM1YR Nov10 Idle No More Revolution
Looking back, looking ahead
Idle No More is one of the largest Indigenous mass movements in recent history – sparking hundreds of teach-ins, rallies, and direct actions across the globe. What began as a series of teach-ins on November 10th, 2012 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to protest laws that would scale back on environmental protections and threaten Indigenous self-determination, has now changed the social and political landscape of Canada and beyond.
We know that many communities will be holding symbolic celebrations on Nov 10th to honour the birth of Idle No More. Idle No More organizers hope that all of us as individuals and as groups do take a moment on Nov 10th to look back and look ahead. And if you are planning a celebration or action on Nov 10th then please add it to the events listing on the website and if you are able to, please join the webinar below!
#INM1yr Winona LaDuke Webinar and Webinar Series
To mark the One Year anniversary of the Idle No More Movement, we will be launching a series of webinars, beginning with renowned Anishnaabe activist Winona LaDuke. Please join us on the one year anniversary, November 10 at 10am CST for her talk “Restoring Stable Indigenous Economies”.www.idlenomore.ca/n10webinar Other webinars will be announced soon.
Transforming ideas into action: Teach-ins, Direct Action, Round dances and Rallies. Sovereignty and Self-determination:
Indigenous peoples have been inspired to reclaim sacred sites, reinstitute traditional forms of leadership, and assert self-determination in the face of ongoing oppressive policies. Idle No More organizers and supporters are defending the land and water across the planet while also realizing the importance of educating the general public.
Building Alliances and Solidarity
Over the past year, the Idle No More movement has inspired thousands of people to action! committing themselves to ongoing resistance against colonialism. Idle No More has become the center of media attention, connecting millions of people through our websites, twitter account and facebook pages every day. It has also brought together a number of Indigenous solidarity groups and allies looking to work against the current and pending governmental policy that impacts on collective rights, social safety nets, and environmental protections.Idle No More has provided hope and love at a time when global corporate profits rule.
“The New Manifest Destiny: A brief political history of the Idle No More Movement” by Kent Bennett.
Lots of folks are confused about a lot of things like climate change and fracking. A great deal of this confusion has been-man made by industries interested in profits by all the usual means and then some. Hmm. Yes, people who have vested interests in making money are very good at marketing their game plans. They are experts at spin and illusion and delusion all in order to create more confusion which keeps people from doing anything about anything. They are very happy when people adhere to: Go play nice with your five hundred channels on the plasma screen flat tv taking up half the wall space in your living room.
Living room. Hmm. Just for a moment consider the word living and if that’s what anyone who is captivated by hours and hours of advertising and junk-food for the mind is really doing. Is that living? Hmm. Sure, I guess as long as you’re eating, breathing, sleeping and watching television in some form, technically you’re alive and living. Oops, getting distracted here. Need to stay on track.
Confused? Okay. No problem. I make no promises to clarify anything. But I am happy to stir the pot. I’m not a scientist. But I can read, write and surf cyber-space okay. And without further ado let’s meet some people from New Brunswick compliments of The Real News.
Oh, please take note this is from MarathonOilCorp The industry likes everyone to feel good. 🙂 It’s all safe. It’s all good. It all works perfectly. Smiley faces and jobs for everyone.
Hmm, I’m pretty sure I know why the comments for this video have been disabled. )
http://www.democracynow.org – Scientists are warning that the controversial practice of natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may lead to far more powerful earthquakes than previously thought. Fracking injects millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals deep into the earth in order to break up shale rock and release natural gas. A new study published Thursday in the journal Science by a leading seismology lab warns that pumping water underground can induce dangerous earthquakes, even in regions not otherwise prone to tremors. The new report comes as Academy-Award-nominated director Josh Fox has released the sequel to his highly acclaimed documentary “Gasland,” which sparked a national discussion on fracking. The new film, “Gasland, Part 2” exposes how the gas industry and the government’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is highly suspect. He also discusses how drilling companies have admitted to having several former military psychological operations, or “psyops” specialists on staff, applying their skills in Pennsylvania to counter opponents of drilling. “What’s really disappointing about this is that this is a moment, when an American president has come forward and spoken about climate change, and exhibited his obvious and earnest desire to take on the problem, however, the emphasis on frack gas makes this plan entirely the wrong plan,” says Fox, noting that methane released from fracking sites is more potent than other greenhouse gases. “Moving from coal to frack gas doesn’t give you any climate benefit at all. So the plan should be about how we’re moving off of fossil fuels and onto alternate energy.”
Water is life! We as Lakota people, believe that we are only as clean as our water, and as healthy as our Mother… Grandmother Earth.” – Scatter Their Own.
