Thursday, May 31, 2007
Russian Roulette
Mother Jones examines how the globalization of poverty and disease is the public policy equivalent of playing Russian roulette--with five loaded chambers.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Power of Sharing
In The Truth In Story, In Context's Kari Berger talks with storyteller Merna Hecht about the difference between informing the mind and transforming the spirit. Noting the loss of storytelling as the root of our current communication disorder, Hecht expounds on the engaging power of sharing.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Law and Order
As we've remarked many times, humans need law and order to live in harmony, but achieving that goal depends on which laws and what orders we observe. If we, for instance, choose the law of generosity and the order of the universe, then we will find ourselves aligned in opposition to the predominant socioeconomic model. And if we select to commit ourselves to this position, we will need to comprehend the structural requirements for successful action.
In this post from a year ago, we outlined the basics of this form of organization and linked to a more comprehensive discussion on the topic. We hope you find it useful to read or review in considering your revolutionary roles and relationships in seeking a more beneficent system of law and order.
We also encourage our readers to browse the New World Order and other sections in the sidebar for items we've added that you might have missed. Our operatives are standing by.
In this post from a year ago, we outlined the basics of this form of organization and linked to a more comprehensive discussion on the topic. We hope you find it useful to read or review in considering your revolutionary roles and relationships in seeking a more beneficent system of law and order.
We also encourage our readers to browse the New World Order and other sections in the sidebar for items we've added that you might have missed. Our operatives are standing by.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Canada's Final Solution
For those who've been in a media-induced stupor for the last ten years, it might come as a shock that First Nations north of the 49th parallel have called for a national day of blockade of Canada's major transportation corridors on June 29. For those who are accustomed to framing relationships between nations and states, original peoples and settlers -- worldwide -- in terms of US treaties with Native American tribes, the situation in Canada is bound to seem puzzling. But for those who are aware that many First Nations have no treaty with the Canadian state, and thus retain unencumbered rights of sovereignty over their lands and resources under Canadian law, it will come as no surprise that Canada has repeatedly chosen to resort to armed violence against them in order to assure unlawful access to these resources by the ecologically destructive corporations rebuffed by the lawful owners and caretakers of these lands.
As the Cree, Haudenosaunee, and Salish rise up against Canada's infamous final solution for their cultural extermination, it should come as no great shock that the indigenous peoples and their supporters throughout the rest of North America will heed the call to conference, feast, and mourn the losses they've endured in the 500-year age of destruction.
As a call to both celebrate life and fight to protect it, how can we respond otherwise?
As the Cree, Haudenosaunee, and Salish rise up against Canada's infamous final solution for their cultural extermination, it should come as no great shock that the indigenous peoples and their supporters throughout the rest of North America will heed the call to conference, feast, and mourn the losses they've endured in the 500-year age of destruction.
As a call to both celebrate life and fight to protect it, how can we respond otherwise?
Saturday, May 26, 2007
A Brighter Future
When my Irish ancestors left Belfast in 1767, they brought their four kids, hope for a brighter future, and a harp. As an emblem signifying harmony, the harp--although played throughout the Celtic isles--is most closely identified with the island of Ireland. No longer displayed as the symbol of the Irish nation, however, it nevertheless provides the basis for the green-white-and-orange flag of the Irish Republic, which represents the aspiration for the Irish people to live in harmony.
Here in my adopted homeland of North America, the harmonizing of humans with each other and the rest of the Creator's domain has fallen on the shoulder's of the First Nations who helped my family to prosper and live well. As a modern representative from another tribe of salmon people far away, I am connected across the distance and time by the timeless sea and the fabric of life that unites us.
While not an indigenous person, I am yet part of that domain, and as a guest still learning the ways of the new homeland my ancestors first set eyes on from a ship at sea (as I did theirs), I am, like them, hopeful for a brighter future. Perhaps unlike them, though, my hope is guided by the knowledge that First Nations must now take the leadership role in this great harmonizing that the descendants of European immigrants have sadly neglected. Understanding that colossal failure, and subordinating our good-hearted efforts to the new indigenous leadership, is the first but vital step.
Here in my adopted homeland of North America, the harmonizing of humans with each other and the rest of the Creator's domain has fallen on the shoulder's of the First Nations who helped my family to prosper and live well. As a modern representative from another tribe of salmon people far away, I am connected across the distance and time by the timeless sea and the fabric of life that unites us.
While not an indigenous person, I am yet part of that domain, and as a guest still learning the ways of the new homeland my ancestors first set eyes on from a ship at sea (as I did theirs), I am, like them, hopeful for a brighter future. Perhaps unlike them, though, my hope is guided by the knowledge that First Nations must now take the leadership role in this great harmonizing that the descendants of European immigrants have sadly neglected. Understanding that colossal failure, and subordinating our good-hearted efforts to the new indigenous leadership, is the first but vital step.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Duke of Churl
It's hard to say who makes the worst Congressmen--former war heroes, former lobbyists, or former actors--but one thing's for sure, when you combine any or all of these accidents of circumstance, you're bound to get more than you bargained for. Harper's Ken Silverstein shows us why.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Days of Judgment
While it's tempting to identify the emergence of my consciousness with the cultural revolution I participated in as an adolescent, I can see where the foundation for this awakening was laid earlier by voices I overheard but didn't yet fully comprehend. James Baldwin, Rachel Carson, Carl Sandburg--prepared my young mind for the days of judgment that lay ahead.
