Thursday, December 31, 2009
'Goin' Native: Indian Comedy Slam' hit on Showtime
Showtime's New Year Eve hit: 'Goin' Native: Indian Comedy Slam'
LOS ANGELES -- This is real funny stuff. “Goin’ Native: The American Indian Comedy Slam” features comedian Charlie Hill with Jim Ruel, J.R. Redwater, Marc Yafee, Vaughn Eagle bear, Larry Omaha and Howie Miller. Showtime aired Goin’ Native on New Years Eve. It will be available 'On Demand' January 1 -- 28, 2010.
Native: Indian Comedy Slam'
http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product.do?episodeid=134477&seriesid=0&seasonid=0
Showtime Description
This history-making original concert showcases the funniest Native American comedians performing today, gathered together on one stage. Featured alongside host Charlie Hill are Larry Omaha, Howie Miller and four up-and-comers making their mark on the standup scene: Marc Yaffee, Jim Rule, Vaughn Eagle Bear and JR Redwater.
Mexican Editor Detained, Interrogated
Human Rights News
December 31, 2009
Mexican Editor Detained, Interrogated
Frontera NorteSur
As Mexico prepared to mark the twin anniversary of its 1810 War of
Independence and 1910 Revolution- events ushered in with cries of freedom
and justice- a prominent newsman was detained and interrogated because of
an article he wrote.
Juan Angulo Osorio, general director and co-founder of the Guerrero daily
El Sur, was forcibly detained December 29 by six agents of the Guerrero
Ministerial Police (PIM) at El Sur’s office in the state capital of
Chilpancingo and hustled off to the state attorney general’s office for a
round of questioning. Before he was let go several hours later, Angulo was
questioned by state prosecutors Jesus Miranda and Fernando Monreal about
bloody episodes that rocked Guerrero in 2009.
The PIM is headed by Valentin Diaz Reyes, a former military man who
commanded the embattled Delicias division of the Ciudad Juarez municipal
police before he was appointed the director of the state police force by
the administration of Governor Zeferino Torreblanca last October. Diaz’s
superior is Albertico Guinto Sierra, the temporary state attorney general.
Angulo’s detention arose from a September 3 editorial he authored about
the previous month’s assassination of Armando Chavarria, the coordinator
of the Guerrero State Legislature who was widely considered a
gubernatorial hopeful in upcoming elections. Chavarria had also once
served as state secretary for the Torreblanca administration, a sensitive
post in which he was privy to matters of internal security.
Earlier instructed by the state attorney general’s office to render
testimony about the editorial, Angulo legally challenged the order on the
grounds of press freedom. Angulo also received protective orders from the
Guerrero State Human Rights Commission and the National Human Rights
Commission (CNDH), both of which were ignored when the veteran journalist
was detained this week during Mexico’s long holiday season, a time when
government activities are largely suspended and the public’s attention
focused on family and festivities.
Arguing he was protected by Articles Six and Seven of the Mexican
Constitution, Angulo said after his release he cannot be “bothered by any
authority due to my writings or what is published in the newspaper for
which I am director general.”
Angulo said he told prosecutors his only relationship with Armando
Chavarria was the latter’s status as a source of information.
According to El Sur, Angulo also was asked about Raul Lucas Lucas and
Manuel Ponce Rosas, two indigenous Mixtec leaders kidnapped and murdered
nearly one year ago, and Omar Guerrero Solis, a purported field commander
of the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People (ERPI) who was reported
slain in murky circumstances last November.
“I believe the state attorney general’s office is not obligated to follow
orders that violate the Constitution of the Republic,” Angulo said, “even
though these orders come from the state’s governor, who has been the main
one interested in seeing me render legal testimony in a case in which the
only knowledge I have is from my journalistic work.”
Pressed by an El Sur reporter, interim State Attorney General Guinto denied
Angulo was detained because of his writings or due to political pressure
from Governor Torreblanca.
“I reiterate that at no moment was he detained because of his journalistic
work or for his articles,” Guinto insisted, stressing that Angulo was not
forced to testify or treated badly by officers. Without elaborating,
Guerrero’s top law enforcement official added that authorities were
pursuing four lines of investigation in the Chavarria murder.
Alerted to Angulo’s detention, reporters from different media outlets and
human rights advocates quickly mobilized outside the state attorney
general’s headquarters. Leaders of the PRD, PRI, PT and Convergencia
political parties, environmentalists and social activists, joined by the
international organization Reporters without Borders, all were among
numerous voices condemning the detention.
Ironically, Angulo was detained by an administration headed by a political
figure, Zeferino Torreblanca, whose career as a federal congressman,
Acapulco mayor and then state governor was greatly boosted by El Sur. In
the 1980s and 1990s, Torreblanca was widely considered a champion of good
government, human rights and political tolerance.
El Sur was in the vanguard of the new critical Mexican press which emerged
after the 1980s, and played a vital regional role in the movement to
democratize Mexico and move it away from a one-party state. Over the
years, the newspaper’s journalists have been the target of telephoned and
direct verbal threats, lawsuits and other forms of intimidation.
Members of the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), a
grouping which ran Torreblanca as their successful gubernatorial candidate
in 2005, were among the early supporters of El Sur’s journalistic
initiative. However, El Sur’s editorial line has been highly critical of
many of Torreblanca’s policies since he assumed the governorship.
Nearing the end of his term, Torreblanca’s tenure in office has been
characterized by extreme bouts of narco-violence, which have reached a
crescendo in recent months. Of 1,136 murders registered in Guerrero from
January to mid-October 2009, at least 706 were linked by authorities to
organized crime. Among this year’s victims were three journalists from
different media: Juan Raul Ibarra Ramirez, Juan Carlos Hernandez and Juan
Daniel Martinez Gil.
Angulo’s detention capped a grim year for the Mexican press. Thirteen
journalists were reported murdered in 2009, and Ciudad Juarez journalist
Ricardo Chavez Aldana of Radio Canon sought political asylum in the United
States this month after receiving death threats. Chavez was the fourth
journalist to flee Ciudad Juarez within the past 18 months.
A recent CNDH report documented steadily rising attacks against
journalists since 2000, the year of Mexico’s much-heralded democratic
transition. In a separate report, the non -governmental Freedom of
Expression Foundation slammed conditions confronted by Mexican
journalists. Without freedom of expression, warned the foundation’s
president Armando Prida Huerta, journalists have “absolutely nothing.”
In the case of El Sur’s Juan Angulo, the CNDH has initiated a complaint
against the Guerrero state attorney general’s office for violating the
right of free expression.
Sources: El Sur, December 30 and 31, 2009. Articles by Jesus Saaveda,
Daniel Velzaquez, Karenine Trigo Molina, Claudia Venalonzo, Noe Aguirre
Orozco, and editorial staff. La Jornada (Guerrero edition), December 24
and 30, 2009. Articles by Citlal Giles Sanchez and Marlen Castro.
Proceso/Apro, December 15 and 30, 2009. Articles by Miguel Cabildo S. and
editorial staff. Cimacnoticias.com, December 22, 2009. CEPET, December 14,
2009. Press release. El Universal, October 29, 2009. Article by Juan
Cervantes.
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University
Las Cruces,New Mexico
For a free electronic subscription email: fnsnews@nmsu.ed
December 31, 2009
Mexican Editor Detained, Interrogated
Frontera NorteSur
Guerrero editor questioned about two indigenous Mixtec leaders kidnapped and murdered and Omar Guerrero Solis, a purported field commander of the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People (ERPI) slain in murky circumstances.
As Mexico prepared to mark the twin anniversary of its 1810 War of
Independence and 1910 Revolution- events ushered in with cries of freedom
and justice- a prominent newsman was detained and interrogated because of
an article he wrote.
Juan Angulo Osorio, general director and co-founder of the Guerrero daily
El Sur, was forcibly detained December 29 by six agents of the Guerrero
Ministerial Police (PIM) at El Sur’s office in the state capital of
Chilpancingo and hustled off to the state attorney general’s office for a
round of questioning. Before he was let go several hours later, Angulo was
questioned by state prosecutors Jesus Miranda and Fernando Monreal about
bloody episodes that rocked Guerrero in 2009.
The PIM is headed by Valentin Diaz Reyes, a former military man who
commanded the embattled Delicias division of the Ciudad Juarez municipal
police before he was appointed the director of the state police force by
the administration of Governor Zeferino Torreblanca last October. Diaz’s
superior is Albertico Guinto Sierra, the temporary state attorney general.
Angulo’s detention arose from a September 3 editorial he authored about
the previous month’s assassination of Armando Chavarria, the coordinator
of the Guerrero State Legislature who was widely considered a
gubernatorial hopeful in upcoming elections. Chavarria had also once
served as state secretary for the Torreblanca administration, a sensitive
post in which he was privy to matters of internal security.
Earlier instructed by the state attorney general’s office to render
testimony about the editorial, Angulo legally challenged the order on the
grounds of press freedom. Angulo also received protective orders from the
Guerrero State Human Rights Commission and the National Human Rights
Commission (CNDH), both of which were ignored when the veteran journalist
was detained this week during Mexico’s long holiday season, a time when
government activities are largely suspended and the public’s attention
focused on family and festivities.
Arguing he was protected by Articles Six and Seven of the Mexican
Constitution, Angulo said after his release he cannot be “bothered by any
authority due to my writings or what is published in the newspaper for
which I am director general.”
Angulo said he told prosecutors his only relationship with Armando
Chavarria was the latter’s status as a source of information.
According to El Sur, Angulo also was asked about Raul Lucas Lucas and
Manuel Ponce Rosas, two indigenous Mixtec leaders kidnapped and murdered
nearly one year ago, and Omar Guerrero Solis, a purported field commander
of the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People (ERPI) who was reported
slain in murky circumstances last November.
