The Days Ahead

Pundits and pollsters are busy. People are expressing election fatigue and far too many are feeling hopeless. And regardless of outcome, there’s always more that we can do. 

We can extract from the news what is relevant and stop believing every word as truth. We can fact check all of it and challenge the sources that seek to divide us. We can stop listening to the voices that demand our attention and our allegiance and instead demand their accountability. The media creates and destroys heroes. And we have allowed it.

We can face the historical facts of how militarism and expansion of empire have always been with us; and bring an end to this barbaric story.

We can stop waiting on elected officials to do the right thing. We elect representatives, not kings. We must demand accountability. To do that we must pay attention. And above all we must care.

For the past year our tax dollars have gone to a country that has gone beyond “the right to defend itself” and engineered a genocide. For decades, the media kept from us the plight of Palestinians who are forced to live under Israeli occupation and are now being slaughtered. And today the same media minimizes the tragedy of Sudan. We must ask who is being served? It is clearly not humanity.

We must realize and care that our police forces are armed with military equipment and that people of color are often targeted and killed.

There is so very much that we can understand and challenge.

The earth is in critical states of flux and people are migrating to safety.  Our borders need human approaches, not more militarism. And when we are told “drill baby drill” we must demand a return to love of the earth and kindness to Nature, not conquering her.

In the chaotic days ahead, we will be asked to be human, to be kind, to share and to re -envision a better way for all.  This is not an impossible request. It is what we can do.

Restoring Our Greatest Strength

Somehow, we’ve wandered away from our humanity. Somehow, we must find our way back. Here are some thoughts on restoring our greatest strength:

Go quickly to those things that broaden your vision and extend your ability to love. Don’t become burdened by the ignorance in the world; and don’t pretend it doesn’t exist.

There’s dignity in empathy and compassion. These are our allies. Honor them.

Stop accepting the answers of others and dig for your own treasures within.

There are questions left unanswered because we have not found the right words to ask. Find the words and ask yourself the questions that you have forgotten. Those questions matter. The answers matter. You matter.

These are a few steps to take in becoming human, our greatest strength. Discover for yourself what is needed. The biggest strides are made by those who rediscover and reassert their humanity.  It’s time for big strides.

Be mindful of your surroundings and appreciate the Beauty of the Earth even as it is disappearing before us. It was meant for your appreciation, your care and your enjoyment. Revel in it.

If you must be silent, let silence be a statement of a depth of feeling; not of your acquiescence to the evil and fear that seems so very powerful in this moment. And if you’re ready to speak, be sure your words are piercing and precise. Hone your skills of humor and clarity. You will need both. And above all let your words be sourced by Love.

In all the complexity, there remains simple truth. Fear does not live there. 

I know many people are afraid right now. Personal lives are upended; communities divided; and we exist in a world seemingly hell bent on self-destruction. 

Becoming human is our way out.

Israel Must Stop

No War with Iran. Let Palestinians live in dignity. 

I wake in the night and listen to BBC. It’s their morning and I hope, as I have hoped for the past year, that the new day will deliver humanity from insanity. I long for an end to the nightmare, I am weary of the lies and excuses used to continue genocide and land theft. I’m bored with political arguments that offer no relief; only more distraction from this precipice of horror.

And I wonder what it will take for people to Remember.

I heard a chicken farmer speak of how he could not let his chickens starve to death. That had been the solution afforded him by his buyers. Instead, he took out a loan to save them. “They’re good chickens”, he said. Juxtapose that with news from Israel. Palestinians are told to leave their makeshift shelters once more or they will be starved. They will be starved. Intentionally deprived of food and water. Men, women, children. Human beings who have been tortured and witness to atrocities for the past year. And so much longer.

I’m horrified. But I refuse to be numb. Our government has, without reservation, supported the madmen of Israel. Our leaders have been bought by pro-Israel organizations and our media has forced fed us Oct 7th and antisemitic storylines, hiding the genocide. 