Wall of Shame
OK, now Congress knows what we've known for years. So will they use the power of subpoena, or will they allow the Justice Department to obstruct justice, again? Because this time, to tear down the wall of shame at Interior, they have to go after the oil companies.
Would you bet your paycheck on it?
Would you bet your paycheck on it?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Adelita y Soldadera
Just reading the introduction to Elena Poniatowska's novel Here's to you Jesusa! was exciting enough. I can't wait to read the story.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Three Strikes
If you weren't impressed by Al Gore inventing the Internet or discovering global warming, you're bound to at least be floored by his figuring out that Americans are unreasonable. We kid you not; the Democratic Party's philosopher-in-chief has just written a book explaining to us that the reason he isn't president is because--among other things--US voters are gullible.
Has to be Done
About a year ago, a new mansion began going up on the hillside above us where I walk our dog most afternoons. A handsome abode with a small bridge over the ravine, I often stopped to inspect the progress as one story after another was layered up like a wedding cake.
Then one day I noticed the work crew's loader had the name O'Neill stenciled on the stern, and wondered to myself how far back was the connection to my grandmother Pearl O'Neal whose grandfather's grandfather sailed from Belfast on the brig Dungannon.
A few days later, I happened by as the crew was taking their tea and gabbing away in Irish, and I knew I was on to something. The day after, I spotted a Tyrone sticker on the bumper of a carpenter's car, and figured it was time to intrude.
He was sawing a plank for a concrete form when I stopped and asked, "You're from Ulster, are you?"
"Yes," he replied. "Are you Irish?"
"O'Neal from Dungannon," I answered. "1768 out of Belfast."
"Lot of O'Neills around there," he remarked. "I'm from down the road seven miles, myself. What do you do?"
"Write stories. Hoped to teach, but it didn't pan out. Published a few books," I added.
"Has to be done," he observed.
And with that, the Irish carpenter picked up his saw, my dog and I wandered off into the woods.
Then one day I noticed the work crew's loader had the name O'Neill stenciled on the stern, and wondered to myself how far back was the connection to my grandmother Pearl O'Neal whose grandfather's grandfather sailed from Belfast on the brig Dungannon.
A few days later, I happened by as the crew was taking their tea and gabbing away in Irish, and I knew I was on to something. The day after, I spotted a Tyrone sticker on the bumper of a carpenter's car, and figured it was time to intrude.
He was sawing a plank for a concrete form when I stopped and asked, "You're from Ulster, are you?"
"Yes," he replied. "Are you Irish?"
"O'Neal from Dungannon," I answered. "1768 out of Belfast."
"Lot of O'Neills around there," he remarked. "I'm from down the road seven miles, myself. What do you do?"
"Write stories. Hoped to teach, but it didn't pan out. Published a few books," I added.
"Has to be done," he observed.
And with that, the Irish carpenter picked up his saw, my dog and I wandered off into the woods.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Strangers of Fiction
It is often said that life is stranger than fiction, but in the case of Mexico's two most famous personalities, it might be argued that life is fiction.
Last fall, a detective novel co-authored by the internationally acclaimed novelist Paco Ignacio Taibo II and the world renowned Subcomandante Marcos was published. More recently, the Zapatista commander/former philosophy professor announced the forthcoming publication of his new sex novel. While the field of literature is clearly in better hands with the journalist/historian Taibo, the mingling of politics with fiction in the surreality that comprises Mexico is perhaps inevitably linked with the revolutionary Marcos, who once remarked, "If I removed my balaclava, I'd disappear."
Yet, for the ghosts of '68--those 300+ student demonstrators shot and bayonetted to death by the Mexican military in the Tlatelolco Massacre during the Mexico City Olympics--the reunification of their spirits in the embodiment of these two raconteurs of resistance is bound to haunt even the decaffeinated aristocracy.
Last fall, a detective novel co-authored by the internationally acclaimed novelist Paco Ignacio Taibo II and the world renowned Subcomandante Marcos was published. More recently, the Zapatista commander/former philosophy professor announced the forthcoming publication of his new sex novel. While the field of literature is clearly in better hands with the journalist/historian Taibo, the mingling of politics with fiction in the surreality that comprises Mexico is perhaps inevitably linked with the revolutionary Marcos, who once remarked, "If I removed my balaclava, I'd disappear."