“I believe the state attorney general’s office is not obligated to follow
orders that violate the Constitution of the Republic,” Angulo said, “even
though these orders come from the state’s governor, who has been the main
one interested in seeing me render legal testimony in a case in which the
only knowledge I have is from my journalistic work.”
Pressed by an El Sur reporter, interim State Attorney General Guinto denied
Angulo was detained because of his writings or due to political pressure
from Governor Torreblanca.
“I reiterate that at no moment was he detained because of his journalistic
work or for his articles,” Guinto insisted, stressing that Angulo was not
forced to testify or treated badly by officers. Without elaborating,
Guerrero’s top law enforcement official added that authorities were
pursuing four lines of investigation in the Chavarria murder.
Alerted to Angulo’s detention, reporters from different media outlets and
human rights advocates quickly mobilized outside the state attorney
general’s headquarters. Leaders of the PRD, PRI, PT and Convergencia
political parties, environmentalists and social activists, joined by the
international organization Reporters without Borders, all were among
numerous voices condemning the detention.
Ironically, Angulo was detained by an administration headed by a political
figure, Zeferino Torreblanca, whose career as a federal congressman,
Acapulco mayor and then state governor was greatly boosted by El Sur. In
the 1980s and 1990s, Torreblanca was widely considered a champion of good
government, human rights and political tolerance.
El Sur was in the vanguard of the new critical Mexican press which emerged
after the 1980s, and played a vital regional role in the movement to
democratize Mexico and move it away from a one-party state. Over the
years, the newspaper’s journalists have been the target of telephoned and
direct verbal threats, lawsuits and other forms of intimidation.
Members of the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), a
grouping which ran Torreblanca as their successful gubernatorial candidate
in 2005, were among the early supporters of El Sur’s journalistic
initiative. However, El Sur’s editorial line has been highly critical of
many of Torreblanca’s policies since he assumed the governorship.
Nearing the end of his term, Torreblanca’s tenure in office has been
characterized by extreme bouts of narco-violence, which have reached a
crescendo in recent months. Of 1,136 murders registered in Guerrero from
January to mid-October 2009, at least 706 were linked by authorities to
organized crime. Among this year’s victims were three journalists from
different media: Juan Raul Ibarra Ramirez, Juan Carlos Hernandez and Juan
Daniel Martinez Gil.
Angulo’s detention capped a grim year for the Mexican press. Thirteen
journalists were reported murdered in 2009, and Ciudad Juarez journalist
Ricardo Chavez Aldana of Radio Canon sought political asylum in the United
States this month after receiving death threats. Chavez was the fourth
journalist to flee Ciudad Juarez within the past 18 months.
A recent CNDH report documented steadily rising attacks against
journalists since 2000, the year of Mexico’s much-heralded democratic
transition. In a separate report, the non -governmental Freedom of
Expression Foundation slammed conditions confronted by Mexican
journalists. Without freedom of expression, warned the foundation’s
president Armando Prida Huerta, journalists have “absolutely nothing.”
In the case of El Sur’s Juan Angulo, the CNDH has initiated a complaint
against the Guerrero state attorney general’s office for violating the
right of free expression.
Sources: El Sur, December 30 and 31, 2009. Articles by Jesus Saaveda,
Daniel Velzaquez, Karenine Trigo Molina, Claudia Venalonzo, Noe Aguirre
Orozco, and editorial staff. La Jornada (Guerrero edition), December 24
and 30, 2009. Articles by Citlal Giles Sanchez and Marlen Castro.
Proceso/Apro, December 15 and 30, 2009. Articles by Miguel Cabildo S. and
editorial staff. Cimacnoticias.com, December 22, 2009. CEPET, December 14,
2009. Press release. El Universal, October 29, 2009. Article by Juan
Cervantes.
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University
Las Cruces,New Mexico
For a free electronic subscription email: fnsnews@nmsu.ed
Happy Birthday and Happy New Year
The two phrases are inseparable -- and have been ever since we adopted Jordan back in 1988. He was born Dec. 31, 1987, and he came into our lives the following May.Today he turned 22. I got off the phone with him a short while ago. He was munching on one of his favorite foods -- cheese pizza -- and taking a break with Jamie from the process of moving into their own place in El Paso. Funny how we've managed to reduce the number of boxes we had to maneuver around when we moved into our condo, and now they're having to do the same.
I don't think I've ever been any prouder of Jordan than I have been this year. It may sound trite to say it, but he has gone from teenager (even at 20 and 21) to young man since joining the military and, later, joining lives with Jamie as a married couple. He sounds more focused, more mature on the phone. We saw evidence of the maturation process when we traveled to Georgia this summer to see him graduate from basic training.
So now we wait with him as he awaits word of whether he will be part of the class accepted for Special Forces training in North Carolina. A last-minute paperwork screw-up (a clerical error, not his fault) prevented him from submitting a complete packet this week; he has to wait until Monday and hope the Army puts him with the group he's trained with for the past few weeks. Otherwise, it's wait for a new ship date to N.C., but with an entirely different group of soldiers.
Our good friends, Sue and Eric, are coming over for what promises to be a wild New Years Eve. We'll have a cioppino (fish stew) dinner, followed by board games. It's nice to be the hosts. Don't have to travel anywhere. Get to sleep in tomorrow, make some chili beans and watch the Rose Bowl.
Photo: Jordan and Jamie in Columbus, Ga.,July 2009.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
March to End Arpaio Reign of Terror
Saturday, January 16, 2010, 9:00am - 3:00pmFalcon Park to Tent City! Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, January 16 2010 is the National day of action against Joe Arpaio and the 287(g) agreement. Join us and march against the injustices and separation of families caused by the 287(g) and Joe Arpaio. We will be demanding that the Obama administration take direct action on the issues affecting our communities.
Start Time: 10:00am/Location: Falcon Park/End Location: Tent City Jail
One year after the new presidential administration and Arpaio continues his reign of terror, collaborates with ICE in the jails, and escalated his attacks. In February, 2009 5,000 people took to the streets to demand an end to the racial profiling and out-of-control enforcement of Sheriff Arpaio's department. Join us as we march again to elevate our demands, protect our communities, and stand for human rights.
US Hall of Shame
By Brenda NorrellCensored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
It is interesting that President Obama is vacationing in Hawaii and playing golf, while so much of America is cold and hungry this holiday. Elderly, on small fixed incomes, are finding it harder than ever to buy fuel this winter. Many elderly, like Navajos, still chop wood to heat their homes. When they are sick, who is there to chop wood for them? Who is remembering them this Christmas and New Year?
--Censored News
Pine Ridge residents running low on fuel and food
Mary Garrigan
Rapid City Journal
Lloyd Wilcox hauled groceries home on a sled Tuesday to a house without heat, days after a severe winter storm paralyzed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and left an estimated 800 homes there without propane.
Five days after the storm hit on Christmas Eve, reservation residents are still facing unplowed roads, electrical outages, broken water pipes and diminishing supplies of food and fuel.
On Tuesday, Oglala Sioux Tribe President Theresa Two Bulls declared a state of emergency for the reservation. Two Bulls and the tribe’s Emergency Management Team conferred Tuesday with representatives from the state Office of Emergency Management and road departments in Fall River, Custer and Haakon counties to coordinate snow removal efforts.
Maureen Last Horse agrees that her broken water pipes, impassable road and lack of propane constitute an emergency at her isolated home about 7 miles southwest of Kyle. Read more ...
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_139d544e-f4c8-11de-8d92-001cc4c002e0.html
Reader Comments:
"And the 9 Million this little vacation cost us would buy enough wood for everyone in Navajo land!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Navajo Reader Comment:
"Thank- you Brenda, I know my parents don't have anybody to chop wood for them, and your right when they get sick nobody is there to do it for them, they are alone on a mesa.
Aheeh!!"
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Surprise! Snow!
The flakes began falling during the early afternoon. I got up from my desk and rushed over to a co-worker's office to look out the window and see for myself.For anyone who's lived in a place where snow is a regular occurrence, it probably seems silly the way Portlanders fall over themselves -- sometimes literally -- whenever it happens here.
I guess it happens seldom enough that it's still kind of magical. You can almost sense the whole city stopping what it's doing to look up and see these delicate flakes floating down from the heavens, somehow piling up in such quantity that they leave beauty wherever you look.
Walking home after a longer-than-usual bus ride, it occurred to me that snow is like a great equalizer. It puts a Saab on an even footing with a Subaru or a Ford. Without proper traction devices on the tires, they're going to slip and slide. It makes a wealthy neighborhood look like identical to a poor one. Snow obscures a manicured lawn just as it does one where car parts are strewn about.Lights gleam brighter. Silence envelops whole neighborhoods. Ice clings to tree branches in the hills and on the flats. Ain't no difference anywhere.
Photos: Above, looking north on N.E. 13th Avenue; at left, our condo, with holiday lights.
"Need You Now"
Sometimes a song comes out of nowhere, as this one did last month.
Lady Antebellum at the Country Music Awards. There was a time when I wouldn't have even considered watching that show or listening to that genre of music.
I credit a couple of visits to Nashville with opening my mind to the possibilities. This is a far cry from the days of Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams, to say the least.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Philly 104, Portland 93
I couldn't have asked for a better scenario. Lori was having some friends over and I had a free evening, so I bought myself a single ticket to tonight's Trail Blazers game, figuring they'd make quick work of the lowly 76ers and extend their improbable winning streak to five.
Pfft! Didn't happen.
The Blazers used their superior talent to build a halftime lead but then lost it in the third quarter and never regained it, suffering an embarrassing loss to one of the NBA's worst teams.