The new lie is that Pro-Palestinian organizations are terrorists. This, as the “Right” is bolstered by an unhinged authoritarian, the “Middle” is lost by a President who refuses to stop the military industrial complex, and the “Left” who are scattered and divided over an election.

The Nobel Peace Prize was given to Japanese survivors of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

And I wonder what it will take for people to Remember.

We Are The Greatest Resistance

We always have choice. In this cacophony of endless dribble we endure, we still have choice. I don’t advocate hiding one’s head in the sand. I think it’s wiser to know what is about to kick me from behind. So, I make the choice to wade into the maya or illusion as it has been called. Into the pseudo reality that appears before me as vitally important and desperately urgent. Into this fleeting moment of time that I am given, I wander. I choose to bear witness to the glory and the ignorance of living life as a human being on this magnificent gift of a planet.

I choose to discover what are the secrets of my heart and in whose hand my heart rests.

This is no easy task. It’s a solitary journey. No one can reside in our soul. No one can know the ease or the difficulties we’ve faced or how often we’ve failed or how frequently we’ve touched the divine. The outside can easily mask the joy or the sorrow these vessels carry. It’s better that way. I don’t take this journey lightly; I know the risks. One slip and you forget who you are; and we are not brought into life to doubt it. 

No one is here by chance, but we must know that. The belief that we are insignificant is the greatest lie. Life is a precious gift. We live in a time when that has been forgotten and lives are disregarded. It is up to each of us to upend that lie.

This, then, is the task at hand: to walk consciously and with gratitude for the moment we have been given. And to know that in that singular act we are the greatest resistance

Be the lit candle.

Hats off to those who are upending the lie of human insignificance. Enjoy this WDRT Conversation from a Veterans for Peace, Brad Geyer as we speak about the unnecessary costs of war to humans and the planet. Peace is possible.

Tenacity

It is thought that ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers agreed on this saying; “The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine”.

And it is always hopeful to see the wheels turn…

After one hundred years, the last two known survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 may live to see justice. A few months ago, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by Viola Fletcher, 110, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109 as they sought justice in the brutal massacre they observed as children. But tenacity and justice work hand in hand and the US Department of Justice has launched a review of the two-day white supremacist massacre. 

Reports in 1921 estimated thirty-six deaths, but time has a way of counting what racist cover-ups won’t allow.  It’s now estimated the Black Wall Street Massacre took the lives of over 300 people and injured more than 800. Following the rampage, 35 city blocks of the Greenwood District – a thriving Black community – smoldered in flames and wiped out 1200 homes, businesses, schools and churches. The white mob who wreaked terror on the community included authorized deputies. Turpentine bombs were dropped from planes, the white mob looted the stores, and hospitals turned away the injured.

We now know that thousands of Greenwood residents were then forced into internment camps as the National Guard watched over them and as their families members were buried in mass graves. No one was arrested or convicted of the crimes. No insurance was given.

Viola and Leslie are the last known survivors of this insidious violence – one of the worst against Black people in our history.  Making this grind of justice even better; it was John Lewis who ushered in the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007, allowing cold cases of violent crimes against Black people, before 1970, to be reopened.

Thank you to the love, tenacity and humanity that ensures the wheels of justice grind on.

May we all overcome the ignorance of hate. 

And while we are thinking about injustice and violence – #FreePalestine 

Two Wings, Same Bird

If you have not realized that the United States is completely backing Israel’s crimes against humanity that began with Gaza, moved to the West Bank and now extends to Lebanon, then I ask you to wake from slumber.

The United Nations has been consistent in its condemnation of Israel and the Biden administration has continued to use “defense” as a cover for Israel’s brutal destruction of communities and all-out murders. It has been nearly one year that we have been witness to this genocide. It has been nearly one year that the United States has given diplomatic cover and billions of dollars to the terrorist nation which Israel has become.