Yet, for the ghosts of '68--those 300+ student demonstrators shot and bayonetted to death by the Mexican military in the Tlatelolco Massacre during the Mexico City Olympics--the reunification of their spirits in the embodiment of these two raconteurs of resistance is bound to haunt even the decaffeinated aristocracy.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Bio Fool
Indolent as we are, Americans are always looking for an easy way out. As a consumerist culture, that not surprisingly means looking for ways to consume our way out of the detrimental effects of consumerism. Bio fuel is but one more silly example. Carbon credits is another. The truth about consumer society, apparently, is just not consumable.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Roots of Terror
The commonality among the terrorism wreaked in South Africa and Central and South American countries is that state terrorism was wreaked by the progeny of European colonialists. The deeply involved guiding force/partner in these evil enterprises was the colonially spawned US. ... As Gareau details, the terrorism was waged overwhelmingly by right-wing groups and the victims were overwhelmingly Original Peoples.
---Kim Petersen, review of State Terrorism and the United States
---Kim Petersen, review of State Terrorism and the United States
Information Pearls
In Tea for Two, Ana Alice Baptista and Miguel Ferreira look at the value and role of informal communication in constructing knowledge, as well as how to archive and make accessible these discussions that often produce the information pearls on which formal products are based.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Indian Point of View
I only remember being aware of four events as a high school student: the Summer of Love, the Tet Offensive, Woodstock, and the Kent State massacre. I don't remember reading any books during those four years, but if I had, it should have been Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.
Nowdays, when even fewer people read literature, we suffer the consequences of the idiocy propagated by TV. Occasionally, though--even within this culture of imbecility--we stumble on something inspirational and worthwhile. According to the National Museum of the American Indian, the HBO movie on Wounded Knee is one of those.
We're looking forward to seeing it.
Nowdays, when even fewer people read literature, we suffer the consequences of the idiocy propagated by TV. Occasionally, though--even within this culture of imbecility--we stumble on something inspirational and worthwhile. According to the National Museum of the American Indian, the HBO movie on Wounded Knee is one of those.
We're looking forward to seeing it.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
We Are Cheyenne
With the announcement of power-sharing in Northern Ireland last week, I was thinking about how relationships had changed over the eight hundred years of British rule in Ulster (Britain's first colony), and more specifically in the four hundred years since the end of Gaelic governance there in the nation of Northern O'Neal.
Coincidentally, 2007 also marks the 400 year anniversary of the end of indigenous rule in Jamestown, Virginia--the second British colony. Which gives rise to the notion of power-sharing here, hopefully in less time than it took in the land of my ancestors.
As other British colonies can attest to, reconciliation is a treacherous task, made all the more difficult by the entrenched prejudice of colonial descendants, the most notorious of which are religious fundamentalists like Reverend Ian Paisley and the late Reverend Jerry Falwell. Yet it is achievable. The Irish have proved it.
Coincidentally, 2007 also marks the 400 year anniversary of the end of indigenous rule in Jamestown, Virginia--the second British colony. Which gives rise to the notion of power-sharing here, hopefully in less time than it took in the land of my ancestors.
As other British colonies can attest to, reconciliation is a treacherous task, made all the more difficult by the entrenched prejudice of colonial descendants, the most notorious of which are religious fundamentalists like Reverend Ian Paisley and the late Reverend Jerry Falwell. Yet it is achievable. The Irish have proved it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Killing for Ideas
Two weeks ago, in an attempt to resurrect the cult of conservatism embodied in their reactionary cultural icon, Republican Party faithful held a Reagan revival in San Diego. As the godfather of Iran-Contra and other crimes against humanity, Reagan was celebrated by the GOP for pioneering the abolishment of international law and human rights. But as this photo gallery of Bloody Thursday May 15, 1969 so dutifully documents, the befuddled fascist, who rode into White House history with a pair of pearl-handled six-guns, had a long history of killing for his misguided ideas.
As Governor of California on this date 38 years ago, Reagan's merciless crusade against communism drove him to send thousands of municipal police, state patrol, and national guard to attack the residents of Berkeley for the crime of beautifying a University of California vacant lot by planting flowers and cleaning up debris neglected by the school. 210 citizens were seriously wounded by law enforcement gunfire; 1 was murdered; thousands more were physically incapacitated by CS gas and baton blows.
Eleven years later, Americans rewarded Reagan with the two-term presidency that laid the groundwork for the criminal privatization of government now being consolidated under his ideological heir.
As Governor of California on this date 38 years ago, Reagan's merciless crusade against communism drove him to send thousands of municipal police, state patrol, and national guard to attack the residents of Berkeley for the crime of beautifying a University of California vacant lot by planting flowers and cleaning up debris neglected by the school. 210 citizens were seriously wounded by law enforcement gunfire; 1 was murdered; thousands more were physically incapacitated by CS gas and baton blows.
Eleven years later, Americans rewarded Reagan with the two-term presidency that laid the groundwork for the criminal privatization of government now being consolidated under his ideological heir.
Monday, May 14, 2007
A Mesmeric Penumbra
Fascism doesn't come stormtrooping into the streets anymore--it creeps into our customs with each agential assignation and political purgation, all the while cleverly conjuring a mesmeric penumbra.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Whole World in His Hands
Sometimes seemingly unrelated items have a way of converging many years later under circumstances that in hindsight seem obvious. The signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the authorization of the Central Intelligence Agency by the president of the United States in 1948 simultaneously set our country on two conflicting paths that would secretly cross many times during the Cold War, before colliding head-on in the Global War on Terror.