Scatter Their Own’s video for ‘Taste The Time’ from the forthcoming album, Don’t Fear To Tread – available January 2014 / Scatter Their Own Music. Download the EP now on iTunes here:http://bit.ly/CatchAFireEP
It’s 14, October, 2013. Some people are celebrating what might be called a myth or a lie of epic proportions about a fellow named Christopher Columbus. Shall we discuss irony? Manifest Destiny? Greed? The profit motive? Slavery? Genocide? Rape? Murder? Torture? Yeah, the man did it all according to his own words and those of his companions. So what exactly is being celebrated? I’m at a loss–unless it’s an extremely sanitized delusional story, because the truth would scare the pants off all the little children if it were told in classrooms. Oh but excuse me, schools are not supposed to be about truth or reality. Nor are books. Certainly not poetry. so what. Here’s some historical truth, some current ugly reality and some poetry that deals with both.
was told by those old ones
that every song has a special time and a place where its sang
this is our song
and this our time
they used to say the only good indian is a dead indian
i must be a no good at being indian
cuz I feel alive and kicking
we are the bastard reject children of manifest destiny
the offspring of fornicating aimsters
raised by our grandparents who told us
not to confuse being warriors with gangsters
the edward curtis groupies get jazzed by anyone fitting the bill
and America gets jazzed by every Bury My Heart at Walmart film
here i stand before you
this crowd of nations
this life of sanctions
an awkward patience
like five hundred BIA buildings vs. a fathers’ unfiltered hate
right next to the IHS building with a two and a half week wait.
a cinderblock battlefield where few are left standing
and the people its failing, its’ marginalized estate.
i am armed to the teeth with words from the ivory tower
and those good indians told me its borrowed power if…
if i talk loud enough
if i talk clear enough
that i would be heard
that for some talking is singing
that for some singing is praying
but i guess that depends on who is doing the talking
and i guess that depends on who is doing the listening
…so understand me in english,
you have been robbed of your tongues
the taproot of thought
in the middle of resisting
the language got caught
and she only shows her face during ceremony
like she’s ashamed of her scars
like what she has to say is never really heard. at all.
and the violence she knows is enough to never sing again
but i killed the cameraman and stripped him of his lense.
i photographed the body and asked him to forgive.
forgive me as i cut out your tongue
forgive me as i put you in this powdered wig
forgive me when i put your body in a museum
forgive me of all my sins
for not being a good indian
the balls of your forefathers will be traded for whiskey
to fuel the molotov cocktails to be tossed at your cities
and the breasts of your mothers severed and bloody
will be sold to the freak show for the revelers money
your children will witness their whole world collapse
as kidnapped siblings must erase names off maps
so forgive me of all my sins
for not being a good indian
i was taught better than that
i have more respect than that
there is no history book with my story
there is no newspaper to give me my glory
because no one has heard this language in years
cept kokopelli, dream catchers and a trail of beers
my voice is a small pox blanket
that spreads like fire on the prairie
infecting both fist and hatchet
in the spirit of fucking crazy
Lest you get the wrong idea with all this negative press, let’s end on a positive note from “all my relations”:
The Los Angles book review of King’s book is well worth taking the time to read. Thanks to Turtle Talk’s Matthew L. M. Fletcher for posting the links to it and Legal History Books.
Public service announcement for peace lovers everywhere. News from Peaceful Uprising out of Utah. Invitations to solidarity, Tar Sands action, volunteer and share joy. One of these days I’ll get the shortlink thing down. Not today. For now, joy and resolve all around. Imagining and building a better world is possible.
All following content from Peaceful Uprising news:
IDLE NO MORE
Monday, September 9 4 to 7 p.m. U of U Union Patio
Want to learn more about indigenous struggles that continue across North America and beyond? And show solidarity with all indigenous peoples fighting for their lives? Students at the U of U and others who have been active with the Idle No More movement are hosting this event, which will teach people about the struggles of the Lakota people of Pine Ridge who are fighting the Keystone XL pipeline and the liquid genocide of their people. If you’re an ally, this is a great chance to deepen your understanding of climate justice! https://www.facebook.com/events/175001062682627/
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TAR SANDS AND CLIMATE JUSTICE: PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION NIGHT
Chapman Library: Monday, September 16
577 S 900 W
Day-Riverside Library: Monday, September 30 1000 N 1575 W
Our campaign to block tar sands development is about climate justice. We’re fighting for the survival of people down the Colorado River, from ourselves to the delta communities. This presentation will deepen your understanding of how defeating tar sands, oil shale, and other forms of extreme extraction are integral to the cause of furthering climate justice.