As we remain divided between the two wings of the same bird, we are unable to stand united against crimes against humanity. In this case, the two wings are the GOP and the Dems, and the bird is militarism. The winds that keep the wings afloat are the lobbying dollars of the war industry and of the nations who benefit from the wars of resource and land theft.

Our politicians are bought and sold while our humanity wallows in moral decay.

The political arena is a circus with celebrated clowns, including the so – called third parties that emerge every four years adding confusion to an already broken system. And if you look closely, you can see that international players choose our election cycles to wreak havoc on innocent human beings – as we willingly comply by ignoring the essential for the macabre.

And what is the essential? Essential is the recognition of the primary needs of every human being: clean food, water, air, shelter and the possibility of peace. 

Polls show the majority of us want a ceasefire. It’s time we demand it.

Let us fly on the wings of peace.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for Ceasefire which the US has blocked. Now as we witness Israel’s unchecked bombing of Lebanon, the US and “allies” are calling for a three week ceasefire. We must ensure that Biden does not tell us again how “tirelessly” he is working for ceasefire. We must demand it.

“Lebanese Civilians Are Paying the Price” https://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/25/lebanon_aya_majzoub

Cutting Our Ties to Terror

A new terror has descended on the world as Israel unleashed the simultaneous explosions of pagers followed by a second day of explosions of walkie talkies in Lebanon.

Israel’s defense minister claims this is a “new era” in Israel’s war effort. The simultaneous pager explosions on Hezbollah fighters killed at least thirty-seven and wounded 3400. Hospitals were overwhelmed by amputees, eye injuries and more. The second day of attacks came through walkie talkies and killed at least 20 and injured 450. And while Israel is not claiming the second round of explosions, this new form of terror and dominance is rocking Lebanon, the region and the world.

The United Nations Human Rights chief said this, “Simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings… violates international human rights law and… international humanitarian law.”

And now the question falls to us, the citizens of the United States, whose government has for the past eleven months supplied Israel with war machines and money to carry out what is being denounced world-wide as crimes against humanity, what will we do?

Will we continue to allow our government free reign in support of the terrorist regime that Israel has become? Or will we demand peace? If we believe the story line that Israel needs our help in self – defense, then when do we acknowledge the need of those who are being illegally attacked as needing the same kind of defense?

The entire argument is insane. War will never bring peace. Supporting violence will only beget violence. The Biden administration would do well to cut ties with terror.

And we would be wise to ensure it.

By Al Jazeera English – Growing Up in Gaza, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17512081

Listen to Bernie and learn why we need to stop sending Israel supporters he introduces a resolution to block another $20 billion arms sale to Israel. He says, “We must end our complicity in the immoral & illegal war against Palestinians.”

I agree.

Where Are the Voices for Peace

Thousands of dead, millions displaced and stalled peace talks. These are the headlines out of Sudan. Aid trucks are not given adequate passage to reach innocent women and children and the story of war repeats itself ad nauseum.

The same story plays out as Israel now invades the West Bank. Palestinians refer to this as another Nakba.  And the cries for ceasefire continue to be ignored and the world continues to watch and the United States continues to fund this genocide. Some watch in horror, some with disregard.

Most disconcerting are the proclamations of the leaders. In Sudan’s case, Al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese army refuses to attend peace talks and has said that the fighting will continue for 100 years and there will be no forgiving the Rapid Support Forces as the civil war wages on. 

Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz calls for the mass displacement of Palestinians in what had been the more secure West Bank. He wrote, “We need to deal with the threat exactly as we deal with terror infrastructure in Gaza…This is a war for everything and we must win it,”.

Somewhere, somehow, someone must find a way to stand for peace. People are following these ruthless leaders. Soldiers willingly give their time, bodies and lives for senseless power grabbing greed.

Somewhere, somehow, someone must stand for peace.

The United States has been among the many powers who have led by force. We have touted war as a means of achieving peace. There can be nothing more ridiculous and insane. 

Sudanese and Palestinian people are the latest victims in the human history of conquest and violence. When we finally work as hard for peace as we do for war, this dynamic will change. 