Occasionally these conflicting paths converge in the conduct of an individual that seemed almost destined for notoriety. In 2002, that person was U.S. Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, now known for advising the White House that the president of the United States is no longer accountable to the U.S. Congress, no longer bound by international treaties or rules, no longer constrained by the Geneva Conventions or any other humanitarian law, and may at his discretion authorize the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war and other detainees of armed conflict--even in the absence of any evidence or charges against them-- including brutal physical and psychological torture, as long as the victims aren't murdered.
For his role in supporting President Bush, this loyal legal counsel in the Department of Justice was appointed to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in 2003. In this article, Meridian Magazine proudly featured the fellow Mormon, former eagle scout, now federal judge, the honorable Jay S. Bybee, who remarked on his new responsibility, "I take very seriously the fact that I have people’s economic interests, liberty, and very lives in my hands.”
Occasionally these conflicting paths converge in the conduct of an individual that seemed almost destined for notoriety. In 2002, that person was U.S. Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, now known for advising the White House that the president of the United States is no longer accountable to the U.S. Congress, no longer bound by international treaties or rules, no longer constrained by the Geneva Conventions or any other humanitarian law, and may at his discretion authorize the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war and other detainees of armed conflict--even in the absence of any evidence or charges against them-- including brutal physical and psychological torture, as long as the victims aren't murdered.
For his role in supporting President Bush, this loyal legal counsel in the Department of Justice was appointed to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in 2003. In this article, Meridian Magazine proudly featured the fellow Mormon, former eagle scout, now federal judge, the honorable Jay S. Bybee, who remarked on his new responsibility, "I take very seriously the fact that I have people’s economic interests, liberty, and very lives in my hands.”
Engage the World
Reading the Vanity Fair article YouTube Election, I was reminded of both the usefulness as well as the mindlessness of the Internet as a medium of communication. As a distance-learning tool and digital archive of public affairs, it is unsurpassed. As a location for virtual activism, it can be a trap for concerned but unconnected participants unable to escape mediated life.
As I observed in an earlier commentary, blogging is a means to community, not an end in itself. For that one needs to get up and go outside.
Unless we want more than exceptionally creative cynicism or debilitating dismay, the web--like other alternative media--becomes a substitute for living. Better to walk around and talk to real people. Engage the world.
As I observed in an earlier commentary, blogging is a means to community, not an end in itself. For that one needs to get up and go outside.
Unless we want more than exceptionally creative cynicism or debilitating dismay, the web--like other alternative media--becomes a substitute for living. Better to walk around and talk to real people. Engage the world.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Genuine Human Frailties
I just finished reading July's People, a novel written by Nadine Gordimer in the midst of the South African civil war. Along with The Lying Days, written during the early stirrings of the liberation movement there, and Crimes of Conscience, written as the struggle came to fruition, it completes what for me is a profound trilogy spanning four decades of transition from fascism to democracy.
Probably more instructive in some respects than the autobiographies pertaining to this forty-year period of a four century conflict, Gordimer's novels expose the tensions within the European colonial community in dealing with an inhumane system in which even good-hearted liberals deprived the natives of basic human dignity. Perhaps most intriguing is Gordimer's ability to reveal the personal torment experienced by the settler population as a result of the disturbance of their established society, that not surprisingly took unexpected, horrible forms.
As someone who not only lived through the purging of the poison of state-sponsored terror, but also engaged the struggle at great personal risk, she allows us to see the sacrifices required in such social upheaval, as well as the shortcomings and disappointments that inevitably impact the participants. As a narrator unafraid of confronting these genuine human frailties, Gordimer presents an unvarnished view of the bittersweet experience of activism in the pursuit of justice that can serve to shield us, should we, as a society, someday choose to uphold the principles and practice of democracy here. I know of no author who has done it better.
Probably more instructive in some respects than the autobiographies pertaining to this forty-year period of a four century conflict, Gordimer's novels expose the tensions within the European colonial community in dealing with an inhumane system in which even good-hearted liberals deprived the natives of basic human dignity. Perhaps most intriguing is Gordimer's ability to reveal the personal torment experienced by the settler population as a result of the disturbance of their established society, that not surprisingly took unexpected, horrible forms.