This holds particular relevance to residents of the Wasatch Front. Tar sands refining has begun in North Salt Lake, and it could scale up dramatically in the coming years if the mining proceeds in Utah.
We’ll create a space for sharing fears, concerns, and ideas. You’ll learn what PeaceUp has been doing to protect our shared resources. You’ll also get connected with people who are working on projects you might want to get involved with!
Want to help us organize a presentation for your PTA, congregation, community group, or neighborhood? Email Melanie@PeacefulUprising.org to set one up!
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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!
Volunteer opportunities abound! We need your help now more than ever, to defeat tar sands and forge a livable future. We’re calling on everyone in our beloved community to ask themselves if they have any time to give to further the cause of climate justice this month. Every hour helps, and there are boatloads of ways to get involved.
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
We’re now recruiting for a robust list of volunteer positions! They’ll provide you with excellent organizing experience, a deeper understanding of climate justice, and the satisfaction of serving a vital role in a campaign that’s protecting our future. These are just a few of the positions we’re recruiting for!
Community Events CoordinatorPlan a fun monthly community event for the broader PeaceUp community each month, and spread the word!
Bold School PublicistPromote the PeaceUp Bold School by arranging radio spots, writing press releases, and making short presentations to various groups.
Research SpecialistEnhance our existing knowledge of tar sands and oil shale, and related governmental processes, by conducting research on these issues.
Meet at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education in Rose Park, at 1400 Goodwin Ave.
Come canvassing in the Rose Park community to let them know about an upcoming presentation on tar sands and climate justice at the local library! Invite them to get involved with the campaign or just attend, learn, and share.
These TWO canvassing opportunities will give us a chance to meet lots of community members living near refineries, who could be affected most directly by the impacts of tar sands on air quality. Afterward, we’ll meet up for a potluck!
MOCCASINS ON THE GROUND, AND DIRECT ACTION AT WHITE CLAY
Folks from Peaceful Uprising and allies recently traveled to the Moccasins on the Ground nonviolent direct action training camp in eastern Montana. Here, they shared skills and built alliances with an indigenous community working to halt coal extraction on their land. Numerous Moccasins on the Ground training camps have been happening since last winter, and by serving as an important resource for these camps, PeaceUp is building strong alliances with indigenous groups throughout the region. Together, we’re standing strong against all forms of extreme extraction and living our belief in climate justice.
The group also traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation in the territory known as South Dakota to help Lakota allies blockade liquor stores and deliveries in the “town” of White Clay, which exists just outside of the reservation, has 14 residents, and exists solely to profit from the continued liquid genocide of the Lakota people. These continued actions have been having a significant impact on beer deliveries to White Clay.
*Original footage was used for a series of commercials called Estrellas del Bicentenario, which was part of the Bicentennial celebration intended to reflect the natural beauty of Mexico to the world. Created by Pedro Torres, Diego Pernía and the Mates Group. It aired in 2010 on Televisa.
Click KKFI logo to catch all it offers streaming online.
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Amazon Watch
Peace Shanti Om
Click on the photo above to visit Amazon Watch.
Alice in Wonderland
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Breakfast Special(s)
For the very first post enter "Breakfast Special, #1" and/or scroll through older entries; second helping = Railroad Crossing; third helping, Close Shave; fourth helping, People? Really Now; fifth helping, Pussy No More; sixth helping, 'book ends'; seventh helping, Odds? What Odds?; eighth helping, Do You Dig Pink Flamingoes Dancing in the Snow and Blue Lights?; ninth helping, Old Reliable Jack; tenth helping, Snowing Deep Sleep; eleventh helping, Connecting; twelth helping, Equations; #13, The Most Important Meal of the Day; from then on enter into search box Breakfast Special and a number such as: #14, #15, #16 and so on.
For Kili 90.1 fm, Pine Ridge, SD, click the image below for The Voice of the Lakota Nation.
Native America Calling ~ Native Voice
Native America Calling on Native Voice
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Violating copyright births bad karma---imagine a mad hacker you'll never see coming--nor catch going. Respect = my work is my work and your work is your work.
Everything posted here is my work, copyrighted, unless otherwise noted. Comments aside. Om
Climate Denial Crock of the Week
Tree hugging on a practical level and more. All sorts of great tidbits from Mushroom homes to…well solar panels. Do not delay. Visit today.
Connie Dover
folk ballad singer of “Last Night by the River”
Coto 2
News Site–eg arrests of Mountaintop Removal Protestors
Editor and writer. Interested in tiny things, unhealthy nostalgia, old jungle mixtapes, my little homestead, and my cats. Not to be fed after midnight.
om mani padme hum jewel in the lotus wahupa qi prana universal life energy