There's never a guarantee, even when you think the game is a gimme. A win would have been nice, though, because everything went so right. An early dinner of turkey leftovers, a short walk to the bus stop for a five-minute ride to the Rose Garden, a great aisle seat in the third deck -- even a decent shot of the court and the scoreboard (above) before the game started.
I was looking at the Blazers' schedule at halftime and mentally penciling in a game or two I might attend in February. Now I've got second thoughts. (Yes, I know I sound spoiled. Everybody loves a winner. Even with the loss, the Blazers are still just a half-game out of first place in their division. But had they won, they'd be in first place as I write this.)
Oh, well, maybe the best thing about the evening is that I walked home from the game in the cool, crisp air. It took only 25 minutes and it made me think, "How cool is this?" Hard to beat for an urban experience, when you live so close to the arena you don't have to drive or even take public transportation to the game.
Pregnant Anti-Mining Activist Assassinated in El Salvador
Pregnant Anti-Mining Activist Assassinated in El Salvador
Democracy Now!
For the second time in a week, a prominent anti-mining activist has been assassinated in El Salvador. On Saturday, thirty-two-year-old Dora “Alicia” Recinos Sorto was shot dead near her home. One of her children was also injured in the shooting. Sorto was an active member of the Cabañas Environment Committee, which has campaigned against the reopening of a gold mine owned by the Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining Company. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/29/anti_mining_activists_killed_in_e
.
Second opponent to Pacific Rim slain this week
by Moira Peters →Free Trade & Gateway Projects
Nearly two years ago, he lost two fingers because he opposed a Canadian-owned gold mine in Cantina Trinidad, El Salvador. Yesterday, Jose Santos Rodriguez lost his wife, some say for the same reason.
Dora Alicia Sorto Recinos, 32, was shot and killed yesterday at 3:30 pm when she was returning home from doing laundry in a nearby river. She was eight months pregnant. Her son, who was accompanying her, was shot in the foot.
Santos Rodriguez is a farmer and active member of the Environmental Committee of Cabanas (CAC), a citizen group in opposition to Pacific Rim's proposed El Dorado gold mine. In April, 2008, he was attacked by Oscar Menjivar, a neighbour who had relationships with local mayors who supported the mine. In the attack, Menjivar cut off two of Santos Rodriguez' fingers with a machete.
According to a press release by Movimiento Unificado Francisco Sánchez-1932 (MUFRAS-32), Sorto Recinos had recently informed MUFRAS-32 that men with rifles had come to her house, looking for her husband. He was not home at the time.The assassination of Sorto Recinos is the second murder this week of an opponent to Pacific Rim's proposed El Dorado mine, and the latest in a string of assassinations of civilian opponents to Canadian mining projects in Latin America.
Ramiro Rivera Gomez was shot and killed on December 20, in spite of 24-hour police protection.
MUFRAS-32 says the community is most alarmed by the lack of police investigation into these crimes. There have been no arrests for Rivera Gomez' assassination, and the community sees only "the most serious lack of will in discovering the causes of these murders," according to the release.
Democracy Now!
For the second time in a week, a prominent anti-mining activist has been assassinated in El Salvador. On Saturday, thirty-two-year-old Dora “Alicia” Recinos Sorto was shot dead near her home. One of her children was also injured in the shooting. Sorto was an active member of the Cabañas Environment Committee, which has campaigned against the reopening of a gold mine owned by the Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining Company. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/29/anti_mining_activists_killed_in_e
.
Second opponent to Pacific Rim slain this week
by Moira Peters →Free Trade & Gateway Projects
Nearly two years ago, he lost two fingers because he opposed a Canadian-owned gold mine in Cantina Trinidad, El Salvador. Yesterday, Jose Santos Rodriguez lost his wife, some say for the same reason.
Dora Alicia Sorto Recinos, 32, was shot and killed yesterday at 3:30 pm when she was returning home from doing laundry in a nearby river. She was eight months pregnant. Her son, who was accompanying her, was shot in the foot.
Santos Rodriguez is a farmer and active member of the Environmental Committee of Cabanas (CAC), a citizen group in opposition to Pacific Rim's proposed El Dorado gold mine. In April, 2008, he was attacked by Oscar Menjivar, a neighbour who had relationships with local mayors who supported the mine. In the attack, Menjivar cut off two of Santos Rodriguez' fingers with a machete.
According to a press release by Movimiento Unificado Francisco Sánchez-1932 (MUFRAS-32), Sorto Recinos had recently informed MUFRAS-32 that men with rifles had come to her house, looking for her husband. He was not home at the time.The assassination of Sorto Recinos is the second murder this week of an opponent to Pacific Rim's proposed El Dorado mine, and the latest in a string of assassinations of civilian opponents to Canadian mining projects in Latin America.
Ramiro Rivera Gomez was shot and killed on December 20, in spite of 24-hour police protection.
MUFRAS-32 says the community is most alarmed by the lack of police investigation into these crimes. There have been no arrests for Rivera Gomez' assassination, and the community sees only "the most serious lack of will in discovering the causes of these murders," according to the release.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Report cards for kindergartners?
No matter how long it's been since you were in school, I'd guess you might still carry the memory of your best or worst report card. (I still remember the C in Art and the D in General Music that I received as a fifth grader. Both pretty much confirmed I had no talent in either area but, still, it felt pretty harsh being judged in that way.)But do you remember your first report card? Probably not.
In that vein, do you think 5-year-olds are too young to receive their first one?
You may be interested in an op-ed piece we published today in The Oregonian, written by Aki Mori, a follower of this blog and a regular commenter.
Aki is the parent of a kindergartner and a teacher in the Beaverton School District. He and I met a few months ago, prompted by the fact we had a Bay Area thing in common. Before moving to Oregon, he taught in the public schools in Union City, Calif. And, years ago, that's where I attended grade school (Decoto Elementary) before moving to Fremont.
In any case, Aki has impressed me as a very thoughtful guy and earnest writer -- just the kind of young educator we should all be thankful for. Read his essay here and share your two cents.
Hate Crimes for Christmas
Hate crimes for Christmas
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Photo: Cross burning at nighttime Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rally, Photo by Hank Walker, 1946, Time Life
Hate crimes against African-Americans and the number of hate groups increased in the United States during this decade, according to US statistics. But what of the hate crimes on the US/Mexico border, where white Border Patrol agents kill people of color in cold blood, as was the case with Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, 22, from Morelia, Mexico?
Why is it not a hate crime when white Border Patrol agents and white police officers beat and murder Tohono O’odham, and other people of color, on the backroads near the US/Mexico border?
Why is it not a hate crime when the US federal court prosecutes volunteers for giving water to a dying person on the southern border?
Why is it not a hate crime when the United States kills civilians with drones during rogue assassinations in Iraq or Afghanistan? Why is it not a hate crime when Navajo, Lakota, Tohono O'odham and other Indian women, children and elderly go to bed cold, sick and hungry -- without food, medicine and firewood -- ignored by the United States and their own elected councils?
Television news, especially CNN, can be singled out for the rise of institutionalized racism and nationalism. CNN champions the rights of white victims in mind-numbing repeated broadcasts. When was the last time CNN sought justice for a black, American Indian or Asian missing or murdered child or desperate parent? CNN's chosen victims are more often than not, fair-haired blondes. The people that CNN and other television news focus on to shame and vilify are more often than not people of color.
Television news was responsible for fueling the border xenophobia, which resulted in billions of dollars of profits for Boeing border wall builders and surveillance profiteers. Over the past decade, it was television news, particularly CNN, that fueled global intolerance, racial and religious prejudice toward people from the Middle East. This institutionalized religious prejudice targeted the followers of the Prophet Mohammad. It was primarily CNN that manipulated the facts and swayed public opinion concerning the United States’ oil and opium rich wars in the Middle East.
Instead of calling for the prosecution of Bush and Cheney for war crimes, in violation of the Geneva Conventions prohibiting torture, television news anchors broadcast Cheney’s book tour.
The newsmakers, including global wire services, treated press releases written by politicians and corporations as facts, fictionalizing the news on issues ranging from the war and the US borders, to uranium mining and power plants on American Indian lands.
Canadian mining companies assassinated Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala and elsewhere. Canadian mining companies, including Barrick Gold and Cameco uranium, targeted Indian lands in the US, and around the world, to poison their land and water with gold and uranium mining. Television news ignored the facts.
What were the most censored news stories in 2009? It was all censored. The media stopped questioning the reasons for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States continued its covert drug operation for opium and other drugs in Afghanistan, issued oil contracts in Iraq in 2009, after smuggling yellowcake out of Iraq for the private company Cameco in Canada in 2008. The news media failed to expose the United States role in the drug violence of northern Mexico, both in trafficking and the demand for drugs. News makers failed to expose the fact that the most brutal torturers in Mexico, the Zetas, were originally trained as US Special Forces.
People of color, considered expendables by the US, continued to be targeted in television commercials and by military recruiters to die in Iraq and Afghanistan, a war with no real purpose and no possibility of victory. Military recruiters are masters of deceit. The lies of military recruiters seldom become public after enlisted men and women become soldiers. Women, who military recruiters promised would return to their home communities as recruiters, quickly find themselves on the battlefield, fearing they will be raped by their fellow soldiers in the bushes. These reasons, including the purposeless of the war, are among the reasons that the US now has its highest ever rate of suicides in the military.
The number one censored issued in 2009 was the escalation of human rights violations during the Obama administration, including the escalation of the war, continued approval of CIA kidnappings (secret renditions,) repression of the US torture photos, failure to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for war crimes, and the use of drones for assassinations and killing of civilians.