As someone who not only lived through the purging of the poison of state-sponsored terror, but also engaged the struggle at great personal risk, she allows us to see the sacrifices required in such social upheaval, as well as the shortcomings and disappointments that inevitably impact the participants. As a narrator unafraid of confronting these genuine human frailties, Gordimer presents an unvarnished view of the bittersweet experience of activism in the pursuit of justice that can serve to shield us, should we, as a society, someday choose to uphold the principles and practice of democracy here. I know of no author who has done it better.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Time To Reconcile
We wrote a while back about how the clarity of argument for moral sanction against aggression is most obscured where the descendants of colonists--through the passage of time and consolidation of control--manage to assuage their collective conscience regarding their inherited privilege. Noting that the evolution of their mythology in rationalizing the acts of their ancestors during the process of invasion and conquest is a continuous, semi-conscious, collective effort at avoiding moral sanction in the present, we observed that the dissonance of conscience provoked by this mechanism of self-delusion is most dangerous when confronted with the reality of resistance by those deprived—particularly when the violated claims of indigenous populations are codified by statute and treaty, as they are in the US, and to some degree in Canada and Mexico.
As we remarked in that earlier essay, indigenous statesmen--during the initial internment to reservations, reserves, and rancherias--faced the formidable task of forbearance while laying the groundwork for future reclamation of their dignity, culture, and heritage.
The time to reconcile with the original inhabitants of the Americas has now arrived.
As we remarked in that earlier essay, indigenous statesmen--during the initial internment to reservations, reserves, and rancherias--faced the formidable task of forbearance while laying the groundwork for future reclamation of their dignity, culture, and heritage.
The time to reconcile with the original inhabitants of the Americas has now arrived.
Forcing the Issue
First Nations activists point out the obvious: Canadian government uses negotiation over environment and native claims as a stalling tactic to enable destruction to continue. In response to bad faith diplomacy, indigenous leaders call for national day of action June 29.
A Good Day to Start
First Mandela and DeKlerk, now McGuinness and Paisley. Perseverance pays off.
But perhaps more significant than the suffering and sacrifice made in pursuit of equality and justice in these two outposts of the British Empire, is the exercising of restraint in keeping their eyes on the prize. Enduring the colonial bigotry of white supremacy and religious fanaticism--that made the lives of indigenous Africans and Irish so miserable for so long--is an achievement in itself; engaging with those who incited the terror and hatred suffered by the native populations, with an eye toward a more tolerant and prosperous future, requires a devotion to humanity rarely encountered.
While we, too, have our bigots to deal with, we can take to heart the hard-earned lessons of the freedom fighters of South Africa and Northern Ireland, that in the end, the struggle is about human dignity, not vengeance, and that we cannot overcome hatred--fed on fear and nurtured on ignorance--until we understand that. Only then can we begin the healing, the reconciliation, and the constructing of a new way of life. Today would be a good day to start.
But perhaps more significant than the suffering and sacrifice made in pursuit of equality and justice in these two outposts of the British Empire, is the exercising of restraint in keeping their eyes on the prize. Enduring the colonial bigotry of white supremacy and religious fanaticism--that made the lives of indigenous Africans and Irish so miserable for so long--is an achievement in itself; engaging with those who incited the terror and hatred suffered by the native populations, with an eye toward a more tolerant and prosperous future, requires a devotion to humanity rarely encountered.
While we, too, have our bigots to deal with, we can take to heart the hard-earned lessons of the freedom fighters of South Africa and Northern Ireland, that in the end, the struggle is about human dignity, not vengeance, and that we cannot overcome hatred--fed on fear and nurtured on ignorance--until we understand that. Only then can we begin the healing, the reconciliation, and the constructing of a new way of life. Today would be a good day to start.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Path to Peace
Power-sharing between indigenous Irish and settler Scottish began today in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein Martin McGuinness and DUP Ian Paisley head new government.
Invisible Stars
At the Veterans Day dinner and dance I asked my friend who the silver-haired dancer with the American flag apron was. "That's Smitty Pierre," she said. "He's everywhere."
"I like his regalia," I responded. "Subtle, but distinct."
"Well," she remarked, "that's Smitty. Never the star, but always in the background showing support for the tribe. He helps with the Head Start, the College, elder care, and all the community functions and dinners. Need help--call Smitty."
"I like his regalia," I responded. "Subtle, but distinct."
"Well," she remarked, "that's Smitty. Never the star, but always in the background showing support for the tribe. He helps with the Head Start, the College, elder care, and all the community functions and dinners. Need help--call Smitty."
Monday, May 07, 2007
Scar Spangled Banner
Fifty years before the Bush brothers illegally removed black voters from voting rolls in order to steal the White House, the newly-seated Nationalist government of South Africa illegally disenfranchised black voters despite opposition from their Supreme Court. Ironically, here in the beacon of democracy, our Supreme Court upheld a return to Jim Crow.
As the first fascist government in South Africa, the apartheid agenda implemented in the 1950s was not unexpected. As the first fascist government in the United States, the resort to racism is hardly a surprise.
It took South Africa forty years to rid itself of fascist governance. How long will it take us?
As the first fascist government in South Africa, the apartheid agenda implemented in the 1950s was not unexpected. As the first fascist government in the United States, the resort to racism is hardly a surprise.
It took South Africa forty years to rid itself of fascist governance. How long will it take us?
Atoning for Apartheid
As the Jamestown 2007 Commemoration kicks off in May, the Virginia tribes hope to be federally recognized prior to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement. Although eight of Virginia's tribes have received recognition by the state, none has received recognition by the federal government.