Check out these voices for peace:

The Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice – a network of over eighty organizations advancing a sustainable world free from violence and injustice.

The Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine – a coalition of over eighty organizations working towards ceasefire in Palestine and a US arms embargo to Israel.

And for a personal dive into our humanity and peace: The Prem Rawat Foundation’s Peace Education Program

You can listen to my conversation with Palestinian American Muhammad Kharbush, “And Still They Survive.” Born in 1948, the year of the Nakba, Muhammad gives his oral history of the past 76 years. Thanks to WDRT studio.

Our Diversity is Our Strength

I believe and often say, “Our diversity is our strength”. Now that has become a tag line of the Democratic Party. If you think about it, that wasn’t something that could have been said by many candidates throughout our history. It is hard to accept diversity when you are not accepting the differences among us. It is hard to champion diversity when the push towards status quo sameness is drilled into us from birth. It is impossible to honor diversity when fear of other is used from the pulpit and political soap box to provide scape goats for the powerful to hide behind. 

But there it was, loud and clear, “Our diversity is our strength”. Words are easy to mimic; more difficult to understand and nearly impossible to bring to fruition. But here it is, a clarion call to the wise to recognize what Nature has always taught. We are here because of what has come before and what will come after. We’re intrinsically tied to all living things. When one is elevated, we’re all elevated. And while we may not recognize it, when one is harmed, we too, are harmed.

The United States has been an experiment in humanity and we are by all accounts in a critical moment. Can we the people, recognize the value of “the other”. Can we care for “the other”? 

Our collective history is fraught with genocide of Indigenous peoples, slavery and other ongoing racial injustices. Our debates about helping immigrants is hypocritical and ironic, given the reality that most of us are born of settlers who infiltrated this land and its peoples.

Thought has its own evolution. And while the ideals of unity, compassion and caring are not new, maybe the time has come for their acceptance. Perhaps a wider audience is now ready for a new reality that’s not merely lip service. Time and actions will tell.

And high on the list must be the end of the apartheid of Palestinian people. We must end racism here and we must not support any forms of it throughout the world. Come on DNC, honor what the vast majority of our citizens want: #CeasefireNow and stop supplying Israel with war machines. Anything less is the continuation of a ruthless and inhuman history. This is now ours to change.

We are waking up.

I remain hopeful. Do the right thing.

When Silence is Betrayal

The United States has contracted a $20 billion arms sale to Israel to be granted over the next few years. This, while Biden is “hopeful” that a ceasefire can be reached. This, while Iran and Hezbollah have said if a permanent ceasefire is reached, they’ll stop attacking. This, while Netanyahu continues his bloody rampage on innocent civilians and refuses a permanent ceasefire. A permanent ceasefire would bring the end to genocide. A permanent ceasefire would allow for the return of Palestinians who were forced to leave since the Nakba

A permanent ceasefire would demand the Israeli troops leave Gaza and allow the Palestinian people to find their dead, bury their dead and begin to rebuild their homeland and their lives.

The indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza has been calculated and intentional. The destruction and theft of Palestinian homes in the West Bank by illegal Israeli settlers is also intentional.

The majority of the world are rejecting the genocidal extreme right-wing government of Israel. Most have recognized this onslaught of violence towards Palestinians amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Only the United States administration and Congress have remained unequivocally tied to the murderess regime. (See this map of countries that recognize Palestine statehood.)

It’s said the United States is protecting its interests. What interests are these that require the slaughter of 17,000 children – that we are aware of – and it is likely that too many more lay under the rubble that were once homes, communities, schools, mosques and hospitals.

The spin has been as intentional as the bombing. Polls show an increasing number of citizens demand a ceasefire and oppose more military aid to Israel. We are the majority and our government – all sides – would do well to oblige our demands.

May the peace talks in Doha, bring a permanent ceasefire, a return of all hostages and prisoners, a free Palestine and steps towards peace for everyone in the region.