One pivotal turning point occurred late in 2009, according to statements from Native Americans. The Obama administration approved oil drilling in the Arctic. Alaska Natives from the Chukchi Sea were in Copenhagen for the Climate Talks when the Interior announced the decision to devastate the Arctic.
Already, the Obama administration had bailed out the billionaires, the stockholders, bankers and carmakers, leaving homeowners homeless and Native Americans with less than ever. The much-publicized Obama invitation to the White House extended to American Indian leaders, turned out to be an invitation to stand in line to get into the Interior Building, without even a handshake from the president.
There were victories. The Indigenous Environmental Network at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen proved that a dedicated group of people could make a difference, delivering a powerful message for the protection of Mother Earth, to the world. Indigenous voices, including those to halt the Tar Sands in Canada, were carried around the world, by Democracy Now! ABC Nightly News and other media.
The Mohawks at the northern border, stood firm against the oppression of the colonized governments in the US and Canada at the border. In their homelands, Western Shoshone, Navajo, Lakota, Pueblo, Supai, Gwich’in and other Indigenous Peoples stood firm against coal fired power plants, oil drilling, uranium mining and gold mining in their homelands.
There were more victories in desperate times. Ben Carnes, Choctaw, fasted for freedom for Leonard Peltier, outside the White House. Crow Creek Sioux Chairman Brandon Sazue established a solitary stronghold in a snow blizzard of central South Dakota after the IRS seized lands of the economically desperate Indian Nation. Havasupai and Acoma Pueblo hosted gatherings to halt uranium mining in the Southwest. A delegation of Native Americans visited Palestine.
Clan Dyken and friends brought food and chopped wood for Navajos resisting relocation and Peabody Coal mining. Dooda (NO) Desert Rock fought against another coal-fired power plant in their Navajo homeland. Western Shoshone fought to protect sacred Mount Tenabo from Barrick Gold's mining and won a victory in the Ninth Circuit federal court. O’odham struggled against the oppression of the Border Patrol/Homeland Security and their own elected legislative council. Save the Peaks continued to fight to protect sacred San Francisco Peaks from snow made from sewage water.
The campaign "No Olympics on Stolen Land," was launched in Canada. The effort received a boost when border officials detained and harassed Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. Canada's effort backfired when Goodman was interrogated as to whether she would speak out against the 2010 Olympics. The oppression triggered global media and the message: "No Olympics on Stolen Land."
When President Lyndon Johnson wanted to censor voices against the war in Vietnam, Johnson censored Buffy Sainte Marie and drove her out of the music business in the US. Who will sing those songs now? Who will sing for the men and women dying without purpose in Iraq and Afghanistan? Who will sing of the “Universal Soldier” dying because of the lies of politicians?
Racism has not been eradicated in the US; it has been covered up.
The US is a society built on the blood of Africans kidnapped and tortured in slavery. The US society is built on the genocide of American Indians. Entire Indian Nations were massacred and others driven far from their homelands. Texas, which continues its legacy of lynching of blacks and the genocide of Native Americans with the death penalty and executions, is a state where racism and hate crimes grow like fungus. California and Texas have the largest number of hate groups in the US, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. There are 84 hate groups in California and 66 in Texas. The region with the largest number of hate groups is the Deep South.
Hate crimes continued on and around Indian lands in this decade, with beatings and murders of Native Americans, the targeting of American Indians by police officers in bordertowns and the targeting of American Indian women as victims of crimes. In the Deep South in 2009, arrests continued for cross burnings at the homes of blacks. There were arrests for hate speech and the exposure of a justice of the peace that refused to marry an interracial couple.
Knowledge is power. On Christmas Day, Showtime broadcast the movie, “The Great Debaters,” the true story of a black debate team from Marshall, Texas, in northeast Texas, that debated Harvard in the 1930s.
There is a powerful scene when the debate team arrives at the scene where a black man has just been lynched by a white mob. The team narrowly escapes an attack by the mob. It is this experience of witnessing the lynching and the man’s charred remains that ultimately leads to the debate team's victory.
The debate team teacher delivers this riveting advice: When one is slammed to the ground, again and again, get up again and never give up.
References:
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Photo: Cross burning at nighttime Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rally, Photo by Hank Walker, 1946, Time Life
Hate crimes against African-Americans and the number of hate groups increased in the United States during this decade, according to US statistics. But what of the hate crimes on the US/Mexico border, where white Border Patrol agents kill people of color in cold blood, as was the case with Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, 22, from Morelia, Mexico?
Why is it not a hate crime when white Border Patrol agents and white police officers beat and murder Tohono O’odham, and other people of color, on the backroads near the US/Mexico border?
Why is it not a hate crime when the US federal court prosecutes volunteers for giving water to a dying person on the southern border?
Why is it not a hate crime when the United States kills civilians with drones during rogue assassinations in Iraq or Afghanistan? Why is it not a hate crime when Navajo, Lakota, Tohono O'odham and other Indian women, children and elderly go to bed cold, sick and hungry -- without food, medicine and firewood -- ignored by the United States and their own elected councils?
Television news, especially CNN, can be singled out for the rise of institutionalized racism and nationalism. CNN champions the rights of white victims in mind-numbing repeated broadcasts. When was the last time CNN sought justice for a black, American Indian or Asian missing or murdered child or desperate parent? CNN's chosen victims are more often than not, fair-haired blondes. The people that CNN and other television news focus on to shame and vilify are more often than not people of color.
Television news was responsible for fueling the border xenophobia, which resulted in billions of dollars of profits for Boeing border wall builders and surveillance profiteers. Over the past decade, it was television news, particularly CNN, that fueled global intolerance, racial and religious prejudice toward people from the Middle East. This institutionalized religious prejudice targeted the followers of the Prophet Mohammad. It was primarily CNN that manipulated the facts and swayed public opinion concerning the United States’ oil and opium rich wars in the Middle East.
Instead of calling for the prosecution of Bush and Cheney for war crimes, in violation of the Geneva Conventions prohibiting torture, television news anchors broadcast Cheney’s book tour.
The newsmakers, including global wire services, treated press releases written by politicians and corporations as facts, fictionalizing the news on issues ranging from the war and the US borders, to uranium mining and power plants on American Indian lands.
Canadian mining companies assassinated Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala and elsewhere. Canadian mining companies, including Barrick Gold and Cameco uranium, targeted Indian lands in the US, and around the world, to poison their land and water with gold and uranium mining. Television news ignored the facts.
What were the most censored news stories in 2009? It was all censored. The media stopped questioning the reasons for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States continued its covert drug operation for opium and other drugs in Afghanistan, issued oil contracts in Iraq in 2009, after smuggling yellowcake out of Iraq for the private company Cameco in Canada in 2008. The news media failed to expose the United States role in the drug violence of northern Mexico, both in trafficking and the demand for drugs. News makers failed to expose the fact that the most brutal torturers in Mexico, the Zetas, were originally trained as US Special Forces.
People of color, considered expendables by the US, continued to be targeted in television commercials and by military recruiters to die in Iraq and Afghanistan, a war with no real purpose and no possibility of victory. Military recruiters are masters of deceit. The lies of military recruiters seldom become public after enlisted men and women become soldiers. Women, who military recruiters promised would return to their home communities as recruiters, quickly find themselves on the battlefield, fearing they will be raped by their fellow soldiers in the bushes. These reasons, including the purposeless of the war, are among the reasons that the US now has its highest ever rate of suicides in the military.
The number one censored issued in 2009 was the escalation of human rights violations during the Obama administration, including the escalation of the war, continued approval of CIA kidnappings (secret renditions,) repression of the US torture photos, failure to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for war crimes, and the use of drones for assassinations and killing of civilians.
One pivotal turning point occurred late in 2009, according to statements from Native Americans. The Obama administration approved oil drilling in the Arctic. Alaska Natives from the Chukchi Sea were in Copenhagen for the Climate Talks when the Interior announced the decision to devastate the Arctic.
Already, the Obama administration had bailed out the billionaires, the stockholders, bankers and carmakers, leaving homeowners homeless and Native Americans with less than ever. The much-publicized Obama invitation to the White House extended to American Indian leaders, turned out to be an invitation to stand in line to get into the Interior Building, without even a handshake from the president.
There were victories. The Indigenous Environmental Network at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen proved that a dedicated group of people could make a difference, delivering a powerful message for the protection of Mother Earth, to the world. Indigenous voices, including those to halt the Tar Sands in Canada, were carried around the world, by Democracy Now! ABC Nightly News and other media.
The Mohawks at the northern border, stood firm against the oppression of the colonized governments in the US and Canada at the border. In their homelands, Western Shoshone, Navajo, Lakota, Pueblo, Supai, Gwich’in and other Indigenous Peoples stood firm against coal fired power plants, oil drilling, uranium mining and gold mining in their homelands.
There were more victories in desperate times. Ben Carnes, Choctaw, fasted for freedom for Leonard Peltier, outside the White House. Crow Creek Sioux Chairman Brandon Sazue established a solitary stronghold in a snow blizzard of central South Dakota after the IRS seized lands of the economically desperate Indian Nation. Havasupai and Acoma Pueblo hosted gatherings to halt uranium mining in the Southwest. A delegation of Native Americans visited Palestine.
Clan Dyken and friends brought food and chopped wood for Navajos resisting relocation and Peabody Coal mining. Dooda (NO) Desert Rock fought against another coal-fired power plant in their Navajo homeland. Western Shoshone fought to protect sacred Mount Tenabo from Barrick Gold's mining and won a victory in the Ninth Circuit federal court. O’odham struggled against the oppression of the Border Patrol/Homeland Security and their own elected legislative council. Save the Peaks continued to fight to protect sacred San Francisco Peaks from snow made from sewage water.