While federal recognition requires substantial documentation showing continuity of existence, Virginia Indians faced the destruction of records of their Indian identity under the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Through this act, the state's then-Vital Records Registrar Walter Plecker reclassified Virginia Indians as ''colored,'' removing their Indian racial designation from birth, marriage and death certificates, and threatened to imprison anyone claiming the Indian racial designation.
While federal recognition requires substantial documentation showing continuity of existence, Virginia Indians faced the destruction of records of their Indian identity under the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Through this act, the state's then-Vital Records Registrar Walter Plecker reclassified Virginia Indians as ''colored,'' removing their Indian racial designation from birth, marriage and death certificates, and threatened to imprison anyone claiming the Indian racial designation.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Benchmarks of Betrayal
Observing the protocols of capitulation, Vichy Democrats in the U.S. Senate this week betrothed benificent benchmarks for their crimes against humanity in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are not bemused.
If they have no courageous convictions, no conscience for their crimes, then it is our duty under international law to impede them, the executive, as well as the judiciary as pariahs of international order and human rights.
For the benchmarks they have set are benchmarks of betrayal--betrayal of all that is sacred. In doing so, they have forfeited all legitimacy.
If they have no courageous convictions, no conscience for their crimes, then it is our duty under international law to impede them, the executive, as well as the judiciary as pariahs of international order and human rights.
For the benchmarks they have set are benchmarks of betrayal--betrayal of all that is sacred. In doing so, they have forfeited all legitimacy.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Exercising Restraint
One of the uglier sides of globalized aggression is the murder of women. As authentic cultures fall apart under the neoliberal paradigm of lawlessness, communities no longer able to cope with the disease of violence unleashed on them by free-market institutions are still finding it difficult to exercise previously functional social restraints torn asunder by economic militarism.
In an effort to map out a path to more effective safeguards, Stanford University is hosting a conference on feminicide in the American hemisphere.
In an effort to map out a path to more effective safeguards, Stanford University is hosting a conference on feminicide in the American hemisphere.
The Situation
Some days are better than others. Some arrive with inspirational ideas. Others are more painful, yet serve to stretch our imaginations. Yesterday was one of those.
But amidst the aggravating news (which I've subjugated to our other blogs), I was rewarded with two very different correspondences--one with a new reader, one with an old hand--that hopefully help to answer questions that might just be percolating in the minds of other viewers. With that in mind, I've decided to share the pertinent parts of these correspondences here.
New Reader to Spartacus:
In a nutshell, what is your basic philosophy or what is your personal mission? I was a bit overwhelmed by trying to read all you sent me--it's fascinating but I'm a bit apolitical these days I guess and would like to be more savvy.
Spartacus to New Reader:
I guess my philosophy is that nothing good can come of any process--economic, social, or political--that excludes a majority of the population from direct, meaningful participation in decision-making.
Based on that, my estimate of the situation we face in the US is one of colossal social disintegration due primarily to the criminal structure of governance that evolved in our federal institutions over the last two decades. Stated another way, I no longer believe we can rely on public agencies to protect us from market forces harmful to our health or well-being, and that we will have to create community structures to do that.
My role in this has been to assist private efforts to investigate and disrupt corrupt practices in both the public and private sectors that undermine democratic institutions and a healthy civil society. Presently, I am mentoring younger people interested in learning these skills. The school I hope to start would be a big help.
The experience I describe in my online memoir Reign of Terror (in the Skookum sidebar) is not what most people imagine politics to comprise. I only became involved so deeply when my friends and family were threatened. After that, there was no turning back.
This story is not one many people want to hear. Thanks for asking.
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Old Hand to Spartacus:
How are you? What's up?
Spartacus to Old Hand:
Given the collapse of democratic society here and elsewhere, a contextual discussion that produces a working estimate of the situation for us all to feed into and revise could be useful as things continue to disintegrate.
There's a wealth of young talent looking for an opportunity like our research center could provide, but there are no resources. The closest thing is groups like Open Society Institute, but they have not surmounted their involvement with dysfunctional social change models.
A symposium on American fantasy vis a vis governance, media, and economics might be a worthwhile gathering--as would other topics--but I'm not sure who would sponsor a multidisciplinary conference of activist scholars unaffiliated with academic institutions. It's a quandary we've yet to overcome.
All this can, at times, dismay less than hearty souls, until we point out how bad it would be were we not engaged. I do find, however, for those eager to understand, that the reward of subverting bad guys is actually quite appealing. It has brought several top recruits out of the grip of depression rampaging in our country--now we just need a backer.
But amidst the aggravating news (which I've subjugated to our other blogs), I was rewarded with two very different correspondences--one with a new reader, one with an old hand--that hopefully help to answer questions that might just be percolating in the minds of other viewers. With that in mind, I've decided to share the pertinent parts of these correspondences here.
New Reader to Spartacus:
In a nutshell, what is your basic philosophy or what is your personal mission? I was a bit overwhelmed by trying to read all you sent me--it's fascinating but I'm a bit apolitical these days I guess and would like to be more savvy.
Spartacus to New Reader:
I guess my philosophy is that nothing good can come of any process--economic, social, or political--that excludes a majority of the population from direct, meaningful participation in decision-making.
Based on that, my estimate of the situation we face in the US is one of colossal social disintegration due primarily to the criminal structure of governance that evolved in our federal institutions over the last two decades. Stated another way, I no longer believe we can rely on public agencies to protect us from market forces harmful to our health or well-being, and that we will have to create community structures to do that.
My role in this has been to assist private efforts to investigate and disrupt corrupt practices in both the public and private sectors that undermine democratic institutions and a healthy civil society. Presently, I am mentoring younger people interested in learning these skills. The school I hope to start would be a big help.
The experience I describe in my online memoir Reign of Terror (in the Skookum sidebar) is not what most people imagine politics to comprise. I only became involved so deeply when my friends and family were threatened. After that, there was no turning back.
This story is not one many people want to hear. Thanks for asking.
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Old Hand to Spartacus:
How are you? What's up?
Spartacus to Old Hand:
Given the collapse of democratic society here and elsewhere, a contextual discussion that produces a working estimate of the situation for us all to feed into and revise could be useful as things continue to disintegrate.
There's a wealth of young talent looking for an opportunity like our research center could provide, but there are no resources. The closest thing is groups like Open Society Institute, but they have not surmounted their involvement with dysfunctional social change models.
A symposium on American fantasy vis a vis governance, media, and economics might be a worthwhile gathering--as would other topics--but I'm not sure who would sponsor a multidisciplinary conference of activist scholars unaffiliated with academic institutions. It's a quandary we've yet to overcome.
All this can, at times, dismay less than hearty souls, until we point out how bad it would be were we not engaged. I do find, however, for those eager to understand, that the reward of subverting bad guys is actually quite appealing. It has brought several top recruits out of the grip of depression rampaging in our country--now we just need a backer.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Pulling Down Icons
Reagan will always be the GOP icon for two simple reasons:
1. He initiated dismantling of international law.
2. He began privatization of government.
By opposing international covenants on human rights, while simultaneously instituting a criminal structure of national governance, Reagan broke ground for the corporate impunity now looting our federal treasury. For a criminal enterprise like the Republican Party, this was bound to enshrine him for all time.
1. He initiated dismantling of international law.
2. He began privatization of government.
By opposing international covenants on human rights, while simultaneously instituting a criminal structure of national governance, Reagan broke ground for the corporate impunity now looting our federal treasury. For a criminal enterprise like the Republican Party, this was bound to enshrine him for all time.
Supply and Demand
The New York Times is impressed by the business acumen and the employee benefits of pornography. Perhaps if they considered the seamier side of trafficking Third World women and children for sexual slavery, pension plans for the industry that drives this demand might be less enticing.
We suggest they at least attempt to understand what they're helping to promote. Prostitution Research is a good starting point.
We suggest they at least attempt to understand what they're helping to promote. Prostitution Research is a good starting point.
Seeking Satisfaction
Rather than harping on the continued cowardice of Congress, the editorial board at Skookum is offering a deal for the disillusioned.
Stop the War Yourself:
Counter-recruiter
Military Free Zone
GI Rights
Join millions of fellow Americans in denying bipartisan warmongers the one thing they can't build in a munitions factory--your children.
No Extortion for Education!
Stop the War Yourself:
Counter-recruiter
Military Free Zone
GI Rights
Join millions of fellow Americans in denying bipartisan warmongers the one thing they can't build in a munitions factory--your children.
No Extortion for Education!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Symbiosis
Woods Lot perhaps best exemplifies the genre de blog as the melding of journal philosophe and critique sociale. Seasoned with egalite et fraternite and evincing elan vital, this daily record proposes a lichen-like symbiosis between literature and gallantry. Something for everyone.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
In Need of Remedy
If for no other reason, Riverbend's nomination for the prestigious Samuel Johnson non-fiction award (for her published weblog compilation Baghdad Burning) ought to have signalled a sea change in the world of communication if not literature. Indeed, four years later, nearly every journalist, writer, and media outlet has a blog to supplement or promote their printed and online products.
More importantly, perhaps--published or not, recognized or not--the medium of blogging has brought more poets, essayists, and even novelists to the public, I'd venture to say, than all the publishing houses have heretofore. Yet, to date, these volunteer columnists, artists, and reporters have no fraternal order along the lines of PEN or the National Press Club to promote their interests or well-being. Understandable, of course, but something in need of remedy.
Considering the role weblogging has played in keeping mainstream media and governments more accountable, perhaps PEN should consider adding a new category for non-literary members of merit--fitting somewhere in between their renowned authors and unpublished supporters. I mean, in all honesty, are our essays, papers, short stories, and commentary that reach millions of new readers every day intrinsically less worthy because we are unable or uninterested in getting past the gatekeepers at Random House? Or, as I will assert, are we an equally vital (albeit humble) assemblage of soul mates to authors such as Nadine Gordimer, tirelessly furthering humanity to the best of our ability?