The campaign "No Olympics on Stolen Land," was launched in Canada. The effort received a boost when border officials detained and harassed Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. Canada's effort backfired when Goodman was interrogated as to whether she would speak out against the 2010 Olympics. The oppression triggered global media and the message: "No Olympics on Stolen Land."
When President Lyndon Johnson wanted to censor voices against the war in Vietnam, Johnson censored Buffy Sainte Marie and drove her out of the music business in the US. Who will sing those songs now? Who will sing for the men and women dying without purpose in Iraq and Afghanistan? Who will sing of the “Universal Soldier” dying because of the lies of politicians?
Racism has not been eradicated in the US; it has been covered up.
The US is a society built on the blood of Africans kidnapped and tortured in slavery. The US society is built on the genocide of American Indians. Entire Indian Nations were massacred and others driven far from their homelands. Texas, which continues its legacy of lynching of blacks and the genocide of Native Americans with the death penalty and executions, is a state where racism and hate crimes grow like fungus. California and Texas have the largest number of hate groups in the US, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. There are 84 hate groups in California and 66 in Texas. The region with the largest number of hate groups is the Deep South.
Hate crimes continued on and around Indian lands in this decade, with beatings and murders of Native Americans, the targeting of American Indians by police officers in bordertowns and the targeting of American Indian women as victims of crimes. In the Deep South in 2009, arrests continued for cross burnings at the homes of blacks. There were arrests for hate speech and the exposure of a justice of the peace that refused to marry an interracial couple.
Knowledge is power. On Christmas Day, Showtime broadcast the movie, “The Great Debaters,” the true story of a black debate team from Marshall, Texas, in northeast Texas, that debated Harvard in the 1930s.
There is a powerful scene when the debate team arrives at the scene where a black man has just been lynched by a white mob. The team narrowly escapes an attack by the mob. It is this experience of witnessing the lynching and the man’s charred remains that ultimately leads to the debate team's victory.
The debate team teacher delivers this riveting advice: When one is slammed to the ground, again and again, get up again and never give up.
References:
New York Times: Federal Hate Crimes Cases Highest Since 2001
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/us/18hate.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/us/18hate.html
Hate Crimes on the Rise
http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2009/12/hate_crimes_on_the_rise.html
Buffy Sainte Marie Uncensored:
http://bsnorrell.tripod.com/id99.html
The Great Debaters
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309/plotsummary
http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2009/12/hate_crimes_on_the_rise.html
Buffy Sainte Marie Uncensored:
http://bsnorrell.tripod.com/id99.html
The Great Debaters
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309/plotsummary
Also see: The Nation: Secret ICE Facilities
ICE can make people disappear:
National: Secret ICE facilities
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100104/stevens
Send comments to brendanorrell@gmail.com
Brenda Norrell began publishing Censored News after being censored and terminated by Indian Country Today in 2006. She has been a news reporter in Indian country for 27 years, serving as a staff writer for Navajo Times and Lakota newspapers and a stringer for AP and USA Today. She lived on the Navajo Nation for 18 years.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100104/stevens
Send comments to brendanorrell@gmail.com
Brenda Norrell began publishing Censored News after being censored and terminated by Indian Country Today in 2006. She has been a news reporter in Indian country for 27 years, serving as a staff writer for Navajo Times and Lakota newspapers and a stringer for AP and USA Today. She lived on the Navajo Nation for 18 years.
Quanah Parker Brightman: Religious Persecution of Native Americans
The State Capital, Sacramento California, Friday 12-4-09.Speech by Quanah Parker Brightman
Religious Persecution has been a Harsh Reality for My People Since The Illegal Occupation Of Our Home Land Began Back In 1492, Resulting in the loss of Our language and Our Traditional practices. Fact, The Federal Government Outlawed Our Religion in 1884. . . lasted until 1904. Then, they enriched the laws, and it lasted until The 1930's. In 1890 at a Place Called Wounded Knee Creek In South Dakota. A Group of Native Americans Gathered Together to Practice a Then New Form of Religion Called The Ghost Dance. The Federal Government Did Not Want Them To Do This, So, They Sent In The 7th Cavalry. They Then Divided The Women And Children On One Side And The Men On The Other Disarmed Them And They Shoot Them Down. They Massacred Over 250 Native Americans For Worshiping There Own Religion And To Add Even Further Insult, The United States Rewarded These Brave Soldiers 26 Congressional Medals Of Honor. That is The Highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. I Ask Each of You. . .What's So Brave About Killing Unarmed Women And Children??? Every Tribe Across America Has Had a Similar Story To Share, Such As The Bloody Island Massacre For The Pomo Nation Here In California. And So On. . .And So On. . . Although the American Indian Religious freedom act of 1978 removed some restrictions on our traditional practices, We Need to further insure that Our Religion is Respected. Today We Are Here to Ask That All Our Political Prisoners Be allowed to participate in their ceremonies that our people have been Practicing since the Beginning of Time. We need more legal guaranties for the protection of our sacred sites and our burials sites. The Federal bureau of prisons and the United States prison system must develop tolerance of the many different belief systems and change their closed minded ways towards the treatment of our political prisoners. It would be nice to see the united states of American; land of the free…home of the brave… Honor the international religious freedom act of 1998. The act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 1998.
The use of the sacred pipe must be allowed into the prison system. The California state prison system is mandated to provide diverse religious and spiritual needs of all inmates. They are called chaplains, these chaplains provide counseling services, and they organize or coordinate religious services and are supposed to deliver “Requested” Religious Materials.
We Ask That All Correctional Facilities Across America Hire more Native American chaplains to help heal our political prisoners, This must be done. Intervention Can and Must be done by a Native American spiritual advisor such as a Traditional medicine man or woman.
More funding must also be provided for the building And Maintaining Our sweat lodges in each institution. These Nation to Nation implementation guidelines should govern the development of these plans and be embraced by Every and All Correctional Facilities Across the World.
This is a human rights violation and is a direct violation of the constitution and the bill of rights!!!
We all pray to the same GOD CALLED by different NAME. WE CALL HIM "WAKATANKA" "TUNKASILA"
“CREATOR” “Jesus” etc!
We Also Ask, When Will President Obama Free Our Nelson Mandela?? Leonard Peltier has been in jail for over 33 years For a Crime He Did Not Commit. (Free Leonard Peltier)
FACT, America has more inmates than any other nation in the world. The land of the free. Free for only the political Elite.
Very rarely do You see the rich going to jail for long prison sentences, only the poor! It’s a double standard of justice.
We need more educational and rehabilitation centers to help heal our people.
In closing. . .
Chief LAME DEER once said
BEFORE OUR WHITE BROTHERS CAME TO CIVILIZE US WE HAD NO JAILS. THEREFORE WE HAD NO CRIMINALS. YOU CANT HAVE CRIMINALS WITHOUT A JAIL. WE HAD NO LOCKS OR KEYS, AND SO WE HAD NO THIEVES. IF A PERSON WAS SO POOR THAT HE HAD NO HORSE, TIPI OR BLANKET, SOMEONE GAVE HIM THESE THINGS. WE WERE TOO UNCIVILIZED TO SET MUCH VALUE ON PERSONAL BELONGINGS. WE WANTED TO HAVE THINGS ONLY IN ORDER TO GIVE AWAY. WE HAD NO MONEY, AND THEREFORE A MANS WORTH COULDN’T BE MEASURED BY IT. WE HAD NO WRITTEN LAW, NO ATTORNEYS OR POLITICIANS, THEREFORE WE COULDN’T CHEAT. BUT NOW VISIBLE PROGRESS IS EVERYWHERE—JAILS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND WE KNOW THESE JAILS ARE FOR US INDIANS. WHAT A PITY THAT SO MANY OF US DON’T APPRECIATE THEM.
Thank You.
All My Relations.
Quanah Parker Brightman
Vice President of
United Native Americans,Inc
(510)672-7187
L-VII
The big Cincuenta y Siete.Fifty-seven.
Whew. How did I get to be 57?
Yes, it's only a number -- and yes, I'm in great health. But still...
Did a quick internet check to see who else shares my birthday and came up with this lame list of three from historyorb.com
- Jay Hill, Canadian politician
- Karla Bonoff, rock singer (New World, Restless Nights)
- Tovah Feldshuh, American actress
Ah, well, it isn't much better the day before or a day later...
12-26:
- Andre-Michel Schub, Paris France, pianist (Van Cliburn-1981)
12-28:
- Arun Jaitley, Indian Politician
- Ray Knight, 3rd baseman (NY Mets, Balt Orioles)
- S Epatha Merkerson, Saginaw MI, actress (Lt Van Buren-Law and Order)
But, hey, who cares about celebrity or pseudo-celebrity? If the past year has taught me anything -- or, more accurately, reinforced it -- it's the importance of family. With each year, as life presents new challenges and opportunities, unforeseen circumstances and conundrums, it's comforting to know there's someone along for the ride.
Maybe it's a coincidence that Lori and I went out to the movies last night and saw "Up In The Air," the new film where George Clooney stars as an Omaha-based consultant who spends 322 days a year on the road and makes his living flying into one corporate office after another laying people off. It's a soulless, commitment-free existence and one he touts as an occasional motivational speaker, with his trademark presentation, "What's In Your Backpack?"
Suffice to say that in the course of developing a relationship with a fellow road warrior, based in Chicago, and mentoring a younger version of himself, a calculating Ivy League grad who develops a protocol for laying people off during videoconferencing, he comes to question the wisdom of his ways. Does he come to his senses? Do those other two women in his life come to theirs? Go check it out.
As for me, I'll be spending the morning with Lori and looking forward to the kids coming over for a turkey dinner tonight.
Photograph: Anna Kendrick and George Clooney.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Happy Holidays from Leonard Peltier
Happy Holidays from Leonard
Greetings and happy holidays. I hope this letter finds you all enjoying the spirit of the season with family and friends.
My August parole denial was appealed in short order. We are expecting a response to that appeal sometime very soon. It has occurred to me that the viciousness of this system knows no bounds, and so I believe strongly in the coming days we will hear of another loss, another denial. This one will be timed and intended specifically as a twisted Christmas present for me, such is the nature of those in charge. With no sense of balance, fairness, or decency, I await my own personal stocking stuffer.
We all know the so-called justice system of this country is more about revenge and retribution than finding true and just resolution. It doesn’t take into account the plight of the wrongfully convicted, nor does it allow flexibility as human endeavors always require. This system has always been about making money at the top, furthering careers in the middle, and forgetting those at the bottom.
Their reason for denying my parole is that I refuse to admit guilt and show remorse for the deaths of two FBI agents. I know the righteousness of my situation. I know what I did and didn’t do. I will never yield.
I also know what this country did and continues to do to me and many others. While they demand I make a false confession for the sake of my freedom, they show no remorse for the loss of much of my life, or the lives of Joe Stuntz and countless others they have murdered over the generations simply for being who they were. Those lives are meaningless when compared to their precious FBI, I guess. And now, some of the very ones responsible for the deaths and suffering of so many of my people, are peddling books and claiming to be a friend of the Indian. We’ve seen this before, and I’ll speak more about this soon.
I remain proud of what I have stood for and mindful of what real justice is. In this season of love and forgiveness, please say a prayer for all of those who never knew justice and others who have such difficulty in finding it still today.
My love and my prayers go out to all of you.
Happy Holidays
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
--------------------
Greetings and happy holidays. I hope this letter finds you all enjoying the spirit of the season with family and friends.
My August parole denial was appealed in short order. We are expecting a response to that appeal sometime very soon. It has occurred to me that the viciousness of this system knows no bounds, and so I believe strongly in the coming days we will hear of another loss, another denial. This one will be timed and intended specifically as a twisted Christmas present for me, such is the nature of those in charge. With no sense of balance, fairness, or decency, I await my own personal stocking stuffer.
We all know the so-called justice system of this country is more about revenge and retribution than finding true and just resolution. It doesn’t take into account the plight of the wrongfully convicted, nor does it allow flexibility as human endeavors always require. This system has always been about making money at the top, furthering careers in the middle, and forgetting those at the bottom.
Their reason for denying my parole is that I refuse to admit guilt and show remorse for the deaths of two FBI agents. I know the righteousness of my situation. I know what I did and didn’t do. I will never yield.
I also know what this country did and continues to do to me and many others. While they demand I make a false confession for the sake of my freedom, they show no remorse for the loss of much of my life, or the lives of Joe Stuntz and countless others they have murdered over the generations simply for being who they were. Those lives are meaningless when compared to their precious FBI, I guess. And now, some of the very ones responsible for the deaths and suffering of so many of my people, are peddling books and claiming to be a friend of the Indian. We’ve seen this before, and I’ll speak more about this soon.
I remain proud of what I have stood for and mindful of what real justice is. In this season of love and forgiveness, please say a prayer for all of those who never knew justice and others who have such difficulty in finding it still today.
My love and my prayers go out to all of you.
Happy Holidays
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
--------------------
Big Foot Memorial Ride
Friday, December 25, 2009
Season of Sharing 2009
It's getting to be late afternoon on Christmas Day. After a late-morning breakfast with Lori, Simone, Kyndall and Nathan, and opening of gifts, I took a short nap, then got up and ran a little over four miles in the brilliant sunshine -- a welcome surprise and a huge change from a year ago, when we had snow on the ground.Now, as I sit down for a few minutes at the computer, knowing Christmas dinner is prepared and that all my loved ones are safe and sound and healthy, I know I am blessed.
And so my thoughts turn to those who are less fortunate. Specifically, the families and individuals profiled in this year's Season of Sharing Wishbook. Every year, The Oregonian writes about such people and nonprofit programs that assist them with a variety of social services.
If you're like me, your mailbox is inundated this time of year with appeals for tax-deductible donations. No doubt many of them are worthy. For my money, there's no better recipients than those profiled in the Wishbook. (I've helped select the cases and also served as editor of the Wishbook a couple times, so I know what goes into the annual holiday fundraiser. Hats off, btw, to my colleague Amy Wang, who served as editor for the third time this year.) All administrative costs are paid for by the Oregonian Publishing Co., so every dollar goes to these recipients. If you're in a position to give, please join me in doing so.
Photograph of Voycetta White, domestic violence survivor, by Ross William Hamilton of The Oregonian.
Natal
Não.
Não vamos ter aqui uma miuda toda boa vestida de Pai Natal.
Um Feliz Natal a todos os leitores do Show Me a Bike.
.
Não vamos ter aqui uma miuda toda boa vestida de Pai Natal.
Um Feliz Natal a todos os leitores do Show Me a Bike.
.
"Se Cristo não tivesse nascido."
Um pastor adormeceu em seu escritório numa manhã de Natal e sonhou com um mundo para o qual Jesus nunca tinha vindo. Em seu sonho, viu-se andando pela casa: mas lá não havia aquele costumeiro clima de Natal e não havia Cristo para confortar, alegrar e salvar. Andou pelas ruas, mas não havia igrejas com suas torres agudas apontando para o Céu. Voltou para casa e sentou-se na biblioteca, mas todos os livros sobre o Salvador tinham desaparecido. Alguém bateu-lhe à porta, e um mensageiro pediu-lhe que fosse visitar sua pobre mãe à morte. Ele apressou-se a acompanhar o filho choroso; chegou àquela casa e disse: "Eu tenho aqui alguma coisa que a confortará". Abriu a Bíblia, procurando alguma promessa bem conhecida, mas viu que ela terminava em Malaquias. E não havia evangelho, nem promessa de esperança. E ele só pode abaixar a cabeça e chorar com a enferma, em angústia e desespero.Não muito depois, estava ao lado de seu esquife, dirigindo o ofício fúnebre, mas não havia mensagem de consolação, nem palavra de ressurreição gloriosa, nem céu aberto; mas somente "cinza a cinza e pó ao pó" e um longo e eterno adeus. O pastor percebeu, afinal, que "ELE não tinha vindo". E rompeu em lágrimas e amargo pranto, em seu triste sonho. De repente, acordou ao som de um acorde. E um grande brado de júbilo saiu-lhe dos lábios, ao ouvir, em sua igreja ao lado, o coro a cantar: "Ó vinde, fiéis, triunfantes, alegres,Sim, vinde a Belém, já movidos de amor.Nasceu vosso Rei, o Cristo prometido!Oh, vinde, adoremos ao nosso Senhor!"Regozijemo-nos e alegremo-nos hoje, porque "ELE VEIO"! Caro amigo, Cristo é o motivo da nossa festa! Cristo é o motivo da nossa alegria! Cristo é o Sentido do Natal. Minha oração é que neste dia onde as famílias se encontram em suas ceias natalinas haja no coração de cada um palavras de louvor àquele que por amor tornou-se um de nós. FELIZ NATAL!
Fonte: Pr. Renato Vargens
http://www.cacp.org.br/midia/artigo.aspx?lng=PT-BR&article=2236&menu=16&submenu=3
Para aqueles não cristãos que não querem ou não reconhecem o Natal com data Cristã(sabendo que não é o dia do nascimento de Cristo), faço uma pergunta? O que é melhor: lembrar da nossa esperança ou viver sem ela?
Fonte: Pr. Renato Vargens
http://www.cacp.org.br/midia/artigo.aspx?lng=PT-BR&article=2236&menu=16&submenu=3
Para aqueles não cristãos que não querem ou não reconhecem o Natal com data Cristã(sabendo que não é o dia do nascimento de Cristo), faço uma pergunta? O que é melhor: lembrar da nossa esperança ou viver sem ela?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A toast to our heroes
As the sky begins to darken on Christmas Eve, I want to share this column by David Ignatius of The Washington Post, one of the most knowledgable commentators on foreign affairs generally and on Iraq and Afghanistan in particular.
Ignatius reports from Forward Operating Base Frontenac in Afghanistan, a place where our son, Jordan, could be headed next year, if a number of variables fall into place.
"This holiday season is a good time to remember these faraway soldiers. The debate over Afghanistan has provoked strong feelings, pro and con. But the country seems united in its appreciation for a military that has been suffering the stresses of war, without complaint, for the last eight years."Read the piece here.
Above: U.S. soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rest on their Stryker armored vehicles at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan, on Nov. 3, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo By Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released)
The Meaning of Life
That's how Esquire bills its annual "What I've Learned" issue, featuring wisdom and advice from a cross-section of mostly well-known people.
It's a fast read and an entertaining format, where the interviewee's direct quotes are presented in short bursts, sometimes a single sentence, sometimes a tight paragraph. You don't know what the exact question was that prompted the answer but sometimes you can guess.
This month the magazine displayed its creativity (and resources) by piecing together interviews with John, Robert and Ted Kennedy -- the first time it's ever been done with someone who's not living. And how did they do this? By sending top editors to the LBJ Library in Texas and the Kennedy Library in Boston and trolling through their resources.
"And then," Editor David Granger explains, "a pack of assistant editors and interns combed through out-of-print books, long-forgotten news accounts, and even back issues of Esquire in search of revealing, surprising and personal reflections in the brothers' own words -- both official and offhand -- to offer a collective portrait, more textured, candid and intimate than just the legacy of their more familiar public pronouncements, many of which are seared into our collective consciousness."
The result is a window into the brothers' privileged lives as well as the humor, vanity and sense of hope that defined them.