More importantly, perhaps--published or not, recognized or not--the medium of blogging has brought more poets, essayists, and even novelists to the public, I'd venture to say, than all the publishing houses have heretofore. Yet, to date, these volunteer columnists, artists, and reporters have no fraternal order along the lines of PEN or the National Press Club to promote their interests or well-being. Understandable, of course, but something in need of remedy.
Considering the role weblogging has played in keeping mainstream media and governments more accountable, perhaps PEN should consider adding a new category for non-literary members of merit--fitting somewhere in between their renowned authors and unpublished supporters. I mean, in all honesty, are our essays, papers, short stories, and commentary that reach millions of new readers every day intrinsically less worthy because we are unable or uninterested in getting past the gatekeepers at Random House? Or, as I will assert, are we an equally vital (albeit humble) assemblage of soul mates to authors such as Nadine Gordimer, tirelessly furthering humanity to the best of our ability?
Through the Looking Glass
It is not unlawful for a United States bank to receive funds derived from alien smuggling, fraud, racketeering, handling stolen property, contraband, environmental crimes, terrorism, drug-trafficking, trafficking in women, transport for illegal sexual activity, and slave trading--as long as the crimes are committed abroad.
Assets held offshore beyond the reach of effective taxation equal one third of total global assets--or $11 trillion, costing governments over $250 billion a year in tax revenues.
A U.S. Senate report estimated in 1999 that up to a trillion dollars is laundered through banks each year, half of it through U.S. banks. The U.S. Treasury estimates it catches one tenth of one percent of illicit funds laundered in the US.
Assets held offshore beyond the reach of effective taxation equal one third of total global assets--or $11 trillion, costing governments over $250 billion a year in tax revenues.
A U.S. Senate report estimated in 1999 that up to a trillion dollars is laundered through banks each year, half of it through U.S. banks. The U.S. Treasury estimates it catches one tenth of one percent of illicit funds laundered in the US.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
A Different Kind of Unity
Reading Julia Whitty's article on biocide yesterday helped me to put into context Nicholas Shaxson's tales from West Africa of the merging of ecocide and genocide in oil-rich states like Nigeria. Up to now, I tended to think of species loss or environmental catastrophes as something tragic but endurable. Part of my natural resilience, I suppose. But this time, I think, the human spirit may have met its match in overcoming circumstance. Not that we should collectively subordinate our intelligence to our emotions, but neither should we ignore the temptation under such circumstances for widespread panic. Knowing the endgame of the path we are on is a shock to our psyches; whether we choose a more holistic, rooted way of life remains to be seen.
Panic, however, is not a solution; it's a process out of control. Albeit often highly manipulated, it lacks coherence as a method. Which is precisely why a transparent and comprehensive discussion is needed to arrive at plans that meet our objectives without sacrificing our goals. If the end result is guaranteed to be unacceptable in terms of economics, ecologics, or social organization, then we know we have to reconsider.
Personally, I've yet to see a benificent market or institution that was organized at such a scale as either our federal government or the energy industry, and the track record of combining systematic unaccountability with colossal corruptability is there for all to see. Alternative technologies and ways of life are also readily available for review and discussion, which is what I am suggesting as part of an inclusive process of arriving at a new consensus. How we get there makes all the difference in where we arrive; the tyranny of the market or state has never gotten us there.
Starting with the disintegration of the fabric of life as a given in our lifetime, our choices boil down to mass suicide on a scale equivalent with deaths from the Black Plague, or a conscious conscientious effort to preserve what remains of our planet's life-giving membrane. Choosing even a diminished life means nothing less than a complete restructuring of our society; no fence, bomb, pill, or rhetoric can save us.
Mad Max was an entertaining movie, but the way of life it portrays is not one I care to live.
Panic, however, is not a solution; it's a process out of control. Albeit often highly manipulated, it lacks coherence as a method. Which is precisely why a transparent and comprehensive discussion is needed to arrive at plans that meet our objectives without sacrificing our goals. If the end result is guaranteed to be unacceptable in terms of economics, ecologics, or social organization, then we know we have to reconsider.
Personally, I've yet to see a benificent market or institution that was organized at such a scale as either our federal government or the energy industry, and the track record of combining systematic unaccountability with colossal corruptability is there for all to see. Alternative technologies and ways of life are also readily available for review and discussion, which is what I am suggesting as part of an inclusive process of arriving at a new consensus. How we get there makes all the difference in where we arrive; the tyranny of the market or state has never gotten us there.
Starting with the disintegration of the fabric of life as a given in our lifetime, our choices boil down to mass suicide on a scale equivalent with deaths from the Black Plague, or a conscious conscientious effort to preserve what remains of our planet's life-giving membrane. Choosing even a diminished life means nothing less than a complete restructuring of our society; no fence, bomb, pill, or rhetoric can save us.
Mad Max was an entertaining movie, but the way of life it portrays is not one I care to live.