The inside spread begins with a black-and-white photo of the three in Hyannis Port, Mass., circa 1948 with all three -- Jack, 31, Bobby, about 22, and Ted, 16 -- smiling broadly at the camera, as if they hadn't a care in the world. And then you read:
I have no firsthand knowledge of the Depression. My family had one of the great fortunes of the world and it was worth more than ever then. We had bigger houses, more servants, we traveled more. About the only thing that I saw directly was when my father hired some extra gardeners just to give them a job so they could eat. I really did not learn about the Depression until I read about it at Harvard. My experience was the war. I can tell you about that. -- JFK, 1960.The January 2010 issue features interviews with 15 people, ranging from Kelsey Grammer, Sting and Ornette Coleman to 50 Cent, Alberto Gonzales and Katie Stam, the reigning Miss America from Seymour, Indiana. Buy it, read it and pass it along. Or...just click here.
[FYI, During the Depression, 1929-39, John would have been ages 12 to 22.]
Some people think that because you have money and position you are immune from the human experience. But I can feel as lonesome and lost as the next man when I turn the key in the door and go into an empty house that is usually full of kids and dogs. -- RFK, late sixties.
My brothers were my dearest friends. They were just human beings -- and wanted to be considered that way -- but they were extraordinary. I cared very deeply about them, loved them. I miss them. No day goes by when I don't. That gap will be with me for the rest of my life. No way to bridge that. -- EMK, 1985.
Photograph: JFK Presidential Library
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
More Photos 2009
Sandy's rousing sendoff
At 3 p.m. yesterday, those of us in The Oregonian's newsroom dropped what we were doing to gather in The Well -- the conference room that's become our living room -- to toast our retiring editor, Sandy Rowe. (Yes, we actually raised a glass of champagne.)Barely two weeks earlier, she had surprised us with the announcement she'd be leaving us at the end of the year. (See earlier post: "Sandy calls it quits") We've been through so many sad times in that room the past two years, saying farewell to beloved colleagues who were retiring early or taking a buyout, that I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Thankfully, this was an upbeat affair -- all about celebrating a gifted editor and leader with a sensitive side that surfaced when staffers were going through tough personal times.
We watched and laughed at a tribute video filled with various staffers recalling favorite anecdotes or lessons learned; nodded in agreement as the publisher, the new editor and others recounted her achievements, her personal qualities and her legacy; and listened attentively as Sandy herself thanked us for a great 16-year run at the helm of the paper.
In a booklet that compiled direct quotes from 81 current and former staffers, fellow editors from around the country and other industry leaders, these are some of the words that
were used to describe her:
Power, charisma, confidence.
Gem of an editor and good-hearted friend.
Inspiration and a class act.
Generous with her encouragement and praise, direct with her criticism.
Energy and originality.
Gracious.
Charming and suave.
Stylish outfits and fantastic jewelry.
Huge inspirational presence.
Intelligence, decency, high-mindedness of purpose.
One kick-ass woman.
My take?
Every single time I walked into Sandy's office and sat in the chair across from her desk, I knew one thing: She would be prepared to listen to me. Whether it was five minutes or fifteen, Sandy would not be on the phone, she would not be writing, she would not be typing, she would not be looking past me with an air of impatience. She'd look me in the eye and we'd converse one-on-one with no interruptions. In that simple way of doing things, she conveyed that I mattered and that she cared about what I said. My takeaway from that? Stop what you're doing -- set down your pen, look away from the computer screen, turn your body toward the other person -- and give the other person your full attention.
As someone who gave so much of herself to make us all better -- to make us the best regional newspaper in the country -- she leaves with the admiration of all of us who were lucky enough to work with her during what will surely go down as The Oregonian's Golden Age.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The power of a pickle
As Christmas Day approaches and a battery of economic indicators point toward an agonizingly slow recovery, here's a story of hope at the holidays: "A nation in need of a Yodeling Pickle."Written by my friend and former colleague, Spencer Heinz, the piece ran two Sundays ago in The Oregonian. In it, Spencer told the story of a Portland couple who own a joke and novelty shop and how, with help from loyal customers, they're trying to stay in business in these very tough times. You'd think it would be difficult since their store offers the ultimate in discretionary items -- fake spiders, toy eyeballs, pretend vomit ... even a battery-operated Yodeling Pickle.
I posted a followup on the Opinion blog a few days later, summarizing the public's response to these merchants. But that was trumped yesterday by the email (dated Dec. 19) I received from Spencer.
***
Hi,
I just wanted to make sure you knew how much your story helped that store, Bazaar of the Bizarre. I went in there a few days before the story came out, to spend $10 on gifts for an 8 years old’s birthday party. I was the only customer in the store (someone else was keeping warm and waiting for their ride). When I put my $10.50 down, the owner acted surprised, like it was a large transaction. Maybe it was the first or only of the day.
Last Sunday when I saw the story and very nice picture, I posted the link to the neighborhood association (Montavilla) email list, with some of my comments about being a several-time customer of the store, yesterday’s pricing, “something for everyone” and that it contributes to the character of Glisan St.
Today, Saturday, I went in there for a last minute gift exchange item around 11:30. There were maybe 20 people in the store. I asked Keith if he had any yodeling pickles left – I was just curious, didn’t want one. He pointed to a shelf behind me, across from the check-out counter. There seemed to be 8-10 on the top shelf. I asked if he sold a lot of them since the article. He said about 100. I asked if this is a typical Christmas crowd. Lynne said it’s 10 times the usual Christmas crowd, due to the article. By the time I was ready to check out, there were 8-10 people in line. I couldn’t believe it, I have never seen a line in that store. I even took pictures with my phone camera to give to the owners later. The owners were both taking customers and keeping the line moving, no time for their usual witty banter and demonstration of products. I don’t think they even looked up as people came in the front door.
The whole time I was standing in line I noticed there were no more pickles on that top shelf across from check out. I told Lloyd, after my 30 second transaction (had my exact change ready, no receipt needed, just to help them keep the line moving). He stood up and looked surprised. He told his wife they need to go stock more. I think he left her alone with the long line of customers while he went to the back room. There were more people in the store when I left than when I had arrived 20 minutes earlier. Almost all were middle aged, professional looking, serious about spending money there, and having a good time selecting their purchases. As I was leaving, more people were coming in the door and others were parking or getting out of their cars. I am not used to seeing so many cars parked in that block. There were 8-10 cars in one direction and maybe 3-4 in the previous block. I went to Gresham for about 2 hours and when I drove by the store on the way home, it was even more packed, like 25-30 people, 10 or so in line, parked cars for more than a block along the curb. I hope the owners were able to take meal and bathroom breaks. They were taking a lot of phone calls, too, sounded like people asking if they’re open today and maybe how late.
Good job on the article. It was fun and interesting to read. Obviously, people from outside of the immediate neighborhood came over to patronize the business, as a result of your article. One man told me he lives near Fremont and didn’t know about this store until he read the article. His arms were loaded with purchases. He said it’s been so long since he’s seen many of these items and it makes him nostalgic.
Maria
***Is there a lesson here? You bet. Shop local. Patronize independently owned small businesses in your neighborhood. If they thrive, so do we.
Photo of Lynne and Keith Hetrick by Spencer Heinz
CIDADE DE SANTA LUZIA
Santa Luzia é um município brasileiro do estado de Minas Gerais, que pertencente à região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. Localiza-se a uma latitude 19º46'11" sul e a uma longitude 43º51'05" oeste, estando a uma altitude de 751 metros. Sua população estimada em 2005 era de 214.398 habitantes, com a maior concentração populacional e atividade comercial no Distrito São Benedito, afastado 08 km do centro do município.Possui uma área de 234,454 km² e subdivide-se em Parte Alta, Parte Baixa, Distrito São Benedito, Distrito Industrial Simão da Cunha e Zona Rural.Situada a 25 km de Belo Horizonte, Santa Luzia esta localizada de forma estratégica na Região Metropolitana, próxima aos aeroportos de Confins e da Pampulha.A cidade é banhada pelo Rio das velhas; dispõe de linha férrea e gasoduto subterrâneo. Santa Luzia é o 3º Pólo Industrial da Grande BH e ocupa o décimo lugar entre as maiores cidades de Minas Gerais. O município possui três vias de acesso com portais: a MG-20 ou Avenida das Indústrias; a MG 10 via São Benedito e a BR 381, através da rodovia Beira Rio. Os portais marcam o limite da cidade com Belo Horizonte e Sabará e dão identidade ao município, além de fazerem parte do sistema de segurança da cidade.
Santa Luzia é uma cidade voltada para o turismo religioso, pois mantém viva a cultura popular através de festas religiosas como: Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Folia de Reis e a padroeira da cidade, Santa Luzia. O município se destaca pelo seu potencial de desenvolvimento industrial, comercial e de serviços.
Para atrair investidores no município, a prefeitura municipal adotou a política de incentivos fiscais, como a alíquota de 2% do ISSQN.
Nos cinco distritos industriais estão instaladas diversas empresas de vários segmentos de mercado. Nos últimos quatro anos, a taxa de crescimento da cidade foi de 13% e o PIB (Produto Interno Bruto) cresceu 78%. Este crescimento é reflexo de uma política voltada para o desenvolvimento econômico e social, ou seja, investir na geração de empregos, no atendimento social e na preservação da identidade cultural do município.
Fonte texto: http://santaluzianet.com/modules/a_cidade/index.php?id=1
Fonte Foto.: Jonatas rodrigues
No Olympics on Stolen Land: Get Your Torch Off Our Land
Photo: Kalle Anka
Anti-Olympic Protesters bring their message of resistance across Canada; Olympic Torch shamed
Monday, December 21 2009, Vancouver Unceded Coast Salish Territories- Protesters are bringing their anti-Olympic message with chants of “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”, “Get your torch off our land, we don’t want your Olympic scam” and “2010 Homes not 2010 Games” across Canada. In many instances, activists have successfully disrupted the Torch Relay, forcing delays and route cancellations, with at least four arrests associated with anti-Torch related actions.
Today, Six Nations community members have declared that the Olympic Torch will not pass through their territory. A Declaration by the Onkwehonwe (people) of the Grand River Territory states “This land is not conquered. We are not Canadian… We hereby affirm our peaceful opposition to the entry and progression of the 2010 Olympic torch into and through our territory.”
In the coming weeks, dissenters are also expected to converge in Kitchener, Calgary, Edmonton, Stratford, and Guelph.
In Toronto over 250 people took to the streets on December 17, blocking major intersections and forcing the cancellation of the Torch in parts of downtown Toronto. A banner dropped directly across the stage read “Gego Olympics Da-Te-Snoon Nishnaabe-Giing Ga-Gmooding” (“No Olympics on Stolen Native Land” in Anishinaabemowin). (Visit http://www.facebook.com/l/9c773;torontotorch.blogspot.com or email torchblock@gmail.com)
At least four communities in the province of Quebec have opposed the Torch Relay: Sept-Iles, Montreal, Kanahwake First Nations, and Quebec City. In Montreal, over 200 people converged and delayed the relay as well as the main ceremonies and concert. (Visit: http://www.facebook.com/l/9c773;www.amp-montreal.net). On October 30, over 400 people gathered to oppose the Torch Relay launch in Victoria. An Anti-Olympics Festival and Zombie March succeeded in disrupting the relay. Security personnel were forced to extinguish the torch, load it in a van, and reroute it.
Actions have also occurred in cities as diverse as Comox Valley, Kingston, Halifax, Ottawa, and St. John's. With the number of protesters equaling or exceeding spectators, dissatisfaction to the 2010 Winter Olympics is growing across Canada. According to a November 2009 Angus-Reid poll, over 30% of B.C. residents feel the Olympics will have a negative impact and almost 40% of residents support protesters.
Protesters note that the Olympics are not simply about the athletes; rather the corporate Games are leaving a legacy of displacement, militarization, and repression. Public funds invested by all levels of government are nearing $7 billion. According to the Olympic Resistance Network, “While Olympic corporate sponsors are getting bailed out, Indigenous lands are being stolen, people are becoming homeless, thousands are losing their jobs and access to public services, the environment is being destroyed, and civil liberties are being eroded with almost a billion dollars sunk into surveillance. The negative Olympic legacy is turning into an anti-Olympic legacy of resistance across the country.”
Social justice activists also believe that the Olympic Torch is a $25 million propaganda tool for corporate sponsors who have some of the worst social and environmental practices. The Royal Bank of Canada has been under fire for its financing of the environmentally devastating Alberta Tar Sands, while Coca Cola has been responsible for massive depletion of groundwater and toxic waste pollution in India.
Olympic Torch Detoured: No Olympics on Stolen Land
Olympic torch relay rejigged amid protest, but modified Six Nations show goes on
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091221/national/oly_torch_relay
By Susanna Kelley, The Canadian Press
SIX NATIONS INDIAN RESERVE, Ont. - The Olympic torch's journey across Canada was forced yet again to take a detour in the face of aboriginal opposition to the Games, with an Ontario First Nation rerouting its relay amid a protest from a splinter group in the community.
While the torch still made an appearance on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford in southern Ontario, the original plan to run the flame through the reserve - supported by the elected band council - was altered at the 11th hour.
Instead, the torch was taken directly to a bingo hall on the reserve for a celebration during which some two dozen torchbearers circled the hall with the flame.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091221/national/oly_torch_relay
By Susanna Kelley, The Canadian Press
SIX NATIONS INDIAN RESERVE, Ont. - The Olympic torch's journey across Canada was forced yet again to take a detour in the face of aboriginal opposition to the Games, with an Ontario First Nation rerouting its relay amid a protest from a splinter group in the community.
While the torch still made an appearance on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford in southern Ontario, the original plan to run the flame through the reserve - supported by the elected band council - was altered at the 11th hour.
Instead, the torch was taken directly to a bingo hall on the reserve for a celebration during which some two dozen torchbearers circled the hall with the flame.
Monday, December 21, 2009
First day of winter
Wasn't it just yesterday I was writing about the first day of spring?Whew! Time does zoom by when you're busy. No need to rehash the specifics, so I'll just launch into a late-year Quick Takes entry.
-- It's 44 degrees and dry at the moment, a far cry from the frigid weather (highs in the teens) of two weeks ago and the thorough soaking we got last week. A year ago, we had a white Christmas -- actually, a little too much snow for most Portlanders' taste, as it ground things to a halt in this snowplow-averse city. I wouldn't mind a light dusting this year, but the forecast is partly sunny with a patch of morning fog. I'll take it.
-- We hopped on the bus at mid-day yesterday and bought a lovely photograph for our new place at Saturday Market. It had been a couple of years (shame on me) since I'd been down there, so it was a pleasant surprise to stroll through the booths under a clear covering just south of the Burnside Bridge. You can smell the market before you see it (a generic greasy smell, comingling the scents of elephant ears and various stir-fries) but it's always fun to see the characters on both sides of the artists' booths.
These last few days at the market are called The Festival of the Last Minute, but there was plenty of elbow room yesterday. Hmmm...Does that mean people had already done most of their shopping? Or is it a sign of the still-weak economy?
-- Today's top headlines are all about what I'd come to fear would never happen: The Senate moved incrementally closer to passing a universal health care bill. Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's far from perfect. But as Obama has said, "Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good." **
We'll see what happens next when the Senate and House conference committee members try to resolve differences in the two plans.-
** Evidently, the quote originated with Voltaire. (I'm not in the habit of quoting 18th century French philosophers, so how was I to know?) Anyway, I learned of that when I clicked on this Web site: The Happiness Project.
From it, I'm sharing author Gretchen Rubin's Twelve Commandments below. Not a bad list...
Censored News Snapshots 2009
Censored News snapshots 2009: Photo 1: Keith Secola at the Havasupai Gathering to Halt Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon (Photo 2) Louise Benally and Earthcycles producer Govinda (Photo 3) Preparing fry bread for O'odham Solidarity Event in Tucson (Photo 4) Acoma Pueblo Poet and Author Simon Ortiz at the Indigenous Peoples Uranium Summit at Acoma Pueblo, N.M. Photos by Brenda Norrell.
Censored article from Tucson reporter Gabriel Schivone on the O'odham Solidarity Event
Famed Writer Speaks on 'Stolen Land' of the Americas
By Gabriel Schivone
Censored News
Delivering a talk entitled “Apartheid in America: Surviving Occupation in O'odham Lands,”
Professor Churchill Spoke to a full hall at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson about the U.S. government's history of conquest, genocide and occupation of traditional Indian territory.
As a sort of ominous beginning to his talk, Mr. Churchill opened his remarks by saying, “It's an honor to be here; it's always an honor to be anywhere in North America, on Native land.”
Churchill discussed the legitimacy of the “claimed territory” of the United States as “the difference between a 'claim' and a 'reality',” which, he said, are not the same thing. “The United States 'claims' many things,” Churchill said. “Those things have to be interrogated because a 'claim' is not the same as the reality. The United States claims indigenous land as its own, over which it asserts jurisdiction, enforces its own rules -- on everyone.”
Professor Churchill recalled watching on TV a public address in 1990 by former U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush. “(Bush) actually gave a very accurate assessment of international legal obligation, Churchill said. “'Illegally occupied territory,' (Bush) said, 'must be restored to its rightful owners; legitimate governments,' (Bush) said, 'must be re-established in place (of) those that had been usurped; and those who engage in lawless aggression in the occupation of other people's property and assert their authority over them by armed force had to be put back in line with law using any means necessary.'”
Churchill said he jumped up and started cheering at Bush's remarks, which struck him as an ironic rationale laid out by a modern American head of state for why the U.S. must give back the lands it took by force; the lands, Churchill said, which it continues to occupy illegally.
Throughout much of his talk Mr. Churchill made connections between the South African Apartheid regime (1948-1994), the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian lands (1948-present), and Nazi Germany's conquest of Western Europe before and during World War Two. He relentlessly tied back all of them as each following the U.S. example of its own conquest of the Americas and extermination of the indigenous populations over the past several hundred years.
A representative of the traditional O'odham ceremony leaders and the founder of the O'odham VOICE Against the Wall, Ofelia Rivas shared the stage with Professor Churchill, speaking about, in her view, one of the main problems with settler relations with indigenous people in America: “Since the very beginning of the intrusion of our people we haven't had any dialogue. “We weren't at that table when (the U.S.) made that international border. We were not considered to be human. I have to go back to that point because that's the point where we begin as O'odham people. When we begin to remember those things, then maybe we can begin to understand what it means to O'odham people.”
“When you start to feel that kind of compassion for human beings – not because they are different and because they have the same mindset as you and because they support the same ideas as you – then maybe we can change things.”
Ward Churchill has written over twenty books on Native human rights, American foreign policy, and the repression of political dissent in America. According to the website of the University of Colorado at Boulder's department of Ethnic Studies, of which Churchill is a former Chair, Churchill served as a delegate to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (as a Justice/Rapporteur for the 1993 International People's Tribunal on the Rights of Indigenous, an advocate/prosecutor of the First Nations International Tribunal for the Chiefs of Ontario, and is the recipient of various writing awards. It also states he is a member of the Colorado chapter Governing Council of the American Indian Movement (AIM).
Churchill's and Rivas's talk was sponsored by Dry River Radical Resource Center and the Earth First! Journal.
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